VP4 Just how next gen do celeris think it will be.?

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VP4 Just how next gen do celeris think it will be.?

Post by 9balldotcom »

Now let me say this first and foremost to clear the air and so people especially Celeris know where Im coming from.

VP3 and the whole series.....the best pool/billiard sim out there.And id always be the first to defend it.

But I feel I should offer criticism too when and where I feel that it should be raised,but I need to explain some things first.

Ive always hated the idea of playing a pool game on a console and many of you will know that......but over the last fortnight I might just have had my eyes opened and i must admit im shocked.
Ive just became the proud owner of a PS3 and an excellent piece of kit this machine seems to be..so what would be the first thing I should try? yes one of these pool games to see just how fancy this machine can do the graphics of said pool game.

So in no time at all id found Hutle Kings for only £6.29 for the download and i thought thats not a bad price for a game.
The pros....the balls look amazing as do the tables and thats no exaggeration
The Cons its used with a joypad which is a bit fiddly and it also uses a power bar.
They just brought out the snooker add on for a couple of quid and its quite simply everything id dreamed that vp3 snooker would be at some point...beatiful table and the balls look stunning and auto aim is in place and foul and a miss(still to find if touching ball is there)

The makers of this game have not only done their homework very well but they have aphysics engine thats i thought was the best Id ever seen......till I found another pool game to download on ps3 shop for about 3 pounds.

I discovered inferno Pool

The Pros.....This game (even though it uses the joypad)has got to have the best physics and the best and simplest cueing control on a pool game that ive ever played on a console.,it takes a little time to get the hang of it,but Ive played it for a few days and its superb.

The Cons...It sold as an arcedy gimmicky multiplayer game and offers very little choice,in fact only 3 games essentially inferno(which is the whole different thing about the game) and 9ball and 8ball....so has very little long term appeal.

BUT....theres another thing that at one point I asked Celeris before about and that was the "weight" of the balls in vp3,Ive always felt that vp3 and the virtual pool series has the poblem of the balls being too light and getting banged around the table too easy.
Its become clear to me that having only played these new games over a few days that other pool sim developers have got this problem solved and nailed it as far as the feel when you hit a ball and the roll of the ball,you really do feel that the balls have a weight to them in both these games and are what Im looking for in vp4.
I never thought that Id see another game that frankly surpasses virtual pool,but these two do and inferno pool is top of my list for the physics got to give it my vote.

I want to ask this Do Celeris ever look at other pool games to see what theyre like and compare themselves with rivals in this genre

Quite an important question in terms of keeping your ear to the ground and not being caught out and knocked off your pedestal us long term fans have put you on.

Cos Ill tell you this,its wake up time if you havent and personally I think Ive found a game with which to judge VP4 against(purely in physics)
We all know that the vp series offers more choice of games than any other has ever done and no doubt VP4 will surpass that,but next gen it wont be if it cant match up to what ive seen in the last week.

Its nice to read though that youve been tinkering with the physics on vp4,but if you havent already done so,borrow a ps3 from somewhere and get these two games and youll see what im talking about...Ignore the fact that Inferno Pool sux as far as choice of games,but wallow in the spledour of a physics engine that is superb.
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Re: VP4 Just how next gen do celeris think it will be.?

Post by Bagpuss »

I agree on the graphics re Hustle Kings and also the lightweight feel of the VP3 balls (especially given the notable heavy feel American pool has over its UK counterpart). VP3 is like having UK balls on a US table.

One thing that really concerns me about VP4 is the lack of visibility outside of VP3 veterans of this game. VP4 will sink or swim not because of its physics/graphics but - sadly - due to the PR and marketing. That's the way things are. We need a viral video or a very polished one-game demo ASAP to push this game out there. Or even a top-down only iPad demo version that takes up the whole display (wow - that's actually a great idea...). The latter would be easy to do quickly, I'm sure, and the iPad hype can be used as a vehicle to promote the name (I've no intention of getting one of them thar overpriced iPhone-on-steroids iPads but can see a PR opportunity in getting VP4 on one).

I so desperately want VP4 to succeed and put Celeris back on the map!

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Re: VP4 Just how next gen do celeris think it will be.?

Post by stevaux »

I had a look at inferno pool and the first thing i notice is the audio sample used for the cueing and ball contact.

Id make a guess at saying if virtual pool had these types of samples then it may give a "feeling" of weight. Hey, we dont have force feedback or centre sprung mouse controllers like we do in sim racing, so audio feedback is the next best thing.

Just a thought.

Steve
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