Question about difficulty/AI

[BarryZuckerkorn]

Hi all, What is the effect of turning the difficulty from the default medium up to a higher level? Does it mean other promotions within the game don't lose prestige quite as easily? They put on better shows? Try and snatch your best talent more often? I know there's a big thing about how WWE go down to cult quite easily, and that puts me off the game slightly, as I'd like there to be a scenario that imitates the Monday Night Wars at somepoint in whatever game I'm playing. How would I go about making the AI more profitable? I don't want to know I'm going to be at the top all by myself :(

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=BarryZuckerkorn;258469]How would I go about making the AI more profitable? I don't want to know I'm going to be at the top all by myself :([/QUOTE] Then don't play as WWE. As it stands, the AI will never be able to conceivably perform as well as a human player, if the human player has any idea what they're doing. A few patches ago, Adam put in code that basically amounts to "self preservation mode" for promotions. That is, when money gets tight, promotions will start firing people and tightening their belts. If you want to simulate the Monday Night Wars, you're probably better off playing a scenario that's designed to do just that. Plus, since the game wasn't designed to mirror the real world, promotion behavior isn't always going to synch with what would happen in real life. In real life, WWE is untouchable. They can put on crappy shows and not lose anything. In the game, they fall to Cult but then they ditch the dead weight, get leaner and meaner, and pop right back up to International. At which point, they (usually) sign the best and brightest out there (Chris Hero seems a favorite of theirs in the games I've played with T-Zone) and keep on chugging. That is, unless/until they start shedding TV deals. If they lose their deal with USA early on, they usually don't even drop to Cult (because their failures aren't broadcast to the whole country). But as far as the game's difficulty is concerned, I don't understand the question. This game has a difficulty slider? Besides when you start your own promotion (which is where the difficulty determines the starting size of your promotion and how much cash you get. Rock Hard = Local with almost no money. The easiest setting = Cult with a nice chunk o' change banked), the only choices you get are Straight Edge (you can only be head booker, unless you start your own promotion) and Freestyle (you can take over ownership & booking of an existing promotion). I'd recommend the medium setting personally, though I suppose starting at Cult in a real world mod wouldn't be so bad (there's enough talent available to fill a roster in most real world mods I've seen).

[BarryZuckerkorn]

[QUOTE=Remianen;258478]Then don't play as WWE. As it stands, the AI will never be able to conceivably perform as well as a human player, if the human player has any idea what they're doing. A few patches ago, Adam put in code that basically amounts to "self preservation mode" for promotions. That is, when money gets tight, promotions will start firing people and tightening their belts. If you want to simulate the Monday Night Wars, you're probably better off playing a scenario that's designed to do just that. Plus, since the game wasn't designed to mirror the real world, promotion behavior isn't always going to synch with what would happen in real life. In real life, WWE is untouchable. They can put on crappy shows and not lose anything. In the game, they fall to Cult but then they ditch the dead weight, get leaner and meaner, and pop right back up to International. At which point, they (usually) sign the best and brightest out there (Chris Hero seems a favorite of theirs in the games I've played with T-Zone) and keep on chugging. That is, unless/until they start shedding TV deals. If they lose their deal with USA early on, they usually don't even drop to Cult (because their failures aren't broadcast to the whole country). But as far as the game's difficulty is concerned, I don't understand the question. This game has a difficulty slider? Besides when you start your own promotion (which is where the difficulty determines the starting size of your promotion and how much cash you get. Rock Hard = Local with almost no money. The easiest setting = Cult with a nice chunk o' change banked), the only choices you get are Straight Edge (you can only be head booker, unless you start your own promotion) and Freestyle (you can take over ownership & booking of an existing promotion). I'd recommend the medium setting personally, though I suppose starting at Cult in a real world mod wouldn't be so bad (there's enough talent available to fill a roster in most real world mods I've seen).[/QUOTE] You're right, when I wrote the original message I was thinking of EWR by mistake, which does have a difficulty setting that can be changed (as far as I can remember, anyway). The main point of my post though was whether I could make it so that the WWE doesn't sink as low as cult as quickly as I've heard it's possible. It could happen over a period of 20 years, possibly, but I'm sure I've heard it occuring in under 5 years. This is for the benefit of making any game I play more competitive. By the way, do you know of any good Monday Night Wars scenarios? I haven't been able to find one.

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=BarryZuckerkorn;258514]You're right, when I wrote the original message I was thinking of EWR by mistake, which does have a difficulty setting that can be changed (as far as I can remember, anyway). The main point of my post though was whether I could make it so that the WWE doesn't sink as low as cult as quickly as I've heard it's possible. It could happen over a period of 20 years, possibly, but I'm sure I've heard it occuring in under 5 years. This is for the benefit of making any game I play more competitive. By the way, do you know of any good Monday Night Wars scenarios? I haven't been able to find one.[/QUOTE] The only conceivable way to guarantee WWE doesn't fall in size within a year or two, would be to give them 100% (A*, max) popularity worldwide. They'll put on crappy shows and lose popularity, but it'll take some time before they lose enough to really drop below National. Also, one thing you seem to be missing is that WWE on top isn't a guarantee of a "competitive" game world. WWE dropping to Cult, firing the dead weight, rising back to International and signing up the best workers available, is far more competitive IMO. Especially if one of those 'best workers available' is working for your promotion. One promotion sitting on high, putting on relatively bad shows and not suffering for it, isn't competitive. It's....well, it's what we have today in reality, pretty much. As for Monday Night Wars era scenarios, [URL="http://www.bobinc.net/TEW07Downloads.html"]look here[/URL]. I've heard the Montreal Aftermath and Wars End ones are really good.

[markhenry]

[QUOTE=Remianen;258545]The only conceivable way to guarantee WWE doesn't fall in size within a year or two, would be to give them 100% (A*, max) popularity worldwide. They'll put on crappy shows and lose popularity, but it'll take some time before they lose enough to really drop below National. Also, one thing you seem to be missing is that WWE on top isn't a guarantee of a "competitive" game world. WWE dropping to Cult, firing the dead weight, rising back to International and signing up the best workers available, is far more competitive IMO. Especially if one of those 'best workers available' is working for your promotion. One promotion sitting on high, putting on relatively bad shows and not suffering for it, isn't competitive. It's....well, it's what we have today in reality, pretty much. As for Monday Night Wars era scenarios, [URL="http://www.bobinc.net/TEW07Downloads.html"]look here[/URL]. I've heard the Montreal Aftermath and Wars End ones are really good.[/QUOTE] When WWE dropped to Cult after a few months in my game... they stayed there, and I'm 2 years in. I've only just risen to Cult but if I could get a national TV deal (which I can't) I'd be pushing for the top. I haven't got that national TV deal, so I'm the 4th best fed in the USA.

[markhenry]

The WWE didn't rise back to International, signing all the top rising stars was my point!

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=markhenry;258805]When WWE dropped to Cult after a few months in my game... they stayed there, and I'm 2 years in. I've only just risen to Cult but if I could get a national TV deal (which I can't) I'd be pushing for the top. I haven't got that national TV deal, so I'm the 4th best fed in the USA.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=markhenry;258807]The WWE didn't rise back to International, signing all the top rising stars was my point![/QUOTE] Umm, did you not read the entirety of my post? If they lose their home TV deal (specifically RAW) to expiration, they can't pop back up because they can't make up for the losses they incurred putting on garbage shows (relatively speaking). The way WWE starts off in T-Zone, they have WAY too many shows (by the game's estimation) so when RAW or ECW or SD come up for renewal, they can't renew them, because of their other contracts. No offense, but for WWE, being broadcast in North America is far far far more important than being seen in the UK or Europe or Mexico or Japan. T-Zone is accurate, but that accuracy has a price. But I'm guessing you didn't look to see why they hadn't recovered. You just saw they hadn't and immediately, the exception becomes the rule?

[flamebrain]

[QUOTE=Remianen;258843]Umm, did you not read the entirety of my post? If they lose their home TV deal (specifically RAW) to expiration, they can't pop back up because they can't make up for the losses they incurred putting on garbage shows (relatively speaking). The way WWE starts off in T-Zone, they have WAY too many shows (by the game's estimation) so when RAW or ECW or SD come up for renewal, they can't renew them, because of their other contracts. No offense, but for WWE, being broadcast in North America is far far far more important than being seen in the UK or Europe or Mexico or Japan. T-Zone is accurate, but that accuracy has a price. But I'm guessing you didn't look to see why they hadn't recovered. You just saw they hadn't and immediately, the exception becomes the rule?[/QUOTE] You can renew, just not start a new contract if one runs out without being renewed.

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=flamebrain;259016]You can renew, just not start a new contract if one runs out without being renewed.[/QUOTE] Are you sure? I have never seen the AI be capable of renewing an expiring TV show if they already have more than three. Like I said, I watch WWE in my games, much like a car crash happening (morbid fascination). Every time, if USA or CW or Sci-Fi comes up for renewal, they let it expire if several of the other shows haven't expired previously.

[flamebrain]

[QUOTE=Remianen;259042]Are you sure? I have never seen the AI be capable of renewing an expiring TV show if they already have more than three. Like I said, I watch WWE in my games, much like a car crash happening (morbid fascination). Every time, if USA or CW or Sci-Fi comes up for renewal, they let it expire if several of the other shows haven't expired previously.[/QUOTE] Ah sorry, I don't know about the AI, I was speaking from my experience in doing it myself. To be honest, when I'm not playing with the 'E I never pay attention to them. Maybe the AI doesn't feel the need for three brands once its done trimming (butchering?) the fat and so drops a show as well? :)