This explains in great detail how TKO Boxing works.  It is not necesary to completely
understand these rules, but you might be a more successful manager if you do.

TKO Boxing is an internet boxing league in which each player creates fictional fighters
and plays the role of their manager.  A manager's goal is to create champions and to
make them reign for as long as possible.

Each bout consists of a sequence of rounds. The following occurs in each round:

   1.Each fighter lands a certain number punches.
   2.Each fighter loses a certain number of "endurance points".
   3.If either fighter has lost all of his endurance points, a Technical Knockout (TKO)
     occurs and the bout ends.
   4.If either fighter loses too large a portion of his endurance points, a Knockout (KO)
     occurs and the bout ends.
   5.Each fighter regains a portion of his lost endurance points for resting between
     rounds, and for any resting he may have done during the round.

If neither a KO nor a TKO occurs, then points are awarded to each round based on the
10 point must system. We have three simulated judges who do not score the round with
perfect accuracy, and who do not always agree.

If no KO or TKO has occurred after twelve rounds, the judges vote on a winner, each
according to his own scoring of the rounds. If either fighter receives two or three votes,
he is declared the winner. Otherwise the bout is declared a draw.

To view a complete fight report using the TKO Simulator, click here.

Abilities and Tactics

Each round is simulated using the fighters' natural abilities and tactics for the round. A
fighter's natural abilities are not under the control of the fighter's manager, whereas a
fighter's tactics are completely determined by the fighter's manager.

Natural Abilities, Weight, and Endurance

Each fighter has five natural abilities --- speed, agility, strength, toughness, and height.
For brevity, we refer to these abilities as SPD, AGL, STR, TGH, and HGT respectively.
These abilities are interpreted as follows:

     STR The fighter's ability to hurt his opponent.
     SPD The fighter's ability to land punches.
     AGL The fighter's ability to avoid punches.
     TGH The fighter's endurance and his ability to take punishment.
     HGT The fighter's height and reach.

Each ability has a numeric value, with 10-11 being average, and higher numbers being
more desirable. Every fighter is "born" with randomly selected abilities that total 53.

A HGT of 10 is interpreted as a height of six feet. Each point of HGT above or below 10
is one inch. For example, a fighter with HGT 9 would be five feet and eleven inches tall.
Each fighter also has a "weight" which is computed (in pounds) by the following formula:

     WGHT = (62+HGT) * (62+HGT) * (62+HGT) * (1 + (STR-AGL)*0.015) / 2000

Finally, a fighter's weight is slightly randomized, usually varying by 1-3 pounds from the
above computation.

Weight and Strength

At the beginning of a bout, the two fighters' weights are compared. Suppose that fighter
A has weight W1 and fighter B has weight W2 and that W1 > W2. Then fighter A has
((W1/W2) - 1)*10added to his STR and fighter B has the same amount subtracted from
his STR>

For example, if fighter A weighs 220 pounds and his opponent weighs 200 pounds, then
A would have ((220/200) - 1) * 10 = 1 point added to his STR, while his opponent loses
one point of STR.

Important Note: For purposes of calculating strength advantage due to weight,
the maximum weight used is 230 lbs. i.e. If your fighter weighs 300 lbs his
weight will not give him any strength advantage over a 230 lb. fighter. This is
done to discourage the creation of 400 lb. freaks.

Each fighter also has a certain number of endurance points. A fighter begins the bout
with 10 endurance points for each point of toughness. For example, a fighter with a
toughness of 10 (which is average) would begin the bout with 100 endurance points. A
fighter tends to lose endurance points as the bout progresses due to damage and
fatigue.

Weight Divisions and Dieting

Every fighter can lose up to 7% of his body weight to make a weight limit.  This is the
fighter's ability to diet and make weight. For example, the welterweight division's weight
limit is 147 pounds, a 155 pound fighter can lose 7% of his body weight (155 * .93) to
get down to as low as 144 pounds to make the welterweight weight limit.

Why does this? Well, not only does it simulate fighters dieting and making weight in real
life, if you can weigh in at a high weight than your opponent, you gain a weight advantage.
This would give the 155 pound fighter a slight advantage over a natural 147 pound fighter.

Please note, all of this dieting takes place automatically. The manager plays no role in this.

Also, keep in mind, if you can't make your division's weight limit, you must forfeit the fight.

Fight Plans

During a bout, each fighter selects his tactics at the beginning of each round. The
fighters' tactics and natural abilities are used to determine the result of the round. A
manager may send a fight plan for his fighter any time before the bout is resolved. This
fight plan is used each round to determine the fighter's tactics. (Instructions for sending
fight plans are given in a separate document.)

There are three parts to choosing a fighter's tactics for a round.

Energy Points

First, every round a fighter divides 20 energy points between aggressiveness (AGG),
power (POW), and defensiveness (DEF). The general effects are as follows:

 
     AGG determines how many punches the fighter will throw in that round.
     POW indicates how much power the fighter is putting into each blow, and how
     carefully the fighter is placing those blows to maximize damage.
     DEF indicates how much effort the fighter is taking to protect himself (ducking,
     moving around, etc.)

If a manager does not provide a fight plan for his fighter, the fighter will use maximum
defense and minimum aggression and power. The fighter is very unlikely to win. Every
manager should therefore submit some kind of fight plan for his fighter, even if it very
simple. Dividing energy points evenly between aggressiveness, power, and
defensiveness is often a reasonable fight plan.

Training
A manager may train his fighter for a particular ability. This determines the first ability
point gained in each session. For example, if a fighter who is training for strength gains
two ability points in a session, that fighter will gain one point of strength and one
additional point in a randomly chosen ability. A fighter's training is specified when the
manager submits a fight plan for that fighter.

Fighting Styles

Third, a fighter may choose any of the following fighting styles:

 
     Fighting Inside
     Clinching
     Feinting
     Counter-Punching
     Using the Ring
     Fighting Outside
     Fighting Normal

The effects of these styles are described below.

How a Bout Is Resolved

Each round is resolved as follows in the following sequence:

   1.Each fighter regains a portion of the endurance points he has lost. For instance, if
     the fighter started the bout with 120 endurance points and has 90 endurance
     points remaining at the end of round 3, then he has lost 30 endurance points. He
     will regain some of that lost endurance between rounds and begins round 4 with
     less than 120 but more than 90 endurance points.

   2.The effects of each fighters' fighting style is computed as follows:
 
          Fighting Inside -- The fighter moves in close to throw powerful uppercuts
          and hooks. The fighter's strength is increased and any strength advantage
          he has over his opponent is increased by 50%. However, the fighter's agility
          is decreased slightly.

          Also note that when a taller fighter fights inside he loses some of the benefit
          of being taller, as described below.

          Clinching: The fighter holds his opponent to avoid being hit. This has a
          number of effects:
             1.The fighter gains +1 AGL.
             2.If the fighter has more agility than his opponent, half of his agility
               advantage is lost (since he is holding rather than moving.)
             3.If the fighter has less agility than his opponent he receives a very small
               agility bonus.
             4.If the fighter is stronger than his opponent, half of his strength
               advantage is added to his agility.
             5.Because a clinching fighter is less active, the fighter's aggression is
               reduced by 1 point (but never below 1). These lost points are used for
               resting and increase his endurance point recovery. [A clinching fighter
               is an inactive fighter.]
             6.If the fighter uses a defence greater than 10 he may be penalized for
               not breaking a clinch.

          Also note that when a taller fighter clinches he loses some of the benefit of
          being taller, as described above.

          Feinting: In this style, the fighter tries to confuse his opponent to land better
          blows. The fighter's speed is increased marginally and any speed
          advantage he has is increased by 50%.

          However, a fighter using this style loses 1 point of aggression. Unlike the
          clinching style, the lost point is not used for resting and the fighter fatigues
          as if he had used the point of agression. [The fighter is wasting effort trying
          to confuse his opponent.]

          Counter-Punching In this style, a fast fighter waits for his opponent to attack
          and then counter-punches. If the fighter has a higher speed than his
          opponent, then 25% of his speed advantage is added to his agility (for
          "striking first") and 25% is subtracted from his opponent's agility -- to a
          maximum of 50% of the opponent's AGL. However, if counter-punching is
          used against an opponent with a higher SPD, then counter-punching
          backfires [he hits you first] and the fighter's agility is decreased by an
          amount equal to half his speed disadvantage.

          In addition, when a fighter counter-punches his aggression is reduced below
          that of his opponent (but never below 1). The lost energy points are used for
          resting, just as with the clinching style. So, for example, if a counter-puncher
          uses an AGG of 6 and his opponent uses an AGG of 5, the
          counter-puncher's AGG is reduced to 4, and the two missing energy points
          are used for resting.

          If a counter-puncher's opponent uses feinting or clinching, then the
          counter-puncher's AGG reduction takes place after his opponent's AGG
          reduction.

          If both fighters counter-punch, then each fighter has his AGG reduced by 1
          point.

          Using the Ring The fighter defends himself using movement and footwork.
          His AGL is increased by 1.5 and any AGL advantage he has over his
          opponent is increased by 50%. However, the fighter's STR is decreased by
          15%. (This is, in effect, the inverse of fighting inside.)
 
     It is important to note that all of these effects are computed simultaneously. For
     example, suppose that fighter A fights inside, gaining 3 points of STR and losing
     1.5 points of AGL. If his opponent uses the ring, his AGL bonus is computed
     before subtracting 1.5 from A's AGL.

       Fighting Outside
       1.The fighter gains +0.5 AGL and +0.5 SPD.
       2.Any HGT advantage he has over his opponent is increased by
            50% (which further increases both his SPD and his AGL).
       3.The fighter's POW is reduced by 20%.

     In addition, no fighter's STR, AGL, or SPD is ever reduced below "1" by the
     effects of these styles.

   3.The effect of height is determined. The taller fighter has his SPD and AGL
     increased by half the difference in heights. So a fighter with a HGT of 13 fighting a
     fighter with a HGT of 10 would have his SPD and AGL each increased by 1.5
     points.

     This "height bonus" may be altered by fighting styles, as follows:

 
          Taller fighter fighting "inside" or "clinching":
               bonus is halved.
          Taller fighter fighting "outside":
               bonus is increased by 50%.
          Shorter fighter using an "all-out" style:
               Entire HGT advantage is added to SPD, none to AGL.

     For example, if fighter A with HGT 12 fights an opponent with HGT 8, then
     fighter Awould ordinarily gain 2 points of SPD and 2 points of AGL. If, however,
     fighter Afights outside, he will gain 3 points of SPD and 3 points of AGL. If he
     fights inside or clinches he will only gain 1 point of SPD and 1 point of AGL. If his
     opponent uses an all-out style, then A would gain 4, 6, or 2 points of SPD and no
     points of AGL (since his opponent is rushing him).

   4.Each fighter's STR, SPD, and AGL are reduced in proportion to the number of
     endurance points he has lost. For example, suppose a fighter began the bout with
     100 endurance points but begins the round with 80 endurance points. Then the
     fighter's STR, SPD, and AGL are each multiplied by 0.8. These values are used
     for the remainder of the round.

   5.A DEF_RATE is calculated for each fighter according to the following formula:

          DEF_RATE = DEF * AGL

     where "*" stands for multiplication.

     As a special case, however, the DEF_RATE is never lower than "1".

   6.Each fighter throws 8 * AGG punches. However, not all of these punches normally
     score. The number of punches that land solidly enough to be scored by a judge is calculated as

Each fighter lands a certain percentage of 8*AGG punches, calculated as follows:
PERCENT = SPD / (SPD + 3.5 * square_root(opponent's AGL))
Also, judges score punches with more power (Determined by your POW in your strategy).


     Finally, no fighter may land more than 8*AGG punches. If the above number
     exceeds 8*AGG, the number of punches landed is reduced to 8*AGG.

     The above calculation gives the number of punches that land. The number of
     punches actually scored by each of the three judges is slightly randomized, to
     simulate human error.

   7.Each fighter does a certain amount of damage to his opponent. This damage is
     calculated as follows:

          Damage = POW * STR * sqrt(AGG * SPD) / OPP(DEF_RATE)

     This number is randomized slightly, but is normally within 10% of the above figure.

               (8 * AGG * SPD) / sqrt(3 * OPP(DEF_RATE))

     where "sqrt" is the square root, and OPP(DEF_RATE) is the opponent's
     DEF_RATE. This number is then randomized slightly, but is usually within 10% of
     the above figure.

     The damage inflicted on each fighter is subtracted from his endurance points.

   8.Either or both fighter may be injured.

     The base chance of a fighter being injured in a round is much greater if the fighter
     is throwing head punches than if he is throwing body blows.

     A fighter may be injured repeatedly in the same round. If he is injured once, then
     he has the same chance of being injured a second time, and a third, and a fourth,
     etc. until he "misses" one injury.

     If a fighter sustained an injury in an earlier round, there is a chance that the injury
     will be aggravated. This chance is equal to the chance of sustaining a new injury
     that round, but is additional to the chance of a new injury.

     If a fighter sustains a new injury that is identical to a previous injury, then the injury
     is considered aggravated and is not treated as a new injury.

     The effects of injury are fairly complicated and are discussed in a separate
     section.

  9.Depending on the damage done to each fighter during the round, the fighter may
     be knocked down or knocked out. The amount of damage required to knock down
     or KO a fighter is based on his starting endurance points (i.e., 10*TGH) according
     to the following:
               15% of starting endurance -- fighter is knocked down.
               20% -- fighter is knocked down twice.
               25% -- fighter is knocked out.
 
     For purposes of this rule, the damage done is computed before taking into
     account the effects of body blows or head punches. That is the 1.15 multiplier (for
     body blows) or 0.85 multiplier (for head punches) is not applied until after
     knockdowns and knockouts have been determined.

     [Warning: This paragraph is confusing and not very important.] Match reports
     sometimes show a fighter being knocked down and KO'd in the same round. This
     happens because any damage in excess of that required to KO a fighter is used
     again to determine the number of knockdowns. For example, if a fighter with 100
     endurance points has 25 points of damage inflicted by an opponent who is
     throwing head punches, then only 15 points of damage are required for a KO. The
     remaining 10 points of damage are enough to cause a knockdown. Thus, the
     fighter is knocked down and then knocked out. However, for technical reasons the
     "knockdown" and the "knockout" are reported in random order and, if the knockout
     occurs first then the knockdown does not appear on the match report.

  10.If a fighter's endurance is reduced to 0 or less, then the fighter cannot continue the
     bout and a TKO occurs.
  11.Each fighter loses one endurance point for each energy point spent on AGG (due
     to fatigue).
  12.If no KO or TKO has occurred, we move on to the next round.

Note that it is possible for both fighters to be KO'd or TKO'd in the same round. In that
case, we choose the winner by calculating, for each fighter, the ratio of the damage
required to cause a KO or TKO to the damage actually done. This ratio gives an
estimate of how early in the round a fighter was KO'd or TKO'd. A similar comparison is
used when both a KO and a TKO are inflicted on the same fighter in the same round.

How Decisions are Determined

Three simulated judges reside over each bout. If a bout ends without a KO or TKO, each
judge may vote for a winner. If two or three judges agree on a winner, that fighter is
declared by the winner by decision, otherwise the bout is declared a draw.

If a knockdown occurs, the fighter who scores the knockdown automatically wins the
round. Otherwise the fighter who lands the most punches normally wins the round. But
judging can also be influenced by the following factors:

  1.Although judging is primarily based on punches landed, judges do favor fighters
     who hit hard over fighters who hit softly. Judges therefore count every point of
     damage inflicted equal to one punch landed.
   2.Judges frown on overly defensive fighters and subtract one punch for every point
     of DEF above 10.

TKO Boxing uses a "10-point must" system. At the end of each round, each judge awards the
winner of a round 10 points and awards the other fighter between 7 and 10 points based
on the following criteria:

  1.If a fighter knocks down his opponent twice without being knocked down himself,
     and and the fighter lands more punches than his opponent does, then he wins the
     round 10-7.
   2.If a fighter knocks down his opponent without being knocked down himself, then
     the fighter wins the round 10-8.
   3.If a fighter knocks down his opponent twice but is knocked down once himself,
     then he wins the round 10-9.
   4.If neither fighter is knocked down, or each fighter is knocked down the same
     number of times, then the fighter who lands the most punches wins the round 10-9.

Any other result is a 10-10 tie.

Bout Reports

A report is generated for each bout. There are actually three versions of each report -- a
private version for each fighter's manager and a public version that is available to
anybody as a "scouting report". This report is hopefully entertaining to read, but it also
contains information about each fighter's abilities, tactics, and effectiveness. It is
important to note that most of this information is partially randomized, so it is not
perfectly reliable.

The report contains a round-by-round description of the bout. Here is an example of a
fight report for one round using the TKO Simulator:

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Round 7
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

 Danny Wilson comes out feinting.
 Mike Rodriguez comes out clinching.

 You have 43 endurance points left.
 Your strategy: Aggressiveness = 8 Power = 4 Defense = 8
 ...
 ...
 +Mike Rodriguez taps Danny Wilson with a soft hook to the head.
 +Danny Wilson taps Mike Rodriguez with multiple body shots.
 ...
 ...
 Mike Rodriguez throws a right hook but Danny Wilson ducks out of the way.
 Mike Rodriguez can't land with a hard left hand.
 ...
 ...
 ...
 ...
 +Danny Wilson lands a big roundhouse right.
 ...
 ...
 ...
 ...
 ...
 ...
 Danny Wilson throws a right hook but Mike Rodriguez ducks out of the way.
 ...
 ...
 ...
 ...
 +Danny Wilson lands a big roundhouse right.
 Mike Rodriguez misses with a heavy left uppercutt.
 +Danny Wilson lands a devastating uppercutt on Mike Rodriguez.
 Danny Wilson is wild with a deadly cross.
 ...
 ...
 

 Danny Wilson landed 46 of 48 punches.

 Mike Rodriguez landed 33 of 56 punches.

 Danny Wilson is obviously tired.
 Mike Rodriguez looks exhausted.
 

 Your fighter took approximately 2  damage points. He has accumulated
 approximately 24  damage points in this fight.
 

 Judge Gabehart scores the round:  Danny Wilson 10
                                                      Mike Rodriguez 9

 Judge Gabehart has the fight scored:  Danny Wilson 65
                                                         Mike Rodriguez 68

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

The round begins with a rough characterization of each fighter's tactics for the round.
This characterization is primarily based on each fighter's fighting style, though it will also
be altered if a fighter commits more than 10 energy points to AGG, POW, or DEF.

The significant events of that round are then reported. Each line beginning with a +
describes an event in which one or both fighters attacked and scored points. The
description is intended to give a rough impression of the damage the fighter is doing to
his opponent. Each line beginning with a "-" indicates that a fighter attacked but failed to
score any points.

The number of times each fighter is reported to have attacked is proportional to his
AGG (subject to some randomization). Similarly, the number of times each fighter
scores or misses is determined by the proportion of his punches that score or miss,as
described above, subject to some randomization. Exception: If a fighter is using a
clinching style, then some of his opponent's punches are not reported at all (because he
can't get his hands free to throw them).

Of course, if a fighter's tactics for the round call for him to throw body blows, then most
(but not necessarily all) of his attacks will be reported as "body blows", "blows to the
ribs", etc. Similarly, if a fighter is throwing head punches then most of his attacks will be
reported as such. If a fighter is fighting opportunistically, then both types of blows will be
reported.

Lines of the form "..." represent periods of time where nothing is happening.

Knockdowns and knockouts are also reported. A fighter may be knocked down in the
same round that he is KO'd or TKO'd. For technical reasons, however, when a KO or
TKO occurs in a round a random fraction of the knockdowns in that round do not get
reported.

At the end of the round a bell is rung and the condition of each fighter is described. The
"condition of each fighter" is chosen from the following list
 

             can't remember which corner is his.
             receives medical attention from his trainer.
             collapses limply onto his stool.
             looks exhausted.
             is slowing down.
             is obviously tired.
             grabs a water bottle and rests on his stool.
             remains standing while the trainer wipes him down.
             doesn't even want to rest!
             doesn't want to stop fighting!

based on the number of endurance points the fighter has remaining. There are ten
descriptions in the list so, for example, a fighter with between 50% and 60% of his hit
points remaining would probably be described as "obviously tired". However, the choice
is slightly randomized. Also note that the condition of a fighter is described at the end of
the round, before he recovers hit points for the next round.

Finally, the number of points recorded by each judge is reported. Aso, "commentators"
estimate the number of punches actually thrown and landed by each fighter during the
round. Note that both the commentators' scoring is somewhat randomized and not
perfect. (So are the judges' estimates).

A private report is much like a public report, but the manager is told exactly how many
endurance points his fighter has at the beginning of each round and exactly what tactics
his fighter is using each round. He is not not given any additional information about his
opponent's fighter.

**Note - About 95% of TKO Boxing is based on Electronic Knockouts including our
fight simulator. Electronic Knockouts is a copyright of Logical Systems.