REACH

www.MDickie.com
mat@mdickie.com

* This document concerns itself with the inner workings of the Career mode. For
more information about the functionality of the game, please refer to the main
"Instruction Manual" document...

Reach is an extremely sophisticated simulation of life in the boxing business. You

should familiarize yourself with the following concepts to get the most out of the
game...

RANKINGS
The "Boxing Entertainment Commission" divides its boxers into 3 simple weight
classes - Lightweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight. Boxers are free to compete in
the class that they find most comfortable - but those over 200lbs are ineligible
for the Lightweight Division and those over 300lbs are ineligible for the
Middleweight Division. Being too small to compete in any given class is seldom an
issue (although it's not a recipe for success!), whereas being too large is frowned
upon as an unfair advantage and must be promptly rectified...

The Lightweight Division contains spritely fighters that move quickly but aren't
particularly strong, whereas the Heavyweight Division gravitates towards powerful
fighters that are more sluggish. The Middleweight Division exists as a balance
between those two extremes. It's also worth noting that the weight classes increase
in popularity as they get heavier and harder hitting. There are limits to how
popular a boxer can become in the lighter weight classes, so they must aim for the
top to fulfill their true potential...

You progress up the rankings by scoring a victory over a higher ranked fighter (or
anyone from a heavier weight class). You have a regular opportunity to do this on a
bi-monthly basis (and at pay-per-views). At other times, it's you who must defend
your rank against your nearest competitor. Every loss - of any kind, in any
circumstances - moves you down the rankings and provides an opportunity for
somebody else...

CHARACTERS
Further to their physical measurements and win record, each boxer's potential is
governed by a cocktail of 7 different statistics:
- POWER determines how much damage each punch inflicts, and also affects a boxer's
ability to absorb the punches of others when blocking...
- REACH, in conjunction with their physical frame, governs how far a boxer can
travel with any given punch - thus increasing the chances of it landing...
- DEXTERITY dictates how fast a boxer throws their punches, and also how quickly
they regain their composure to throw another...
- AGILITY determines how fast a character moves around the ring and how far they
travel when dodging...
- STAMINA influences how quickly a boxer regains their energy throughout a match,
and also affects how much health is restored with each passing week...
- TOUGHNESS governs a boxer's ability to absorb punishment - thus avoiding
dizziness, freak falls, and injuries...
- POPULARITY reflects how beloved the character is amongst boxing fans. In addition
to the financial benefits of drawing larger crowds, this also affects their ability
to draw strength from the crowd to keep their adrenaline high and achieve miracle
recoveries...

TRAINING
Each physical statistic naturally fluctuates with every performance, but they can
also be honed in the gym. You can choose to spend 25% of your health on any
particular area - at which point you must bash the buttons to achieve one of 3
levels of progress. Each progressive level increases both the chances of you making
progress in that area AND the extent of that progress. You should consider that
making progress in one area may have a negative effect on its opposite(s). Building
strength, for instance, often comes at the expense of speed and stamina - whereas
acquiring agility comes at the expense of power and toughness. In this manner, you
are also responsible for adjusting your weight. Every percent of progress in the
areas of "Power", "Reach" and "Toughness" risk gaining weight - whereas progress in
the areas of "Dexterity", "Agility" and "Stamina" risk losing weight. Unlike the
instant attribute changes, weight changes don't take effect until the following
week - so it's important to keep a sense of what you're doing to your body...

In addition to focused training, you can also seek the general improvements of a
real match by taking in a sparring session. Here you have one round to test your
skills against a partner, before seeing what it tells you about your body. This is
also a good opportunity to try out new tactics and familiarize yourself with your
punches...

PUNCHES
There are dozens of different punches for each purpose, and each has its own
qualities that are accumulative to yours. Some are faster than others, some are
more powerful than others, and some have a better range than others - even within
the same category. These pros and cons are then further accentuated between left or
right and high or low. Left-handed punches tend to be faster but weaker than their
right-handed counterparts, which are slower but more powerful. Likewise, punches to
the stomach tend to be more debilitating that the average shot to the face - but
suffer from a poorer range and are harder to land...

In addition to understanding the qualities of each punch, you can also have more
success by combing them correctly. It's quicker to switch from one arm to the other
(or one height to the other) than it is to repeatedly do the same thing, so
inventive boxers are duly rewarded. You should also notice that it's quicker to
follow up a successful punch than it is to recover from a missed one, so using the
right punch at the right time is also important. Not least because the exertion
involved in each attack takes its toll on your own health. Repeatedly throwing out
powerful attacks may feel like a recipe for success, but later in the match you may
find that you're the one being punished for it!

The computer players have their own thoughts about punches, and will gradually
adapt their fighting style in accordance with what is or isn't working against you.
Every missed punch reminds them not to try it at that distance again, whereas every
successful strike causes them to grow in confidence. Likewise, every successful
attack of yours encourages them to cover up at that distance next time - and every
incoming punch that misses makes them more confident about avoiding it in those
circumstances again...

ARDRENALINE
In addition to the physical act of tearing into each other's health, a boxing match
can also descend into mind games. By default, a character's qualities are diluted
by their current health - causing them to become sluggish as the match wears on.
However, building up an adrenaline rush will temporarily restore them to 100% and
then some - allowing them to change the tide of the match! The adrenaline meter
hovers around the 50% mark as standard, but every successful attack cranks it up
while damaging that of your opponent. It's basically a measure of your confidence,
so mistakes such as missing a punch or acts of subjegation such as blocking can
also damage it. Some punches are so weak that even their success can't have an
impact though! Repeatedly jabbing an opponent just makes them more confident that
they can take what you've got, and will ultimately be an irritant that sends them
into a rage that works against you...
Away from the testosterone of fighting, your confidence can also be affected by
remarks and gestures. Every boxer has a handful taunts to accompany their punches,
and unleashing them at close quarters serves to boost their ego at the expense of
yours. Allowing an opponent to get away with such mockery is a sure sign that
you're losing control of the match! Likewise, the fans can also influence how a
match pans out. While your adrenaline flounders below 50%, it automatically fills
back up depending on how popular you are - whereas a potentially good adrenaline
level is gradually nibbled away depending on how UNpopular you are. In this manner,
the fans help to keep their heroes in the fight and seek to impede the progress of
the enemy...

MATCHES
The rules of a standard match should be familiar to boxing fans. Knocking an
opponent to the ground (or rendering them unable to fight) for the count of 10
results in a "Knock-Out", and knocking them down 3 times in the same round results
in a "Technical Knock-Out". It's also possible to be disqualified by straying
outside of the ring for a count of 10. If the match isn't settled after the
specified number of rounds, it will be determined by points. The boxer who has the
most accurate hit rate (or who lands more than the other even attempted) after each
round is awarded 10 points as opposed to 9. This score is then further reduced by
the number of falls or fouls incurred by a fighter in that round. The participant
with the best overall score at the end of the match is then deemed to have been the
best boxer and will be awarded the match. If the scores can't even be divided at
this juncture, the match will be declared a draw and fought again on another date
if necessary...

The standard rank contests that form the backbone of your career always use the
above rules - albeit with a leisurely 6 rounds. However, you can deviate from the
script at pay-per-views - where matches of any kind and any length can be fought on
any date and at any venue. The basic deviatations on the rules involve fighting
bare-fisted instead of with gloves (which is more damaging), and fighting to the
knock-out or knock-down instead of within a round structure...

EVENTS
The BEC schedule consists of rank defences one month and rank attacks the next -
but the weeks in between are yours to plan as you wish! Frequent breaks are
recommended to both restore your health and improve your skills, but those weeks
that you can spare can be filled with lucrative pay-per-view matches. These take
place in huge stadiums rather than tiny halls, and attract substantially larger
crowds accordingly. The tickets also sell for $20 instead of $15, so there's even
more money to be made! In fact, it's perhaps a necessity. Very few boxers could
survive on the meagre earnings of rank matches, and must become successful PPV
performers to make their fortune. Success is also up for grabs at tournament events
- where you spend an intense few weeks fighting match after match against opponents
that you wouldn't otherwise meet...

Not only is making money a measure of success, but it's also a necessity. Every
boxer has weekly "expenses" to fuel the lifestyle that their current financial
status requires of them. This tends to involve spending 5% of the wealth they own
(with a minimum of $100 for living costs, etc). This weekly outpouring of cash can
soon bankrupt a boxer if an income isn't forthcoming. Depending on the details of
your contract, every loss could pocket you less than you're used to - or even
nothing at all - so repeated failure can damage your livelihood as much as you
ego...

MANAGERS
Managers are on hand to help you make the most of your opportunities as a boxer. If
they agree to take you on, they can handle the business side of things on your
behalf and unlock earnings and luxuries that you wouldn't otherwise enjoy. They
want their money's worth too though, and won't let you call all of the shots! It's
their intention to tie you in as long as possible with as small a cut of the
revenue as they can get away with, but you must fight to negotiate a more
reasonable deal. There's also the small-print to agree on. Managers will take
control of your image and the course of your career if you don't insist otherwise.
Meanwhile, they seek to hold back lucrative "performance clauses" and "health
policies" that could grant you compensation when things don't go your way. You may
not be worthy of such extras until you've proven yourself, but what little you are
entitled to can always be accentuated by taking a smaller cut of the revenue (or
vice versa if you'd like to sacrifice revenue for luxuries). By mixing and matching
the various possibilities you can switch the focus of the contract in a manner that
appeals to you...

Outside of the office, managers also have some qualities of their own that help you
become a better boxer:
- TRAINING dictates how much easier they make the training process - thus
increasing the chances of meaningful progress...
- MEDICAL determines how much health they help you to restore - both during breaks
and with each passing week. It also affects how likely they are to be able to offer
health insurance...
- BUSINESS governs how large a purse they're able to negotiate on your behalf, and
how likely they are to land lucrative deals...
- INSPIRATION determines how much they contribute to your adrenaline during matches
- thus increasing your chances of you performing well...
- ATTITUDE determines how good a deal they're likely to let you get away with, and
also how likely they are to make unreasonable demands once they're working with
you...
- HAPPINESS is simply a measure of how happy they are about working with you. Every
act of success or capitulation pleases them, whereas every act of failure or
disobedience angers them...
- POPULARITY indicates how much pull they have within the industry, and therefore
how likely they are to arrange matches with lucrative opponents...

Further to all of the above benefits, managers are generally your key to a better
life. They arrange matches on your behalf, bring home money-making opportunities,
increase your chances of entering tournaments or changing weight class, and
generally steer you clear of potential errors...

POLITICS
In addition to forming a relationship with a manager, you also have relationships
with every other character in your world - not least the current boss of the Boxing
Entertainment Commission! There are all manner of opportunities that he can throw
your way - ranging from picking up extra work as a manager or referee, to being
cordially invited to attend a tournament or change weight class. When he senses
weaknesses in your act, you could also be set a deadline for achieving a certain
goal - the failure of which could see you out of a job. There are also countless
exchanges to be had with your fellow boxers - as they ask favours or make demands.
Not only does your response to these alter the course of your career, but it also
affects your standing in the boxing community. Every circumstance is different, but
in general complying with an unreasonable demand or taking the easy way makes you
less popular - whereas standing up for yourself and doing the right thing makes you
more popular...

RETIREMENT
Assuming you don't die in the ring or get fired, your career goes on for as long as
you choose. However, your legacy requires that you retire at precisely the right
time. At the end of your career - however it happens - you'll be looked back on
with regards to how much money you had, how successful you were, and how talented
you were. If any of those qualities begins to become an embarrassment, it may be
time to quit while you're ahead and assure you place in the "Hall Of Fame"...

Good luck!

* If there's anything else you'd like to know about the inner workings of this
game, feel free to contact Mat@MDickie.com and your query may be answered...