Cue Club 2: Pool & Snooker News

Hi everyone,

We have added another big update today featuring more improvements and fixes. In particular, we have been working hard to make multiplayer smoother and more stable.

• A sync error in multiplayer has been fixed and games should now stay in step, allowing matches to complete successfully.
  
  
• A crash bug that occurred very occasionally when entering the multiplayer lobby has been fixed.
  
  
• Quick Game now has 5 difficulty settings instead of 3 (Novice, Amateur, Intermediate, Expert and Professional). This gives you more control over the skill level of A.I. opponents and offers a smoother progression gradient.
  
  
• New setting 'Sliding Friction' added to 'Options > Dynamics'. This lets you vary the amount of grip between balls and the cloth. There are 3 settings available: Low, medium and high friction. PLEASE NOTE: Existing users may need to reset this variable when you install the update. Default setting: Medium.
  
  
• Committing 3 consecutive fouls in 9-ball, 6-ball, 7-ball and 10-ball now leads to a loss of game.
  
  
• Rules changed to ensure that the winner of a game of pool always breaks on the following rack. In snooker, players alternate turns at breaking.
  
  
• The power bar now allows for finer control over low power shots.
  
  
• Game controller left thumb-stick gives more accurate control over shot power.
  
  
• Game controller D-Pad + 'A' button can now be used to change shot power, ball-spin and cue elevation from the control panel.
  
  
• The menu option for toggling in-game numeric information (cue power and shot elevation angle), has been moved to 'Options > Display Settings > In Game'.
  
  
• Reputation points earned in multiplayer are now uncapped.
  
  
• A bug which sometimes prematurely unlocked Steam Achievements in tournament mode has been fixed.
  
  
• Visual adjustments to match information screen.
  
  
• Shading effects on the cushions of 3D pool and snooker tables has been improved.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hope you like these latest updates and a big thank you to the Steam community for your continued feedback :)

Hi everyone,

This is the first update of 2018 and we have been focusing on enhancing the ball physics, eliminating a few bugs and also working to improve the multiplayer experience further.

• Table friction has been improved, leading to less unnecessary sliding of the cue ball and better control over your shots, particularly when applying top and back spin. Trickshots can now be even more impressive!
  
  
• Collisions with tight clusters of balls, or balls in a line, have been made more realistic.
  
  
• A bug which occasionally made rapidly spinning balls stick to the cushion or rebound at strange angles has been fixed.
  
  
• In the break shot of a game of pool or snooker, the balls are packed more tightly together.
  
  
• The rate of deceleration of balls at low speed is now simulated better, and they come to rest more gradually.
  
  
• Multiplayer has been made more stable with fewer instances of halting and improved up-time.
  
  
• Automatic uploading of speed pool times and snooker breaks is faster with no mid-game pauses.
  
  
• When the referee has finished re-spotting balls, the cue returns to the table more smoothly instead of instantly appearing.
  
  
• Membership cards have been given an animated metallic reflective surface.
  
  
• Other minor enhancements and fixes.
  

[EDIT: A small update has since been added to fix a bug that occasionally made balls 'kick' out from the pocket jaws.]

As always we appreciate the feedback and will continue to provide more updates again soon. Hope you like the changes :)

Hi everyone,

The last update of the year! We've been listening carefully to feedback and this version contains more added features, improvements and some bug fixes too.

• There are now 3 lighting settings for the overhead table lamp, giving low, medium and maximum brightness. See Options > Display Settings > In Game > Table Lamp. These all offer a different look and feel, so are well worth experimenting with.
  
  
• Rolling the middle mouse wheel now increases / decreases the cue power at all times when playing in 2D mode.
  
  
• 3D camera tracking during replays has been significantly improved and made noticeably smoother.
  
  
• In-game chat messages stay up for slightly less time, so as not to affect gameplay, with longer messages displaying for a fraction longer so they can be fully read.
  
  
• Shading on the pool and snooker cloths has been enhanced, with neater shaping to the cushions and pocket jaws.
  
  
• A bug has been fixed in multiplayer that could occasionally send the game out of sync or cause play to stop.
  
  
• The game controls help screen has been updated to reflect recent changes for mouse, keyboard and joypad controllers, and has now been moved to the main menu.
  
  
• A gloss-black finish has been applied to menu items in the cue selection and ballset selection screens.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and improvements.
  

[EDIT: A small update has since been added to fix a listing error on leaderboards for fastest speed pool times and snooker high breaks.]

We hope you like the updates. Thanks again for the continued support and a Happy New Year to you all. See you in 2018!

Hi everyone,

Another good size update today. More new features and some further improvements and fixes too. We hope you like it, and Merry Christmas to you all!

• Ball physics has been significantly improved and a bug that caused some strange low-speed spin effects has been fixed. High-speed shots played with English off the cushion also perform better and allow for some interesting trickshots to be played.
  
  
• We have added another (smaller) ball size to the available list which gives the effect of playing on a larger table. You can now choose between small, medium, large and extra large, in both pool and snooker. Go to Options > Ball Sets > Ball Size.
  
  
• A button is now available on the main menu and the in-game menu, to minimise the game and return to the desktop. This is visible when playing in 'Full Screen Windowed' mode (see Options > Display Settings > DirectX > Display Mode). We recommend using this feature instead of Alt-Tab.
  
  
• It is now possible to zoom the camera further into the table in 3D mode, to assist with lining up shots. Click and hold the left mouse button, followed by the right button. You can also use the F5 key, or joypad right shoulder button.
  
  
• Camera transitions in 3D mode have been made smoother when playing with an elevated cue angle.
  
  
• New music options have been introduced to support shuffle playback and repeating tracks. See Options > Audio.
  
  
• Joypad controls have been made more robust, with better thumb-stick accuracy and improved navigation when switching between the multiplayer lobby and in-game.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

[EDIT: A small hotfix has been added since the initial update to fix an issue that allowed some greyed-out menu items to be selected.]

Once again, a big thank you for the continued feedback and support - it's much appreciated!

Hi everyone,

We have a nice new update for you today just before Christmas! Some requested features have been added in with further fixes and improvements.

• The overhead table lamp in 3D mode has been enhanced, with more detailing and a smokey light haze effect.
  
  
• Chalk marks left on the table after playing shots with deep backspin have been made softer and slightly thinner to look more realistic.
  
  
• A key shortcut (F2) has been added to chalk the cue in-game.
  
  
• The default camera height above the cue in 3D mode is now automatically saved when you exit a game, and so there is no need to reset it each time you play.
  
  
• Clicking the middle mouse button now performs a 'Zoom Out' effect of the camera in 3D, similar to standing back from the table. You can also use the F3 key, or joypad shoulder buttons.
  
  
• Online multiplayer has been made more stable, and is a little faster too.
  
  
• We have introduced a multiplayer notifications button in-game, to assist with matchmaking. This pops up when other human players enter the lobby, and also alerts you when you have been sent a message or invited to play a match. This feature can be toggled on or off in 'Options > Match Settings > Multiplayer'.
  
  
• Customisation of the colour scheme of the Cue Club Bar has been moved to 'Options > Match Settings > Room Colour'.
  
  
• A bug that may have caused problems executing a shot when using a joypad controller has been fixed.
  
  
• Joypad navigation through the menus has been made slightly faster.
  
  
• In snooker mode, after a foul is committed the incoming player is now told whether a 'Free Ball' is awarded, before they are asked if they want to continue play, or make their opponent play again.
  
  
• It is now possible to talk to A.I. opponents during a Quick Match, Bar Challenge or Tournament game. Go to the in-game menu and select 'Chat' or press F1.
  
  
• There is a new option to turn chalk marks on or off. See 'Options > Display Settings > In-Game > Chalk Marks'.
  
  
• We have restored the green connectivity light in the multiplayer lobby.
  
  
• Other minor enhancements and bug fixes.
  

[EDIT: Just added a small update today and we've made some improvements to camera tracking. In 3D mode the camera can now be rotated higher above the table to get a better overhead view. There are also more levels of zooming. Clicking the middle mouse button draws the camera up and over the table. Then rolling the mouse wheel will shift it back further. Click the middle button to return to aiming. These are mapped onto keys F3 (short zoom out) and F4 (long zoom out) and also the joypad left and right shoulder buttons. These same controls will now instantly adjust the zoom level in 2D overhead view too.]

We hope you like these new updates, and once again big thanks for your support and feedback!