Yet another approach (TIMTOWTDI): set the input record separator to let you collect the log entries, stanza by stanza. IOW, look for the end of a log entry, "stop combat" and slurp what precedes that, repeatedly

Borrowing from and extending roboticus' excellent sample data:

#!/usr/bin/perl
use 5.014;
#  971051

$/ = "stop combat";
my @array;
my $stanza;

for ( <DATA> ) {
    push @array, $_;
}

for $stanza ( @array ) {
    $stanza =~ s/\n/ /g;
    if ( $stanza =~ /.*?(?=start combat!)(.*?)(?=stop combat)/s ) {
       my $values = $1;
       $values =~ s/start combat!//;
       say "Log Entry: $values";
    } else {
        say "Whoops.";
    }
}


__DATA__
soon the combat will begin
start combat!
Biff!  Pow!  Bam!
(Looks like Batman!)
stop combat
fight had three superlatives

start combat!
Smash
Bang
Boom!
stop combat

more garbage...
here (even tho log is
not described as having non-value inclusions.

start combat!
foo
stop combat

[download]

Output:

Log Entry:  Biff!  Pow!  Bam! (Looks like Batman!)
Log Entry:  Smash Bang Boom!
Log Entry:  foo

[download]

In reply to Re: Split files based on regexp by ww
in thread Split files based on regexp by TonySoprano

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