Golf Sim Clubhouse Forum

Hey all, I was just wondering how you get libraries to disappear from "libraries in use" under the course properties. The libraries stay there even after I remove all objects from them. I would just like an accurate list of which libraries my course is using.

On a related note, how many libraries would you guys say is too many for a course to use? The course properties says I am using 17 libraries, but in reality I'm probably using around 10 (which still seems like too many). If I am using too many libraries in my course, is there anything I can do about it? I'd be willing to create a custom library, but I don't know anything about doing so. Lets say I put every object and texture my course is currently using into a custom library. Would you still need the original libraries to play the course because I actually got the objects from the original libraries and then later created the custom library? I hope that question makes sense.

Check your course manager or Diguelo's collater; these will show the actual libraries in use.

If you're using the cloaker, an unused library that is uncloaked should have a little "+" next to the name.

As far as the number of libraries, IMO it doesn't matter as I have all 700 or so of them on my hard drive. Poppy asked once what course used the most libes so I did a count on the 700 courses I have; I tossed the paper I wrote it on but remember that 2 courses used 19 custom libes (Robert@ had one of them, can't remember the other); I didn't count stock libes.

I mentioned in another post earlier this month that I always hoped (or wished) that someone would put together some custom libes with rarely used objects so they'd all be in one place. I don't think there's enough courses being released now that it would matter much, but it might have saved a lot of searching and libe overuse had it been done 6 or 7 years ago. For example, I'm using pinery just for yellow and red hazard stakes because none of the stock libes ever made them. I do use stock for ballwashers and trash cans, posts, etc. as much as possible.

what is the number of libraries before you need to start cloaking them? And can a course still load if the library is cloaked?

Hey Indy, I'm pretty sure I'm using red stakes from the Princeville Lib. Is that not a stock?

Guggy, yes P'ville has red stakes which indicate a lateral hazard; no stock has yellow stakes though.
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ADC, I've had up to 50-60 libes showing before the designer refused to open... that's about as close as I can tell you. No, courses won't load with cloaked libes; it'll act as though there's a library not installed (which in essence the cloaker is telling the game and the designer); you'll get a box saying "Could not initialize selected course" unless you're playing a stock course (cloaker doesn't hide stock libes) or a course that happens to be using your uncloaked libes.

wow, I have 94 libraries, non cloaked, and the architect works fine for me.

Different system maybe? More memory? I don't really push it too hard; I have 46 open libes right now (not using that many, just ones I checked out or have objects/textures I thought I might use but didn't, and don't want to cloak them and get that substitute library garbage. But if it still works with almost 100, good for you!
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Guggy, I missed the second half of your question. If you create a new library either by combining old objects or making new ones or both, your course is going to say that "guggy.lib" is in use. Unless you upload "guggy.lib" along with your course (or separately for dl'ing) your course is going to be unplayable to the rest of us. If you use the same libe (for example pebble.lib) and alter textures/objects, when online players try to use it we're going to get a "library has been altered" error.

Are you running XP or Vista? Or 7, even?

Indy's right, use the course manager or collator to see what libraries are actually needed.

All of my custom libraries use borrowed objects and textures from other libraries. You do not need to uncloak those original libraries once your new custom library is created.

Since winning the last contest and subsequently getting my prize of every course and library made for this game, I have never used the course collator as much as I do now. I cloak everything I don't need, all courses and libraries except the ones I am currently using.

I can tell you what I do when I'm designing so you can understand... well, what I do.

Assuming I'm doing a fictional course, I start with just an idea of what I want the finished course to look like. I have a general idea: Mountain, parkland, etc. I then cloak all but the stock and A-C libes. I have a shortcut to the Swapfiles so I make sure there are no SwF left over from a previous design.

I open the designer then look through all the uncloaked files, making a list of those that fit the profile. Next I do D-F and G-J; this gives me a look at around 75 courses at a time. After finishing the G-J libes, I clear the SwF out and continue with K-M, etc., once again clearing the stock files at around 3 cloaking jobs. (Too many swapfiles can cause arch problems also.)

After listing all the libes that fit my profile, I cloak all of them then uncloak those listed. Next I open the designer and check out each pano separately (if I chose a libe just for the pano itself.) With the pano in place, I then select a base texture. This is usually good enough to give a general idea of how objects are going to look with a particular pano/texture. Then I run through each libe, selecting a few objects and looking at them with the camera, maybe looking from different angles to get different looks at the pano. During this time I cross out rejected libes. Then I close the arch (without saving), go back and cloak the libes I've rejected.

My next step is to once again clear the SwF. Then I select the pano and set the dimensions of my plot (if I'm not using 2,000 x 2000 yards.) At this time I have to save the course, so unless I have the course name clearly in mind I'll name it something like "Oct '11 project plot" and save it. Next I'll lay down a texture in some area of the plot I'm not going to be using and plant an object or texture from each of my selected libes inside the circle. Then I'll save and close the arch.

Finally I'll go back to the cloaker and save the project using the project plot as my file. Now I'm ready to start building the plot; with a project file in place, assuming I'm playing other courses at the time, I can now go to the project and cloak all the libes except those being used for the project simply by clicking the "cloak all others" button. From this point on I won't delete any libes; those not used simply don't show up in the finished course, but I also don't run into the missing library/substitued objects problem.