SWF In 2013

[Sigilistic]

Question: How many of you use the starting storylines? How many delete them and start your own?

 

If you do keep the starting stories, how do you typically handle them? If you don't, what are some common stories you do instead?

[Sigilistic]

I usually end up like you, start a game and give up after a while. My current game has got me really engaged through the power of Microsoft Word. I'm writing it up like a diary, week by week. Write out how all the matches ago, the promos, imagine you're trying to put out a top quality diary to go on the board but don't post it. I've been completely sucked in and spend 2-3 days coming back to it for hours at a time. Then in the future if you wish to post a diary to the forums your material is already there and you won't be one of those diaries that starts and disappears after a couple of shows. I try to make everything make sense, I got Steve DeColt on loan for 1 appearance and he was simply in a dark match having a tryout.

 

I also like to record everything that happens in the other top promotions, their top ratings, their signings, their champions. By recording it it sticks in my head and I feel a lot more immersed in the world.

 

Yeah I never play the game without my handy Notepad being open, though I don't put quite the detail into it you do. Might have to change that, seems like a good way to become invested.

 

Oh another question: How do you plot your storylines?

 

By that, I mean do you do something like this:

January - Frehley d. Remo

February - Frehley d. Vengeance

March - Frehley d. Faith, Remo and Vengeance

 

Or do you write up your storylines in another way? I like writing up the PPV cards in advance as much as I can. They give me peace of mind when I do and I find it's pretty easy to book TV to build toward a PPV when I have a solid idea of what's happening at that show. But I typically leave the specifics of a feud, such as what happens show to show, up in the air.

[Irish Wolf]

Yeah I never play the game without my handy Notepad being open, though I don't put quite the detail into it you do. Might have to change that, seems like a good way to become invested.

 

Oh another question: How do you plot your storylines?

 

By that, I mean do you do something like this:

January - Frehley d. Remo

February - Frehley d. Vengeance

March - Frehley d. Faith, Remo and Vengeance

 

Or do you write up your storylines in another way? I like writing up the PPV cards in advance as much as I can. They give me peace of mind when I do and I find it's pretty easy to book TV to build toward a PPV when I have a solid idea of what's happening at that show. But I typically leave the specifics of a feud, such as what happens show to show, up in the air.

 

First I figure out how long I want to go with the starting stories I usually want to end them at the 2013 supreme challenge. So I lay you each PPV between then and now with what I want the matches too be. After I have monthly PPVs laid then I started going month by month with shows, I'll figure out all the matches I want for each of the four shows for that month (the four weeks between PPVs as they cross months because the PPVs are in week 2) and once I have the matches laid out I start to write in the angles. I use excel I lay everything out in order I set the times in and use the functions so I always know exactly how much time I am using.

[BrokenCycle]

Curious how long that took?

 

Wednesday Week 1 in February. This was right when the game came out though, so I don't know if there were any tweaks in patches, but I did rise to International that quickly without even putting on great shows.

[Bigpapa42]

As it pertains to booking ME vs. ME on TV, I don't see any problem with it. As long as there is a reason to book such then I foresee it as good TV. To me, the most boring wrestling TV shows are the ones where you constantly know who will win; every show... every week... every month... ever year.

 

While I do book ME vs. ME on TV, those who win either do so in a cheating fashion (giving credence to further matches down the road) or give the win to the guy who is getting the better push (even within the Main Event).

 

If you constantly book ME vs. undercard then you're bound to give away what you're doing every week. Plus, those undercard workers will start to carry the stink of ALWAYS losing. You wouldn't take them seriously as a viewer & would eventually find no interest in the match they are in (Even if they are up against Faith, Remo, Frehley, etc.).

 

It worked in the 80's but now I feel as though you NEED to pull viewers in for a reason. While it won't hurt me in game, as I'm crushing other companies in the ratings, I does make a different to those who are reading my dynasty. Would you rather read a show with Steve Frehley vs. Rich Money, one that has a storyline around it & the outcome furthers that, or will Christian Faith vs. Marc DuBois really fill your interest?

 

No way is better than the other, and I see the reason for booking ME vs. Undercard all the time, but it's just as good to create a riveting show that people would be interested in watching.

 

Nothing at all wrong with either approach - you are correct there. And my approach is fairly old school. I very intentionally try to avoid the common conventions of the current WWE SE formula - which, by extension, is also the TNA SE formula. I want to give fans a riveting show but I can do that by giving the what TCW doesn't really offer - great storylines and compelling characters. I can't really go head-to-head with TCW for pure in-ring skill so I accept that.

 

I don't mind predictable booking. Once upon a time, it bothered me when I did a prediction contest in my diary and people could get 80 to 95% of the predictions right. TK explained it to me nicely - predictable booking is also logical booking. There is definitely a place for swerves and surprises, but emphasizing those can sacrifice logic and that will piss off viewers/readers very quick.

 

If you are using ME vs ME but not having clean finishes, then the results on TV don't matter that much anyway - similar to current WWE, where wins and losses basically don't matter at all. There are certainly those who would prefer to see Christian Faith battle Remo to a double-DQ but Faith getting an expected win over DuBois, where the youngster gets to look good and have his spots, has its value too. You are correct that if you only ever have the UMC or MC guys lose, they get killed after awhile but that that's part of the challenge of booking - keeping those guys strong and finding ways to actually build them up. Unless its contemporary WWE where having guys lose every match really doesn't kill them - Dolph Ziggler had something like a 15% win percentage in 2012.

 

I like to keep my main eventers strong. Always have. Again, its fairly old school. They go into a big match on PPV as strong as possible and with as much momentum as possible. This is a key reason I avoid having very many ME vs ME matches on TV. Those might provide slightly better grades in the short term, but keeping the ME strong usually makes building overness and momentum easier, which builds things more in the long-term. It can also make things a hassle when contracts come up, but that is another discussion entirely.

 

This is not to say I never do ME vs ME on TV. I do. I see the value there and its a nice treat for fans. But I try to practice moderation - if you gives the fans anything with frequency, its no longer special and becomes expected.

 

So I think my problem with SWF, nay, with this game is this: I overthink things. I start booking but when I stop and think about all the things I did wrong, all the momentum I've sabotaged, I sigh deeply and delete the game and start over.

 

I do this at least three or four times with a given promotion. Eventually I either hit my stride or I get so burnt out on that fed, or even the game, that I try something else.

 

But I really WANT to run SWF! I want to avoid that paralysis that hits me when it's time to set storylines and book shows.

 

Maybe this is all just in my head. Like I said, I overthink things. But threads like this are helpful to me because I can see what others are doing and draw inspiration. So thanks, guys.

 

Any other advice you can offer for a person who just wants to play the damn game without being paralyzed with indecision?

 

A few things...

 

1. Be willing to make mistakes. Don't try to book things "perfectly" or "ideally". A mistake is a learning experience. And can sometimes be turned into an opportunity.

 

2. One of the greatest things about booking Supreme is that its most valuable commodity - overness - is also the most liquid asset in the game. There are guys who can create it out of nothing and you can pass it around. For talent-based promotions, they rely on skill and that's much tougher to build. Much slower.

 

3. Not everyone can be getting over at once. Its a simple reality but it bears repeating. Someone has to lose. Not everyone can look strong and go over. So focus on those you want to build and realize some others might have to be sacrificed to a small degree in the short term. They can be rebuilt in the long-term. There is also nothing wrong with letting some guys float a bit, especially in the midcard range.

 

4. Find the stories you want to tell. Find the workers you want to build. Focus on those. Create long-term plans to get them where you want. Do you want to eventually turn Valiant and Rogue into a main event feud over the world title? Give Faith one last run? Turn Gilmore into a mega-star and have him "marry" Jessie at The Supreme Challenge? Having Money "buy" the SWF and make it his private playground? Form a heel mega-stable? Run an invasion angle? Find the story that calls out to you and run with it. There is nothing more satisfying in game than seeing something you've planned for a long while play out... then coming on here to brag about it.

[Eisen-verse]

Nothing at all wrong with either approach - you are correct there. And my approach is fairly old school. I very intentionally try to avoid the common conventions of the current WWE SE formula - which, by extension, is also the TNA SE formula. I want to give fans a riveting show but I can do that by giving the what TCW doesn't really offer - great storylines and compelling characters. I can't really go head-to-head with TCW for pure in-ring skill so I accept that.

 

I don't mind predictable booking. Once upon a time, it bothered me when I did a prediction contest in my diary and people could get 80 to 95% of the predictions right. TK explained it to me nicely - predictable booking is also logical booking. There is definitely a place for swerves and surprises, but emphasizing those can sacrifice logic and that will piss off viewers/readers very quick.

 

If you are using ME vs ME but not having clean finishes, then the results on TV don't matter that much anyway - similar to current WWE, where wins and losses basically don't matter at all. There are certainly those who would prefer to see Christian Faith battle Remo to a double-DQ but Faith getting an expected win over DuBois, where the youngster gets to look good and have his spots, has its value too. You are correct that if you only ever have the UMC or MC guys lose, they get killed after awhile but that that's part of the challenge of booking - keeping those guys strong and finding ways to actually build them up. Unless its contemporary WWE where having guys lose every match really doesn't kill them - Dolph Ziggler had something like a 15% win percentage in 2012.

 

I like to keep my main eventers strong. Always have. Again, its fairly old school. They go into a big match on PPV as strong as possible and with as much momentum as possible. This is a key reason I avoid having very many ME vs ME matches on TV. Those might provide slightly better grades in the short term, but keeping the ME strong usually makes building overness and momentum easier, which builds things more in the long-term. It can also make things a hassle when contracts come up, but that is another discussion entirely.

 

This is not to say I never do ME vs ME on TV. I do. I see the value there and its a nice treat for fans. But I try to practice moderation - if you gives the fans anything with frequency, its no longer special and becomes expected.

 

Totally! I see the logic of such booking. I try to sprinkle in these sort of easy wins along with the bigger hitting matches between UM & ME. More or less, I then utilize angles that can help build those Main Eventers back up; even if they take a loss.

 

In my case, it's less about having them going into a PPV looking strong & more about going into the PPV with a story to tell. If they lost to a ME leading into the PPV, there was something there that made it so he's coming into the PPV with a reason for a win.

 

I agree, the current WWE model is lacking; however, I don't think it's because the booking of bigger names versus one another. It worked during the 90's. Both WWE/F and WCW booked ME talent in their main events and yet it worked. That said, the booking and stories had more depth than the current WWE/TNA approach. There was a reason for the ME to lose & for the other to win. Someone came in and screwed wrestler X out of the win; so, now wrestling X wants revenge. Clean wins take place here too as maybe you're booking one ME to be stronger, at this point, than the other.

 

In my SWF, Yes, Christian Faith has taken a few too many loses I'd like; however, my plan is to get him back over with angles & a few wins coming up before the "N2L". Meanwhile, Frehley, Remo, Vengeance, Jack Bruce, and Rich Money are all doing great despite running into bigger names along the way.

 

Both styles work, I totally agree! I guess it just comes down to how you want to book the ME scene.

 

EDIT: Further, I agree that the WWE has all but given up on wins and losses. It's sad; really sad. For me, I think you can still book bigger names in ME's and still care about wins and losses. Sure, I won't give you Money vs. Frehley every week BUT it will happen from time to time on TV & it will be very obvious when one wins over the other. In connection, that next win that the other gets over the other will mean that much more (maybe it happens on a PPV or TV).

 

I guess I should clarify as well. I don't plan on booking ME vs. ME every week; however, I'm not going to strictly stay away from it because they are both over. For me, I've had a stretch like this in my ME spot.

 

Christian Faith vs. Remo

Jack Bruce vs. Rogue

Jack Bruce vs. Brandon James

This week (highlight if you want to read the *spoiler*) -- Steve Frehley vs. Rich Money

 

So, right there, I have, in one month time, two TV episodes that carry ME vs. ME. Meanwhile, two were ME vs. UM.

 

I have no idea where I'm going anymore. haha. I guess I started to derail mentally. Either way, good conversation is forming here about our views of booking!

 

Happy New Year!!!

[Sigilistic]

Is anyone else suffering from several workers being dinged for poor gimmicks? It seems like nearly everyone on my roster is taking a hit for that. Sigh...

[Harmor]

Is anyone else suffering from several workers being dinged for poor gimmicks? It seems like nearly everyone on my roster is taking a hit for that. Sigh...

 

Yep, which is why I always create my own gimmicks when I'm able to change one. My reason for this is that a lot of the default angles are not exactly suited for SWF's fanbase (too high risk etc). This is why I settle for maximum 35/36 on all three, risk, difficulty and subtlety and it tends to work out rather well for me (not always, but much more often than with most of the default angles). I also find that when the three categories are set too LOW it also doesn't come out particularly well either btw, but staying in the low 30s so far has proven to be the most effective to me (also in 2010 where I struggled with gimmicks for the longest time).

[Sigilistic]

I guess gimmicks default to being random, which is fine. But I got a crap roll. What's worse, in this edition it seems like gimmicks always start off being too soon to change, which means Christian Faith and Jack Bruce are just going to have to make those crap gimmicks work for a few months.

[Properly Promoted]

Question: How many of you use the starting storylines? How many delete them and start your own? If you do keep the starting stories, how do you typically handle them? If you don't, what are some common stories you do instead?

I kept them and let them play out. I tried to get as much out of them as I could, but at the second PPV it was clear that all three needed to be put down.

 

For the four-way, I decided Frehley should retain. Faith and Vengeance did not need the belt, and Remo was not ready. Eisen ended up going over on Gilmore. Oddly enough, I have not had any problems with Eisen's creative control. He took a couple losses to Gilmore during the feud with no problem. And Jack Bruce got the most out of what was supposed to be Valiant's feud. Brandon James came out okay too.

[Harmor]

Speaking of Valiant - he is now a main eventer in my game and currently challenging for the World title (held by Rich Money). He isn't getting it just yet (I intend on booking him as a guy who keeps chasing for quite some time until he gets what he wants) - but ultimately, I'm not really too fond of his name. Since there is apparently no real name for Valiant set in stone, has anybody ever come up with a proper one for him? I need some input basically...

[Eisen-verse]

Speaking of Valiant - he is now a main eventer in my game and currently challenging for the World title (held by Rich Money). He isn't getting it just yet (I intend on booking him as a guy who keeps chasing for quite some time until he gets what he wants) - but ultimately, I'm not really too fond of his name. Since there is apparently no real name for Valiant set in stone, has anybody ever come up with a proper one for him? I need some input basically...

 

How long did it take you to get Valiant to a Main Event level? What's his popularity for you?

[Harmor]

How long did it take you to get Valiant to a Main Event level? What's his popularity for you?

 

2-3 months (used him a lot alongside Jack Bruce in the starting storyline) and his US popularity average is 84-85 ish now. I had to find out about his rise too, he never complained about being an upper midcarder until I checked his push. So it might have even been a quicker rise, just I didn't notice.

[Sigilistic]

Speaking of Valiant - he is now a main eventer in my game and currently challenging for the World title (held by Rich Money). He isn't getting it just yet (I intend on booking him as a guy who keeps chasing for quite some time until he gets what he wants) - but ultimately, I'm not really too fond of his name. Since there is apparently no real name for Valiant set in stone, has anybody ever come up with a proper one for him? I need some input basically...

 

Why not tack a first name onto it? If it works for Rocky Golden, no reason a Johnny Valiant wouldn't work. Sure, that's the name of a RL wrestler but no need to let that stop you.

[Harmor]

Why not tack a first name onto it? If it works for Rocky Golden, no reason a Johnny Valiant wouldn't work. Sure, that's the name of a RL wrestler but no need to let that stop you.

 

True that - sometimes the simple things work best indeed. Thanks, will use it!

[ZMAN]

Anyone having trouble getting Jack Bruce's morale up once he's taken one negative tick against it? I had him lose a match three months ago, and he's been annoyed ever since. He's gotten at least ten bonuses, 2 backstage speeches, and four please at victories since then. I don't see why the guy is so bitter over one little loss.

[Eisen-verse]

Anyone having trouble getting Jack Bruce's morale up once he's taken one negative tick against it? I had him lose a match three months ago, and he's been annoyed ever since. He's gotten at least ten bonuses, 2 backstage speeches, and four please at victories since then. I don't see why the guy is so bitter over one little loss.

 

Who did he lose to?

[ZMAN]

Who did he lose to?

 

The only man he's lost to so far has been Christian Faith on various occasions. I think Faith was a main eventer at the time of Bruce's loss, but his popularity was a little bit less.

[Eisen-verse]

The only man he's lost to so far has been Christian Faith on various occasions. I think Faith was a main eventer at the time of Bruce's loss, but his popularity was a little bit less.

 

When you say various do you mean 2-3 times in that time frame or just the once? Someone of Bruce's stature may be unhappy to lose in general but a string of losses could make him unhappy enough to string along for a bit.

[ZMAN]

When you say various do you mean 2-3 times in that time frame or just the once? Someone of Bruce's stature may be unhappy to lose in general but a string of losses could make him unhappy enough to string along for a bit.

 

Bruce actually has a pretty good record. Him and Faith are pretty even.

 

But in his morale newsbox it only shows that first loss to Faith as being what pissed him off.

 

Here's what it looks like:

http://i.imgur.com/BloX2.jpg

[Sudo_Nym]

I've just started booking SWF, and the major problem I'm having is- at what point do you cut off signing workers for development? There's about a million indy workers I want to sign up and send to RIPW right off the bat, but there's no way there's room enough for all of them.

[Sigilistic]

I've just started booking SWF, and the major problem I'm having is- at what point do you cut off signing workers for development? There's about a million indy workers I want to sign up and send to RIPW right off the bat, but there's no way there's room enough for all of them.

 

I try to limit myself to unemployed workers who have "Good" Star Quality. There's just a handful and they make excellent long-term prospects. The rest I leave out there. Let somebody else pay them while they improve to SWF quality. I'll snatch them up when they're ready.

 

 

Speaking of snatching 'em up...I signed Rocky Golden! He's inked to a 5-year deal, and I even threw in a stipulation that he'll never be below upper midcarder.

 

Now I'm almost giddy with anticipation on how to use him? Turn him heel and send him straight after Frehley's belt as an invader? Feud him with Christian Faith in a torch-passing story? Throw him up against Vengeance or Remo or Money? So. Many. Options.

 

What would you do?

[ampulator]

Bruce actually has a pretty good record. Him and Faith are pretty even.

 

But in his morale newsbox it only shows that first loss to Faith as being what pissed him off.

 

Here's what it looks like:

http://i.imgur.com/BloX2.jpg

If you look at his original state, he wasn't just "Annoyed", he was "Angry". Now he's just "Annoyed".

[Devilb0y]

I try to limit myself to unemployed workers who have "Good" Star Quality. There's just a handful and they make excellent long-term prospects. The rest I leave out there. Let somebody else pay them while they improve to SWF quality. I'll snatch them up when they're ready.

 

 

Speaking of snatching 'em up...I signed Rocky Golden! He's inked to a 5-year deal, and I even threw in a stipulation that he'll never be below upper midcarder.

 

Now I'm almost giddy with anticipation on how to use him? Turn him heel and send him straight after Frehley's belt as an invader? Feud him with Christian Faith in a torch-passing story? Throw him up against Vengeance or Remo or Money? So. Many. Options.

 

What would you do?

 

That's like the dream signing for SWF. Rocky vs Remo - THINK OF THE STAR QUALITY *drools*.

[John Stephens]

In my SWF game i made a second brand for younger workers and people just called up from development. The roster consists of people like Cameron Vessey, Casey Valentine, Roger Cage, Nelson Callum, Frantic Ali, Stardust and Cannonball and other young talent. I also moved Marc DuBois and American Machine to the brand but DuBois has been moved back to the main roster now.

 

The first Uprising Champion was Marc DuBois. He held it from March till June when he lost it to American Machine.

 

Here are the results of Supreme Challenge 33:

 

Brandon James defeated Donnie J

Bumfholes defeated Quad B, Platinum Blondes and Hero Squad to Retain Tag Titles

Remo defeated Lobster Warrior

Valiant defeated Rogue in a Last Man Standing Match

Squeeky McClean defeated Des Davids to retain the NA Title

Steve Frehley defeated Christian Faith

Jack Bruce defeated Rich Money

Angry Gilmore defeated Vengeance to win the World Heavyweight Title.

 

Best match on the show was Bruce Vs Money which got an A rating.