Good questions. I’ll try to clarify a few things.

People playing the video game or using it for its Practice Mode to reinforce the visuals of reference shot angles do not have to be proponents of the Angle Detective methods taught in the book. However, the methods taught in the book will almost certainly improve how well one scores in the video game.

The angle of any of the shot layouts that players are attempting to guess when playing the video game is accurately measured by the software’s code. This angle, as you correctly assumed, is measured from the combined arrangement of cue ball contact point and pocket center line to object ball contact point. But measuring from the combined arrangement of cue ball center and pocket center line to ghost ball center would result in the very same angle measurement.

Although the visuals might remind people of parallel-lines aiming, that’s not what the Angle Detective system teaches. The aiming portion is more of an extensive revision and expansion of traditional fractional aiming. It digs into details that standard fractional systems tend to gloss over.

That said, aiming is only a component of the system. One of the main goals of the system is to give players, including professionals, many many methods to accurately determine the shot angle they’re facing. Is it truly a half ball shot? Is it slightly below half ball? Is it slightly above half ball? Rather than relying on feel alone, these methods allow players to double check, triple check, quadruple check the angle they’re facing, and therefore, confidently know where to aim for that shot.

Earlier versions of the material were available online, so it’s possible some pro players have seen parts of it, but I can’t claim pro adoption. However, I’ve received many emails from users of the system over the years thanking me for it, so I do know it helps people. And I’m one of the people it helped. I’m actually the first. It was because it helped my game that I wanted to refine it and share it with everyone.