Fight Night Official Blog

With today's announcement of the DLC coming in December, we also wanted to add that a free component will also be made available at the same time consisting of a new Title Update and more free Gear.  Here's a quick blog from Producer Mike Mahar:

Hello Fight Night 4 fans,

Over the last couple of months our community members have been providing us with feedback and we thank you for that.

We're extremely flattered to know we have a dedicated group of passionate fans who are willing to spend time playing the game and providing us with insight into how it may be improved.

Brizzo and I have been on Podcasts, the forums, and PM's answering your questions, and while we didn't have time to add all the feature requests into the game, we significantly overhauled some of the game play elements to address your online gameplay concerns. Here is a list of some of high profile additions you can expect in the next update.

Game Play Updates
-    Adjusted the locomotion speed at close proximity so that your opponent can no longer trap you with glued feet
-    Increased the stamina cost when continually punching
-    Increased stamina loss when continually weaving
-    Increased stamina loss for users that spam upper body movement
-    Can no longer perform a perfect block when spamming the block
-    Increased the stamina cost when continually running away from your opponent
-    No illegal blows can be thrown by either user when one user is in a stun state
-    Increased stamina cost of Haymakers
-    Tuned punch accuracy when opponents are moving their head
-    Reduced locomotion speed when throwing punch combos

Create Player Updates
-    Allow users to duplicate and edit ratings of licensed boxers

Online World Championship Updates
-    Improved cheat detection logic

General Updates
-    Various Bug fixes

These updates will be available for FREE. Also available for free are over a dozen new Create Boxer accessories including Boots, Trunks, and Gloves.

As mentioned in a previous blog, you can choose to purchase all of the DLC content at the bundled price OR you can choose to purchase each game mode and boxer separately.

The bundled price will save you some coin, but ultimately it's your choice what you purchase. Final prices are still being locked down so be on the lookout for more information coming soon.

We hope you enjoy the game play changes and the free gear.  See you online!

-Mike

EA SPORTS announced today that it will be releasing a new Downloadable Content (DLC) pack for Fight Night Round 4 in early December for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation®3. The DLC pack retails for 800 MS Points and $9.99 on Xbox LIVE^TM Marketplace and the PlayStation®Network, respectively. Named the Game Critic Awards "Best Sports Game of E3 2009", Fight Night Round 4 has been winning over reviewers since its release on June 23rd with its realistic graphics and genre defining physics-based boxing engine.

In addition to including Bernard Hopkins, Sonny Liston and Evander Holyfield as playable boxers, the DLC pack will also include two all-new game modes. The first, Old School Rules brings a new take to the traditional boxing experience, while the second, Ring Rivalries, allows you to re-create some of the greatest match ups in boxing history.

EA SPORTS also announced today that they have reduced the suggested retail price on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Fight Night Round 4 to $39.99 in North America.

We just wanted to announce the latest boxer to be available for free on XBOX LIVE Marketplace today, Olympic Sugar Ray Leonard.  Previously, this version of Sugar Ray was only available for those that had a promotional code from Pizza Hut and now that the promotion has ended, we have made the boxer available for free to XBOX Gold Members today while XBOX Silver Members will be able to download Olympic Sugar Ray Leonard on October 20th .

In order to unlock the boxer, you must have the latest free downloadable content and then upon selecting the boxer, you can choose to unlock him for free.

For PlayStation 3 gamers, we will be providing the Olympic version of Sugar Ray Leonard in a title update in the coming months.

With all the bobbing n weaving and hooks n uppercuts, gamers all over have been uploading clips with hopes of having them end up in our weekly videos. If you've got the knockout skills and touch with the video editing tool, post your EA SPORTS World videos here:  Video Candidates

Check out the latest and previous Main Event and Ultimate Knockout videos here:

Main Event

November 4 - This week's Fight Night Main Event features hardcaser16, StonyTony0808 and more.

October 21 - This week's Fight Night Round 4 Main Events features the best knockouts from gamers like KIRSOME, and Upercut1973.

October 13 - This week's Main Events features gamers like Caliboxer, HeadshotElite and more.

October 9 - This week's Fight Night Main Event features user submitted knockouts from boofyboof using Muhammad Ali to knock out George Foreman, and more

October 1 - This week's Fight Night Main Event features knockouts from Kingism, Hargush and more.

September 23  - This week's Fight Night Main Event features St3ven415,TH3ROAMINGGNOM3, and more.

September 15 - This week's Fight Night Main Event features ANT_P1989,OJ121 and more.

September 9 - This week's Fight Night Main Event features KINGKAZIM, Liam Elder and more.

August 26 - EA SPORTS presents the 1st ever FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Main Event.

Ultimate Knockout

September 1 - In this week's FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Ultimate Knockout, IMWINNIN is featured with a nasty knockout!

August 20 - In this week's FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Ultimate Knockout, TexasRoadKill uses Ricky Hatton to take out Manny Pacquiao.

August 15 - Congrats to ROCKSTARREL for winning week one

In case you haven't been following the blog, today the team released a few updates for FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 fans.  The game has been getting a lot play with gamers all around the world and even after receiving numerous accolades, it just keeps getting better.

First is the Title Update that includes a number of gameplay fixes, most notably, with body-spamming.  The devs have tweaked not only the default stamina slider, they have also adjusted the logic so punches become much less effective the more they are thrown in sequence.  What does that mean?  From what I've already read on the forums, you spammers out there are going to have to learn to box.  It's a welcome improvement to the game and one that our community has been asking for. 

Furthermore, the Title Update also includes the code to allow for Button Punching controls.  There are two new configurations that will please fans of the series that have been missing and requesting that this be implemented back into the game.  However, for XBOX 360 fans, please note that along with receiving the Title Update, you must also download the free Boxer Pack II download from the Fight Night Store or through XBOX Marketplace in order for the Button Punching controls be fully functional in game.

For more information on the Button Punching controls, check out the podcast:  FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Button Punching Controls

Boxer Pack II which includes free gear in the form of new shorts, boots, and gloves also includes five new locked fighters:  Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, and alternate versions of George Forman and James Toney.  All five can be purchased for 400 MS Points for XBOX 360 gamers and for $4.99 for PlayStation 3 gamers.

For more information on these updates, check out these blog entries:  Boxer Pack II and Title Update and Sport new gear for your Create-a-Boxer

If you haven't yet gotten into ring with FIGHT NIGHT Round 4, now's your best chance with the new demo that has been released today.  The demo not only contains my man, Manny Pacquiao, and Ricky Hatton, it now also includes cover athletes Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.  To allow gamers to go deeper into the game, we have stretched bouts to 10 rounds and the demo also includes all the latest updates including the Button Punching controls.

The new demo is now live exclusively for XBOX 360 Gold members and will be available for XBOX 360 Silver and PlayStation 3 gamers September 3rd.  Please note that if you already have the original demo, you will have to delete it and download the new one as you will not be able to have both.

So that's it in a nutshell.  A lot of great new stuff for fight fans and the team is still looking at more in the future.  So the question now is...Who wants to go a few rounds with me throwing Foreman bombs?

Let's go!

UPDATE - August 26, 2009 - Please be aware that the launch times for Title Update and Boxer Pack II / Champions Pack will approximately be as follows:

Sony PlayStation3

- Title Update and Free Boxer Pack: 1:00 AM PST

- Champions Pack Boxers will then be available for purchase for EU users between 9:00 AM PST - 12:00 PM PST and for NA users between 1:00 PM PST - 6:00 PM PST

Microsoft XBOX 360

- Title Update and Free Boxer Pack (Silver Users):  2:00 AM PST

- Champions Pack Boxers available for purchase at 2:00 AM PST

*We will update this post if there are any delays to the systems.  As these are approximate times, users may encounter some desyncs during the update period.  Thanks for your patience.

Original Blog Entry

The team wants to thank everyone for their patience as we provide updates for the game with fixes and DLC that our community has been asking for.  Though there have been bumps along the way, we're confident that most gamers will be pleased with what we have been able to offer as free content as well as what we are providing as a paid component.

For XBOX 360 Gold users who have already received the free Boxer Pack II from XBOX Marketplace, you've probably already noticed new boxers from the Champions Pack in your roster.  These boxers will remain locked until Thursday August 27th at which time a mandatory Title Update (new game code with gameplay fixes and button-punching controls), that will update automatically when you go online, will allow the boxers to become available through the Fight Night Store or on XBOX Marketplace for 400 MS points.  

For XBOX 360 Silver/PlayStation Network users, the free Boxer Pack II will be made available for you to download through the Fight Night Store or XBOX Marketplace/PlayStation Store on Thursday along with the mandatory Title Update that will appear when you first go online as well.  You can unlock the Champions Pack boxers for only 400 MS Points or $4.99 respectively.

As mentioned, not only will the mandatory Title Update contain post-launch gameplay fixes including the punch stamina fix, it also contains game code to add button-punching to the game.  The art assets, however, are shipped with the downloadable content in Boxer Pack II.  

So please NOTE that in order to play with the button configurations, users MUST download Boxer Pack II along with receiving the Title Update.  Furthermore as Boxer Pack II and the Title Update are free to all users and contain improvements to the game, we highly recommend downloading Boxer Pack II for optimal gameplay experience.  Please be aware that not doing so may hinder gameplay during online sessions.  

Here are the button-punching configurations:

Button Punching (XBOX 360) - Config 5 & 6
A Button: Left Hook (Head)
X Button: Left Straight (Head)
X + A Button: Left Uppercut (Head)
Y Button: Right Straight (Head)
B Button: Right Hook (Head)
Y + B Button: Right Uppercut (Head)

• Hold the Lean Modifier to throw punches to the body.
• There is no feinting w/ Button Punches.

Push/Clinch Modifier - RT Config 5/ (LT- Config 6)

• RT + Y Button: Clinch (LT + Y)
• RT + X Button: Push (LT + X)
• RT + B Button: Illegal Blow (LT + B)

Haymaker Modifier - LB Config 5 / (RB - Config 6)
Switch Stance - RB Config 5 / (LB - Config 6)

Blocking

• Right Analog is used for Blocking.
• RT/(LT Config 6) is not required as modifier.

Left Analog Controls

• Boxer Movement, Leaning, Lunging and Weaving function the same as with Control Configs 1-4.

Button Punching (PlayStation 3) - Config 5 & 6
X Button: Left Hook (Head)
SQUARE Button: Left Straight (Head)
X + SQUARE Button: Left Uppercut (Head)
TRIANGLE Button: Right Straight (Head)
CIRCLE Button: Right Hook (Head)
TRIANGLE + CIRCLE Button: Right Uppercut (Head)

• Hold the Lean Modifier to throw punches to the body.
• There is no feinting w/ Button Punches.

Push/Clinch/Illegal Blow Modifier - RT Config 5/ (LT- Config 6)

• R2 + TRIANGLE Button: Clinch (L2 + TRIANGLE)
• R2 + SQUARE Button: Push (L2 + SQUARE)
• R2 + CIRCLE Button: Illegal Blow (L2 + CIRCLE)

Haymaker Modifier - L1 Config 5 / (R1 - Config 6)
Switch Stance - R1 Config 5 / (L1 - Config 6)

Blocking

• Right Analog is used for Blocking.
• RT/(LT Config 6) is not required as modifier.

Left Analog Controls

• Boxer Movement, Leaning, Lunging and Weaving function the same as with Control Configs 1-4.

FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 gamers who have been asking for more content will now be able to get their hands on more game accessories as a new free download (Boxer Pack II) has been made available for XBOX Gold gamers today.  For XBOX 360 Silver and PS3 gamers, the download will be made available on August 27th.  Boxer Pack II will include the content below as well as content from DLC #1 so PS3 gamers will receive both DLC packs next week.

*Please note that the download does not appear within the In-Game Store and gamers must go to the XBL Marketplace to get the free download.  Following the download, though the gear will not appear as downloaded within the Fight Night store, it is available within your Create Boxer accessories.

Included in the Boxer Pack II download are the following gear:

Trunks

-          Nigeria Flag
-          Philippines Flag
-          Germany Flag
-          Canada Flag
-          Oscar De La Hoya

Boots

-          Grant Panamanian Boots
-          Union Jack Boots
-          Camouflage Boots
-          Flame Boots
-          All American Boots (part of DLC #1)

Gloves

-          Canada Gloves
-          Germany Gloves
-          Philippines Gloves
-          Puerto Rico Gloves
-          All American Gloves (part of DLC #1)

Please note that Boxer Pack II for XBOX 360 gamers also includes all the content from DLC #1, therefore, gamers who are short on HD space can choose to delete DLC #1 to clear up space.  If gamers have unlocked Olympic Sugar Ray Leonard from DLC #1, he will remain unlocked.

If you wish to delete DLC #1, follow these steps:  Delete Fight Night Round 4 Pack 1 via the Xbox Blade
    My Xbox > Systems Settings > Memory > Hard Drive > Games > Fight Night Round 4 > Fight Night Round 4 Pack 1 > Delete

Following the download you will also notice the Champions Pack boxers will appear locked in your boxer gallery and, if selected, will prompt you to purchase.  These boxers will be available for purchase on August 27th.

With Microsoft launching the Games on Demand full game digital download program this week, EA SPORTS has jumped into the mix with the Platinum Hit FIGHT NIGHT Round 3.  For 1600 points, you can get the full retail game downloaded directly to your XBOX 360.

Check it out here for more details:  FIGHT NIGHT Round 3 On Demand

UPDATE - August 21, 8:25AM: Pricing and Availability Change

A further price reduction has been confirmed for the Champions Pack boxers: 400 MS Points / $4.99 on PSN. Furthermore, the dates for PSN and XBL Silver have been moved in line with XBL Gold and slated to be purchasable on August 27th.

UPDATE - August 17th, 2009:  Pricing Change

After further review and taking into account feedback from our community, the team has decided to release the upcoming Champions Pack for only 480 Microsoft points for XBOX LIVE gamers and $5.99 for PlayStation Network gamers.  The pack will be made available for XBOX LIVE Gold subscribers on August 27th while Silver and PSN gamers will see the pack on September 3rd.

Original entry

Electronic Arts revealed that its first downloadable boxer pack for Fight Night Round 4 will be available in late August on XBOX LIVE and the Playstation Network for 800 Microsoft points and $9.99, respectively. The downloadable boxer pack will include Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, and alternate versions of George Foreman and James Toney.  Named the Game Critic Awards “Best Sports Game of E3 2009”, Fight Night Round 4 has been winning over reviewers and fans since its release on June 23rd. 

In addition to the boxer pack, EA SPORTS™ will also be releasing a free downloadable game update at the end of August. The free update will include additional trunks, gloves and shorts, as well as a free button control scheme that will allow gamers to use face buttons on the Xbox 360 and PS3 game controllers to throw punches, hooks, uppercuts and haymakers. A new demo featuring the button controls will also be available on XBOX LIVE and the Playstation Network by early September. The 12 round demo will feature Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali as playable boxers.

"We are extremely excited to be able to add Oscar and the Klitschko brothers as part of our roster," said executive producer, Dean Richards.  "As three of the most globally recognized names in the sport, they are an important addition to the Fight Night Round 4 lineup."

UPDATE - August 17th 1:45PM PST

De La Hoya Headlines Downloadable Boxer Pack (Click here)

UPDATE from the Development Team - August 7 - 6:30PM PST

As you may be aware there is an issue related to the DLC Pack 1. Users who’ve downloaded this pack may experience situations where they load into game play (online and offline) and their controller config will be changed to button punch controls. This happens without warning and the button controls are not yet available as a feature via the Settings screen.

This issue only occurs for Xbox 360 users who’ve downloaded Pack 1 and the fix will be going live early (2 AM Pacific Time) in the morning on Tuesday, August 11, 2009.

After MS releases the update users must follow these steps to fix the issue:
- Delete Fight Night Round 4 Pack 1 via the Xbox Blade
My Xbox > Systems Settings > Memory > Hard Drive > Games > Fight Night Round 4 > Fight Night Round 4 Pack 1 > Delete
- Once it is deleted select to Play Fight Night Round 4 via My Xbox
- Press Start to advance to the Main Menu
- The user should be prompted with a new ‘Downloadable Content 1 is now available’ pop up.
- Select to download it.
- Once downloaded the user should no longer experience the ‘random button config’ issue during gameplay
- If users have previously unlocked Olympic Sugar Ray Leonard via the Pizza Hut promotion he will still be available/unlocked.

UPDATE - July 31 3:15PM PST

Thanks to the community for your patience as our team has been working around the clock to resolve an issue with a button control scheme showing up randomly in online play. The team has determined that the issue is linked to the DLC update that went out this week to XBOX 360 Gold members. The devs are currently working on getting a fix in to resolve the issue within the next couple of weeks.

What does this mean for XBOX 360 Silver gamers?

As XBOX 360 Silver members do not have the ability to play online, the issue will not manifest itself for those that wish to download the DLC when it becomes available on August 6th.

What does this mean for XBOX 360 Gold gamers who have downloaded the DLC?

As the team is working on implementing a fix for the bug, we will provide more detailed instructions within the next couple of weeks on how to rectify the issue as MFST will allow us to push out the fix after the appropriate approvals. In the meantime, please follow the steps below to ensure you do not encounter the issue or if you are in a match with the issue occurring:

If you want to be absolutely sure you don't encounter this issue in online, back out to the Main Menu after each online fight and then re-enter the game mode.

If you do happen to enter a fight with buttons, you can pause the game, go into the settings -> controller configuration menu and then back out which will cause a desync with both fighters not receiving a win or a loss on their record. The desync should only occur if the bug appears.

What does this mean for PS3 gamers?

We have determined that it would be optimal for PS3 users to not encounter this issue, so we will be combining this first update with our scheduled second update slated for early September. We understand that means that the issues some users are experiencing that we planned to have fixed with the first update will still be present, though the fixes with this first update along with the fix with this new issue and improvements with the second update will be available at that time.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding as the team works to resolve this issue.

Original Entry - July 27 12:25 PM PST

Mike Mahar here to provide a quick word on our first game update which went live over the weekend for XBOX 360 users and which will go live for PS3 users next week.  The following items have been updated included in the Patch/Title Update:

Legacy Mode – Fix for scheduling two fights at once and not being able to advance in the Legacy Mode schedule. Users will need to start a new Legacy Mode file for fix to be applied.

Legacy Mode – Legacy Mode freezing fix for users’ encountering random freeze events.  This fix applies to save load functionality and will NOT fix currently corrupted Legacy Files but will fix all new Legacy Files after the patch has been applied.

XBOX 360 Boot Up Freeze – Sometimes game would freeze if user had a high number of playlists. This issue has been fixed to handle over 30 custom play lists elegantly. This is for XBOX 360 only.

Online – Online HUD functionality altered so opponent’s HUD is hidden during the fight. Change made to improve quality of online game play.

Live Tournament Feature – Fight Night Round 4 will be offering Live Tournaments in the future. This feature will not be accessible until the Live Tournament functionality it turned on. Stay tuned for more information regarding tournament dates and times.

New Game Play Sliders -  Two new sliders that allow the user to customize boxer stamina, boxer accuracy, and the counter punch window for off line game play.

Our apologies for not messaging out the specifics of the patch in advance, while some XBOX 360 users got it on Saturday July 25th, it wasn’t scheduled to go live until July 28th. However, a free DLC update for XBOX 360 users is scheduled to go out in the early morning hours of July 28th. 

The Sony PS3 patch and DLC update will be available on August 6th due to slightly longer processing times through Sony. This will include all bug fixes mentioned above and free DLC content.

Due to the tight time lines of this patch, not all the requested issues could be resolved. We will continue to collect feedback and offer more improvements and fixes in future updates…like the Button Patch.

If you have any questions regarding the patch please post them in the forums or PM Brizzo, sk88z, or me.

-Mike