Tbcb 2.5?

[WeiLo]

Originally Posted by Rocco Del Sesto

Looking at this discussion and disappointed to hear about shutting down the license site for 2.5. I've tried the PC games for TB ll, LOB, The old Data Boxing which I got running on Linux and I still keep coming back to the old TB2.5. just has the best features! Also the vast fighter DBs that have been created over the years.

Currently I run TB2.5 on Linux Mint thru use of Wine. Do hope I can keep it running there!

Recently I saw some other thread that had a place to download a bunch of the old TB files from version 1 up through 2.5.27. Does what is there in any way allow you to fresh load TB and run it without the eLicense up any longer?

Rocco

Not as far as I can tell. When I install it fresh, it starts in demo mode and needs the license to be activated.

The only thing I can think of to keep it running in the future is to virtualize the computer it's licensed on, then keep a snapshot of that virtualized image somewhere safe

If you search YouTube for tutorials to convert a physical computer to a virtual one, there are lots of vids. Not sure if there are free tools out there that let you do this, but worth a look if you want to keep legacy software running as long as you have hardware that can run the virtual machine

I wish I had the foresight to do this the last time I had a licensed copy of 2.5.27 running. It truly was the best version. I think promises of 3.0 "coming soon" made me believe the franchise was in good health and had me waiting patiently for the release which never came.

DRM only really hurts the paying customers and this is one of but many examples out there.

[Rocco Del Sesto]

Originally Posted by WeiLo

Not as far as I can tell. When I install it fresh, it starts in demo mode and needs the license to be activated.

The only thing I can think of to keep it running in the future is to virtualize the computer it's licensed on, then keep a snapshot of that virtualized image somewhere safe

If you search YouTube for tutorials to convert a physical computer to a virtual one, there are lots of vids. Not sure if there are free tools out there that let you do this, but worth a look if you want to keep legacy software running as long as you have hardware that can run the virtual machine

I wish I had the foresight to do this the last time I had a licensed copy of 2.5.27 running. It truly was the best version. I think promises of 3.0 "coming soon" made me believe the franchise was in good health and had me waiting patiently for the release which never came.

DRM only really hurts the paying customers and this is one of but many examples out there.

I'll continue some searching around these Forums and see If I find what I thought I'd seen. But, I don't know if there was something included that somehow let you run the game without an electronic license from the old server site?
Rocco

[WeiLo]

Originally Posted by Rocco Del Sesto

I'll continue some searching around these Forums and see If I find what I thought I'd seen. But, I don't know if there was something included that somehow let you run the game without an electronic license from the old server site?
Rocco

Are you talking about the files here? http://ootpdevfiles.com/tb/

As far as I know, the elicen40.dll file is only there in case it's missing from your installation. I've tried removing the file I had and using the one from that link and it didn't change anything. They appear to be identical.

[Rocco Del Sesto]

Originally Posted by WeiLo

Are you talking about the files here? http://ootpdevfiles.com/tb/

As far as I know, the elicen40.dll file is only there in case it's missing from your installation. I've tried removing the file I had and using the one from that link and it didn't change anything. They appear to be identical.

Yep! that's it what I'd seen one time. Went in that link and saw those files. So does that elicen40dll file, you put into the game file somewhere and it "license" the game you've installed? I have 2.5.27 currently working with the install I had so I'd not done anything with those files trying to load and license it.
Thanks for pointing this out.
Rocco

[pilight]

Originally Posted by WeiLo

I emailed Andreas and got a response from support at OOTP. eLicense has shut down their licensing servers so it will not be possible to license TBCB 2.5 going forward. There are no plans to work on DRM free version as it is an old game.

The next step would be to ask Andreas for permission to reverse engineer a non-commercial version of the game that doesn't require eLicense, then work on coding that. Alternatively, you could do it without permission but you leave yourself open to lawsuits.

The eLicen40.dll validates the license, but the actual license blob is likely buried in the registry somewhere. It's basically impossible to find or replicate.

[Rocco Del Sesto]

Originally Posted by pilight

The next step would be to ask Andreas for permission to reverse engineer a non-commercial version of the game that doesn't require eLicense, then work on coding that. Alternatively, you could do it without permission but you leave yourself open to lawsuits.

The eLicen40.dll validates the license, but the actual license blob is likely buried in the registry somewhere. It's basically impossible to find or replicate.

Thank you for explaining all that. I'm not overly computer knowledgeable to understand the workings.
Rocco

[jw80daddy]

I had emailed OOTP Developments about 4 years ago to see if there was any way to download or re-purchase TBCB 2.5, but it never lead anywhere. They responded and asked if I still had my purchase code, which I still do from my 2008 purchase. I sent it to them, but never received another response from them. I used the link that was posted above and was able to download TBCB 2.5 on my current laptop (OS Windows 11), but of course my purchase code is now useless. I can currently run the trial/demo version of it. I have a few questions and hope that someone can kindly help me out: 1. Is there any way to actually tap into the full game? 2. I'm not the most computer savvy, so I'm not sure where to place the update patch (tb2.5.27). And the game file that I downloaded had an elicen40 file already in it, but that doesn't appear to be any good. And 3. After the trial runs out, could I just uninstall the game and then reinstall it to have access for another 10 days? Thanks in advance. Apologies for the long post.

[WeiLo]

Originally Posted by jw80daddy

I had emailed OOTP Developments about 4 years ago to see if there was any way to download or re-purchase TBCB 2.5, but it never lead anywhere. They responded and asked if I still had my purchase code, which I still do from my 2008 purchase. I sent it to them, but never received another response from them. I used the link that was posted above and was able to download TBCB 2.5 on my current laptop (OS Windows 11), but of course my purchase code is now useless. I can currently run the trial/demo version of it. I have a few questions and hope that someone can kindly help me out: 1. Is there any way to actually tap into the full game? 2. I'm not the most computer savvy, so I'm not sure where to place the update patch (tb2.5.27). And the game file that I downloaded had an elicen40 file already in it, but that doesn't appear to be any good. And 3. After the trial runs out, could I just uninstall the game and then reinstall it to have access for another 10 days? Thanks in advance. Apologies for the long post.

1. No, I recently reached out to Andreas and got an email from OOTP support saying that online license registration no longer works and they have no plans to work on a DRM-less version of the game.

2. You would extract the file (I believe it is only an exe file) in the same folder the game was installed to.

3. No, it remembers that the game was installed unfortunately.

[jw80daddy]

Originally Posted by WeiLo

1. No, I recently reached out to Andreas and got an email from OOTP support saying that online license registration no longer works and they have no plans to work on a DRM-less version of the game.

2. You would extract the file (I believe it is only an exe file) in the same folder the game was installed to.

3. No, it remembers that the game was installed unfortunately.

Oh, I see. That's a bummer. Thank you for your reply. I did figure out where to place the patch. But I guess it doesn't really matter anymore ��
Do you know of any alternative game that comes close to TBCB 2.5? I've looked into Legends of Boxing and the PC version of Title Bout 2.

[WeiLo]

Originally Posted by jw80daddy

Oh, I see. That's a bummer. Thank you for your reply. I did figure out where to place the patch. But I guess it doesn't really matter anymore ��
Do you know of any alternative game that comes close to TBCB 2.5? I've looked into Legends of Boxing and the PC version of Title Bout 2.

It is indeed a bummer.

There is the 2013 version of Title Bout, but it is very buggy. If you don't mind the bugs it's okay, but I don't really recommend it. I only use it because it's the only version available to me that does what I want it to.

I have Legends of Boxing, but the universe tools aren't very deep by comparison, and from what I can tell you need to purchase at least one weight class expansion to create fighters. I really like the dice engine behind the fights though. Really delivers the feel of a boxing match imo and the career part of the game does feel like you are managing a stable of fighters.

I don't have the PC version of Title Bout 2, so I have no opinion on it.

[jw80daddy]

Originally Posted by WeiLo

It is indeed a bummer.

There is the 2013 version of Title Bout, but it is very buggy. If you don't mind the bugs it's okay, but I don't really recommend it. I only use it because it's the only version available to me that does what I want it to.

I have Legends of Boxing, but the universe tools aren't very deep by comparison, and from what I can tell you need to purchase at least one weight class expansion to create fighters. I really like the dice engine behind the fights though. Really delivers the feel of a boxing match imo and the career part of the game does feel like you are managing a stable of fighters.

I don't have the PC version of Title Bout 2, so I have no opinion on it.

Yeah, I have the 2013 version. It was definitely a disappointment.
Thank you so much for all of this information! I did see that you have to purchase sets of boxers for Legends of Boxing. I've been looking at a few dice boxing games such as 4-Dice Boxing and Fight Card Boxing. They both look interesting, so I'll likely settle on one of those since I enjoy pencil, paper, dice games.

[AZZA]

ok so my game which sits on my desktop as shortcut has disappeared am I missing something ? I se the old version ?

[Cap]

Based on requests I've seen on here and PMs I've rec'd, there still seems to be a demand for a text-based boxing game like Title Bout. Is there just no financial incentive for a company like OOTP to support creating one? Paul Norman purchased the rights to Title Bout apparently. Do those rights lapse after a certain number of years when he doesn't seem to be doing anything these days to bring the game back to life in some form?

Interest in boxing appears to have died in the US. If the heavyweight champ isn't American the US media doesn't care. The sport thrives elsewhere. Maybe some European company would back a new boxing sim. It would likely have to have flashy CGI animation to attract the younger crowd though and a career option. I doubt it would have the longevity of Title Bout....

Cap

Playing Title Bout for almost thirty years.

[Rob Morris]

Originally Posted by Cap

Based on requests I've seen on here and PMs I've rec'd, there still seems to be a demand for a text-based boxing game like Title Bout. Is there just no financial incentive for a company like OOTP to support creating one? Paul Norman purchased the rights to Title Bout apparently. Do those rights lapse after a certain number of years when he doesn't seem to be doing anything these days to bring the game back to life in some form?

Interest in boxing appears to have died in the US. If the heavyweight champ isn't American the US media doesn't care. The sport thrives elsewhere. Maybe some European company would back a new boxing sim. It would likely have to have flashy CGI animation to attract the younger crowd though and a career option. I doubt it would have the longevity of Title Bout....

Cap

Playing Title Bout for almost thirty years.

TBH I wouldn't say boxing is thriving in the UK either, globally it is a niche sport so sadly I cannot see a company producing a sim, the potential market would be too small imho.

[Cap]

Originally Posted by Rob Morris

TBH I wouldn't say boxing is thriving in the UK either, globally it is a niche sport so sadly I cannot see a company producing a sim, the potential market would be too small imho.

It's got to be better attended in the UK than here in Canada where it is virtually nonexistent. MMA gets mentioned in the media and shows up on the cable sports channel for some reason, but boxing isn't even mentioned in the lists of "Other Sports". So it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the concept of combat sports.

Having researched boxing history in Canada, it was most popular after the two world wars, drawing fans from returning soldiers. As other sports became more organized, newspapers were able to relegate boxing news to side columns as hockey, baseball, rugby, football and later basketball demanded more space. Boxing's lack of a single true governing body and predictably scheduled events didn't help. Modern media likes the idea of seasons because it makes their job easier. They can't be bothered trying to follow the chaotic world of pugilism. Most fans can't either. So it's become an Event, much like a concert.

Still, with a population of nearly a billion people in North America and Europe you'd think there'd be enough casual fans to support a good boxing sim.

Cap

[Rocco Del Sesto]

Originally Posted by Cap

Based on requests I've seen on here and PMs I've rec'd, there still seems to be a demand for a text-based boxing game like Title Bout. Is there just no financial incentive for a company like OOTP to support creating one? Paul Norman purchased the rights to Title Bout apparently. Do those rights lapse after a certain number of years when he doesn't seem to be doing anything these days to bring the game back to life in some form?

Interest in boxing appears to have died in the US. If the heavyweight champ isn't American the US media doesn't care. The sport thrives elsewhere. Maybe some European company would back a new boxing sim. It would likely have to have flashy CGI animation to attract the younger crowd though and a career option. I doubt it would have the longevity of Title Bout....

Cap

Playing Title Bout for almost thirty years.

So the eLicense server for TB2.5 has been shutdown. That mean OOTP has totally dropped support of the program. Can it be set up somehow as a non licensed software available for anyone to run? Would that take some reprogramming of it so it would not require the license for full running if it? Just curious about the logistics of this. It's an old program but still worth keeping it going somehow.
Rocco

[pilight]

With elicense out of business and OOTP unwilling to produce a DRM free version, 2.5 is what they call "legally owned, technically unexecutable software" in the software preservation world. The next step should be to contact OOTP and ask whether they would grant written permission for personal archival use, non-commercial preservation, clean-room reimplementation, or community-maintained compatibility efforts

You are not asking them to do work—only to say “we won’t object.” The answer you get will determine what you can legally do.

If you don't care about the legality or plan to do something you know is unlawful, I'd recommend you not discuss it on the official OOTP message board.

[Cap]

A senior member of the OOTP team told me Paul Norman bought the rights to the game. So if anything is going to happen he has to do it.

Cap

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Cap

A senior member of the OOTP team told me Paul Norman bought the rights to the game. So if anything is going to happen he has to do it.

Cap

All that means is someone needs to ask him for permission instead of OOTP.

Since we're not talking about a graphical game, a clean-room implementation should be fairly straightforward. Instead of disassembling the code you'd be rewriting it. Since we know how the engine works from the board game, someone could get an AI to do most of the codework. This method would have the advantage of being patchable if we wanted to add the Atomweight class or change the way the game deals with download errors or other minor tweaks.

[Cap]

Sounds like you have a plan. Gaun' yersel'.