Sierra Sports™ Brings Season and Career Tour Play To Award-Winning PGA Championship Golf™.
New Golf Simulation "Grooves" New Advanced TrueSwing™ Technology and Turns Virtual Duffers into Golf Course Designers.
Sierra Sports brings season and career tour play to award-winning pga championship golf™ product line.
New Golf Simulation "Grooves" New Advanced TrueSwing™ Technology and Turns Virtual Duffers into Golf Course Designers.
BELLEVUE, WA (March 28, 2000) -- Sierra Sports™ today announced PGA Championship Golf™ 2000, the first golf simulation to offer both complete Season and Career tour-style experiences while improving upon the best real-time swing control feature offered in the game genre. In PGA Championship Golf 2000, developed by Headgate Studios for the PC, Season and Career models accurately recreate the experience of professional tour play. The product line's signature TrueSwing™ "smart" swing feature has been enhanced for realistic feel and control unmatched in computer golf. Other enhancements to PGA Championship Golf 2000 include the addition of five new courses and improvements to the Course Architect, golfer models, golf course graphics and in-game camera views. PGA Championship Golf 2000 will ship in May 2000, just in time for Father's Day.
"The competitive landscape for golf games has changed substantially in the last year, and we have an opportunity to make a big move in this marketplace," said Justin Kubiak, product manager for Sierra Sports. "The PGA Championship Golf series forged new ground in the areas of swing technology and course design. We're in a position to improve these strengths and bring a better product to our fans. It's because of features like TrueSwing and the Course Architect that 'addictive' became the most popular description of the game last year."
New TrueSwing and Course Architect Technologies.
TrueSwing, a realistically modeled golf swing mechanism, has been enhanced for more fluidity in swing tempo and speed. Smooth pace and tempo throughout the swing adds an element of skill and timing for better shot feel, control and execution. TrueSwing, a third-generation "smart" technology, learns a player's individual swing attributes to maximize their game on the course. As the game learns a player's mouse swing, it automatically adjusts the average shot distance of each club and average speed of the mouse stroke to further personalize the experience. Players are rewarded for a fluid, evenly-paced swing and penalized for pauses at the top of the backswing, or for strokes where backswing and downswing pace are uneven.
"Computer golfers actually control the club in the on-screen golfer's hands," said Vance Cook, president and founder of Headgate Studios. "There are no meters or timing mechanisms to detract from the golfing experience. The on-screen golfer and the ball's flight gives you instant feedback on swing quality, much like the real-life experience. This kind of control is just not possible in any other product on the market."
The easier-to-use Course Architect will encourage more users to create challenging 18-hole fantasy or true-to-life courses. Better point detail management has cut point requirements in half without visual degradation of course graphics. By lifting limitations caused by high point counts, designers can create more detailed, realistic and authentic courses. The decrease in points also makes the design process significantly faster. Other changes include easier scaling and smoothing, and new 3D content such as clubhouses and benches. PGA Championship Golf 2000 will ship with thirteen courses including five new courses created by top designers using the Course Architect. For additional courses, players can download over 130 courses currently available from WON.net® (http://www.wonswap.net).
Season and Career Tour Gameplay
PGA Championship Golf 2000 features the most complete Season and Career modes for actual tour-style competition featuring "Friday" cuts and prize money purses. Competitors can track earnings throughout a player's season or career using the game's financial model. Tours will engage players in round-to-round, week-to-week and season-to-season competition. Virtual golfers can work from the amateur to the professional ranks while earning money and status.
Graphical Improvements and Enhanced Customization Options
Technical improvements being made in PGA Championship Golf 2000 include upgraded golfer and course graphics, improved ball physics and better customization options. Improvements to the golfer's appearance include refined animations, better quality lighting and model joints, and new facial and clothing textures. New course graphics allow for better looking trees and 3D objects. New golf ball physics more accurately reflect the impact of terrain and weather, and incorporate more realistic backspin that allows players to "back up the ball" on greens. Other new features include left-handed golfers and better Snap-Cam™ options for camera cut scenes to different spots on the course.
For more information on PGA Championship Golf 2000 including screenshots or other materials, contact Michelle Stephens, Senior Public Relations Manager for Sierra On-Line, phone 425.649.9800 x5189 or email michelle.stephens@sierra.com. PGA Championship Golf 2000 is scheduled to ship in May 2000, just in time for Father's Day, with an MSRP of $29.95.
Sierra Sports™ (www.sierrasports.com) brings the highest in quality, authenticity, fun and addictive gameplay to fans of interactive recreational sports. Upcoming titles from developers such as Dynamix™, Headgate Studios and Sierra Sports Northwest include FIELD & STREAM® Trophy Bass™ 4, FIELD & STREAM® Trophy Big Game Hunting, PGA Championship Golf™ 2000 and Professional Bull Rider 2.
Founded in 1992, Headgate Studios develops the most innovative and technologically advanced golf simulations available in PC gaming. President and Founder Vance Cook has 13 years of experience in the golf genre beginning with World Class Leaderboard™ for the Apple® II and Access Software's Links™ and Links™ 386 Pro. Headgate Studios, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, began the PGA Championship Golf product line with Front Page Sports®: Golf, published by Sierra On-Line in 1997. Since then, the company has designed and developed Sierra Sports Golf Pro '98, PGA Championship Golf 1999 Edition and the upcoming PGA Championship Golf 2000.
Sierra On-Line, Inc. (http://www.sierra.com/) is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is a division of Havas Interactive, a global leader in interactive content, and is one of the world's largest publishers of education, entertainment and home productivity software. Its divisions, Blizzard®, Coktel, Knowledge Adventure®, Sierra™ and WON.net® are famous for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles. Havas has operations in the US and in Europe and is a subsidiary of the French publishing house Havas, part of Vivendi Communications.
PGA Championship Golf is a trademark owned by The PGA of America. Field & Stream is a registered trademark of Times Mirror Magazine, Inc., used under license by Sierra On-Line, Inc.
New Golf Simulation "Grooves" New Advanced TrueSwing™ Technology and Turns Virtual Duffers into Golf Course Designers.
BELLEVUE, WA (March 28, 2000) -- Sierra Sports™ today announced PGA Championship Golf™ 2000, the first golf simulation to offer both complete Season and Career tour-style experiences while improving upon the best real-time swing control feature offered in the game genre. In PGA Championship Golf 2000, developed by Headgate Studios for the PC, Season and Career models accurately recreate the experience of professional tour play. The product line's signature TrueSwing™ "smart" swing feature has been enhanced for realistic feel and control unmatched in computer golf. Other enhancements to PGA Championship Golf 2000 include the addition of five new courses and improvements to the Course Architect, golfer models, golf course graphics and in-game camera views. PGA Championship Golf 2000 will ship in May 2000, just in time for Father's Day.
"The competitive landscape for golf games has changed substantially in the last year, and we have an opportunity to make a big move in this marketplace," said Justin Kubiak, product manager for Sierra Sports. "The PGA Championship Golf series forged new ground in the areas of swing technology and course design. We're in a position to improve these strengths and bring a better product to our fans. It's because of features like TrueSwing and the Course Architect that 'addictive' became the most popular description of the game last year."
New TrueSwing and Course Architect Technologies.
TrueSwing, a realistically modeled golf swing mechanism, has been enhanced for more fluidity in swing tempo and speed. Smooth pace and tempo throughout the swing adds an element of skill and timing for better shot feel, control and execution. TrueSwing, a third-generation "smart" technology, learns a player's individual swing attributes to maximize their game on the course. As the game learns a player's mouse swing, it automatically adjusts the average shot distance of each club and average speed of the mouse stroke to further personalize the experience. Players are rewarded for a fluid, evenly-paced swing and penalized for pauses at the top of the backswing, or for strokes where backswing and downswing pace are uneven.
"Computer golfers actually control the club in the on-screen golfer's hands," said Vance Cook, president and founder of Headgate Studios. "There are no meters or timing mechanisms to detract from the golfing experience. The on-screen golfer and the ball's flight gives you instant feedback on swing quality, much like the real-life experience. This kind of control is just not possible in any other product on the market."
The easier-to-use Course Architect will encourage more users to create challenging 18-hole fantasy or true-to-life courses. Better point detail management has cut point requirements in half without visual degradation of course graphics. By lifting limitations caused by high point counts, designers can create more detailed, realistic and authentic courses. The decrease in points also makes the design process significantly faster. Other changes include easier scaling and smoothing, and new 3D content such as clubhouses and benches. PGA Championship Golf 2000 will ship with thirteen courses including five new courses created by top designers using the Course Architect. For additional courses, players can download over 130 courses currently available from WON.net® (http://www.wonswap.net).
Season and Career Tour Gameplay
PGA Championship Golf 2000 features the most complete Season and Career modes for actual tour-style competition featuring "Friday" cuts and prize money purses. Competitors can track earnings throughout a player's season or career using the game's financial model. Tours will engage players in round-to-round, week-to-week and season-to-season competition. Virtual golfers can work from the amateur to the professional ranks while earning money and status.
Graphical Improvements and Enhanced Customization Options
Technical improvements being made in PGA Championship Golf 2000 include upgraded golfer and course graphics, improved ball physics and better customization options. Improvements to the golfer's appearance include refined animations, better quality lighting and model joints, and new facial and clothing textures. New course graphics allow for better looking trees and 3D objects. New golf ball physics more accurately reflect the impact of terrain and weather, and incorporate more realistic backspin that allows players to "back up the ball" on greens. Other new features include left-handed golfers and better Snap-Cam™ options for camera cut scenes to different spots on the course.
For more information on PGA Championship Golf 2000 including screenshots or other materials, contact Michelle Stephens, Senior Public Relations Manager for Sierra On-Line, phone 425.649.9800 x5189 or email michelle.stephens@sierra.com. PGA Championship Golf 2000 is scheduled to ship in May 2000, just in time for Father's Day, with an MSRP of $29.95.
Sierra Sports™ (www.sierrasports.com) brings the highest in quality, authenticity, fun and addictive gameplay to fans of interactive recreational sports. Upcoming titles from developers such as Dynamix™, Headgate Studios and Sierra Sports Northwest include FIELD & STREAM® Trophy Bass™ 4, FIELD & STREAM® Trophy Big Game Hunting, PGA Championship Golf™ 2000 and Professional Bull Rider 2.
Founded in 1992, Headgate Studios develops the most innovative and technologically advanced golf simulations available in PC gaming. President and Founder Vance Cook has 13 years of experience in the golf genre beginning with World Class Leaderboard™ for the Apple® II and Access Software's Links™ and Links™ 386 Pro. Headgate Studios, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, began the PGA Championship Golf product line with Front Page Sports®: Golf, published by Sierra On-Line in 1997. Since then, the company has designed and developed Sierra Sports Golf Pro '98, PGA Championship Golf 1999 Edition and the upcoming PGA Championship Golf 2000.
Sierra On-Line, Inc. (http://www.sierra.com/) is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is a division of Havas Interactive, a global leader in interactive content, and is one of the world's largest publishers of education, entertainment and home productivity software. Its divisions, Blizzard®, Coktel, Knowledge Adventure®, Sierra™ and WON.net® are famous for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles. Havas has operations in the US and in Europe and is a subsidiary of the French publishing house Havas, part of Vivendi Communications.
PGA Championship Golf is a trademark owned by The PGA of America. Field & Stream is a registered trademark of Times Mirror Magazine, Inc., used under license by Sierra On-Line, Inc.
Companies:
Sierra On-Line