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HACKERS HEAVEN 2
by Neal Parnell
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 967 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-07-12 |
50,174,862 bytes |
73 |
7060 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
PARKLAND |
Hackers heaven 2.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 87367aa6348a4a5fafb7fd4b3b9961e5 |
1ba3814f994b68acbf6a42fe4bd395f7 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Mike Nifong
August 2002
Course type: Hackers Heaven 2 is an imaginary course set on a relatively flat plot of land that I would describe as parkland in nature, although it both uses a mountain pano (Whistler again, just as in Hackers Heaven) and contains a plethora of anomalous plants and objects (also as in Hackers Heaven).
Historical perspective: Released on July 12, 2002, Hackers Heaven 2 is the second course Neal has submitted to the Links Corner, coming about six months after Hackers Heaven (for which I was the official reviewer). Although its name might suggest otherwise, this is not a reworking of the first course, but an entirely new one. HH2, however, does share quite a bit with its predecessor other than a name.
With respect to that name, incidentally, the read-me file accompanying this course takes me to task for saying 'that Hackers was misspelled' because I had appended '(sic)' to it. Neal goes on to explain that the course is 'named after a friend of mine [,] Phil Hacker.' Since my initial point was apparently misconstrued, I will reiterate it now more directly: the word 'Hackers' appears in context to be a possessive, so it should contain an apostrophe - either 'Hacker's' if the intent is attribution to the aforesaid Phil, or 'Hackers'' if others of the same name are meant to be included.
What is included: In addition to the read-me file, the customary cameo and splash screen are provided (the cartoon figure on the latter, I might add, would seem to lend some credence to my assertion, posited in the HH1 review, that the word 'hackers' be given its usual connotation). There are also hole previews, which were missing from HH1, but the relevant portion thereof consists of too-small top camera captures; I would say that they allow you to play without the top camera, but the layout of the course pretty much does that anyway. There are no crowds or tournament objects, but they are not missed.
What is a bit of a surprise is the file size, which, at 44.4MB, is some 60% larger than the current average, and well over twice as large as HH1. You would never guess this from its sparsely planted appearance or the fact that it makes use of no custom objects whatsoever (and, for that matter, greatly resembles HH1), but at least this bloating does not seem to appreciably affect rendering times.
Technical merit:
Neal assesses his own expertise with the APCD in modest terms, and I would say his assessment does not miss the mark too far. The course is serviceably finished and contains the usual flaws seen in early courses (especially those that have not been subjected to beta tests): there are numerous shadows, primarily (though not exclusively) in texture borders; there are some badly turned edges along some of the water hazards and bunkers; the surface of the water in the creek that cuts across the #9 fairway does not appear to be quite flat; the bunkers lack depth and have 'wavy' bottoms; there is some planting around some of the greens that appears to be very badly scaled ivy (this could be the result of a questionable aesthetic decision rather than a shortcoming in APCD technique). There were also a couple of instances of a phenomenon I do not recall seeing before: a thin black line going about halfway across the screen about an inch from the top on #10 (upper right side) and #17 (upper left side).
On the whole, there is not much evidence of improvement in technique since HH1.
Artistic achievement:
As a general rule, one could say that an imaginary course is held to a lesser standard of realism than a fictional course, in return for which one hopes to be paid a dividend in inventiveness. Here, unfortunately, there is little real imagination evident, although there is a certain sense of whimsy evident in some of the objects and in the commentary to the hole previews. There is actually nothing about the layout of HH2 per se that would disqualify it from being a real course, but the details make it apparent that nothing of that sort is intended. Many of the objects that you see are carried over from HH1 - the toy bulldozers in the twin circular bunkers on the #5 green, for example. And on #18, the cannon and American flags engendered enough of a feeling of déjà vu from the corresponding hole on HH1 to make me wonder whether Neal considers them sort of a trademark for his finishing holes.
Both the bunkers and the water hazards that border on (or are surrounded by) fairway or green textures have mow lines extending right to the surface of the sand/water - not at all realistic, but not a big deal in an imaginary course. And while there is some attempt at edge planting around the ponds, there is essentially none along the stream; in either case, the transitions look awkward and unpolished.
Planting is a bit uneven. Along the fairways, trees are planted with some space between them and absolutely no underplanting. This lends an open look to the fairways that contrasts sharply with the tee areas, which are usually pretty well closed in by the trees and have plots of colorful flowers as well. In fact, more than 70% of the tees exhibit one or both of two traits: there is a narrow chute between two trees through which the tee shot must travel (#1, #5, #9, #10 and #11), or there is a blind or semi-blind tee shot that must travel underneath the branches of a tree or trees (#3, #6, #7 and #17), or there is some combination of the two (#13, #14, #15 and #18). This results in some very limited views off the tee, but since virtually all of the holes play either straight ahead or in a gentle arc (only #8 is a true dog leg), this is more of an aesthetic consideration than a practical one.
There are numerous tongue-in-cheek incongruities to be seen: an outhouse with a satellite dish, alligators sunning on the fairways in front of the ponds, even palm trees surrounding the green and a cabin cruiser in the bunker behind the green at #5, to mention some of the most obvious ones. What is missing is that indescribable quality that would elevate this course above mere novelty status.
Play value:
You have undoubtedly heard it said (with favor) of some courses that they require you to use every club in your bag. This is not one of those courses. The first time I played it, I used my driver off the tee on every par-4 and par-5, and my 4I on every par-3. My 3I, 5I, 6I, 7I and 8I never came out of the bag. A look at the scorecard will suggest the reason: the four par-3's range from 198-206 yards in length, the five par-5's from 534-544 yards, and eight of the nine par-4's from 398-403 yards (statistically, those variations from the midpoints are 2%, 0.9%, and 0.6%, respectively). And if variety is not this course's forte, neither is challenge, at least where pro clickers are concerned. With its relative openness and lack of ground-level planting, its small and shallow bunkers, its lack of significant water hazards (water comes into play only on #2, #9, and #12, and is easily avoided), and its very flat greens (only #9 departs significantly from level), HH2 can be expected to yield scores well under par, often in the double digits. The computer foursome (Stadler, Clearwater, Weir and Garcia) found it laughably easy in b/m/m/m conditions - a combined -49 (-8 to -16), hitting 81% (71-100%) of the fairways and 86% (77-100%) of the greens - and not much harder in w/f/f/d conditions - a combined -35 (-6 to -14), hitting 70% (69-71%) of the fairways and 73% (50-100%) of the greens.
In fairness, Neal does point out in his read-me that the course is designed for power strokers, and it may provide more pleasure for them. There is not much need to shape tee shots (I used a fade on #8 and a draw on #10, but could have avoided both by going to a club other than my driver), although the narrow chutes through which most of them must pass initially can bring some of the trees close to the tees into play, especially in the wind. Power strokers may find it necessary to lay up off the tee on #2, where there is a pond across most of the fairway in the 246-276 yard range, and on the approach to #12, where another pond about 20 yards across sits 8-10 yards in front of the green.
For those of you who care about such things, the par-5's are either reachable or close to it: you may find yourself chipping from the fringe of #7 or hitting a wedge on #12 because you chose to lay up in front of the pond, but #3, #5, and #18 are all good eagle chances; every hole is a good birdie opportunity. And while it has little to do with the game of golf, the twin circular bunkers on the #5 green have a similar effect to the gravitational distortion that large celestial bodies cause in the orbits of satellites and other small cosmic travelers: you can putt your golf ball so that it goes close enough to the bunker to redirect its line without winding up in the sand. Admittedly, the chance that you will find yourself in a position from which you could work that to your benefit is remote, but it creates an entertaining diversion.
The bottom line: At this file size - heck, at even half this file size - I really cannot recommend this course to pro clickers. If you liked HH1, on the other hand, then you will probably like this one even more. Power strokers with fast connections may possibly find some enjoyment here for a round or two, but as one might expect, a course designed by 'just an ordinary guy trying to have some fun with some very complicated software' will probably have little long-term appeal.
Course statistics: Par 73; 7060 yards from the only set of tees; holes are not handicapped. |
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