Currently the website is not working for years but the page with this information was saved by archive.org:
Unfortunately, all download links are dead and the original English version is not accessible.
It was not possible to contact the author Doyoon Kim nor his company Nerd Riot Games. The website is down for a long time and all contacts provided are not working. The publisher Garage Games does not sell nor provide free access to Tennis Critters anymore for a long time.
So, Tennis Critters is currently an abandonware and freeware.
https://web.archive.org/web/20070427152441/http://www.nerdriot.com:80/TennisCritters-Install.exe
If anyone has the original English version (TennisCritters-Install.exe) or has any contact with someone who has it (including the author Doyoon Kim) please upload it to archive.org or other public service to preserve the software heritage.
This English version is a compilation of Czech Full version and English Demo version.
It should be as binary-close to the lost original English version as possible if not the same.
It has no Czech or any other language left except English.
The translation was made by modifications of these text and binary files:
- tennis/text/text2.cs
- tennis/client/ui/loadingGui.gui.dso
- tennis/client/ui/QuitGameDlg.gui.dso
- tennis/client/ui/SelectSideGui.gui.dso
- tennis/client/scripts/MainMenu.cs.dso
- tennis/client/scripts/optionsDlg.cs.dso
- tennis/server/tennis/tennis.cs.dso
Binary files were modified strictly by replacing the text in place and nothing else was affected. The game behavior is preserved exactly the same as it is in the original version.
The original Demo installer from the official Nerd Riot Games website is available on archive.org:
https://web.archive.org/web/20060813023927/http://www.nerdriot.com/TennisCritters_1_03_Demo.exe
Doyoon Kim profile at Garage Games:
http://www.garagegames.com/account/profile/4670
The original Credits are not modified.
The separate version.txt file was added.
Thanks for playing the Tennis Critters.
——————-
– Added mouse control support. To enable it, click on the ‘Enable Mouse Control’ check box. The player will automatically move toward the cursor and you can use the left/right buttons for topspin/slice.
– Added disable change sides option (which will disable changing sides in a single player game).
– Now exits gracefully instead of crashing if 3d acceleration isn’t detected.
– Fixed freeze in a passworded network game.
v1.01
– Fixed Radeon gui bug where only the cursor would refresh if fullscreen anti-aliasing was on.
– Added Kick button to network game admin menu
– Replaced OpenAL32.dll with a newer version for better sound card compatibility.
– Fixed network game bug where doubles partner would sometimes get ‘stuck’ in a serve position after a game reset.
– Fixed a bug where a single player game wouldn’t start if a password was set in the network dialog box.
Default Keys:
————-
Player 1: Arrow Keys, Space, Right-Alt
Player 2: WASD, Left-Alt, Left-Shift
Player 3: NumPad 8456, Numpad 0, Plus
Player 4: IJKL, H, N
Extra Keys:
F1 – show set scores
F2 – change camera angle
Troubleshooting
================
Problem: My joystick doesn’t work. What should I do?
Answer: Tennis Critters requires DirectX 8.0 or greater for the joystick to work. You can download the latest DirectX runtime at http://www.microsoft.com/directx
Also, make sure the joystick settings are bound correctly for each player in the game’s Options/Controls menu.
Problem: I get garbled graphics and polygons. What’s wrong?
Answer: Make sure you download the latest drivers for your video card. Some older drivers will display strange artifacts on the screen. Updating your drivers will usually fix this.
Problem: My video card doesn’t seem to work with this game or isn’t detected.
Answer: The game requires 3d hardware acceleration and uses OpenGL. If for some reason OpenGL doesn’t work on your computer, try the -directx command line option (For example, ‘tenniscritters.exe -directx’). This will turn on the directx compatibility mode which will be much slower than the standard OpenGL mode. If you want to go back to OpenGL, run the game with the -opengl command line option.
Problem: The game crashes immediately after loading. Why?
Answer: It could be a problem with the sound initialization. Try running the game with the -nosound command-line option. (For example, ‘tenniscritters.exe -nosound’)
Problem: My sound stutters occasionally or doesn’t play properly.
Answer: This is a known issue with some integrated onboard sound hardware and OpenAL.
Problem: Help! I accidentally selected an unsupported video resolution in the graphics config menu and my screen went blank! What should I do?
Answer: Try pressing Alt-Enter to put the game into windows mode and try changing it to a lower resolution. If that still doesn’t work, you can try resorting back to your default video settings by deleting the “pref.cs” files in your Tennis Critters installation directories (usually located in “TennisCritters/tennis/client/pref.cs”).
Problem: How do I improve performance?
Answer: Try changing the bit-depth to 16, and lowering the shadow detail. Those two settings have the most impact on performance. If for some reason your video card has low memory, you can try reducing the ‘world texture’ and ‘model texture’ settings to ‘low’.
To display your frames per second (fps), press F5 when in the game.
Minimum system requirements
- Pentium II(R) 400mhz or greater
- 64 MB of ram
- OpenGL compatible 3D video card
- DirectX 8.0 or greater
Developed by:
Nerd Riot Games
http://www.nerdriot.com
Published by:
GarageGames
http://www.garagegames.com
Another thing that really makes Tennis Critters 1.03 Full English Version enjoyable for me is how it manages to stay interesting even after playing it multiple times. Many games feel repetitive after a while, but here, the experience still feels fresh because of the small details and different ways you can approach the gameplay. As you continue playing, you naturally start improving and understanding the mechanics better, which makes everything feel more rewarding. I also appreciate the balance the game maintains—it’s not too difficult, but it’s not too easy either. You can play it casually for a short break or spend longer sessions without getting bored. That flexibility is one of the biggest reasons why I keep coming back to Tennis Critters 1.03 Full English Version. Overall, it’s the kind of game that doesn’t just entertain you for a moment, but actually gives you a consistently enjoyable experience every time you play.
