Popularity based Feds

[The Celt]

I just can't seem to work them.

 

When it comes to working a pop based fed, such as a hardcore fed, I can never get anyone over much.

 

Is it that you need someone insanely popular to get everyone else over? The only time I ever got some workers over in a pop based fed was in PSW when I got some lower card workers over a bit my having them lose to Main Eventers. However this seemed cap after a while.

 

It's extremely annoying when I have a product that says it more (but not much) based on pop than performance and yet can't get anyone over.

 

Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Nedew]

Find a stat, and abuse it. Menace, Sex Appeal and the entertainment stats - one of those, and you can angle yourself to stardom.

[FINisher]

Popularity biased product = Long angles.

Performance biased product = Long matches.

 

Check out my tutorial thread, the WEXXV part, where I got several people popular quite quickly.

[Sons of Kohral]

In your defense, I'm also having a lot of problems getting people over in small feds. Meanwhile, with the SWF, I was able to get Sammy The Shark to C pop in a matter of two months.

[FINisher]

Give me promotion names, worker names, anything.

[Sons of Kohral]

NYCW and PSW come to mind as companies that I can never get a guy over a third of a grade (i.e. D to D+ or E+ to D-) in.

 

Edit: It seems like to make any growth, I need to bring in big names from other companies.

[FINisher]

NYCW: Use real wrestlers in long matches, entertaining guys only in angles. Steve Flash will get over by just wrestling. Grandmaster will get over with just angles, etc.

 

PSW: Big, long angles with Menace, Entertainment and so on. Hardcore rated matches with workers with high Hardcore.

[Sons of Kohral]

What would be considered a long match?

 

I.e. In your opinion, what's the shortest time that would still be considered a "long match".

[FINisher]

What would be considered a long match?

 

25min ->

 

I.e. In your opinion, what's the shortest time that would still be considered a "long match".

 

20min. Usually the AI match lenghts give you some good tips on how long the matches should be.

[Sons of Kohral]

20min. Usually the AI match lenghts give you some good tips on how long the matches should be.

 

This would explain a lot.... thanks!

[shamelessposer]

Check out my tutorial thread, the WEXXV part, where I got several people popular quite quickly.

 

For anyone curious, a link to that thread:

 

http://greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57023

[Bigpapa42]

FIN's diary on it should be a big help, especially when it comes to running a hardcore promotion...

 

Here are a few tips, fairly general as I'm not sure what you are trying.

 

-angles are your friend. Which a popularity based fed, and even a equal fed, they tend to be the easiest way to get people over. You should be maxing out your match/angle ratio each show. Figure out exactly how many minutes of angles you can run on each show before fans are unhappy, and then run just short of that each show.

 

-make sure each worker in an angle is rated on whatever their greatest asset is. If they are have more Overness than Entertainment skill, rate them on Overness. Its not the most realistic approach but its likely the most effective. When you have workers that are quite over and entertaining, I find it doesn't make much difference. When they are not really either, its obviously tougher.

 

-find each workers "hook". That is, what you are going to use to get them over. If they are entertaining, use that. Menacing, sexy, etc. If they are good in the ring but have little else (Steve Flash syndrome), then focus on that. You can always use workers who don't have that hook in angles as "not rated", I suppose.

 

-remember you can't push everyone. Pretty basic but its something that is easy to forget. When it comes to trying to elevate talent from your midcard into your main event, pick the few you want to focus on.

 

-spam your popular stars. If you start with a pretty over worker, or manage to get one or two up there, make sure you make use of them. That includes aligning some lesser talent around them - think Evolution-type stables.

[maskedpropaganda]

I had problems with this too once i ventured outside of Japan. All I do is what is already suggested take a guy (Mick Muscles for example) and just Menace angle the crap out of him. It works. Still haven't gotten the hang of gimmicks and find them and changing them to be a hassle and annoying to be honest. Would be nice to get into a CGC, USPW, or SWF game but to no avail. Everytime I try a CGC of FCW it get annoyed quickly with the gimmick changing. Otherwise once you get the hang of it angles help out considerably get guys over.

[Jaded]

 

-spam your popular stars. If you start with a pretty over worker, or manage to get one or two up there, make sure you make use of them. That includes aligning some lesser talent around them - think Evolution-type stables.

 

This is HUGE, especially in a fed like USPW where you have a couple of REALLY over guys. Bruce vs Strong feud, with Strong coming out of retirement for a PPV main event, losing it, and then managing a protege to fight Bruce at your next few main events should be able to see at least 3 people skyrocketing in overness if you use a few tag matches and lots of angles involving the main two guys.

[1PWfan]

Part of the problem with companies like PSW or NYCW is that they're not very big, so actually making stars isn't easy. I've been running an NYCW game for a while, and I only started regularly going outside the Tri-State in 2012, and even then to only three regions. Admittedly I'm a very cautious booker, but I did find that whatever workers I was trying to get over never did that well because I was only running out of three or four regions.

[Bigpapa42]

This is HUGE, especially in a fed like USPW where you have a couple of REALLY over guys. Bruce vs Strong feud, with Strong coming out of retirement for a PPV main event, losing it, and then managing a protege to fight Bruce at your next few main events should be able to see at least 3 people skyrocketing in overness if you use a few tag matches and lots of angles involving the main two guys.

 

Exactly. You need to use those over workers and spread the wealth. Find a way to insert those more over workers into storylines they wouldn't otherwise be involved in. Strong as a manager makes a ton of sense. You could also use James Justice as a storyline mentor for someone (Nicky Champion, etc), so they have a reason to be in angles all the time together. I've always meant to use Christian Faith as a mentor to Swoop McCarthy in an SWF game, as I've always seen Swoop as the new Faith. Never happened, but it would be an effective way to jump up Swoop quite quickly (though between the Star Quality and Entertainment, he can move fairly quickly just from being on TV).

[hrdcoresidebrns]

I'd say the best fed to practice with is FCW. You have a relatively small roster so you won't lose track of everyone, and you have both Shawn Gonzalez and Puerto Rican Power. Gonzalez is very over and a good wrestler, so his matches will easily rate higher than most.

 

But your main asset in getting people over is Puerto Rican Power. He starts with an A overness in Puerto Rico, which is insane, and you have a bunch of workers at the start with high menace simply because most of your heels are big heavyweights. A "Monster Unleashed" attack angle with, say, Hell's Bouncer attacks PRP that runs for 7 or 8 minutes will net you rarely less than a B rating. This will skyrocket Bouncer's overness very quickly.

 

Using this method of building heels with menace attack angles on PRP and Gonzalez you can build their overness quickly in Puerto Rico, and then give your midcard faces that you're trying to build (Mainstream Hernandez, Bradford Peverell, etc.) wins over the monster heels. This will boost the face's popularity, and also you can just use another attack angle or two to build the monster heel back up to where they were before the loss.

 

This ended up more longwinded than I would have hoped, but it's an easy model for most players to follow.

[The Celt]

Oh well in Television it's fairly easy to get people over, because any promotion that has TV tends to have a good few stars at it's disposal and whatnot. However I tend not to play as them for some reason. Then though it kills me most of the time I seem to be always attracted to regional hardcore feds with no hope of success.

 

Do long angles really work? Say I'm PSW, Could I get someone from D to say C or C+? For instance I got Jungle Jack for PSW and just couldn't get him over for where he started. Matches against the ME didn't seem to help nor did menace or entertainment angles (those mightn't have been long enough in fairness, but they were at least 6minutes)

[Self]

BSC is Pop-over-Perf and I always struggle to get those girls over D popularity. However, I don't need to. As long as you're scoring show ratings above your popularity, you're winning. You don't need to be getting guys super-over. How are your show ratings?

[praguepride]

PSW is a bit trickier just becaus the audience will crap on bad angles, so unless the worker can get a decent angle by himself (~C range) you need to "help" them with better workers.

 

I like to hire some good managers (Carl Batch, Dharma Greg, Katie Cameron, Kristen Pearce) to help out the weaker stars, like The Deadly Alliance.

 

For PSW the key players are Johnny Martin & Alex Braun. The Wolverine is popular but a terrible worker and terrible in most angles. JD Morgan is similar, except he's a phenomenal worker but again is boring as can be and should never be allowed to speak.

 

As much as I like to preserve the "status quo" in my rosters, you need to seperate Tank from Alex Braun because Tank Bradley is an anchor to both a star player (Alex Braun) as well as to the tag division.