Snooker aligning pots tips?

[Jud]

My highest break in real-life snooker is 54. Okay, so I'm not going to be challenging Mark Selby anytime soon, but given that my highest break to date in VP4's snooker is 18, I'm obviously struggling with lining up my pots.

I know the problem is that viewed on a computer screen, in what is essentially a flat, two-dimensional image, we cannot 'see' the distance between cue ball and object ball, which makes what we do instinctively in real life snooker, very difficult to do in a computer simulation of the game.

That said, seasoned VP4 players regularly make 100+ breaks, so aside from lots of practice I can only imagine there are some tips and tricks out there for lining up shots.

I have 'Chin on cue' turned off, so that I start each shot in the standing position. This helps me pick out the potting angle roughly, before getting down on the shot and fine tuning. But this is when I struggle. I line up the pot, but then tell myself I'm hitting the object ball too fine or too thick. I make adjustments, but it just feels like guess work, and ultimately when I play the shot I'm way off the mark. There doesn't even seem to be any consistency with my errors, and I play my shots too fine, just as many times as I play them too thick.

I have my FOV set to some mathematical equation which determines the correct distance based on monitor width and distance sat from monitor, so I don't think this is the problem.

Any help or tips would be very welcome.

[Andreas]

1) Do you recenter your cuetip each shot ? Cuetip is not centered since update 4.4.7.6
http://vponline.celeris.com/change-log
2) The option "chin on cue" simulates chin on cue. In multiplayer is chin on cue "on" (you can not turn this off in multiplayer, as far as i know this prevents cheating)
3) When you will start each shot in standing pos. then you need to use "standard distance" or "standard distance no ball" in your "Camera / Aiming menu"
4) Play with the "Pub Hoops" Snooker Cue. AFAIK it is the best Snooker Cue, cos lowest deflection

[craig_sims]

I've given up playing snooker on VP4, I find it it much harder than real life as no matter how much I play with settings I just cannot get the correct viewing angle.
In VP4 when I line up a shot as I see it I will always miss the pot thin, and so I have to line up the shot and then even though it looks like the correct potting angle I know it will miss, so I adjust to a slightly thicker angle to make the pot even though to my eye it looks like it will miss.

My highest break in real life is 48 but in VP4 I find the most straightforward pot hard. Snooker is hard enough in real life without a computer game making it even harder lol.
I dont have the same problem with the pool games on vp4 though< the potting angles are as I see them in the pool games so I just stick to them now, which is a shame because I love Snooker

[Jud]

@Andreas I didn't know about the cuetip centering, but it never looks that far off centre anyway. I have the camera setting set to "Standard distance" because it feels more realistic to start each shot in the standing position, as this is how it is in real life. I've only been using the default cue so far, but will probably buy the Pub Hoops cue if you think it's best. Also, why is starting each shot in the standing position considered cheating in MP??

@gallinho This is exactly the problem I have, but as I say it's because we cannot 'see' the distance between cueball and object ball like we can in real life. The pot only 'looks' right to us because our brain can't subconsciously calculate the distance between the balls, because essentially, that distance is being simulated with perspective.

[YorkEagle]

highest real life break is only 35 so i struggled at first... but after hours of play i am starting to visualize the line much better now.

[rambler78]

Forget about those mathematical FOV calculations, FOV 30 object ball is closest and therefore easiest to cut accurately. Use 'w' to walk back on the shot, find this helpfull making sure your angle is correct (only close/mid range). I get far too much spin using the 8mm tip cue, deflection you can get a feel for if you keep hacking.

[Jud]

Would FOV set to 30 put my 'eyes' nearer the cuetip or further away? It's quite important to me that what I see in the game accurately represents what I see in real life.

I've tried using W, but it doesn't do what I was expecting. In snooker, at least, it takes me much too far away from the table.

[VadeR]

30 FOV will make everything look smaller, the table will look shorter, higher and the table looks huge. Personally I play with a FOV of 30.

There is also a 'method' to the game, which allows you to pot much easier, you need to figure it out, but I will give you a head start by saying, when you aim, make the top of the cue ball slightly 'touch' the bottom of the object ball from the viewers perspective. Keep trying and eventually you will find a pattern.....

[Jud]

Thanks, VadeR. I can't imagine how this potting trick will help, but I'll certainly give it a go.

[albinario]

In this vid you can see how Mal views the game when he plays, he is a very good potter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlxPaxr1wAo

[Jud]

Nice, albinario. I shall study this closely!

Wow! Not sure how much I learned from that, except that he hits a lot of the mid-length shots much thinner than I would (which is why I miss, I suppose)

[fecske]

-use players HUD and prompting off at Misc settings, to have a clear table view
-i think the default fov 40 is fine for 22-23 inch monitors, too low fov is good for straight pots but you cant play well the thin cuts, as you can't see the pocket ...
-i use mal's view and little lower view of the cue that helps to imagine better the center line. also use the W button frequently but the standard distance setting is also fine.
-you need a practice setup where the red balls are in line to warm up for the big breaks , without warmup is very difficult to achieve 50+ breaks (mine max is 65)
http://oi65.tinypic.com/k19u1y.jpg
-practice, practice, practice ... :)
-use the english wisely, you dont need too much effect on the white
-the problem with your performance is "not feeling the table" you have to play a lot to feel the right angles . when you go from real snooker table to VP4 your brain has to "rewire" the right angles, i think it's impossible to set VP4 like the real life, maybe Oculus rift will help :P
-look at the pro players, they practice hours each day from age of 6+

[VadeR]

low FOV is just fine for thin cuts, you can also zoom out if you wish. Ask those who I play with how I am with thin cuts lol.

Also, when zoomed right in, I have potted balls with the pocket out of view. The brains visualization skills are incredible, can do more with your brain than you can imagine, you kind of have a 'map' of the table in your head.

[Jud]

First thing I did when I got the game was turn off all HUD - I hate HUDs. I was so happy when I discovered you could disable everything.

I tried practice mode, but for the life of me couldn't figure out how to move balls around or set up practice lines. I know how to 'pot' and 'spot' balls, but how the hell do you move them or set up default practice sessions?

[Andreas]

Originally posted by fecske:

-i think the default fov 40 ....you can't see the pocket ...

Fecske, do you think with a 21:9 Monitor you can see the pockets ? I like those Monitors. Maybe i will purchase when it is possible to see more of the table / pockets

[fecske]

well i think it's your preference how to set the view and the fov, every camera has advantage and disadvantage ... but i think bigger monitor is better for this game, at least for snooker :)
VadeR's point is right, you have your imagination but if you see more, you can imagine more :P
How to move the balls? Setup a trickshot table, press M and when holding the H button you can select the balls with the mouse, then move the targeted ball with M. Dont forget to save the setup.