Links and courses in CRS format - any convert tools?

[KashtPR]

Hello, I am new to the site. I picked up Links: The Challenge of Golf for the Memorex VIS (yes, I know its probably the worst console ever) and I was very disappointed to learn that there were no additional courses available for it, so I was stuck playing just the 1 course included with the game (TORREY).

I figured out a way to get other CRS files and, as long as I can get the course in CRS format, I can play it on the VIS. Here are all the courses I could get to work on the VIS:

BANFF_SP.CRS
BARTON_C.CRS
BAY_HILL.CRS
BIGHORN_.CRS
BOUNTIFU.CRS
CASTLE_P.CRS
COG_HILL.CRS
CONGRESS.CRS
DEVILS_I.CRS
DORADO_B.CRS
FIRESTON.CRS
HARBOUR_.CRS
INNISBRO.CRS
MAUNA_KE.CRS
OAKLAND_.CRS
PEBBLE_B.CRS
PELICAN_.CRS
PINEHURS.CRS
PRAIRIE_.CRS
RIVIERA_.CRS
THE_BELF.CRS
TORREY_P.CRS
TROON_NO.CRS
VALDERRA.CRS
VALHALLA.CRS

Are there any courses in CRS format that I missed? I think I got them all, 20 of them are in the Links 5 Course Volumes 1-4, the others were pulled from their respective Links Championhip Course CDs.

Now, the question I am really curious about... are there any ways to convert a course backwards? For instance, CRH to CRS? I know Links LS 2000 and other versions have course converters, but I don't think any of them can go backwards. I found the following information in another forum but I don't think it is correct. Here is the link: https://www.lspn.net/community/viewtopi ... com#p70773

Anyhow, any help will be really appreciated. I would like to get newer courses in CRH and CRX format converted to CRS in hopes I can load them in the VIS.

Thanks so much! :)

[dwg]

The PC versions of Links used the following formats:

SVGA Courses .crh
LS Courses .crx
Links 2001/2003 .crz

You can go from H -> X -> Z but never the other way. The newer formats support higher resolution textures.

[dwg]

Microsoft Golf 98 & 99 has no relationship to other versions of MS Golf or Links, it is a completely different engine by another company.

[KashtPR]

The first Links game was Links: The Challenge of Golf, for MS-DOS, and it used CRS format courses. They were VGA. Microsoft Golf 1.0 and 2.0 also supported the CRS format.

I know that starting with Links 386 Pro, courses needed to be converted to CRH to benefit from the SVGA resolution. Same with Microsoft Golf 3.0. However, many add-on CDs came with CRS, CRH, and CRX. In fact, the Links 5-Course Library CDs, Volume 1-4, shipped with 5 courses each, and each course had a CRS, CRH, and CRX format file.

I was hoping that there were other courses that were released and shipped with a CRS file as well but I guess I got them all. My last hope in getting the newer courses was to figure out a way to convert them from CRH, CRX, or CRZ to the old CRS format, but I guess that is not possible.

I'll play around with a Hex editor to see if I can figure out how the files change and how the actual conversion changes the different objects in the course file. Don't think I'll get very far but I'll update this if I figure it out. In the meantime, if anyone else finds any course in CRS format that I may have missed please let me know. :)

Thanks!

[dwg]

I have the 5 course libraries and quite a few of the early course kits. If I recall correctly most older courses have been recreated for the later versions of Links and especially for the 2001/2003 versions.

From what I can see you have all the early courses. There are some around the 1997-99 timeframe but you would have to look at the CDs to see if they included the older crs files. My version of David Love at Sea Island only has CRX files and I suspect other courses from this time frame may be the same.