Saturday 31 December 2011

New Version Feature Spotlight #10 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9.. 
10..KNOCK OUT!
Like no other Boxing Management game. Made by Boxing fans, for Boxing fans since 2005. 


This is the point where I'd like us to sit crossed legged in a circle for a little chat if you don't mind!

You should know me by now. Whether you know me as Anthony, ProBoxMan, 'support@pcboxing' or whatever. You should know that this game is and always will be, my baby. I have been a hardcore boxing fan since the 1980s and remember (just) those early classic fights with the likes of Tommy Hearns, Iron Mike to British legends like Barry McGuigan, Lloyd Honeyghan and of course Big Frank. Every fight was amazing to me. So much so that I began making my own boxing board games which my friends and I would play for days on end. Yes, I was 'that guy'! The inventive fanatic. As boxing computer games begun to appear on my Commodore64 and beyond, I have played and loved pretty much all of them.

This started my desire to create my first boxing management game 'Ultimate Boxing Manager'. Although it wasn't the 'ultimate' boxing management game it was 100% my work, every single part written or designed by me. Did you play it? Remember the boxing circles? Did you beat it? It's a bit of a legend as not even I managed to become the ultimate boxing manager! I was rightfully proud when the positive reviews and feedback came in and this sparked the need for the follow-up.

January 2006 saw the launch of 'Boxing Manager - Professional Edition' and apart from the office and gym backgrounds was once again made by me. This was a more ambitious version than 'Ultimate' and was also well received until the well documented issues it had staying upright and running! This is a shame as it was a superior game to the previous effort. Being a true boxing fan, when the problems began I didn’t run and hide I thought 'what would it take to make the absolute best boxing management game. To this end I requested feedback from every player of the game for their opinion and every feedback, whether from a real professional boxing manager or casual player was treated on its merits. From this I created the blueprint for the best boxing management game.

And then here we are. This game 'Professional Boxing Manager' is the accumulation of efforts of boxing fans all around the world, the love of my family and support from my friends. I don't want to get into the personal expense this game has cost me or even the effects of lame coders and designers bailing out on me mid project had on my health. It was worth it and whether it’s a success or not, I know this game has the features the dedicated players of the game wanted. Is it the exact vision I had when I started? No. Have there been compromises? Yes. Too many unfortunately mainly caused by the weak hired help and financial constraints. The good news is that even now I already have a massive wishlist of features and ideas which simply couldn't be squeezed into this version. In fact, the team here had to constantly be 'reigned in' as the sheer amount of good ideas threatened to swamp the development. Is this a finished list? Not at all. Not by a long shot. Your feedback helped me then and it will help me now to develop, improve and strive to make YOUR game, MY baby the best boxing management game it can be. True story.

"so what's the question then?" That's simple. The question on your lips, or tweets, or facebook comment is simply "when is it coming out?" The answer? Well, that was meant to be this year but hit a few nasty snags at the end which put paid to that. Now the game is slated for release January 31st. An actual date! Happy? If so, make sure you're signed up here for the discount off your purchase.

Until next time...

Thursday 1 December 2011

New Version Feature Spotlight #9 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..
 

9..SUPERIOR QUALITY
Incredible background data processing speed, rock solid stability with a slick & stylish int
erface. 

Basically, this game works! I cannot stress to you how important this fact is to me. The current game (coded by these hands) was very quickly found out in terms of its ability to run well on modern PCs. In fact it was the advent of Windows Vista that really caused it problems. I'm not technically able to explain in detail but I believe Vista worked in a different way to good old XP and combined with faster processors etc my simple coding was soon corrupted.
 

If you've complained about this you would have received an email from me. Not copied and pasted but written by me personally apologising for it. I'll be honest and say the game 'falling over' personally upset me. I could take a 'this game is rubbish' comment on the chin but not being able to fix the problem hurt and I REALLY tried to fix it! I even hired a third party to fix it but I guess my coding was so contrived he couldn't. He did create a backup database system which allowed for some 'rolling back' (usually to an earlier still corrupted version!) and the legendary 'THIS ERROR MESSAGE HAS BEEN COPIED TO YOUR CLIPBOARD PASTE IT INTO A SUPPORT REQUEST EMAIL' message. Oh how I loved those! :0)
 

"So what’s different this time?"
That's simple, I didn’t write it. Not a single line. Instead I hired professional coders to do the work and a fine job they did too. The result is a fantastically stable platform for a game which is literally a hundred thousand times the size of my little boxing game! The new version also has absolutely fantastic new in-game graphics, again professionally designed and brand new for this version. This also includes a new 3D office environment for you to run and build your boxing management empire.

The result? You get the pleasure of playing with a beautifully designed, solid and reliable game worthy of your time, effort and appreciation and I get to sleep at night! ;0)

Until next time...


 

Friday 14 October 2011

New Version Feature Spotlight #8 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..

8..MAJOR SUPPORT
Featuring famous boxing brands from across the world helping to create an authentic experience

The core strategy behind this game was to not only make it bigger and better but also to make it much more realistic.
To aid this cause I solicited the involvement of boxing brands from the well known world famous down to new independent labels on the basis of helping create a fabulous and authentic experience making you, the boxing fans feel right at home!
 
So who's in? Yeah, like I'm ever going to reveal all of the brands involved here!
But to give you some idea of the scope of the massive and beautiful boxing game that will soon be in your hands, it includes major publications like the renowned Boxing Monthly and the awesome new Undisputed Magazine. Then there's world class equipment related brands such as Sugar Rays, AMPro and Rival to name a few. There are also great boxing forums and channels like Live Fight, Boxing Asylum, The Main Event Boxing Show, World Boxing News and many more.

 
The brands are interwoven into the fabric of the game so they can be experienced exactly how they are in the real world. For example you might get a message from an boxing equipment manufacturer offering you a glove wearing deal or you might see a boxing forum quote telling everyone how rubbish your stable is, lowering your fame.
 
Oh, So this is Advert City population me then?

No. I wish. Then I might actually be getting paid handsomely and using the funds to make me handsome! There are a couple of ads around but nothing too distracting. Also every brand appears on the ring mat in the 3d fight scene which is a pretty cool bit of screen time, no matter how majorly famous you may be.


Until next time...

Box On!
Anthony (ProBoxMan)
Email:
support@pcboxing.com
Web: http://www.pcboxing.com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/ProBoxMan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ProBoxMan/

Sunday 9 October 2011

New Version Feature Spotlight #7 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count..

7..FUN GAMEPLAY
 Enjoy the thrill of achieving Amateur boxing glory and gaining recognition for your management excellence!  

Games should be fun right?
I was very conscious when making this game to ensure it doesn't feel like you are simply interfacing with a cold hard database, rather that you are making an impact on the boxing world and having fun doing it!

 
So, how is some fun to be had?
Well, fun is what you make it. What may be fun for one player may not be quite so entertaining for another! I know some players are already excited by the Amateur boxing career development aspect, whereas others would take more enjoyment from bringing back washed up a former champ. Whatever your idea of fun may be, I have devised interesting side plots to the main mission of boxing related getting, training, fighting and winning.

 
Firstly; it is my pleasure to announce...The Golden Games! That's right; since this game has Amateur boxing what it also needed was a massive World Championship Amateur Boxing knockout style Tournament! Every year the best 32 Amateurs in each weight class are drawn to compete in the Golden Games to decide who takes the gold and the glory! Maybe your hot prospect will round off a fantastic year of wins by scooping the title! Maybe after he’ll get big headed and try to dump you? Maybe he’ll add a few zeros to his contract if you tried to renegotiate? Maybe it’ll mean he starts higher in the rankings when he turns pro? Maybe you’ll have to wait to find out.
 
Secondly; if you're an awesome boxing manager you should be rewarded right? What are you expecting? Some sort of trophy? Alright then! The game is stacked with great unlock-able trophies for all manner of brilliant achievements, there's even an in-game trophy room where you can bask in their glory whenever you like! No, I will not be telling you what they all are! :0)
 
But; I want MORE fun! Give it to me now!
Whoah, easy Tiger! Ok, check this out. Guess what happens if you're the manager of the best Amateur boxers in your Country in each weight-class when the Golden games come around? That's right, by default YOU will become your own Countries International Boxing Team Manager! Neat huh? There should probably be an award trophy for that... ;0)

 
Until next time...
 

 

Friday 2 September 2011

New Version Feature Spotlight #6 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count..1..2..3..4..5..  
6..REALISTIC MANAGEMENT
Multiple
Boxing organisations, weigh-ins, contract/fight negotiations, PPV & TV deals, Corner-man mode & more!

 
Ok, I think we'd better break this one down a bit!
 
How multiple are the multiple boxing organisations? With this game we have gone from a total of 2 boxing Organisations (ORGs) to (wait for it) 69 National level PLUS 5 Continental level PLUS 2 World level which equals 76 ORGS! Each has their own licensing criteria, rules, rankings, results, website and head honchos for you to deal (or not deal) with!
 
Weigh-in now takes place before the fight. As detailed in the last update, it is up to you (or a hired expert) to ensure your boxers are properly prepared for the fight and within the correct weight limits. Failure to do so will result in massive financial penalties to pay for substitutes to take your place as well as all manner of other problems that generate from frustrating venue promoters, boxers and fans.
 
Boxer and Fight contract negotiations are now more detailed as they link into the 'rival/ally' system detailed in a previous update. This means the process is made significantly harder or easier depending on which side of their fence you're on. Negotiations with a party that is neither friend nor foe will be based on their abilities and intelligence and, of course, yours too!
 
PPV/TV deals is a feature which is still being developed. Currently this means that being skilful in your matchmaking means you may just end up on a fightbill with a world champion, get your boxer featured on screens worldwide and guess what? His star could rise as could your bank balance!
 
Corner-man mode is quite similar to the current game but with a few significant differences to take advantage of the wealth of stats each boxer now has. More details on this in a future update.
 

"Hey! You Said More!"
There is more. Even much more. I could've even used the 'much, much more' phrase if I wanted too but that would've simply blown your mind! :0)

 
The result? A realistic boxing management game placing you in the hotseat and making sure that if you don't put the effort in with determination, skill and style, then you'll be knocked out of the game quicker than your underprepared boxers!
 

Until next time...
 

 

Wednesday 31 August 2011

New Feature Spotlight #5 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count..1..2..3..4..

 
5..INVOLVING ACTION
Manage your way & every aspect from your staff down to the number of supplements in your boxers diet.

 
I detailed in the last update how the way you manage effects the world outside your office door, in this update I will highlight how the way you manage 'in house' has also changed for the better.
 
This time around you are far from alone as (depending on your level and finances) you can surround yourself with boxing industry professionals to make your life easier. This also comes in various levels from the usual trusty assistant to team members like corner men, cut men and coaches through to additional bolt-on members such as doctors and trainers, right up to specialists that can be hired to train individual abilities and work magic for a hefty fee!
 
Training has been greatly improved and allows almost limitless customisation with the ability to not only create an entire training schedule up to 16 weeks long but also to save and load plans you've created yourself. This way, you as the manager can tailor your plans to the styles and needs of each individual boxer or create general plans for keeping fit, improving power, etc. As before it is very important not to overwork your boxers as this increases the risk of injury but this time around overtraining can also drain them and reduce their weight. Under-working has the effect of also reducing abilities and increasing weight. One of the specialists available to hire is a Nutritionist which could come in handy as you now also have the task of managing the weight of your entire stable of boxers! And if you don't 'make the weight' come fight week...big trouble!
 
"I'm not messing about with diets!"
Hey, it's not that bad! check this out. The boxers’ diet is set using a mixture of Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats and Supplements. Basically four lockable sliders. Tweaking these factors even slightly along with changes in the training plans can have a massive effect on your boxer and you may just find the winning recipe to create that monster you've been trying to create! The good thing is you can assign lots of tasks to your assistant so, if messing about with diet sliders is not your thing, don't make it your thing!

 
The result? Even more power to your boxing manager elbow. Hire, fire, tweak, change, mess about, experiment and ultimately get involved and make your team and stable a force to be feared!
 

 
Until next time...
 

 

Wednesday 3 August 2011

New Feature Spotlight #4 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count...1...2...3...
 

..4..DETAILED WORLD
 

Highly detailed characters populate an ever changing boxing world with allies & rivalries made every minute!
 

How detailed? Well, let's put this into perspective. In the current game each boxer has 6 main stats (Endurance, Power, Defence, Speed, Accuracy and Resistance) and 1 additional (Cuts) which is not trainable. Total of 7. The new version has 9 PAGES of information relating to the individual boxers before you even get into the stats on each! I am not going to reveal all the stats involved and there are a whole series of stats which are going to be hidden from the player anyway (Feeling Lucky Punk?) but the simple fact is there is an immense amount of stats available.

As a manager you will now have the power to not just train a boxer but also to DESIGN your boxer entirely to suit you. For example if you discover a kid who, with a bit of work, could become a fantastic counterpunching Southpaw with a sweet left hook to go with his natural strength, Balance and Bravery you can make it happen.

And that's just the boxers. Now the world also includes a massive array of Staff and Non Player Characters (NPCs) which you can and must interact with in order to survive and prosper. Everything from Cut men and Corner men through to specialist to aid in nutrition and training up to venue promoters, TV bosses and (Gulp!) Boxing Organisation presidents! More on these NPCs later. Suffice to say, the game world has levels of detail unprecedented in a boxing game, let alone a boxing management game.

"I demand more detail!" Wow, OK steady on. Let's look at the 'allies & rivalries' part. Every character in the game (including you!) has an ever evolving list of rivals and allies. This is needed, because as you travel through the game coming into contact with the NPCs, you will now have an effect on them. For example if you organise a fight with another manager and you blatantly fleece them, there's a chance you'll get onto their rival list meaning future attempts may become a lot harder to do. What's worse is that this world (like real life) is about 'degrees of separation' and annoying someone can also be passed onto people they know. Of course, the opposite is true too as is varying degrees in-between. Time to take some responsibility for your actions!

The result? You will now have an unparalleled level of customisation and training control on the boxers in your stable and it'll be down to you to manage not just your relationships with your boxers and staff but also your relationships with the characters around you. A world of emotional colour to go with the superbly customisable physical one.



Until next time...

Friday 22 July 2011

New Feature Spotlight #3 - Professional Boxing Manager

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count...1...2...

..3..MULTIPLE LEVELS

Achieve honours in the Amateur boxing world, go for Professional boxing glory or Both at the same time!


Yes, the amateur boxing world is now going to be fully represented by a world class boxing management game!
This means you'll be able to talent spot right from an early age, nurture the skills and, of course, take them all the way to professional glory. Full career progression is now yours to shape.


The new game is very much about levels. For the boxers (amateur and professional class) and this time around, for you too!
A good way to explain would be to imagine if YOU right now went and applied for a managers licence and started a boxing gym. In all likelihood the licence will only apply in your base country and (unless you have some famous and trusting boxer friends) your gym will be initially attended by local amateurs and low level pros. That's not to say you won't be able to try and get some famous names, you just won't succeed without throwing a LOT of money around which you won't have! :0) The good news is as you (the manager) develop you will be able to earn the right to succeed with an application to manage at Continental and then World level.


"Say what? This is brilliant!"
Thanks, you're too kind! It is brilliant and it is brilliant on multiple levels!


The result? Amateur boxing finally gets the representation it deserves and you finally get to feel the warm glow that only comes from starting at the bottom and climbing the ranks to the top. As always, I'm interested to read your feedback to this and all the future feature announcements so please get in touch.

Until next time...

Sunday 10 July 2011

Professional Boxing Manager Game - New Feature Spotlight #2

Hello,
Hope you are well.
 
See below for the second installment in the 'great boxing game tease of 2011'! :0)
 
Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count...1...
 
..2...EXCITING FIGHTS
Action packed fight engine combining 3d graphics with stunning professional motion capture animations.

 
As you may have seen from the screenshot, the new version has improved the 'watching the fights' part of the game quite a bit!
Glorious 3D with free-cam allowing you to view the fight from any angle. Uses professionally designed motion capture animations and only the gloves are Red vs Blue now! Certainly beats watching those Red & Blue circles get their boxing on. Bearing in mind, a lot of Football (Soccer) management games have only recently moved on from 'dot game display', so we're not that far behind!

 
Let's be honest though, the EA Sports Fight Night series has completely spoilt you when it comes to boxing game eye candy. I doubt I can even comprehend the sheer amount of money and man hours that must have gone into it's production. Mind-Boggling!
So what does an independant game developer do in the face of such unbeatable odds? He decides to go for an approach which will deliver a look unique to his game that is enjoyable to watch and represents what is going on behind the scenes in the Fight Engine. This is a management game first and a viewing spectacle second. So don't expect photo-realistic artificially intelligent sweat spray, but do expect boxers that now look different wearing their own colours which makes them much easier to follow and to remember.

 
"Fight Engine Say What?"
You ask just the best questions! The Fight Engine is the mass of calculations going on behind the scenes in order to deliver a fight on-screen that truly represents the stats and abilities of the boxers in action. In the new version the fight engine is even more sophisticated and delivers an exciting and accurate boxing experience. More on that later.

 
The result? Professional Boxing Manager is more enjoyable to watch as every single fight will look different (unless it's a rematch) and your stable will now be full of literally colourful characters! As always, I'm interested to read your feedback to this and all the future feature announcements so please get in touch.
 

Until next time...

Friday 1 July 2011

Professional Boxing Manager Game - New Feature Spotlight #1

Something New...

Hello,
Hope you are well.
Ok, so I promised to announce a feature from the new game so here goes...

Professional Boxing Manager is a Knockout. Start the Count...

..1..BIGGER & BETTER
Fully realised boxing world with over 30 Thousand boxers and characters in 69 Countries spread over 5 Continents.


To put this into some kind of perspective compare 30,000 to the 1,600 boxers and characters in ther current game. I know, wow! The new game is on such an immensely different scale to the existing game it is almost impossible to compare them at all. I honestly don't know how many boxers are in any of the other boxing games out there but I don't think they're packing those numbers.

As you may have gathered from the setup screenshot, at the beginning of the game you get to choose firstly which Continent you want to be based in and then which Country. The amount of boxers and characters in each Country is based on real world boxing data, meaning that different Countries will present a different challenge, depending on the nature of boxers that Country produces. A very rough example of this would be trying to create a Chinese World Heavyweight champion based in China, whereas creating a lighter weight champion could be an easier task.

"But hey, America is a huge Country, so what's going on with that noise?"
I'm glad you asked! It's obviously unrealistic to expect a small time boxing manager to have access to all the USA boxers from cost-to-coast when starting out, so what I have done is I have split the USA into districts which roughtly represent the geographical way the Americans define themselves; i.e. Mid-west, South-East, West-Coast, etc. So basically, if you choose the USA you then have to choose a district instead of a Country, but after that all the same game rules apply.

The bottom line to all this is Professional Boxing Manager is a game that is set in a realistic boxing world with virtually unlimited game & unique replay posibilities! Neat huh? I hope you think so. I'm always interested to read your feedback to this and all the future feature announcements so please get in touch. I'm contactable via email reply, the website contact form, Twitter or facebook page. Details are below.

Until next time...

Wednesday 1 June 2011

New Version Update #12 - Screenshots!

Hi All,
Hope you are well.
I know it’s been too long but I have now created some new screenshots of the current game. W-hoo!
To view goto my new Facebook page here - I hope you like and feel free to share your thoughts!


Whilst your over there taking a look at the new screenshots please hit the ‘Like’ button if you do!
Feel free to communicate with me via this channel if that’s easiest for you. Those that know me know I will always respond if I get the message!

Special Offer for Facebook ‘Friends’.
If you do bother to ‘Like’ what I’m doing on FB then you should be rewarded right? Ok, it’s as simple as this:
1.       Goto the Facebook page and hit the ‘Like’ button to get hooked up.
2.       Let me know via reply to this email that you have done so. Include your Facebook name.
3.       I will add your name and email to my ‘Discount Code’ list which will receive an immediate saving on the new game upon release.
4.       Tell your friends and boxing fans!

Next Time...
The next email I send out will have the full feature list from the new game! You will NOT believe the lengths I have gone too! :0)

As always, please feel free to get in touch. Always good to read form you.


Box On!
Anthony.

Monday 16 May 2011

Wait for it...

...a new update is pending. Gonna be a doozy! Watch this space! :0)

Sunday 17 April 2011

Facing The Facts & New Version Update #11

Hi All,
Hope you're well and had a good weekend.

Excuse the ominous sounding title, as much as I've tried to resist, I can resist no more...BM is now on Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/eXYtwM
I'm not a big fan of Facebook although I know a lot of you are. Fair play. 

So, why bother 'Liking' and keeping track on it? Well, although I'm loving the Twitter, I do realise that Twitter is a bit more 'business end' and Facebook is the best platform for connecting with the real everyday fans of the game...you!

On the update front, it's been a slow period in term of results but I feel its been a good time in terms of progress. I'm sure that within the next week or two I'm going to be able to show you some screenshots and more relating to the new version and it'll be time to start revealing some reasons why your patience is going to be rewarded. New info, screenshots, etc will be posted to Twitter & Facebook pages.

You 'Like'? Then let me know.

Box On my 'Friends'!
Anthony.

Friday 18 March 2011

Twit Ta Whoo!

Hey all,
Hope you're all well and looking forward to the weekend.

Thought it was about time I setup a Twitter account for the game.
I know, I'm just soooo 2010 and should really get with the program. :)
Said Twitter account is here: @ProBoxMan

Why should you follow me?
Good question. I'm glad you asked. Three reasons:
1. Future game updates (and SCREENSHOTS) are going to be appearing there not here. This blog is going to be removed when the new website goes live very soon.

2. Twitter followers will get a discount code for money off the new version price and first dibs on special offers.

3. I often have things on my mind under 140 characters. It's just the way my mind works!


Box On and may the Tweet be with you...always!
Anthony.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

New Version Update #10

Howdy!

Hope you are well.
I mean that sincerely,  I, hope that YOU are well right now wherever you are! :)

Here's an update.
(Wouldnt want to be accused of not updating regularly now!)

How's things you ask? Well they're going well too.
I am currently at a major stage of the development and the signs are good to get through this stage within a month. Right on schedule. Hell, it may even be slightly ahead! (shock horror!)

I am also working on the a new website design.
I know how much you l o v e (jk) the current one but it's time for an overhaul. Looking pretty sweet it is too. Wanna see? Click here

Sorry about that, I'm in a playful mood!

Box On Faith Keepers!
Anthony.

Friday 11 February 2011

New Version Update #9

Hi All,
Hope you are well.

The good news is that there is no bad news!
Seriously, everything is swimming along (thanks to my frankly superb coder) and there's been some behind the scenes stuff completed which is going to help the game progress even quicker and smoother.

So, as the saying goes..."It's all good"! :)

Box On!
Anthony.