The Maxis MouseSwing (TM)
The Maxis MouseSwing (TM) is an innovative golf swing interface which gives computer golfers more control over their swing. Just as in a real golf swing, a MouseSwing is affected by timing, force, and aim -- and it takes practice to master. The MouseSwing is just one of the two swings available with SimGolf; the other is the Powerbar swing.
SimGolfers have their own style for swinging, but most find it necessary to rest their swinging arm on the computer table and move the mouse with either fingers only, or any combination of fingers, hand and wrist. It seems that if you try to bring arm motion into your swing, you could lose control.
Steps for Taking a MouseSwing (TM)
Troubleshooting Your Swing
Steps for Taking a MouseSwing (TM)
Move your cursor over the club head in the Swing Indicator. It should turn into a little mouse with an arrow pointing downward.
Now click. Clicking tells SimGolf you have started your swing. You can click and release or click and hold, whichever feels more natural to you. This will not affect your swing.
Move the mouse down (back) past the Full Swing Line.
As you pull back the mouse, the mouse club in the Swing Indicator will also pull back. And you can see the onscreen golfer pull back the club.
When you've pulled back the desired distance, reverse direction and push your mouse forward until the mouse club hits the ball in the Swing Indicator.
Be sure to aim for the ball. If everything went correctly, a second or so after your club hits the ball in the Swing Indicator, the onscreen golfer will take the swing, using the exact specifications you just used.
Watch the onscreen golfer take a swing, then look in the Results Box to see how you did. Click on your choice in the Results box to move ahead in the game.
Results Box
Troubleshooting Your MouseSwing (TM)
Here are some common problems and how to address them.
The Ball Didn't Move Because You Missed the Ball Completely.
When you use the MouseSwing, you actually have to aim. The club can waver anywhere behind the 1/4 Swing Line, but as it crosses the hit line in the Swing Indicator, the club must touch the ball or the ball won't move. Check the trace line your swing left in the Swing Indicator. You can see how close (or how far) you came to connecting with the ball.
The Ball Didn't Move, But You Took Your Time and Know You Hit It.
Two things could have gone wrong here. You may not have pulled the mouse club completely behind the 1/4 Swing Line. If that was the case, even if you hit the ball straight on, it would not have moved.
More likely, you let too much time elapse between the start of your swing and its completion. When you take too much time, SimGolf will reset the swing and you'll have to click again to take the shot. A timed-out shot will not count against you.
The Ball Only Traveled a Few Feet in Front of You.
You may have done everything correctly: you pulled back past the Full Swing Line, aimed right up the center line and hit the ball squarely. But how long did it take you? Timing counts in this game. If you take your swing in slow motion, the resulting shot will be as if you took a real swing with a real club in slow motion -- the ball won't travel much.
Or you may have forgotten to pull the mouse club back behind the Full Swing Line in the Swing Indicator. The farther you pull back the club, the farther it has the potential to travel. Off the tee, you'll always want the power of a full swing behind your shot. (But you'll be in deep trouble if you try chipping and putting with full swing hits.)
The Ball Veered Right or Left.
The closer to the center vertical line of the Swing Indicator you push the mouse, the straighter your ball will travel. Check the trace line your last swing drew in the Swing Indicator. Was the path of your swing straight up the middle, or did it veer right or left? If you want the ball to travel straight, you'll have to push the mouse straight up the center of the Swing Indicator.
Another possibility is that you have adjusted the club face angle by moving the Right/Left Spin Adjuster (the small white ball on the bottom edge of the Swing Indicator) to the left or right. If this is the case, return the ball to the center and take another shot.
