OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Two tries at level three lefty, first 82% then 80%. About 10% lower than my righty scores today.

It's obviously the same few shots reversed. There are one or two that I misread still. I wonder how many different shots to each side they used, I'm guessing five. It's not that many, or it doesn't seem like it to me.

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You're on to something here BRS. I find myself panicking during the later stages. I'm thinking about my score as I have NextLevel breathing down my neck for the highest score. It adds a whole new dimension when your ego is on the line. All the inner-demons that attack you during a real match come after you in TTE. When NL and I play, we make our decisions when the ball is leaving us and going over the net on our side, even on level 4. One mistake and the highest score is done. To be accurate for 60 shots with almost no cues is difficult by itself, however the add pressure of competition makes it much harder.

We haven't formally tested improvements in concentration after prolonged use with TTE. Trevor is an expert in Neurofeedback and the majority of his clients suffer from ADHD. Maybe Trevor can comment on how TTE may assist with concentration and anxiety in the real world?

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Alright, back in my home base.

Now I want to get into the subtleties of reading a stroke. I didn't want to discuss the details of the app which I inferred as I wanted other people to figure things out themselves, but at this point, having played the game enough when bored to actually sometimes get fairly ridiculous scores on level 4 (I have a couple more for you Brett, but I am waiting for your salvo before publishing - let's just say that 76300 barrier is history) which may be as much luck as skill though I am sure someone like Ma Long playing the game may disagree with a 77000+ score.

So if you want to continue enjoying the game without any hints of how to play it as a computer GAME, as opposed to a TT improvement exercise, stop reading here and just be on your way. I do want to ask questions about whether the things I have found analyzing it almost as a computer game have anything to do with how actual strokes work.

SPOILER ALERT

In any case, slowing down the game, there are IMO 4 strokes, which makes sense since the same ball is being fed and it ends up at 4 different points on the table - wide forehand, middle forehand, middle backhand, wide backhand. The stroke seems to be largely basic topspin (with mild hook if any sidespin).

HOW EARLY CAN YOU READ THE STROKE

What I find amazing is that it is almost possible to score a perfect score on level 1 and 2 because the racket angle on the backswing pretty much tells you where the ball is going. Is this generally true or just an artifact of the game design using the same strokes over and over? I started out mostly looking at the elbow position on the backswing until my subconscious probably picked up other things. Of course the difference may or may not be too subtle to pick up in a real match, but if you know it is there, then you start looking. Of course, this is the kind of thing I can do better than read spin, so it might make me actually watch more video and give me hope (as if anything can make me watch more video )

SUGGESTIONS

One thing that makes reading the strokes easier at high speeds is that the strokes come so fast that sometimes, the differences in the strokes are easy to read as overlaps. So maybe changing the stroke to a backhand stroke or introducing a stroke from a slightly different location on the screen would make the game slightly more challenging.

Basically, at this point, I want to understand what is really required to anticipate a stroke and how early we generally telegraph ourselves vs. how early we think we telegraph ourselves. I am sure this might vary from player to player, but this is why it might be interesting to stick in different players, possibly even lower level players than William in the app or in a lesson on reading players as an education on the contrast.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I'm curious if your new super-early anticipation might be too early and make you more vulnerable to fakes. If you pick up cues that your opponent is going to your wide forehand, and you start to react, what prevents him from in turn anticipating your reaction and changing his placement?

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Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono

It's a good question. First of all, it's all about risks. Secondly, remember that I tell you not to begin your stroke until your opponent hits the ball. There is a reason why and this is it. Determining where the ball is going doesn't mean that you should commit to it early. Also, fakes tend to have the property of being weaker shots if the power cues are in the other direction. So its more about knowing where the power shots is going and being ready to adjust.

In theory, you are supposed to adjust after hitting every ball to cover the angle of play. I don't do this well because it hurts to move but I am working on it more. In reality, the quality of your ball often limits your opponent's options and in your last tournament, you probably appreciated this much more.

Even in the TTEdge game, there are still times when I anticipate one way and change my mind as the cues become more distinct but obviously the game does not permit that. In the end though, you should not commit to your shot unless your opponent hits the ball at the higher levels unless you want to take the risk. Risk taking is a part of any sport.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I think fakes are rare. I can't ever remember trying to fake someone in an important match at a close score. Most of the time, we are all just trying to hit the ball on the table. When I was winning easily I'd try a few experimental fakes and I'd do a few in training, but under the white-hot heat of a close match that's not what I was doing.

The app is obviously simple at this stage. I think you'll see something a lot more comprehensive over time. I see this as a long-term project and early adopters may massively benefit from their initial $5 investment as they'll always get free updates.

We are listening to every comment and watching the reaction of the market. There is no good in marching forward if you're building functionality that people don't want.

Thanks to everyone who has made a suggestion!

Here's an article the ITTF put together.

http://ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_s ... ition_ID=&

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The first update is available for Android users and it's waiting for approval on IOS. After installing the update, you'll get feedback after you make your selection as a flash will appear. It also helps slightly with some of the sensitivity issues on lower levels. There are no sensitivity issues on level 3>. Just make sure you don't click when the ball is behind you as it will count for the next shot. I watched a beginner play and they clicked when the ball was behind them on every shot.

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I think the updates improved the experience. I tried them today. Seeing the flash was comfortably reinforcing and made me tap my screen more softly.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

That's great. Would you like some vibration for tap feedback or is the flash good enough?

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Vibrations are a mixed bag. It's the kind of thing that probably should be configurable.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

The update was pretty darn useful to me. I felt it was somewhat unplayable before the flash.

I did notice that on levels 1-3 that I could select the side after the ball actually was there and still get points.

Telling me that it will have updates and functionality coming will have me making the purchase. You should make sure the app says that - and how the funds will help more development (assuming it will).

Thanks wilkinru,

If you read through this thread, you notice that I have never exactly made any promises. I've always selected my words very carefully. I'm going to do the same again.

It's possible that this app will become extremely expensive over time. It's possible the price will escalate dramatically with the addition of new modules which will arrive in the form of updates. Updates are always free for people who have already paid. I can assure you the product will never get cheaper.

This isn't me being mystical. I don't know what will happen in the future and I'm not wanting to make stupid promises that can't be met. What I can tell you is we are working pretty hard on this product. We don't want to turn this into a kickstarter type project as we don't need money to proceed and don't need pressure to perform.

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on the vibration question, yes please! would really appreciate it...

couple more suggestions:

before the game starts put an overlay screen which clearly show the clickable area, bcs now is not obvious where is the exact area we can click...
sometimes i miss but i thought it should be a hit...we need some info on the screen to show us why we missed, etc. wrong side, too slow, didnt click (when the click is not registered so we know we must press harder)

the main grudge i have with the app is when i miss i dont have any feedback why i missed...if that makes sense...

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I always mess up the very first ball. I think a 3 second count down would be real handy.

Thanks, everything is noted. If you are using an iPhone, there is an update coming out in a day or two, so definitely take that. It's the same update that came out on Android a few days ago. Apple take 5 days to approve and update and Android take 1 hour.

Just so you know, you can click anywhere on the left or right side of the screen to select.

I think we'll make the vibration optional.

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