The TCW Thread

[Blake Trask]

It's their product, because their Traditional is so high, it means guys like Bach push slightly lower than normal.

[Sartagis]

I keep getting penalties for not having enough interesting storylines...what does this mean? i have three going.. argh frustration

Go to your storylines section (Your Office/Creative/Storyline) at the top of the screen it will tell you exactly what the requirements are for your promotion.

[I Rule Me]

I cant keep TCW national. I beat USPW for 2 months and they become cult and then the next month BOOM im at cult status too. I keep getting penalties for not having enough interesting storylines...what does this mean? i have three going.. argh frustration

 

Create one more storyline and you won't have this problem. TCW comes with three, and the minimum is three, so fans are like "give us moar!!"

[D-Lyrium]

Create one more storyline and you won't have this problem. TCW comes with three, and the minimum is three, so fans are like "give us moar!!"

 

They also, as Sartagis said, need to be at a certain level of heat. That's the 'interesting' part of 'interesting storylines'.

 

You can have as many as you like, but at least three need to be at least C+ (I think, at National. it scales with size. At regional it's D) for them to be deemed 'interesting'.

[Shadowsong]

One thing that has always confused me about TCW is the product definition:

 

"...will mean fans will expect all wrestlers to be packaged with a proper gimmick."

"...will attract fans who won't be keen on gimmicks"

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems contradictory... Does it mean some fans will like the workers to have gimmicks while others won't. Is it worth changing the product to fix this?

[franticloser]

If you are having trouble with the storylines just turn off the strict storylines in the in game editor

[D-Lyrium]

That just means that their product attracts fans who like gimmicks, and fans who don't.

 

The in-game effect of this is that a lot of gimmick ratings will be 'diluted' and will rate near the middle of the scale (around a 66, which gives a tiny penalty but nothing major), it'll be harder, in effect, to get a 'good' or 'bad' gimmick, since opinion is split between the fanbase as to what a 'good' or 'bad' gimmick actually is.

[Devilb0y]

It's their product, because their Traditional is so high, it means guys like Bach push slightly lower than normal.

 

I never knew that. So Cruisers are what? Daredevil?

 

This would explain why I couldn't get Hell Monkey and American Elemental over despite their awesome stats in 2010. I figured product just determined what fans wanted to see a majority of, and didn't ding anything for not fitting in.

[D-Lyrium]

Hell Monkey should fit really well in TCW (don't get any ideas, Trask!), as he works a puroresu style. But yeah, certain product elements fit some workers better than others.

 

Cruisers thrive most in a heavily Daredevil, Modern environment with less Realism. They can still get over in a product like TCWs, but it's much harder for them than it is for a technician or a brawler.

[Blake Trask]

Yeah Lyrium beat me to it. Traditional is not a big fan of Cruisers or Junior style workers (and I'm fairly sure Entertainers, too), I don't quite know if it's purely harder for them to get over or they just naturally push lower. I got Bach and Edd Stone very popular in 2010 - they just pushed to UMC when they were more popular than some ME guys.

[Antithesis]

Also add Hailey Booke. Her mic skills arent as good as Dharma's, but she's ten years younger (plenty of time to improve) and is considered "an extremely positive influence" backstage.

[Nedew]

One thing that has always confused me about TCW is the product definition:

 

"...will mean fans will expect all wrestlers to be packaged with a proper gimmick."

"...will attract fans who won't be keen on gimmicks"

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems contradictory... Does it mean some fans will like the workers to have gimmicks while others won't. Is it worth changing the product to fix this?

 

I've always read that as the fans like the wrestlers to have clearly-defined characters, but they don't want really over-the-top spacemen and zombies and alien invaders or whatever (ie. the 'gimmicky' category of gimmicks).

[dbritton987]

It's funny, I already made a lot of the suggestions mentioned in the opening post. I altered TCW's product slightly to benefit from the entertainment skills of their best wrestlers, and I lowered the match length expectations too slightly, especially for TV Main Events cause its a bit insane to expect a 35 minute match each week on a 2 Hour Show with that many people on the roster.

 

I went with a major youth movement, pretty much not by choice, either. One of my beginning owner goals was I cannot hire a worker over 35 years old. Thanks Tommy!

 

My only big negative about TCW in TEW2013 is the lack of change in its midcard. I was surprised to see guys like Genghis Rahn & Texas Pete still on the roster. For a company that wants to work a lot of long, psychological matches, they have a bunch of guys who can't do either (I'm looking at you, Giant Tana).

 

It's obvious TCW needs a youth movement, and that's why I opened up its own developmental company. Cornell Championship Wrestling, its logo being the Cornell Family Emblem! Going to sign a bunch of young prospects and send them down, right along with some of the veterans like Rahn & Pete who can improve down there, or just wane down their contract until I can let them walk. Might as well let them work with the young guys than just release them and blow 20 Gs in the process.

[I Rule Me]

It's obvious TCW needs a youth movement, and that's why I opened up its own developmental company. Cornell Championship Wrestling, its logo being the Cornell Family Emblem! Going to sign a bunch of young prospects and send them down, right along with some of the veterans like Rahn & Pete who can improve down there, or just wane down their contract until I can let them walk. Might as well let them work with the young guys than just release them and blow 20 Gs in the process.

 

I had one called the Rough Justice Wrestling Factory. Another one I considered was the Tommy Cornell Wrestling Factory, but I like the Rough Justice name.

[Bigpapa42]

I would keep Pete on the main roster just for his backstage influence. Its pretty positive.

 

But you are correct on the midcard needing work. The main event scene in TCW is relatively solid and stable - not perfect but it does not require an immediate overhaul. The midcard is not impressive, for the most part, but it does its job - guys like American Buffalo, Texas Pete, Giant Tana, etc do a decent enough job of jobbing to your top guys. You aren't going to get A* on a 10-minute TV match betwee RDJ and Pete or Tana and Cornell. But they do well enough to keep your top talent strong. If they entire midcard in TCW was guys will skills like Human Arsenal and Sammy Bach, immediate success would be much easier and the AI would be churning out constant A graded TV cards.

 

A developmental territory is one of the first things I do as well. I went with Evolve Pro Wrestling, hijacking a logo and banner from the ThunderVerse.

[dbritton987]

You're right about Pete, his influence would be good until I get the Backstage Rating better.

 

At the same time, perhaps you've worked better with Pete & Tana in the past, but their match ratings against the main eventers aren't impressive enough to make me think I need them in the midcard. Meanwhile, I get the same ratings with talented young guys (i.e. Matthew Keith, Jay Chord, etc) who job to the same talent.

 

Of course, this is talking from my experience with 2010. It could be completely different with 2013. I guess we'll see! But that's what good about having a developmental company. If I'm wrong, I can just make the adjustments to the midcard.

 

Speaking of Texas Pete, seeing that his description mentions how much Tommy Cornell dislikes him and his hard drinking, I'm very surprised he's lasted on the roster 3 years later and even more is a current champion. You'd think if the boss man doesn't like a guy (whose potential doesn't go past midcard talent), he probably won't be there 3 years later!

[Bigpapa42]

No, not suggestion you should keep the midcard static. Not at all. Just pointing out that a lot of CV changes seem to be influenced to some degree by playability. And having those kind of workers in the midcard gives a challenge to someone running TCW and keeps the AI from getting monster grades.

 

Upgrading the midcard is one of the things I do personally target with TCW. But my own approach is to not rush it. Signing guys like the Keith brothers, KC Glenn, etc, can rebulid the midcard in a hurry. The problem is that none of the have the required popularity. If you rush that, you risk turning them into negative personalities, which you already have enough of. Same with moving Jay Chord up the card quickly, as he's already poison. My preference is to sign those workers and slide them up gradually, moving the likes of Rahn, Tana, etc, out gradually.

[dbritton987]

Oh yeah, I think we're on the same page but saying it differently, lol. It's not like I'm dumping them all at the start, I just have a future plan to, as you said, slowly remove them for up and coming talent.

 

That said, I ignored the rest of the midcard with my previous posts, and it has to be mentioned that TCW does have some solid midcard talent that is very beneficial to have. New Wave, The Machines, Freddy Huggins, & Joel Bryant come to mind.

 

In 2010 I used New Wave plenty of times in my main event against top talent when I needed a throw away main event on one show, and those guys showed up and gave me a 85+ Rated Main Event. I already tried them out against Cornell & Hawkins, and I got an 82. Not too shabby.

 

Lastly, one new thing I'm trying in 2013 is building a Women's Division in TCW. I never bothered before but with the extra pre-show time, I wanted to see if I can do it. Joanne Rodriguez, Sara Marie York, & Grace Harper aka Helen Wheels are my obvious building blocks.

[Blake Trask]

I got a C+ from RDJ vs. Texas Pete which is perfectly serviceable for a midcard match and RDJ is probably one of the weaker main eventers TCW have.

 

With Pete I see it... not so much Tommy dislikes HIM as disapproves of his drinking habit.

[Bigpapa42]

Oh yeah, I think we're on the same page but saying it differently, lol. It's not like I'm dumping them all at the start, I just have a future plan to, as you said, slowly remove them for up and coming talent.

 

That said, I ignored the rest of the midcard with my previous posts, and it has to be mentioned that TCW does have some solid midcard talent that is very beneficial to have. New Wave, The Machines, Freddy Huggins, & Joel Bryant come to mind.

 

In 2010 I used New Wave plenty of times in my main event against top talent when I needed a throw away main event on one show, and those guys showed up and gave me a 85+ Rated Main Event. I already tried them out against Cornell & Hawkins, and I got an 82. Not too shabby.

 

Lastly, one new thing I'm trying in 2013 is building a Women's Division in TCW. I never bothered before but with the extra pre-show time, I wanted to see if I can do it. Joanne Rodriguez, Sara Marie York, & Grace Harper aka Helen Wheels are my obvious building blocks.

 

There is definitely some talent there. The Machines and the New Wave are great foundations. Once you improve their popularity a bit, they could put on really strong matches against anyone in 2010. Looks like Hill is in rougher shape and doesn't deliver so the Machines might not be quite as reliable this time.

 

A women's division is always an interesting addition. You can have women pull double-duty and work as managers/valets for some of the talent who can use some help. One of the great things about a women's division is that you aren't competing against the SWF for talent. You are facing down USPW and NOTBPW but that's it in North America. In USPW, you can end up turning the women's division into the backbone. Not as easy in TCW but its doable with some effort.

 

I got a C+ from RDJ vs. Texas Pete which is perfectly serviceable for a midcard match and RDJ is probably one of the weaker main eventers TCW have.

 

With Pete I see it... not so much Tommy dislikes HIM as disapproves of his drinking habit.

 

I see the Pete thing the way. And he is servicable. Not perfect but if you come up with a decent character for him, instead of just Generic Brawling Cowboy, he's fun to make use of.

[bigtplaystew]

So what are some cool storylines you guys are doing?

 

I havent gotten much time to play at all so I just got done my first PPV, where Wolf retained against Rocky. RDJ beat up Brian Vessey for that number 1 contender spot, so they'll face off but I don't want to see RDJ main eventing more than a PPV (maybe two PPVs but that's it).

 

In TEW 2010 I had a massive Syndicate: Reborn storyline I did when Syndicate dominated for like 3 years but I don't think I want to do that again. Same old crap kinda thing.

 

I'm definitely planning a big run for Joey Minnesota leading up to Total Mayhem in may. I'm thinking of having RDJ feud with Wolf for the time being, which will lead to him bringing in Joey Minnesota to help combat the duel threat of Cornell and Hawkins. From there, RDJ will fail to capture the title, but Joey will attempt to succeed where his partner could not. Haven't made up my mind if I want to give Joey the title quite yet, but I think Hawkins/Minnesota is my target for Total Mayhem.

 

I'm also thinking of having Tommy Cornell feud with Rocky so that Rocky can improve a bit (he's still young enough to get a little better). I don't know who else I can put with Rocky to get him to improve.

 

Beyond that I'm just kinda playing with my options for right now, see who works well together. I plan on exploiting the hell out of chemistry to boost my PPVs so I'm still early in the game and figuring out who works well together and who really doesn't.

[Kainlock]

I always used to run the Hawkins & Cornell vs RDJ & Minnesota. It always leads to RDJ losing it for RDJ and Minnesota and Minnesota turning on RDJ leading to joining The Syndicate. Then Wolf gets jealous and turns Face.

 

Then sometimes I will have Joey Win the title and RDJ chases him for it. The way 2013 is right now I would do the same thing and when Wolf turns Joey takes the title from him. Or now since Wolf is already the champ I could see doing a Tommy is jealous thing and leads to them splitting.

 

Kind of cookie cutter but effective none the less.

[dbritton987]

I always used to run the Hawkins & Cornell vs RDJ & Minnesota. It always leads to RDJ losing it for RDJ and Minnesota and Minnesota turning on RDJ leading to joining The Syndicate. Then Wolf gets jealous and turns Face.

 

Splitting Cornell & Hawkins at some point is something I always did in 2010, too. I'd usually do the opposite, Hawkins turns on Cornell and takes Syndicate as his own, then the 2 fight for the title. I've reconsidered that for now in 2013, cause they have "Great Chemistry" as a team, which they didn't have in 2010.

 

So as of right now, I'm kinda following the default storylines at the start of the game. Hawkins & Golden are fighting over the title, Minnesota is feuding with Rick Law.

 

Meanwhile, Cornell is fighting RDJ after both get mixed up in the World Title Feud (Cornell/Hawkins vs RDJ/Golden was my last TV Main Event). Koshiro Ino is feuding with Steve Devine aka Troy Tornado, & Aaron Andrews is duking it out with Sammy Bach over the International Title.

 

Eddie Peak is the odd man out right now as far as feuds go, so right now I'm having him squash the competition, which I plan to lead into a future World Title shot. With a 92 Star Quality, I might give him a run.

 

Stable Wise, Syndicate consists of Cornell, Hawkins, The Machines, & Buddy Garner, whom I always enjoy grooming (Best Technical Wrestler + A Star Quality = Money!). Garner hasn't actually done anything with Cornell or Hawkins yet, but has competed in 6 Man Matches with The Machines.

 

Also, I gave Steve Devine his own midcard stable called VIP (Devine, Aaron Andrews, & The Canadian Animals). Lastly, I added Sammy Bach to the Freedom Fighters to make it a trio. It's weird though, cause in 2010, I always made Bach part of the Syndicate.

[bigtplaystew]

Cookie cutter or not, it's your world if you like that it's awesome.

 

In TEW2010 I brought in MAtthew and Greg Keith, who along with Sam Kieth joined The Syndicate and just dominated for years. Every new heel I pushed would join and it just became my total heel nWo (meaning instead of being badass and cool they were just evil and hateable).

 

The purpose was to develop Hawkins as "the guy" and in 2013ish he turned on The syndicate and along with Freedom Fighters, Golden, my user avatar, Ace Youngblood and Running Wolf disassembling Cornell's stranglehold of power piece by piece. Leading up to my big Total Mayhem main event with Hawkins vs Cornell, which went over huge as was a massive success for my company, firmly cementing TCW as THE COMPANY.

 

I got up to like 2014 in my last save and Running Wolf, Hawkins (as a face), and Youngblood formed a popular stable called FMMC (Full Moon Motorcycle Club) and I kinda did a face biker thing with them. I got into motorcycles for two eeks so it had to bleed over into my TEW world :-) I don't wanna do that now though as The Aces and 8s took away any coolness I see in a motorcycle club haha.

 

So I guess in TCW2013 I'm looking for something different. I don't want to just reform The Syndicate as a big stable. I'm keepign it Cornell and Hawkins for now. I may turn Hawkins because TCW has popular heels that can talk, but only really Golden and Minnesota on the face side. I'm a huge Hawkins fan and I see him as the guy moving forward to put this company at that level. He's a future hall of famer in my book. I may do a big face stable but I think that's still not a challenge to me creatively, it's just the opposite of the Syndicate angle lol. I don't know. I'm gonna see how my new signings develop but going forward in 2013 I see Joey Minnesota and Wolf Hawkins being the go-to feud. Like I said I want to see Rocky against Cornell for a good chunk of the year and it'll help bring Rocky to that next level to be the go-to guy next year. The way I see it, 2013 is Joey and Hawk's year in my game world.

 

I'm definitely interested in what other gamers have done going forward. I won't rip off your storylines or anything but I'm just curious to see what others do creatively. The creative options are what makes this game the addiction it is in my life.

[Shadowsong]

Why doesn't anyone ever turn Cornell face? I'm thinking about a storyline where the pupil turns on the teacher kind of thing. I've just started a TCW game where I'm using Edward Cornell as my user so maybe I'll have some kind of storyline between them at some point (him and Tommy). He needs to improve as a worker first, though.