1) The first thing that comes to mind is how absolutely phenomenal Links looks on the Xbox. There’s a sense of life on the course here that I haven’t seen with other golf titles. The conversion from 2D to 3D can’t have been easy, but, obviously, neither could it be perfect. What were you most proud of about how the game turned out, graphically, and where did you maybe wish you could have spent a little more time?

First let me say thank you for allowing me to be ‘virtually’ here to answer your questions. With Links 2004 being out about a month now we have been super excited with how the users are responding to the game and their support on the forums and websites has been a real boost for the team.

Regarding the question above I am most proud of the sheer detail that we were able to put into each and every course. Our goal was to make sure that the courses in our game are the best looking and most realistic of any console golf game on any platform. Every contour in the fairway, every pond, stream or lake and even our volumetric grass give a level of detail not found anywhere else. We also added a very key feature in Links with our free roam camera, which to my knowledge is not available in any other current golf title. This camera allows users to maneuver themselves literally anywhere on the course. They can zoom in to see the exact slope of the lie they are on, see what the contours of the fairway look like where their balls will most likely land, and for some just viewing some incredible scenery that they may never get to witness in real life. Knowing that users can look at any object or part of the course from any angle, elevation or in any weather condition was a challenge for our art team that delivered on huge.

One of favorites emails was from a gamer who walked the course at Loch Lomond in Scotland during this year’s Scottish Open. With the free roam camera he was able to fly around and see the exact spots where he had camped out during the real life tournament. He was blown away by how incredibly real it was to see on his t.v. screen exactly what he had just watched in real life.

2) There’s a solid assortment of courses here. I’ve had the devil’s own time trying to master Ocean Mill, one of the fantasy courses in the game, but then, I’ve had a little more success on Mauna Lani. When it comes to leisure play, which courses get the most playtime among the various Links team members?

Ocean Mill Country Club has got to be my favorite and while it is a ‘fantasy’ course, it is not something over the top and unrealistic. It is the most difficult and challenging 18 holes of golf I’ve seen on a console, especially when you put the pins in difficult positions and turn up the wind. I’ve seen online players shoot (-10) on an easier course like Mauna Lani, then shoot (+15) on Ocean Mill with the same settings.

The course that probably got the most game play internally was Greywolf. It is simply a gorgeous course in real life and in the game. It is also very challenging to score well. Greywolf has some very undulating greens that make putting a challenge, and has been know to cause a controller or two to be thrown across the room.

3) Were there any courses originally planned for inclusion that didn’t make the cut? If so, can you give us some examples, and maybe more importantly, can we expect to see them as part of the content download strategy for Links?

There will be additional courses made available for download for Links 2004. I believe we delivered on a great mix with the variety we have in game right now, but users will always want more and we’re working hard to deliver on that. Because of the level of detail we provide on each course it can take anywhere from two to three months just to get one course ready for release. We could skimp out on details or take out the free-roam camera, but we would not be proud of that and it’s not something we’d like our customers to experience.

4) Speaking of downloadable content, that can of worms seems to have been opened on the official Links forums already, with maybe predictable results. I think it’s probably pretty much been conventional wisdom that Links is going to wind up being a pioneer of premium content, just given the history of the series. What kind of a timetable are you folks looking at for that? Kind of right along with that, can Links players expect any sort of free content at all, or are we looking at a scenario that’s premium content-driven, largely?

For those who frequent the Links forum on Xbox.com, you know I’ve been a super active participant, trying to build a two-way dialog between the users and the development team. In one post I solicited some feedback on Premium Downloadable content and got much more feedback then I think I ever expected.

Links won’t be the pioneer in charging for downloadable content. Several titles including MechAssault are already charging customers for downloads. We are working through this issue right now. As I’ve mentioned on the board with the different potentials options you can follow for Premium Downloadable content, there is not going to be any solution that makes everyone happy. We understand that, and we are working hard to find a process that provides tremendous value to the users, which in addition helps us keep momentum for being able to offer more content in the future.


5) What sort of downloadable content in general are we looking at? Strictly new golf courses, or will there be, say, new challenges, ball skins, club sets, and so forth to download as well?

We are focusing all our efforts on course content for download right now. When asked to prioritize what they would like for content universally everyone puts courses at the top of their wish list, which is why we are focusing on them right now.

6) There was some disappointment that many of the more familiar courses in the world of golf weren’t in the initial package, so to speak. Courses like Augusta National and Pebble Beach, to name the two most prominent examples. For those who maybe aren’t as familiar with the background of the business, can you give us a quick rundown on why those courses weren’t in game to begin with?

Unlike other sports where the arenas or stadiums are used in every title that ships, golf courses are much more exclusive. Some courses that we would have liked to have included in the game are under exclusive contracts with other titles. Some are just not available to be in any game. This doesn’t stop us from trying to get those courses. Our course acquisition team is constantly traveling the globe trying to get the best courses possible.

The goal in picking out courses is to get courses recognized as some of the best in the world that will translate well onto the console. Today we believe that we have the most accurate, most detailed and most beautifully rendered courses of any console game out today. We plan to continue to find highly recognized and challenging course to add for future versions.

7) Of the courses not currently in the game, are there any big names that are reasonably likely to make an appearance down the line? If so, can you give us a few examples?

I wish I could talk about these but the reality is I can’t. We have to be a little secretive about courses, features and players going forward. We don’t want to tip our hats to our competitors too soon but we understand the users desire to know what is coming. As we work to secure the licenses and they are locked down I’m sure this information will come out for everyone.

8) Contractual obligations and licensing issues aside, if you had a magic wand, and could instantly decree that, say, five of your favorite real-world golf courses would be available either in the next iteration of Links, or as downloadable courses for this year’s version, which five would you choose, and why?

Magic wand huh? I wish I had one of those during the crunch months leading up to release. If you turn this question into “what are Daryl’s five real-world golf courses” I would answer:
1) Augusta National
2) Pine Valley
3) Pacific Dunes (at Bandon Dunes)
4) St Andrews the Old Course
5) Royal Dornoch

9) Sony isn’t the first company to go the backwards-compatibility route – the ill-fated Atari 7800 was capable of playing Atari 2600 carts, and it’d be hard to have a discussion of backwards-compatibility without including Nintendo’s Game Boy line of hardware. Microsoft has been tight-lipped on whether or not the next Xbox will follow in Sony’s footsteps when it comes to backwards-compatibility, but some have suggested that the change in graphics cards might make that a moot issue. How will Links 2005 deal with downloaded courses for Links 2004? For that matter, how will any Links title on the next Xbox handle courses downloaded on the current one?

I can’t speak to the backwards compatibility of the Xbox hardware. I can say one of our primary goals is to make sure that courses downloaded for Links 2004 are playable for Links 2005 customers.

Handling downloaded content for Links 2005 and future versions of Links for the next version of the Xbox is not something I can talk about right now.

10) Moving off on a tangent here, I know one of the things that really appealed to me about the combination of new course downloads and Links’ status as an XSN Sports title was the potential for sort of a full-blown online tour, much the same way that NFL Fever, NHL Rivals, and NBA Inside Drive currently support single-season online leagues. Heck, the idea of career-based online Links tours sounds even better. That obviously isn’t something that will happen for Links 2004, but how far-fetched is it to think of something like that for Links 2005? Is it on the horizon for the Links team at all?

A full tour mode, similar to a season in the other titles, is definitely something on the top of the list for our XSNsports.com features for Links 2005. We also have a killer idea that will take some work but I’m very confident we can put it into the next version of the game to be used on XSNsports.com. I don’t want to tip our hats on this one, as we need all the ammo we can get to compete against Tiger Woods.

XSNsports.com has turned out to be a super match for the online golf players out there. We have been getting great feedback from users on how much they have been enjoying it. Playing real tournaments takes the challenge to another level. I’ve been hosting some personal events on XSNsports.com where we have given out prizes (free Xbox games) to anyone posting a better score then myself. We are working to up the prize levels for our Links tournament and across XSNsports.com. I communicate about these tournaments at the Xbox.com Links forum.


11) Two words: Live Aware. Project Gotham Racing 2 has it this year. Is it coming for Links?

One word: Yes!

12) One of the really great things about golf is just the sheer euphoria you get when you make an amazing shot, whether it’s a hole-in-one on a long par 3, or a blast out of a sand trap that saves par, or even birdie. You must have had a few shots like that – which would you put up as your best shot? Give us the scenario: course, hole, conditions, the works.

I was discussing the hole–in-one issue with a few people the other day. I’ve played probably hundreds if not a thousand or more hours of the game in the last 12 months and I’ve yet to get that hole in one yet. Every time I get onto a par-3 I’m really trying to take the wind, the elevation changes and the pin position into account hoping to get that first one. I know of other titles where almost everyone gets a hole-in-one every other round when starting out, and that is something we’d never do. If you sink it in Links you earned it or got lucky.

The day I get that hole-in-one I will definitely save it and get it posted to http://www.stlrc.com/links/ where one of the forum members is collecting saved shots.

13) There’s been some talk about Action Replay and the effect it has had on the Links online experience, but it occurs to me that that might be a knife that cuts both ways – has any thought been given to making course creation tools available, say, on the PC, and have those courses be transferable to the Xbox via Action Replay for addition to the game? Perhaps for, say, Links 2005?

If you look across all the Xbox titles out there, especially ones that came from PC’s that had rich user-mod tools, you’ll find on the Xbox version those tools are absent. Console certification very closely control what gets onto the users consoles. This is just one of the reasons why consoles games are so much more reliable then the PC counterparts. I wouldn’t expect any user tools available for wide public use.

Thanks for your time, Daryl. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, and hopefully we’ll see you out on the links!