I think some sort of simple practice mode as part of the demo/tools on Steam would go down well - just something like a machine firing balls across the net randomly with no matches or anything; it'd help gather some feedback on things like changes to ball physics, shot mechanics and movement while giving people a little taste of what's on offer. I very much doubt people would decide not to purchase because that would be enough content for them... Look at how the DBC14 nets beta was received.
Still not liking what I'm seeing of the gameplay/physics/animation, and I'm not willing to part with £50 to give it a try in the hope it gets better but I (and many other tennis gamers) would definitely try such a demo and provide plenty of feedback. Currently many potential PC players are probably just pirating an old/unpatched version of the game in the absence of such a demo which surely paints a worse picture of the game than it deserves.
I'm glad there seems to be ongoing work towards making improvements and that you are asking to feedback, especially for important stuff like ball physics... However, if you are only asking people who were happy enough with the game in it's current state to pay £50 for it, it makes me wonder if those same people would be harsh enough with their criticism and/or whether they actually want a game that simulates tennis.
Having said that, I've seen the extensive and knowledgable feedback that many guys such as
@grkrama or
@blockerdave gave in the DBC beta threads over the years - I hope you are involving people as passionate about tennis in this project as the DBC beta guys are about cricket. I'd suggest talking to ITST members (doesn't have to be me), especially Elias; either by PM on the forum or on the Discord.
I have been very critical of the game and of BA/Ross, but still want to see any tennis game be as good as possible... I'll keep an eye on its progress.
