Tsushima Springs - Final Version
May 5, 2021 16:58:45 GMT -5
bradleystuart, sroel908, and 2 more like this
Post by Deleted on May 5, 2021 16:58:45 GMT -5
As the sun rises low on the horizon the last remnants of morning fog continue to lift. Tsushima Springs is now open to the public and accepting reservations. The setting is Feudal Japan; Rolling hills, tall ornamental grasses, zen gardens, shinto shrines, and of course, hot springs. The Tsushima Springs Golf Course is reached by horse or rowboat. The goal was to create a course within the general aesthetic of Ghost of Tsushima on the PS4. [Photos are from WIP, will replace them as I take new photos from final version. Final course changes listed below. Areas which are more open in the photos have a much fuller feel to them now with the final pass complete.]
Overview: Tsushima Springs is a Par70 course with a heavy focus on the aesthetic. Entire segments of the course feature large blocks of color; fields of waving grasses, flower covered hill sides, and entire forests of yellow trees, with purple sycamore and red ash sprinkled throughout as landmarks and waypoints. With elevation changes defining the landscape Tsushima Springs offers a wide variety of hole types.
The par 3s are a precision challenge, ranging in length from 140 to 200 yards. 4s and 5s vary in length, approach, and scoring potential. Easily reached greens can still be stingy if shot placement is off. It is not always worth risking the hero shot.
Background:
Last month I began constructing a course with the idea that I wanted to see what I could do to marry this golf game with the aesthetics of Ghost of Tsushima on the PS4. For anyone not familiar with it, Ghost of Tsushima (screenshot below) is an absolutely beautiful game. Set in feudal Japan with a heavy emphasis on how the elements affect the landscape and perception, Ghost leaves a lasting visual impression. The player's avatar reaches out with his hand to feel the tassels of pampas grass brush against his palm as he walks from place to place. There are areas of the island which prominently feature a single bold color, much like the Jet Li movie, Hero. I did my best to recreate those impressions in PGA2k21.
History and Methods:
This course began as an experiment, but it was an experiment that allowed me to build on the feedback I had received on previous courses. Overall I am very happy with both the course and the realized vision. I had published a version of this course previously, which remained about 90% intact to come to this version. In this final design pass I moved the tee box on 6, narrowed some fairways, smoothed the greens in a few places, adjusted bunker placement and depth (adding two in the landing area on the fairway of twelve), and did my best to manage difficulty for multiple levels of play. I tidied up quite a bit of the planting, reining in the grasses in a few areas and expanding it in others while maintaining sight lines through trees and bushes.
The very last thing I did, since I had a little object meter left, was to construct a few shrines to pair up with the hot springs. This took some artistic license but I think it works given the limited object types we have to work with. Also drawing from Ghost of Tsushima there are a handful of hot springs scattered throughout, a bamboo strike training circle, climbing rocks, and of course, fields of pampas grass flowing over rolling hills which are a composite of a few different types of plants. There is but a single tee set. Chef’s choice only.
I avoided placing any objects which would deviate too strongly from the feeling of the time and setting as well. No carts, cars, or asphalt, though some liberties were taken with construction materials as long as the building's structure fit closely.
Reflection:
Normally my golf courses do not come together anywhere near as quickly as this. But, beginning with a narrow vision from the start allowed me to make design decisions on the fly in response to the surrounding areas. I sketched the first hole from the player’s point of view at the first tee box. After that first sketch was complete I got started making it a reality and the course flowed outward from there. Below is a WIP screenshot of the view from that first hole.
Even though that hole eventually became #17 the decisions I made on it resonate throughout the rest of the course. It felt very organic, like I was sculpting to reveal a golf course that was already there, rather than trying to make a golf course interesting with topographical changes. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I did making it.
Thanks!
I don't foresee making any more changes to this course, but I am always open to feedback, both positive and negative. I'm particularly interested to hear how everyone feels about the golf aspect of the course. In RL I'm an artist and learned early on that constructive/open critiques are a great way to learn for future projects.