|
Rivendell
by Eric Hruby
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 772 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-02-09 |
42,716,007 bytes |
72 |
7235 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
MOUNTAIN |
Rivendell.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 1f288e601d0211d6959c00045a5a3ff7 |
52659085af168d3b88bcb9ab9e82a32a |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Mike Nifong
February 2002
Additional Review by Jame Wood
Course type: Rivendell is a fantasy/imaginary course '[s]ituated in a high mountain valley at the very crossroads of all Middle Earth.' For those one or two of you whose lives have thus far been deprived of the magic of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I would tell you that Rivendell is the name of the Elven sanctuary described therein.
Historical perspective: On April 8, 2001, a previously unknown designer by the name of Eric Hruby released his first course, Tularcitos. Based on a real golf course that Eric had played in his youth, and recreated almost entirely from his memories, Tularcitos was not like any other APCD course. With its custom panorama, excellent use of elevations, and artful planting, it was received with enthusiasm by players and reviewers alike, and it holds up remarkably well even now. But then, as suddenly as he had appeared, Eric dropped out of sight. No new courses, no promises of new courses, nothing. Until January 2, 2002, that is, when Eric showed up in the Course Corner with the announcement that he had nearly finished this course, which he had begun in May.
Neither the screenshots that accompanied the announcement nor the previous success of Tularcitos, however, could have prepared anyone for the breathtaking splendor of Rivendell. How well Eric succeeded is, of course, the subject of the paragraphs that follow, but I would like to highlight just a couple of facts that speak volumes about the impact this course has already had:
1) In the eleven days since its release, Rivendell has garnered 43 user reviews, which is the sixth highest total in APCD history (to date). The top 5: Augusta National 2001, 108 in 7½ weeks; Augusta National 2001, v. 2, 50 in 6 months; Spyglass Hill, 49 in 4 weeks; Copperhead at Old Works, 47 in 6 days; and Pacific Breaks, 47 in 10 weeks. That is some pretty heady company, and is made even more significant by the fact that for two of the courses ahead of Rivendell, at least part of the response was engendered by course flaws ('concrete trees' in Augusta National 2001 and 'steel grass' in Copperhead);
2) It was Rivendell that led Crusader to finally create an award category for fantasy courses.
What is included: Nearly everything. The read-me file is the best text-only read-me yet produced for Links: literate, clever, and informative. The excellent hole previews, in conjunction with the tips included in the read-me file, provide all the information you need to navigate this often-challenging course successfully. The cameo and splash screen, as is the case with everything involving graphics on this course, are exceptional.
Interestingly, the only feature not included here is the tournament option, and that decision was absolutely the correct one aesthetically - the usual Links crowd would look a little out of place here. The thought did cross my mind, however, that if a tournament crowd consisting of hobbits, wizards, elves, and dwarves - maybe with a few orcs thrown in as well - could add an additional dimension to this already multi-faceted course. (Is such a thing possible with the APCD?)
First impressions: From the tee just outside the castle wall, you find yourself facing north, toward the goblin kingdom of Mt. Gundabad in the distance. If you take the time to look around before you hit your first shot, you will see the smoke rising from the volcano of Mt. Doom to your right, the snowcapped peaks of the Misty Mountains behind you, and Rivendell castle itself to your left.
The first hole is a long par-5, reachable from the back tees in some circumstances, but you have more immediate concerns. Your tee shot must avoid the castle turret to the left and the lake on the right by hitting an ever-narrowing fairway. If you hit your shot too well, though, it may go all the way through the landing area and into a deep bunker. If you are confident of your snap, aiming to the right and drawing the ball around the turret is probably your best bet; hitting the ball straight ahead will also work if you can be assured of not overhitting it. Then, depending on how successful you have been with your tee shot, you can hit safely to the fairway on this side of the lake or, if you are feeling your oats, go for the green - 250+ yards across the water. A white-knuckle experience right off the bat, and if your reach exceeds your grasp, the very real peril of starting off in the hole (and I am not talking about the one on the green).
What comes next: Before I go any further, let me say that this course, more than any other I have seen, makes the old saying 'A picture is worth a thousand words' seem like more than a cliché. There is absolutely no way that any of my words convey the visual cornucopia that awaits you here. And be assured that for every picture you see here, I could have picked a dozen more just as awe-inspiring. The beauty does not come without a price: the course renders a little slowly on my high-end system (average rendering time of around 7 seconds, but occasionally as much as 15). The good news is that it is worth the wait.
That having been said, this course is an absolute masterpiece of graphic art. The panorama alone is an amazing accomplishment, pieced together from some 20 photographs according to Eric, but appearing nearly seamless. The colors and textures are perfectly chosen, the planting is exemplary, the bunkers are absolutely beautiful, the stone work is the best I have seen, and the rock faces look indescribably natural. What is more, the waterfalls actually look like waterfalls! And I have not even mentioned the array of imaginatively conceived structures in addition to the castle, which itself is probably the best building thus far created in Links.
Here is an example of the kind of detail you will find. On #4, the cart path enters a mountain tunnel to the left of the tee area. I mean literally enters it. You can take your ball, place it at the mouth of the tunnel, and hit a punch shot straight in, and your ball will go through the mountain and come out on the cart path on the other side (which doesn't leave you in the best possible position for your next shot, but it is still worth trying in practice mode). The kicker is that that is not even the best example of what sorts of unexpected details lie about waiting to surprise you. To tell you about them, however, would be like telling you the ending to the movie you are getting ready to see, and I am not that kind of person.
In terms of sounds, the course gets off to a quiet start, with just a few birds twittering in the background, until you reach the fairway on #4, where Moria Creek burbles (a bit too loudly, I regret to say). Some of the waterfalls roar quite appropriately and impressively, however.
And now the part you have all been waiting for: how does it play? In general, I would say that it is not a course on which you should expect to shoot lights out. The fairways tend to be narrow, although there is almost always a fairly generous buffer of rough on at least one side before you get into the really deep stuff. The greens are also on the smallish side, so the bunkers around them are actually in play, and placed well enough to demand your attention. Of course, there is also a lot of water to contend with, and there are those sudden changes in elevation from which there is no recovery (some people call them cliffs). As a result, there is no doubt that the course tends to favor pro clickers, of which I am one. And yet, it did not seem to me that the course was particularly hard - certainly nothing along the lines of Devil's Island; it was just less forgiving of bad decisions and poor execution. The fact is that there really aren't many eagle possibilities here anyway, so it seems that the key to successful negotiation of the challenges is not to try to beat the course, but to take what it gives you. In other words, it is less about hitting great shots than it is about not hitting bad ones. Eric has also said that he intended for powerstrokers and champ clickers to use the middle tees, from which there is less pressure to hit long, straight shots. So, while I am not personally a good enough cyber golfer to play at those levels myself, and therefore probably not the best judge of how golfers at that level will feel about Rivendell, I would rate it as moderately challenging for pro clickers, and eminently fair for everyone. But even more importantly to me, this course is tremendously fun to play - as much fun in its own way as Spyglass Hill, which has been my standard in this category since its release.
The bottom line: Fantastic, imaginative, and the most stunningly beautiful course yet created; in other words, absolutely everything one could ask for in a fantasy course. I find the parallels that some people have drawn between this course and Devil's Island unpersuasive: unlike that course, Rivendell is both playable and fun. Devil's Island only dreams about being this good. In some ways, however, this does remind me a little bit of Myst: chock full of side venues that beckon you to come exploring their serendipitous charms.
My colleague, loner, has speculated that, after the initial flurry of excitement dies down, many people will not keep Rivendell. I am afraid I must disagree. Certainly, there will be a few people who will get rid of it - no course suits all tastes - but I cannot imagine their number being very large. This is the kind of course that has the power to change the minds of those who believe they do not like fantasy courses. You owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Recommended without reservation.
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James Wood's thoughts..
Course Overview
I'm afraid that words to describe Rivendell are going to escape me. Usually I'm fairly good with words and I can convey my thoughts with the best of them but on this occasion I'm probably going to fall way short. I will of course give it my best shot. I'll start with a few adjectives; amazing, extraordinary, ground breaking, superlative effort, startling, and just plain fun to look at. My firm belief is that above everything else that you can say about the computer game called Links is that it is a game of graphics. The graphics are what originally drew me to the original game and that is what has kept me playing it all these years. Many people may claim it's the ball physics, or the ability to simulate actually playing golf while not leaving your home, or the on-line play but for me it's the graphics. This golf course is a graphical masterpiece. If they gave out academy awards for golf courses they would give this more than one. The work that has been done with rock textures alone is very, very good to say the least. The waterfalls, use of elevation, planting, textures, objects, terrain, sounds, and everything else that make up the course all fit together very well. The panorama is striking and the hole previews are perfect for this course.
Tips for Playing the Course
Mulligans. Play with mulligans on, and turn off the gimmies. There are places you can wind up in and never be seen from again. Quite a few places should have been marked OB that weren't. Turn off the gimmies so you get to take in everything there is to see here.
PS'ers and Champ players beware. Narrow fairways, tough landing areas, long holes, tough hazards, (do dragons count?), very difficult greens, and some wicked elevations all add up to a tough layout.
Favorite Hole
You can't expect someone to pick a favorite hole here. The screen shot is from the second green looking back towards the castle.
Overall
Once upon a time there was a fantasy course produced by Access. Some people loved it and some people hated it. Everyone took note of it because it was unique. It had some fun graphics and it made for an interesting round. The course itself is a bear and I think that Rivendell has successfully followed in its footsteps. I was glad to see this course play as tough as it does. It fits in well with the concept. There is just so much to see on the course and it's really fun to play and will be returned too by those who love the little hobbits as well as those who never heard of them. A brilliant job was done here and the designer should be heartily congratulated.
Course Statistics :
Par 72; 5 sets of tees; 7235 yards from back tees; holes are handicapped |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, concept course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 10/10
The premise could have been ghastly. A Middle Earth golf course sounds
like a teenage fantasy fiction dream which so, so easily could have been
terrible and not golf worthy at all. But, stunningly, Rivendell is not like this.
This is a genuine, if testing, round of golf and features some original and
exciting hole design. Moreover, if you read the Read Me and hole
previews, there is genuine plot and continuity riding through the course.
Not just a round of golf, but a work of art. |
Appearance 10/10
A course in a fantasy environment give the designer a real excuse to go to town, and that's exactly what's happened here. Stunning
use of rock faces, planting, elevation and customisation all combine with a beautiful panorama to make an absolutely mindblowing
environment. Amazing views are available at every hole, bar none. As close as a course could come to getting 11. |
Playability 9/10
With an emphasis very much on target golf, and several cute play options, Rivendell knows how to grab a player's attention. A host of
custom sound effects and objects guide you round. There is a whole heap of joy to be had in the Middle Earth allusions - and I'm not
even a LoTR fan. Hate the books, hate the films, and love the golf course. One aspect not to love is the long render times, which can
slow down play to a ridiculous extent. |
Challenge 2/10
I'm afraid the course slips up here, big time. It's maddeningly, infuriatingly, almost impossibly hard. It's too easy to lose balls in water,
out of bounds, or in the gorge. The greens are a nightmare and the fairways tight and unforgiving. Breaking par would be considered
an excellent achievement and any birdies should be treasured. |
Technical 10/10
Obviously a massive amount of work has gone into this. How else could the rock textures look so real or the custom features grab your
attention? All that's held it back for me is more than a touch of 'extrusion' edge, particularly noticeable around tee boxes and fairways,
but even that won't deny it full marks. |
| Overall |
An amazing concept brought brilliantly and skilfully to life. Looks amazing, but plays
hard - very hard! |
41/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
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