Could use some tweaks for smaller parties

[RiKShaw]

I played through the demo in a group of 3 and I found the game to be really fun, but needs a little something. I see that the max player cap is 12, and I think that explains things.

On "Solo Tee-Off" (terrible name btw), you have all the excitement of parkouring between the holes. And it's fun to have one player finish quickly and just leave you behind (or to do the same to them). But even when the players are of similar skill level it can often leave players feeling isolated. I can imagine this isn't an issue with extra players but with only three if one player was struggling they would just never catch up. And now you're barely playing with your friends.

Some parts of the game help with this. The way that elevators and platforms work on 'cycles' helps to mediate how far apart players are capable of getting but I think that smaller sizes could use more. A rough example would be a hard wall that stops players from progressing until the players behind them are not quite so far behind. Or perhaps have parkour shortcuts that only open up to 2nd or 3rd place. Some sort of catchup mechanic would be handy, is what I'm saying. "Multi Tee-Off" (or whatever it's called) manages this well since it's impossible to move further ahead of a player. But you lose the rush of racing to the next hole.

The only other criticism I have is that it's too easy for players to interfere with your shot. This doesn't happen as much in Solo Tee Off since they're slowing down to slow you down. But in multi tee off and at the last hole, they can finish the hole and then dedicate themselves to making sure you cannot make a shot. You cannot rely on players self-policing themselves here. Either disable their ability to do this, or give players the ability to fight back (for example, make the wedge shoot over the player's shoes.

Besides that, I'm just excited to see where this could go. I'd like to see more open/traditional courses. Or perhaps get inventive and have some course hazard that your ball can dispell in an area around it.

[Robot Assembly]

Hi RikShaw,

Thank you for this detailed and honest feedback! I deeply appreciate you taking the time to write this and I'm glad you enjoyed your time with the demo.

I completely agree, there is a conflict with the core design of the game. Players with varying skill levels will be left behind and feel isolated. Small friend groups who play this game for a multiplayer/coop experience will find it slow, while big groups like streamers appreciate the open space. I tried to address it with Group Tee-Off but you do miss some cool parts of the map. I'm not sure tacking on more systems to alleviate this will be worth it. It would be difficult to anticipate every scenario and add appropriate shortcuts.

This game does need a little something and I believe it might be more platforming mechanics/hazards (speed boosts, buttons & switches, disappearing platforms, spikes, etc.) plus an amazing level editor. Our level editor will have better UI/UX than the level editor in Golf With Your Friend's and Fall Guys. The goal is to make making levels fun! I'm hoping the community made maps will add more value and replay-ability to the game.

To address your other points:
- "Solo Tee-Off" is a bad name I'll think of a better one.
- I'll add a setting to disable shot blocking.
- Planning to add a golf course like a real world one. Just nature, no platforming.

Thanks again for your feedback! I hope I was able address them.

- Joseph

[RiKShaw]

You could call it just "Golf Race" (Wherein you race between golf holes) or "Hole-By-Hole" (Wherein you pursue each hole one by one, ensuring you're all finished before moving on)

Disabling shot blocking is a good option to have, but interference isn't the issue, it's interference you can't stop. I like the idea of being able to mess around with your opponent's shot but the balance is in how much power the blocker has. How much they're capable of doing and what the defending player can do in response.

One example of how you might fix it is to add that your ball can knock players over. So if a ball is stationary or moving slowly, you can kick it (slowly). But if a ball is moving fast, it'll knock you over. So when a player is blocking your shot, you can just hit it with max power and send your opponent flying, reset your shot, and take it before they can get back up. The attacking player gets to slow you down and engage in some mischief but the defending player has a skill based solution they can employ if they need it.