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edenborn

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About edenborn

  • Birthday 01/01/1909

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  • Location
    Helpless people on subway trains scream bug-eyed as He looks in on them

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  • Interests
    He picks up a bus & He throws it back down as He wades thru the buildings toward the center of t

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  • Occupation
    Oh no, they say He's got to go, go go Godzilla...
  • homepage
    http://zilladance.ytmnd.com/

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  1. I've not made the jump to TEW 2020 but this mod tempts me to do so. Thanks for all your hard work, Mammoth.
  2. I'd enjoy a feature like this. How useful the information is and how often we receive it could be influenced by the skill level of the development company's booker.
  3. Short suggestion for a backstage incident I've not seen in the TEW series. Apologies if it's there and I've simply missed it. Recently, I was reading this article where Bret Hart recounts Shawn Michaels being furious with The Rock for doing a dropkick off the top rope: "I remember Shawn Michaels coming into the dressing room and dressing down poor Dwayne," Hart recalled. "Shawn came in and just dressed him down and he chewed him out. And I believe, [HBK] told [The Rock] to never do a top rope dropkick ever again because that was his move. That's what he was mad about. And then, he slammed the door and he walked out. The Rock was [deflated] because in those days, Shawn had a lot of weight. He was a pretty important guy for the company, a veteran guy kind of dressing him down like that, he was apologizing and said he didn't know, and he thought it would be okay. "I remember the door closed after Shawn left and I said, 'that's bulls--t. That's total bulls--t.' I said, 'nobody owns the dropkick off the top. You can do that. Owen does it all the time! Why doesn't he cut a promo on Owen?' I said, 'they're just busting your chops and they're trying to work on you.'" I'd enjoy seeing this sort of incident reflected in TEW. Could be attribute related: certain negative personalities might arrogantly or selfishly use other wrestlers' signature moves (or catchphrases), sparking legitimate outrage. Conversely, bullies or gloomy / insecure personalities might take offense at what they see as an infringement when really they don't have legitimate cause.
  4. Thanks for the fast reply, Adam. I'd not realized they were done by time period -- that's wonderful. I believe I saw an anachronistic finisher or two while playing around with the Effganic mod. I'll investigate and see if I can recreate the results. Upon investigation, I see the feature is very much in the game and working as intended, rendering my suggestion moot. However, I do have questions about the finishers assigned to the early days of wrestling. First, as Effganic starts in 1920, it's jarring to see the Bionic Elbow listed as a finisher. I appreciate that the move itself -- a downward elbow strike -- isn't particularly complex and fits the time period. However, the word "bionic" (combining life and electronics) didn't exist until decades later. Didn't Dusty Rhodes take the name from "The Bionic Man?" That show debuted in 1973. Suggest renaming as "Downward Elbow Strike" or something similar. Second, while I didn't see anything as anachronistic as a Flip Piledriver, I'm a bit bumped by the various faceplants (Leaping Faceplant, Running Faceplant, Double Arm Faceplant) and potentially Face Crusher. I'm willing to believe I'm simply ignorant on the topic but did these moves even exist back in the 20's, 30's, 40's etc.? I'm looking through "Legends of Pro Wrestling: 150 Years of Headlocks, Body Slams and Piledrivers" (by Tim Hornbaker) as it has a range of information on famous wrestlers of yesteryear. For finishers, I'm seeing sleepers, spinning toe holds, giant swings, claw holds, Indian death locks, kneedrops, bear hugs, airplane spins, etc. but I don't see anyone known for a faceplant or face crusher.
  5. A minor, purely cosmetic suggestion for the next iteration of TEW. Not for TEW 2020 as there are more immediate avenues to pursue. Randomly generated wrestlers are sometimes assigned finishing moves you'd never see in that era. I'd like it if we could set flags on the various AI-generated finishers, so instead of receiving a Flip Piledriver finisher, a random 1930's wrestler might receive something more plausible like a Sleeper or an Airplane Spin. As I say, not the most urgently needed feature, but it'd be useful for TEW players who enjoy the historic mods of yesteryear, whether real world or otherwise. (I think it would be especially useful for Effganic players.)
  6. I think there's something here worth pursuing. Back in TEW 2016, I fell into a habit of hiring workers for two appearances. The thinking being if they debuted with a wonderful gimmick, I'd sign them to a longer contract, and otherwise I'd let them fall by the wayside with that second appearance. (If it was someone I really wanted and their gimmick tanked, I'd have to fight the temptation to resign them again and again for two appearance runs until they got the gimmick rating I wanted. Gamey but effective.)
  7. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50794" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>That basically happened to the Rock of all people when he left WWE the first time for Hollywood.</div></blockquote>Yes! And weirdly enough, this phenomenon isn't exclusive to wrestling. For example, it's <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/steve-carell-could-have-stayed-on-the-office-wtf/" rel="external nofollow">why Steve Carell left <em>The Office</em></a>.
  8. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="TheChef" data-cite="TheChef" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50816" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sure, but that wasn't my point. The guy I replied to said that the company would be on the hook with someone on a long contract. I just pointed out that they were, in fact, not.</div></blockquote>Fair enough. I've not played around enough with TEW 2020 to see how it lets player escape long-term contracts. If it allows us to escape with minimal penalties, I'd argue that's a flaw in how the game functions. A booker who makes a habit of signing workers to 10 year contracts and then weaseling out of those contracts should find new workers less willing to sign for them. You could simulate that effect in a variety of ways.
  9. I'm likely not telling you anything you don't already know when I make this point: Professional wrestling is not about fairness. It's a business. It's a highly exploitative business. It may not be Motown but it's pretty damn bad. Is it *right* that we can lock a 25 year old unknown up-and-comer into a long-term $15K/month contract? It's not right in a moral sense, no. Is it plausible? Consider how many would-be wrestlers never make it big, how they get injured, wash out, etc. This offer promises outstanding job security -- you get to do what you love for years and make a comfortable living at it -- many would jump at the chance. They're hoping they'll still have a few good years left in them at 35, and will be able to renegotiate for millions. It's a risk. But you're taking a risk, too -- that wrestler could break their neck in their first match and you're still on the hook for them. If anything, I'd prefer to see the TEW series offer *more* ways to financially exploit workers instead of less. Dino Bravo breaks Bret Hart's ribs. Weeks later Bret's wrestling again because he needs the money -- he's paying for his own health insurance. Jesse Ventura tries to get WWF wrestlers to unionize. Vince McMahon stops that effort cold. It goes on and on. It's a very real part of the "sport."
  10. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Donners" data-cite="Donners" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50785" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>XAF has a much higher match percentage and pop weighting than GAN.<p> </p><p> It also has more of a focus on hardcore/brawl matches, and doesn't penalise eye candy matches.</p></div></blockquote>Thank you!
  11. I've only got the free trial and that's only patched up until 1.09, so I'm pretty sure I can't check these new products out myself. Curious to know how Gritty Adult Noir differs from Xtreme Adult Filth.
  12. By the same token, along with the editor there's the ability to disable many of the challenges via options: no repetitive booking penalty, etc. Speaking personally, I'd much prefer a game that's more difficult than what we currently have. However, with each added layer of challenge, I see no problem with allowing players the option of getting around it one way or another.
  13. You don't use encumbrance rules? Seriously, though, I'm more or less in agreement with this. As long as the AI is behaving realistically (to the extent that's possible), allowing players to "game the system" doesn't strike me as that much of a big deal. If someone wants to play cheaply and exploit the game, that's something of a self-inflicted wound. Like cheating in Monopoly -- you can do it, though it defeats the purpose of the game. On the other hand, I can appreciate how as a game designer, you're setting a certain challenge level, and may not want players taking advantage of unintended exploits.
  14. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Ghost of Benji" data-cite="Ghost of Benji" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50489" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sadly, I have always been of the belief that a truly realistic wrestling booker AI will always be out of reach, even for the greatest programmer in the world, whoever that might be. Wrestling is such a unique and wacky business, I'm not convinced it could ever be possible to truly suspend one's disbelief reading the AI's show reports. I've actually always felt that the AI's show reports should simply be hidden. Showing them will only ruin immersion. Just give us the show ratings, viewers, buyrates, etc. but leave the actual card to be up to our imaginations. Then the problem is solved and the AI never does anything unbelievable.</div></blockquote>Ghost of Benji, I take your point, and agree completely that storytelling in a wrestling ring is a tricky thing to capture in a game. Adam, to his credit, has managed to create a tantalizing simulacrum -- it's close enough to demonstrate the potential but too far away (currently) to be believed. <p> </p><p> While the perfect AI we might want may be forever out of reach, there are reasonable improvements that can be made, and for me that's the difference between purchasing or not.</p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="LloydCross" data-cite="LloydCross" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50489" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>While these are all good points, I'd argue these four are pretty true to the last few years of WCW.<img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote>Touché, though I'd like TEW to aspire for better!
  15. <p>Apologies if you've heard me before.</p><p> </p><p> I've yet to purchase TEW 2020 because the AI does not yet put out shows that can be identified as logical, purposeful booking. The premise of this series, to me, hinges on the Monday Night Wars. The fantasy of being Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, Vince Russo, etc. trying to capture fans' imaginations better than your hated rivals.</p><p> </p><p> If the AI keeps breaking that illusion with nonsensical booking, I consider it <strong>broken</strong>. And in many respects, it is:</p><p> </p><p> - <strong>Wrestlers in feuds do not interfere in each other's matches</strong> (except in our imagination.) You will never see a heel cost a babyface a match, nor that babyface chasing the heel backstage post-match in hopes of revenge. </p><p> </p><p> - <strong>Stables do not function like stables</strong>. The AI will never book a Four Horsemen promo, a DX skit or an nWo beatdown. Stables will form and dissolve, swap members in and out etc. and none of it feels particularly meaningful. A wrestler can feud with the leader of a stable and never once face that leader's subordinates. Stablemates never interfere in each other's matches (except in our imagination.)</p><p> </p><p> - <strong>Turns do not seem purposeful</strong>. They feel random and unimportant. The AI will never book the babyface champ's trusted ally suddenly attacking him to dramatically close the show. The AI will never book the dastardly heel offering the babyface a genuine handshake after a feud, causing the crowd to break out in cheers.</p><p> </p><p> - <strong>Wrestlers can be thrown into important gimmick matches without any build up whatsoever</strong>. A jobber can be thrown into a triple threat cage match for no better reason than a random throw of the dice.</p><p> </p><p> - <strong>Managers are gained and lost randomly and without purpose</strong>. <strong>Wrestlers debut randomly and without purpose</strong>. There is never a logical thought behind the debut, for example building this promising wrestler up through a series of vignettes, or dropping that promising wrestler into an immediate feud with an established star. </p><p> </p><p> - <strong>Shows are booked in a vacuum</strong>: the AI does not know the main event of its PPV show until that very night, meaning it can't intelligently book the wrestlers involved over the preceding weeks.</p><p> </p><p> - Etc.</p><p> </p><p> I appreciate that not all of these changes are readily implementable. Adam has explained the difficulty involved with getting the AI to "look ahead" beyond a single show. Similarly, I don't expect the AI to function as a perfect replacement for an actual reasonably intelligent human booker. And hey, credit where credit is due: TEW 2020's AI is, in some respects, an improvement over TEW 2016.</p><p> </p><p> Nevertheless, the current AI leaves much to be desired -- looking at the show reports, I'm unable to suspend my disbelief. That makes this current build of TEW 2020 an intriguing toy but not an actual game I feel is worth devoting time to, booking show after show after show.</p><p> </p><p> That's just me, though. Your mileage may vary.</p>
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