1. Search for Surf
  2. News

Search for Surf News

Map Added to Tiki House

A map has been added to make it easier to find breaks, especially ones that are less easy to find. To see the map you have to enter the tiki house. The tiki house is the house next to the tiki god of surf at the beginner break. Enter the house, and on the back wall is a huge map of all the islands. Surf spots are marked with a red X, and a couple of landmarks are noted to help orient you in the islands. The landmarks will be familiar if you have searched around the islands for waves. If not, then go out and explore the islands, and come back to see which breaks you need to still find, and where they are.

Fixes to last major update

Wave score for Mac now works even without a contest.

There's a tube ride feature that was in the game before but taken out, and it has been redone and put back in.
To use it, stall and get as close to the breaking part of the wave as possible. It will push you forward if you get close to the steep part of the wave. It's like a barrel spitting you out of it. If you are not positioned forward at that moment, then watch out, you will wipeout.

Game start on a new machine has been redone to prevent problems with new installs.

If you try the lowest quality setting, trees and bushes will be gone. Hopefully that will improve surfing if the lowest setting is needed for slower computers. Graphics will not look very good but it is for a worse case situation and should only be used if necessary.

Huge Mac Changes And Cool Tropical Chill Environment

This update is all about performance, and cosmetics.
The mac got a much needed update and is working much faster and is updated completely to the same version as the PC version.
The waves have been optimized and work better as well as some other performance improvements.
There is an option to lower the graphics quality for slower computers. Try it if you get lag, or have trouble with two players. It's located at the bottom of the esc pause menu.

There are five different players and they surf differently. Now they all have cool looking boards, like hotwheels but surfboards instead. Use the Japanese player for more realistic surfing. The Australian guy and USA girl both surf good. The big bald guy has a pintail and makes bigger turns, and get crazy with the Brazilian girl on the swallow tail, she rips like no surfer seen before.

Palm trees and tropical vegetation now give the islands a tropical feel like going on surf trips to exotic locations like Costa Rica, Indonesia, or Madagascar -- What? Cool tropical islands. Stay on the sandy trails to find surf breaks and keep from getting lost on the islands.

Check it out. I'd like to see more reviews and comments. Let me know if you like the changes, or would like something else. Happy surfing.

Better Waves, Water, and Surfers

Updated for PC
Upgrade
Waves Upgraded
Since last update all the waves have been improved to look better and smoother. Some new shapes have been added with some steeper and faster breaks.

The water is transparent and looks more realistic and all around cooler looking.

Performance Option
In the pause menu (esc) there is now an option to change the performance. The recommended best quality is...well uh...recommended. It gives best quality while optimized for performance.

If you have a good computer then you can use Super Quality with a small improvement to visuals for high end computers.

If your play is slow or you experience lag then try the Medium Quality, which gives a performance boost with little visual sacrifice, and if that doesn't help then use Low Quality, which is for last resort to improve game play, but doesn't look so great.

You can change them in game play for special situations, like if you change to two player, then use lower quality if game play is not so great.

Hopefully this will help out and make play better on somewhat slower computers. Let me know if you are using the different levels and what experience you are having.
Surfer's Have New Boards
The surfers have new cooler looking boards. See if you can tell which country they represent.

A pin tail indo board and a swallow tail short board have been added.

Try the different surfers and see the difference in how they surf. Some are slower and more realistic, and others are faster and more arcadey. Try the different ones and find your favorite.

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.