FAQ - Guide for Virtua Tennis

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Virtua Tennis for Arcade and Sega Dreamcast(NA/JP) - FAQ Version 3.5
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	by IRON Monkey 
	May 2, 2000

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This FAQ was created in a monospace format, if the following numbers 
don't line up under the stars then text spacing will be poor and the 
Court Diagram (see below) will be a mess.  Use Courier New at 10 cpi 
on Notepad for best results.

**********
1234567890

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  Version history:
	1.0 - April 9; preliminary draft for public consumption,
	      need submissions and character strengths
        1.1 - April 10; small update; Marten Range(sp?) sent me 
              character strengths, this FAQ can also be found at Al 
              Amaloo's Video Game Strategies site and Dave's Cheat 
              Code Central
        2.0 - April 15; fairly sizable update; added "Links" section,
              two excellent submissions by Ario R. and Winnie N., two 
              more places to find this FAQ, and fixed some spacing I 
              thought looked ugly
        2.5 - April 20; medium update; added submission by Marten 
              Range and one more place to find this FAQ        
        3.0 - April 24; medium update; added three submissions by 
              Marten R., Winnie N., and CHAZumaru
        3.5 - May 2; medium update; added a massive submission by
              Miriam Chan and furthur info on the MASTER character 
              submitted by Shawn Lavi

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  Legal Disclaimer:

Sega, Dreamcast, and Virtua Tennis are copyright SEGA ENTERPRISES LTD., 
1999.  All rights reserved.

This FAQ is copyright IRON Monkey, 2000.  This FAQ is NOT to appear on 
any format without my permission.  Permission has been given for this 
FAQ to appear on a variety of websites (see Links section) where it may 
be distributed freely for personal use ONLY.  If you want permission to 
use this FAQ or parts therein simply e-mail me and I will get in contact 
with you.  Failure to obey the terms of this FAQ may result in legal 
proceedings.

Submissions not by the author included in this FAQ will be credited 
properly and are the sole property of respective authors.  As such their 
property, their terms.  E-mail them (or IRON Monkey) for specifics and 
permission of use.

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  Contents:
	
1..     Introduction
2..     "Tourist Profile"
3..     Basics/Gameplay
4..     Submissions
5..     Sega Dreamcast Info
6..     Wish List
7..     Tennis Glossary
8..     Court Diagram
9..     Links
10..    Acknowledgments

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  1. Introduction

In case you're wondering the Sega Dreamcast port of this game hasn't been 
released yet.  As such this FAQ will deal with the Arcade version for now 
(which hopefully is available at your local arcade).  Just so you're not 
in the dark I created a section that contains preview info on the 
Dreamcast port.  Eventually the thrust of this FAQ will probably shift to 
the DC port upon its release in North America.

Virtua Tennis is Sega's first tennis game as far as I know and it follows 
in the roots of games like Virtua Striker--easy gameplay, great graphics, 
smooth/realistic animation, and an underlying depth that makes you want to 
come back for more.  All of this combines to make the game highly 
enjoyable to fans, non-tennis fans, and non-gamers alike.

In my opinion Virtua Tennis is kind of a subdued game.  The game is not as
obnoxious as other arcade sports games and I think that's a good thing.  
In a time when arcade games are getting more flashy and noisy, games like 
Virtua Tennis come along and offer a refreshing change of pace.  Graphics 
are clean and nice but fairly simplistic.  Animations are smooth and seem 
to run by at a steady 60 fps.  Sound effects are accurate but unobtrusive.  
Music is... nonexistent?  Commentary seems to be nonexistent as well, save 
for occasional comments by the guy in the high chair.  Even the cabinet is 
unassuming with only two buttons and a stick.  Underneath all this 
subtlety lies a game that is easy to play with.  Mind you, the game will 
not bore.  There is little to match the intensity of a rally close to the 
net when you have the advantage on a third deuce for match point.  The 
computer is no slouch either as it will quickly humble you if fall out of 
position.  But the real challenge (and fun) comes in two player.  One can 
only imagine how intense a doubles match with three of your friends would 
be... roll on DC port I say!

I doubt many of you will have trouble with this game making this FAQ 
fairly unnecessary but I thought it might be useful as a source of 
combined information to some of you.  For now, because I'm no expert, 
I'll share the basics of the game and some general thoughts on strategy.  
As I get better I may add more strategy and of course I will always 
welcome submissions from anyone that would like to contribute.  A special 
section will be set aside for submissions.  If you're new to the game of 
tennis I suggest checking out the Tennis Glossary and the Court Diagram 
for reference.  Or just tune in to a tennis game on TV, you'll pick up 
the flow of the game in no time.

Note: as of April 20 - Version 2.5
Since the original version of this FAQ I've made little changes to my 
information.  The reason being that soon after I completed this FAQ my 
arcade shifted the Virtua Tennis cabinet to a different location, so 
my playtime is limited.  Many people have been kind and filled in the 
blanks for me but my feeling is that unless "I" can confirm aspects 
of the game then I will leave it to contributors.  Hopefully the DC 
port of this game will release on schedule and I will be able to get 
some solid playtime in.  That way I could add my own spin on the game.  
In the meantime, all submissions are welcome.  Thanks!

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  2. "Tourist Profile"

The "Tourist Profile" are the in-game character profiles that run during 
demo mode (ie. no one playing).  At the character selection screen 
characters are given different strengths (ie. speed, strong serve, strong 
backhand, etc.) which allow you to pick a preference.  The game characters 
include:

  1. Tim Henman - England
	Strength:       Volley Master
	Birth Date:     9/6/74
	Birth Place:    Oxford, England
	Residence:      Oxford, England
	Turned Pro:     1993
	Height:         6'1" (185CM)
	Weight:         155LBS (70 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  2. Mark Philippoussis - Australia
	Strength:       Big Server
	Birth Date:     11/7/76
	Birth Place:    Melbourne, Vic, Australia
	Residence:      Melbourne, Vic, Australia
	Turned Pro:     1994
	Height:         6'4" (193CM)
	Weight:         202LBS (91 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  3. Jim Courier - USA
	Strength:       Various Shots
	Birth Date:     8/17/70
	Birth Place:    Sanford, Fl, USA
	Residence:      Orlando, Fl, USA
	Turned Pro:     1988
	Height:         6'1" (185CM)
	Weight:         175LBS (79 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  4. Carlos Moya - Spain
	Strength:       Powerful Shots
	Birth Date:     8/27/76
	Birth Place:    Palma De Mallorca, Spain
	Residence:      Barcelona, Spain
	Turned Pro:     1995
	Height:         6'3" (190CM)
	Weight:         177LBS (80 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  5. Cedric Pioline - France
	Strength:       All-Around Player
	Birth Date:     6/15/69
	Birth Place:    Neuilly/Seine, France
	Residence:      Paris, France
	Turned Pro:     1989
	Height:         6'2" (187CM)
	Weight:         175LBS (79 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  6. Tommy Haas - Germany
	Strength:       Strong Forehand
	Birth Date:     4/3/78
	Birth Place:    Hamburg, Germany
	Residence:      Bradenton, Fl, USA
	Turned Pro:     1996
	Height:         6'2" (187CM)
	Weight:         182LBS (82 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  7. Thomas Johansson - Sweden
	Strength:       Fast Running
	Birth Date:     3/24/75
	Birth Place:    Linkoping, Sweden
	Residence:      Monte Carlo, Monaco
	Turned Pro:     1994
	Height:         5'11" (180CM)
	Weight:         167LBS (75 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

  8. Yevgeny Kafelnikov - Russia
	Strength:       Strong Backhand
	Birth Date:     2/18/74
	Birth Place:    Sochi, Russia
	Residence:      Sochi, Russia
	Turned Pro:     1992
	Height:         6'3" (190CM)
	Weight:         173LBS (78 KG)
	Plays:          Right-Handed

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  3. Basics/Gameplay

  Method of Play:  
The game of singles is played with one player to a side.  Service 
alternates with each game, and courts are exchanged after every odd 
numbered game in each set.  The first service in a game is delivered from 
any point behind the baseline between the center mark and the right 
sideline; the service alternates from right to left of the center mark 
with each point of the game.  The ball is always delivered to the service 
court diagonally opposite on the far side of the net.  To be a fair 
service the ball must touch within the boundaries of the proper service 
court without touching the net.  If it tips the net before landing fairly, 
a "let" is called, and the service is repeated with no fault.  If the ball 
does not land in the proper court, a fault is called.  Another service is 
allowed, but a double fault, or two service points in succession, count a 
point for the other side.  

The receiver usually stations himself near the baseline, about halfway 
between the center mark and the sideline.  One may not play the service 
until it strikes in one's service court.  The receiver may then return the 
ball to any part of the opposite court.  In turn, the server should return 
the ball and a "rally" ensues, ending when one player commits an "error" 
or scores a "placement".  An error is made when the ball is driven into 
the net or beyond the boundary lines.  A placement is made when the ball 
is so directed that the opposing player is unable to reach it and make a 
return.  Except on the service, a ball tipping the net before landing in 
the proper court is good.  Except on the service, the ball may be hit 
before it bounces and must be hit before it bounces twice.

  Scoring:
A player making a service "ace" or a placement, or whose opponent commits 
a double fault or an error, wins the point.  The first point for each 
player in a game is called "15", the second "30", the third "40", and the 
fourth "game".  No points is "love".  A "40-40" score is called "deuce", 
and it is then necessary for one player to win two successive points 
before game is reached.  The point won after deuce is called "advantage".  
If the player gaining advantage loses the next point, the score reverts to 
deuce.  The player first winning six games wins a "set", except that when 
each player has five games, one must then win two games in succession to 
take the set.  Matches are usually decided by best three out of five sets, 
but in Virtua Tennis they are decided by best two out of three sets.

  Gameplay:
The arcade cabinet contains a stick and two buttons ("shot" and "lob").  
The stick is used for movement of your player.  As well, the stick offers 
control over your shots.  If you hold left or right in conjunction with 
one of the buttons then the ball will be directed appropriately.  
Apparently if you hold up or down when hitting, you will induce 
topspin/backspin to the ball.  Unfortunately I haven't confirmed this yet.  

The shot button is the primary button for hitting the ball.  Depending on 
your position relative to the ball you may do a backhand, forehand, 
overhand smash, or even a dive.  As well, the shot button is used for 
serving.  Simply use the stick to determine the position you will serve 
from.  Pressing the shot button will yield a slowly building meter, at 
the maximum height of which you should press the shot button again to 
serve the ball with maximum power.  Don't forget to choose your shot 
direction with the stick.  A successfully achieved maximum power serve is 
indicated by a flashing, red "MAX!". 

The lob button will probably not be used much as it sends the ball into a 
high lob; perfect for your opponent to send an overhand smash into your 
court.  When playing close to the net the lob button could be used to send 
the ball over your opponent's head, but it does not work well against the 
computer because it will instantly back away from the net and smash it 
into your court.  Best used against human adversaries that like to crowd 
the net but use it cautiously.

Game progression is as follows:  You defeat a series of opponents and earn
money depending on how well you do.  Games are best two out of three.  
Unfortunately I have yet to beat the game because the computer gets pretty  
tough at the third match, usually committing no errors and capitalizing on 
all of yours.  While it is hard to earn a point or force the computer to 
error at this point in the game, it can be done.  

There are a variety of court surfaces to play on but I'm not sure how 
many there are and if they can be selected manually.  I did find that 
the ball reacted differently on different surfaces though.

  Tips on Strategy:
Since I am still a novice at this game the best I can do is offer some  
general knowledge tips about the game.

Offensive:

  - Always try to get MAX power on your serve, this will make it harder 
    for your opponent to deal with and may lead to a weak return that
    you can capitalize on.
  - The lob is used to send the ball over your opponent's head but I find 
    it inconsistent at best.  Against the computer it hardly works and 
    against human players they will catch on if you abuse it.  There's 
    also a risk of lobbing the ball out of court.  I say use it cautiously
    and sparingly.
  - Always send the ball into your opponent's pocket (largest empty 
    space).  The harder you make it for the opponent to chase down the 
    ball the better your chances of putting him way out of position for an 
    easy point.
  - On the cabinet it says something to the effect that, your shots will 
    be more powerful if you get to the ball early, either on the volley, 
    or ascending after first bounce.  Clearly, strengthening your shots 
    would require getting closer to net but this provides risk; split
    -second reaction time would be necessary the closer you get so you 
    really have to concentrate.  Watch out for lobs too.
  - Last offensive point:  apply pressure, pressure, pressure!

Defensive:

  - Your shots will be ineffective if have to dive to get to them.  A 
    dived return may look spectacular but is hard to control and weak, so 
    even if you succeed in reaching a tough ball and keeping it in bounds 
    (which is not easy), the opponent's return will probably destroy you.  
  - Make sure you're covering the court as much as possible.  If you 
    leave a pocket, your opponent may send a strong shot that way and
    capitalize off your poor positioning.
  - If you lob a ball high and your opponent is going for it you have 
    two choices and not much time to make them.  Crowd the net or back
    off to your baseline.  By crowding the net you reduce the exposed area 
    the opponent has to smash the ball into your court.  You'll need to be
    real quick to intercept that smash.  By backing off you expose more of
    your court but you obtain a fraction more of time to make your move.
    Similar to the penalty kick in soccer you may have to "guess" which  
    way to go.  As well, the first bounce may go over your head if the 
    smash is hard enough.
  - Last defensive point: have lots of luck!

Advanced Strategies:  

  - At first, character selection may seem redundant but there are 
    strengths and weaknesses to each.  Figure out your best style of 
    play with lots of practice and pick the character that best 
    compliments you.
  - Practice, concentrate, and experiment!  
  - Watch tennis on TV.  You'll probably pick up your best strategies
    from the pros themselves.
  - While I will put submissions in their appropriate section, if I 
    get a submitted advanced strategy to work well for me, I'll 
    probably put it here, and credit the author properly.

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  4. Submissions

This section was created with the feeling that extra knowledge from a 
variety of people would be more useful than my one-sided contribution 
alone.  As well I am certain there are others out there much more suited 
to writing a FAQ like this but may be constrained by time or resources.  
This section will allow such people to share their information with the 
rest of us.

As of May 2 there are 8 submissions:

From: Ario R 
-------------------------------
  player
  Cedric Pioline - France in my opinion is above average 
  as He's a runner with strong fore/backhand balanced

  basic gameplay
  joystick forward + shot/lob  = hard/strong shot/lob
  joystick bakwards + shot/lob  = soft shot shot/lob
  combine with timing and  the longer it takes to get ready the 
  better it is try to position the ball on the forehand

  serve
  try full bar SHOT and joystick left/rite backwards for spin ball
  best used when opponents around or even behind BASELINE
  take sumtimes to get used to before LET and FAULT :)

  receiver
  try to position player on the centre of the half BACKCOURT
  best used for fast return ball, and if it is a full bar SERVE 
  just LOB it to empty pocket (works up to round 3)

  smash
  do u notice that players position themself just before smash shot?
  backwards joystick + shot = close range smash
  forward joystick + shot = long range smash

  my strategy
  send the ball into opponent's pocket only work up to Round 2
  notice where the opponents running to, and SHOT/LOB the ball the 
  opposite way try to hit more on the opponents backhand
  as i progress to round 4 i use LOB and SHOT almost equally
  and I think getting closer to net is a bad idea
  long rally shot always get me through Round 4
  and of course always slaughtered in FINAL ? Round 5

  For tennis game on sega
  apparently there's Virtual open tennis on Saturn and as i am 
  aware of its japs

  And the closest thing to Virtua tennis on console
  I would say and recommend ALL STAR TENNIS 99 either N64 which I 
  play it on or PSX ver an absolute fun game with an allrite graphic 
  and framerate for the console and 4 player play at once option 
  really make this a party game

From: Winnie N. 
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  Tourist Profile
  Each character has his special strength.  If there's a rating 
  on the strength, the character with the specific strength will 
  be stronger than the other seven character.  For example Haas 
  comes with strong forehand, that means his forehand is stronger 
  than the rest of the field.  And here is a list of the 
  characters and their relative strength:

  Character          Strength           What does that mean?
  Courier            Various Shots      Doesn't really mean much.
                                        However computer will make lob
                                        shots.
  Pioline            All around player  Everything is above average.
                                        But it also means nothing
                                        special.
  Henman             Volley Master      Reacts better in a volley
                                        situation.
  Haas               Strong Forehand    Power of a forehand shot is
                                        better.
  Philippoussis      Big Server         I guess you can make easier
                                        "Max" when you server.
                                        (FTP sites should have big
                                        servers as well so that we can
                                        get files easier!)
  Moya               Powerful Stroke    Shots are stronger than the
                                        others, but the forehand is not
                                        as strong as Haas and backhand
                                        is not as strong as Kafelnikov.
  Johansson          Fast Running       The character moves faster than
                                        the others.
  Kafelnikov         Strong Backhand    Same as Haas but with backhand
                                        situation.

  I think beginners should try to use Kafelnikov first.  I find out 
  that most of the time you use backhand shots very often.  Once 
  you know the game, any character is just the same.

  My favourite player is Johansson.  Why?  I like his green 
  tennis shirt.  That's it.

  Surface of the ground
  On the first and third round you have hard surface.  On the 
  second round the ground is glay.  On the fourth round you 
  have grass.  And on the last round you have carpet!
  The hard surface means the ball will bounce higher when it 
  hits the ground.  The glay and grass surface will absorb some 
  energy from the ball so that the ball will not bounce as high 
  as the hard ground.  In this case the ball drops faster once 
  it bounces and you need to hit it back sooner.  What's the
  deal on carpet?  I really don't know.  I treat it like hard 
  surface.

  Stragety
  My advice is to hit the ball hard all the time.  When the 
  computer player dives for a shot, you can hit a smash ace 
  easily.  That's how I finish the game so many times.  
  Against men?  Well, you need some intelligence.  And
  always get ready to response your opponents' moves.

  Why I like this game?
  Playing with the computer is quite boring.  Once you have 
  played a hundred times, you can predict the computer's moves.  
  But playing with men is totally different.  The incalculable 
  variations from a human player's move makes this game 
  interesting.  Also it would be nice to try to keep your winning 
  streak against men.  My record is 18 wins.  I have a friend who 
  has had 28 wins.  If you know anyone gets better than that, 
  let me know.  In other words, this is a good game for us to 
  beat the suckers who put their money to lose.  Period.

  MASTER
  Yes, there's a hidden character and most people ask me how 
  to play against him.  I have been told from my 28-win friend 
  that you need to beat the computer in the Sega Grand Match 
  without losing a game, i.e. go 2-0. I try it and obviously 
  it doesn't work.  However I did meet MASTER once by winning 
  EVERY game.  So you need to finish the game with 10-0 in all 
  five rounds.  If you lose any game, you can still finish the 
  game but with no chance to face MASTER.  MASTER is a black 
  guy with a pair of sunglasses on. Quite cool indeed!  He has 
  super speed and great stroke.  How do I beat him?  Unfortunately 
  I haven't done that yet.  But I have seen people beating MASTER.  
  Wait for my good news.

From: Marten Range 
----------------------------------------------
  With Kafelnikov it seems easier to put the served ball in the
  far-most corner by pressing the stick towards the corner while 
  the ball is in the air and release the milliseconds before the 
  racket hits the ball.

  Before I missed the serve quite often. Now I get suprised if 
  I get a fault. Also a great start for the server.

  At later levels it seems increasingly important to look at 
  the opponent and place the ball in the opposite corner from 
  where he is heading. The last level they are really good at 
  positioning themselves in the corner where you logical would 
  shoot.

From: Marten Range 
----------------------------------------------
  Another trick which was useful sometimes was after the serve 
  run in one direction then run in the opposite direction after 
  a sec or so. The computer on the laters levels try to put 
  the ball in the opposite direction from where you are heading 
  but with this little feint he will shoot right at you.

From: CHAZumaru 
--------------------------------------------
  You wondered if that was Sega's first tennis game. Well no 
  for sure 'cos I think their first tennis game was "Super 
  Tennis" on the Master System (weirdly it is the same name as 
  Nintendo's game). Then I remember these games on Sega's 
  hardwares: Wimbledon, Skin Game, Davis Cup and Virtual 
  Tennis. I'm sure at least one of them is from Sega. Besides, 
  the closest tennis game to PowerSmash/Virtua Tennis ain't 
  AST'99 but Final Match Tennis (on the Nec PC Engine/Turbo 
  Grafx) which is still considered by many as the best tennis 
  game ever. Indeed VT has taken a looOOOoot of ideas to FMT. 
  It is obvious when you played it a lot.

From: Winnie N. 
---------------------------------------
  More on facing MASTER
  I have heard a rumour about how people can face this hidden 
  character.  Yes, as I have said before you need to go perfect 
  in all five games.  Well, one of my friend claims that all 
  games you play before you finish the game count!  That means 
  you need to keep yourself perfect when facing human players 
  as well!  That would be really really tough to do.  Is that 
  true? Answer anyone?

  Money, does it matter?
  Without a scoring system everyone knows the money symbolizes 
  how well a player does in the game.  The highest score I have 
  seen is 4249XXX.  Still, I like judging a player's ability 
  by his skills against men.

  Underhand serve?
  If you have faced MASTER, you will be shocked by his under-
  hand serve.  I have seen human players make that kind of 
  serve.  I was too chicken to ask. If anyone knows the sceret, 
  please tell me.

From: Shawn Lavi 
---------------------------------

  the master is Arthur Ashe and you get to him by winning 
  all of your matches without continuing at all

Author's note: I haven't confirmed myself if Arthur Ashe is 
MASTER or not. In case you're wondering, Arthur Ashe overcame 
stereotypes and illness to become:
  - The first (and only) black male to be ranked #1 in the world
  - Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985
  - Won three Grand Slam singles titles: 1968 US Open, 1970 Australian 
    Open, and 1975 Wimbledon, during 10-year playing career (1969-1979)
  - First black male ever picked for US Davis Cup team (1963)
Tragically he died of AIDS in 1993 (born in 1943) because of 
tainted blood received from a transfusion during a heart surgery 
in 1983.

The Official website of Arthur Ashe is here:
http://www.cmgww.com/sports/ashe/

There are other good websites out there as well, I suggest you head 
to Yahoo and spend a little time checking them out.  Arthur Ashe was 
an amazing man and it is well worth to read.

From: Miriam Chan 
-------------------------------------------

  * Middle lobs
  While holding the shot button, hit the lob button.
  Farer than weak lobs and closer than strong lobs; like most
  other lob shots, will result in overhead smashes if abused.

  * Shot cancel
  While shotting, press + at the 
  same time to cancel.

  * Various type of shots :
  In the game, Jim Courier is labelled as the master of "various 
  shots."  However to do a particular shot does not really 
  require a particular person; you can be anyone if you know 
  how to do. Due to the slightly difference between the players, 
  one does that better while another not.

  In its simplest form, you move forward for a long shot and 
  backward for a weak shot. In a close watch, tha actions were, 
  in fact, the results of the combinations of the joystick 
  directions BEFORE and AFTER you hit the shot button !

  For ease to understand, the following uses the numerical keypad 
  to represent the joystick direction. And, the player is at 
  the server side.

  In particular, the direction before a shots (I mean hitting the 
  shot button, not the player action) decides the way you hit the 
  ball. At 8 you hit the upper part of the ball; it goes higher 
  and bounces dynamically.

  At 2 you hit on the bottom; it goes slowly in the air but 
  bounces very low and fast. Normally one should hit it aerially 
  and could not wait until it lands. If the position is right, it 
  shows that the player is standing still, sweeping the ball 
  horizontally for a sliding shot, which is way very cool. :->

  At 5 (which is in most situations) you hit forward ie a normal 
  shot.  So far I only see 8, 5, 2 works; 4 and 6 works in some 
  circumstance just not as efficient; other simply does not work 
  nor reliable (I thought, as a result of the classic "+" like 
  joystick design ...)

  As it implies, you can adjust the ball's landing positions 
  after the shots; general impressions are that you should move 
  the joystick before you hit the shot button, which was found 
  surprisingly wrong - or just halfly right. When you are in 
  hurry (e.g. dealing with a strong hit by Moya) the ball is so 
  fast that you could only run, point to the right corner and hit 
  the shot button (and to avoid the player from out of his court.) 
  Well, a special shot could only be done when you are close to 
  the ball, and it is slow enough for your actions. I believed 
  that it is the only requirement for special shots, but enlight 
  me if there is more

  In my experience, after the shot all directions works, including 
  5 (which puts the ball around the service line.) Duration of the
  direction counts such that you can send a ball across the courts 
  very slowly. Depending on the players' positions and the shots' 
  nature, some might be very hard to hit ! So we have 3x6=18 
  positions for us to select, not counting 1-3 the weak shot 
  positions. And remember that the directions after the shot are 
  virtually analog ....

  Thing becomes more complex if middle lobs are used. I doubted 
  that 8+shot->5+lob would become something different, but it is 
  yet to be confirmed. Though, it already make the receipt nerves 
  enough when you can hide a lob shot in a special shot, or just 
  send the ball to arbitary positions ....

  Examples for special shots :
  (1) 8+shot->5 (a not-so-high shot)
  (2) 8+shot->6 (such a shot to the right)
  (3) 2+shot->9 (slowly to the right corner, depending on the 
      duration one holds 9 before the player shots)
  (4) 9+shot->9 (or a normal strong shot to the right corner)

  * Cancelling from an overhead smash (to be confirmed)
  (1) Press shot+lob at the same time
  (2) 2+shot+ (the shot becomes much slower)

  * My impression to some characters
  Pioline - average; running is slow but have good reach (due 
  to the size); seems to be fastest in fall recovery; it looks 
  like if he is the only player who seldom does backhand shots 
  with both hands; apparently had difficult times with backhands 
  -- proficient in 2+shot backhands, however.

  Philippoussis - good in MAX serves; slow but good reach like 
  Pioline; good at close battles but not so good at overhead 
  smashes.

  Moya - ability to introduce big powers in short time; thus 
  could delivers more strong shots (his single full trust is 
  nearly unstoppable;) slightly faster than the above; not a
  fast reacter, and having problems with close battles.

  Henman - fast reacter; recovery from shots is shorest of 
  all; can dash/run as soons as the ball is sent, which is 
  also an advantage in "open" battles; seems run as fast as Moya.

  Ha'as - strong and fast forehands; however, backhand is average
  (note however that most of the overhead smashes are forehead.) 
  Run quite fast.

  Kafelnikov - good at both fore- and backhands; well-balanced if
  falling does not count; seems run faster than Ha'as.

  * Stages
  Australia Challenge - no comment; the computer is slow enough 
  for training and the development of skills.

  France Open - the ball becomes slow after it brouces but is 
  still high enough for a strong shot, which is not a good 
  news for smash-happer; the computer tends to use many tricks 
  to surprise.

  US Super Tennis - no comment; the computer is simply stronger 
  and more likely to use lob shots than previous stages.

  The Old England - the ball becomes low and deadly fast after it
  bounces; the computer seems no better than US except it likes to
  do lob shots a lot, killing most of the close-shoters. It is 
  also good at dealing with overhead smashes.

  SPT - the stages seems nothing special (but, I thought, 
  smaller.) The computer tends to giving up tricks and use basic 
  skills at all; it gets up from a fall really fast, very good 
  in defending overheads, and has excellent footworks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  5. Sega Dreamcast Info

Not much is known about the port of Virtua Tennis except the following:

  - Arcade hardware runs off of Sega's "Naomi" board which means the port
    should be nearly flawless.  Examples include: Powerstone, House of the
    Dead 2, and Dead or Alive 2
  - Tentative Japanese release date: Unknown
  - Tentative North American release date: Summer 2000
  - In Sega Web's preview of the game, they state that Mei Kumagai, 
    producer of the console port, intends to add doubles play, a larger
    roster of tennis pros, mini-games, and an "RPG-ish Quest mode". 
    As well, the game will support the jump pack and VMU.

So far the port looks promising.  More info will be added as it surfaces. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  6. Wish List

The "Wish List" is a list of improvements, changes, extras, etc. that 
gamers (including myself) would like to see in possible sequels, revisions 
of the original arcade machine, and/or the console port.

Roster:

  - More current male pros: Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang
  - "Classic" male pros: John McEnroe, Jim Connors, Bjorn Borg
  - Female pros: Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport,
    Anna Kournikova, Serena/Venus Williams
  - "Classic" female pros: Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova
  - Stats for each player should include ratings for: serve power, 
    endurance, forearm/backhand strength, running speed, accuracy
  - "Dural", liquid-metal character with maxed out stats attainable 
    by beating Arcade mode on Hard.

Gameplay:

  - Fatigue as an option
  - "Doubles" play; mixed or normal
  - Modes for tournaments, seasons
  - Adjustable game speed

Options:

  - Practice Mode; allows complete customizability of court, weather, 
    gameplay options, character selection
  - Mode for creation of custom character which includes training to 
    increase stat ratings
  - Commentary during gameplay on/off
  - Replay options from a variety of camera angles; can replay whole
    match at conclusion and small sections during gameplay
  - Online support for the Sega Dreamcast

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  7. Tennis Glossary

Ace - A served ball that is not successfully returned by the receiver.

Advantage - The next point won after a score of "deuce".

Deuce - The score called when both players have won three points.  Two 
  successive points after deuce by one player are necessary to win.

Double Fault - Two service faults in succession.

Fault - An improperly served ball or one that lands in the wrong court.

Game - Unit of scoring next higher than the point.  Scored when one side 
  has scored four points.

Let - A served ball that touches the net but lands in the proper court.  
  The service may be replayed and is not a fault.

Lob - A high arched shot over the net.

Love - The equivalent of zero or no points in scoring.

Point - The smallest unit of scoring.  The first point is called 15, the 
  second point 30, the third point 40, and the fourth point is game.

Serve - To put the ball into play.

Set - The unit of scoring next higher than a game, usually consisting of 
  six games first won by one player.  Margin over opponent must be at 
  least two games; if not, play is continued until two game lead is 
  attained, ending the set.

Smash - A hard, swift, overhand stroke.

Volley - To hit the ball before it touches the ground (except in serving).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  8. Court Diagram

	
	C                             A
       B-------------------------------------------------------------B'
	|              E              |         I                   |
        |-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
      * |              |              |              |              | 
	|              |       G      |              |              |
	|_            D|______________|______________|D'           _|F
	|      H       |              |              |              |
	|              |              |              |              | O
	|              |              |              |              |
	|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|F'
	|              E'             |                             |
	-------------------------------------------------------------
	C'                            A'

	AA' - Net                            F - Center Mark
	BB' - Side Line                      G - Fore or Service Court
	CC' - Base Line                      H - Back Court
	DD' - Center Service Line            I - Alley (for doubles play)
	EE' - Service Line
	FF' - Server's Position (when served from this position ball
	      must land in box G to be a successful serve).
	 * - Player 1; O - Player 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  9. Links

This FAQ can be found at the following websites:

  - www.gamefaqs.com (Jeff "CJayC" Veasey)
  - www.gameadvice.com (Al Amaloo)
  - www.cheatcc.com (Dave)
  - www.cheatcity.com (Kevin T.)
  - www.timsvault.com (Tim gibson)
  - www.twnp.org (Kevin)   

Sega of Japan has created an official site for Virtua Tennis:

  - www.sega.co.jp/powersmash 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10. Acknowledgments

In no particular order:

The author (IRON Monkey) would like to thank the assorted people 
responsible for the creation, development, production, and distribution 
of Virtua Tennis. 

Thanks go out to GameFAQS.com for being an invaluable resource to gamers.

BIG thanks to Marten Range (hope I spelled it right) for the character
strengths.  I had trouble getting these... long story.

Thanks go out to Al Amaloo at Video Game Strategies and Dave at Cheat 
Code Central for wanting to put this FAQ on their sites.

Thanks go out to Tim at Tim's Vault and Kevin at Cheat City for 
wanting to put this FAQ on their sites.

MASSIVE thanks go out to the first two contributors of my submissions 
section!  Ario R., thanks for the heads up on the official site, I
didn't know it existed.  Winnie N., thanks for answering my FAQ 
questions and info on MASTER character, you and your friend must
be really good at this game.  Waaaay above my skill for sure.    

Another BIG thanks to Marten Range and Winnie N. for all the 
submissions and nice comments.

Thanks go out to Kevin at TWNP for wanting to put this FAQ on his 
site.

Thanks go out to CHAZumaru for the info on other Tennis games out 
there.

Thanks go out to Shawn Lavi for the heads up on Arthur Ashe and 
Miriam Chan for the massive submission!

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