Boxing Club Manager releases today on Steam

[progen]

Poking around on Steam this morning and found this game under "Early Access" option. The company Alternative Software, located in England, appears to have made a decent rugby game(not a player in that sport), so hoping this game will deliver what we've all been missing for so long. Fights are in 3D.

I'm always skeptical with "early access" games, but it is on sale until February 1st. I have this on my wishlist, and will hang in there till the 1st, and hopefully there will be some reviews/feedback. I do see that they have Steam Workshop available for the modders, which is always a plus.

I also read over the manual, and liked what I saw there. Keeping fingers crossed!

Just a footnote: Their MMA Team Manager game which was released in 2019, received "mixed reviews", many negative. I've played a couple MMA games in the past,(prefer boxing) and nearly every sports genre in between, as well as WW2, city builder, political, etc., so maybe it just depends on what the player is looking for in the game. I did not play this game specifically though, and just like products on Amazon, I do value user feedback, and research as much as possible before buying a game.

[G-Force]

Supposedly a very in depth editor to create fighters...but at this point lots of comments it's VERY buggy. Worth watching though.

GH

[progen]

Originally Posted by G-Force

Supposedly a very in depth editor to create fighters...but at this point lots of comments it's VERY buggy. Worth watching though.

GH

They've just completed their 7th update, and the reviews have gotten better. Like you, keeping an eye on it, and with a few more updates, and when it's on sale again, I will probably purchase. Not paying $39.99, and the last sale price was $34.99, so we'll see how many changes are made, but like most games on Steam, over time, that price too will drop.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by progen

Poking around on Steam this morning and found this game under "Early Access" option. The company Alternative Software, located in England, appears to have made a decent rugby game(not a player in that sport), so hoping this game will deliver what we've all been missing for so long. Fights are in 3D...

I'm interested in seeing what that game has to offer, but I don't care at all about 3D fights. Realistic results and interesting "management" options are what I'm looking for.

If somebody came up with a boxing version of WMMA5, that would be ideal. I play WMMA5 a lot, even though I'm not a big fan of that sport.

[progen]

Originally Posted by Antonin

I'm interested in seeing what that game has to offer, but I don't care at all about 3D fights. Realistic results and interesting "management" options are what I'm looking for.

If somebody came up with a boxing version of WMMA5, that would be ideal. I play WMMA5 a lot, even though I'm not a big fan of that sport.

Same here. Really like WMMA5. Scratches my itch for now. I'm not into the 3D thing either, just hoping they get some things corrected. Still don't get how people are still playing TBCB. True loyalists I guess.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by progen

...Still don't get how people are still playing TBCB. True loyalists I guess.

I still play it. The realistic results are part of the reason. I remember back in the day when more people came to this forum, we would use the game to predict the results of actual fights. Great memories!

This is a really old game, but with a little effort and imagination, you can still use it to create a very vivid and exciting boxing universe.

Often when I play TBCB2.5 I think wistfully of the possibilities. Just a tweak here, a tiny new feature there, a couple of better ways to manage and filter data, and it would be the ultimate boxing game for hard core boxing fans...

Like many here, I'm an old geezer. I doubt that in my lifetime there will ever be the kind of boxing game TBCB2.5 should be. But one can always dream!

This discussion has made me want to haul out and re-read some of my old copies of The Ring...

Somewhere I have stored on a CD my historical HW universe, where John L. Sullivan reigns supreme. Maybe I'll fire it up this weekend!

[progen]

Originally Posted by Antonin

I still play it. The realistic results are part of the reason. I remember back in the day when more people came to this forum, we would use the game to predict the results of actual fights. Great memories!

This is a really old game, but with a little effort and imagination, you can still use it to create a very vivid and exciting boxing universe.

Often when I play TBCB2.5 I think wistfully of the possibilities. Just a tweak here, a tiny new feature there, a couple of better ways to manage and filter data, and it would be the ultimate boxing game for hard core boxing fans...

Like many here, I'm an old geezer. I doubt that in my lifetime there will ever be the kind of boxing game TBCB2.5 should be. But one can always dream!

This discussion has made me want to haul out and re-read some of my old copies of The Ring...

Somewhere I have stored on a CD my historical HW universe, where John L. Sullivan reigns supreme. Maybe I'll fire it up this weekend!

I hear ya! I'll be 67 in April. My neighbors my age, do crossword puzzles, and play chess, in order to keep their minds sharp. I'll stick to the challenge that these sim sports games give me. OOTP baseball and Football Manager are my go to games, and WMMA5 is third. And except for rugby and handball, I've played every sports sim game you can think of. I go back and forth on several, and right now I'm into Pro Cycling Manager 2020. Know very little about cycling, and haven't watched the Tour de France in 30 years, but I enjoy the challenge it brings, and learning something new about a certain sport. I also play wargames like Hearts of Iron 4, etc., and political games like Democracy 4, among others.

Occasionally, I'll jump on YouTube and watch some of the fights from the 60's. Lived about 45 minutes outside of Philly, so of course, Joe Frazier was our guy back then. When I was running long distance races in Philly, I'd see Jimmy Young running on Kelly Drive, along the Schuylkill river. Not many of those boxers still living today. Just saw Ron Stander passed away yesterday.

Amazing how many "big fights" were on the network stations. Made it to the Blue Horizon once, which was a real treat. Today, I haven't watched a fight in years, and it's sad how this sport has evolved with so many ridiculous champions, and how it has declined so much over the years.

[Cap]

I don't really follow boxing much any more. Too many titles and belts. Bad fights. I'm old now I guess so I prefer the sport up to about 1955. The sixties were good but always identified more with Louis, Dempsey, Burns, etc. Doesn't help we don't get live fights here in the Great White North unless you have special channels which I'm not buying. Once in a blue moon FOX has PBC fights on. (The ONLY time we watch FOX) Pretty hard to follow a sport that doesn't get a mention in the paper or on the TV news unless it's some ex-fighter getting arrested for being stupid.

I still enjoy TB 2.5 and the inspiration it gives to research fighters and hunt for old photos, and use my meagre skills to improve on some I find. I can spend hours without even playing the game, setting up stuff to use in the game.

If they could tweak it here and there, and add better graphics and voice (won't ever happen) that would be the perfect boxing game.

Cap

[Cap]

I took a look at the posted videos. Much prefer being a god-like promoter arranging fights to micro-managing as manager/trainer. So I'd want the AI to handle gym work and acquiring sponsors and stuff like that. Seems like a lot of team work involved and I can't be bothered with all the behind the scene machinations.

I'd be more interested in a fight scheduler and an out-of-action option where a fighter is suspended due to injury, either in the ring or outside it. A realistic number of cut stoppages or other similar fight ending injuries would be good too.

As far as graphics, you rarely see animations depict combat accurately unless you're playing a high-end type simulation made by one of the big companies. I'd be happy with a text-based game using simple animation that corresponded with what you're reading. It would also be cool to see the ref raise the hand of the winner or the loser being helped up by his cornermen in the event of a knockout. It would be a nice addition if you displayed what title, if any, is being fought for. At least in the first round, and how about seeing the ref's face on screen if he cautions a fighter, takes a point away or stops the fight to award a TKO.

Maybe when I win the lottery and can hire a team of programmers.

Cap

[progen]

Originally Posted by Cap

I took a look at the posted videos. Much prefer being a god-like promoter arranging fights to micro-managing as manager/trainer. So I'd want the AI to handle gym work and acquiring sponsors and stuff like that. Seems like a lot of team work involved and I can't be bothered with all the behind the scene machinations.

I'd be more interested in a fight scheduler and an out-of-action option where a fighter is suspended due to injury, either in the ring or outside it. A realistic number of cut stoppages or other similar fight ending injuries would be good too.

As far as graphics, you rarely see animations depict combat accurately unless you're playing a high-end type simulation made by one of the big companies. I'd be happy with a text-based game using simple animation that corresponded with what you're reading. It would also be cool to see the ref raise the hand of the winner or the loser being helped up by his cornermen in the event of a knockout. It would be a nice addition if you displayed what title, if any, is being fought for. At least in the first round, and how about seeing the ref's face on screen if he cautions a fighter, takes a point away or stops the fight to award a TKO.

Maybe when I win the lottery and can hire a team of programmers.

Cap

Yep, I hear ya! Although I like the management/training part. That's why I was hoping I could find World Championship Boxing Manager, the original version, not the one that's on Steam from 1990 which is awful. To me, the original was the best boxing game ever. And it was all text based, including the announcers giving round by round action.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Cap

I took a look at the posted videos. Much prefer being a god-like promoter arranging fights to micro-managing as manager/trainer. So I'd want the AI to handle gym work and acquiring sponsors and stuff like that. Seems like a lot of team work involved and I can't be bothered with all the behind the scene machinations.

I'd be more interested in a fight scheduler and an out-of-action option where a fighter is suspended due to injury, either in the ring or outside it. A realistic number of cut stoppages or other similar fight ending injuries would be good too.

As far as graphics, you rarely see animations depict combat accurately unless you're playing a high-end type simulation made by one of the big companies. I'd be happy with a text-based game using simple animation that corresponded with what you're reading. It would also be cool to see the ref raise the hand of the winner or the loser being helped up by his cornermen in the event of a knockout. It would be a nice addition if you displayed what title, if any, is being fought for. At least in the first round, and how about seeing the ref's face on screen if he cautions a fighter, takes a point away or stops the fight to award a TKO...

Cap

Yes indeed, Cap! As usual, you are on the mark.

It's funny, the game has ring card girls, but no way to filter out from the automated scheduler fighters who have suffered a KO loss in their last bout.

Don't get me wrong--I enjoy being able to have Halley Berry as a ring card girl. And I enjoy being able to "bet" on fights when I run a fight card. But on the importance scale, being able to exclude fighters who have suffered a KO or a major cut ranks much, much higher. I remember before the game had a Random Fighter Generator. I wonder why, when the RFG was introduced, some other small changes were not made.

Being able to advance game time instead of having to sort fighter lists to see when the last fight in your universe took place would be nice, too.

[progen]

Originally Posted by Cap

I took a look at the posted videos. Much prefer being a god-like promoter arranging fights to micro-managing as manager/trainer. So I'd want the AI to handle gym work and acquiring sponsors and stuff like that. Seems like a lot of team work involved and I can't be bothered with all the behind the scene machinations.

I'd be more interested in a fight scheduler and an out-of-action option where a fighter is suspended due to injury, either in the ring or outside it. A realistic number of cut stoppages or other similar fight ending injuries would be good too.

As far as graphics, you rarely see animations depict combat accurately unless you're playing a high-end type simulation made by one of the big companies. I'd be happy with a text-based game using simple animation that corresponded with what you're reading. It would also be cool to see the ref raise the hand of the winner or the loser being helped up by his cornermen in the event of a knockout. It would be a nice addition if you displayed what title, if any, is being fought for. At least in the first round, and how about seeing the ref's face on screen if he cautions a fighter, takes a point away or stops the fight to award a TKO.

Maybe when I win the lottery and can hire a team of programmers.

Cap

Point taken. I can see then why you would stick with a pure simulation game like TBCB. I do prefer games that have a "career mode", and yes, I like to get involved with the financial piece of things, which is important in sports sim management games. To me, seems a lot more realistic, and forces you to make more choices, when it comes to what player to sign, the best sponsor you can get, and even ticket prices in most cases.

I haven't played TBCB in eons, but from what I remember, it just didn't provide me with enough of a challenge compared to games that I'm used to playing(Football Manager, OOTP Baseball, WMMA5, etc). I guess you could add a stable of fighters in TBCB and "bring them along" in hopes of a championship fight, but I miss the financial end, and the challenge of holding onto those fighters, keeping them away from a larger organization. And negotiating contracts, dealing with agents, I find appealing. Things like that.

To each his own though. And obviously, we differ on what attracts us to a certain game. But sounds like you found a way to keep busy with TBCB, as I have with my choice of games. And like you, I just keep holding on in hope that we'll get a boxing game to both our liking.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by progen

...I guess you could add a stable of fighters in TBCB and "bring them along" in hopes of a championship fight...

This is what I do. Back when we were manually creating fighters I placed all of mine in a group called Big Tony's North Coast Gym. It's a group I've continued in all of my fictional universes up to today. I give them colorful nicknames and sometimes a "face" using an old demo version of FaceGen.

This is a somewhat awkward way to boost my interest in the progress of a universe, but it's better than nothing.