Fight Night Round 4 GI Preview/Features

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:24 pm

Good fighting Zeppo. Greggsand, I used your Big Allen created boxer against Zeppo's Apollo Creed. It wasn't pretty. I couldn't distract Z with BA's man boobs.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:19 am

TheGamer wrote:Good fighting Zeppo. Greggsand, I used your Big Allen created boxer against Zeppo's Apollo Creed. It wasn't pretty. I couldn't distract Z with BA's man boobs.

Awesome. I also have a fighter "Silly Nelson" that's a scan of my face - talk about distracting (and scary)! I actually look better after a few black eyes.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:50 pm

I am enjoying this game but there are some things that bother me.

1. Counter punches are too effective. I understand the whole concept and have no problems with it in theory. I do, however, have a problem with it in practice.

2. Punches have no weight to them. The only punches that feel like punches are when you counter. Land an uppercut and it feels the same as a quick jab. Land a haymaker, same thing. This really detracts from the immersion.

3. I don't like the get up minigame very much. I freely admit I'm not very good at it and that may be the biggest reason.

4. I also don't like the in-between-rounds crap. Give me advice and let me get back out there. Let my cutman handle fixing me up. Fortunately you can just do everything automatically.

5. Take out the health and fatigue bars. One thing I really like about the UFC game is there are no health or fatigue bars (of course you can turn them on if you want to but it defaults to off) and there are visual clues as to when your fighter or your opponent is starting to fatigue. I really like that aspect since you know when it's a good time to push the tempo of the fight in a much more immersive way.

6. The controls just aren't very good. They're certainly good enough to throw combos but I don't find myself throwing exactly what I want like I do using the face buttons. Sometimes I'll try to throw an uppercut and I'll throw a hook. Sometimes I'll try to throw a hook and I throw a jab. Sometimes I'll be holding the RT and move my right stick up to block and I throw a punch. I'm definitely used to the controls but there hasn't been a fight yet that I wasn't frustrated because I wasn't doing exactly what I wanted to be doing. And in a fighting game that can make the difference between winning and losing.

7. I never get the sense that 1 punch will end the fight. I haven't seen a flash knockout yet and it seems like every knockout I've seen had the fighter dazed before getting knocked out. I haven't seen a knockout earlier than the 5th round. I've missed fights taking a piss before so I'd like to see it in the game. Though I must commend them for stopping fights where a fighter has been knocked out enough and is just getting pummeled and the ref decides he's seen enough. Good stuff.

Now that I wrote it out I guess that list is a little longer than I thought but that doesn't mean I don't like this game. I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit. It's easily the best Fight Night released and definitely the best boxing title released. I can't say that it's the best fighting game released though.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:44 pm

"5. Take out the health and fatigue bars. One thing I really like about the UFC game is there are no health or fatigue bars (of course you can turn them on if you want to but it defaults to off) and there are visual clues as to when your fighter or your opponent is starting to fatigue. I really like that aspect since you know when it's a good time to push the tempo of the fight in a much more immersive way. "

You can turn these off in FN in the options menu ("HUD = Off"). It's the only way I play it.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:03 pm

ScoopBrady wrote:I am enjoying this game but there are some things that bother me.

6. The controls just aren't very good. They're certainly good enough to throw combos but I don't find myself throwing exactly what I want like I do using the face buttons. Sometimes I'll try to throw an uppercut and I'll throw a hook. Sometimes I'll try to throw a hook and I throw a jab. Sometimes I'll be holding the RT and move my right stick up to block and I throw a punch. I'm definitely used to the controls but there hasn't been a fight yet that I wasn't frustrated because I wasn't doing exactly what I wanted to be doing. And in a fighting game that can make the difference between winning and losing.

That's my main beef with the game, it doesn't take my enjoyment of the boxing art completely, but it does hinder my way of how I want to box and control my punches. At times blocking seem a tad delayed too.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:08 pm

Yeah, but I was talking more of the visual cues such as breathing with their mouth open, a guard that started at their chin but has now dropped to their chest, or slower punches.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:47 pm

I wrote a whole long thing, Scoop, but the bottom line is that it's definitely a 'sim-cade' kind of boxing game, not a straight sim. Although I bet you could 'sim it up' with sliders possibly and the HUD adjustment. But as a sim-cade game I think it's pretty stunning looking, and very fun to play. Time will tell if the game pays off with depth as we get better at defense and blocking, but it may turn out that the brawler method ends up being the best way to go, unfortunately. We'll find out, but I'm liking what I see so far.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:40 am

C'mon people, upload your dudes! That's right MacMan, I'm looking at YOU! I'd love to put all these overall 76s into a Legacy mode at Lightweight and see what they do on their own in there as I progress.

A note on my Benton Pierce, the Middelweight I created using Sugar Ray Robinson as a template. It turns out, there is clearly a set of level caps for certain attributes that are indeed weight class related. I set all my numbers in the Create a Boxer to match Sugar Ray Robinson, but I ended up with points left over and his overall was an 80 or so vs. Robinson's 93. So I went ahead and maxed him out to an overall 86, thinking he now had to be somehow better than SRR. Well, when I check the numbers on Fight Now mode (which is where I got the Robinson numbers), Pierce's numbers for punch power, hand speed, and others are lower than Robinson's, meaning they are also lower than what appears when looking in Create a Boxer (or Edit) mode.

So, I dug around a bit at OS, and it does appear these rating caps are for real. For example, apparently with a Featherweight you can't have a punch power higher than, like, 30 or so. Now, I'm not sure if that means that if you put Left Pewer to 100 in CAB mode that his number will be 30 when you look at it in Fight Now, or if you can set it to 30 in CAB and it will be at 30 when you fight. I get the feeling, and the gist of the comments at OS, is that if you set it to, say, 50, it will end up at 15 in Fight Now, and you have to set it to 100 to get it to 30.

Its all a bit confusing, especially because certain attributes aren't subject to these caps. So, clearly my Benton Pierce, using all the points to end up an 86 or 87 overall, really is weaker than Sugar Ray Robinson at 93 when you compare their ratings in the Fight Now.

So where I was earlier thinking there are hidden ratings that boost the licensed boxers to higher overall ratings, right now it looks like they actually may just have more points available to them to get their overall ratings up. Now, I haven't tried copying a Heavyweight's numbers, like say Ali, and seeing if I end up with points left over, so I'm not sure what goes on there. I'm pretty sure things like footspeed and such would be subject to cappage, whereas power would not. Some at OS seem to think the overall ratings are misleading and that created boxers maxed out to 86 or 87 are really worth 92 or 93 compared to licensed boxers, but I don't think that's right. I think it's more that each weight class has it's own set of ratios for each attribute between the CAB points and the points that show up in Fight Now when you box.

None of this really matters, I guess, but I find it interesting to note. For example, I created my Bob Roland for our tourney to leave 150 pts on the boards, but I haven't looked at his numbers in the Fight Now screen, only in the CAB mode. I think I left some things, like body toughness, very low, as the ratings seemed to be low for Lightweights in general, but now I'm thinking those areas are probably super low in Fight Now for Roland due to the cap.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:23 pm

So, has anyone noticed any weirdness with created boxers in legacy mode? I mean created boxers seeded in as CPU controlled pros, not the player character.

In one of my legacy modes, I seeded in a bunch of created guys, including my own creations. At one point, I was scrolling through the carious rankings, and noticed the faces of some of the creations either didn't match up (as in the case of one of my creations), or was all messed up with scratchy, squiggly lines all over the bottom half of the image, and the face behind that wasn't anything close to what it should be.

Seems to be pretty glitchy stuff going on. I am playing mostly my original legacy career, which has no CABs in it, so I haven't yet been able to fight any CABs in any legacy mode. I'd really like to get all the lightweight 76s from our tournament and start a lightweight legacy with Bob Roland so that I can fight them and see how they progress (or not) through the career. This glitchiness is a little worrisome, though. The idea of populating the legend mode with lots and lots of creations, either 'missing' real boxers or DSPers crazy inventions - perhaps it's too good to be true?

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:08 pm

I have about 6 created boxers in my legacy mode & haven't noticed any of those problems (so far).

I actually had to put the game for a couple of days. The game's a killer on my thumbs!

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:34 pm

Well, my first, and only, created boxer has grabbed hold of his first belt. Spider Rico is the heavyweight champion of the world. After a draw with James Toney in the first championship bout, Toney defended his title in the rematch by scores of 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113. But in the re-rematch, Spider dominated winning a unanimous decision. Up next, a mandatory defense against George Foreman.

Being champ was nice while it lasted.

I'm really grabbing hold of the controls now and can pretty much throw what i want when i want, with the occasional hiccup. The one thing I am finding to be frustrating is when I am coming out of a blocking position and accidentally let go of the LT prior to letting go of the position on the RS and I often throw a punch only to have it be countered mightily. Still, game is really enjoyable.

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:08 pm

Rally why don't you upload your boxer for us.

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:51 pm

Mine....mine.....mine..mine.

Sure, will do. Don't expect anything wonderful. I don't put the time in that most of you guys do, but why not.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:16 pm

greggsand wrote:I have about 6 created boxers in my legacy mode & haven't noticed any of those problems (so far).

Do you have any downloaded boxers in your legacy? It's weird, but the two times I've had 'scratchy face' were downloaded guys, and lingering too long on them or hitting the button to look at their recent fights causes the game to freeze.

And both times the boxer was not in my division. Also, I've no problems with any of the heavyweights, and I've downloaded a lot more heavyweights than any other division. Of course, in both cases it was just one single boxer that was messed up with 'scratchy face.'

But then it is very weird that my own created lightweight (not the division my legacy guy is in) has a perfectly fine head portrait - but it's not his head. He hasn't made my game freeze, and I'm sure I will never fight him, so it won't affect me, but it is weird.

I am thinking there must be something fishy about the downloaded boxers. They all look fine in the boxer gallery, but after a few fights in legacy, something seems to get screwy with some of them.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:05 pm

Yeah, downloaded 2 at least (Ron Burgundy & some creepy Joker dude).

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:24 am

I freakin' suck at this game. I started a legacy and I'm 1-3...lol. This game is way to complex for my simple mind.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:12 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:I freakin' suck at this game. I started a legacy and I'm 1-3...lol. This game is way to complex for my simple mind.

Are you playing on the default skill level?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:44 am

sportdan30 wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:I freakin' suck at this game. I started a legacy and I'm 1-3...lol. This game is way to complex for my simple mind.
Are you playing on the default skill level?

Yes...I haven't changed any skill level stuff. It's brutal.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:41 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:I freakin' suck at this game. I started a legacy and I'm 1-3...lol. This game is way to complex for my simple mind.

it takes some getting used to. I'm not very good, but I'm massively improved from where I started. Go online in World Championship mode and take a few beatings. Then take the lessons you learned (that were pounded into you) into the ring v the CPU. I'm serious - I learned a lot about the game getting my face handed to me.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:49 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:I freakin' suck at this game. I started a legacy and I'm 1-3...lol. This game is way to complex for my simple mind.
Are you playing on the default skill level?
Yes...I haven't changed any skill level stuff. It's brutal.

Then yeah, you do suck.

All kidding aside if you want to get better you have to learn to avoid damage and land counters in this game. You also need to land a high percentage of your punches to avoid getting countered yourself.

Jump in and throw some combos and get out. Don't forget to work the body too. While head shots are nice, body shots take a lot out of a fighter and make them ripe for the picking in the later rounds. Start almost every combo with a body shot and when the fighter lowers his guard to block go upstairs.

If you have a reach advantage on the other fighter make sure to keep him at a distance by using your jab. And most importantly don't throw punches just to throw punches. Look at what your opponent is giving you and take it. As I mentioned earlier start every combo with a body shot because it's natural for your opponent to cover their face first. When they make the adjustment and start covering their body first you mix it up and start going for the head.

Good luck man.

Edit: I almost forgot, make sure to move too. Constantly circle your opponent instead of stand in front of him. This opens up opportunities to punch. I've seen a lot of fighters online that pretty much stay in the same position and that just makes for an easy fight. If you're only moving forward and back you will get owned in this game. If you have your back against the ropes circle towards the middle and try to get back into the center of the ring.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:06 pm

Those are some good tips guys...thanks.

My main issue is...and it seems contrary to what others have seen...is that I keep getting knocked down with one punch (flash knockouts or whatever). I'll be playing conservative...get one punch blocked or countered and down I go. I've tried training my "chin" because I thought maybe I was just a p*ssy (no comments please) but even after ONLY training for that, I got knocked down three times in one fight off one punch counters even when my health and stamina were relatively full.

I don't know...I'll see what I can do about moving around more. I know I get stationary and the AI will end up backing me into a corner and then I'm screwed.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:10 pm

In my Legacy with Tyson I was a KO machine, obviously. But in the other legacies I've created, I've been a sticking-and-moving, bobbing-and-weaving, jab-and-keep-distancing fighter. I had been playing UFC so much lately that in my fight last night with Mac, it took me a good round and a half to remember how to fight in FN.

If you don't learn how to lead with your jab, alternate between body and head shots, you're going to get dropped. Against the CPU it's harder than humans because the CPU seems to have the telepathic ability of blocking exactly where you're going to punch, even if you're alternating in random patterns. There are some sequences where I can tee off on the CPU, but humans tend to be more predictable and fun to fight IMO.

Against the CPU, the best thing I can say is don't punch yourself out. If you're throwing bomb after bomb and your stamina drops, it will take one solid shot to drop you like a sack of potatoes. If you're throwing wild hooks and getting blocked or missing and he's countering, your night will end quickly. Lead in with jabs, then start with double-jabs/straights. Eventually when the CPU picks up on that start with uppercuts or hooks to the body followed by a straight, etc. It really requires you to mix up your punch arsenal to land clean shots. All of that is in addition to following Scoop's advice of circling and moving and avoiding standing around like The Mummy.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:15 pm

You make a very good point Scoop regarding your last edited comment. If you just stand there, you will get pummeled and the fight will be a spastic attempt at who can throw the most punches without wearing down. More on that later in this post....

This past weekend, I had my parents over for breakfast to celebrate their anniversary along with my sister's family. To my surprise, my brother-in-law, Dad, and nephew asked to play NHL '09 (which I sold last month). However, I told them about Fight Night R4. They seemed interested, and I figured my Dad would enjoy at least watching because he enjoys boxing on tv.

If you asked me a few weeks ago my thoughts on buttons in this game, I wouldn't have cared one way or antoher. The sticks are just fine in my estimation and they still are. However, when you have someone who's last game they played was Ms. Pac-Man on the Apple IIC computer, explaining how the analog sticks work was a little difficult. He understood them for the most part, and frankly they all had some trouble with them initially. Still, they got an absolute kick out of the game. They were all yelling and laughing having a good time.

However, what I found frustrating when I fought against my nephew (and in general, I let him use an overall better fighter) was that when we would get in to a slug it out fest, my stamina and health would drop far faster than his. I attribute that to the higher rated boxer who he was controlling. In addition, too many times I found myself trying to slug it out and paying the price (twice I was knocked out in two separate games). For whatever reason, I get suckered in to these kind of brawls. Instead of using my head by punching and moving, I give in to the street fight. Still, what irritated me was that I was blocking and countering, and he was not covering up. Only when I hurt him a few times did he move and avoid me. I tried to fight smart and I still lost......

All that said, it was one of the better head to head experiences I've played. Everyone had a great time.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 3:45 pm

Just to add about the importance of lower body blows as Scoop was mentioning. I fought in my legacy, a dude that was 6'5" tall and had a big reach advantage on my 6'0" frame. I was losing the early rounds but by going with his lower body, I could tell his stamina was getting weaker and weaker as the rounds went on. I stayed patient, I knew I couldn't reach him from the inside, so I worked on his ribs. It worked, KO'ed him on the last round, a fight I was losing in points.

And yeah, dance, dance around the ring when in trouble.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:32 pm

There's reports that EA is going to release a patch or dlc that will give players the ability to use the buttons instead of the analog stick. Yay.