Beta Release - 1.2.5

[Rapsodo]

Hello All,

We are releasing a beta 1.2.5 today. This upgrade includes several bug fixes and club parameter change functionality, TGC full upgrade and several under the hood fixes etc. If you choose to use this beta and still having problems, you can enable the debug mode so that we can see what is wrong. The debug mode allows us to get your raw data directly via cloud so that we can dig deeper into the problems since we are not able to reproduce every problem you reported here. (The system has been tested over 10K swings by different people but we believe some of the peculiarities in your swings trigger sanity checks and result in no trigger. These swings are not necessarily bad, they are simply not compatible with the current version of the algorithms.). How to enable debug mode is explained below.
If you upgrade to 1.2.5 and not happy, you won’t be able to downgrade to 1.2.3, instead, you can further upgrade to 1.2.6 which is identical to 1.2.3.

Once we get enough feedback (via Debug) and fix remaining issues, we will release 1.3 which hopefully be the golden release for some time to come.

We also acknowledge the issue with the holders and we will provide an update in the coming week or so. In the meantime, if you are one of the few who had broken clips, just drop an e-mail to support@rmotiongolf.com and we will send you extra clips.

Thanks for your support and patience. We take your feedback very seriously.

Links for the releases are below.
1.2.5 release:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7bkofdsx07wjt7u/R-Motion_v1.2.5.exe?dl=0

1.2.6 release:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8kky9gzhq8tzbvi/R-Motion_v1.2.6.exe?dl=0

How to enable Debug Mode:
Debug mode is enabled by replacing the “UserSettings.txt” file in your installation folder. Once you replace the file, you need to restart the application. Please note that, if you enable debug mode, you are disabling all the sanity checks and you may see occasional shots that may not make sense, or see false triggers.

UserSettings.txt:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yndo0rvz4581cqx/userSettings.txt?dl=0

[rrobinson]

Woo hoo! Thanks guys!

[rhart]

Very good! Thank you.

[Jb50]

Great news.

[rrobinson]

Ok, so I just played 36 holes and I have to say HUGE improvement!

A few misreads that could have easily been my impatience to wait for the green light to turn on.

But, with only 2 more holes to go to finish the round it started cycling again from red to blue to green back to red, etc.. I tried switching clubs and then pressing "Restart Device" on the R-Motion app but nothing would stop the cycling over and over. I took a video of it showing the device in the foreground too (I hope this link works):

EDIT: Sorry its upside down!

https://www.icloud.com/attachment/?u...OV&sz=53288816

I decided to restart TGC and the R-Motion app and when I re-started the R-Motion app I got this error message (see attached) and then the app quit automatically. I restarted again and no problems,. Started TGC and finished the last two holes flawlessly.

So.... There obviously are (were) a few issues being ironed out and I would say that it is doing much, much better but it still seems that it gets stuck in a loop and that the server.exe is somehow related (from the error message).

BTW, I did have DEBUG turned on and maybe you can see my id in the video if that will help.

[rhart]

Are you using this with the full TGC or just the version it came with? Just curious

[rrobinson]

Full version

[Chuck]

This is with the new version 1.2.5. Initially I had just as much trouble as before, No reads on all of the power shots and then the device going crazy just like you, the Red, blue, green cycle and un-useable. I tried to figure out what was going on, restarted the device over and over but always the samething. I read the instructions for enabling debug, modified the usersettings.txt and restarted the R-motion server. This time everything worked and now I'm confused as hell. Unfortunately for Rapsodo, he's not going to see anything unusual in my debug like the yoyo'ing of the device states because with the debug turned on the device acted normal. What I did notice was on the driver, it would sometimes take 5 seconds or more after the swing before it showed the strike in the game.

I wish there was a command-line exe that would just dump the raw swing data to standard output. Also, does anyone know if clip location makes any difference? I would think that knowing the clip location form the club head would really help in calculating the physics of the swing.

[HeMan]

This update has done something funny with my driver. I am getting an 8-9 degree launch angle and the in game ball flight seems like it's 5 feet off the ground. Also, it is only carrying about 210-220. I did adjust my club specs so I guess I will continue to mess with that.

[Cdnewmanpac]

As one of the problem children, I was anxious to give this a try. Unfortunately, I aggravated a back injury over the weekend and today was the first day I could swing a club. I downloaded the beta, installed the update, did the firmware update and enabled debug mode. I then went to the range and swung a variety of clubs for an hour. Here is what I experienced:
What is different (neutral): the delay between shot and the shot appearing onscreen is about double. Averages about 6 seconds. Honestly, this doesn't bother me and if it means more accurate data, I'm all for it. Also possible this is related to debug mode.

What is worse: nothing. I didn't come across any new problems and no old problem was worse.

What was better: many things. I swung 8 clubs for just over an hour. In that time, it picked up every shot. I am also no longer getting bizarrely closed face angles. I no longer get the swing speeds in the 40s on pure shots like I was.

What is still annoying: It still under reads pure iron shots for me. It also tends to treat truly topped 4 wood shots (like the real ball hits ground before net) and perfect high draws. It also seems to under-read carry for my long irons. It doesn't appear to handle my hybrids well, reading everything as a very low hook, even when the ball strikes the right side of the net and high on the net face.

One note on measuring clubs: I switched from the clips to the putty method and forgot to remeasure my clubs. Changing the shaft length of my 3 wood (really 4 wood) by 1/4 inch made a big difference in ball flight, face to path and carry measurements. Just something to consider when measuring.

Overall, this is a vast improvement. if it never gets better, I will be satisfied and probably use it mostly with irons.

That being said, @Rhapsodo mentioned that they tested on 10000 swings and some of us have "interesting" ones that may confuse the algorithm. I'll buy that. But something else to consider: how many of the 10000 swings were with player's irons? High swing speed? More typical lofts/lies? I know my clubs are eccentric. I also know my swing speed is slower than average. But the fact that thinned 5 irons behave so differently from pured ones on my aggressively lofted super game improvement irons leads me to wonder if the algorithm is calibrated more to the vibratory response of a forged blade, etc. I also have metal shafted hybrids and my irons are 6.0 despite my slower swing speed because trackman has shown time and again that I manage to load my shafts significantly at slower swing speed (maybe the "interesting" part Rhapsodo mentioned?).

If Rhapsodo can continue to gather data from a broader sample of swings, I can't help but think the algorithm will improve.

But even if it doesn't, the product now does what I want it to do: make hitting balls into a net in my basement more interesting.

[rhart]

I just installed everything, but didn't install the debug mode. Everything is working flawlessly. No delay at all and everything is reading with no problems at all.

[Cdnewmanpac]

Are you using default clubs? If custom, did you have to make a lot of adjustments from default? Also curious, if you don't mind, what irons you use? Trying to figure out why some seem to have no issues.

[HeMan]

Same here, no delay but I am not running debug mode.

I have made adjustments in measuring heel to sensor and loft. I use a R11 driver and the clip will only go so far as about 6-8 inches from my grip. This measurement really screwed up my driver reading so I kept it default. My irons are reading pretty well just entering the legitimate measurements. I use Calloway Big Bertha irons.

I am going to switch to putty full time so I will try that measurement (directly under the grip).

I'm loving it. Now only if it included just one short course (2000-2500) for my kid that would be great. I want to upgrade to the full game but I also want to wait to see what happens with TGC 2. If it is going to be an upgrade fee and that offsets the cost of the new software, I'll go ahead and purchase but I would like some confirmation first.

[HeMan]

So quick update. I moved my sensor up right under my grip on my driver and changed the measurement. It now reading better but still only 240-250 total yards with a 95 mph swing speed (I hit my driver about 275-285).

I then changed the shaft measurement to the highest it would go (40) and I was getting 300-305 total yards with around a 115mph swing speed. Nothing else change (launch angle was slightly higher). So you can dial it in it appears.

Edit*** A little annoyed now as I am getting consistent 10-20 degree open on my irons. Not even sure anymore.

[rhart]

I haven't made any adjustments to clubs yet. I am hitting callway 816 alpha dd driver and ap2 irons. I did pull the trigger and got the full tgc....love it!

[Cdnewmanpac]

That fits with my thoughts: my guess is that ap2s are similar in standard loft and vibratory characteristics to the default clubs. As an experiment, I have a single callaway apex pro 9 iron. I use it when practicing because it is easy to tell when I'm striking the ball thin, thick, on the toe/heel, etc. I'm also using it as a test for when my swing is consistent enough to consider upgrading my irons. I spent some time hitting it on r-motion vs my normal PW (which has same loft as apex pro 9i). I felt like r-motion was more accurate with the apex pro. Thin shots came out low, thick shots went shorter. When I tried a cut, it was easier to produce on the r-motion. Would be curious to see if others having issues (you don't appear to be one) would also list what iron heads they are using.

[Chuck]

I just got through 18 holes at a whole +58 over par. Debug on. I started trying the putty method [grown] which worked except when the chip went flying off [double grown]. So I did discover that when I put the chip about a 1/2 inch up the grip, just above the center line on the club grip, not only could I center the chip, but the swing performance seemed to be more realistic. I don't know. while I didn't mis-swing in the game, some drives just plunked at 40 yards! Putting was kind of un-realistic but I think that has to do with the alignment pause needed to sync the gyroscopes.

Now the geek in me tracked the chipset down to a Silicon Labs Bluegiga BLE112 and that chipset works with Linux! {not the game though}. It looks like a 6-DOF device. kind of fun since I've been thinking how cool it would be to build an opensource golf game that could use the R-motion, Zepp or other swing recording devices as the input to the game.

So that's where I'm at tonight. I'm still kind of depressed about the tgc game not being the complete game. To me, Optishot is fun because of the anonymous pseudo-online competition and the PGA tour courses they open up [like the Sweet Magnolia during the Masters]. Many of the user interface features seem to be well thought out in optishot. In tgc, the keyboard prompts on screen during play is just annoying. The crickets too. So even though optishot is older tech, I find the game funner. And it's not like this partial tgc that baits you for an expensive upgrade.

[ProTee United]

Chuck, Optishot ships with 15 courses. You pay $120/year for an additional 26 (premium) courses. On top of that they have 10 pro courses available which you buy at $30 each.

I think we offer a pretty good deal for a next gen software package with 120,000+ courses with free online play and free online tournaments.

[Chuck]

Sorry, but all we r-motion folks only get 15 courses, Not 120,000+. Nor free online tournaments or online anything. We just get a basic 15 course simulator and that's it. Disruptive technology like R-motion will put a downward pressure on the price point. For the $499 to upgrade from crippled to "Full Simulator", I think I'll go buy the full TGC on Steam for $22, with a new lawnmower and get some real work done on the course. Sorry, that part just
bugs me. I've already spent $300 on the R-motion and now you want to pile on and make it $800 for the full simulator effect that may only work for some??? And I only get 4 clips. The rest are $90 Ouch. Add on to that, I've yet to have any good game play from the R-motion. Very laggy and missy.

Optishot2 cost $299, the optishot software can be downloaded and played for free "Optishot Gimme" so you know what your getting. It works. It's been well thought out. It's actually fun to play. And it doesn't lag, the game play is fast.

The TGC game itself certainly has better graphics. I'm playing a 1920x1280 high everything just fine. 4K works too. The instructive voice helps sometimes, sometimes not. The camera work on hills and slopes seems to be better. However, optishot is not bad either. The optishot graphics have less texture mapping and GPU effects, however I think Optishot is far more effective at conveying information to the user with the shot panels and overhead course maps. (The heads up displays). I think TGC is wasting space with things like club selector window, where ball speed, swing shape and other useful things could be there. TGC wastes the HUD space for reminders that should be intuitive. These things are important I think to know, not only for us, but for you the product developer.

[rhart]

Chuck..I have used the putty for 4 weeks now and have never had the chip even move. I have had my kids use it and multiple friends use it as well. If you put it just below the grip on the shaft and press down slightly it won't move. I still don't think there is any comparison between r-motion/tgc and optishot. R-motion/tgc is far more accurate and has far more courses. The $500 upgrade is a no brainer. Again just my opinion on the matter. If you give some specifics of issues I would be glad to try to help you out.

[Chuck]

Maybe I just had dirty clubs or overworked putty, or even how I "stuck" it on there. It didn't happen often, but I was kind of like 3 in 100 the putty loosed up and the thing flew. Check out my Macgyver solution in the homemade clips thread.

[ProTee United]

Chuck

The basic optishot package will also give you 15 courses.

Optishot2 Simulator - $500

http://optishotgolf.com/os2/

Includes 15 Courses

Optishot Season Pass - $120 / year

http://optishotgolf.com/season-pass/

Includes 26 Premium Courses

***

R-Motion - $299
Includes 15 courses + 1 range

Upgrade to TGC full - $499
Includes 120,000+ courses
Ultra HD graphics upto 4K
Free Online Play
Live Tournaments
Course Designer
Statistics

If your game play is laggy then something is wrong. You can switch on the minimap in TGC from the settings menu.
Post shot analysis is displayed after every shot. If it does not show then you need to switch it on as well.

Click here for some additional info...

[Jb50]

Funny link. You have a wicked sense of humor.

[Chuck]

Cute link on the lawn mower. But Optishot does give free $0 samples with the Optishot Gimme that anyone can play at work or home. It's also priced a $299 on Amazon. Unlike the TGC. All optishot needs to do is up the graphics with a few flashy GPU tricks, and TGC will be in trouble IMHO. I do give the TGC credit for the SDK design. Optishot could learn something from that. Ij just don't think that the TGC SDK price model works on technology like this; the R-motion and all the others to follow. To me, the R-motion $299 is for the game and the fun, not all of the engineering, design, software and business deals. A $299 retail price should have the complete TGC not some wings clipped version. Optishot at least doesn't clip your wings on the internet game side.

Since my R-motion seems to be defective, I'm sending it back for a full refund. You can thank me. I won't be in your hair anymore on this issue.

[mhartman9]

Just a quick fyi for those whos sensors quick working halfway through a round. While posting a 10 on hole 10 after shooting a 37 on the front, my sensor quit reading. Turned blue when hitting and everything but no go. Finally I put it back on the charger to reset the unit and after that it worked! Hopefully that helps those for a workaround.