Mario Tennis Aces update coming November 30 (version 2.1.0), patch notes

With Mario Tennis Aces having been in the spotlight the last few days, Nintendo has topped off the recent news with word that a fresh software update is dropping later this week for the title.

Bringing the game up to version 2.1.0, some big additions are set to be introduced in the Online Tournament mode. On top of adding both Shy Guy and Petey Piranha as rewards for participating this upcoming month, a new Doubles format and ranking system will be debuting on November 30th.

New challenge modes and character balances will also be implemented. The full patch notes are as follows:

• Changes to Online Tournament
  • Ability will be classified by four ranks (A, B, C, D), which are based on a player’s rating. Players of similar ranks are now more likely to be matched together.
  • Changed all current five-round tournaments to three rounds. Made it easier to match players of similar ability by increasing number of players with similar progress in the tournament.
  • The condition for being seeded and getting to start from the second round has changed from a player needing to be a “tournament champion” to a player needing to have a “2,500 or higher rating.”
  • Randomly chosen courts in the first and second rounds of the online tournament will be selected from all courts with no hazards, except for the Night Court. The Night Court is reserved for the championship match.
    • From Ver. 2.1.0 it will be possible to play a “Hazards OFF” setting with no mast on the Savage Sea court.
  • Changed play time from “two-game, one-set match” to “first to win two games.” If each player wins one game, there will be a tiebreaker. This new play time is also the default setting for Free Play and Swing Mode.
  • Starting in December, player ranking will switch from points-based to ratings-based.
  • When a new month starts, the player’s initial rating will change based on their play results from the previous month. The following changes will occur when December begins.
    • 2,000 or less rating → Starts at 2,000
    • 2,000 – 2,500 rating → Current rating will be maintained
    • 2,500 or more rating → 1/2 of amount over 2,500 will be added to 2,500 instead of 1/10th.

    Note: Player rating will be reset to 2,000 if software was not played in previous month or if there is bad data. If software is not updated to Ver. 2.1.0, December changes will not be processed.

• Doubles Class Added to Online Tournament
  • Doubles Class will be newly available in online tournament mode starting in December. Doubles Class will be a four-player doubles match with standard rules, including use of Energy.
  • Doubles teams can be formed with two people sharing a Switch, with a friend online, or by matching with a stranger online of similar ability.
  • Pair Rank will be determined by calculating the average rating of the two players’ respective ratings.
  • Doubles Class is compatible with the Nintendo Switch Online smart device app for voice chat. However, in the Doubles Class online tournament, voice chat is only possible between doubles partners and is not possible with the opponent, regardless of whether it’s in the menus or during the match.
• New Games Added
  • The second Co-op Challenge, Yoshi’s Ring Shot, will begin. Co-op Challenge is a mode for online play which will only be held for a certain period of time.
    • Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to play Co-op Challenge.
  • Co-op Challenge: Yoshi’s Ring Shot will be available from the distribution of Ver. 2.1.0 on December 1st until 9:00 AM on January 10th, 2019. Yoshi’s Ring Shot is a Challenge played with button controls (standard rules) with a four-player team. The team is formed among online players or with friends. (If each player has a controller, up to four players can play on one Nintendo Switch system.) You can acquire Yoshis of different colors (blue, red, and yellow) by attaining objectives.
    • A Yoshi of a different color can only be obtained by the player who achieved the objective.
  • Boo Hunter, which is played with one Nintendo Switch system, has been added to Swing Mode. This game can be played in Co-op Mode or Competitive Mode. Up to four players (including a COM player) can play.
• Changes to the Shot System
  • “Taunting” is no longer possible while a player’s character is moving.
  • Made it possible to change shots with the A, B or Y buttons if the L stick is tilted up or down while charging a lob or drop shot by pressing the X button.
  • Made it more likely for a ball to be returned to the back of the court when returning a serve with a drop shot.
  • Made it easier to see how much energy changed in the Energy Gauge.
  • Changed the vibration of the controller when pressing the button twice and charging a Powerful Shot in comparison to the vibration of the controller after pressing the button once.
• Changes to Character Abilities
  • We changed the abilities of certain characters.
    

    Character Name	Change
    Mario	Decreased the length of the period that time is frozen after leaping for a ball.
    Bowser	Slightly increased the power of his shot.
    Waluigi	Slightly decreased the power of his volley shot.
    Peach	Slightly decreased her pace of acceleration and cutback speed.
    Toadette	Slightly increased the length of the period that time is frozen after leaping for a ball. Slightly decreased the power of her volley shot. Slightly decreased the top speed at which she moves.
    Boo	Slightly decreased the power of his volley shot. Slightly decreased his ability to aim for the edges of the sideline. Slightly decreased his pace of acceleration.
    Blooper	Slightly decreased the power of his volley shot. Slightly decreased his ability to aim for the edges of the sideline.
    Koopa Paratroopa	Slightly decreased the power of his slice return. Slightly decreased the bounce of his topspin shot. Decreased his pace of acceleration.

• Additional Settings
  • Savage Sea: You can now play with no mast in the middle of the court by selecting “Hazards OFF.” When the Savage Sea court is randomly selected in the online tournament mode, there will be no mast.
  • Free Play: ”Tournament” was added to Play Time. The first to win two games is the winner, but a tiebreaker will take place if each wins one game, unlike “Extended Play.”
• Other Changes
  • Co-op Challenge: When you Join a Friend, a ☆ will appear next to a Favorite.
  • Free Play: Fixed problem of Simple ball speed decreasing.
  • COM Tournament: The issue of the game sometimes stopping on the COM tournament menu when saving interrupted data with specific progress created on Ver. 1.2.0 or earlier has been fixed.
  • Other adjustments have been made to improve gameplay.

Source, Via