Cue Club 2: Pool & Snooker News

Hi everyone,

We're pleased to announce the release of 14.1 Straight Pool in today's update, along with several new achievements, plus a collection of various improvements and fixes. Thanks again for your support and we hope you enjoy these latest additions to the game.


GAME MODES

• Added 14.1 Straight Pool rules. Can be played against AI or another human player. Supports Quick Match, 2 Player, Tournament, Bar Challenge and Online Multiplayer. New 14.1 tournament trophies for all five difficulty levels, with bronze, silver and gold trophies for making runs of 25, 50 and 100.
  
  Trophies also unlock new Steam achievements (eight in total). Three leaderboards are added for highest runs (Player 1, All Players and Online). Includes overall statistics screen. New 14.1 Global Leaderboard added to Steam.
  

GRAPHICS

• Framing on pool tables now slightly thicker for improved realism. Pockets are deeper too.
  
  
• Improved 'Spots and Stripes' and 'Vintage' ball sets.
  
  
• Improved theatre venue ambient lighting.
  

GAMEPLAY

• Improved cue power and cue elevation indicator display when using large control panel.
  
  
• Improved accuracy of pocket nomination capture zone in 3D mode.
  
  
• Fixed issue where in-game chat text could freeze after entering replay menu.
  
  
• Fixed issue where cue butt could shoot up when cue ball is located near to cushion.
  
  
• Fixed issue in Speed Pool where last ball would not always drop fully into pocket before the 'Table Cleared' screen appears.
  
  
• Fixed issue where practice save could sometimes reload with ball suspended in a pocket opening.
  

A.I.

• Improved AI player aiming on fine cuts into middle pockets.
  

MENUS

• Renamed 'Trophy Collection' menu to 'Trophy Table' and moved link to top of list. See 'Achievements > Trophies'. Table has been expanded to accomodate 14.1 achievements, with 70 trophies in total.
  
  
• Added button to access menu on Speed Pool 'Table Cleared' page, to offer replay and save option on the last shot.
  
  
• Fixed issue where 'Resume Previous Game' option would sometimes cause errors, if used after an unexpected exit or pressing ALT+F4.
  
  
• Fixed issue where player could delete name from the profile screen.
  
  
• Fixed issue in controls menu where L-R mouse buttons did not map correctly when buttons were swapped in Windows for left-handed use.
  
  
• Fixed issue where save slot #7 failed to work when accessed from tournament fixtures menu.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi everyone,

In this latest update we have included some new content to rule variations, improvements to multiplayer, plus a range of further tweaks and fixes. Full release notes are listed below.


RULE VARIATIONS

• Added new rule variation to 6, 7, 9 and 10 ball pool, to place either the 1-ball or the money ball on the spot when racking balls. Default setting is 1-ball.
  
  
• Added new rule variation to 6, 7, 9 and 10 ball pool, to make player break from inside the box (a small rectangle behind the headstring). Default setting is off. Both rules apply to offline and online multiplayer games. See 'Game Rules > Rule Variations'.
  

MULTIPLAYER

• Improved online multiplayer response time for opponent's shots, with less setup time and faster aiming.
  

GAMEPLAY

• Fixed issue that prevented some older saved shots from loading.
  
  
• Fixed issue that sometimes displayed a 'Game Stopped' message when loading a saved shot replay from a multiplayer game.
  
  
• Fixed issue where static or mobile replay cameras would not fully reset position after pressing 'Reset' button in replay menu.
  
  
• Fixed issue where break scoring was shown when playing snooker in detonator mode (bonus game).
  

A.I.

• Fixed issue where AI players would sometimes aim badly on a break shot when playing pool on a table with 'Right-to-Left' orientation in global settings.
  

REPLAYS

• Fixed audio frequency issue after using ALT+TAB during slow motion replay.
  
  
• Fixed issue in replays where cue design was sometimes different to cue used in original shot when using 3D camera view.
  

CONTROLS

• Using gamepad right stick to move camera after playing a shot now influences target auto-positioning for the next shot.
  
  
• Fixed issue where pressing 'z' key to lock target in fast aiming mode would have a delayed effect if used when balls are rolling or referee is active. Also, camera zooming in 3D mode is now disabled when target is locked.
  
  
• Fixed issue in fast aiming mode where target would sometimes become locked at start of a new game.
  

MENUS

• 'Save and Exit' option now enabled for practice games at all times.
  
  
• Practice saves in tournament mode now work correctly. See 'Game > Save as Practice Game'.
  
  
• Added 'Look around table' text description to controls menu, mapped to middle mouse button and gamepad left shoulder button.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Improvements to localised game text.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi everyone,

Today's update features a collection of new content, improvements and fixes to Cue Club 2. Thank you for your continued support and feedback, and we hope you enjoy the latest changes.


CONTROLS

• Added new feature to lock target in fast aiming mode and access control panel. This prevents having to slide the target off table to make changes via the control panel, such as power adjustment, spin or chalking cue. Press 'Z' key to activate, and once again to return to table and unlock target. On keyboards with a 'QWERTZ' layout the mapped key is 'Y', and on 'AZERTY' keyboards the key is 'W'. To turn on fast aiming go to 'Options > Controls > Basic Settings > Fast Aiming'.
  
  
• Fixed issue where shot information remained on-screen after cancelling shot when using fast aiming control method.
  
  
• Fixed issue where control passed to player 1 at end of a game, when there are 2 players using a gamepad each. In this situation control stays with the last player to take a shot, until the next game starts.
  
  
• Fixed issue where player 2 with gamepad could not cancel a replay.
  
  
• Fixed issue where pointer arrow would jump when switching from gamepad to mouse control.
  
  
• Fixed issue where pressing ESC key would sometimes not cancel a replay.
  

MENUS

• Added new mouse pointer option (design 4). See 'Options > Display > Pointer > Pointer Style'. Also expanded colour options for pointing arrow.
  
  
• Added 'Reset' button to static and mobile replay camera menus, to restore parameters to default settings.
  
  
• Controls screen improved with larger text and icons. See 'Options > Controls > Mouse & Keyboard / Game Controller'.
  
  
• Fixed issue where 'Restore Balls' button on instant replay menu would show incorrect text when using fast aiming control method.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Fixed issue where some older saved shots or games would not load correctly.
  
  
• Various improvements to localised game text.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi everyone,

We're pleased to release another new update today for Cue Club 2 with several key improvements to game AI, plus a feature addition to practice mode, and more fixes and fine tuning. See below for more details.


A.I.

• Rebalanced AI ability to handle snooker escapes. Lower level opponents now have more difficulty escaping from snookers, and top level players will occasionally struggle with a difficult snooker over a longer distance or when playing off several cushions.
  
  
• Improved AI ability to make an effective 3 cushion break off shot in snooker, across all table sizes from 8ft to 12ft. Lower level players are now more likely to misjudge the break shot and make small mistakes compared to top level players.
  
  
• Slightly increased cue power of AI shots where the cue angle becomes elevated, due to the cue ball being positioned directly in front of another ball or cushion, causing an obstruction.
  

GAMEPLAY (PRACTICE MODE)

• Added option to quickly reload a saved practice game. From the in-game menu, go to 'Game > Reload Game'. This is particularly useful if you've saved a trick-shot or training drill that you want to practice, and avoids an exit to the main menu to reload.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Various improvements to menu layout with better spacing and more room for text.
  
  
• Fixed gamepad navigation issues and improved landing spot over menu text.
  
  
• Improvements to stability and reliability of multiplayer game timer.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi everyone,

In today's update we have introduced more new features to Cue Club 2, along with a collection of tweaks and fixes. We hope you enjoy these improvements and thanks again for sharing your suggestions and feedback.


A.I.

• Improved AI ability to spot and play cannon shots to pot money ball early during a game of 6, 7, 9 or 10 ball pool, if ball is close to a pocket.
  
  
• Improved AI tactics when conceding in snooker. AI players are now likely to play on a bit longer if they require snookers and reds are still remaining on the table.
  
  
• Improved AI striking position on pack when playing angled break shots in games of pool.
  
  
• Added ability for AI players to select a 'push out' shot in 6, 7, 9 and 10 ball pool, after the break. Typically, they are used if there is no direct hit available for the 'on' ball.
  

MULTIPLAYER

• Added option to use a game timer in multiplayer 'human vs human' matches. Helps encourage matches to run swiftly and complete successfully. Timer is activated when playing at the table and also when using the in-game menu, and resets for active player between each shot. For inactive player, timer resets when turn passes back to them.
  
  Game is stopped if either P1 or P2 timer reaches zero. Player at fault loses deposit points, and player not at fault has deposit returned and gains points for games already won.
  
  There are settings for 60, 75 and 90 second timers, or it can be turned off (default option). To enable, go to the MP lobby and advance to page 3 of the control panel on the right hand side. The timer option can be found at the bottom of the page, underneath aim line settings.
  

USER INTERFACE

• Added new yellow colour option for mouse pointer and power bar. See 'Options > Display > Pointer > Pointer Colour' and 'Options > Display > User Interface > Power Bar (Colour)'.
  
  
• Added new sub menu 'Options > Match Settings > Practice' to in-game menu. Contains options for the 'move balls' button, and points scoring.
  
  
• Fixed a scoring display issue in 6, 7, 9, and 10 ball pool, when using large control panel setting.
  
  
• Nominating a coloured ball in snooker now updates the notification capsule text immediately.
  

STEAM DECK

• Fixed a graphical issue that showed a thin pixel border around the screen.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Various improvements to localised game text, and text layout.
  
  
• Improved word wrapping in general rules menu.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.