Houston, we have a problem

Collapse

Recommended Videos

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • DolfanDave
    Rookie
    • Dec 2002
    • 215

    #1

    Houston, we have a problem

    In the ring FN4 is the best boxing simulation I have ever played period, but the legacy mode needs to seriously be fixed. There are some major problems that I will list below that’s a HUGE legacy killers.

    Let me start by explaining what I did. I was in my legacy with my heavyweight and clawed and fought the big boys(Ali, Tyson,Chambers etc) to win and defend as the undisputed heavyweight champion and had some epic battles. After going 51-1(wanted to finish as the GOAT first lol) I noticed a terrible trend so I copied my legacy to my memory card and started my experiment and that’s when it was apparent that “Houston, we have a problem”.

    The first problem is the ranking system is severely flawed. It really doesn’t hit you hard until you become champion because the logic is really the same throughout the legacy. When you become champ you basically will be fighting the top 5 guys 99% of the time. The other 1% is when someone challenges you which are usually someone rank between 6-9. Now you might be saying that’s fine since that’s usually happens in real life but the problem is you will basically be fighting the same 5 people over and over and over until they retire for the most part.

    When you defend your title against the top 5. One of two things will happen. Either there ranking will remain the same or raise. Yes, if you beat someone they don’t go down in the ranking and sometimes goes up lol. On some occasion they might drop and swap places with another boxer but it is still the same 5 guys or the 5th guy might get bump out also but this is rare.

    For the heck of it I fought the same guy 3 times in a row that was ranked number 1 and guess what his ranking was after losing by KO in the first round all 3 times. Yep, still number 1. So after fighting the same people for a few years some guys finally retires and I think “Yes, finally some fresh meat” but this brings me to my second problem.

    The generated boxers ratings do not progress correctly. My overall rating was about 79 when I won the title and about 84 when I was defending the title. My boxer right/left power, stamina , chin, heart was in the 90s and head/body toughness was in the upper80. I knew I would need a high rating in those to contend with the licensed boxers and to top it off all this was accumulated using auto train .

    I said all that to ask why in the world are the generated boxers on average have an overall rating about 75 and they are ranked in the top 5. So on average my major ratings(power,stamina etc) are 20% higher than my challenger. Now, don’t get me wrong you can lose against guys with a lesser rating but let’s be honest if you play fundamentally sound boxing it just not going to happen at least it didn’t for me.

    So after having banged with the licensed fighters averaging an overall 95 for the most part. They retire and now I go from fighting pros to joes basically who can’t take my power, don’t have the stamina and don’t have the toughness because they are under developed. So of course I am now wishing Tyson, Ali and the rest didn’t retire after all because now my matches aren’t going longer than 3 rounds and it is like fighting someone off the street. I even remember a few guys that had an overall rating in the freaking 60s.

    And to make matters worse as you get older your skill doesn’t deteriorate as they should. I just stopped playing at age 38 because I didn’t see any declines on my ratings what so ever. As a matter of fact at around 35 years old I started boxing every month and was able to easily defend the title with no ramifications. Finished 72-1 on this ‘test’ legacy and that’s just because I was bored to death beating tomato cans.

    Now, having said all that these are problem that can be fixed so I hope EA is still hanging around and can tweak the data so

    1) Generated boxers ratings are in line with your boxer
    2) The ranking system doesn’t reward losing
    3)As you get older you start on a sharp decline in ratings plus if you fight to often as an older guy you will also take a big hit in the ratings.

    Later
    Last edited by DolfanDave; 06-30-2009, 02:17 PM. Reason: Typo
  • NEWYORICAN
    Banned
    • Feb 2003
    • 735

    #2
    Re: Houston, we have a problem

    Originally posted by DolfanDave
    In the ring FN4 is the best boxing simulation I have ever played period, but the legacy mode needs to seriously be fixed. There are some major problems that I will list below that’s a HUGE legacy killers.

    Let me start by explaining what I did. I was in my legacy with my heavyweight and clawed and fought the big boys(Ali, Tyson,Chambers etc) to win and defend as the undisputed heavyweight champion and had some epic battles. After going 51-1(wanted to finish as the GOAT first lol) I noticed a terrible trend so I copied my legacy to my memory card and started my experiment and that’s when it was apparent that “Houston, we have a problem”.

    The first problem is the ranking system is severely flawed. It really doesn’t hit you hard until you become champion because the logic is really the same throughout the legacy. When you become champ you basically will be fighting the top 5 guys 99% of the time. The other 1% is when someone challenges you which are usually someone rank between 6-9. Now you might be saying that’s fine since that’s usually happens in real life but the problem is you will basically be fighting the same 5 people over and over and over until they retire for the most part.

    When you defend your title against the top 5. One of two things will happen. Either there ranking will remain the same or raise. Yes, if you beat someone they don’t go down in the ranking and sometimes goes up lol. On some occasion they might drop and swap places with another boxer but it is still the same 5 guys or the 5th guy might get bump out also but this is rare.

    For the heck of it I fought the same guy 3 times in a row that was ranked number 1 and guess what his ranking was after losing by KO in the first round all 3 times. Yep, still number 1. So after fighting the same people for a few years some guys finally retires and I think “Yes, finally some fresh meat” but this brings me to my second problem.

    The generated boxers ratings do not progress correctly. My overall rating was about 79 when I won the title and about 84 when I was defending the title. My boxer right/left power, stamina , chin, heart was in the 90s and head/body toughness was in the upper80. I knew I would need a high rating in those to contend with the licensed boxers and to top it off all this was accumulated using auto train .

    I said all that to ask why in the world are the generated boxers on average have an overall rating about 75 and they are ranked in the top 5. So on average my major ratings(power,stamina etc) are 20% higher than my challenger. Now, don’t get me wrong you can lose against guys with a lesser rating but let’s be honest if you play fundamentally sound boxing it just not going to happen at least it didn’t for me.

    So after having banged with the licensed fighters averaging an overall 95 for the most part. They retire and now I go from fighting pros to joes basically who can’t take my power, don’t have the stamina and don’t have the toughness because they are under developed. So of course I am now wishing Tyson, Ali and the rest didn’t retire after all because now my matches aren’t going longer than 3 rounds and it is like fighting someone off the street. I even remember a few guys that had an overall rating in the freaking 60s.

    And to make matters worse as you get older your skill doesn’t deteriorate as they should. I just stopped playing at age 38 because I didn’t see any declines on my ratings what so ever. As a matter of fact at around 35 years old I started boxing every month and was able to easily defend the title with no ramifications. Finished 72-1 on this ‘test’ legacy and that’s just because I was bored to death beating tomato cans.

    Now, having said all that these are problem that can be fixed so I hope EA is still hanging around and can tweak the data so

    1) Generated boxers ratings are in line with your boxer
    2) The ranking system doesn’t reward losing
    3)As you get older you start on a sharp decline in ratings plus if you fight to often as an older guy you will also take a big hit in the ratings.

    Later


    This dosn't surprise me. It's typical of corporate EA to add a half-*** Legacy mode and hype it as the best thing since seven-up. Three years in the making for this title and look what you found in just a few weeks!!

    I wonder who is doing their programing and QC. It wouldn't surprise me either if they are oursourcing it to China, India or Brazil


    peace
    Ernesto

    Comment

    • dman1976
      Rookie
      • Jan 2008
      • 135

      #3
      Re: Houston, we have a problem

      haven't been that far in the game, yet. sounds bad though. ratings should drop with player age, similar to what they are doing in madden

      Comment

      • acarrero
        Pro
        • Nov 2004
        • 432

        #4
        Re: Houston, we have a problem

        Well that sucks. Clearly, the Legacy Mode is one part that they could improve. Hopefully, they can make some tweaks to it through patches. These do not seem like difficult things to fix. Lets hope they patch it soon.

        While we are at it, another thing I would like to be fixed:
        Post-fight decisions - could be announced in a more realistic way with more drama. Read the scorecards first, then announce who won like they do in real life. Not sure if this can be patched, but should be considered for the future.

        Comment

        • parker002
          MVP
          • Oct 2004
          • 1465

          #5
          Re: Houston, we have a problem

          This is why I won't be using any real fighters in my Legacy mode.

          This used to be a problem with NCAA too - as soon as the existing EA-created players would graduate, the talent level fell off a cliff because auto-generated players didn't progress the same way.

          The simple fix was to just sim a few seasons until only auto-generated players were left. Not ideal, but at least workable.
          Recovering slider addict...Fight Night Round 4 caused me to relapse...

          Comment

          • DolfanDave
            Rookie
            • Dec 2002
            • 215

            #6
            Re: Houston, we have a problem

            Originally posted by parker002
            This is why I won't be using any real fighters in my Legacy mode.

            This used to be a problem with NCAA too - as soon as the existing EA-created players would graduate, the talent level fell off a cliff because auto-generated players didn't progress the same way.

            The simple fix was to just sim a few seasons until only auto-generated players were left. Not ideal, but at least workable.
            But that doesn't change your progression so you would still be a pro among amateurs. Actually leaving the licensed boxers in was the highlight of my legacy as a fought my way to the belts and defended them. Without that my legacy near the end would have been completely boring with no drama or suspense because I was knockdown a few times in my bouts with the 'big boys' but I pulled out the victory on several occasion

            Comment

            • Jukeman
              Showtime
              • Aug 2005
              • 10955

              #7
              Re: Houston, we have a problem

              Guys in my legacy progress fine, I have nothIng but made up guys in my legacy...Infact, the prospects are progressing at the same rate that I am....The highest rated boxer in my legacy is some guys who's rated 94...I also see guys moving up and down the rankings....It could be possible that importing boxers into the legacy can cause a bug because when I started one with imported boxers, the game would always freeeze and sometimes my CAB would lose his face...
              Last edited by Jukeman; 06-30-2009, 07:31 PM.

              Comment

              • Whitesox
                Closet pyromaniac
                • Mar 2009
                • 5287

                #8
                Re: Houston, we have a problem

                Originally posted by Jukeman
                Guys in my legacy progress fine, I have nothIng but made up guys in my legacy...Infact, the prospects are progressing at the same rate that I am....The highest rated boxer in my legacy is some guys who's rated 94...I also see guys moving up and down the rankings....It could be possible that importing boxers into the legacy can cause a bug because when I started one with imported boxers, the game would always freeeze and sometimes my CAB would lose his face...
                Well good to hear that your guys progress.
                My guide to MLB: The show

                Making the Show Guide

                Comment

                • DolfanDave
                  Rookie
                  • Dec 2002
                  • 215

                  #9
                  Re: Houston, we have a problem

                  Originally posted by Jukeman
                  Guys in my legacy progress fine, I have nothIng but made up guys in my legacy...Infact, the prospects are progressing at the same rate that I am....The highest rated boxer in my legacy is some guys who's rated 94...I also see guys moving up and down the rankings....It could be possible that importing boxers into the legacy can cause a bug because when I started one with imported boxers, the game would always freeeze and sometimes my CAB would lose his face...
                  That's good to hear let me know what happens once you win the title and see if your top 5 stays the same even if they lose. It could have been a glitch in the matrix as you say lol. Also, check and see if your fighter ratings degrade over time as you age.

                  Comment

                  • parker002
                    MVP
                    • Oct 2004
                    • 1465

                    #10
                    Re: Houston, we have a problem

                    Originally posted by DolfanDave
                    But that doesn't change your progression so you would still be a pro among amateurs. Actually leaving the licensed boxers in was the highlight of my legacy as a fought my way to the belts and defended them. Without that my legacy near the end would have been completely boring with no drama or suspense because I was knockdown a few times in my bouts with the 'big boys' but I pulled out the victory on several occasion
                    Being a pro among amateurs assumes that you're not tanking the training, right?

                    Right now, I am.
                    Recovering slider addict...Fight Night Round 4 caused me to relapse...

                    Comment

                    • antdawg9
                      Rookie
                      • Jul 2002
                      • 223

                      #11
                      Re: Houston, we have a problem

                      Originally posted by DolfanDave
                      That's good to hear let me know what happens once you win the title and see if your top 5 stays the same even if they lose. It could have been a glitch in the matrix as you say lol. Also, check and see if your fighter ratings degrade over time as you age.
                      One thing I can verify is your fighter's ratings do drop over time. But the problem with the game was that the drop happened after every calender year. So for instance, if I was a 89 for the whole year, on January 1st i will drop to a 86 or 87. Through training that year I can build it back up to an 88 and actually improve my skill ratings over the past year, but my overall won't be as high due to degrading cuts and swelling(in my case swelling). But after january 1st again, it's back down to about an 85, and it's a process until you decide to retire.

                      I retired my guy at 39, and my skill ratings were higher than they ever was, because the drop is like a couple points a category. And because I got very good at training, I can get that back pretty easily. It can definately use some work, but I like the overall concept.

                      But as for the topic I agree. The top 6 when I retired had an average rating of like a 76 with one guy being a 61. A 61 for a top contender is WAY too low.

                      Comment

                      • DolfanDave
                        Rookie
                        • Dec 2002
                        • 215

                        #12
                        Re: Houston, we have a problem

                        Originally posted by antdawg9
                        One thing I can verify is your fighter's ratings do drop over time. But the problem with the game was that the drop happened after every calender year. So for instance, if I was a 89 for the whole year, on January 1st i will drop to a 86 or 87. Through training that year I can build it back up to an 88 and actually improve my skill ratings over the past year, but my overall won't be as high due to degrading cuts and swelling(in my case swelling). But after january 1st again, it's back down to about an 85, and it's a process until you decide to retire.

                        I retired my guy at 39, and my skill ratings were higher than they ever was, because the drop is like a couple points a category. And because I got very good at training, I can get that back pretty easily. It can definately use some work, but I like the overall concept.

                        But as for the topic I agree. The top 6 when I retired had an average rating of like a 76 with one guy being a 61. A 61 for a top contender is WAY too low.
                        Well yeah I noticed a 1 point drop also but the problem is I don't even train I just use the auto train and that basically kept me at the same level or higher with no real hit. There is no sharp decline like it was in FN3. Did you have any licensed fighters in your legacy or was it all generated?

                        Comment

                        • antdawg9
                          Rookie
                          • Jul 2002
                          • 223

                          #13
                          Re: Houston, we have a problem

                          Originally posted by DolfanDave
                          Well yeah I noticed a 1 point drop also but the problem is I don't even train I just use the auto train and that basically kept me at the same level or higher with no real hit. There is no sharp decline like it was in FN3. Did you have any licensed fighters in your legacy or was it all generated?
                          I had legends and like you mentioned it was a huge dropoff from the real fighters to the created fighters. Granted as the real fighters was getting ready to retire some of their ratings dropped to like a 75 or so, but they were still much better than the cpu generated fighters.

                          But yeah even with the decline, since I was very good at training(I usually get champion on everything now) I was able to get my ratings back and then some. My overall was about the same or a little lower though because of my swelling rating was really low.

                          Comment

                          • allBthere
                            All Star
                            • Jan 2008
                            • 5847

                            #14
                            Re: Houston, we have a problem

                            I'm finding that the fights are going the distance more often which is cool and pretty realistic. To get my number 1 contender spot before getting 2 belts i had to fight RJJ and I actuallly knocked him out - he was rated 92...next time i checked rankings he was 88 probably a year or two later.

                            I'm doing mostly auto training simply because the minigames are not balanced. In the beginning i thought it was lucky for me that making my left hand powerful was easier, but I soon realized that was stupid. in reality all routes you want to go should be the same difficulty - why for example should it be harder to get feet quickness or chin etc than other attributes? It shouldn't.

                            The minigames are pretty stupid altogether after a while, and I think the UFC route might be the way to go looking forward (no minigames)...but - FN did a better job of starting you off at a realistic skill level and progressing nicely - unlike ufc where you're an absolute turd to begin with and have a big awkward mid-carreer where you're rated 50s but fighting 80s.
                            So they got the progression right in a sense, but the games aren't balanced and they shouldn't always package them the way they do ex. my block strengh is 100 even though I had no mind to focus on it.
                            Liquor in the front, poker in the rear.

                            Comment

                            Working...