Serve balancing

[Guga2000]

I think Topspin 4 is a very good game. However, as someone who plays a lot online in 2k open, I feel the serve balancing has had a large detrimental effect. The serve is now no longer a weapon as cheap points can't be had, it feels more like top spin 3 where serves consistently just miss the lines. Federer and Djokovic now have even worse serves than before the update. Obviously I'm hoping this will get rectified in a future update, but I was wondering if there's anyway to go back to the original version of the game?

[jayl0ve]

I've been thinking the same thing....the serve is ridiculously hard now, I was able to serve close to or on the lines , but it's basically impossible now, especially online with any lag.

I HATE IT

[VillaJ100]

I agree also. It's been nerfed too far I think.

[L Sanchez MD]

I find that S&V feels a little less effective now, as guys seem to be able to get better returns off the serve...
but the serve really doesn't feel that bad. I rattled off 3 or 4 aces in a row tonight in one match. I achieved that by mixing things up, setting up a pattern and then contradicting it, but even so, you don't get 3/4 aces in a game without a big/accurate serve.
This doesn't happen much, but I still am able to hit the lines fine. (My guy has 88 on serve..)

[Vieira151]

I didn't find it too bad after the update. Granted, I was hitting 60-70%, but that's a real 1st serve percentage. And even if you aren't hitting it near the lines(it is possible. I have done it a fairly decent amount of times), variety helps a lot.

[Sherlock 117]

Guys, the timing is different now and very hard. But you can hit the lines. You can get very close (but not quite) with the stick. With the buttons the serves are a little slower but you can hit smack on the line.

Like Vieira said, going for the lines gives you a 1st serve percentage closer to 60%, but isn't that what we've been asking for all along?

[L Sanchez MD]

I think you just need to spend time perfecting the timing. I haven't noticed a difference in the timing from before the patch to now.
Btw, I go for lines on most of my serves (sometimes to the body) and for example, my last match, my first serve % was 89%
I don't think there's any real nerfing of the serve with the patch - it wasn't a balancing patch afaik.
Just practise the timing.

[Guga2000]

I appreciate the timing is now a little different, but I really think the serve now doesn't get through the court like it used to, and that makes the accurate spin serves down the middle/out wide a lot weaker. The right hander's slice down the middle on the ad court curving away used to be a very useful serve but now you can serve it perfectly and it's pulverised back. I think too much pace has been taken out of everyone's serves. A suggestion might be to decrease the difference between a 60 server and a 90 server

[TomBs]

Are you expecting to hit great serves all the time with 60 on serve? A 60 serve is a serve to start a rally with, not to constantly dominate with.

Serving is tougher yes, but it's as Sherlock says, it's what we've been asking for and what the game needs. There's finally some learning curve.

[Guga2000]

Of course not, but everyone on tour has the ability to serve good serves, get the odd cheap point and put the receiver under pressure. I'd argue that a 60 serve is not even a positive shot, which is just too extreme. The receiver should not be able to comfortably hit power flat shots off the return. This needs to be reflected somehow in the game, without making it too easy for the server, which is easier said than done I know!

[djarvik]

I have 60 serve and usually serve in 60-70% and get 3-4 aces a match.

The patch could not be better. Perfect really.

In TS3, for almost 6 month there were no aces unless you had very high serve stat. Then we learned to serve. And even a 50 server could serve double digit aces.

I played yesturday a WT match against a 91 server. Despite me winning, he scored 11 aces in 2 sets of 3 games.

Granted, the learning curve is steeper now, but to say it is impossible is just not correct.

[jayl0ve]

To me something is backwards here.

The stick serve is almost impossible to place serves on the line with...the stick serve, i.e the 1st serve.

whereas the button serves, which are significantly less powerful but easier to time/place in the court (logically making it the '2nd serve'), are easier to place on the line?? Really? It's easier to put your 2nd serve on the line?? Makes no sense to me but maybe I just need more practice...although I thought I had a decent thing going with my serve pre-patch. Now it's really hard for me to do anything but serve right down the middle of the box

[djarvik]

To me something is backwards here.

The stick serve is almost impossible to place serves on the line with...the stick serve, i.e the 1st serve.

whereas the button serves, which are significantly less powerful but easier to time/place in the court (logically making it the '2nd serve'), are easier to place on the line?? Really? It's easier to put your 2nd serve on the line?? Makes no sense to me but maybe I just need more practice...although I thought I had a decent thing going with my serve pre-patch. Now it's really hard for me to do anything but serve right down the middle of the box

^ Everyone had this. Hence the nerf. It was way too easy to be in 20+ aces category in 2 sets of 3.

I agree with you about the second serve. A bit too precise. But my main problem is that there is no way to punish it with power. It is weird that a sub 100mph serve needs to be returned at even slower pace. Any decent player should be able to take that thing and shove it down the linesman (or woman) throat.

[VillaJ100]

its kinda strange. In TS3 as well button servers could serve just as well as the stick. I used the stick 100% for the first few years, but by the end it was 50/50, as button serving was just as effective, more reliable and safer. The only thing the stick gave was a few more MPH, but it was much harder to make accurate.

[dsavbeast012]

Are you expecting to hit great serves all the time with 60 on serve? A 60 serve is a serve to start a rally with, not to constantly dominate with.

Serving is tougher yes, but it's as Sherlock says, it's what we've been asking for and what the game needs. There's finally some learning curve.

Relatively speaking, 60 serve pros can still hit aces and get free points off their serve, though not as easily as guys like Roddick of course. To me the serve definitely has been weakened, and the return game is far too easy now.

The funny thing is offline I can still get aces but online w/ all things considered, mainly lag, serving is a lot different and almost too hard.