Update 0.29 - Shoichi

I thought the pacing for the adult scene was really good!

Steam has NSFW games now.

Oz

Best. Update. Ever. Shoichi continues to be my favorite character throughout this visual novel, and each update I just fall in love with him more and more. Amazing job Basket, keep up the great work!

Lazarus

The update was amazing, just finally got a chance to play it. I agree with most on the slightly smoother transition as in some parts it was very fast paced but in all things considered it was a fantastic update.

RedMane91

The update was really great! I loved absolutely everything about it except for that one thing most people mentioned. How fast it transitioned from serious to happy. It wasn't a big problem though, as you have said in some replies it was him trying to distract from it and focus on being happy while he is away from his Father. With a slightly smoother transition it'll be perfect!

BlueBurr

Wow its been a long journey to get to our first NSFW scene, kind of sad its over lol Anyway I thought the update was great and I feel that since so much happened in one day that that's probably why it may seem short to some people. Sorry to be an echo but I kind of agree about needing a bit more smoother transition for the tense to happy mood, nothing to big really. The NSFW scene was good, definitely felt the awkward first time vibe haha. Oh and good job on beating the buzzer! :P

Aye, it's quite enjoyable being able to contribute something besides money to this project. And I'm one of those types that errors in spelling/grammar just jump off the page (or screen in this case), so it's easy enough for me to make a note of them to help out. It's humorous to me that even in published books by respected authors I've caught several mistakes and have to question how they managed to get past the editor/proofreader to make it to print.

Richard

Apologies if this has already been answered, but are there any plans for a mainstream release of Tennis Ace on Steam? Obviously the game has now become very NSFW, so the most recent Shoichi update couldn't be included in its entirely, but I note that sanitised versions of other NSFW furry visual novels, such as Nekojishi and Amourous, have successfully launched on Steam. A growing number of furry visual novels seem to be cropping up on Steam (e.g. Amourous, Angels with Scaly Wings, Lovers of Aether, Nekojishi, etc), so it'd be nice to see Tennis Ace taking its place alongside them once complete and, hopefully, attracting a bigger audience. However, I have no clue how difficult or otherwise it'd be to adapt and launch the game on Steam, so perhaps this isn't a good idea after all. It's just something I've been curious about as I think the game deserves a bigger audience than it's attracted thus far (albeit I don't actually know how big an audience it has).

Ah, nice, a fellow typo hunter. :) TBH I didn't spot many typos on my first playthrough on PC, but then I replayed the game my phone and transcribe every error that I spotted. Together with at least two or three other people we've managed to note four pages worth of typos. I've recently been replaying each of the routes on my phone and note there are still a few typos early on in the game, which I'll try to mark up too. At the risk of repeating myself ad nauseam, I absolutely love playing through the monthly updates to this game, so it's nice to be able to give a little something back to this excellent project by helping the author to fix minor errors in his otherwise excellent writing.

Ooh! Happy belated birthday Basky

Oz

I feel like how you handled Shoichi getting out of the awkward topics earlier on (his CS days in particular) were quite good, if you'd like to match the style. Airs of awkward silence, characters sighing and more subtle actions being noticed by Yuuichi portrayed those moods wonderfully. No problems with the NSFW scene here. Solid execution. I found the update pretty meaty in content, actually, but probably there being only 1 major event/not as many things concluding made it feel short for some. And yes, I very, very, much enjoyed this update. Cheers!

Wresken

And on this day innocence has died, let us take a moment of silence to remember those lost moments heh. ;) Quick sidenote to those who may not know, at any point while reading through the VN you can click the center mouse button (scroll wheel on most normal mouses) or press 'H' on your keyboard to hide/reveal the UI overlay that is present in the game. (Fair warning to anyone reading from this point that my comment will contain spoilers though I will try to keep things as vague as possible) In all seriousness I did enjoy this update a lot, and liked the subtle but significant shifts in character development. In particular Shoichi revealing a few things from his past the Yuuichi wasn't aware of was a nice touch, just goes to show that no matter how long you may have known someone you still won't know everything about them. Akiyoshi always adds a bit of fun with his antics, and he's uniquely perceptive for his age which is a humorous counterpoint to his older brother's general obliviousness to everything. (I'm also voting him "Most likely to become a criminal mastermind and take over the world" when he grows up lol) All that being said, I'm going to disagree with the majority on the pacing being off. It may have seemed a bit jarring from an outside perspective, but for the characters involved the progression of the mood from somber and serious to playful and happy was quite well done, and makes a lot of sense when you consider how long Yuuichi and Shoichi have been friends, it's only natural that they would be able to read each other well enough to address the issues at hand and find a way to cheer one another up once that moment had passed. And that same reasoning is applied to their first time together intimately. With anyone else involved it probably wouldn't have gone as far as it did, but that underlying level of trust and friendship they felt comfortable enough to go as far as possible, albeit with the slight hesitation and awkwardness that naturally comes with the lack of experience, but they could do so without regret. I will point out that there was a slight continuity error in the NSFW scene though. Right before they get to the boning portion of the evening you wrote that Shoichi undressed Yuuichi fully, removing both his shirt and pants but in the CG that followed Yuu is still wearing his shirt. Not a major issue overall but still a noticeable discrepancy. As per usual there was a handful of typos to be addressed, (and I've admittedly fallen a bit behind on keeping up with those having a fairly sizable collection of screenshots I've been meaning to transcribe into the log at some point and simply haven't gotten around to doing that) but no major issues with bugs or traceback errors popping up so good work on that front. I continue to look forward to seeing what the next few updates hold for all of the characters and wish you luck in all your endeavors.

Richard

Yup. I don't know if you can hide the UI on Android (it never even crossed my mind) but on PC you can do it by pressing 'h'. Also, Resbach, I saw you mention somewhere that you hoped I'd answer your comment but... it's not showing for me. Patreon tells me there are more comments but if I click to show more it doesn't show me all the comments so I legitimately can't see what it was that you posted (other than your answers to other people). Can you try posting it again to see if it'll show up? :<

Basket

Yeah, I'm full of little mistakes like that in the update. Stuff that wasn't even supposed to happen that I ended up having a brainfart and writing in because... I was worried about meeting the deadline and it slipped my mind. Dude, so long as you work hard, you'll always have a chance of making stuff happens. It's hard to gain traction in the furry scene but not impossible. Good luck to you!

Basket

Thank you for the in-depth feedback and I'm glad you liked the update! I'll tone down the sound effects and make them less prevalent. I'll admit that I recorded them myself (trying to hold back from laughing while sucking on my finger in front of my mic. Oh joy). The idea of them going so far is basically Yuu soldiering on with his doubts for the sake of making Shoichi happy. That... might not have come off really well. These two move at a much faster pace than the other two possible love interest, mostly due to Shoichi being somewhat obliviously pushy and Yuu just being okay with it and enjoying making Shoichi happy. Still, thank you for the criticism. It will be useful for future updates for sure!

Basket

I'm fiiiine. Enjoying a bit of wine in celebration of this update going out okay (despite a few mistakes. Oops) And yeees, I was really aiming to show the awkwardness with that scene. I was worrying I wouldn't be able to capture it well but I'm glad it worked haha. I will admit that I was trying to, like you said, show Shoichi being desperate to change the subject and pretend everything is okay (it's already been established quite a few times that he has a tendency to pretend there is nothing wrong even when he's drowning) but I might have overdone it and he seemed to be genuinely fine way too fast. That's my bad. Thank you, I'm really thankful for the in-depth criticism and the concern from you two!

Basket

Oh, oops. Yeah, this update has a few base mistakes because I was travelling for a lot of the month (17 days of the month away from home) and due to the delay last month, I effectively only had about 10 days to finish this update ^^' I'm glad it was well received though. I was stressing over the adult scene for MONTHS, worrying that I wouldn't be able to capture the awkwardness of the first time in a new relationship and all that haha

Basket

Comments, comments...the whole thing was golden to me. The awkward yet still earnest dialog during the latter parts was totally on point. I will say you nearly killed me. I choked on my vape with the "tastes like" line.

Harebuck

The update was actually longer than the usual update size. Regular updates are around 1500 lines long (never ever less than that. I refuse to put out less than that) and this one was 1860 lines long :p You can press 'h' on the keyboard to hide the textbox to get a good look at the CG in-between reading! I'm glad you enjoyed the update. I loved writing that step in their relationship haha

Basket

Yeah it is!

Basket

Thank you :)

Basket

I'll look into going back to improving the transition in tone from the tense conversation. It was meant to show Shoichi being desperate to deflect and pretend everything was fine but it probably didn't come off that way. Also, Aki asks me to thank you for the compliment. He enjoys teasing his brother :p

Basket

The textbox can be hidden if you press the 'h' key on your keyboard. If I moved the CG up to give a better view, Yuu's face would get cut off ^^' And yeah, I try to keep a degree of connection with all the characters even during the routes. It's to show that the world is still alive and moving despite you spending more time with a single person. Stuff still happens with the others. I wanted to show the awkwardness of two people who like each other making a jump in their relationship for the first time. It was definitely fun writing something so purposely awkward :)

Basket

Hahaha. A lot of birthdays going around here. I was working on Shoichi's update during my birthday too (it was on the 28th of July) so I found it pretty weird to be writing adult content then! Still, hope you catch up soon and enjoy it. And yes, Kei is next!

Basket

One thing people don't seem to have noticed is that regardless of how many in-game days are added, the updates are all around the same size. Usually my updates are around 1500 lines long (in the code editor). If I add two or more in-game days, these 1500 lines are broken up into multiple days. For this one update, it was actually 1860 lines long, so even though it was just one day, it was one of the longest updates released recently. I think people are just thinking it was short because they were enjoying it so much (?). If so then I do feel flattered :p The intention with the adult scene was that it be awkward. For both parties it was a sort of first time (first time for Yuu with someone he actually cares about and wants to be with and first time ever for Shoichi) so awkward was actually something I was aiming for. And I do agree the mood transition was maybe a bit too fast. The intention was for it to show how Shoichi was desperate to change the subject and pretend everything is fine (like you said, he deflects a lot when faced with his issues) but that might not have come across really well. Overall, I'm just glad you enjoyed the update. Thank you very much for the in-depth feedback ^^

Basket

Definetly look after yourself BOTB (Best Of The Bunch)!

I don't have a (private) pc. Yes... I'm already 18 (19).

I am glad someone agrees with me on the “fast pacing“ part. The thing about your idea is it would require more art work. I personally could imagine him (Yuuichi) being the dominant part the first time. I explained why down below in my comment. Shoichi feels much more sure about the whole mating thing is another reason why he could/should be bottom.

So, for the people who want to get a better look at the sex scene, I’m pretty sure in Renpy you can hide the text box by hitting ‘H’ on your keyboard.

Oz

Hi WOTB! I really love the story you created, It makes me to think about my life very much, to order some things in my head... Btw, after I watched all days with Sho one month ago, I get so Inspired to create my own VN! I really dont have idea how this little furry thing can had so affection to my life... I always wanted to be a game programmer, but mind was always saying that I must be someone else, but this gave me sooo much power to not hear what others want me to do. SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH, BUT I'M NOT AN ENGLISH SPEAKER And I think you can fix something where Sho undress Yuu but in side image, one time he have his shirt on, in next scene he have its off and in another one it magicaly is there. Thanks for everything! (I HOPE YOUR EYES DONT DIE SEEING SO MUCH ORTHOGRAPHY AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES, I HATE BAD ORT AND GRAMMAR SO MUCH THAT I TRY TO CORRECT PEOPLE WHEN THEY DO SO IN MY LEANGUAGE 😅😅)

Alright, so there isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said. Overall, this is a REALLY good update, AND a good introduction into the more NSFW side of this game. That said, I do personally dislike a few things with the update, but it's really just a matter of my personal taste. [Spoiler Warning ahead for this update] What I liked: -Aki confronting Yuu about him and Sho at the beginning of the day was really funny. -Shoichi opening up about his feelings regarding his dad (among other things) was a really nice touch. -The NSFW scene was well written, despite the typos here and there. The build-up didn't feel too forced and the scene itself seemed to flow pretty smoothly (with some exceptions). What I didn't like (This mostly has to do with the NSFW scene): -The sound effects during the oral part of the NSFW scene were a bit... unsettling. Sound effects for these kind of scenes can be really hit-or-miss. -While the scene itself is written well, it feels like it goes a bit far for so early in the relationship. Yuu being so up for going all the way just feels like a bit of a big leap to me. Maybe it would flow more naturally if Yuu to return the favor after Sho services him? Just a thought. There are a few other things I did and didn't like about the update, but that was the bulk of it and anything else I could say comes down to my personal taste. Overall, this was an amazing update and I really enjoyed it. Keep up the good work!

The Mysterious M3tav0X

...Welp hot damn. I'll end up echoing many of the other comments saying how great this turned out. And less for the sexy-fun-times and more for the sheer first-time-awkwardness that came across so very well.... (I'm looking at you, jaw ache and sore knees...) I personally didn't find the conversation jump as jarring as others have said, I just took it as Shoichi's just sheer desperation to jump into a topic that would 'help' after all the shattering beforehand. Honestly the whole day just went at the right pace for me... and as always I love Aki's little additions to the overall story. Another amazing update - and considering your time constraints I'm betting you need all the rest. So thank you once more for this awesome story and look after yourself!

I've got to be honest and say I really didn't really like this update... I absolutely LOVED it (the word 'like' simply doesn't do justice to how much I enjoyed it)! Well done on yet another superb update and on transitioning the game from PG-13 to NC-17, while still retaining the charming, funny, heartfelt writing that I've come to love. In all honestly I can't think of a VN I've enjoyed more than Tennis Ace; it's such a treat to play these new chapters each month. Personally, I wouldn't suggest making any changes to the update, aside from correcting the typos. In particular, I noted that the new day screen (the screen with the cherry blossoms on it) states that it's Saturday 3rd June, but then Yuu and Aki talk about it being Sunday. I did think it was a bit odd that Yuu had invited Shoichi for a sleepover at the weekend and he hadn't actually turned up until Sunday (how rude). Also, I thought strange that Aki would be going over to a friend's house to stay up all night watching movies on a Sunday when presumably he'd have to get up for school the next day (how irresponsible). Therefore, I'm guessing that it's actually a Saturday and not a Sunday as Yuu and Aki seem to think it is. ;) Minor typos aside, well done on yet another superbly written and beautifully illustrated update. I can't wait to find out how Yuu and Shoichi's story continues from this point forward.

Great update, even though it was short. You did a great job with the adult scene and there's nothing i would change except maybe an option to move the text box or make it more transparent during such parts, it's still fine as it is though because the lewd stuff gets saved to the gallery anyways for later viewing. I'm glad that Yuu and Sho are getting ever closer because i ship these two the hardest out of all routes. I loved every second of this update, thank you for writing it this way <3

Moonraker

Great job.

MrUndercity

I'll echo the sentiments of others here regarding the morning scene. I think it is fine that Shoichi wanted to change the subject, but the transition could have gone more smoothly. The sex scene was good. It really evoked the awkwardness of it being pretty much both of their first times. The Aki scene was excellent.

Oz

Even when this update only was short with 1 day it bring back my interest in Sho, because of the first Choices that you can make about if he should ignor his father or agree with him. That choices are great in the development of Sho because now we have some important backstory from him. The NSFW scene was good Writen for the first time in this VN, even when i find it bothering that the Textbox overlaied the Sex part. But my heart beating a bit faster as the Power turned off and both of them go in Yuu's room and talk shy about the Sex topic. I personel like the Shy act of characters. PS: a nice little extra is the Message from Jun, that they thought the power was cut off, this is a nice little spoiler, WOTB. Please continue with this Great VN.

It's Santa Keisuke

Oooh! I will have to catch up! EEeeee! Keisuke's next? Oh! And on my birthday, too! I feel so special! Thank you, Basket, in all you're hard and excellent work!

Taimaishoo

Hey it was a nice little chat, thanks for correcting my error when there was no error on that line to begin with hahah. I have to agree that the conversation on the morning had a jarring transition, maybe it was too fast changing the moods? But aside from that I think it played out pretty well.

HOLY LORD THREE MONTHS DIDN’T PASS FAST ENOUGH. Here we go boys. The coveted 1st NSFW scene of Tennis Ace. Also hi to the guy I encountered in the error log doc lol. FEEDBACK *SPOILER, READ AT OWN RISK* The pace changes during the morning conversation were kinda jarring. Yuuichi kinda went off on a tangent on the salaries and the sad to happy/frisky Shoichi was a bit sudden. Maybe trimming down on the “overpaid” speeches might be better, and some transition from the tense to the romantic mood would make it better. Progress on Shoichi’s side of the story is going rather slow, personally. He’s deflecting quite a lot. NSFW scene: Okay, after having played this game from last year-ish, it was also quite jarring to see explicit wording for the first time. It’s not bad, just felt like a genre shift. The scenes were written pretty well. (so this is what penis tastes like made me need to take a breather) Shoichi’s progression more into his dominant personality comes out rough, but brings out that it’s his first time more obvious. Yuuichi’s I-am-a-bottom declaration was handled really well, I felt. His hesitation to even think of saying he was getting fucked was hilarious but adds a lot to his realization. Other thoughts: The sound effects during the oral scene were… offputting, personally. I never thought I’d see the word frenulum outside of medschool. I find it amusing that I only found 1 typo during the NSFW scene. Overall, great update. Even if it was only a day added, was well worth the 3 month wait. Great work WOTB. Can’t wait for MORE. *edited thrice because I murdered spacing, mb.*

Wresken

Eee, it my good boy again!

Harebuck