Links Pro
| Links 386 Pro | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Access Software |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Macintosh, FM Towns, PC-98 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Sports |
Links 386 Pro is a golf simulation sports game for MS-DOS released in 1992, part of the Links series. The Macintosh version, Links Pro, was released in 1993. Microsoft Golf 1.0-3.0 is a version of Links 386 Pro designed to run directly under Microsoft Windows.
It was developed by Access Software as the follow-up to Links: The Challenge of Golf.
Players select a male or female character and their clothing. They select the level of play (beginner, amateur, and pro) and tee position. The player can control character direction and foot position, and the shot is controlled by a swing meter, held to the top for power and released and clicked again as it swings back to the bottom for direction - early will hook and late will slice. Players can select from multiple views, split the screen, and record shots. Shots can be repeated (a mulligan) and short putts taken (a gimme).
In 1994, the Computer Sports Network ran the Links Tour, an online tournament of 250 players accessible via modem.
The game ran relatively quickly because it was written in assembly code, though courses could take several seconds to be drawn on less powerful systems. The courses were drawn piece by piece, beginning with the backdrop, then the buildings, then the plants. It was considered to use a large amount of memory for the time, running best on 8Mb. On the Mac, it ran best on a Power Mac and on the PC at least a 386 was required. Some features could be turned off to increase the running speed.
The game featured digitised images of the courses, coming with Harbour Town and with Banff Springs available, and Torrey Pines in Microsoft Golf, as well as lower resolution courses from the earlier version.
The game featured Super VGA graphics, one of the first games to do so. It featured sound for the first time in the series, such as birds, frogs, comments from the golfers, and applause. On the Mac, voice control of the game was available.
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