When does gimmick matter?

[Blackman]

Which parameters in the product setting screen determine whether or not gimmicks matter? I know there's a note in the screen that might say "people aren't keen on gimmicks", but it's sometimes confusing.

 

NOTBPW and GCG require face and heel statutes. The product setting however, says that the public doesn't care about gimmicks. But the gimmicks are rated, and no gimmick mostly gets rated F+ or something. I have the (perhaps false) feeling that having a F+ gimmick rating has some effect on the popularity gain, even in promotions that don't care about gimmicks. The match rating seems to remain the same apparently.

 

CZCW also doesn't care about gimmicks, but I get match notes saying the gimmick doesn't feel fresh anymore and it REALLY needs to change. Like I said, I don't notice a performance drop, but getting the notes is kinda silly.

[FINisher]

I think that it's just a surplus factor mostly in angles. Altough the more entertainment one has in their product, the more it affects the angles/matches.

 

CZCW also doesn't care about gimmicks, but I get match notes saying the gimmick doesn't feel fresh anymore and it REALLY needs to change. Like I said, I don't notice a performance drop, but getting the notes is kinda silly.

 

They attract BOTH types of fans: Fans who like gimmicks, and fans who don't. That's why they use gimmicks and that's why you get that note.

 

EDIT: And the F+ gimmick rating does not take effect in Performance biased promotions: With GCG the gimmick rating certainly didn't matter, guys were churning out B to A* matches all the time.

[D-Lyrium]

Which parameters in the product setting screen determine whether or not gimmicks matter? I know there's a note in the screen that might say "people aren't keen on gimmicks", but it's sometimes confusing.

 

NOTBPW and GCG require face and heel statutes. The product setting however, says that the public doesn't care about gimmicks. But the gimmicks are rated, and no gimmick mostly gets rated F+ or something. I have the (perhaps false) feeling that having a F+ gimmick rating has some effect on the popularity gain, even in promotions that don't care about gimmicks. The match rating seems to remain the same apparently.

 

CZCW also doesn't care about gimmicks, but I get match notes saying the gimmick doesn't feel fresh anymore and it REALLY needs to change. Like I said, I don't notice a performance drop, but getting the notes is kinda silly.

 

If any of the 'Entertainment' categories (Risque, Mainstream, Cult and Comedy) are at Heavy or above you'll get the 'must be packaged with a proper gimmick' note in the product screen. This means that people with no gimmick will get a really low gimmick rating in that promotion.

 

The opposite is having the 'fans won't like gimmicks' note, which you get from having Realism, Hyper Realism or Pure at Medium or above. This means that, in general, no gimmicks will be rated very highly (except possibly Realistic and Legitimate gimmicks, haven't tested it but it'd make sense).

 

There are two further stages between those: Having no notes (not having either of the above categories at the right places), and having both notes at the same time. In the former case, fans won't really care about gimmicks at all either positively or negatively and it won't make much difference either way to the gimmick rating. In the latter case some fans will and some fans won't care, so similarly the gimmick ratings will be somewhere in the middle of the grade scale mostly.

 

Gimmick Rating comes in to play all over TEW, but it's main effect is on - as you guessed - popularity and momentum gains/losses. A guy with a good gimmick will gain more momentum for his angles (if they're well rated), and will gain more popularity in general. A guy with a crappy gimmick will have to work harder for that popularity (in general. There's always one...). Except in realistic promotions where the fans don't like gimmicks, in those promotions the gimmick rating isn't taken into account at all, obviously.

 

Match ratings are affected, I believe, but not enough to really notice most of the time. Angle ratings definately are though.

[Deevious]

The opposite is having the 'fans won't like gimmicks' note, which you get from having Realism, Hyper Realism or Pure at Medium or above. This means that, in general, no gimmicks will be rated very highly (except possibly Realistic and Legitimate gimmicks, haven't tested it but it'd make sense).

 

 

I've seen some cases of Cool gimmicks getting as high as a B rating in my BHOTWG game. I imagine if they are used sparingly, that some gimmicks can get over. You always want diversity in your roster, and you always want your characters to stand out.

[Blackman]

In Pure promotions, you often get a B- for no gimmick at all. A gimmick (in some rare cases) might up it to B or something better, but it's a rare case.