Community30 Aug 2026Quick News Update - Demo & Twitch streamsHello Tennis Fans! A quick update today. After a short summer break, I'm back working on the game. First off, though - thank you to everyone who tried out the Hardcourt Balls - Qualifiers demo! I hope you enjoy(ed) it. if you haven't here is a link: Keep in mind that some of the most fun elements of the full game, such as hiring & firing coaches, player progression, tournaments, 2-player games…
The Hardcourt Balls Demo is out now , giving you your first chance to step onto the court and experience tennis as a tactical, turn‑based mind game. This early slice of the game includes: · Fast, clear tutorials that teach the core mechanics in minutes · Full matches against AI opponents, each with its own playstyle · Create your own player avatar · Special abilities that can change the outcome…
We’re going live on July 28 at 8 PM EST with a full, courtside look at the Hardcourt Balls demo. This stream brings both sides of the court together: John McEncheese calling every bounce, roll, and chaotic moment with his signature energy, and the developer breaking down how the game works, answering questions, and showing off new details from the demo. Whether you’re curious about the turn‑bas…
The Hardcourt Balls Demo arrives July 28 , giving you your first chance to step onto the court and experience tennis as a tactical, turn‑based mind game. This early slice of the game includes: · Fast, clear tutorials that teach the core mechanics in minutes · Full matches against AI opponents, each with its own playstyle · Create your own player avatar · Special abilities that can change the ou…
Hello Tennis Fans! I've got some good news today about the upcoming demo release for Hardcourt Balls . Read on to find out more about when, how and what it will be, plus some additional info about an upcoming FAQ and Live Stream event. First though, as always - if you haven't already, please wishlist Hardcourt Balls . Wishlists increase the chances that Steam will show the game to other likemin…
Hello Tennis Fans! Today, I want to tell you a bit more about who you will be facing on the court in Hardcourt Balls . See, the AI opponents you'll play against are not just some generic random dice rollers. Each one of them is in fact hand-crafted to mimic the challenge of playing against some of the best players on tour today! But before we dive in, two things real quick: A) you may be wonder…
Hello Tennis Fans! Big news first! I'm busy preparing a demo for Hardcourt Balls ! I can't promise any specific date yet but I'm excited to hopefully soon be able to share the game with a broader audience. Stay tuned for more about this! And the best way not to miss any news is to Wishlist if you haven't already! In the last DevLog, I've briefly talked about Exhibitions & Tournaments , and toda…
Hello Tennis Fans! In the last DevLog, we looked at how you can create your own player character and touched upon coaches. Today I want to explain in more detail how important coaches are , and what role they play in advancing your player's skills (if it isn't obvious already, a crucial one!). The goal for me while designing this was, once again, to find a simple game mechanic that mirrors real…
Hello Tennis Fans! So far we've looked at some of the core game mechanics (and we'll return to them when it's time to peel back another layer of the tactical onion in future DevLogs), but it's time to pivot to some other fun Hardcourt Balls features. Over the next couple of DevLogs, I'll explain more about player skills and progression , coaches , prize money , and AI players ! Today, we'll sta…
Hello Tennis Fans! Before we move on to other fun aspects of Hardcourt Balls like players, coaches, tournaments and so on, I want to make sure to touch on another important basic game mechanic real quick. As usual, we'll do another, deeper, dive into this topic later on when we get to discuss some of the more nuanced tactics, but for now I'll just explain the basic idea behind scatter dice , wh…
Hello Tennis Fans! In the previous DevLog we did a quick introduction to the basic gameplay loop in Hardcourt Balls . I'll follow this up with a more detailed breakdown of the mechanics soon, but first I want to provide an important missing piece from that last overview. Namely, the Serve , which we simply skipped over last time. And considering it's probably the most important stroke in tennis…
Hello Tennis Fans! First off, thanks for checking out my upcoming game Hardcourt Balls . This is my first project as a solo developer and I'm super excited to finally start sharing some of my journey with you, as well as explain a bit more about the core game design and what - I think - makes it really special. I plan on posting DevLogs regularly from here on out with a lot of in-depth info abo…
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Announcements are the developer’s own posts to the game’s Steam news feed: updates and their patch notes, in-game events, releases and sales. The important ones are marked on the players chart.