Booking Strategy with Match Aims

[BiffJordan]

Okay so I'm having a lot of poor ratings due to my lack of understanding of what was once known as "perfect show theory" or "crowd control"... In all of the previous games I found "PST" annoying and disabled it. However with the specific match aims in this update I want to use them as intended. I am having to many main events with top quality performances bomb due to my booking decisions and hot/cold crowds.

 

Here are the questions I need answered. Note: I am currently playing 21CW.

 

"Work the crowd" - Does this have any place on the card other than opener? What type of match aim should follow with this note? What stats are relevant to this note?

 

"Calm the crowd" - What type of worker and what spot should this note fall on the card? Is this a match type that I need to use to have a successful...

 

"Technical Masterpiece" - What crowd do I need to make this work? If the crowd is hot this match blows? So what, do I need to sacrifice a match before this as "calm the crowd"?

 

"Lift the Crowd" - Totally don't understand how this isn't the same as "work the crowd". Also if I run "calm the crowd" should I always use this "lift the crowd" note after?

 

"Wild Brawl" - Do the workers need to have high rumble stats? Where does the crowd need to be before this match? What should I follow a successful "Wild Brawl" with?

 

"Storytelling" - This is a mystery to me. 21CW requires one per show and I've never had a high rating for this match aim. What is the point? Where should it fall and what type of worker is suite for this aim? Can this cover up poor performances or do the workers need to be strong? Can anyone give a solid example using WWE to explain what this match looks like in the real world?

 

"Steal the show" - Again what level does the crowd need to be at to pull this off? I've had some success with this but a high injury rate which is fine, but I can't seem to have a successful main event with this note, I can't get the crowd where they need to be.

 

"Spectacle/Epic" - Same as above... can't get the crowd in the right place to make this work. I've had matches with great performances followed by tanking ratings due to the crowd not being set up properly.

 

So can anyone give me an example card how they would book 21CW with match aims to boost ratings, or answer these questions? I've played Adam's games since Extreme Warfare Deluxe and the "PST" has always eluded me since it's inception, so in turn I am very behind on this aspect of the game... which is kind of sad considering how many years I've enjoyed this game.

[Tom Bombadil]

I'm not great at it either but lift/work the crowd can help make your crowd hot for wild brawl/steal the show/spectacle.

 

I think the general idea is to go through a cycle of putting on a good match (wild brawl/steal the show/spectacle), cooling them back down (calm/match that's gonna suck anyway), and then building them back up (work/lift) for the next big match.

 

I think charisma helps work and/or lift, and psychology helps story telling?

 

Steal the show I think is more geared towards midcard matches- since it will be All Out, you probably don't want that in a main event type match with a main event length, but will let your good midcarders put on a good match. Stuff like when WWE gives us barnburner IC title matches on the PPV's.

[consortium11]

"Storytelling" - This is a mystery to me. 21CW requires one per show and I've never had a high rating for this match aim. What is the point? Where should it fall and what type of worker is suite for this aim? Can this cover up poor performances or do the workers need to be strong? Can anyone give a solid example using WWE to explain what this match looks like in the real world?

 

Things like this are always somewhat open to interpretation, but here's my take...

 

In the King of the Ring 1999, Ken Shamrock was lined up to face Billy Gunn in a quarter final match. Earlier in the night on HEAT, Steve Blackman had attacked Ken Shamrock and kayfabe badly injured his ribs with a kendo stick. During the KotR match Gunn targeted Shamrock's ribs and won in just under four minutes when a Shamrock hurricana was countered into a powerbomb and Shamrock started bleeding from the mouth on account of his "internal injuries" leading to the referee stopping it.

 

The entire point of the match was to tell the story of Shamrock's injuries rather than to put on the best match the two could (the pair had put together what would generally be considered objectively better matches previously). The action was focused around his injured ribs, the stoppage came because of his injured ribs and the commentators talked primarily about his injury throughout the bout.

 

This video covers it; about 4 minutes in you get a recap of the Blackman attack and aftermath while the Gunn/Shamrock stuff is at about 24 minutes in.

 

Edit: Just to add some more general advice.

 

As I understand it the calm/work/lift notes basically mean the intention of the match is lower/keep the same/hype up the crowd respectively. With the way shows are rated in 16 you want a hot crowd for your main event and whatever you think your second best match will be (as they make up 60% and 30% of the overall match rating for the show). But if the crowd is hot throughout the show they'll get burned out and thus penalize your match rating.

 

To take a five match show as an example; you want a hot opener to get the crowd into things... so you'd likely use "lift the crowd". Then for your next match you probably want to simply "work the crowd" so they stay hot but you don't risk them getting too burned out. Then you may have your second best match which you can do without any "crowd" notes. Then you get to what is technically your co-main event... but in reality you want your crowd lowered down a bit so they don't burn out by the time the main comes along, so I'd likely use a "calm the crowd" note, which should bring them down from the heights of the previous match but keep them hot... then you can have your main event to a hot but not burned out crowd.

 

That said, it's not that simple as angles also cause the crowd to go hot or cold. So a highly rated angle (say a Tommy Cornell vs Dark Angel confrontation) will get them hot either to open the show or to raise the crowd up immediately before a main event. Conversely having a great angle after an already great match runs the risk of burning a crowd out.

 

And just to make things more complicated I'm fairly certain successfully pulling off certain match aims (Wild Brawl, Mayhem and Car Crash for example) may well make the crowd even hotter (and on the other hand a failed one will probably kill it stone dead) so you have to factor those in as well.

 

In essence you want your crowd to peak for two matches; your main event and the match you suspect will be the second best one on the card. The "crowd" notes are one way of manipulating that to make sure it happens when you want it to. It may take some trial and error but eventually you should get the hang of it.

[Gungner]

I always use "Work the crowd" for my pre-show match... And nowhere else on the card.

[Infernalmiko]

Work the crowd, lift the crowd and calm the crowd are mostly for Perfect Show Theory. Though calm the crowd could also be useful if you are getting 'crowd burned out' in main events.

 

For Storytelling the game says "This specifies the aim of the match is to set up or advance an issue or to tell party of a story; for example , if you had a worker on a losing streak you would use this for his matches to indicate that it's an ongoing issue. The workers will keep the match fairly simple and safe so as not to overshadow the story being told. This is a good way to give the fans something different and to entertain them without taxing the workers."

 

This reminds me a little of reading Ole Anderson's book. He describes booking Tommy Rich to lose three times to someone (Kamala?) but he fights back harder each time. The story was Rich simply would not quit no matter what was done to him.

[The Nickman]

I always use "Work the crowd" for my pre-show match... And nowhere else on the card.

 

I don't think you need that anymore, as the pre-show doesn't seem to impact the opening segment in 2016. In 2013 I actually stopped using pre-shows as they would tank my opening segment, but in 2016 I am using them again as they don't seem to effect it, which is excellent.

 

I always start my shows with an angle that always gets my crowd going, which means I never use Work the Crowd anyway.

[TEWFan]

My two cents:

 

- Work the crowd is for the opener or used after a Calm the crowd match.

 

- Lift the crowd....I am confused as well. Hopefully Adam clears it up.

 

- Calm the crowd is used to bring the crowd down after a series of hot matches/segments.

 

How I book 21CW:

 

- Work the crowd in the opener, usually two midcarders or upper midcarders.

 

- Hot main event angle.

 

- Hot match between two upper mid- or main eventers.

 

- Calm the crowd match (mids and lower mids or anything with the Red Devils)

 

- Work the crowd again with a "work the crowd match" (or menace based attack angle with the Red Devils )

 

- What I think is the co-main event match with an angle before or after it. Usually I go for spectacle or Steal the Show here with talented workers.

 

- Another calm the crowd match.

 

- Hot angle.

 

- Main Event match

 

- Hot angle to close things out.

 

 

I know is not perfect but I am getting consistent B's.

[The Nickman]

There's actually a fantastic post by D-Lyrium in the Small Questions thread where he discusses Match Aims, but I can't seem to find it and have to leave for work shortly.

 

I actually thought it was at the top of a page somewhere, but after quickly flicking through 58-odd tabs I couldn't find it.

[The_Monk]

There's actually a fantastic post by D-Lyrium in the Small Questions thread where he discusses Match Aims, but I can't seem to find it and have to leave for work shortly.

 

I actually thought it was at the top of a page somewhere, but after quickly flicking through 58-odd tabs I couldn't find it.

 

its post #645 and yes its an awesome post just reading it now

[Koholos]

I'm not sure "Technical Masterclass" really fits in 21CW shows at all. I've used it in TCW a bit, and MAW twice, but I've been skittish about using it in a "Popularity > Performance" fed.

 

I've mostly been using 'Wild Brawl' for squash type matches. I'm probably using it wrong, but it works in my mind - Eddie Peak comes out, fists fly, it looks like the other guy might have a cha- slam! Eddie Peak floors him, pin, done.

 

So far, I've found that I like either:

 

Random matches

2nd best match ('Steal')

Ok match ('Calm') note

Main Event

 

OR

 

Random matches

2nd Best match ('Storytelling')

Main Event ('Spectacle'/'Epic')

 

Mostly depending on how strong the ME and 2nd best matches could be. I picture Spectacle as an over the top crescendo that would be built to as one of the major climaxes of a storyline, and Epic as the matches that aren't storyline related but just so amazing you want to show them to people.

 

Also, I feel bad asking this, but is D-Lyrium one of the devs, or is he just super smart? Because he has some really good answers there.

[Irish Wolf]

I run a big show cause I use mostly performance over pop

 

Opener - Lift The Crowd - I wanna get them hold

2nd match

3rd match

4th mach - This is a peak I wanna do something special. Show stopper/wild brawl/omething

5th match - calm the crowd

6th match - work the crowd

7th match - Co-main event - another type mach

Main Event - usually steal the show

 

I have been toying with a calm the crowd match between the co main event and the main event but its hit or miss. Sometimes I'll see a main event gain a few points sometimes lose a few.

[Zero]

I run a big show cause I use mostly performance over pop

 

Opener - Lift The Crowd - I wanna get them hold

2nd match

3rd match

4th mach - This is a peak I wanna do something special. Show stopper/wild brawl/omething

5th match - calm the crowd

6th match - work the crowd

7th match - Co-main event - another type mach

Main Event - usually steal the show

 

I have been toying with a calm the crowd match between the co main event and the main event but its hit or miss. Sometimes I'll see a main event gain a few points sometimes lose a few.

 

 

You run a similar amount of matches. I will try and use it

[Doogshere]

All Credit to D-Lyrium

 

 

 

Originally Posted by BiffJordan View Post

I'm confused about match aim's... I feel its quite complicated and would like clarification.

 

Let's take TCW for example. You are required to have one "storytelling" match aim per show. In previous versions of the game is was are very bad idea to use "keep strong, protect, or dominate" in a main event spot. It could seriously hurt the entire show.

 

I have Marat Khokluv signed to TCW. He sucks pretty much but can have a good match when paired with the right person and using "protect", would it be a wise move to make all of his matches "storytelling" as well?

 

Heeeelllll nawww. Khoklov couldn't tell a good story if he was reading it from a book. To tell a good story, you need psychology first and foremost (and charisma, another thing Khoklov lacks). Maybe if he was in the ring with Brent Hill, he might get carried to something watchable, but it's not the note I'd use.

 

 

What are the perks and negatives to "storytelling", does this make for a good main event? What are the literal in game changes that occur when using "storytelling"?

 

Storytelling means you're going out to try to tell a story. They don't generally make great PPV main events. It's best for workers, like aforementioned Brent Hill, who are never going to set the world on fire with their top row skills, but know what they're doing with their performance stats (charisma doesn't hurt either). Eddie Chandler is another example of a good storyteller. Workers with high performance stats but not fantastic top row stats, who can get the crowd invested through psychology and charisma rather than flashy moves and high-energy brawls.

 

A match like Dave Diamond vs. Brent Hill for instance would more often do better as a story telling match than trying to steal the show. The TCW roster is full of such guys.

 

 

Also, "Technical Masterclass" ... I used this in a main event with workers that fit the criteria and got a shitty rating saying that this type of match was a bad idea for hot crowd. I used it in the main event. So before running this match aim, should I have a "calm the crowd" match? Are there any other match aims that "calm the crowd"? Does "calm the crowd" mean you are going to get a lesser match rating? Should I use "work the crowd" right after a "Technical Masterclass"?

 

You don't usually want a technical masterclass in the main event. These matches are designed to keep the crowd interested without overdoing it. If you have capable workers, they're great in the pre-main event slot. Your main event should usually be a fantastic, all-out barnstormer, not a slow, methodical chess match (even if your product is designed for such matches. Remember aims modify the default match in your product. If your matches are already slow, methodical chess matches because you're a Pure fed, you don't want your main event to be an even more slow, methodical one). This is the kind of note that's great if you've got two main event quality matches on a PPV and one of them happens to be between two good technical workers.

 

The quintessential technical masterclass, IMO, was Angle/Benoit at the 2003 Royal Rumble. A fantastically worked technical exhibition, right between the world title match everyone knew was going to suck, and the Royal Rumble which is an hour long. The last thing you want for an hour long match is the crowd to already be burned out, which would probably have happened if you told Angle and Benoit to go all out. So that fitted in perfectly, picking up the pieces from HHH/Steiner, and setting up for the spectacle that is the Rumble match. EDIT: I didn't mean that literally! Must choose words more carefully. Please don't literally book a 60 minute battle royale as a spectacle.

 

 

"Mayhem", does this make for a poor main event? The note says this is good to get the crowd hot for matches later on the card.

 

Indeed, a Mayhem match would make a poor main event. For a start, it directly tells you in the description that it limits the potential quality of the match - not something you want in your main event. These are good warm-up matches for early on in the show, and for hiding your Killer Shark in. I mean, er...

 

 

"Steal the show", are these matches still best around the 15 minute mark, unless the worker has like 85+ stamina?

 

Aye, they use the all out match note, so anything over 15 minutes is going to need decent stamina. You can probably get away with 18-20 with most workers unless they stand out as having poor stamina, but any more than that you'll be needing B+/A.

 

 

"Spectacle" what are the perks of using this very "regular" or any other match aim.

 

Spectacles are basically main event story telling matches (note: they don't HAVE to be main events, I just mean main event calibre). They're your Undertaker Wrestlemania matches, matches where the workers involved are very popular and have great performance skills, but not so great on the top row so you're worried they won't be able to handle stealing the show. As the note says, suitable workers in the right circumstances can put on a match way above their normal level (I've booked an A* spectacle involving a 47-year old Enygma, of all people. His TV matches in the feud leading up to that struggled to hit B).

 

Personally, I only use the match aims that my product demands I have, and at most 1 or 2 others. I only ever use Steal the Show and below for PPV main events (unless Steal the Show is demanded by my product of course in which case TV main events too), unless there's a good reason for it (that Engyma match I mentioned earlier annoyed me quite a bit, because it was my semi-main and completely overshadowed the comparatively lackluster main event ).

 

 

Originally Posted by vince123 View Post

Quick question but can the announcing skill increase?

 

if seen the colour skill increase but not announcing.

and if yes how and what is the best way to increase it?

 

It does increase. Like all stats, it increases through use. Ie, you need to be actually pushed as an announcer. You won't improve as an announcer by working as a colour commentator.

 

You don't NEED to be working shows to improve, it's assumed that you find other indy work if you're unemployed, but it obviously speeds up the process. Youth also helps, as with all stats (except stuff like Respect obviously), but the scale is different. You don't stop gaining announcing skill at anywhere near the same peak as in-ring skills, because that'd be silly.

[BiffJordan]

Thanks to everyone who put there thoughts here. I've learned enough from your posts to hit my 21CW regularly in the high 80's to low 90's and for right now that is a huge improvement.

[Historian]

This is incredibly helpful. I've been playing TEW for a decade-plus and these new match aims have had me puzzled. The D-Lyrium post is excellent.