Bout Time Reviews: A Pro's Guide to the Sweet Science

Bout Time Reviews: A Pro's Guide to the Sweet Science

So, you want to move beyond just pressing "Fight!" and truly understand the simulation? You've come to the right place. This guide breaks down the core mechanics of Bout Time Reviews so you can craft the perfect champion and dominate your universe.

The Tale of the Tape: Understanding the Scores

Everything starts with the score. It's not just one number, but a combination of factors.

The Raw Score

This is the pure, unadjusted power level of your fighter, calculated from the three review inputs. It's a weighted average:

All-Time Reviews: 45% weight

Recent Reviews: 25% weight

Metacritic: 30% weight

Pro Tip: A fighter's "raw score" is what determines their damage output. A high raw score means they hit harder, even if their final score is lower.

The Confidence Bonus

The number of reviews you enter is crucial! A review score with thousands of reviews is more reliable than one with only a handful. The simulation accounts for this with a logarithmic confidence bonus. This means that while 500 reviews are much better than 50, the difference between 5,000 and 10,000 is less significant. This bonus is applied to the review scores before they are averaged together, making fighters with a high volume of reviews more potent.

The Final Score

This is the number you see in large print. It's calculated by taking the Raw Score and applying a Championship Bonus. Current and former champions get a percentage increase to their raw score, making them tougher to hit. A fighter's Final Score is the target their opponent must beat on their "to-hit" roll.

Inside the Ring: How the Fight Unfolds

The To-Hit Roll

At its heart, every attack is a d10 roll. To land a punch, the attacker's final roll must be greater than or equal to the defender's Final Score.

Final Roll >= Defender's Final Score

The Final Roll is calculated like this:

d10 Roll + Underdog Bonus + Top-Ranked Bonus + Temporary Bonuses

The Underdog Bonus (The Great Equalizer)

This is the most important combat mechanic. A weaker fighter gets a "to-hit" bonus to help them stay competitive.

The bonus is calculated based on the square root of the difference between the fighters' raw scores.

This means the bonus gets bigger as the score gap widens, but it has diminishing returns. It makes upsets possible without making the weaker fighter overpowered. A true underdog always has a puncher's chance!

Top-Ranked Pacing

When two elite fighters (both with a Final Score of 7.0 or higher) face off, they both get a flat +2 bonus to their "to-hit" rolls. This encourages more action and fewer misses in top-tier matchups.

The Judges' Scorecards: The Path to a Decision

Every successfully landed punch awards the attacker one point. If a fight goes the full number of rounds, the fighter with the most points wins a TKO victory.

Championship Rules: How to Win

Knockout (KO)

If a fighter's health reaches zero, they are knocked down. A 10-second count begins. If they can't get back to their feet in time, they lose by KO.

Technical Knockout (TKO)

A TKO can be declared in three ways:

Three-Knockdown Rule: If a fighter is knocked down 3 times in one fight, the bout is automatically stopped.

Medical Stoppage: At the end of a round, if a fighter has less than 5 health AND 0 water, their corner will "throw in the towel."

Judges' Decision: As mentioned above, winning on points at the end of the final round.

The Art of Recovery

Getting up from the canvas is a battle of will and endurance.

The chance to recover depends on the round number (it gets harder later), the number of previous knockdowns (each one takes a toll), and remaining water (a well-hydrated fighter is a resilient one).

Point Deduction: Every time a fighter is knocked down, they lose one point on the judges' scorecards. This can turn the tide in a close fight that goes to a decision!

Pro-Tip: Secret Hotkeys

The main title has hidden functions for power users:

Click the T in "Time": Instantly generates two random fighters for a quick test match.

Click the R in "Review": Hard resets the entire application. This will wipe the slate clean, including all current champions. Use with caution!

Click the S in "Reviews": Opens the Champion Roster setup panel directly.

Master these mechanics, and you'll be well on your way to building a dynasty of champions!