- [p]Improved the layout of modifiers in the clubhouse.[/p]
- [p]Added option to the settings menu to redeem unlock codes.[/p]
- [p]UI hints now reset when you reset your progress.[/p]
- [p]Fixed bug where goals would become unticked after visiting the shop.[/p]
- [p]In multiplayer, clients will now correctly generate goals.[/p]
- [p]Fixed an error if no modifier goal was selected.[/p]
- [p]Ceiling Enforcer now has a lower ceiling.[/p]
- [p]In multiplayer, items are only unlocked for members of the team that unlocked it.[/p]
- [p]Added disconnection notice when your game is disconnected.[/p]
- [p]When not connected to the internet, you can now start a local multiplayer game.[/p]
- [p]The end game view now shows icons for the modifers you earned.[/p]
- [p]Tweaked the demo main menu buy prompt.[/p]
- [p]Freeze obstacle modifier now only generates if you have moving obstacles unlocked.[/p]
Up to Par
Patch Notes for Version 0.14.12
Course Modifiers
Course Modifiers
[p][/p][p]The course modifiers are a whole new set of items that you earn by reaching goals during the game. They apply to everyone playing with you, and include things like shortcuts, changing the hole size, and giving you extra shots to start. [/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42689119/3474d8131fa4307ef7060ab849aafc39c6c0d968.png"][/p][p][/p][p]My aim with designing them is to make each run more unique, and for the course to be more fun, more interesting, and usually a little easier. For a really interesting time, there's a permanent item unlock that will let you stockpile your modifers and apply them all in one go - resulting in a really crazy few rounds.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42689119/83c541f6f947de29523dcd8ff5cd9e4c7f5bf166.png"][/p][p][/p][p]I'd love to hear what you think of them, because I'll be updating and tweaking them over the next few weeks in response to your feedback. If you run into any issues, use the in-game menu to report them or let me know on our discord.[/p][p][/p][p]As always, here's the roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing, and I'm always open to new ideas. Let me know what you'd like to see![/p][p][/p][p]Happy Golfing,[/p][p]Philip[/p] Join the Modifiers Public Beta
Course Modifiers
[p][/p][p]The course modifiers are a whole new set of items that you earn by reaching goals during the game. You can save them up and select them at the start of a round to make the course more fun, more interesting, and usually a little easier.[/p][p][/p][p]I'd love to hear your feedback, and to try it out you can switch to the public test branch right now on Steam! Here's how to do it:[/p][p]Right click on your game in the steam library, select Properties, and navigate to the Betas tab on the left. Then from the dropdown box select "modifierspublicbeta". Steam will update the game with the new build for you![/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42689119/83a2083c65829f265a9229ea4fce0350f80fd808.png"][/p][p][/p][p]Once you've had a play with the new feature, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Let me know via the in-game feedback form, on the discord, or in the comments below.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42689119/cc6c7a8bf205185f279ac72dc69f739fb1de37e1.png"][TAG-40][/p][p][/p]Bug Fixes
[p]I've made a lot of changes for this new build, including fixing a number of outstanding problems. These will be available on the default branch when I fully release the modifiers feature in two weeks. Here's the full list of changes:[/p]- [p]The Estimator now reflects off the pond socket obstacle.[/p]
- [p]The aim preview no longer jitters across the top of jumps.[/p]
- [p]Teleport drops the ball correctly on the surface of lifting obstacles.[/p]
- [p]The Estimator now shows a range of possible outcomes, depending on your hit speed.[/p]
- [p]Weekly Challenge no longer crashes if you're the first to report a score.[/p]
- [p]The Woods Course is now grassier.[/p]
- [p]Gimmie Hint changes colour to be more readable on different coloured surfaces.[/p]
- [p]The default aim direction is working better.[/p]
- [p]The City course is now slightly easier.[/p]
- [p]Higher level obstacle unlocks are now easier to reach.[/p]
- [p]Prettier main menu![/p]
Pond Obstacles and Alpha Testing
In this update I talk more about the upcoming course modifiers, as well as introduce some new elements for the pond course.
Course Modifiers
I've been spending most of my time on the new course modifiers feature, and it will be ready for alpha testing in the next couple of weeks! If you'd like to get a sneak peek and test it out I'm looking for people who would be interested in playing with it and giving me feedback.
If that sounds like you, join the discord here and then send me a message or post in the Up to Par channel.
The course modifiers are a whole new set of items that you can apply at the start of a game. They change the gameplay for everybody in the same way, and are all designed to give you a small boost as you play. You earn them by beating score targets in each game, and you can either spend them immediately or save them up and apply a whole bunch of them at the same time for a truly ridiculous round!
My goal with these is to add more interest and fun to the general gameplay, so you have achievable goals each round instead of the current system where you only make progress by reaching your all-time high score (something that becomes increasingly difficult and frustrating).
This feature is still in development and pretty rough around the edges, but I'd love to hear some first thoughts about it - if you're interested in being an alpha tester, sign up on the discord.
Pond Course Updates
I'm continuing to add new course pieces to make replaying the game less repetitive and hopefully more fun. This update brings three new pieces to the pond course. The new course pieces all replace existing ones when the courses are generated, so they shouldn't make the levels any harder, hopefully just more interesting!
These are the new elements you'll see while playing:
The Causeway Hole. This is a much wider causeway piece, but there's a gap in the middle. If you're at the edge of a course it will give you a straight shot - it's designed to be the inverse of the standard causeway.
The Bent Causeway. Another variation on the causeway, this gives you a straight shot over half the width.
The Leaf Platform. This is a variation on the socket platform, and has both advantages (the curving side when raised is perfect for bouncing off) and disadvantages (when raised, there's no rail on the back!)
As always, here's the roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing, and I'm always open to new ideas. Let me know what you'd like to see!
Happy Golfing,
Philip
New Forest Course Obstacles
This update brings new obstacles, as well as some behind-the-scenes progress on course modifiers.
Obstacle Variants
This is the first of several updates where I'm planning to add new pieces to the game. I'm excited by this, because even a couple of new pieces can result in a wide variety of generated courses. I know that some of the early courses can feel repetitive after several runs, and so I'm hoping to increase the variation and make each course feel more unique and more fun!
In this update, I've started by creating variants of existing obstacles in the woods course. These are the new ones you'll see when playing:
A Lopsided Bump
A Circular Bump
Ramps Up and Down
There's also a moving obstacle which is a bridge that has two sides - each side opens separately so there's always a path through but it changes position:
Course Modifiers
Alongside the new obstacles, I've been making steady progress on the course modifiers feature. These are consumable items that you can use to modify courses before you play them. You'll earn these over the course of play, and my goal with these is to let you tweak the game in fun and interesting ways that will also help you get towards your next unlocks.
This week I primarily worked on the UI - creating icons and starting to implement them within the game flow. Once you earn modifiers, you'll be able to apply them at the very start of a game. There's currently no way to change how you play the first course in a run, so this should add some fun opportunities and make the first few holes more interesting.
Here's a sneak peek at some of the icons I was working on:
As always, here's the roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing, and I'm always open to new ideas. Let me know what you'd like to see!
Happy Golfing,
Philip
Shot Time Limits
For this update I continued working on multiplayer, focusing on a feature that has been requested several times: a shot timer.
Shot Time Limits
This is a new game settings option that you unlock from the store. When turned on, it's designed to keep things moving along and stop people from being able to stall or outright stop the game. You can find in the permanent unlocks section, and it costs 2 shots.
Once unlocked, you can chose how long each player has to take a shot. A small circular timer will show when you get close to the end of your time, and if you still haven't moved by the time it's up, you forfeit a shot!
I hope this will make for quicker and smoother games with large numbers of players. Let me know what you think!
Course Modifiers
I've also continued working on the large course modifier update. These are consumable items that you can use to modify courses before you play them. You'll earn these over the course of play, and my goal with these is to let you tweak the game in fun and interesting ways that will also help you get towards your next unlocks.
This week I worked primarily on the interface and game flow (When do you chose them? Where do you see your goals? How about the rewards?). I also designed some icons for them - I'll share these in a future update!
As always, here's the roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing, and I'm always open to new ideas. Let me know what you'd like to see!
Happy Golfing,
Philip
Multiplayer Aim Indicator and Balancing
I'm back with the first update of 2025! For the next few months I'll be aiming for fortnightly updates as usual, each with a small feature as I work on a big new system behind the scenes.
Aiming Indicator for Online Multiplayer
When anyone on a different computer is aiming, you'll now see this small arrow indicating where they're pointing.
I'm hopying this feature will make online games more fun, because it shows you where your friends are aiming and gives you a much better opportunity to criticize their skills before they even hit the ball! In co-op, this is invaluable information to let you co-ordinate and work better with your co-op partners.
More Balance Tweaks
I'm still listening to your feedback and looking at the data behind the scenes to improve the balance of Up to Par. The course modifiers I'm working on (see below) will be the biggest change, but in the meantime I've decreased the unlock cost of around 1/3 of the shop items, and decreased the unlock scores for all of the course items, some by as much as 3 holes.
Course Modifiers
I'm working on a new set of unlockable, consumable items that you can use to modify courses before you play them. You'll earn these over the course of play, and my goal with these is to let you tweak the game in fun and interesting ways that will also help you get towards your next unlocks.
This is a big feature that's still early in development, so I don't have much else to share at the moment. However I'll post a small update each fortnight as I get it closer to public testing.
Here's the roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing next year, and I'm always open to new ideas. Let me know what you'd like to see!
Happy Golfing,
Philip
Multiplayer Bugs and Balance Tweaks
This is the last update before the holidays, and I've focused on fixing some outstanding bugs as well as further tweaking the balance of the game.
The biggest improvement in this update is a more stable online multiplayer lobby. If the host leaves during the countdown, it should now correctly transfer control to another player to continue setting up the game. I've fixed some minor issues with the Join button not showing or hiding correctly, and the option to select how many holes per course no longer lets you accidentally select numbers that are out of bounds.
A small but important quality of life improvement is that the Free Shot Zone now appears offset from the socket obstacle. Previously this overlapped exactly and was difficult to read, but now it's both clear and also makes for more interesting options for shots!
Finally, I'm continuing to make changes to the balance of the game. This update sees two thirds of the course unlocks become easier to achieve, and half the items in the shop cheaper to unlock. I'll be keeping an eye on how this affects progression (let me know in the comments what you think!) and it's likely I'll continue making changes in the future. I'll also be introducing a new meta-game feature next year which is aiming to improve the feeling of restarting courses and reaching high score goals.
Other minor issues that have been fixed are:
- The bounce achievement now only shows once per time you improve, and only after 5 bounces.
- The progress screen shows seasonal balls separately from other categories.
- Added background UI for the progress screens so it's more readable in low contrast courses.
- Added some missing localisation, including the name for Latin American Spanish in the settings.
- Started work on supporting the D-Pad for menu navigation. This should work for Xbox Controllers, but not PS Controllers yet.
- Added a missing 3D icon for the woods course.
- The mouse now shows the correct icon when you're using simultaneous aiming.
- I've added a note when you try to switch on movement cancelling and simultaneous aiming in the settings at the same time, because they're not compatible.
I'll be taking a break over the holiday period, and will be back to continue fortnightly updates in February. Here's the roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing next year, and I'm always open to new ideas. Let me know what you'd like to see!
Happy Golfing,
Philip
Better Progression Tracking
This update brings a brand new look to the progression screen. Items are now categorised by type, and you can see exactly what progress you've made unlocking each section. The previous screen was difficult and overwhelming to read, and so I'm hoping this makes it easier and more fun to pick your next target on the road to completing the game.
I've also added your progress percent to the main menu, and when you finish the game there's a whole new button that'll let you quickly jump into the progress screen.
¿hablas español?. The last update brought Castilian Spanish to Up to Par, and this update sees Latin American Spanish available as well! Thank you to Eduardo Ugarte and Nico Quintana for getting this working so well in the game.
Talking about updates, I've been releasing one every fortnight since Up to Par launched. This has worked well for me, letting me balance bug fixes against features to ensure there's something interesting and something working better in each patch. The next update will be the last one before the holiday season, and I'm planning to continue this update schedule starting back in February.
Finally, this update has several bug fixes. The biggest is that particle effects now show correctly between the host and clients. Previously some effects were missing.
Other issues that were fixed are:
- The Pro Shop text now fits correctly in German
- Added a Golden Flag that you unlock with 100% completion
- Added icons for seasonal balls in the progress screen
- Icons are now all high enough resolution to look crisp at 4K
- The correct icons now show for PlayStation controller bumpers and triggers
- You can now map controller triggers to buttons
- Remapping text shows the official names for buttons on PS and Xbox controllers
- Fixed a crash that would happen in the progress screen
- The shop Unlock button is now hidden correctly after you spend shots and can no longer afford items
- Moving the focus from a button to a scroll bar should be more intuitive when using a controller
- Fixed an error with controller remapping that would happen as you booted up the game
As always, I'm maintaining a roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing in future updates. Let me know what you'd like to see!
Happy Golfing,
Philip
(psst: It's also the Steam Autumn Sale this week, and it's a great chance to pick up my other games on Sale - the co-operative steampunk adventure 39 Days to Mars, and the chaotic local multiplayer Mini Matches)
Spanish and Ball Effects
This update brings Spanish localisation to Up to Par. It also adds a separate effect for when you get the ball in the hole, and fixes a freeze bug that people have been encountering in multiplayer games.
First up, ¿hablas español?. I'm happy to say that Up to Par is now playable in Spanish. This update brings mainland spanish to the game, and the next update will see Latin American Spanish available as well. A huge thank you to Anthony Charrault for all the work integrating this into the game.
One of the comments that's come up regularly is that it's confusing to see the same breaking-apart effect when you run out of shots and when you sucessfully reach the hole. I agree! This patch introduces a new celebratory effect when you reach the hole. It's more satisfying, and should reduce the confusion.
I've also been keeping track of comments about difficulty and progress, and I've made some more balance tweaks in this update. Most items and attires that previously cost 5 shots or above are now cheaper to unlock. I hope this makes the mid & end game unlocks more achieveable. I'll be keeping an eye on how this change goes, and will likely continue to make more changes in future updates based on feedback and data.
Finally, I've fixed a major outstanding bug related to level generation. In some cases if you progressed through levels quickly *and* the game was trying to generate an extra-complicated course, it would leave you on a blank screen and never show the next level. This issue should be fixed now and you shouldn't get stuck on empty screens. If you do still have this issue for any reason, please let me know via the in-game bug reporting tool!
Other minor bugs I fixed are:
- The unlock item icon is now visible again in the game end screen.
- I've fixed a bug where the entire game would freeze after you reached 100% completion.
- In rare cases the camera would lag when focusing on the main menu, creating a snap effect. This is now fixed.
- The metal ball now has the correct coloured fragments when it splits apart.
As always, I'm maintaining a roadmap of bugs and features that I'll be addressing in future updates.
Happy Golfing,
Philip