What's Next for Title Bout?

General chat about Title Bout, boxing or anything else of general interest.

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Cap
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What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

I've been a big supporter of the revamped Title Bout game but I have to admit I'm not too happy with the present situation as it has been described. There are some basic things wrong with the latest build that need to be fixed before trying to sell it to iPad geeks. I won't go into detail as these faults have been described previously on the original forum. Suffice to say that some veteran users have become so disenchanted with TB2013 that they've opted to return to the earlier version until TB2013 is fixed or TB2014 comes out. Many have too much time invested in the game's alternate universes they've created to risk moving to the new platform. It seems, in hindsight, that the beta testing team overlooked a number of things that have since come out in extended play by the regulars.

My advice. Take the time to fix at least the key faults of TB2013 before moving on. If this isn't done, the new audience being sought after will ignore this game in droves.
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Paul Norman
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Paul Norman »

As you know Cap, its my wish to make TB the best I possibly can. I don't have time to fix every request made on the forums as if I did there would be no time for TB3 and I would go bankrupt thereby ending the TB revival. Most bug posts on the forums are passionate and heart felt, often accompanied with an explanation of why that bug is the most important which makes is difficult to gage. So what are in your view the 6 most important bugs that will make the next version acceptable? I will compare you list with my task list to make sure I have not underestimated the importance of anything.

I am always happy to discuss the best way forward for the game as its you guys that have kept it alive so long and you know what you want to see in the game. Lets make the game better together...
Cap
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

Not sure if this is a problem for everyone or just a few. Since the latest build some of us are unable to see fight summaries or print rankings. This is a basic need I think. There are some things that require major testing and recoding I'm told, such as stoppages by cuts and punch impacts, so they should be put on hold until the next build or TB2014. Anything that prevents gamers from running their game without a crash should definitely be looked at. I haven't had that problem lately though. Redesigning the Fight Screen or allowing us a simple means of doing it ourselves is essential but can wait. The RANDOM selection of referees needs to be fixed so that even if you're using an imported universe (and very many do) you get someone from your collection of refs rather than Jay Referson. That part can get pretty annoying fast and new users may think something is broken. You may want to fix the fast animation option so the ring card girls always appear in-frame, or allow users to play without ring card girls until it can be fixed. I've noticed a few people have been having problems with auto-scheduling. Have their issues been dealt with? If so, maybe you should post any solutions here and sticky them.

Might be a good notion to peruse the tech part of the original forum and see if there are any relatively easy fixes there. Any new buyer will want to be able to load the game easily, set up a universe and run fights without mishap. Basic stuff.

Cap
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Paul Norman
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Paul Norman »

Thanks Cap, I would like to reassure you that I read through this forum and the OOTP forum at least once a day (except a weekend I am out with the family). I make notes on everything that looks like a feasible change. I have got a massive text file with all these in bullet form marked as "next release", "next version" or "future".

I am glad to see that there were no surprises in your list, which is indeed a good sign. FYI here are a few comments on the points you raised:
  • HTML reports not opening
  • This worries me... I have looked at it a few times. If you recall you to sent me your saved game to repeat this. To date I have not seen it happen! I cant see why its happening or more to the point why can;t I repeat it! Rest assured I will do my best to find this for v1.3.
  • stoppages by cuts and punches
  • I have made some minor tweaks in this area, but full on game tuning is scheduled for TB3.
  • Crashes
  • These are my utmost priority. At present I am not aware of any crashes still in the game which coincides with you saying you have not seen one recently.
  • Redefine Fight Page
  • This is by far the most complex page in the game. There are a lot of GUI controls, timings and sequence controls on this page. It is never going to be "simple" due to the nature of what it does. We have discussed this matter at length in other threads and I have agreed to add controls and enlarge the in fight pictures in the next version. In the meantime the whole screen can be moved around with the skinning XML, but its complex just like the screen and not for the faint of heart! As a compromise I add easier skinning controls to v1.3 so you don;t need to mess around with the command line. I am not sure how I will do it yet but I will come up with something. This will make is easier to tinker with the skins, but it won;t make the fight screen any less complex ;)
  • Random ref
  • This is on my v1.3 list, its a simple logical change. There is a bias when picking the ref towards the nationality of the fighters, venue etc... On imported games there seems to be a difference in the nations table so this bias thinks Jay Referson is the only ref from the right country!
  • Ring Card Girls out of frame
  • Again, on my v1.3 list... I think this only happens with the "move" cookie enabled. Try turning move off and see if the RCG correct themselves.
  • Autoscheduler
  • I have one more Autoscheduler fix on my list for v1.3 which I think covers them all. I know there has been a lot confusion on how it works so I am wondering how it can be simplified without loosing the controls. Maybe this is simple a case of adding more depth to the manual for this complex area..
Cap
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

"...HTML reports not opening
This worries me... I have looked at it a few times. If you recall you to sent me your saved game to repeat this. To date I have not seen it happen! I cant see why its happening or more to the point why can;t I repeat it! Rest assured I will do my best to find this for v1.3..."

This is a real puzzle. I'm using Windows Vista and Google Chrome if that has any bearing on this. (I've tried switching back to Internet Explorer with no effect) The reports open automatically with version 2.0. Have many others seen the same problem or is it just certain ones using the same OS? As I seem to have a summary-result file from 1.1(dated 29/06/13) it would appear that something changed with 1.2 to affect html reports. When did you release 1.2?
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Paul Norman
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Paul Norman »

Can you confirm for me, its it all html reports or just certain ones that fail?
Cap
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

The only one that opens is the bout result in History. I click on a bout once or twice to highlight it then click EDIT then Open Bout Log. Funny thing is I don't recall clecking the box to save bout logs.

Cap
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

That reminds me. How about letting us edit venues in game histories? That would be a good thing.

You know, Paul. One of the problems you have to deal with is the fact that the game hadn't been updated in yeeears! So people had been conditioned over time to things looking and running in certain ways. Middle-aged guys, for the most part, don't appreciate change. Old guys hate it. They all do like to see improvements to what they've become accustomed to if it makes things easier and seems logical. They love the old saying,"If it ain't broke don't fix it!" :) Most of the old crowd figured you'd take the existing version, recode it intact to the new platform and add a few of the changes they've been asking for since about 2008. This is kinda like recasting a beloved film character. Even if the new guy is good, it takes some getting used to.

In short, if you can get the basic requirements working, they'll cut you some slack while you work on the next version.
javier_83
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by javier_83 »

i can confirm from my side, its all the html reports.

Regards!!
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Paul Norman
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Paul Norman »

I am looking at this presently... not got it yet, but the search is continuing...
Bypeadaparm
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Whats Next for Title Bout

Post by Bypeadaparm »

Hi I joined on this forum this week.

Forgive me for my laziness, but I was wondering if you could point me to any particularly important posts that I should check out first, so I can get up to speed here?

Thanks, Michael
Cap
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

Wow!

Well, son. Anything written by me for starters. :)

Cap
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Re: What's Next for Title Bout?

Post by Cap »

One thing that should be an easy fix at some point is to correct the announcer when the fight ends in a stoppage. It should show the winner with his hand raised and the announcer saying, "..This bout has ended by way of knockout!" and then switch to the result screen to see the time of stoppage and whether it was KO, TKO or Retirement. No hurry on this, Paulie. Just add it to the next full version.
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