Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

[Dudd]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Just won my first tournament online, the Massachusetts Open. Crushed the first round, beat a 19 guy with my 11 in a hard fought 3-0, 0-3, 10-8 final. Great match, lot of back and forth. However, one thing that was really apparent was that the backdrop played a huge role using one of the baseline cameras. I play with helpers off since I think it's more fun that way, and picking up the yellow ball against the bright wide background on the sunny side of the court was so much harder than picking it up against the gray background on the shaded side of the court. There were numerous occasions where I just lost the ball and had no idea where it was, only picking it up right before it bounced past me. I think the other player must have had some problems too, because it was obvious that his reflexes weren't as sharp when he was looking into the sun either. There's a reason that every tennis court I can think of uses a green or blue backdrop and not a white one, I hope there aren't too many other courts in the game with white as the backdrop.

[chuckm1961]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

I like to be "immersed" in a game ... forget I am playing a video game, because I'm thinking just like I would if I was really playing.

Which is why the "power shot" mechanic in this game really bothers me.

I am an avid-mediocre-middle-aged-tennis player who has taken lessons. No one has ever told me to plan my next shot the micro-second that the ball leaves my opponent's racquet. Tennis is a game of minute, last-second adjustments in positioning of the feet, the hands, the racquet, etc.

Yet in Top Spin 4, to pull off a "power shot," I have to hold the appropriate button down (it seems to me) from the micro-second the ball leaves my opponent's racquet. I essentially have to decide my next shot type BEFORE he even hits the ball! Pulls me completely out of the experience of feeling like I'm really playing tennis... and leaves me feeling like i'm pushing buttons in a video game.

[rangerrick012]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

I've got no problems with that, as long as the developers were up front about it.

If you followed the dev diaries, it was pretty clear that the offline and offline modes would work hand in hand to make for the complete 'career mode' experience.

[Jukeman]

This game is meant for online..it's been stated MANY times by the devs. So if you are an offline person only, you are missing out. Taking your created player online against other people's players is the way to go. They advance and grow with you and you will have really fun battles and tournaments. this game is really geared more for online players so I am not surprised that people who just play franchise modes in games are frustrated. But just reading interviews months before the game came out prepared me for this, and since I am an online guy, I'm quite happy with this format.

Well that sucks

I was looking forward to getting the game, but the lack of depth in career is big for me

I was debating if I should just go and buy it but your post helped me out.

I currently have this as my #1 gamne on my que list at GameFly but sadly it sent me EA MMA instead (wasnt really in the mood to try that game out just yet) so I was anxious to get this game..

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

I like to be "immersed" in a game ... forget I am playing a video game, because I'm thinking just like I would if I was really playing.

Which is why the "power shot" mechanic in this game really bothers me.

I am an avid-mediocre-middle-aged-tennis player who has taken lessons. No one has ever told me to plan my next shot the micro-second that the ball leaves my opponent's racquet. Tennis is a game of minute, last-second adjustments in positioning of the feet, the hands, the racquet, etc.

Yet in Top Spin 4, to pull off a "power shot," I have to hold the appropriate button down (it seems to me) from the micro-second the ball leaves my opponent's racquet. I essentially have to decide my next shot type BEFORE he even hits the ball! Pulls me completely out of the experience of feeling like I'm really playing tennis... and leaves me feeling like i'm pushing buttons in a video game.

Personally, I use mostly control shots until a get my opponent to give me a good chance for a power shot, so I don't really run into that problem. Even when I charge up for a power shot, I always wait to see where the shot is going and what kind of shot it is before I wind up.

[Dudd]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Anyone else been hit by this really annoying bug? I just tried to play the first round of an online tournament, and instead of connecting to another player it just got stuck on trying to find the best opponent for me. I ended up having to log out of Xbox Live to get back to the main screen, and it awarded me a loss for a forfeit. It just looks like it's about to happen again as I'm typing this, I'm going to get bounced from both masters events without even playing a single point. There were four players in the lobby this time and three the last time, this is really annoying.

[Methlab]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Yeah it is a problem on live and PSN. I am hoping they fix it.

I am realizing I need to use more control shots and just finish with the power shot. That is when you will have the time to load up the button before crushing the sitter.

It also should help against roddick online because just using power on him keeps getting me bagled.

Jukeman..definitley rent the game and see what you think. It's insane addicting, so you may like it.

[DarkNowitzki78]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

I need help and would be very pleased to get some tipps from Top Spin pros. I can win win matches easily on the second highest level but when it comes to the pro level it seems i cant win a singel game. I know that practise is important and so ive played for sure about 10 matches on the pro level and the best result was a 6:2 6:0. I like this game but i guess i need some help.

For those who play on the pro level and can beat the CPU. what are your points you focus on? Ive tried to make my strokes with a lot of Spins and close out with a powershot but the CPU (Agassi) runs like hell and can mostly stroke back my shots while his results in a winner most of the time.

My serve play is so la la and the probs you can read above. But my return play sucks big time, Most of the time i make a bad return and then Agassi smashes a winner. What do i wrong here??

I would be very pleased about some tipps and focus points, where i have to train on.

thx

[Smallberries]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Alright, I'm now ranked in the top 10 on "hard", at probably a 16 or 17 player rating, and just had two amazing matches in the semis and finals of the Paribas Masters (Indian Wells).

After a routine first round victory, I went up against Roddick in the quarters. Being that this was the first "real" pro I would face in the game (never tried any exhibition matches before jumping into the career mode), I was actually a little nervous. Turned out that Roddick was no big deal, as returning serves is made a little too easy in TS4 (hope this is better on "very hard"). In fact, I out-aced him by one. His groundies really weren't all that special and his net game pedestrian (all of which is accurate, BTW, so props to the dev), so I took him out in straight sets 3 and 5, although he did show occasional brilliance.

In the semis, I faced Stan the Man Wawrinka, who, after dispatching Roddick, I was sure I'd crush. Not so. In fact, Wawrinka's ground game, particularly his great one-handed backhand (again, props to the dev for the accuracy) kept me off balance the whole match. After winning the first set 6-2 on an early break, Stan just started destroying me in baseline rallies, often pulling my wide right with his forehand, which I'd return only for him to pound his backhand deep crosscourt for a clean winner. He took the second set easily at 6-2, constantly putting pressure on my service game. Going into the 3rd, I was as nervous as I've ever been in a sports game. How was I going to beat this guy? I decided I needed to do two things: concentrate on hitting deeper goundies and shortening the rallies as much as possible. Well, the third set didn't start out well at all. Stan quickly broke to go up 4-1 and things were looking grim. But after I held serve, I went into that ever-critical seventh game with a do-or-die mentality. I gambled on a couple big risky shots, won them, and benefited from a rare double fault to break back. Stan wasn't the same after that, or perhaps I just had finally figured out how to beat him. Either way, I broke him again to win 7-5. Definitely an amazing, fun match.

Now, onto the finals, where I faced the Joker. Novak has all the tools and is legitimately a contender in RL. So, after facing such a stiff match against a lesser player, I didn't think I had a chance. And, sure enough, Djokavic won the first set easily 6-3 with well-placed groundstrokes and excellent court coverage. However, by the end of the first set I started getting into a more comfortable rhythm than I had with Wawrinka (Novak doesn't hit with quite the verocity) and I noticed Djokavic was having some trouble with deep, well-placed slice to his backhand, so I used that to my advantage to break him in set 2 -- which I won 6-3. The final set went back and forth with no service breaks until the ninth game, which I won because of two brilliant service return winners. I then held on to claim the championship, winning the last point with an emphatic 126-mph ace out wide. AWESOME!

I can't say enough about the amazing gameplay. I know I've harped on the imperfections of the career mode (which I STILL think is rather blah and subpar), but the gameplay is the real deal. I was thinking it was time to move up to "very hard" because I was routinely winning 6-1, 6-1. But after these last few matches, I'm not sure it can get much more fun than that. I may stick here for a few more tourneys before making the jump up to the big leagues.

[Smallberries]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

...the "power shot" mechanic in this game really bothers me. I am an avid-mediocre-middle-aged-tennis player who has taken lessons. No one has ever told me to plan my next shot the micro-second that the ball leaves my opponent's racquet. Tennis is a game of minute, last-second adjustments in positioning of the feet, the hands, the racquet, etc. Yet in Top Spin 4, to pull off a "power shot," I have to hold the appropriate button down (it seems to me) from the micro-second the ball leaves my opponent's racquet...

I somewhat agree and can see your point. It doesn't take more than a split second in real life to decide how much racket head speed you're going to generate. You certainly don't have to decide that at the moment the ball leaves your opponent's racket. However, the more power (combined with the shot angle/depth) that you go for does lead to more errors, and the devs obviously needed a risk/reward mechanic to mimic that. What they've ended up with is fun, just not the most accurate depiction of real tennis. But I've gotten used to it, and you will too if you play long enough. After all, you could say the same things about some of the control mechanisms in Madden or other sports games, too...they don't feel "natural" to the game, but they work and are fun.

[Methlab]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Yes, but you have time to load up the power shot on a sitter or weak reply. It does not need to be done right when he makes contact.

Example: Hard serve..opponent sends weak reply.

While the ball is coming over..BACK UP while holding the flat shot button. Wait and release with proper timing. It is very similar to real tennis because you want to be prepared to hit before the ball bounces. You also will have better footing since you will be back far enough to hit the ball with the right timing in your sweet spot.

Roddick is easy on hard mode. I destroyed him 1 and 1. But if you go online you will see his serve at full force, and it's a PITA.

[CMH]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Yea, I've learned some bad habits playing the demo and am trying to break from them. I try to power up my swing before I'm in position to play the ball. I also end up powering up all of my shots which makes me fairly predictable.

Now that I'm getting to the ball, using more control shots and powering down on a shot on a weaker return, I'm getting better games.

I'm hoping GameFly sends this soon enough.

[Smallberries]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Well, I WAS enjoying TS4...

until I figured out advanced serving. Now, it's too easy, and this game -- at least the single player -- is a waste of time.

Last night, I played a masters level tournament on "hard," deciding to use only the left and right thumbsticks for serving, to see if it made any difference over using the face buttons. In my first match, I served 13 aces in an easy win (1 and 1). In the quarters, I got a little better, serving 18 aces (winning 3 and 1). In the semis, I upped it to 19. Then, in the finals against Roddick, I served 27 aces in two fairly easy sets (5 and 3). In comparison, Roddick only served 7 aces. This bothered me, as I realized that over the course of the tournament, I averaged better than 2 aces per service game. Although my player's service rating is about 80, that's not realistic.

So, I thought it's time to bump it up to "very hard" to add a little more competitive edge and realism. My first match on "very hard" was a practice match against Federer, which I won in a tiebreaker. All told, against Fed, I served up 13 aces -- IN ONLY 3 SERVICE GAMES PLUS A TIEBREAKER!!! That's not acceptable. Well, I thought, maybe in the sparring matches, the AI isn't as strong. Okay, so let's try my first tournament on "very hard" then. Onto Madrid, where in the first round I played Murray. Long story short, it was a hard fought 3-set match that he won (because I double-faulted a couple games away). However, I served 56 ACES in 16 service games, which is 3.5 aces per game. And to think this was my first match on the hardest skill level. At one point, I served 10 straight aces. Dumb.

I don't intend to keep this game, as it's broken for me. Sad really, since the gameplay outside of serving is pretty darn great. Hopefully, I can get a decent exchange rate at Gamestop, as Crysis 2 is calling my name.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

Well, I WAS enjoying TS4...

until I figured out advanced serving. Now, it's too easy, and this game -- at least the single player -- is a waste of time.

Last night, I played a masters level tournament on "hard," deciding to use only the left and right thumbsticks for serving, to see if it made any difference over using the face buttons. In my first match, I served 13 aces in an easy win (1 and 1). In the quarters, I got a little better, serving 18 aces (winning 3 and 1). In the semis, I upped it to 19. Then, in the finals against Roddick, I served 27 aces in two fairly easy sets (5 and 3). In comparison, Roddick only served 7 aces. This bothered me, as I realized that over the course of the tournament, I averaged better than 2 aces per service game. Although my player's service rating is about 80, that's not realistic.

So, I thought it's time to bump it up to "very hard" to add a little more competitive edge and realism. My first match on "very hard" was a practice match against Federer, which I won in a tiebreaker. All told, against Fed, I served up 13 aces -- IN ONLY 3 SERVICE GAMES PLUS A TIEBREAKER!!! That's not acceptable. Well, I thought, maybe in the sparring matches, the AI isn't as strong. Okay, so let's try my first tournament on "very hard" then. Onto Madrid, where in the first round I played Murray. Long story short, it was a hard fought 3-set match that he won (because I double-faulted a couple games away). However, I served 56 ACES in 16 service games, which is 3.5 aces per game. And to think this was my first match on the hardest skill level. At one point, I served 10 straight aces. Dumb.

I don't intend to keep this game, as it's broken for me. Sad really, since the gameplay outside of serving is pretty darn great. Hopefully, I can get a decent exchange rate at Gamestop, as Crysis 2 is calling my name.

How exactly did you LOSE a match with 56 aces? I average 2-10 aces per match on Very Hard and I've still won all but one tournament I've played in (attempting to play in my first Masters tournament as we speak)

[Smallberries]

Re: Top Spin 4 Impressions/Questions Thread

How exactly did you LOSE a match with 56 aces? I average 2-10 aces per match on Very Hard and I've still won all but one tournament I've played in (attempting to play in my first Masters tournament as we speak)

LOL. Yeah, well, since I was going for an ace on both first and second serves, I threw in a couple bad games of double faults. That was all she wrote, because other than my serves, I was no match for Murray in my first match at that level. I actually played better in rallies in the second and third sets as I got acclimated to the increased difficulty, and I really enjoyed the intensity -- it's MUCH better than "hard." Sadly, I can't overlook the serving. It just takes the fun out of it.

Anyways, it's all done. I traded it in for Crysis. But I love tennis, though, so I'll be waiting and hoping that EA's game is worthwhile. If not, it'll be another 2 years for TS5.