Major New Surfing Features For Both Beginners and Pros

Times are changing, waves are changing. Check out the new wave shapes at some new and at some old breaks as well. New buttons for stall and tailslide have been added for advanced surfing. Wipeout and bail have been added/modified for more realistic surfing and fun. Catching waves is even easier, and easier, and easier, more so than before, as catching waves seems to be the biggest distraction from enjoying the game for beginners who don't surf. Below are the details, if you want to know more.

New Waves -
You may notice some differences in some of the waves. Yes they look nicer and are different. Some of the waves have been changed to be steeper or have a steeper part on the wave. This allows for a variety of surfing tricks which aren't possible on more mushy waves. Try a tailslide into a steep wave and see what happens.

Tailslide - "B" ("Left Mouse" for keyboard)
A button has been added that lets you slide or throw out the tail. As long as your'e not at the bottom of the wave, you can press "B" ("Left Mouse" for keyboard) and the tail of the board will release and allow you to turn and slide for as long as you hold down the button. This allows for sharp and hard cutbacks and slashes, and on a steep wave, airs.

Stall - "Y" ("c" for keyboard)
Another button is available for advanced surfing. Hold down "Y" or s or down arrow, and the surfer can now control speed by stalling. Works well with the new waves because it's possible to get barreled if you can get in the right spot on the right wave. Just remember to switch to first person camera so you can see where you are in the tube.

Wipeouts -
Surfers will now wipeout. Before, they stayed on the board for the entire ride "come hell or high water," but now if a surfer gets caught in the lip of the wave, or flies off the wave too big, he will wipeout. Hard sliding turns may cause the surfer to lose balance and wipeout too, so use caution with the tailslide button.

Angled and Faster Takeoffs -
If paddling in for a wave and get up button is pressed the surfer will stand, even if there is no wave. This makes it easier to catch waves, allows for pumping fast angled takeoffs, and some stupid looking surfer standing up on their boards in the middle of the ocean with no waves in sight. Read the rest if you want to know why.

I also, need to address the players comments that the game is broken, and explain what I think that meant and what has been changed to make it more friendly for non-surfer players.
I received complaints that the game doesn't work and is broken. It seems like the players expected that when they press the get up button to catch a wave the surfer would stand on his board and magically teleport to a wave and be surfing. This did not happen, players could not figure out how to catch waves, and the game was criticized for being broken. Learning to surf was frustrating and not fun. Welcome to surfing. It was designed that way, since catching a wave is part of the surfing experience. But, since it is not part of a gaming experience, the mechanic in the game has been changed and made easier, and easier, and easier to get a wave and get to surfing. No longer do you need wave knowledge to catch a wave. Press "Y' and get in the perfect spot (usually) to catch a wave. Just wait and paddle and get up when a wave comes. Second problem was that the surfer needed help from the wave to get up. You actually had to line up with the wave, paddle, get enough speed, and then get up. That's way to hard and complicated for a non-surfer to comprehend in a video game, so it has been reduced and simplified to....paddle in the right direction, push a button, and the surfer gets up. A wave isn't even needed. Seems like it was the case that when a gamer presses a button and nothing happens, that means the game is broken, so now when you press a button something happens. Not broken. Yeah.

To get the best realistic surfing simulation experience, stay in first person camera, don't use the "Y" button, and figure out how and when to use the tailslide and stall to get tube rides and do airs. For new players just learning the game, it is recommended to use the farthest out camera "easy cam" and press "Y" to get waves, and surf at the easy breaks around the tiki hut until you understand how to catch waves turn, and use the wave to get speed. Then venture out to new breaks and try out the advanced buttons.