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