Hey was running this game a bit without recording a few months ago back when reslived still held the record. Wondering what the advantages are to the newer runs that use Nina instead of Alex?

Honestly I don't know the answer. Werster claims her stats are better but I haven't seen anything to prove that one way or another. I should investigate at some point.

So I went through and checked every level up in the old route with Alex (henceforth referred to as the boy route) and the new route(s) with Nina used by Werster and RetroPrime (henceforth referred to as the girl route).For documentation's sake, and so that we don't all have separate individual notes, I'll post my findings here.

Old route with boy

Wall 1: 4 power, 2 control. Total stats: 4/6/4, 2/1 Wall 2: 3 power, 2 control. Total stats: 7/8/7, 3/2 Wall 3: 4 power, 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 3/2 Pam: 1 power. Total stats: 10/10/10, 2/2 Curt: 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 4/3 Beth: 2 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 6/5 Bob: 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 7/7 Brian: 1 power, 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 8/7 Joy: 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 8/8 Allie: 2 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 10/9 Fay: 1 power, 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 10/10 (Need good exp to max out here) Travelling Team: Max out 10/10/10, 10/10 if bad exp. From here just keep maxed

Werster route

Wall 1: 1 control, 4 power, 1 control. Total stats: 3/5/5, 2/3 Wall 2: 3 control, 2 power. Total stats: 5/6/7, 5/7 Wall 3: 3 power, 2 control. Total stats: 7/9/9, 7/8 Pam: 1 power. Total stats: 8/9/10, 7/8 Curt: 1 power. Total stats: 9/10/10, 6/7 Beth: 1 power, 1 control. Total stats: 9/10/10, 7/8 Bob: 1 power. Total stats: 10/10/10, 7/8 Brian: 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 8/9 Joy: 2 control. Total stats: 9/10/10, 9/10 Allie: 1 control. Total stats: 9/10/10, 10/10 Fay: 1 power, 1 speed. Total stats: 10/10/10, 10/10 Travelling Team: speed control Sammy: speed power Spike: 2 speed control (9/10/10 power) Emily: 2 speed (gain 1 reaction) A. Coz: 3 speed (4 speed, 4 dash, 5 reaction, 4 stop. 9/10 control) Mario: Finish

RetroPrime route

Wall 1: 4 power, 2 control. Total stats: 3/5/5, 2/3 Wall 2: 3 power, 2 control. Total stats: 6/8/8, 3/5 Wall 3: 2 power, 2 control 1 power. Total stats: 8/9/10, 5/7 Pam: 1 power. Total stats: 9/10/10, 5/6 Curt: 1 control. Total stats: 9/10/10, 6/7 Beth: 1 control, 1 power. Total stats: 9/10/10, 7/8 Bob: 1 control. Total stats: 9/10/10, 8/9 Brian: 1 power. Total stats: 10/10/10, 8/9 Joy: 1 control, 1 power. Total stats: 10/10/10, 9/9 Allie: 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 9/10 Fay: 1 power, 1 control. Total stats: 10/10/10, 10/10 Travelling Team: speed, power. Total stats: 10/10/10, 9/10 Sammy: control, speed. Total stats: 10/10/10, 10/10 Spike: 2 speed Emily: 2 control A. Coz: 2 power Mario: Finish

Comparing the starting stats, which is the most important thing, we notice that the girl gets a lot more control early on, and has a higher stat total than the boy, in exchange for not maxed power. While this may seem detrimental, you actually don't have to have max power for the first few junior matches, and having more control lets you get more return aces more easily. Once the girl has maxed power and the routes converge (at the start of senior class) we can see that the girl does indeed have more total stats than the boy, even with the boy starting with a power advantage at the start of the game. In fact the girl is basically guaranteed to be max power and control before facing the varsity match for the travelling team, where the boy needs good exp values to have a chance at it. Hope this gives some idea as to the reasoning behind the change. I hope we share notes more often instead of individually checking everything as it comes. :)

To me it seems as though being left handed is the bigger deal than stat differences. Your style of shots can make a big difference against each respective player. Regardless of stats for the most part, there are a few shot selections that are optimal. Some shots you wouldn’t normally play, that are more prominent in the senior class.

Left handed being a big deal is that the AI are all right handers. Their strategy is programmed to play against other right handers it seems. That’s why positioning with a lefty gives somewhat of an advantage. Their positioning and movement is anticipating a forehand from a right handed perspective. It’s small margins later on but the amount of return aces, or set ups for easy points is a lot larger.