Hi everyone,
Hope you're all keeping well. In our New Year update we have a large collection of additions, refinements and fixes based on recent feedback from the community. Thanks once again for sharing your ideas and suggestions, and we hope you enjoy these latest improvements to the game.
CAMERAS
- In 3D mode, slightly increased the amount the camera draws back after playing a shot, to give a better view of the table. Note: players can move the mouse left and right to rotate the camera after a shot is played, or press the middle mouse button to zoom out further (gamepad left shoulder button).
- Smoother operation of first-person camera for human and AI players when moving the aiming target close to the cue ball.
- Fixed issue where TV camera would switch back to first-person camera if selected for the opponent view.
- Fixed issue where switching turns from human to AI player would sometimes make the camera jump when using the first-person view.
GRAPHICS
- Improved environment rendering in theatre and bar venues.
- Fixed small rendering issues on sides of the pool table, near ball collection areas.
- Fixed issue that sometimes rendered cushion shadows either too light or too dark when switching between games of pool and snooker.
AI
- Difficulty levels have been tweaked, with novice and amateur levels made slightly less challenging. Note: players can scale difficulty up or down by going to 'Options > Match Settings > Difficulty Level' with 5 settings from 'Novice' to 'Pro' plus a fine tuning adjustment.
PHYSICS
- Default shot power has an increased range from 10-60% (previously 20-50%). See 'Options > Controls > Advanced Settings > Default Power'. This is the power level set before any adjustment is made by the player. Full power range is 0.5-100%.
MENUS
- Added option to configure table in practice mode to use either Quick Match or Multiplayer settings for table size, pocket shape, cloth and cushion speed. See 'Options > Match Settings > Practice > Table Settings'.
- Added language shortcut button to the main menu. See the small globe icon at the bottom right of screen. Clicking it takes you directly to the language menu, which can be helpful if you accidentally selected the wrong option.
- Added separate venue preferences for Tournament and Quick Match (non-tournament) matches. See 'Options > Match Settings > Competition Venue'. New locations will unlock as Bar Challenge stages are completed.
- Added a small 'X' close button to in-game menus so players can return to the game faster, instead of navigating up through levels. Note: the button is not available when a notification is presented since a decision may need to be made.
- Game information screen now also shows size of table, cloth speed and cushion speed. From the in-game menu select 'Information' and advance to page 2.
- In-game menus for replays, game information and multiplayer have had the 'Back' buttons replaced by 'Cancel' buttons, if they are accessed directly from the control panel.
- In a snooker match, the game information screen now shows if a player requiring snookers is unable to win the frame, when only the black ball remains.
- Added 'Recommended' text next to cue deflection effect (with 'Automatic Correction' setting) at 'Options > Tables & Equipment > Cues > Global Settings > Deflection Effect'. Although the 'Manual' setting can be useful for experienced players, others may find the default 'Automatic' setting much easier to work with.
- In the graphics menu, the option 'Minimise Inactive Window' is now greyed out when 'Fullscreen' mode is selected, since the option is always 'Yes' in this instance.
- Added a soft glow to the white menu buttons when activated, for improved visibility.
- Fixed issue where the starfield animation on the game over screen was halted during a fade to the main menu.
- Fixed issue where some buttons did not grey out when an option limit had been reached.
- Fixed issue where it was possible to enter a blank name for a human player in Quick Match.
MULTIPLAYER
- Lobby access button is now always visible from the in-game menu, even when the lobby 'Receive Alerts' button is deactivated. The exception to this is if you are already playing another human opponent in multiplayer.
- Fixed issue where a player would sometimes not be logged out of the lobby on exit, if the 'Receive Alerts' button was disabled.
- Improved visibility of the 'Receive Alerts' button in the lobby, with an larger clickable area.
SNOOKER
- Fixed issue where rule variations for 'Foul and a Miss' were not set on first time use, or if the settings file had been deleted. See 'Game Rules > Rule Variations > Snooker'. Default option is 'Limit of 3'.
SPEED POOL
- Fixed issue where the clock would stop without a 'Time Up' ending message, if you began cueing just before the timer reaches 5 minutes.
KILLER POOL
- Added 'Ball in Hand' message to the notifications capsule at the start of a game, or on a re-rack, or following a scratch by the previous player.
USER INTERFACE
- Pointer arrow is now rendered with a small fade-in in after target has been repositioned and the left mouse button released (control method 1).
- Fixed issue where pointer arrow was sometimes drawn when moving the target. This occurred on the large control panel setting when the shot setup window was active, and sometimes after cancelling the in-game menu.
LEADERBOARDS
- Improved layout with added navigation buttons. Current page number is now displayed at the bottom of the window. Also added a refresh button for online leaderboards, which can be used after a new speed pool time or snooker break is made that qualifies for the table.
- Uploading scores from the leaderboards is now limited to the highest break in snooker and fastest time in speed pool, recorded in the current year. Also applies to the upload feature at 'File Management > Upload Saved Data'.
- Fixed issue where in-game leaderboards for speed pool were sometimes incorrectly ordered if the player had manually deleted some entries.
REPLAYS
- Added slight pause before playing each shot in a replay sequence, to show more of the cueing action.
AUDIO
- Fixed issue where music would sometimes restart from track 1 instead of playing through entire track list, when exiting a game and returning to the menu.
- Fixed issue where music volume would not be lowered if returning from the multiplayer lobby to the in-game menu, and player had enabled 'Volume Reduction' from the audio menu in music settings.
CHALK
- Added separate chalk colour options for pool and snooker. See 'Options > Tables & Equipment > Chalk' and click on the pool or snooker tab at the top of the screen, then choose your preferred chalk for each game. Settings are saved out for player 1.
CONTROLS / GAMEPLAY
- Improved ball and pocket nomination, with slightly smaller click zones to avoid accidental nomination. Also increased brightness of selected pockets for improved visibility.
- When using the left 'Alt' key with mouse movement for fine aim control, and 'Fast Aiming' is enabled, the target positioning is now restricted to within the table boundaries.
- Improved table navigation when using a game controller or touchscreen device, with better calibration of X and Y axis speeds.
- Fixed issue in Speed Pool where game controller buttons were disabled for the 'Cancel Shot' option in the settings menu. This option now only affects mouse control.
- Fixed issues when nominating balls if the player changed the nomination method mid-game from 'Automatic' to 'Manual' setting.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Fixed issues where sometimes after changing display resolution in the graphics menu, the window would not stretch to cover the full screen.
- Fixed similar issue to above where after changing resolution the pointer arrow would not travel to the far edges of the screen.
- When loading an old saved game to resume play, the version number is now updated so the game uses the latest engine refinements. Does not affect saved shots or replays of snooker breaks and speed pool games.
- Various improvements to localised language text.
- Other minor fixes and enhancements.
