1. The Courses

Courses can be created for three different monitor sizes. 1) 9 inch screen (Mac Plus, SE, Classic) or a 12” color monitor 2) Powerbook screens 3) 13" monitors. Courses will run on the size they were created for and larger. Therefore a course created for a Powerbook screen will run on a Powerbook size monitor and a 13" monitor but not a 9 inch monitor. Course 1(9”) and Course 2(9”) were created for 9 inch monitors and therefore should run on any screen. Course 3(pb) and Course 4(pb) were created for a Powerbook screen and will run on a Powerbook or a 13 inch or larger monitor. Course 5(13”) will only run on a 13 inch or larger monitor. 

2. Playing GopherGolf

A. Starting the game

To start GopherGolf double-click on the GopherGolf icon. From the file menu choose Open. Open any of the courses listed. You can also double click on a course to open it.

A dialog box appears. Enter the names of the people playing. Don’t skip player entry boxes. If there are two people playing the Player 1 and Player 2 boxes should be filled in. Next you can choose to play in practice mode or in competition mode. In practice mode you can jump around on the course to and from any holes you wish. You can replay holes if you like. In competition mode you must follow the course in the order it was designed. In practice mode your final scores will not be eligible to be entered into the course Leader Board (a record of the ten lowest scores for the particular course). In competition mode there is an stroke limit per hole which is set by the course designer. The maximum strokes per hole is stated on the bottom of the Player's dialog.  If you click on the Practice or Competition button without filling in any players the game assumes you want to play with only one person and it uses "Me" as the player name.

B. Putting

The ball is placed on the tee area. The color of the ball changes when  players change turns. Each player has a different color ball. Each player must complete the hole before the next player can begin. The putter is placed directly below the ball and appears as a small, thick line.

The player who got the lowest score on the previous hole goes first. Be sure to check the color or pattern of the ball to see who should be putting. 

You can have two keys assigned to every action. For example you could have the "x'  and the "Keyboard 4" key turn the putter clockwise. This helps for when more than one person is playing. To view or edit the key assignments choose Controls... from the Game menu. To change the assignments click on one of the buttons to the right of the action you want to assign. When the correct button is highlighted press the appropriate key.

Key Actions:
Left 90 Degrees

Turns the putter 90 degrees clockwise
Left Quickly

Turns the putter clockwise quickly(5 degrees at a time)
Left Slowly

Turns the putter clockwise slowly(1 degree at a time)
Right 90 Degrees
Turns the putter 90 degrees counter clockwise
Right Quickly

Turns the putter counter clockwise quickly(5 degrees at a time)
Right Slowly

Turns the putter counter clockwise slowly(1 degree at a time)
Flip 180 Degrees

Moves the putter to the opposite side of the ball
Swing

Swings the putter(see below for more detail)
Show Slopes

Shows the slope values for any slopes on the hole

You can also use the mouse to putt. To select mouse control from the Controls dialog. This will change the cursor to a putter. To aim the putter just move the cursor behind the ball where you want to hit it. You can use the mouse button to swing.

When the putter is placed use one of the Swing keys to hit the ball. Holding the Swing key will draw the putter back. When the back swing is where you want it release the space bar or arrow key. This moves the putter back towards the ball striking it. A larger back swing will cause the ball to be hit harder. The putter has a maximum back swing point. If it reaches this point the putter starts to swing automatically. The power indicator located below the score card also indicates how hard your swing is.

C. Hazards

The two objects that need a little explaining are water and slopes. Water areas are similar to a small canal in real miniature golf. The water is lower than the playing surface. If the ball is traveling at a sufficient speed it will travel right over the water. If the speed is too low the ball will fall down into the water. If this happens the ball is placed at the point where it started over the water and a one stroke penalty is added to your score.

Slopes are slanted areas of the playing field. The lighter areas of the slope are "higher" than the darker areas. The ball will be “pulled” from the lighter areas to the darker areas. The slopes have a cumulative effect. Two slopes with the same direction would represent a longer slope. The slopes have an incline factor of between one and ten. One is the flattest slope and ten is the steepest. To see the slope factor before you hit the ball, hold down the ‘s’ key. This will show a number at the center of all the slope regions and an arrow showing the slope's direction. This number represents the slope factor for that particular slope area.

D. Gopher

The gopher is a pesky rodent that pops up randomly on the course. If you hit the gopher one stroke is taken off your score. If your ball rolls into a gopher hole you get a one stroke penalty, this can only happen if the gopher is no longer in the hole. You can control how often the gopher pops up and how long he stays up by selecting the gopher menu item in the Game menu.

3. Menus

A. File

Open... : 
Used to open a new course when no other course is opened.
Save : 
Save the current game to disk.
Save as... : 
Saves the current game with a new name.
Close : 
Closes the current course.
Quit : 
Quits GopherGolf.

B. Hole

This menu is only available in practice mode. The hole that you are on will show a check mark next to it. To go to a different hole select the number of the hole you want to go to. You can also select First, Previous, Next and Last holes on the course.

C. Game

Reset : 

This item clears all the scores and returns to the first hole of the course.
Preferences: Brings up the Preferences dialog. See below for details.
Controls: Brings up the Key Preferences dialog where you can assign keys to different actions. You can also choos eto use the mouse to control the putter.
Gopher : 

This sets the gopher parameters. See 2.D. above.
Leader Board : 
Shows the Leader Board for the current course.
Clear LB : 

Clears the Leader Board. This can not be undone.
Register : 

To give full access to all GopherGolf functions you need to register your copy, see above. When you get a Serial number to register your copy this menu item will allow you to enter it into the system.
Info : 

This gives you information about the game and how to register.

Preferences
Sound  On: Selecting Sound On turns the sound on and off.
Next Player Window : In multiplayer mode this turns the "Next player: Player name" window on and off.
Color Scores : If this is checked the scores will be in color on color systems. Below par in blue, par in black, above par in red. If it is not checked the scores are all in black.

4. Conclusion

That’s all there is to it. Have fun.

Edit mode

1. Introduction

If you have not registered, the edit mode is fully functional except it will not allow you to save courses.

The edit mode allows you to create your own GopherGolf courses. You can alter courses that came with the package or you can create your own from scratch.

2. Starting

To enter edit mode select Edit Course from the File menu. Choose Save as... from the File menu and give your new course a name. This will leave the original course unchanged. If you want to create a new course choose New from the Course menu.

3. Work areas

The GopherGolf edit mode has two work areas, The course area and the palette area. 

A. Course area

The course is created in the course area. It will appear exactly the same in game mode as it does in edit mode. The course area is located on the left side of the screen.

B. Palette area

The palette area is where you get all the pieces that you need to build your course. This section is not shown in  game mode. The palette area has multiple pages. To move to a different page click on the pointing hands at the top of the palette area. Each page contains different pieces that you can use on your course.  The other two icons at the top of the palette area are the blank and the outline icons. The blank icon (left) will clear the course area of all objects for the hole you are working on. The outline icon (right) clears the course area and creates the biggest rectangle border allowed on your monitor size.

There are two types of things on the palette you can use to create your course, grid pieces and object pieces.

4. Grid pieces

The base of the course is made up of the red walls. These are called grid pieces. The first pages of the palette consist of grid pieces. They align to a grid in the course area. The sizes of the grids vary according to the size of your monitor. A thirteen inch or larger monitor will have a ten by ten grid, a nine inch monitor will have a seven by six grid. To view the grid select Toggle grid from the View menu. This grid can be hidden again by selecting Toggle grid again. The grid can be visible or not visible but the grid is always active. 

To move grid pieces from the palette to the course area click on the piece you want to add to your course and drag it onto the course area. Once on the course area you can move it by clicking on it again and dragging it to a new location. If you hold down the option key while dragging a piece already on the grid the piece is copied and put at the new location.

Sometimes placing the grid pieces on the grid is a little tricky (especially when placing diagonal pieces). Try toggling the grid view on to see exactly where the pieces will go when you place them.

Grid pieces become selected when you click on them. When selected you can move them one grid space at a time by using the arrow keys or number keys on the numeric keypad (8 up, 4 left, 6 right, 2 down). If you hit the backspace (delete) key the selected grid piece will be deleted.

There are some special grid pieces that don't have walls on them. They are for landscaping only. Normally these would be placed outside the playing area. They can be placed anywhere on the hole but they will not effect the ball at all.

5. Object pieces

Object pieces are on the palette pages after the grid pages. Objects are tubes, holes, buildings, slopes, water and bridges. These items don't align to grid. They can be placed anywhere on the course area. 

Object pieces become selected when you click on them. When selected you can move them one pixel at a time by using the arrow keys or number keys on the numeric keypad (8 up, 4 left, 6 right, 2 down). If you hit the backspace (delete) key the selected object piece will be deleted.

Each object behaves differently and has some rules applied to its use. These will be covered next.

A. Tee and hole

These objects are obvious. They must be included in every hole.

B. Tubes

Tubes are simple objects. The ball enters one side and exits the other. Tubes that loop must be entered with sufficient speed or the ball will exit out the same side it entered. The only rule for tubes is to make sure there is at least 1/4 inch between any openings and any other objects except slopes. This means you can't make a longer tube by connecting them end to end. Leave the 1/4 inch between them or you will get unusual results.

C. Water

Water objects are special. They, along with slopes, are the only objects that can overlap each other or be overlapped by other objects. Water objects should not be placed within 1/4 inch of any ball exits. This includes tube, building and hole exits. The ball must be traveling at a sufficient rate of speed to get over the water.  If more than one water object are clumped together the ball must maintain this minimum speed at all times while it is over the objects.

D. Regular castle

The regular castle is pretty simple. The ball enters through one of its doors and has a 50/50 chance of exiting from either of the other doors. As with tubes, the doors of the castle should have a minimum clearance of 1/4 inch from all other objects except slopes.

E. Pyramid

A pyramid acts like a regular castle except when a ball enters one of its doors it will always exit from the door on the opposite side. Again the doors of the pyramid should have a minimum clearance of 1/4 inch from all other objects except slopes.

F. Tunnel

The tunnel (next to the water object) has two parts. When you place it on the course area the second part becomes visible. The second part is an exit. The ball enters the tunnel and exits through the exit. The exit must have the same minimum clearance as other object exits. You can only place one tunnel per hole. The tunnel object has other parameters. You can set the maximum exit angle, minimum exit speed and maximum exit speed. Once a tunnel is placed on the course area two menu items in the Object menu become available. The first, Tunnel settings, brings up a dialog to let you alter the attributes. You can also get to this dialog box by double clicking the tunnel object.  The second menu item is Tunnel direction which allows you to rotate the tunnel exit to the direction you want. The exit angle is random from zero to the value you set as its maximum. Zero being straight out the tunnel exit. The maximum angle is measured from this center line in the positive and negative direction.  If the minimum and maximum exit speeds are equal the ball will always exit the tunnel at that speed.  You have to be a little careful placing the exit. If you experiment you can make the ball go from the exit back into the tunnel again. Yes, you can break the laws of physics.

G. Bridge

The bridge is another simple object that acts as you would expect. The bridge is arched so the surface slopes up in the middle. The ball can not pass under the bridge. The slope of the bridge can not be changed.

H. Windmill

The windmill is a special object type called a mover. The vanes of the windmill move in real time as you play GopherGolf. The same clearance should be maintained in front of both openings of the windmill, 1/4 inch. When you place a windmill on the course area the Mover settings item in the Object menu becomes available. Selecting this menu item brings up a dialog box that allows you to set the speed of the windmill between one and ten. One is the slowest setting and ten is the fastest. Another way to make the dialog box come up is to double click on the windmill. You are allowed one mover per hole.

I. Moving castle

The moving castle is another mover object. The drawbridge of the castle opens and closes. The ball can only get through when the drawbridge is completely down and not moving. The same restriction as the windmill apply to the castle and there is one more. You must leave a clearance space in front of the drawbridge itself too. When you place a moving castle on the course area the Mover settings item in the Object menu becomes available. Selecting this menu item brings up a dialog box that allows you to set the speed of the moving castle between one and ten. One is the slowest setting and ten is the fastest. Another way to make the dialog box come up is to double click on the moving castle. You are allowed one mover per hole. You can put water or slopes under the drawbridge.

J. Signs

Signs allow you to enter text into them. You can put anything you want in them, hole names, par, etc. When you place a sign on the course area the Sign text menu item in the Object menu becomes available. Selecting this item brings up a dialog box that lets you enter the text. You can also double-click on the sign to get the dialog box. You can have only one sign per hole. The sign does not effect the way the ball moves at all.

K. Slopes

The last group of objects are the slopes. The lighter part of the slope is "higher" than the darker part. The slopes have an attribute called the slope factor. This is a number between one and ten. One is the "flattest" and ten is the "steepest." Since there can be more than one slope on each hole you must select the slope by clicking on it to change its slope factor. When a slope is selected the Slope settings menu item in the Object menu is available. This menu item brings up a dialog box allowing you to change the slope factor for the selected slope. You can also get this dialog box by double clicking on the slope object you want to alter. Usually it is a good idea to leave a little space between down slopes and walls.

6. Testing

The only real way to test your course is to build them and play them. If for some reason the ball gets "stuck" somewhere on your course while in GopherGolf (the putter will not show up even when it looks as if the ball has stopped moving) hold down the command and 'q' key. This will stop the ball and show the putter. You can then edit your course to move the objects that were causing trouble. The best part of edit mode is that you can experiment. Try any ideas you have. If they don't work the first time you can change them and try again.

7. Hierarchy

The objects on the course can be moved on top of all other objects by selecting the object and choosing Move to front from the Object menu. To move the object to the back choose Move to back from the object menu. The grid pieces are always in the background. The tee and hole are always the front most objects.

8. Course size

There are three different sizes of courses supported by GopherGolf. 1) 9" monitor and 12" color monitor (7 x 7 grid) 2) powerbook screens (10 x 8 grid) 3) 13" monitor or larger (10 x 10 grid). Using GopherGolf, you should only open courses that have the same or smaller grid size as your monitor. Courses created on a 9" monitor will run on all other monitors but a course created on a powerbook may have objects placed out of view on a 9" monitor. You can simulate a smaller screen by holding down certain keys when you start up GopherGolf. If you have a powerbook or 13" monitor, hold down the '1' key to simulate a 9" screen. If you have a 13" monitor, hold down the '2' key to simulate a powerbook screen. When the courses are saved they will be saved at the size you simulated.

9. Menus

A. Course

Course Max Strokes : 
Lets you enter a maximum number of strokes per hole in competition mode.
Hole Par: 

Assigns a par value for the hole you are editing.
New : 

Creates a new course.
Save : 

Saves the current course to disk.
Save as... : 

Saves the current course with a new name.

B. View

Grid : 

Shows or hides the grid.
Marching ants : 
Shows or hides the marching ants around the selected object.

C. Object

Move to front : 
Moves the currently selected object on top of all other objects.
Move to back : 
Moves the currently selected object beneath all other objects.
Tunnel settings : Lets you change the settings if there is a tunnel on the current hole.
Tunnel direction : Sets the direction of the tunnel exit if there is one on the current hole.
Mover settings : Sets the speed of the mover object if there is one on the current hole.
Slope Settings : 
Sets the slope factor for the selected slope object.
Sign text : 

Lets you enter text into a sign if there is one on the current hole.