Latest posts for the topic "SERIOUS MotionPlus problems"

SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Silellak — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 22:02:04 GMT

I can't tell if it's me, the game, or the MotionPlus (defective?), but even the most basic 1-to-1 controls seem to be failing.

For instance, in practice mode, I stand still in the "forehand" stance, holding the Wiimote properly (buttons up, left side of the Wiimote being the "face" of the "racket"), and as soon as a ball comes in on the right side, the characters will switch to back-hand stance, despite me staying entirely in forehand stance. At this point, the character will always be in back-hand stance, unless I SWITCH to back-hand stance, at which point he switches to fore-hand stance. Sometimes. Around this point is when the game no longer seems to pay ANY attention to what I'm doing, and just switches stances randomly.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this standard behavior, or is something seriously wrong with my MotionPlus? I've tried it with a second Wiimote and has the same problem. So, either the game is SERIOUSLY flawed, or something is wrong with my attachment.

Please let me know. I may have to take this crap back and try another MotionPlus :/

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

gswaan — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 23:06:44 GMT

sometimes when i swing nothing happens, like, nothing at all. This game frustrates me to no end. The controls are way off, not even close to 1:1.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

grimmbomb21 — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 23:10:56 GMT

Check your batteries first off. That was my problem. Second, take the M+ unit back.

Works fine for me.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

KAM 007 — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 23:49:58 GMT

I think the key is getting yourself back to neutral position, which would be facing the tv (or sensor bar) and putting the racket out in front of you before taking your next shot. Bend your knees and use your waist more to turn.

I also had it on easy to figure it out.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Silellak — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:05:17 GMT

I traded in my Wii MotionPlus, but the new one doesn't seem any better.

I assume it's me and/or the game, but basically, I try to emulate this video:

http://tennis.easports.com/onCourt.action

And I simply cannot. My player insists on moving into the backhand stance most of the time, and I can't figure out why. It definitely isn't 1-to-1 with my own actions, however.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Silellak — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:38:14 GMT

Okay, final rundown. Sorry for being so persistent, but I want to enjoy both of these games (Grand Slam and Virtua Tennis), and I think the Wii MotionPlus technology seems to have potential...but I honestly can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I've rewatched this video maybe a dozen times and I simply can't figure out what I'm doing different:

http://tennis.easports.com/onCourt.action

For people who aren't having trouble:

How often do you "re-calibrate" the MotionPlus? Do you center yourself after every shot? Every game? Between serves? I've tried centering myself after every shot in practice mode, and it seems to work maybe 50% of the time, but often times I can be standing DEAD CENTER, *pointing the Wiimote at the TV/senor bar* - and my player continues to stand in the back-handed stance. What? Why? What am I doing that would convince the game or controller that I want to be in that position?

Based on the incredibly different experiences I'm hearing from people , I can't help but wonder if there's a substantial bug in the hardware/software that isn't showing up for some people and is showing up for others. It has nothing to do with "skill" or a "learning curve" - the game simply isn't behaving how it was advertised to, or how one would expect it to.

I also picked up Virtua Tennis tonight, after sheer frustration with Grand Slam. I can't really tell if the controls are substantially better. It's certainly less ambitious, but it also seems to play a bit better. Either way, I'm definitely not feeling the HOLY CRAP difference of MotionPlus like I expected to. I'm hoping when Tiger Woods gets here from GameFly, I will at least be able to tell if my hardware is working correctly. Leave it to Nintendo to charge $20 for an add-on to an existing controller without even providing SOME sort of calibration test software.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

talene — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:32:20 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.Silellak]It definitely isn't 1-to-1 with my own actions, however.[/quote]
i dont think the game is meant to be 1:1
i read somewhere that they found the motion controls to be too sensitive so they had to scale it back

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

FIFAFumbler — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:51:48 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.talene][quote=cem_ea_id.Silellak]It definitely isn't 1-to-1 with my own actions, however.[/quote]
i dont think the game is meant to be 1:1
i read somewhere that they found the motion controls to be too sensitive so they had to scale it back[/quote]

So was that video linked above taken before they scaled it back?

Because my experience is not even close to that video. I can't get my character to stop going to his backhand stance in practice mode. I'm not seeing my character take his racket back high or low like i am. The majority of the time i get slice shots and that's it. It takes about 5 tries to get my player to toss the ball in the air to begin the serving motion. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that my game play is nothing like what's shown in that video.

I too am curious as to what some of us are doing wrong?

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

RockyEgner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:08:37 GMT

Same problems here.

I did try the recalibration method as described in the game video. Wii Mote face down on flat surface for 2-3
seconds.

My game behaved nothing like the video shown, nothing! However, I will double check by batteries tonight and my starting stances between points.

I noticed this right off during the practice mode. My on screen charator would be facing a different way than I was. He would be in a forehand stance while I was in a backhand stance waiting for the ball machine to pitch another ball. I would would attempt a backhand only to see a forehand performed. I was beginning to wonder if my MP was even working. I noticed that if I wanted to make contact with the ball for instance, I actually had to watch myself to how my on screen charator standing and facing the ball machine. I had to mimic him INSTEAD of him mimicing me!!! In other words, if he was waiting for the ball in a forhand position, I had to switch to a forhand position when the ball came if I was going to hit the ball.

So far this game is 1:1 if you choose to mimic your charactor.

I tried a match and noticed the same inconstitances as in the practice mode. So I put in the TW10 game for the first time and went staight to the Disc Golf.

Disc golf was simply amazing. The accuracy displayed on screen and the flight of the disc based on the movement was perfect. So I discovered that my MP was appearntly operating as it was supose to. I played a few holes and notice the Draw/Fade was no problem reading my movements as well.

So, I'll go home tonight and try a couple of things I've read here. If no changes are noticed on my part, I will not hesitate one minute in returning this piece of crap and wait till next year's addition and hope the software's engine is better. I hope I didn't put to much faith in a first year buggy game.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

daithiblair — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:31:18 GMT

I think this has been addressed in a few other posts, but instead of directing you there, i'll offer my own opinion (which pretty much mimics Betz's)

I have played both GST & TW10. Tiger Woods made me feel pretty confident about the responsiveness of the WM+, the reason being because each shot requires me to aim the "club" down, i was able to get into a groove with consistent swings with the wiimote +. In TW10 (or any golf game) the path of the ball is basically the analysis of your swing, and each stroke i could "dial it in" a bit more until i was consistently hitting straight (okay, so i actually consistently slice the ball every time, just like my real golf swing!). The point being that because i can reflect on each swing, I am better able to understand what the WM+ wants from me.

I think the issue people are having with Grand Slam Tennis is that they jump in, practice court or online or whatever, and they shank the 1st shot, then the ball comes again and again without giving you a chance to reflect on how you are performing. This is leading to people either holding the wiimote the wrong way, not having a level swing to start with, or getting a bit lazy and resorting to the wii sports "twitch and pray" style of video tennis.

To correct this I offer the following:
Go to the practice court, plug in the nunchuck to give yourself full control of the character. If you prefer to play without the nunchuck during actual matches, that is fine, but when on the practice court you want to place your character where you want and know that AI wont interfere. This way you know the only thing affecting your character's movement is the wiimote +. Set the ball machine to slow, serving up only flat shots to your forehand. Bring the raquet back and deliver [b]controlled[/b] swings across your body. Instead of trying to hit a specific part of the court. Simply use consistent swings until the ball bounces in the same place, or at least close to the same spot every time you swing. Once you know where your hitting the ball to, try to hit specific parts of the court. remember consistancy and control, not power, are the most important aspects of the swing.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

RockyEgner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:09:37 GMT

Thanks daithiblair for your input. I'll try this technic when I get home. I understand there is a learning curve with hitting the ball and it landing where I aim, but really.

What you are describing here is how to make contact with the ball and hit where you want the ball to go. I simply just tryied to get my on screen charator to mimic my rachet placement like in the demo video.

I was ignoring the balls coming at me (like in video), I wanted to see my charator switch from backhand/forehand from high position/low position (just like in the video). So, was my charator's AI having that much influence that it was overiding my wants? I don't know, I'll see.

I looked forward to this game since I placed my order 2 months ago.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Betz — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:23:37 GMT

great post daithiblair. I have added your tip to the post I made about controlling GST with WM+

http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/242348.page

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

FIFAFumbler — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:34:15 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.daithiblair]To correct this I offer the following:
Go to the practice court, plug in the nunchuck to give yourself full control of the character. If you prefer to play without the nunchuck during actual matches, that is fine, but when on the practice court you want to place your character where you want and know that AI wont interfere. This way you know the only thing affecting your character's movement is the wiimote +. Set the ball machine to slow, serving up only flat shots to your forehand. Bring the raquet back and deliver [b]controlled[/b] swings across your body. Instead of trying to hit a specific part of the court. Simply use consistent swings until the ball bounces in the same place, or at least close to the same spot every time you swing. Once you know where your hitting the ball to, try to hit specific parts of the court. remember consistancy and control, not power, are the most important aspects of the swing.[/quote]

I honestly think some of you must be playing a different game. Like Rocky said, it's not about how to hit the ball. The character on the screen is taking over and won't even let you hit just forehands. I've tried this repeatedly and it's the same thing every time. The avatar on the screen forces himself to the backhand position even with the nunchuck. Positioning the player to hit a forehand fails as well, as the avatar will scoot around for backhands mostly still.

Playing actual matches seems to behave better than the practice court, but it's still frustrating to get aced because your player won't move to the correct side you should be swinging on. Even more embarrassing when it's a looping soft serve. =)

Beyond all that though, I'm still unsure of how to hit topspin or flat forehands consistently. Probably 90% of the time it ends up being a slice. I take full swings...i wouldn't play a motion tennis game any other way since i've pretty much been playing my whole life. I played Wii Sports Tennis with full swings and i had zero problems hitting topspin shots. I've taken the remote perfectly straight back and straight forward and it still slices. I've hit flat shots before, but it just seems to be random, dumb luck. When you're going straight back are you holding your arm perfectly straight outward with no bend in the elbow? And are you locking your wrist, so that it's perfectly still?

I could see past the racket not being where it should be, but if i can't hit the shots i'm trying to hit when i take real life swings, then it's rather pointless to play this game. =(

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

daithiblair — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:44:10 GMT

glad you guys appreciate my post... now if i can only post a winning record....

as far as getting your character to mimic your movements exactly in real time, that doesn't quite happen. If you pay careful attention during the video, you will notice that even though it is being described as "true 1:1 motion control", there is a bit of lag between moving the wiimote+ and the resulting onscreen feedback.

As far as getting your raquet placement, rolling the raquet etc. I can offer the following based solely on my experience, which may be entirely assumptive.

By attaching the nunchuk, you remove the ability for the console to dictate lateral movement on the tennis court. It is entirely possible that when the nunchuck is removed, the console automatically places you for the best shot on the ball, which may force your onscreen character to use his forehand when you squared up for a backhand shot, causing discrepencies between how you are holding the nunchuck and the stance of your character. With the nunchuck removed, you can simply move into position for a forehand shot, assume a forehand stance and see the "1:1" feedback of bringing the raquet up high/ bringing the raquet down low.

Many times during a match, and also during practice, I have noticed that my character will be holding his raquet out wide whil I'm holding the wiimote + in front of me (ready to return a serve). Ideally your character onscreen should have his raquet infront of his body with the raquet face perpendicular to the ground. This means that the remote in your hand must be infront of your body, buttons facing up, parallel to the ground. Sometimes your player just wont cooperate, raquet flailing in the air like a muppet. My [b]assumption[/b] is that after most points i break out of my tennis stance shaking my hands in victory or defeat, and by the time the next point is ready to be served, by remote is now either pointing up in the air or any direction other than my proper tennis crouch. My recommendation for this is to always have the remote buttons up, face parallel with the ground, before game resets the court for the next point. Again, this is entirely an assumption without any facts other than it seems to work for me.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

daithiblair — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:48:04 GMT

(its likely that returning a ball with top spin or back spin with a level swing probably wont result in a flat shot)

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

728409579403 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:59:36 GMT

Well when i first started playing this game i had some issues too

the guy always standed in the wrong direction, then i started reading here and took the wii remote in the right stand
but i still had some issues so i started to watch the vid from the producer coppied his move and did what you guys told me on this forum. I have to admid ... it rrly works well now ^^
i'm enjoying this game so much now and after playing a couple of hours i can aim 95 % of my shots exactly were i want them to be and the player faces almost everythime the right direction i want him too.
tnx for the tips guys and c you all online tomorrow ^^

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Silellak — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:15:57 GMT

Okay, so, GST has grown on me quite a bit after tonight. For the record, here is what I changed:

1. After noticing that Virtua Tennis was not calibrating properly in my "default" stance due the location of the sensor bar, I moved it to make sure my default tennis "crouch" - with the front of the Wiimote pointed at the TV/sensor bar - does calibrate it. This seemed to help a decent amount in BOTH games.

2. I finally gave in and realized nunchuck control is absolutely essential. The auto-placement is simply a joke, and I quickly went from constant defeats to actual victories. CLOSE victories, but victories. And it felt far more like tennis, too.

I do wish GST had some sort of visual calibration mechanism ala Virtua Tennis. While it is annoying to get interrupted after every round of play, it is nice to have SOME sort of confirmation that the calibration is sync'd.

For the sake of the WiiMotion Plus, I really hope this sort of constant calibration isn't needed for ALL of the games...

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Betz — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:45:14 GMT

Silellak can you give us your impressions of VT?

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Silellak — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:21:52 GMT

[quote=wii.Betz]Silellak can you give us your impressions of VT?[/quote]

Sure, I can try!

First, I think I prefer GST - but only just. Keep in mind, I am in no way a real life tennis player. The closest I've come is playing racquetball in college. Virtua Tennis does have the advantage of not needing a button for lob/drop-shots...but I still can't do a drop-shot for the life of me. I also like GST's visual representation of slices/top-spin, something Virtua Tennis doesn't have, which makes it that much harder for a tennis newb like to me to see and understand how I've been hitting it.

I can't really compare career modes because I honestly haven't played much of either...I've just been trying to get to the point where I can consistently win games. The two games do control differently though, and I think I prefer GST simply because I feel like I at least have more idea what I am or am not doing. With Virtua Tennis, I simply can't tell why the ball is being hit the way it's being hit. At least Virtua Tennis does provide a tutorial for all of its WM+ hits, rather than GST which just tosses you in there.

Anyway, like I said, right now it's GST by a nose, but they are both solid choices. I am curious what review sites will say about Virtua Tennis, if they ever actually get around to reviewing it...

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

talene — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:11:41 GMT

this game got a whole lot easier all of a sudden. either im getting better or my M+ is broken......i cant tell which

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Silellak — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:07:47 GMT

One more thing to keep in mind about both games: Nunchuck control is a border-line required. Especially in Virtua Tennis. GST you CAN get by without it, but your game will definitely suffer. In Virtua Tennis, the automatic AI placement is unacceptably bad. I haven't played more half an hour or so of actual gametime (the rest was practice), and I can think of at least half a dozen times where my character just stood there when a ball bounced a step or two away. Since he refused to move, however, my frantic swing was worthless.

Just something to keep in mind.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

mwY52 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:01:01 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.daithiblair]Many times during a match, and also during practice, I have noticed that my character will be holding his raquet out wide whil I'm holding the wiimote + in front of me (ready to return a serve). Ideally your character onscreen should have his raquet infront of his body with the raquet face perpendicular to the ground. This means that the remote in your hand must be infront of your body, buttons facing up, parallel to the ground. Sometimes your player just wont cooperate, raquet flailing in the air like a muppet. My [b]assumption[/b] is that after most points i break out of my tennis stance shaking my hands in victory or defeat, and by the time the next point is ready to be served, by remote is now either pointing up in the air or any direction other than my proper tennis crouch. My recommendation for this is to always have the remote buttons up, face parallel with the ground, before game resets the court for the next point. Again, this is entirely an assumption without any facts other than it seems to work for me.[/quote]

I have noticed this as well, from the 4+ hours I've played.

The only problem I have with the game is what's been mentioned previously. When a ball is hit to one of the back corners, my character seems to overrun the ball and go to his backhand. It's really frustrating because obviously if I'm running toward a ball all the way across the back of the court, I'm just going to hit the side that the ball is closest to, so I set up for a forehand, then my character overruns the ball and it goes to my backhand so when I swing, the game doesn't detect it.

Other than that, the game is pretty solid. Once you figure out how to hold the wiimote, it all gets a lot easier and shots start going where you want them to. Remember, the side of the wiimote with the buttons is the FACE of the racket. Don't keep the buttons aimed up when you're swinging.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

092170 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:13:32 GMT

Well, the MotionPlus is too sensitive. It really doesn't matter how slow you practice swinging or even play a exhibition, you will still have the problem with it. I was ready when this game came out, but now this MP is just messing it up.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

talene — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:46:47 GMT

my main problem at the moment with M+ is holding the wiimote properly so i can use the D pad.
by extending the wiimote with the M+ dongle it ruins the weight/balance and as a result i keep wanting to hold the wiimote lower down which means the D pad is just out of my reach.

but apart from that im getting the hang of things now

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

LauFu — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:45:24 GMT

I thought it was just me, but I've had horrible problems with the the control in this game. Not only that, I also find that the auto movement of the character has an incredibly annoying tendency to overrun the ball, forcing some really weak shots.

I have purchased two EA games up until now. (Boom Blox and GST) Both have had horrible control problems that have made the game essentially unplayable for me. But only their games seem to be affected.

I'm going to have a hell of a time justifying buying any other EA games based on these experiences. I wish everyone else the best of luck getting it working.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Grampy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:47:04 GMT

I just purchased it yesterday and have had no control issues with WM+. Of course I had read all the tips on thread about the motion control (started by Betz I believe). I can see where someone who didn't read up on the WM+ calibration and tips thread would be pissed.

Its my favorite game I own. Won a few online matches too.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

erondo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:59:10 GMT

Hi,
this is the first time I post something,
but I'e been reading this forum for months, in order to keep me updated about this game, which I really was waiting for months!

After reading so many different feedbacks I was unsure about how happy I would be with this game, but the only thing I could do was to try it out and get my personal opinion!
The first two days were horrible, I couldn't hit one ball, lost dozens of matches, hated the game as ever. Then things got considerably better, I started to learn little by little how to properly move the wiimote and shots came out the way I wanted more often.
Now I can say am almost in total control of my player, and I'm having A LOT of fun at any tennis match I play.
Of course, sometimes I do something wrong and my player doesn't react the way I want, but the percentage of these shots is now very low, compared to the beginning, when 99% of my shots were like that.
I understood that it is not "Motion Plus Problems", but it is "Our problem": sometimes we want to hit a shot, but we don't make the right movement and blame the Motion plus or the game for not doing what we wanted: we have to learn what to do, how to do it and when, and it's not possible to learn it fast, it takes time and practice.

The bad reviews I read are just because they were expecting to win the grand slam at the first match, but it's not like that! Frustration got them and the result was a bad evaluation.
My suggestion is not to give up, keep playing and you'll be entirely satisfied!

Thanks

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

K1LLF4C3 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:54:50 GMT

Well said, erondo. I think most of us had similar experiences. I like having a game with a learning curve! It's been a long time since I've felt that I needed to practice for a videogame!

And yeah - sometimes, SOMETIMES, the controller doesn't do what I want it to do. But when I play tennis, the racquet [b]NEVER DOES WHAT I WANT IT TO DO[/b]. So I'm used to this kind of treatment. I just chalk these up to twigs on the court, gusts of breeze, bad luck, distraction, poor sleep habits, and all the other excuses that I would think of if I were playing tennis outside.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

remrusty — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:43:41 GMT

hey guys, i had they same awful problems, but i have figured it out.
the backswing in preperation for the shot, is the most important movement!
i actually made a quick diagram(only using a pic of the normal wiimote)
even though these tips are for wii motion plus.

read this first though.
you want buttons facing up.
[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1733/moteb.jpg[/img]
now waiting for the ball.

1)face wiimote forward.

2)when opponent hits the ball, decide ASAP if you want forehand or backhand.
then move wiimote as 90 degrees as directed in the picture - parallel to the TV.
this is the most important movement, the preperation. this decides what your player will do, meaning no more random backhands when you wanted a forehand.

3) now trying to time this right (the better timing the better accuracy)
move the wii mote matching the picture to place the shot, as seen.

4)on top of the movement in #3, you can lift the mote for top spin, or drop it for slice.

[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/5709/gst.jpg[/img]

give this a go, it has been working great for me.

Just forget how the player moves in practice, obviously the scaling back of wm+ actions has compromised alot of what we were hoping for in 1:1 movements. and in now is nothing the the producers demo video.

Hopefully EA can add an update for an option to have the hardcore -prescaled back wm+ in play.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Mordeus — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:58:00 GMT

erondo, while what you say its true - that we shouldn't expect to win from start, atleast I expect to loose because I got outplayed, not because I couldnt control my avatar.

What this game lacks is [color=blue][b]feedback[/b][/color]. It should take some time before you master the game, that is the case of almost every game out there, but with this one, you dont get any indication on what you are doing wrong. I've read alot of posts here, and written some myself, and it seems perfectly clear that many players, including me, dont know why we fail. And that's cause we dont get any feedback.
And as pointed out before - why is there no real tutorial? Seeing this is one of the first games using WMP, there really should have been one. It could be really simple, like a version of the Training Court, but with a trainer telling you to hit different parts of the court. And when you missed, he would tell you why! It would just need to cover the basics, then you could get the option to practice all the different kinds of strokes, with feedback, until you get it.

Im not sure, but it seems like there was no real external testing during the deelopment of the game, or they would have noticed all the frustration new players get. And they would have created this Practice Mode. Perhaps they had to rush the game so they coul release it with WMP, I dunno.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

K1LLF4C3 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:07:06 GMT

This game reminds me, in some ways, of Street Fighter II. There are probably other fighters out there that are similar, but I've been playing SFII since 1992, so I'll stick with that.

When I started playing SFII, there wasn't really an internet to speak of. (Prodigy, Compuserve and local BBSes didn't have the volume of information that we have now.) We were playing in a big, black hole. Ignorant. Exploring.

When playing SFII back in those days, there was no expectation of success. Either against the computer or against another person. Sometimes, against our protestations, we simply couldn't pull off moves. We'd blame the controller, blame the game, blame everything but ourselves. I'm not saying that GST is perfect, of course. Nor is it flawless. But I've seen enough improvements in my own play over the past 30 hours that I've logged that I have a sneaking suspicion that this game is based on skill and practice.

I'm not trying to discount your feelings of frustration, Mordeus. But the idea that games should have tutorials is a pretty new phenomenon. With SFII at the arcade, it was sink or swim. If you wanted to figure out how to do what you wanted to do, you had to play. A lot.

Spend some time at the ball machine. This game has more, better control than what you realize.

I, for one, am glad that the game isn't a Pick Up And Succeed kind of proposition.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Mordeus — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:11:54 GMT

Well, back in those days, the market was alot smaller. And you generally bought one game, played it until you'd master it, and then went on to the next one. Today, we're abit more spoiled. If we dont like a game after the first hour, we are likely to move on to the next one.
I dont want to win my first Wimbledon, all I ak of the game is to let me know where and why I fail.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

K1LLF4C3 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:20:32 GMT

I guess I'm not sure what you're asking for, then. There is a ball machine that makes it possible to practice. If you're not consistent, perhaps you need to work on it.

I can't see how, from a gameplay point of view, you can expect the game to fix the error in the mechanic of your "swing". Do you envision some sort of three-dimensional display that graphs the motion of your Wiimote and correlates it to an idealized swing? I guess it's feasible, but given all of the various guides here, and all of the people who agree that it's a matter of practice, my suggestion to you is to practice more.

Unless after an hour you're sick enough of it that you want to quit. Which is fine, of course. If you're in the market for a more accessible game, I'm sure there are some out there. Perhaps Nintendogs.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Mordeus — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:24:22 GMT

I meant like a coach. A voice. Someone saying : You're hitting too early, mate! or Try to direct your followthrough more towards the left, or mind your position.. etc. It doesnt have to be that much visual feedback.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

K1LLF4C3 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:39:27 GMT

Just out of curiosity - have you ever played tennis?

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Nunyabiz — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:30:11 GMT

My wife & I have very few of these problems.
Every once in awhile will be an errant swing but that is probably because we lapsed to the Wii Sports Tennis "flick" swing without thinking.

WM+ works pretty darn good for us.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Mordeus — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:36:51 GMT

[quote=wii.K1LLF4C3]Just out of curiosity - have you ever played tennis?[/quote]

Yep, first I thought thats what made it difficult for me, but then I realized that many had the same problem.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Grampy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:00:02 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.Mordeus][quote=wii.K1LLF4C3]Just out of curiosity - have you ever played tennis?[/quote]

Yep, first I thought thats what made it difficult for me, but then I realized that many had the same problem.[/quote]

I think that being a tennis player has hindered me in this game a bit and made it harder to learn, although once I did learn....pure fun. I'm right handed, and in real tennis when i want to hit the ball down the line, I have the same swing as a crosscourt shot, but timed a bit later. In the game, to hit a forehand down the line, I have to follow through down the line which is a bit weird for me (I can't follow through across the body).

Backhand hasn't been a problem down the line since my follow through keeps the racquet face the correct direction during my follow through.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

tweg — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:45:35 GMT

At first I thought the game was way too hard- even on easy, but after playing a few matches I started to figure some things out with the wii motion plus... By the time I got to the US Open I pretty much could place my shots- I won the US Open after failing the other venues- now I am on a 16 game winning streak- I guess it is time to increase the difficulty... overall I like this game a lot... it not perfect, but a step in the right direction- yes there are some glitches, but I am now at the point where they are not causing me to lose a match... I would have preferred some single player mini games (like the ones in Virtual Tennis or Mario Tennis)... I am happy with my purchase and it does feel good when you can place your shots exactly where you want them (most of the time).... This and Tiger will hold me over until Wii Sports 2 comes out...

(I think the most important tip is to have the controller facing forward and level in front of you- holding it perfectly still for a few seconds before the ball is in play... then after each shot quickly put the controller back into the starting position before the next shot... I play with or without the nunchuck-I like both methods)

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

DudBug — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:59:46 GMT

[quote=xbox.remrusty]hey guys, i had they same awful problems, but i have figured it out.
the backswing in preperation for the shot, is the most important movement!
i actually made a quick diagram(only using a pic of the normal wiimote)
even though these tips are for wii motion plus.

read this first though.
you want buttons facing up.
[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1733/moteb.jpg[/img]
now waiting for the ball.

1)face wiimote forward.

2)when opponent hits the ball, decide ASAP if you want forehand or backhand.
then move wiimote as 90 degrees as directed in the picture - parallel to the TV.
this is the most important movement, the preperation. this decides what your player will do, meaning no more random backhands when you wanted a forehand.

3) now trying to time this right (the better timing the better accuracy)
move the wii mote matching the picture to place the shot, as seen.

4)on top of the movement in #3, you can lift the mote for top spin, or drop it for slice.

[img]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/5709/gst.jpg[/img]

give this a go, it has been working great for me.

Just forget how the player moves in practice, obviously the scaling back of wm+ actions has compromised alot of what we were hoping for in 1:1 movements. and in now is nothing the the producers demo video.

Hopefully EA can add an update for an option to have the hardcore -prescaled back wm+ in play.
[/quote]

Thanks for this excellent post and I am keen to try out your suggestions. One thing that initially strikes me about your advice is that you do not recommend a proper backswing - i.e. only move the Wiimote to parallel with the sensor bar / tv screen when doing the 'back'swing. I have been moving the Wiimote right behind my body when doing the backswing (like in proper tennis) so I wonder if that accounts for the problems that I have been experiencing.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

DudBug — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:50:10 GMT

I have just followed the limit-backswing advice and it has made all the difference. I have just won 9 games in a row (ok, on easy), including the Australian Open final. It does not play as much like real tennis as I had hoped (or was claimed?), but the last hour or so counts as my best ever experience of playing videogame tennis.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

MiamiHeat2008 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:00:11 GMT

[quote=xbox.remrusty]hey guys, i had they same awful problems, but i have figured it out.
the backswing in preperation for the shot, is the most important movement!
i actually made a quick diagram(only using a pic of the normal wiimote)
even though these tips are for wii motion plus.

read this first though.
you want buttons facing up.

now waiting for the ball.

1)face wiimote forward.

2)when opponent hits the ball, decide ASAP if you want forehand or backhand.
then move wiimote as 90 degrees as directed in the picture - parallel to the TV.
this is the most important movement, the preperation. this decides what your player will do, meaning no more random backhands when you wanted a forehand.

3) now trying to time this right (the better timing the better accuracy)
move the wii mote matching the picture to place the shot, as seen.

4)on top of the movement in #3, you can lift the mote for top spin, or drop it for slice.

give this a go, it has been working great for me.

Just forget how the player moves in practice, obviously the scaling back of wm+ actions has compromised alot of what we were hoping for in 1:1 movements. and in now is nothing the the producers demo video.

Hopefully EA can add an update for an option to have the hardcore -prescaled back wm+ in play.
[/quote]

Excellent and helpful post. Thanks!

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

DinoBassi — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:52:23 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.MiamiHeat2008][quote=xbox.remrusty]hey guys, i had they same awful problems, but i have figured it out.
the backswing in preperation for the shot, is the most important movement!
i actually made a quick diagram(only using a pic of the normal wiimote)
even though these tips are for wii motion plus.

read this first though.
you want buttons facing up.

now waiting for the ball.

1)face wiimote forward.

2)when opponent hits the ball, decide ASAP if you want forehand or backhand.
then move wiimote as 90 degrees as directed in the picture - parallel to the TV.
this is the most important movement, the preperation. this decides what your player will do, meaning no more random backhands when you wanted a forehand.

3) now trying to time this right (the better timing the better accuracy)
move the wii mote matching the picture to place the shot, as seen.

4)on top of the movement in #3, you can lift the mote for top spin, or drop it for slice.

give this a go, it has been working great for me.

Just forget how the player moves in practice, obviously the scaling back of wm+ actions has compromised alot of what we were hoping for in 1:1 movements. and in now is nothing the the producers demo video.

Hopefully EA can add an update for an option to have the hardcore -prescaled back wm+ in play.
[/quote]

Excellent and helpful post. Thanks![/quote]

Agreed great post remrusty, you real nailed it.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Timmybuk2 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:10:04 GMT

same issue. i played the game before i used wii motion plus and the game is steller!! A+ but with wii motion it seems rough to say the least.

i don't use wii motion plus. i suspect the drivers or configuration first time with EA is not good. history of new wii technology and EA isn't good. takes time for them to get it right, and maybe nintendo hasn't taught them how it works yet.

I have a feeling the wii motion plus is fine.

Honestly, i think this game is amazing, and really doesn't need wii motion plus. Perhaps why it was not the item that was sold with wii motion plus Tiger was. I am not sure how Tiger was but EA would have to break a trend to change first time hardware not working right.

i doubt that wii motion under EA will work correctly implimented for a couple of years yet. that is my estimation.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

K1LLF4C3 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:15:37 GMT

I seem to remember reading somewhere that GST was packaged with the WP+ in Europe.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

remrusty — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:53:51 GMT

very glad i could help.
once i realised the backswing was so important i started enjoying the game so much more, so i had to share it.
i havent played online yet, maybe i could catch a couple of you guys when i do

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

remrusty — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:00:59 GMT

[quote=xbox.DudBug]I have just followed the limit-backswing advice and it has made all the difference. I have just won 9 games in a row (ok, on easy), including the Australian Open final. It does not play as much like real tennis as I had hoped (or was claimed?), but the last hour or so counts as my best ever experience of playing videogame tennis.[/quote]

i still get into a proper tennis stance. i just move my body around the wii mote, as in i will prepare th backswing parallel, then step into the shot to complete the swing. still heaps of fun to get into!

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Snarfblat — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:00:17 GMT

I have been battling with this game since the day of its release. I got VirtuaTennis first, and the next day, Grand Slam Tennis. As a tennis player, neither of these games truly simulates tennis. Honestly, WiiSports Tennis is still, and by far, the best video tennis game I've ever played.

I have had more luck with VirtuaTennis, but grew frustrated with my player constantly running around the backhand, even though I would swing for a backhand shot. The player would then miss the shot. I also got frustrated when my player would just stand still, or run in the opposite direction of the ball.

I've never had enough luck with GST to even get that far. The player jitters all over the screen, and as others here in this thread have observed, it will do the exact opposite of what you want.

After reading this whole thread, I experimented for a half hour with some of the tips I read about. It did seem to help to stand with the remote sideways (as if the racket face was parallel to the ground), and rotating it whenever I would swing for forehand or backhand. For the first time since I bought the game, I could actually sort-of play it.

The problem, though, is that my player keeps missing shots. Even though I will swing for them, he'll miss them sometimes. Or he will still, at times, just like the VT player, try for an opposite-sided shot, or stand there like an idiot instead of running for the ball.

I've tried the Nunchuck on both games and had zero luck. Neither player responds well with the Nunchuck, and the cord is too short, and gets in the way. So that's out completely.

Why can't the player follow the ball more closely, like in WiiSports Tennis? That game is so ideal. You can swing just like in real tennis, and the shots happen just like in real tennis -- topspin, slices, lobs, etc. If I played VT or GST like real tennis (and I've tried it), I get a character that jumps around and does nothing but miss shots.

The rest of the game is absolutely fantastic. It may be "cartooney" but the graphics are amazing. The characters movements between points, the attention to detail, etc, is simply amazing. It's actually better than VirtuaTennis, which tries to be more "real" and not as "cartooney" but instead ends up looking cheesy.

I dunno what to do. I'm on the verge of eBaying the thing. Tiger Woods PGA '10 on the other hand, is extremely cool, except for its lack of features compared to the PS3 version (I have both).

Rob

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

remrusty — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:28:29 GMT

you need racquet face parallel to the tv, not the ground.

start with the wiimote pointing fowards to the tv.
then when the ball is coming to you, you then decide, will i hit a forehand or backhand.
then move your wii mote 90 degrees to the side of your body so it ends up parallel to the tv, on the left or right side of you(forehand or backhand), with buttons still facing up. the wii will register which type of shot (forehand or backhand), have a look at my diagram^^^ few posts up. from the backswing, you swing 90 degrees to do a cross court shot.
For down the line shot - keeping it parallel with screen, move it fowards closer to the screen.
then return the wiimote to point at the screen, so it can refresh in time for your next shot.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

M1x1B — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:00:40 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.Mordeus]What this game lacks is [color=blue][b]feedback[/b][/color]. It should take some time before you master the game, that is the case of almost every game out there, but with this one, you dont get any indication on what you are doing wrong. I've read alot of posts here, and written some myself, and it seems perfectly clear that many players, including me, dont know why we fail. And that's cause we dont get any feedback.
And as pointed out before - why is there no real tutorial? Seeing this is one of the first games using WMP, there really should have been one. It could be really simple, like a version of the Training Court, but with a trainer telling you to hit different parts of the court. And when you missed, he would tell you why! It would just need to cover the basics, then you could get the option to practice all the different kinds of strokes, with feedback, until you get it.[/quote]

This is it! I wrote my review before reading this thread, but this is the issue for me. Tell me what I'm doing wrong. It shouldn't be a guessing game. Let me practice properly instead of having to try a hundred different things to make this work.

I want to win, but if I don't that doesn't bother me. What does bother me is not knowing why I can't win. Not knowing what I'm doing wrong. Feeling like I don't even have a chance to win. That stuff bothers me.

In RL, playing tennis you can experiment with different swings, grips, etc., but with this game I make the same swing and get different results. How do you learn from that?

This game feels too "wristy" to me and I don't like that. I'm used to arm swings, not wrist snaps.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Gravity17 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:17:34 GMT

remrusty - I'd like to add my thanks to the list.

Your tips made the WORLD of difference. Before reading them I could not win a game (even on easy) and I was seriously close to chucking the wiimote through the TV in frustration (never has a game annoyed me as much as this one!). After reading them I went back to the practice court/ball machine and worked in there for about 20 minutes, simply learning to place shots consistently. I then played a game of doubles with my wife against the computer and we won!

After that I started the Grand Slam mode and wiped the floor with the first guy 6-1.

There was still the odd hiccup, like I would swing and it would not register, however this was only twice in all 7 games, where as before it was several times per game!

I have since beaten Venus Williams 8-6 in the legends match at the Australian open.

When this game works it is the closest to real tennis I have ever played and is very enjoyable, when it goes wrong it is still frustrating but the tips provided have minimised this.

One thing I did that may also have made a difference was locate the sensor bar to a better location - now this could just be pure coincidence.

In fact does the MotionPlus controller even need the sensor bar - I cannot find any info on this online? As far as I was aware the sensor bar is required when pointing at the screen with the wiimote - I don't tend to do too much pointing while playing GST.

Anyway, thanks again remrusty!

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

macteago — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:36:15 GMT

Wow, I can't believe people are tyring to play this without the nunchuck or Motion Plus, you are truly robbing yourself of the experience by not learning how to use these.

It's a learning curver for sure but payoff is worth it.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Grampy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:02:33 GMT

Snarfblat,
If the AI controlling your player is a problem for you, just take control yourself with the nunchuck. When I did that it made the game much more enjoyable. Also, try to get into position before you swing. If you swing with the ball coming into your body, you will hit a bad shot, just like real life.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

remrusty — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:10:04 GMT

Gravity17,
great to hear you are kicking some * in the game!
thanks heaps for your comment, i really appreciate it.
just keep playing and soon you will also be kicking * on hard!
remrusty

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Sanctity — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:24:24 GMT

This may fall on deaf ears, but anyone having trouble with GST with M+ should definitely read the sticky in General Discussion written by Betz. [url]http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/242348.page[/url]

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Daggerheart — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:39:09 GMT

[b]1)[/b] I have played real tennis for several years [b]2) [/b]I have watched the GST videos on youtube and the tutorial inside the game. [b]3)[/b] I have tried the game with the motion plus and without it [b]4)[/b] I am currently in the top 200 of the singel leaderboard without using the nunchuck.

As far as I can see... the only major advantage from playing GST with the motion plus is the added ability to "twist" the Wii control.... giving you extra slice or top spin. The attachment gives you more control with drop shots and lobs (?).

I have played against the #1 in the world in 4 rated matches... and his perfect drop shots is by far his strongest weapon... don't think he would be able to pull them off like that without the extra slice from the motion plus....

It seems that the nunchuck is maybe required to become top 10.... since it helps alot during net play... I therefore strongly consider to start using it.

I love GST alot, since it's alot of skill involved. Based on my experience with online rated games... it seems that the game favors the players choosing the overall or serve and volley set up in the player creation... (getting to top 50 on the leaderboard that is...)

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

brothers_and_sis — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:50:44 GMT

I have serious motion problems not with the wii+, because i play better without it. I don´t know if it is a bug:

When my character is at the baseline, most times at the corner right of the screen i swing for the ball but i got no reaction from the character it´s frustrating because i lose a lot of points this way...

Have you experience the same problem?

Could be just a batteries problem?

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Douggerz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:23:28 GMT

[quote=cem_ea_id.Mordeus]erondo, while what you say its true - that we shouldn't expect to win from start, atleast I expect to loose because I got outplayed, not because I couldnt control my avatar.

What this game lacks is [color=blue][b]feedback[/b][/color]. It should take some time before you master the game, that is the case of almost every game out there, but with this one, you dont get any indication on what you are doing wrong. I've read alot of posts here, and written some myself, and it seems perfectly clear that many players, including me, dont know why we fail. And that's cause we dont get any feedback.
And as pointed out before - why is there no real tutorial? Seeing this is one of the first games using WMP, there really should have been one. It could be really simple, like a version of the Training Court, but with a trainer telling you to hit different parts of the court. And when you missed, he would tell you why! It would just need to cover the basics, then you could get the option to practice all the different kinds of strokes, with feedback, until you get it.

Im not sure, but it seems like there was no real external testing during the deelopment of the game, or they would have noticed all the frustration new players get. And they would have created this Practice Mode. Perhaps they had to rush the game so they coul release it with WMP, I dunno.[/quote]

I've had the game for 2 days and am definitely in the frustrating period. I've played tennis for a couple of seasons and have received some instruction, but after reading these posts playing real tennis and GST are 2 different beasts. But I'm wondering why the games are so *hard* on easy. I mean ace serves, and the opponent charges the net right after a tough serve and I can't even lob it over them. I even have some pretty long volleys but after 10 back and forths inevitably i make a mistake and lose the point. In real life i'm basically a 2.5 level player yet the opponents in GST are playing at least at a 3.5 level. I will try a few more sessions using the advice in this thread and hopefully things will turn around but at this point its difficult for me to envision it.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Douggerz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:40:36 GMT

[quote=wii.Douggerz][quote=cem_ea_id.Mordeus]erondo, while what you say its true - that we shouldn't expect to win from start, atleast I expect to loose because I got outplayed, not because I couldnt control my avatar.

What this game lacks is [color=blue][b]feedback[/b][/color]. It should take some time before you master the game, that is the case of almost every game out there, but with this one, you dont get any indication on what you are doing wrong. I've read alot of posts here, and written some myself, and it seems perfectly clear that many players, including me, dont know why we fail. And that's cause we dont get any feedback.
And as pointed out before - why is there no real tutorial? Seeing this is one of the first games using WMP, there really should have been one. It could be really simple, like a version of the Training Court, but with a trainer telling you to hit different parts of the court. And when you missed, he would tell you why! It would just need to cover the basics, then you could get the option to practice all the different kinds of strokes, with feedback, until you get it.

Im not sure, but it seems like there was no real external testing during the deelopment of the game, or they would have noticed all the frustration new players get. And they would have created this Practice Mode. Perhaps they had to rush the game so they coul release it with WMP, I dunno.[/quote]

I've had the game for 2 days and am definitely in the frustrating period. I've played tennis for a couple of seasons and have received some instruction, but after reading these posts playing real tennis and GST are 2 different beasts. But I'm wondering why the games are so *hard* on easy. I mean ace serves, and the opponent charges the net right after a tough serve and I can't even lob it over them. I even have some pretty long volleys but after 10 back and forths inevitably i make a mistake and lose the point. In real life i'm basically a 2.5 level player yet the opponents in GST are playing at least at a 3.5 level. I will try a few more sessions using the advice in this thread and hopefully things will turn around but at this point its difficult for me to envision it. [/quote]

ok so just did a quick play with no nunchuck and I won !!! 4 - 2, 4 - 3 McEnroe vs Federer.

The backswing is very important as mentioned elsewhere. Only go back 90 degrees ... i was going back 180 before. And now I only follow through for cross court so I have better control over placement of line shots, as well as hitting more topspins and flat shots.

Now I will go back to the grand slam tournaments and hope I fare better there. It is a fun game once you learn the controls. And I know I still have more room to improve.

Re:SERIOUS MotionPlus problems

Brossj — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 21:20:57 GMT

Well I can tell you that it is not just your game. Mine does it too. I have tried many different stances but if you are letting the wii control your character then get ready for a frustrating experience. I have two wii motion plus units and they both work great in Tiger Woods golf. However in this tennis they both react the same way with the character facing the wrong directions, not moving to get a ball, and sometimes not swinging at all. This is definitely not like the video and is really frustrating. I wish i could return the game but most places in my area do not take them if they have been opened. I hope Ea fixes it or adds an option in the game to cause my player to smack himself in the face because it gets extremely irritating.