Is this a bug? "fight inside" for a boxer who doesn't have this rating

[meade95]

Just wondering, is this a bug.

I recently had Henry Akinwande fight Riddick Bowe and in Akinwande's ratings he has a ZERO in the category of "fight inside" - (3) for fight outside and (3) for cover-up -

Yet, during the match I caught Akinwande using the "fight inside" strategy during two seperate rounds??

Just curious.

[meade95]

I should also add for the record. Riddick Bowe Ko'd Akinwande in the 9th.

And the main event ended in a shocker for my boxing world. Defending WBC HW Champion Lennox Lewis was Ko'd in the 7th by a post-prime Michael Dokes!! - Dokes was downhimself in the 2nd round and losing on all cards.

Lennox is seeking a rematch. But Dokes might take a creampuff in his first defense.

[meade95]

Also with the patch 1.8 does there seem to be some very early stoppages?? -

Mitch Halpern is rated as a "late" for stoppage - But I have seen him stop a number of fights when there aren't even an knock-downs.

I just had Holyfield Vs Tua and Holyfield won via 7th rd Tko. Tua was never knocked down and at the time of the stoppage Evander was leading slightly on 2 cards and a draw on the other (so it wasn't like there was a huge as* whompping being put on prior to the stoppage).

Have others seen this as well?? Curious.

[hamed]

Interesting stuff meade, Lewis is my WBC champ too. He'll probably defend against Danny Williams next for a big fight in the UK!

Years ago with the old game, Holyfield defended his WBA title against Tua & knocked him out @ 0:41 of the 9th. It was a good fight with Holy up 104 to 100 in punches landed up to that point.

[Odrog]

To answer your meade's original question: No, it's not a bug. The fighter ratings for strategies determine the fighters ability to execute that strategy. Any fighter can use any strategy, a guy with a zero rating just sucks at it.


For What It's Worth
The Fat Man

[meade95]

Originally Posted by Odrog

To answer your meade's original question: No, it's not a bug. The fighter ratings for strategies determine the fighters ability to execute that strategy. Any fighter can use any strategy, a guy with a zero rating just sucks at it.The Fat Man

Is that so? I thought the "intellect" rating was the rating used to "determine the ability of the fighter to execute" the given strategy.

In the old versions a fighter would not be able to implement a "strategy" he was not rated in - For example you could tell a fighter to "fight inside" only if he had a rating of say "2" in his "fight inside" category - (and once you used that strategy 2 times....he was done using fight inside for the rest of the fight" - he would just fight at "normal" if you clicked fight inside.

In fact, I think the purpose of giving a fighter a rating in the following "fight inside, fight outside (off/def), cover up, or Go For Ko........ The purpose of having these was to box certain fighters into fighting the way the "really" do.

Even when the AI (computer controlled) was managing the fighter in simmed fights. The AI would only use the fighter in the ratings he was assigned.

[Odrog]

Originally Posted by meade95

Is that so? I thought the "intellect" rating was the rating used to "determine the ability of the fighter to execute" the given strategy.

In the old versions a fighter would not be able to implement a "strategy" he was not rated in - For example you could tell a fighter to "fight inside" only if he had a rating of say "2" in his "fight inside" category - (and once you used that strategy 2 times....he was done using fight inside for the rest of the fight" - he would just fight at "normal" if you clicked fight inside.

In fact, I think the purpose of giving a fighter a rating in the following "fight inside, fight outside (off/def), cover up, or Go For Ko........ The purpose of having these was to box certain fighters into fighting the way the "really" do.

Even when the AI (computer controlled) was managing the fighter in simmed fights. The AI would only use the fighter in the ratings he was assigned.

Yes, I remember reading that that's how it worked in old versions. Apparently some people complained that it was too restrictive or something. In TB1.x, as I understand it, the strategy ratings are used in conjunction with Intellect, as you mentioned, to determine whether the fighter actually executes the strategy he's told to. I don't know all the ins and outs of this, but there is definitely no longer any "cap" on how many times you can use a strat. I've seen "Go for KO" used five or six rounds in a row. I personally find this more realistic. After all, anybody can try to bull their way inside, all day long, but if that's not their style they'll have a lot of trouble succeeding.


For What it's Worth
The Fat Man


P.S. A question of my own? does any of this come into play when you Cover Up mid-round due to opponent's Killer Instinct, or is that truly automatic?

[Hollywood Blond]

Originally Posted by Odrog

P.S. A question of my own? does any of this come into play when you Cover Up mid-round due to opponent's Killer Instinct, or is that truly automatic?

Yes, it does. Sometimes, when a fighter is hurt, you will not be asked if you want to Cover Up is they are not skilled at doing so. Other times, you may be asked, but then when you try to, it does not work.

[wildhawke11]

Role of Strategy in Title Bout Championship Boxing
By Jim Trunzo

One of the more controversial aspects of Title Bout Championship Boxing is the use of strategies in a fight. As with many of the features in the boxing simulation, there’s more depth and complexity to them than is apparent. Strategies are often misunderstood and occasionally abused because their subtleties are either missed or simply ignored.

To understand the way strategies work, it is important to comprehend the formula behind the strategies. In versions prior to Title Fight 2001, strategy ratings were employed in a different way. Generic in their application, the strategy rating simply indicated the number of times a particular strategy could be used.

If, for example, Ali had a “Fighting Outside Defensively” rating of 4, he could employ that strategy four times during a ten round fight. If Chuck Wepner had 1 rating in the same strategy category, he could use that strategy only once in a ten-round bout.

The old system had limitations in a number of ways. First, some fighters might have had only four numbers total among all the strategies offered. True, the gamer using that fighter had to decide when to use a given strategy to its greatest advantage; but in too many cases the decisions were no-brainers. It also meant that there would be at least six rounds during which there would be no interaction between the gamer and the fighter he was “managing.”

Furthermore, a fighter who had twice as many total strategy numbers as his opponent enjoyed a huge advantage, considering the potential ramifications of using a strategy in the first place.

With the advent of Title Fight 2001, the procedure used to determine when a strategy would go into effect began to evolve and the latest version of the computer boxing simulation, Title Bout Championship Boxing, polished the strategies to its current level of functionality.

Strategies have no limits placed on them now, as they had before. If you wish to have a fighter “Fight Inside” every round, you can. Whether or not your fighter will do so is another matter altogether.

A strategy is employed based upon the fighter’s ability to use it. The chance of a fighter carrying out his corners’ instructions (your strategy selection) is based upon the following formula: (Fighter Strategy Rating Base % + Fighter’s Intelligence Rating + Trainer’s Strategy Rating). How does this work in practical terms? Let’s take a look at two examples to illustrate the formula.

Fighter A has a “Fight Inside” rating of 3, an “Intelligence” rating of 7 and a trainer whose “Strategy” rating is 8. His chance of successfully fighting inside as instructed would be: (50 + 7 + 8) = 65 out of a random 100, or 65%.

Fighter B has a “Fight Inside” rating of 1, an “Intelligence” rating of 3 and a trainer whose “Strategy” rating is 4. His chance of successfully fighting inside as instructed would be: (20 + 3 +4) = 27 out of a random 100, or 27%.

The chance of a fighter following a strategy ranges, depending upon the combination of the three ratings used, from a low of 7% to a high of 85%. For those who love to play with the numbers or are simply curious about what is going on behind the scenes, the base numbers are as follows: a strategy rating of 0 = 5; 1 = 20; 2 = 35; 3= 50; and 4 = 65.

The switch to the new system allows you to instruct any fighter to use any strategy in any round, giving you -- interacting as the corner man -- unprecedented flexibility over the entire range of strategies. However, just as in real life, you can’t milk a pig. You can’t tell a 300 pound, 38-year old slugger to fight outside defensively every round and expect him to carry out those instructions. Logically, an intelligent fighter with the physical abilities to perform the strategy assigned him by an intelligent corner man will have a much better chance of doing as asked than his exact opposite.

With a loosening of the reins concerning strategies came an equal ability to abuse their use. Over and over, a warning was sounded that using strategies carried a risk in the form of altering the realism of a given fighter. When used judiciously, employing strategies can actually enhance the accuracy of a fight’s outcome; when used without understanding or reason, using those same strategies can result in bizarre outcomes.

A fighter’s ratings are abstract and many work in sync with each other. Collectively, they are meant to mirror a fighter’s overall abilities and provide an accurate portrayal of his probable performance against the myriad fighters whom he might face in Title Bout Championship Boxing. No fighter is or could be rated separately against every other fighter in the database. That means that there are some inherent generalities that go into the make up of each fighter.

Because of the above, a George Foreman or a Carlos Zarate might go a few more rounds with a fighter than one might expect. If Foreman knocked out “Joe Blow” in Round 1 in real life, he might stop him in Round 4 of your bout . . . in one fight! Fight the two of them 100 times and you’ll be surprised at how many first round knockouts you get versus fifth round stoppages!

But this is a perfect example of where employing the correct strategy will greatly enhance the chance of getting an exact replication of an actual bout. It’s safe to assume that “Joe Blow” has a bad knockdown/knockout rating. In truth, he probably is cannon fodder for Foreman and offers little if any risk. Select “Go All Out for KO” and see what happens! The behind-the-scenes rating changes will send Foreman’s HP skyrocketing and greatly increase the chance of Foreman landing a destructive, fight-ending blow.

Conversely, here’s a perfect example of the danger of using strategies in a ridiculous manner. Joe Louis was a deadly offensive force, and while mechanical to some extent, no dummy inside the ropes. He had incredible killer instinct and all the tools needed to set a fighter up for a knockout. On the other hand, while Louis’ chin was not made out of china, it wasn’t granite either. Let’s say that Louis was in against “Joe Koblow”, a power-hitting opponent with a below average chin.

The real-life Louis would want to exploit Koblow’s weak chin but he would also be aware of – as would his corner – his opponent’s power. Louis’ approach would certainly be one in which he looked for his opening but worked behind his punching accuracy, his deadly jab, and his body work. Louis would not open up and expose himself to Koblow’s power until he had softened the latter up. It just makes sense. Sap an opponent’s endurance and you sap his strength, lower his hitting power, weaken his ability to take a punch even more, and affect his defense.

If you, as his not-so-bright corner man (behind the scenes, as it were!) decide to send Louis out in the first round and instruct him to “Go All Out for KO”, you are opening him up Joe Koblow’s best asset, his power, when it is at his peak. So now you have needlessly placed Louis’ average chin in a precarious position at the worst possible time. Don’t be overly surprised when old Joe Koblow floors The Brown Bomber; and don’t blame Title Bout for being inaccurate either! You were the one who called this shot!

Each of the strategies included have multiple aspects and uses. Almost all of them can be correctly employed at any time depending upon the given situation. Nevertheless, all of them also greatly affect the standard ratings of the fighter using them and, without question, can alter the outcome of any given fight.

Hopefully, this article gives you some food for thought and a better understanding of how strategies function in the game. Title Bout Championship Boxing’s documentation gives a good explanation of each strategy and its purpose. For those of you whose attitude is “Real Men don’t need no stinking documentation” (any more than we need help with directions when traveling, or we don’t cry, or we can’t stand women’s boxing!), you might want to take a look at the manual when nobody is looking and go over each strategy’s potential use.


Right now you guys owe Danny a beer

[meade95]

Wildhawke11 - THANKS. Helps a lot.

[Jim Trunzo]

I'll buy him a six-pack, just for the time he saved me!

[mh2365]

Originally Posted by wildhawke11

Right now you guys owe Danny a beer

If you ever make it to Louisville KY, I will definately buy you all the beer you want.