Cue Club 2: Pool & Snooker News

Hi everyone,

We're pleased to release another good sized update today with an array of new features, tweaks and bug fixes. Thank you once again for providing us with valuable feedback and suggestions, it's much appreciated and allows us to continually refine the game.


MENUS

• Cue design can now be changed from the in-game menu, as well as the length of the cue. See 'Change Cue' option.
  
  
• Added save button to in-game cue selection menu (for Player 1). Previously, it was a temporary change and not saved out.
  
  
• Correct icon now displayed in keyboard and mouse controls for fine aim (control method 1).
  
  
• Improved icons in mouse and keyboard controls for when button presses and movement are combined.
  

AIMING

• Size of aiming zone increased slightly around edges of table, giving more freedom near cushions when fast aiming mode is selected.
  
  
• Auto-placement of target in speed pool now targets nearest ball when camera is not moved after a shot is played or when cue ball is potted.
  
  
• Fixed issue in 3D mode where auto target placement following a shot sometimes did not align with direction of camera set by user.
  

MULTIPLAYER

• Improved checks on game invites which now auto-expire if an opponent cancels, plays someone else or exits the lobby.
  
  
• Added confirmation screen if wanting to exit from multiplayer match setup menu. This is to prevent accidentally cancelling an invite.
  
  
• Fixed issue where cue size and colour was not always set correctly at the start of a new match.
  

AI

• Difficulty levels tweaked and lower level opponents are now slightly more challenging to play.
  

REPLAYS

• Fixed issue where the replay menu option 'Direction' for static camera could not be selected. This is now enabled when 'Target Ball' option is set to off.
  
  
• Fixed issues where 'Save Shot and Settings' menu option was sometimes re-enabled when no camera changes had been made, and also instances where it remained disabled even after changes were made.
  

SNOOKER

• Fixed issue where a pocket could overflow if a large number of balls were potted at once.
  
  
• Fixed issue where potted balls would not display when viewed at certain angles in 3D mode.
  

CONTROLS

• Re-tuned mouse and gamepad target movement speeds to offer more precision at lower end of possible values. See 'Options > Controls > Advanced Settings > Navigation Speed (2D/3D)'. Default value now 50%.
  
  
• Drag / drop pointer graphic now correctly displayed over a ball ready to be moved by hand, when fast aiming control method is set.
  
  
• Added tick box to speed pool start menu to toggle use of the mouse 'zoom-in' feature in 3D mode. This is to prevent accidental clicks of the right mouse button. Default value is off.
  
  
• In practice mode, pressing 7 / F7 key to restore balls while the referee is active now also restores 3D camera view if this mode was selected.
  
  
• Fixed issue when using gamepad with fast aiming method, where pressing the chalk cue button would not return the cue to the table after chalking was complete.
  
  
• Fixed mouse and gamepad issue where button input was being read during a screen fade / transition.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Tweaks to localised text.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi Everyone,

Today's update brings a collection of new features, fixes and enhancements to the game. Many thanks for sharing your recent feedback. We hope you enjoy these latest improvements, please see below for a full breakdown.


GRAPHICS / USER INTERFACE

• Added display graphic for total number of frames/racks in-game, next to player scores. For US language option, the number follows the format of 'Race to (X)'. For other languages it follows the format 'Best of (X)'.
  
  
• Improved button graphic for racking balls in games of pool. This is visible shortly after pressing the red ball-release button in practice mode.
  

MULTIPLAYER

• Game invites removed if the player who sent them leaves the lobby or accepts a match with another player. This fixes an issue where sometimes the 'Play' button would not work if the opponent had left.
  
  
• Doubled the amount of points awarded for a win in online matches.
  

AUDIO

• Added new sound effect for pool balls falling into pockets. The previous sample can still be selected by going to 'Options > Audio > Sound Effects' and changing 'Potted Balls (Pool)' to 'Sound 2'.
  
  
• Default sound effects for 'Menu Selection' and 'Game Over' renamed to 'Sound 1'.
  

REPLAYS

• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the 'Reload Settings' button in the saved shot replay menu to be greyed out.
  
  
• Fixed an issue for saved shots where the 3D camera was not always set correctly.
  
  
• Fixed an issue for saved shot and game replays that sometimes made the '2D/3D view' button switch to the wrong camera.
  

GAMEPLAY / CONTROLS

• Cue movement distance now same for both auto and manual cueing methods.
  
  
• Escape key now works on all in-game menus to go back one level.
  

LEADERBOARDS

• Fixed errors in rankings when players shared equal scores for snooker breaks or speed pool times.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi Everyone,

In this latest update we've brought together an array of improvements and fixes as suggested by the Steam community. Thanks again for sharing your valuable feedback.


MULTIPLAYER

• Players now have 90 seconds to reply to invites instead of 60.
  
  
• Rule variations now displayed within the lobby window.
  
  
• Inbox now pre-selected when exiting from a game to the lobby after receiving an invite or message.
  

SPEED POOL

• Clock now increments when balls are rolling during a saved replay.
  
  
• Clock now shown in the potted balls view at the top of the screen, as well as the control panel.
  

GRAPHICS

• Drag ball arrow now rendered in the same colour as the aim line, when fast aiming method is turned on and using first person camera view.
  
  
• Attempted fix for texture graphics sometimes not loading after extended use of Windows task switching.
  

CONTROLS

• Added extra setting of 20 degrees for maximum cue elevation. This lower value will prevent extreme swerve shots from being performed, which some players may prefer to use. See 'Options > Controls > Advanced Settings > Maximum Cue Angle'.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where the cue ball would sometimes vibrate when pressing E (for English) and B (for move ball) at the same time.
  
  
• Fixed issues where the mouse pointer sometimes flickered in and out of view.
  
  
• Mouse pointer now stays off when referee is busy moving or replacing balls.
  

SAVED REPLAYS

• Fixed an issue where the notification capsule would briefly appear at the end of a shot.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Minor tweaks to localised text.
  
  
• Game compiled using the latest Steam SDK libraries.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi Everyone,

Today we released an update with new features requested by the community, plus a collection of fixes and improvements. Please see below for a full breakdown. Thank you for the continued feedback and we hope you enjoy these latest additions to the game.


AIMING

• Added five opacity settings for aim lines and target circle to offer increased visibility ranging from 10 to 50%. See 'Options > Aiming > Line Opacity'. Default setting is 10%.
  
  
• Added five colour options for aim lines and target circle (white, yellow, green, blue and purple). See 'Options > Aiming > Line Colour'. Default setting is white. The colours work particularly well on dark cloths.
  

MULTIPLAYER

• Rule variations can now be viewed in the lobby before accepting a match. When you receive a game invite and your opponent's rules are different to yours, go to the inbox and click the button labelled 'Rules' to see these changes which are marked in red.
  
  
• Added a timer next to game invites to indicate how much time is left before the invite expires.
  
  
• Fixed an issue in the lobby where game invites would sometimes expire too quickly.
  
  
• All game invites are now cleared when you press the refresh button in the lobby.
  
  
• The text entry box is now cleared when you close the chat window in the lobby.
  
  
• Improvements to game controller navigation in the lobby.
  
  
• Inbox tab is now pre-selected if player exits from a match to the lobby and they have game invites or messages. This can help reduce clicks and saves time when accepting a match.
  
  
• Fixed a ball nomination issue that could cause a multiplayer game to go out of sync.
  
  
• Added a small animated disc to the in-game notification capsule.
  
  
• The animated disc on the in-game menu is now positioned around the clock (if enabled).
  

GAMEPLAY

• Referee is now slightly faster respotting the cue ball after a scratch in pool.
  
  
• Auto ball nomination works faster, speeding up gameplay and helping prevent nomination errors.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where auto ball nomination did not work correctly if the aiming target was positioned exactly between two balls.
  
  
• Auto ball nomination now works better when aiming at a distant ball with cue power set low.
  
  
• Added text hint when attempting to play a shot before nominating a ball or pocket. The fix applies to control method type 1 (fast aiming turned off).
  
  
• Fixed an issue in replays at 1/2 and 1/4 speed where sometimes two potted balls could overlap when rolling under the table.
  

CONTROLS

• Added 'Tab' key as a shortcut to toggle the control panel view. In snooker it cycles between two opposite sides of the table before returning to the shot setup view.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where 'Alt+Tab' did not minimise the window if running the game in 'Full Screen (Windowed)' mode.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where pressing the '0' or 'F10' key to re-rack balls in speed pool would enable aim lines and turn off leaderboard qualification.
  
  
• Fixed an issue in practice mode (overhead view) that made it difficult to pick up a ball if it was very close to the top cushion.
  
  
• 'Enter' and 'Esc' keys can now be used to exit splash screens and the Bar Challenge victory screen.
  
  
• Fixed an issue that broke game controller navigation paths in menus after switching task and returning to game.
  

PHYSICS

• Fixed a rare issue where it was possible to strike a ball very hard and make it pass through the pocket.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where a ball rolling very softly could occasionally stick to a cushion.
  
  
• Improved animation of snooker balls as they pass through the pocket nets in 2D view.
  
  
• Improved ball contact when performing fine cut shots with high power.
  

MENUS

• Fixed an issue where the apostrophe character did not display correctly when using online multiplayer chat.
  
  
• Improved design of digital clock in the game menu. See 'Options > Display > Clock'.
  
  
• Added menu option to toggle whether or not the game window is minimised if the user switches task. See 'Options > Display > Graphics Settings > Minimise Inactive Window'. Default is 'Yes'.
  
  
• Text for audience audio settings is more descriptive, and shows 'Infrequent (Level 1)', 'Frequent (Level 2)' or 'Very Frequent (Level 3)' next to each option. See 'Options > Audio > Audience'.
  
  
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the cursor arrow to flicker when closing the in-game menu.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.
  

Hi Everyone,

We hope you're all doing ok. Over the last few weeks we've been working on a new update that addresses a number of items covering multiplayer, snooker, speed pool and other areas of the game. We hope you like the improvements and thanks once again for sharing your valuable feedback.


MULTIPLAYER

• When playing US 8-ball, Euro 8-ball, 10-ball, killer pool or snooker, and you're hosting a match against another human player (you sent the invite) then your chosen rule settings are now used for the match instead of the default rules. Also, your opponent will be shown a notice in the lobby before starting the game if rule changes apply. These can now be viewed in-game at 'Rules > Rule Variations'.
  

SNOOKER

• Implementation of the 'Foul and a miss' rule has been modified, and it can now be customised with 3 possible settings: 'Never called', 'Limit of three' and 'No limit'. The default option has been set to 'Limit of three' which can call a miss up to 3 times in succession. The 'No limit' option allows for potentially an unlimited number of misses (subject to penalty points). The 'Never called' option prevents misses from being declared.
  
  When a miss is given the incoming player has the option for balls to be replaced to their previous positions and making the offending player retake the shot. If either player requires penalty points to win then a miss will not be called. The rule variation applies to both offline and online snooker games. See 'Options > Rules Variations > Snooker'.
  
  
• The 'three consecutive fouls' rule which leads to a loss of the frame is now only triggered if the player has full-face visibility towards the 'on' ball when committing a foul, and the incoming player makes the offending player retake the shot with balls replaced.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where the red warning message displayed after the second consecutive foul showed the non-offending player's name and not the offending player.
  
  
• Added a foul of 7 points if reds are played in successive shots, or a nominated free ball is played followed by a red, in line with snooker rules.
  
  
• If a player is given a free ball and plays a non-scoring shot but leaves the incoming player snookered by the nominated free ball, then 4 penalty points are now awarded or the value of the ball-on, whichever is higher.
  
  
• Fixed an issue in 2D overhead mode where potted balls would sometimes become visible when rolling along the rail runners. This would occur after pressing the ESC key to bring up the menu.
  

SPEED POOL

• Added a menu screen at the start of a new game which shows the 3 fastest times for player 1. The menu also includes a useful tick box which automatically qualifies the player for online leaderboards by temporarily disabling secondary aim lines. Note that if you already have aim lines turned off then the tick box will not appear.
  

7 BALL POOL

• Fixed an issue that caused the balls to be racked in an anti-clockwise direction instead of clockwise. This occurred when playing with the table in 'Right-to-left' direction. See 'Options > Tables & Equipment > Tables > Global Settings > Table Orientation'.
  

CAMERAS

• Camera auto-switching between 2D and 3D mode is no longer active during replays, and is only used when playing a live shot. See 'Options > Cameras > Auto Switching (2D to 3D)'.
  

GAMEPLAY

• Fixed a bug where it was possible to leave the cue ball suspended in mid-air by dragging it over another ball and pressing the '0' or 'F10' key to re-rack the balls.
  

MENUS (New additions after 26 September)

• Moved rule variations menu from 'Options' to 'Game Rules', to match the in-game menu structure.
  
  
• Added previous and next page buttons to all menus where there are two or more pages.
  
  
• Added page numbers to general rules menu.
  
  
• Fixed some issues where text overlapped the in-game menu.
  
  
• Replaced tick boxes with radio buttons where appropriate.
  
  
• Swapped positions of 'File Management' and 'Game Rules' in the main menu.
  
  
• Various tweaks to localised text.
  
  
• Other minor fixes and enhancements.