Virtua Tennis for Arcade and Sega Dreamcast(NA/JP)

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 <[email protected]>
-------------------------------
player
Cedric Pioline - France in my opinion is above average <as yet>
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. <[email protected]>
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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 <[email protected]>
----------------------------------------------
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 <[email protected]>
----------------------------------------------
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 <[email protected]>
--------------------------------------------
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. <[email protected]>
---------------------------------------
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 <[email protected]>
---------------------------------

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 <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------

* 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 <shot button>+<lob button> 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+<any direction> (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.

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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.

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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

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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).

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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

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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

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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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