Mana Games

[Santiago92]

Manu, it still happens to me
I'm on Windows XP...

When I try to install the game it says "Tennis Elbow 2008 - Test 1" and then when I run the game it says "Trial time over - If you want to continue playing Tennis Elbow Manager buy the full version".

[S.Williamz]

Well, I don't think I have much complaints left lol...I understand and it's great that all the balls aren't the same like they were in 2006, but I think it's simply fun when the balls are very long, land near the baseline, and I think with the acceleration they should land more often near the baseline. Because it's fun to hit those long balls. It sorta feels like you just hit a great shot. lol

[Brad1981]

I just realized there is an arcade/simulation mode choice. Nice addition!
About the movement issue. The acceleration is fine. It's just that sometimes when after the computer hits the ball and I have to run not too far a distance, my player seems slower than usual to get to it and hence can't get to it. This is only for shots close enough when acceleration/fast footspeed is NOT needed. It's kind of hard to explain. Like just the basic shift from side to side needs to be increased in sensitivity in situations when the ball is coming onto my side of the court and I am in relatively short distance of hitting it. My player sometimes gets really slow. I'm not talking about the running movements or regular shuffle. Only when after the computer hits the ball and I am about half court distance away, my player seems sometimes really slow. I also increased speed and tonicity to 100.

[manutoo]

@Togtdaylttai :
1 & 6- Glad to see that my modifications & additions aren't going unnoticed..!

2- the Aiming zone can be a bit smaller than real in some occasion. Also, it doesn't show when you get overpowered by trying to play a soft strike on a too fast incoming ball (it mainly can happen on lobs & drop shots).
Lastly, the aiming zone is incorrect for the "Nadal" shot (slice + topspin at same time).

3- it is a visual illusion, coz the court is longer than wide, and seen from the back...

5- I'm very confused, and I don't understand if u're saying if it's good or bad...


@Santiago92 :
I looked, and it seems ur PC really requested to dl the Test 2... But maybe still some caching occurred...
Could you try with this URL, to be sure it's not a caching problem :
manu2.powweb.com/download.php?TennisElbow2008_ft2.exe
..?


@S.Williamz :
No more complaint, are u getting sick ..?
Oh no, I'm reassured, u put a lil one anyway...
Maybe I'll do more tuning, but now u should still have some accelerations landing near the baseline...


@Brad1981 :
when u want to go in a direction opposite to ur actual speed, u have to fight ur inertia, thus the slowness to change of direction... This is the same than in real if u run in a direction, stop & then run in the opposite direction...
(I'm not sure I got ur explanations right or not... )

[Santiago92]

No Manu, fortunately I tried that URL and I could play the test 2

[Brad1981]

I can understand what you mean, Manu. Though I think it would not hurt if the basic shuffle (forward, backward, side to side) speed could be increased by even 10-20%.
I could understand if I had speed set to like 50 or 75 that it would be like this, but I have it at 100. It just seems like players should be quicker going from a standing still position to in motion. Pros are able to do this very easily and practically able to get to everything. I can also do this in real-life with my footspeed. But it just seems sluggish. If I use the cheat code, it resolves this issue, but it makes the running too fast. Just wish there was a way to mix this together.
Edit: Seems this could be more of a problem when trying to run diagonally. Because the up and down motion seems to be the bottleneck. Side to side seems faster, but going forward and back is really too slow. And this also has an affect when trying to run diagonally.

[Algo]

Edit: Seems this could be more of a problem when trying to run diagonally. Because the up and down motion seems to be the bottleneck. Side to side seems faster, but going forward and back is really too slow. And this also has an affect when trying to run diagonally.

at least back movement is too slow, i think forward's right
bug?: i dont know why but the bot, at level 3(arcade control) started to "dance"(move his legs really fast), it've happened just once but it might be a bug or something like that,...i've shot a cross shot that it couldn't reach and then that happened

[Tuohey]

I like it! I do have a couple of issues, both of which may be more to do with me than the software:

First, I've been playing Tennis Elbow for three years, and I've never gotten nauseous from, but the court on TE2008 moves to show the player instead of the old blue arrow. I got a bit seasick after just a couple sets. I had this problem while playing a 3D FPS (Wolfenstein) about 15 years ago, but after a few tries, I finally got my sea legs. I suppose I'll get accustomed to this soon enough, too.

Second, my player continuously drifts and I can't keep her still. I'm using the mouse as controller, and the character moves across the court even when the mouse is still. I've adjusted the sensitivity and filter with no success. I have a pretty good Logitech laser mouse that works fine with TE2006.

Keep up the good work! Thanks

[S.Williamz]

I must say I think the moving camera or whatever is awesome! lol

I noticed this weird shot, I think it's a bug, just thought to report it...if you first press the acceleration button, then hit a normal short ball from the backhand side, (normal strike+up+left/right) the ball gets a wild spin...noticed it by accident. lol

[Algo]

yeah, it's really weird, got to be a bug
can you keep it but tune it a little down?,
also, it seems that there is the same problem on the forehand side
other thing: the bug that i've reported yesterday just happened to me a few moments ago, now at simulation control

[Brad1981]

Haven't heard from Manu in a few days
I have wrote down a list of things for Manu's consideration:
1)I know it's minor, but I like how the umpire chair stayed in place in TE 2006 when there are no side changes.
2)S.Williamz mentioned about having shots like acceleration be deeper. I agree with this. I would like to see acceleration deeper perhaps with longer hold of button.
3)In the latest Test Version 2 update, it seems slice got even slower, especially when way back by baseline. It seems to hang in the air for too long. I don't know if it's just me, but when the player does NOT do the slice animation, this is most often when slice seems slower.
4)Most important to me: basic NON-RUNNING movement is too slow. I have been in the habit now of using the fast run cheat code just to make it playable, especially at the higher levels.

I don't mean to critique so much, but I'm just trying to help. This game is more fun than TE 2006, and I really didn't think it could get any better than that! I like how you can hit down the line shots closer to the lines, I like the more chance of error, I like the Nadal shot. But non-running movement needs to be modified in my opinion. I don't like having to use fast run code.

[manutoo]

@Everybody :
Version updated : the bases of the IA are all done !
It means this is almost final now, except for some advanced behaviors, and some personalized behaviors (but I think I won't do any for now, coz I'm short on time, and I don't have much idea about it ).

So I have these questions for u :
1- is there anything the CPU is doing and that it shouldn't be doing ?
2- is there anything the CPU isn't doing and that it should be doing ?
3- Should I let the chair umpire in a fixed position, so we won't notice it too much (even if it's less realistic)..?
4- u can also say what u like/love in the current version, it always cheers me up..! (and also help me to figure out what may be important or not)

In the previous version, I did a mistake and set the CPU style to "Counter", which wasn't finished yet..!
So it was too easy, now I set it to "Varied", and it should be better...

New stuff in this updated version :
- sometimes CPU will do a forehand if its forehand power is way above its backhand power
- Counter plays correctly
- Anims for drop shot & slice
- Easier to do aces
- CPU rushes the net a lot smarter than before, and it also volleys slightly smarter
- The "Nadal" shot must be done using B1 + Down + Up + Down, instead of B1 + Up + Down

Today, I did some tests of CPU vs CPU, tuned many things, and now it looks quite realistic, except they almost never do any direct fault, so I'll look into this in the coming next days...

managames.com/download.php?TennisElbow2008_ft2b.exe (same than link on 1st post, but avoid to have go back to look for it)


@Tuohey :
Thanks for ur 1st post in this forum !

>> I got a bit seasick after just a couple sets

Now, you can force the Wide screen mode, by changing this line in the Tennis.ini , under [3dEngine], from :
ForceAspectRatio= -1
to :
ForceAspectRatio= 1

I'll think about giving the option to disable the scrolling in 4:3 mode, but it's very helpful to have it, so I'm not sure it's a good idea or not...

>> Mouse

While doing some very light change, I did a mistake and it wasn't working anymore.
Now, it should be ok.
I'm also planning to do an advanced mouse support, with some visual cursors, so hopefully, u'll have a better mouse control in the final version...


@R.Valenzuela :
I think I fixed the animation bug, let me know if u still see it.


@Brad1981 :
Believe it or not, but I'm working a lot !

2) I very slightly made the acceleration deeper in this new version, but here the tips to hit them deep :
- prepare your strike as early as possible
- hit it with the center of the racket
- hit it in the green safe zone of the Danger Zone
- Put a high consistency skill to ur forehand & backhand
- hit it close of the baseline

3) the slice didn't change much, but it changed a bit, i think it's speed is still ok for its different uses

4) >> Run acceleration
No, the acceleration is realistic, I tuned it a bit in this updated version, so it's somewhat faster in the 1st few centimeters, but after that, it's same, and I even lowered it a bit at mid-speed & in some other cases.

>>going forward and back is really too slow
As mentioned earlier, it's visual illusion

And u can criticize as much as u want, the Test versions are made for that !

[Brad1981]

I wish the pace was a bit faster. It seems with this updated version the computer hits much slower. I put everything at 100.
Is there any way to have the mtrun cheat code be the default when I start the game? Perhaps you can put something in the tennis.ini file for this. Just for playing against cpu, not for online play of course. Or perhaps add a "super" arcade mode where this is enacted?
I'm sorry, it's just too slow for me.
I wish more people would comment to either confirm or discredit my view.

But overall, play seemed faster (and better) in the last version 2 update. CPU is hitting too slow.
I like the updated slice, btw.
I guess when the game is available for general download, there will be more comments since more people will have access to downloading it.

[Algo]

i don't know if it's smart to volley slowly to the centre (level 3)...- i meant, at level 3 the cpu is volleying really slowly and to the centre of the court
-even if now is slower, i think it's more realistic because you can feel if your hitting a shot at 140km/h or at 80 km/h, before this, hitting a 140km/h and a 80km/h was quite the same
-i think that the racket on the slice anim is just too parallel to the ground, at the end of the shot(i don't know if that's the real movement though)...also i think there is a whip motion there that it shouldn't be
brad: i don't know if you noticed that the bot is doing almost only slice shots or if you changed the style, maybe that's why is slow(i haven't changed anything yet, just playing my first match lol)
that's all by now, apart from this, this game is almost perfect

[Santiago92]

This update is still better, but now when the CPU is at the net is almost unbeatable...