How do you Plan?

[Gungner]

I don't plan really... My TV shows are booked on the fly, while my PPV's are pre-booked.

At the start of each month, I decide on any new feuds and how long they'll be. That's it. If I have to run Excell and so forth, the fun disappears for me. I don't wan't it to be a chore

[shawn michaels]

I don't plan really... My TV shows are booked on the fly, while my PPV's are pre-booked.

At the start of each month, I decide on any new feuds and how long they'll be. That's it. If I have to run Excell and so forth, the fun disappears for me. I don't wan't it to be a chore

 

Same here. I find that resorting to third party programs over a game would be a massive chore. On that note, the notepad should have no limit, or at least a bigger one. But booking on the fly is the best. Works fine for me.

[King Bison]

I don't plan really... My TV shows are booked on the fly, while my PPV's are pre-booked.

At the start of each month, I decide on any new feuds and how long they'll be. That's it. If I have to run Excell and so forth, the fun disappears for me. I don't wan't it to be a chore

 

Glad I’m not the only one lol I also mainly just book the first and last show of the month and then the big show. The middle ones are less important to me.

[wwfmark]

Glad I’m not the only one lol I also mainly just book the first and last show of the month and then the big show. The middle ones are less important to me.

 

So you auto book the rest?

[DCEnygma]

<p>I'm about 5 1/2 years into my current TEW save, playing 21CW. I run 3 brands with over 120 wrestlers to keep track of, each brand having it's own show, PPV cycle, and set of 3 titles. I also have 9 child companies that I keep track of to allow future stars to develop in. So...</p><p> </p><p>

 

</p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KgF15MPNCWY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Keeping TEW Together"></iframe></div></div>

[HugarLSU]

Sorry to bring up and old topic but with TEW 2020 close to release thought it was a good time to bring this back up as this topic always gave me inspiration when it came to planning and wanted to see if there were any new ideas when it came to planning that would inspire me some more.

 

I have a spreadsheet that I use that has multiple tabs.

 

The first tab is a Roster tab that has name, alignment, push, popularity in my home region, psychology, stamina and then their rating in their last ten matches.

 

The second tab is my schedule tab that has a section for each show. It has a place for each segment that keeps track of match time and angle time so that I can make sure the show has the proper length and doesn't overrun or underrun. I always keep track of each segment rating just incase I want to go back and find a trend.

 

After that other tabs can vary. Sometimes I have a tournament tab so that I can plan out tournaments. Sometimes I have a tag team tab to keep track of tag teams better. Usually have a random tab that I can just keep random notes on there. I will often have a PPV tab that use to preplan future PPVs.

 

When it comes to planning I tend try to plan what couple matches I want for my next big PPV so booking WWE plan WrestleMania or Summerslam. I then try to plan the PPVs up to that point so that I can get who ever I want in the big matches for the Big PPVs that proper build up. At this point I have the next PPV or two planned out so I will go and plan any major tv show up to next PPV. At this point I have my next month planned out so I go and book the next month of my save in a couple hours.

 

The good of this is I really like being very organized. When I have tried not being so organized in the past I miss major events I want in a feud to set it up for the next PPV. I like to go back and look at their rating for matches and angles so I have an idea who to push up further up the card and who to slow down their push.

 

The bad of my more organized booking is it takes me days to plan out each month so my game will sit still. Also when I start a new game or step away for some time and come back it takes me forever to get into a grove. I have started way to many games that have never went pass day one because I just can't figure out how I want to plan every single detail.

 

So with TEW 2020 just around the corner how do you plan?

[Bonafide_Bluffa]

Sorry to bring up and old topic but with TEW 2020 close to release thought it was a good time to bring this back up as this topic always gave me inspiration when it came to planning and wanted to see if there were any new ideas when it came to planning that would inspire me some more.

 

I have a spreadsheet that I use that has multiple tabs.

 

The first tab is a Roster tab that has name, alignment, push, popularity in my home region, psychology, stamina and then their rating in their last ten matches.

 

The second tab is my schedule tab that has a section for each show. It has a place for each segment that keeps track of match time and angle time so that I can make sure the show has the proper length and doesn't overrun or underrun. I always keep track of each segment rating just incase I want to go back and find a trend.

 

After that other tabs can vary. Sometimes I have a tournament tab so that I can plan out tournaments. Sometimes I have a tag team tab to keep track of tag teams better. Usually have a random tab that I can just keep random notes on there. I will often have a PPV tab that use to preplan future PPVs.

 

When it comes to planning I tend try to plan what couple matches I want for my next big PPV so booking WWE plan WrestleMania or Summerslam. I then try to plan the PPVs up to that point so that I can get who ever I want in the big matches for the Big PPVs that proper build up. At this point I have the next PPV or two planned out so I will go and plan any major tv show up to next PPV. At this point I have my next month planned out so I go and book the next month of my save in a couple hours.

 

The good of this is I really like being very organized. When I have tried not being so organized in the past I miss major events I want in a feud to set it up for the next PPV. I like to go back and look at their rating for matches and angles so I have an idea who to push up further up the card and who to slow down their push.

 

The bad of my more organized booking is it takes me days to plan out each month so my game will sit still. Also when I start a new game or step away for some time and come back it takes me forever to get into a grove. I have started way to many games that have never went pass day one because I just can't figure out how I want to plan every single detail.

 

So with TEW 2020 just around the corner how do you plan?

 

you mind posting your sheet?

[combolock]

So you auto book the rest?

 

Probably more like, instead of spending a good while producing the show, you just throw some matches together that seem to make sense even if you don't really have a solid vision for what it really going on.

 

The Vince McMahon method.

[gazwefc83]

I use a booking spreadsheet i created, I then book in breaks in work, on the train etc, then when i get home I booking it in TEW

 

[Bill Parkman]

I've play with WWE and put all my superstars on digital sticky notes and move them around to divisions and face/heel divide and it gives me an overall look at who I got and what brand and then kinda go from there. I'll move the notes around when I got ideas for future feuds and matches. Could put the champion sticky on top and then build like a top 10 ranking down from there or where I see him going matches wise.

[piccamo]

I've play with WWE and put all my superstars on digital sticky notes and move them around to divisions and face/heel divide and it gives me an overall look at who I got and what brand and then kinda go from there. I'll move the notes around when I got ideas for future feuds and matches. Could put the champion sticky on top and then build like a top 10 ranking down from there or where I see him going matches wise.

 

I love this idea. It reminds me of a Kanban board.

[Sco xY2Jx]

I'm very much the Paul Heyman method. I know what the big matches at the big shows will be, the rest I book on the fly to try and make it make sense.

No spreadsheets required. It's all in my head.

[ShaunGBD]

I'm very much the Paul Heyman method. I know what the big matches at the big shows will be, the rest I book on the fly to try and make it make sense.

No spreadsheets required. It's all in my head.

 

This. I do TCW but i do mitb and RR. I write down the winners and that's about it.

[MaiTyLer]

I just started using spreadsheets around the time I started my biggest WWE save, was bored one thanksgiving and book around Three Years. Granted I really only do PPVs, and that's just the main events, title matches, and any undertaker/old folks shenanigans, but I love this style.

 

I have two types of saves now, one where I throw stuff at the wall month by month for fun, or I have a full spreadsheet with PPV main events, owner goals, some rules I like to make it fun on occasion, etc.

[Tom Bombadil]

I use Notepad pretty extensively, and sometimes the in-game notes to remember little things. It varies a bit from file to file because I like to set different rules and challenges for myself and that affects how far ahead I can plan, but my usual process:

 

-Come up with the full card for next PPV

-Mayyybe plan a few main events for the PPVs after that

-Plan the stories leading up to that PPV on a show-by-show basis (keeping in mind how many angles I can fit on a show)

-Usually that leaves a decent chunk of each TV show to fill in as I go. I make sure all my main eventers get on there, and rely pretty heavily on Creative Meeting to help me decide how to pad things out from there.

[redhilleagle]

<p>I use a physical notepad to write out my PPVs. Just the matches or particularly pivotal angles. I write who is going over, whether a story ends with the match or a title changes hands. I find it easier to use a separate notepad from on the PC so I can look at the screen and my plans at the same time. I tend to book TV on the fly, but every now and then I'll have something specific in my mind I want to happen and I'll make a note in the book.</p><p> </p><p>

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[Slash-LN]

<p>I tend to book in three month blocks. I tend to give both sides a win and then end with a blow-off match. I will however make exceptions. Like currently I have Shane Helms and Shannon Moore as a tag team and I play to turn Shane Helms over the course of the year and set up a feud. </p><p> </p><p>

I have a notebook that I keep everything in. I have Nitro and Thunder running currently so I have my three Nitro feuds written and then underneath that I have a list of the people I want to push through matches and promos during that three month block. That way I can make sure I don't forget to book anyone and I know how many segments I need to run and how long each segment needs. </p><p> </p><p>

I like to have my next feud in mind so for example Kanyon and Rey Misterio Jr were feuding for the world title and I knew I wanted to have Essa Rios feud with Rey next so I pushed Essa hard. My last round of feuds all were six months because I was going through a transition phase in my company so I was pushing relatively unknown wrestlers and needed to get some popularity up across the board. </p><p> </p><p>

So basically I book backwards. Where is this going to go and then how am I going to get there.</p>

[dbritton987]

I use Microsoft Excel for each of my saved games. Each worksheet on the Excel file is dedicated to each division (i.e. Heavyweights, Cruiserweights, Women, Staff). Just a roster listing in order by popularity/push, with tag teams and managers noted beside each.

 

On my first (top) worksheet, I also keep a list of all my current storylines and the next major card, just to make sure I hit every topic that particular week. I book for that storyline, I bold it on my excel sheet, then I move onto the next storyline (that's fitting for the card structure). If I don't have time for a particular storyline that week, I make note of it and make sure that feud is top priority the following week.

 

As complex as that might sound, I used to do waaaay more, then dumbed it down when I realize I was wasting time and making things too complicated.

[Historian]

How I plan depends on the size of the company, but I have some rules that I follow.

 

I book big show to big show. I always loved the four PPV a year model and even when I run companies that just book one show a month, I always have, at least in my mind, a bigger show four times a year. I try to space them out (but it doesn't always work that way) so that they happen quarterly, but then I plan from big show to big show. I always plan backwards. If I know that Riley McManus is going to win the strap at the Anniversary show, I can plan back from that.

 

 

I plan out my Heavyweight Title/Main event feuds so I know where I'm going from champion to champion. When I switch the belt, I generally know for about how long that person is going to be champion and to whom I plan on having them drop it to. For instance, in my RMW game that became The Climb, with the exception of putting the title on Wolf Hawkins because he became available to me and the couple of times a worker left because I couldn't keep them/lost a bidding war etc.., I always knew how I wanted the reign to progress. I'll know that say, Spencer Spade is going to beat Matty Faith for the belt in May and then I want him to hold the belt until my January Anniversary show where he's going to drop it to Riley. So then I look at my roster and I plan out who Spade will work with in the meantime and who Riley will work with in the meantime and how I will get them to come together. This takes care of stories for a fair amount of talent. I'll plan it out in a Google Doc, but it will look something like this.

 

1. Anniversary show (Jan '23) - McManus def. Spade for belt
   
2. First TV of '23 - McManus wins rumble to become number one contender
   
3. Christmas Chaos (Dec '22) Spade defends against Greg Keith, Riley off show because he's working the TV show taped the same night.
   
4. Thanksgiving Thunder (Nov '23) - Spade defends against Matthew Keith with outside interference to spin Matthew off, Greg off show but announced on TV he'll wrestle his brother if he wins as is his right from winning the Gold Rush, Riley & KC wrap up feud against the Hazard Gang
   

 

The list will go on like that until I get back to the Spade winning the title from Matty Faith in May. As I work backwards, the list expands for the other people involved in the main event picture. This particular long term plan of Riley and Spencer started with Spencer feuding The Mission (Matty Faith & Ranger). Spade had been set up as the top heel in December of '21 and I knew then that I wanted to get to Jan of '23 to do Spade-Riley. So I started planning for Spade-Riley then and worked Spade through a feud with Matty where he dropped the belt but then won it back and continued the feud before he eventually finished that feud in July and he moved off into feuds with Primus Allen and Ross Henry that carried him through Aug, Sep, and Oct.

 

While he was doing that, I also wanted to establish the Keiths so Greg and Matthew ended up in the finals of the big annual Gold Rush tourny (where the winner gets a title shot in Dec). Greg bested Matthew and got his guaranteed shot which disappointed Matthew and Matthew went on a tear and got himself a shot for Nov -- which could have set up him and Greg, but that was just a red herring.

 

All the while, Riley spent the summer and fall in some tag feuds with KC to keep him busy and occupied, allowing him to win without having to burn through singles programs.

 

So I plan from end to beginning, focusing on my Heavyweight Title and then branching off as needed.

 

I do the same for my tag titles and then one secondary program that is not the heavyweight title. Could be women's, could be midcard title. Sometimes I'll do it for both the women's and midcard title. Then I fill in for the weekly shows if I have those to advance those stories while also having competitive matches for people that aren't figured directly into stories to see if someone starts catching fire, is really putting on performances or whatever, but what this does is allow me to have long time vision (that I can deviate from if necessary) while also providing week to week flexibility. It takes care of a lot of talent through the planning of one long term feud and as those feuds go on I can figure out other programs for those people (like what to do with The Mission after they lose their feud with Spade) or what to do with Henry and Allen after their program with Spade wraps up, etc..

[Peria]

I use the in-game notepad primarily for two things:

 

1) Who is in my main event, my actual main event (not someone who just pushed ME) and what are they doing

2) Who I want in my main event, who is replacing who, or something along those lines.

 

I then create divisions, organically. A good example right now is Trent Shaffer. Originally he'd pop in and out as a filler for television. But I liked Trent, even if I wasn't going to give him the BIG PUSH (at least not yet.) When my TCW US Division opened, Shaffer instantly become a mainstay. Will he get out? Maybe. US Division looks strong has about 6-12 guys in it now. This is a process I do with every division, except if I have a trios title. I also am very heavy on factions, always.

[Remianen]

<p>I start each save with an overarching goal (or set of goals). Developing specific workers, usually. Then I set up my initial storylines with those goals in mind. I use the in-game notepad to track some things the game doesn't keep track of (the Bayley effect, worker preferences or deficiencies like prefers to work opening matches, dislikes working people bigger/smaller, nervous the higher up the card they're pushed, etc) and I keep a physical notepad to track neutral tag team chemistry (the game tracks positive and negative). Eight years into a save, I don't want to have to go through a worker's match history to find out if they've tagged with another worker before in my company (chemistry "discovered" in other companies isn't recorded in the worker's profile).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

I then book my shows with an eye toward the big picture. I don't write out complete shows because to me, that strips away any semblance of on the fly creativity. I have enough structure (6 min angles, 10 min low level match, 16 min midcard match, 20+ min main event match) to not need everything spelled out. I spend 6-10 shows fishing for tag chemistry between my vets and newbies and then run from there. I also use stables extensively to further cross-pollinate my roster.</p>

[Texasrangers13]

<p>This is a fascinating topic. I use the in-game notebook to list out the upcoming TV/PPV. Like this:</p><p> </p><p>

TV 1</p><p>

TV 2</p><p>

TV 3</p><p>

TV 4</p><p>

PPV</p><p> </p><p>

Then start to fill in the slots with must have matches, ultimately filling in the PPV card fully. The TV slots generally only have 3-4 matches max pre-determined, then I do the rest based on feel or if they'll progress a story towards the PPV.</p>

[dammitdave]

I have a physical notebook where I write out storyline ideas and plot shows and events, and then I have a spreadsheet that I move that info into, with a master Roster spreadsheet that pulls info from other sheets (title, storyline, manager, tag team/stable) and a sheet that helps me track Chemistry as I find it.

 

I tried writing storyline ideas and shows in notebook, but for some reason my creative self works better on real paper. Thankfully, since I also run D&D a lot, I have a TON of notebooks laying around just waiting for a purpose.

[BHK1978]

If I am not doing a diary game for it then I really do not plan. If I am doing a diary game for it then I sort of plan.

 

For a diary game I sort of know what I am going to do but I try to be flexible enough to do something else. For instance if people like the way I write Marc Speed, but I had no initial plans to do anything with him. Well he will end up being featured more and someone else might be put on the back burner.

 

I never write down any plans and just recall from memory what I would like to do.