I want to take my foundation to the next level

Use the modifiers provided to change your games#

The Mini-Golf Player Character puppet contains the majority of the game logic. There are a number of switches and value sliders you can use to change the game:

1. Single-Scene - Switch this on if you want a game which is contained within a single scene.
2. Multi-Scene - Switch this on for each scene you want to be part of a multi-scene game, except for the final one.
3. Final Scene - Switch this on for the scene you want to be the last in a multi-scene game.
4. Multiplayer On - Switch this on if you want a multiplayer couch co-op game, where players take turns, in which case all 4 player puppets will appear and your game logic will follow the multiplayer pattern. Switch it off for a single-player game.
5. Putt Limit On/Off - Switch this on if you want to set a putt limit, i.e. a maximum number of putts each player must fall within to reach the final hole. Switch it off if you don’t want a putt limit. The number of putts will be counted regardless.
6. Max Putts for Course - Set the putt limit - the maximum number of putts a player can use to get to the final hole. Only active if Putt Limit On/Off is on. If doing a multi-scene course, you can set this for each scene if you like - they don’t all have to be the same.
7. Par - If you like, you can add a par to each scene. This is an additional limit of putts to aim for - the absolute best that could be attained, therefore lower than Max Putts. If a player manages to attain par, a star will be displayed on the scene start menu and the final score menu. Only active if Putt Limit On/Off is on.

Help your players find the right direction#

You can go mad with your own courses, having them rise, fall and snake around however you like. Just be careful that your players know which direction they’re supposed to putt towards! The camera pan at the start of each turn shows the way to the final hole, but it’s also worth using the Golf Course Direction Chevron to point the way. They’re cheap, so add them liberally along the sides of the course to give players a helping hand.

Try making multi-scene courses#

If you’ve mastered the single-scene course, why not try making a multi-scene one? The logic is all there and easy to use. All you need to do is set all of the scenes bar the last one to Multi-Scene-Hole using the switch in the puppet element.

Each scene on the way to the final one then carries the score across, without posting them on completion. The final scene in the multi-scene course needs to be set to Final Scene using the switch in the puppet element. This scene will tott up the scores and post them.

When you set up multi-scene courses the entrance and exit doorways will appear on the thumbnail of each scene. Simply string these together into a dream to create your multi-hole course.

See also - No. 5, 6, 7 in “Use the modifiers provided to change your games”.

Play with the physics#

The template makes direct use of the Dreams physics engine for the ball rolling through the course. The settings are as follows.

● Ball: 33% Friction, 0% Bounce, 0 Squash, Density 0.052 kg

● Grass: 15% Friction, 3% Bounce, 0 Squash

● Sand: 24% Friction, 4% Bounce, 0 Squash

● Edges: 10% Friction, 50% Bounce, 0 Squash

● Pipes: 0% Friction, 0% Bounce, 0 Squash

● Default white pieces: 10% Friction, 2% Bounce, 0 Squash

We found these give the best results for a “real-world” mini-golf course, but feel free to play around with these properties yourself. Make things extra bouncy or high friction. Maybe you want some extra-rough grass, or gluey sections, or sections made from ice - the world’s your oyster!

Play with the sounds#

Tweak any of the individual building blocks and in the Audio Surface Type tab you’ll find what they’re set to. This makes the ball make an appropriate sound when rolling over or hitting them. We’ve used most of these, but feel free to use others or change them if you are thinking of creating other surface types.

Watch out for edge clipping#

From time-to-time the ball will catch an edge as it rolls through the course. This happens more when the hard-edged course pieces have a low detail level. If you spot edge clipping happening when testing your course, try upping the sculpture detail using the sculpture detail tool.

Group for success#

It’s best practice to build contained sections of track with you configurations of gameplay elements and then group them. One group for each intermediate hole, perhaps? With grid snap on, you can then easily rearrange sections - swap them around, make space for new ones and so on.

It’s recommended that you play the Start Dreaming - Part 4 - Selecting, Grouping and Scoping tutorial in the Dreams Workshop to learn how to work effectively with groups.

Use camera bookmarks#

Some operations will require you to move the camera a lot. To easily return to a useful camera position use the preset camera bookmarks (hover over the mode icon to the left to see these) and make some new ones of your own that follow your own unique track.

Add costumes to the golfers#

We recommend playing through the Character Art Tutorial to find out all about changing how puppets look. Once you’ve done that, make a remix of the golfer and go wild.