Virtual Pool Question for Bob Jewett

[Dan White]

Hey Bob -- I know you are a big V-pool user and wanted to ask you if it could be used for something I'd like to try. I know you've said the program mimics real table physics quite well, so here's my idea:

I want to set up various clusters and shoot into them at a known speed (like lag speed or whatever) and see where the cluster balls go vs. where I predict they will go. Ideally, I would want to compare what happens in V-pool vs a real set up on a table, but I wonder if there is a way to zoom in in V-pool so that you can see the relationships between the balls in better detail. Here's the kind of situation I'm talking about:

CueTable Help

So can V-pool handle the motions of cluster balls realistically? I have an old version of VP1 around somewhere, but I know there is at least one newer version.

Any comments from others are appreciated, too.

Thanks,

 

[CueAndMe]

Sounds like a great idea if the physics are that accurate. I have Virtual Pool 3 I bought at least 3 years ago. Which one do you own?

 

[Bob Jewett]

... So can V-pool handle the motions of cluster balls realistically? I have an old version of VP1 around somewhere, but I know there is at least one newer version. ...

There has been VP II, Virtual Pool Hall, and VP III. The original version of VP III featured Jeanette Lee, but I think the current one does not. There are versions available for PDAs. I think that all of them handle clusters fairly well. The only exception I know of is that the middle ball in a frozen combination (like the double spot shot at one pocket) is not modeled correctly. VP II may have been the first to model jump shots accurately. Swerve, squirt and throw are included.

 

[Dan White]

There has been VP II, Virtual Pool Hall, and VP III. The original version of VP III featured Jeanette Lee, but I think the current one does not. There are versions available for PDAs. I think that all of them handle clusters fairly well. The only exception I know of is that the middle ball in a frozen combination (like the double spot shot at one pocket) is not modeled correctly. VP II may have been the first to model jump shots accurately. Swerve, squirt and throw are included.

So bottom line from your experience do you think it is worth getting VP3 for this kind of exercise, or is it just something I have to try out and see?

Thanks again,

 

[Bob Jewett]

So bottom line from your experience do you think it is worth getting VP3 for this kind of exercise, or is it just something I have to try out and see?

Thanks again,

I can't say whether it will work for you. I found the simulation close enough to reality that I got some new insights about real pool. At 14.1 in VP, I ran into clusters that just never seemed to break well no matter how I altered the speed/spin on the cue ball. I'm not sure I can consciously recognize such clusters now. Of course, they are not a problem if you follow the fourth (or fifth?) rule of 14.1 -- always have a guaranteed next shot on an already loose ball when going into a cluster.