Fight Night Producers Answer Fan Questions

This was posted today on the Fight Night official site:

Hey Fight Night Fans!

Okay, look, maybe we underestimated your appetite for details about Fight Night Round 4. Maybe we overestimated your desire to read anything about what the team thinks about Ali, Tyson or the sport of boxing in general. (Brizzo is still going to post more Fight Game commentaries though, he doesn't care!) Evidently, some of you are very anxious to hear some details about the game. In an effort to satisfy your hunger, we took a look at the list of questions that POETIC has been compiling in the forums and selected a bunch of the most common ones to provide a handful of answers to.  Read on and then let's blow up the comments and forums.

The Roster
When will the roster be released?
When will you guys start dropping the Roster list?
Will [insert boxer name here] be in the game?
Jeff Atienza: We will begin announcing the rest of the roster in late Feb/early March. We can tell you now it will be the biggest roster for any Fight Night game to date.
Legacy Mode
Is the Legacy Mode the same as career mode?
Is Legacy Mode another name for Career Mode or is it a deeper experience?
How in depth will the legacy mode be? In the past the career mode was kind of garbage.
Jeff: Yes, Legacy Mode is the name for Career Mode. Everybody on the team is aware of the shortcomings in FNR3's career mode. Mike Mahar and Raymond Lo are working hard to ensure Legacy Mode is a deeper and more authentic experience. It includes new training games, divisional rankings, multiple titles in each division and several other features that you will hear more about in the weeks and months to come.
Arcade or Sim
Will this be the best version of a boxing sim?
Will this be a sim game or more arcade? (sorry, gotta ask!)
Is FN4 going to be like FN3 where you could get Frazier and throw haymakers and parry all day, or does it actually require strategy?
Is the boxing going to be sim or arcadey? Please say sim!
How much will skill and strategy actually come into play when trying to win a match?
Brian Hayes: I know you've heard this before, but we've rebuilt the engine from scratch. Our goal from the outset has been to create the most realistic boxing experience to date. The gameplay mechanics and AI have all been refined and improved to create a larger variety of styles and strategies you can use to be successful inside the ring.  It's too early for us  comment specifically on all the mechanics and details, but our objectives are to deliver more variety, excitement and authenticity to gameplay.

Referee In-Game
Will there be a referee in the game?
Will we get a referee inside the ring, like in Prizefighter and will it have a more active role in the fight?
Will there be a Ref in the Ring during the Fight?
Brian: Yes, there is a Referee present for the Pre-Fight Instructions and Post-Fight Results. Any time there is a Knockdown, a Point Deduction, Fight Stoppage or Disqualification he is a part of the action too. During the second-to-second flow of the fight the Referee is not visible. This is for a couple reasons: it allows us to use those resources to draw higher quality boxers and it prevents instances where the referee gets in your way.
Ring Entrances
Will there be entourages to accompany the fighter to the ring?
Will there be authentic entrances like Prince Naseem flying in on a carpet, or Tyson sporting the white towel?
Will each boxer come to the ring wearing their belts and their robes? (this is necessary for that authentic feeling)
Brian: Unfortunately, we aren't able to recreate all the theatrics and stagecraft used by some boxers. For example, there is no riding in on a white tiger and you won't be able to perform a live rap song on a stage with back-up dancers before your fight. However, you will see much more authentic ring entrances that include the trainer, the cutman, the chief second, robes, towels and championship belts.

Game Informer: Fight Night Round 4 First Pics

Thanks to PoeticDrunk for scanning these pics from the latest Game Informer magazine:

 

 

 

Fight Night Producers Unpacking Boxing Gear

Here is a video from the official EA Sports Fight Night site:

At least we know now that Lionsdale is possibly a confirmed brand in the game.

Game Informer Preview Update

UPDATE:
http://www.boxingscene. com/forums/sh...d.php?t=237393
Some guy (IwatchBoxing) on BoxingScene.com posted this... Gameinformer Feb issue Fight Night Round 4 details
--------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------
* The game features at least a dozen venues from around the world. They are more built than previous titles. This includes more activity around the apron during a fight.
* Fighters confirmed so far Tyson, ali, Lennox Lewis, sugar Ray, Winky Wright, Sergio Mora and Emanuel Augustus (plz Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Lopez)
*The strength of a punch is no longer how far back you pull the analog stick, but how cleanly you make contact.
*if your in close to your opponent and don't get full arm extension, the power behind your punches are weakened.
*Boxers now have more hit zones in their faces, and different punches will have different effects depending on where they land.
*Blocking now has a meter, this meter decays over time, your overall risk increases as the meter decreases. Punches can break threw your guard and your arms can be knocked out the way (like Pacman did to De La Hoya) much easier as your opponent works your defense.(shows picture of Ali breaking threw Tyson's upper block in between gloves with an extended left uppercut)
* Due to physics system reduces the power of punches when a boxers arms aren't fully extended (picture shows Tyson smothering Ali on the inside)
* Fight Nights new physics system is better suited to providing more realistic outcomes during the moment to moment flow of two boxers constantly trading punches
*Taking cuts to the face ( I won many fights on cuts) is not about your health meter, the strength of the punch and how directly it lands on your face are more important
*When Tyson is throwing a punch at your head, don't try and slap it out of air (referring to R3's parrying system)
*40 licensed boxers, introduces more height and body (like Tyson being small for good inside, and taller Ali being better on outside). Thus, long armed fighters perform better if they stick and move, while shorter boxers like Tyson want to pummel you from close range, negating the advantage of the opponents longer arms.

*SUMMER RELEASE

I wish he would have posted the whole article.

Tommy Morrison Confirmed for Fight Night Roster

Thanks to SoutherPrince for the link:

http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/ARTICLE/1305/2009-01-14.html

Seems Tommy Morrison is in the roster for the next Fight Night installment.

Fight Night Round 4 Game Informer Preview

This comes directly from the OperationSports.com forum where user DaveDQ posted information from Game Informer’s latest issue previewing Fight Night Round 4:

“In this month's GI they have a nice write up describing a few things in Fight Night Round 4. The bulk of the preview talks about the new physics system the game will display, making the inside boxing game more realistic. Punches won't always land perfectly.
One thing I was happy to read was that the parry system of old has been done away with. "You won't want to be attempting to parry one of Tyson's hooks." Taller boxers with longer arms will be expected to jab and move, while shorter guys like a Tyson will try to work inside.
Another note would be the removal of maneuvering the thumb-stick in between rounds to work on cuts etc. Cut work and the like will be worked on by a points system being applied to your boxer. You'll choose from the bank of points you have accumulated and apply them where you see fit.
Not a bunch of info but it was positive for me.”

http://www.operationsports.com/forums/boxing/288658-game-informer-quick-preview-fn4.html

So, is the parry system finally out?  Will the new physics driven engine truly deliver?  We will have to wait for some hands on previews from other sites/publications to find out.

Create a Robe Confirmed; Tyson Towel In

This just in from the mouth of Sk88z, EA Sports Community Manager, over at the EA Forums:let

“Glad you guys appreciate the info. The production team is stoked to get information out to you all. I know the intros were getting kind of repetitive, though I just wanted to let you guys know who the talented people are behind the game.
With that being said, we'll continue to keep the convo flowing and provide you with some behind the scenes stuff and some more tidbits to keep you guys asking for more! A little more inside on NIS (non-interactive sequences), a little touch of authenticity with Tyson's towel in the game as well as the chance for you to customize your own robes. What will yours look like?”

Sounds like the developers are shooting for true authenticity here with better television focused cutscenes as well as adding Robes for the first time in a Fight Night game.  Also, adding the Tyson towel as an option in the game shows they are shooting for the little details that boxing fans will appreciate.  Let’s hope this also shows on the new engine and gameplay.

Fight Night Round 4: Biggest Roster for a FN Game So Far

This just in from EA Sports FN Forum by FN RD 4 producer/developer:

http://forums.easports.com/mboards/thread.jspa?threadID=478869&tstart=0

"I agree too. Somewhat...
A small problem with this idea is that there are plenty of guys on this list that might not be champs anymore by the time the game comes out. If a guy like Andreas Kotelnik didn't have a belt - would most people have thought of his name? What if he loses to Marcos Rene Maidana next month? Would you want him? Or would you wish we had just gone after another, more well- known, top-rated contender who may not happen to have a belt right now? It's tough to make plans based on what whose holding an alphabet title at any given moment, that's all I'm saying.
*NOTE: I am not saying that either guy is in or out of the game.*
If we could, we would put every fighter we can think of in the game. Unfortunately, its not as simple as making a list (I wish it was). Having to sign each boxer individually and negotiate with each individual's management is costly. We would love to have everybody we can think of, but the budget only goes so far. Building the roster is tricky business.
I can't tell you who is on the roster yet, but I can tell you that FN4 will have the biggest roster of any Fight Night game to date and the team is pretty excited about the boxers we have."

Fight Night Round 4: Parry In or Out?

Hey:
This just in from Mike Mahar, producer of Fight Night Round 4. Here is a reply he did to a fan by the name of Mumra which was asking for "no parries" in the next installment of the series:

" We hear you guys loud and clear... we’ve been reading the forums for some time and we gather the parry system was not a favourite . I can't reveal our core game play mechanics yet (we appreciate your patience) but I can refer back to the initial interview I did ...which should still be on YouTube ... it was stated that the game play engine had been 'completely rewritten'....meaning we started from scratch...."

So what do you think, is the parry back or out? More importantly, what do you think should be done with that gameplay mechanic?

Fight Night Producer On Using Fan's Wishlist for Next Game

This is a copy of a message posted by Shakyr on the IGN Boards:

"Fight Night Round 4 Brian"Brizzo"Hayes responds to the producers taking fans ideas,wishes and suggestion into consideration.

http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread....74796&tstart=0

We looked at all the wishlists. I think it was POETIC that compiled every single wish ever into one big list and we looked at that one a lot. He can point you to it.
A while back I went through it line by line and tried to consolidate the similar ideas, toss out conflicting ideas, etc. Did some spell checking (lol). But we boiled it down to a one big list and stacked it up against our designs for FNR4 to see where we stood. IMO, we stood up pretty good, considering how big that list is.
I can't get into the specifics of what is in and out right now, but we are trying to grant as many wishes as possible. Pretty soon, we'll start dropping more info about features and you can see for yourself.
I gathered ideas from different Fight Night sites from all over the internet here's the wishlist....

http://www.operationsports.com/SHAKYR/blog/371-the-best-boxing-videogame-wishlist-on-the-internet-/ "

If this is true, then we fans are in for a deep game.

Fight Night Info on Next GameInformer issue

This was sent to me by Poeticdrunk:

Sup prguy, Brian"Brizzo" left this in his blog ....Happy New Year!
A lot of you probably already know, but they launched the official Fight Night website over at http://fightnight.easports.com It's just getting started, but already there are a lot of comments, suggestions and discussions about boxing and the upcoming game. From now on, that will probably be the first place to check for updates and news. I'll still be checking the myspace and youtube site for messages though.

Things will be pretty busy in the new year. With the game shipping in the summer, that means the development team will be coming into the home stretch after the holidays. We'll be pretty busy. Keep your eyes peeled for the next issue of GameInformer - there will be some news in there as well.

All the best to you all and once again, Happy New Year!

Reactions on Fight Night Round 4 World Premiere

Short post for Fight Night fans. A few minutes ago, the Fight Night Round 4 was shown on the VGAs. Well, it was what was expected...Ali vs. Tyson in a staged video, no pure gameplay shown. I don't know if the graphics were ingame or just pure cinematics. I did not see anything at first glance that makes this any better than any other Fight Night, unless those were in-game graphics. Yet, we are used to great graphics and animations from EA Sports. What we are yearning for is the gameplay...which wasn't exactly shown on this video. We will have to wait for gaming sites to get their hands on the preview builds to shed light on the issue. For now, it wasn't anything to get excited about. EA is just pushing Tyson as front man to the max and that's their current marketing strategy. They did show a site www.aliortyson.com which links to the new official site, fightnight.easports.com...

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