First of all, thank you to everyone who has supported the game over the last 18 months or so - it wouldn't be what it is without you! This update is quite significant, not only in the fact that it's now available on Steam, but because it's packed with new content, new features and its fair share of fixes - many of which exist thanks to all of your valuable feedback.

You may have noticed that the game is no longer pay what you want - this is mostly a requirement to keep it in line with the Steam version, so from now on it will cost $8.99. For that you get access to this and all future updates, as well as a Steam key which you can redeem via the Steam client. However, if you have already spent money on the game in the past, no matter the amount, you will find that you automatically get the latest update as well as a key for the Steam version. Simply go to the URL in the email you received when donating, where you will find links to all the good stuff.

There will also be a sale for the first week where you can get the game for 33% off!

I've attempted to keep the multi-platform support available as best I can, however issues with Apple have meant that only an Intel build is currently available, and macOS is not supported by the Steam version. There is a linux build available too, however if you're using either the Steam version, or the Windows build from itch, they have proven to work very well with Proton 7. This also means that there is excellent compatibility with Steam Deck!

The game is still open source, and available on GitHub. You can also find all of the older releases, available for free, on the GitHub project Releases page.

What's next?

This release doesn't contain a download for the current version of the mod kit, although you can still find the files in the GitHub repository. This is because I'm currently working on modding tools for the next release, which should help streamline importing and installing custom content. These tools will be available as part of the game so only the asset template files will be a separate download in the future. It also means that there will be a dedicated modding interface, including workshop integration with the Steam version - which in turn means sharing your files should become much easier! However this is going to take some time - so please be patient 😁

Currently I have implemented custom golf balls and custom hair styles/hats which are already in beta. Custom courses will be a more involved endeavour, so they may arrive later in their own update.

I'm also working on designing a new course, although I haven't decided whether or not to make it a full sized one, or a new mini-putt course. If you have a preference make sure to let me know in the comments - all feedback is welcome!

Please note that the release cadence may slow down a little with these bigger updates - with the extra version on Steam to maintain there's more work to do each time. So rather than the previous near monthly release schedule, updates are going to be a few months apart from now on, but fear not - there are still more to come 😄

Change notes:

For those of you who like to delve into what's new, here's the lengthy list of changes

• The server is now authoritative over par value for each hole
• Collision detection is now performed per-face rather than per-material
• Rewritten AI from the ground up for CPU players who adapt to player skill level
• CPU players are now indicated on the scoreboard
• Smoothed ball motion when putting
• Camera has been improved when putting
• Updated drone camera tracking for more dynamic movement
• Each player now has their own ball icon on the mini map
• Mini map now zooms in on smaller holes
• Avatars get impatient if player idles too long
• Fixed hook/slice message respecting avatar handedness
• Fixed spectators who would float in certain cases
• Fixed awarding winner achievements when local game winner was CPU
• Fixed displaying correct trophies for level up achievements
• Fixed automatically ending the hole when won by any player in match or skins play
• Improved readability of wind strength (thanks janner66 for the suggestion)
• Imperial measurements now use decimalised yards when putting (thanks to 8mackellar for the suggestion)
• Scoreboard is now shown longer between hole changes and is skippable once all players are ready
• Scoreboard no longer draws unplayed holes, and displays running par difference during stroke play matches (thanks to 8mackellar for the suggestion)
• In game messages can now be skipped during golf and on the driving range
• Spectator and billboard shadows now fade with proximity to camera
• Improved animation blending in SkeletalAnimator, fixes animation jumps
• Added player animations for celebration and disappointment (thanks janner66 for the suggestion)
• Updated particle effects for hole in one
• Wind indicator now shows direction relative to the active camera, not just the main camera.
• Wind direction only changes on new hole (thanks buntails for the suggestion)
• New Swingput system allows taking a swing with a controller thumbstick or mouse motion
• Club power is more accurate in relation to power bar indicator
• Fixed auto-caddy picking a suitable club for each shot (thanks buntails for pointing that out)
• Auto-caddy picks a better selection of clubs based on current hole size
• Optional Putt Assist provides graphical feedback on putting distance
• Putting display now shows estimated distance to the hole above the power bar
• Mini-beacon is now active during putting when flag beacon is enabled (thanks to buntails for the suggestion)
• Improved putting grid better defines the contours of the green
• Sprite colours for billboarded shrubs now affect wind amount
• Wind now affects billboard shrubs
• Fixed players now no longer restart on steep slopes if the ball landed in the water
• Achievements are now always enabled if there is a single human player on the current client
• Game now logs XP when achievements are active
• Stroke accuracy difficulty increases with XP level
• Steam matchmaking favours lobbies with similar XP levels
• Steam edition has leaderboards for driving range
• Power bar is now hidden between shots on driving range
• Added Emote wheel (default LCtrl/Controller Y to activate)
• Controllers are now automatically assigned in local multiplayer
• Native support for PS controllers including LED notifications
• Added option in lobby to play holes in reverse order
• Custom course filter is hidden in the lobby if there are no custom courses to show
• Added welcome screen for new players to introduce them to the tutorial
• Updated main menu for better appearance at ultrawide resolutions
• Added Swingput sensitivity to options menu
• Options menu now includes control overlay for showing scores
• Added option to enable ball trail
• Credits are available from the options window
• Added option to disable controller vibration to options menu
• Antialiasing options have been added to the options window
• Fixed updating keybinding string in options menu
• Player name lengths have been increased to up to 24 chars
• UI layout has been updated to accommodate longer player names
• Many fixes and quality improvements on AMD graphics cards
• New course - Purcitop Pitch ‘n’ Putt
• New course - Fairland Rock
• New ball - The Hive
• New ball - Umbrella
• New ball - Watering Can
• New ball - Egbert
• New ball - Tortoise
• New ball - H7
• New Achievement - Getting Started
• New Achievement - Junior
• New Achievement - Amateur
• New Achievement - Enthusiast
• New Achievement - Semi-Pro
• New Achievement - Professional
• New Achievement - I See No Ships
• New Achievement - Hot Stuff
• New Achievement - ?????
• Mod kit - Wind value presets have been added for shrub sprites
• Mod kit - Added blender template for creating hair models
• Removed Herobrine

Phew! Hopefully with all those changes no new bugs have slipped through - however if you do find one, or have any suggestions, as always leave a comment and I'll do what I can to address them for the next update. Don't forget to follow the project here, on Twitter, or join the Steam community to keep up to date.

Thank you all again, I hope you enjoy this release and I look forward to hearing your comments. That's it until the next one!