Reignmaka's Blog #2: Impressions of A Champion. Gameplay In depth...

[II Reignmaka II]

Alright folks, the moment you've all been waiting for....

They said we'd come back with nothing, they said our trip was worthless...well guess what? You were WRONG. I'm going to give you my impressions as a student of the sweet science, addressing all of your biggest issues in vivid detail. This is scheduled to go the full 12 rounds released in a 4 part series. So I hope you're in it for the long haul. Put in your mouthpiece and get ready....the opening bell has just rung.

1.Take your stance, choose wisely because this time....it matters.

The stance you chose in Round 4 was important, it controlled your idle movements and affected your stats, but that was it. In Champion, your stance means so much more. Where your hands are placed or held within you guard, determine how easy or more difficult you are to hit, as your arms, shoulders, fist and elbows are all physical entities that have mass, and punches can connect with.

This is has to do with the refined and improved Physics system you've been reading about. Because your body and limbs have mass and can be physically interacted with when fighting, I have seen the lowest punch accuracy percentages ever in a boxing game. The average connect rate has been 25-40%. Terminald actually had a bout with c45h and held him to a 14% connect rate for the entire fight! (Sorry c45h) Don't get it twisted, c45h is good but in that fight Term was better.

2.Styles are IN and highly visible.

Fighters lean, step, weave, punch and block as their real life counter parts do. Idle stances are present. Signature (not special) punches are in and certain fighters have their distinct punching styles and stance available to use when creating your fighter for Legacy mode (More on that later). Fighters with more basic stances/text book styles have their distinct abilities even if you don't see specific animations. Its accurate, some guys throw and move by the book, and it shows.

3. In boxing, every fighter is different...

In other words, fighters have trained countless hours, days, weeks, months....years tuning their skills, honing their strengths whilst minimizing their weaknesses and developing unique habits, within their style. Throughout the course of their career with experience, fighters have become adept at throwing certain punches, yielding devastating results all of which vary from one fighter to the next.

The newest installment if EA's Fight Night series has an all new system that defines a fighter's true abilities. To my surprise, EA has taken an all new approach the Ratings system. Now, every fighter has distinctive ratings based on Athleticism, and Skill sets. When at the studio, there were list of various attributes that reflected what every fighter was capable from a physical stand point, these ratings are in-depth yet self explanatory...no longer do we need to ask what these ratings mean.

Athleticism ratings are represented in the following attributes: Physical strength, Hand speed, Foot speed, Agility, Reflexes, Endurance, Conditioning, Head movement (addressing both speed and range in a single rating) Toughness, and Chin. At the time, there were additional "undefined" attributes that were not listed, so I cannot describe them. I made suggestions on how to prevent the creation of super cabs, that I hope make it in, but I won't know for sure at this moment. I'm also going to address the few questions in detail that were typed by you guys a few hours ago.

Ask ANYTHING YOU WANT regarding these 3 points, and I will answer them with regards to gameplay. If there is a fighter that has been seen in screenshots, or videos....you can ask about them!

[acarrero]

Do you think "Heart" will be one of the attributes like it was in FN4?

With the new blocking controls, can you control what part you want to block at all? For example, if I have a cut above the eye and want to protect it I might want to cover the head more than the body - can you do this?

How does Cotto compare to the Cotto in Round 4?

Thanks.

[BezO]

Some "crafty" fighters, like Hopkins, do a lot of fighting in the clinch. Any chance this is part of "every fighter is different"? Can we finally fight in the clinch?

Not gameplay related, but I figure it's a simple question. Are there any new cameras? Specifically a stationary camera.

Quote: Originally Posted by II Reignmaka II

1.Take your stance, choose wisely because this time....it matters. The stance you chose in Round 4 was important, it controlled your idle movements and affected your stats, but that was it. In Champion, your stance means so much more. Where your hands are placed or held within you guard, determine how easy or more difficult you are to hit, as your arms, shoulders, fist and elbows are all physical entities that have mass, and punches can connect with.

I can see how holding your hands low would be a defensive disadvantage. Any advantages to using a Roy Jones Jr type stance?

Thanks

[II Reignmaka II]

Quote: Originally Posted by BezO

Some "crafty" fighters, like Hopkins, do a lot of fighting in the clinch. Any chance this is part of "every fighter is different"? Can we finally fight in the clinch? Not gameplay related, but I figure it's a simple question. Are there any new cameras? Specifically a stationary camera. I can see how holding your hands low would be a defensive disadvantage. Any advantages to using a Roy Jones Jr type stance? Thanks

Fighting in the clinch was not in the build we played, and the clinch it self was unfinished and hard to do, which they warned us about. Cameras theres nice amount to choose from, you'd like Wide, as it shows the entire ring and fighters. Broadcast camera allows you to see a lot of the action up close, and you can circle your opponent and switch sides like Round 3's swing cam.

If you choose a stance like Roy, you'd better develop a fighter with the reflexes to dodge, or you're gonna get caught a lot. The stance you choose is directly tied to your physical make up. Ie: Height, weight, reach, ect. How well you fight with that stance is determined by your athleticism, handspeed, reflexes, toughness, head movement, ect. Its not cosmetic like in Round 4 if you dont fight well and are elusive you'll fail at using Roy's stance. Its fit for him, and fighters like him.

[II Reignmaka II]

Quote: Originally Posted by acarrero

Do you think "Heart" will be one of the attributes like it was in FN4? With the new blocking controls, can you control what part you want to block at all? For example, if I have a cut above the eye and want to protect it I might want to cover the head more than the body - can you do this? How does Cotto compare to the Cotto in Round 4? Thanks.

The block controls are semi automated, in the sense that you no longer need to press up or down on the right analog to defend high or low. If you want to block singles shots a press of the right trigger will raise your guard to defend the incoming punch. If you want better coverage, you need only to hold in the right trigger fully. Your guard fails when you start to see punches get through, there is no block meter anymore.

If you wanted to protect a cut, it would be best to keep your hands up at all times. There is no directional blocking, just reflexive blocking. You'll move slower, but if you want to close the gap you could then use your own reflexes to time shots and head movement to get inside.

I fought with Cotto a lot, and he has a lot of his signature punches, and his left hook is VICIOUS. He has a cool animation he does when he gets punched out there he will drop his guard momentarily, take a deep breath and then raise his guard again. Using short hooks inside looked really good whilst fighting with him. He fights at a measured pace and you really have to measure your punch out put with him. It takes still to fight with his style and keeping your opponent on the recieving end of body shots is satisfying. He fights in a similar fashion by the A.I as well.

Heart is one of the attributes, but the way EA has gone with the Ratings this year is totally different than how its been in the past.

[BezO]

Quote: Originally Posted by II Reignmaka II

Fighting in the clinch was not in the build we played, and the clinch it self was unfinished and hard to do, which they warned us about. Cameras theres nice amount to choose from, you'd like Wide, as it shows the entire ring and fighters. Broadcast camera allows you to see a lot of the action up close, and you can circle your opponent and switch sides like Round 3's swing cam.

Regarding the Wide Cam, is it stationary so that we're seeing the fighters from all angles as they move around the ring or does the cam swing with the boxers so we're always seeing a side view?

Quote: Originally Posted by II Reignmaka II

If you choose a stance like Roy, you'd better develop a fighter with the reflexes to dodge, or you're gonna get caught a lot. The stance you choose is directly tied to your physical make up. Ie: Height, weight, reach, ect. How well you fight with that stance is determined by your athleticism, handspeed, reflexes, toughness, head movement, ect. Its not cosmetic like in Round 4 if you dont fight well and are elusive you'll fail at using Roy's stance. Its fit for him, and fighters like him.

Sweet!

Thanks for the response!

[Kanobi]

Reign....how does the game move....how does the interaction look? What i mean is....you know how in some games (particularly those by 2k Sports) where you can start a cpu vs cpu match, watch that game, and be kinda floored at how realistic and lifelike the animations and interactions are. Is FNC now at that level where it's insanely close to looking like a real boxing match?

[Complex]

Does the game have variations of the same punches during gameplay. Meaning does the jab style vary from fighter to fighter?