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Using zoom w/ mini overhead

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Sun, May 18 2014 10:11 PM

  As advised by someone in the forum, I've been liking the overhead hole map to aim the shot. I also use the zoom feature on my browser because my vision isn't the best.

  I've learned that the aerial view from the cams can sometimes be misleading - producing a kind of parallax.

  Using the map & cams in concert can help improve your game, as you might know.

  parallax : the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer

   

  

• JSSfamilyfungolf 76 Posts

  Sun, May 25 2014 5:57 AM

  I realized that the pin on the map is not placed accurately at where it is supposed to be. Example sometimes the pin is shown to be outside the green which is totally not logical.

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Sat, Jun 7 2014 2:30 PM

  JSSfamilyfungolf:

  I realized that the pin on the map is not placed accurately at where it is supposed to be. Example sometimes the pin is shown to be outside the green which is totally not logical.

  Thank you for this info, I've been double checking the pin on the map each time now.

  ( It's interesting that on the image I posted that the only goal I had on this hole was to reach and stop on the green anywhere so with a starter ball I've found it hard to get a decent putt on this one. )

  But just to stress, I've observed that the wind direction pointer is for the camera's perspective and obviously not for the mini map's reference, that's just something I have to keep in mind, too.

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Sun, Jun 22 2014 12:55 PM

  [I'd like to say that I don't consider this topic to be a fault, bug or problem that WGT needs to fix or correct. This is just an observation to be considered]

  This is just to show what I meant by the last line of my post. My assertion is that the wind direction maker is relative to the camera shots.

  In the past, I would sometimes juxtapose the 'wind vane' to the mini map's orientation (1) which I think is incorrect.

  (you can see the wind direction indicator change when you change camera angles, the mini-map remains) 

  In the picture I have moved the aim marker down the middle to align the center.

  1) incorrect 

  2) correct

  There is a significant difference, even in this example.

  

  If my assertion is correct, I think this may be a common mistake because players may misconstrue what is shown in the game window.

  Any additional comments are appreciated.

  Happy hitting!

• gr8flbob 592 Posts

  Mon, Jun 30 2014 1:00 PM

  My 2 cents: don't get hung up on the mini-map; as noted, any yardages are approximate. I believe the minimap pin is approximately center of green (i.e., the 'Card yardage'). Why not use some WGT other tools available? Below I'm facing the approach to SA #2 with short/left pin. I select the Green reverse camera view by selecting that cam on the mini-map, and select Pitch or Chip shot type, then click and hold the aiming point - voila! - up jumps the 10yd by 10 yd square pitch-grid contour map.

  

  Move that aiming point around and you can get a feel for topograhy on the entire green complex! Even off-green, so long as part of that grid touches the green itself. Remember that elev shown is approximate (+/- half-foot) so I already know the pin itself is +4 ft, and changes to +3' (gets<3.5)  just below the pin so it's ~ a foot and a half drop in ~ 7yds from where you see the aiming point above. Sharp-down and away.

  Note the grid-lines are 2ft apart! Just like the putting or pitching grid shown during actual shot screen view when putting, chipping, pitching and flopping from close in. But now we're checking things out from 200+ yds from our lie.

  If the pitch grid is so small you can't see the dots move, then resort to right-click/Zoom and blow it up (with cursor in region of interest, lol).

   

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Mon, Jun 30 2014 6:21 PM

  gr8flbob:

  My 2 cents: don't get hung up on the mini-map;

   

  Agreed. Thanks for the diagram, too. It wasn't till I made the post when I thought:

   'Who the heck uses the mini map to aim, anyway? Even I don't'

   It was just a small issue when I play quickly on a drive into a fairway I am familiar with in the first place. (Like RSG) Only then may I consider the mini map alone without a zoom.

  But surely don't avoid the zoom views unless your totally versed w/ the terrain and hazards of the course's fairways. And always use all zooms on approaches.

   

• PTrenter 437 Posts

  Tue, Jul 1 2014 12:15 AM

  JFidanza:

   'Who the heck uses the mini map to aim, anyway? Even I don't'

  erm, I do.  Well I have always used the mini map to aim drives onto fairway but that's probably born out of my laziness to use the zoom camera.  I've not had many problems with it so far though.  I do a quick mental rotation of the mini map so the wind lines up with the main screen view and aim from there.

  I certainly wouldn't use it for approach shots though.

   

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Tue, Jul 1 2014 2:42 AM

  yea as I do sometimes when ' I play quickly on a drive into a fairway'

  Something new players have to consider, also when using the mini map, is that sometimes a sand trap may be hidden under the mini map's zoom camera icon.

  I've seen one player caught off guard by this instance.

  ---

  edits: more images and whatnot

  Note the mini-map's usual placement on the screen & how it's not congruent w/the aim toward the pin.

  The tilted map inserts (middle) show the wind direction vs. the shot angle clearly.

  Placing my aim forward is just to determine the camera angle! 

  Later I did move my aim from 'camera forward' to the green, or pin area as proper.

  THIS IS KEY! 

  

   

  On the right of the figure shows how the map is normally placed on the WGT window, and how the wind direction might be misunderstood. The left mini map is adjusted to the camera angle and is what i think is accurate. Again, see the difference at the bottom.

  

  This is not such a huge difference but sometimes I see a bigger parallax. I think there is a big change on Pinehurst #5 but I can't recall at this time. 

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Wed, Jul 9 2014 7:55 PM

  [Again, I'd like to stress that I don't consider this topic to be a fault, bug or problem that WGT needs to fix or correct. This is just an observation to be considered]

  Here's another example of the parallax or the incongruence of the wind direction pointer and the mini-map's usual orientation on the screen. 

  Again, the wind direction indicator is relative to the camera angles. The mini map is independent of the camera angles (i.e. reverse, forward, zoom, etc.) and remains linear. 

  On this shot on Merion #15 one may look at the wind direction pointer and the mini map (fig. A: indicated by the yellow dotted line) and misconstrue the correct wind path. 

  In fig. B (upper right) the wind indicator has been adjusted to the camera angle.

  (in between fig B & C, in the middle right, is the mini-map placed almost horizontal as it is adjusted to correlate with the wind pointer. This accurately shows how the wind is blowing in relation to the adjusted orientation of the mini-map)

  Fig. C (bottom right) shows the aim strait ahead, or the camera angle forward. (note the mini map is as normally displayed to the forward camera shot angle, but the strait aim [or 'forward' camera shot] is almost perpendicular vs the mini map. It's almost 90 degrees; crosswise) 

  The green arrows show the actual wind direction. (a headwind into the players shot)

  The red arrows show what might be assumed (crosswind) because of the look of the pointer & mini map (fig. A:  indicated by the yellow dotted line)

  

  Placing my aim forward (fig C bottom R) is just to determine the camera angle.The avatar, and camera 'forward' are skewed.

  So, later I did move my aim from 'camera forward' (fig' C) to the green, or pin area as proper.  THIS IS KEY!

  This might be simple to understand by many, but I was not aware of this till I looked further into it myself.

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Sat, Aug 16 2014 8:36 PM

  [again, I don't consider this topic to be a fault, bug or problem that WGT needs to fix or correct. This is just an observation to be considered]

  I just played Oakmont front 9 and I had noted a few skewed camera angles on many of the approaches.

  For further observations, refer to previous posts if you are interested. 

  The mini maps to the right show the wind pointer adjusted for an accurate representation of the wind direction.

  The yellow arrow shows what might be assumed as the wind's bearing due to the mini maps normal, linear orientation on the screen misconstrued along with the wind vane (which is actually relative to the camera angle, which is skewed)