Booking schemes and philosophy

woody316 · January 6, 2018

I've been playing wmma since the 3rd version and it's a game I really enjoyed and I'm really psyched for wmma5. I always struggle to maintain a game long term though as I don't really have a booking philosophy that I can follow long term.

So I'm looking for advice on how people make matches, how people decide the next opponent for the winner and loser of a fight, how often should fighters fight and any other booking philosophy that people think is useful.

Oh and one more thing is when do you book rematches? I often play with KDM so don't have the biggest rosters so feel like I end up with a lot of rematches. I know ultimately it's not the biggest deal in the world but I just wondered how often other people book a rematch or how many fights someone is given after losing a title match before you give them another one (assuming they win those fights)

Redox · January 6, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="woody316" data-cite="woody316" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>So I'm looking for advice on how people make matches, how people decide the next opponent for the winner and loser of a fight, how often should fighters fight and any other booking philosophy that people think is useful. Oh and one more thing is when do you book rematches? I often play with KDM so don't have the biggest rosters so feel like I end up with a lot of rematches. I know ultimately it's not the biggest deal in the world but I just wondered how often other people book a rematch or how many fights someone is given after losing a title match before you give them another one (assuming they win those fights)</div></blockquote> I really just try to book matches that are competitive most of the time and see who puts himself in a good position in the rankings. Then there are a few guys which I plan to "push" up the rankings by cherry picking his opponents. This way I get really excited when my favourite fighter is on the card. I only book rematches if the outcome was an upset and/or when fights had a great rating. Same thing with title fights. Long time champions get an immediate rematch though. To keep the championship level something special I make sure that no one competes too often for the belt. If they lose title fights too often, then they will go to another division to freshen things up or just stay as "veterans" at the top but mostly without ever getting another shot at the title anymore. This way a title fight really means something as you just cant try 10 times until you win the gold.

Blackman · January 6, 2018

The game gives you feedback on what the best available matchup is. You just need to think a couple of events ahead so you'll always have a contender without the champ waiting half a year.

Keep in mind that - in the new game - morale is a thing (that you can turn off) and some fighters will be pissed off if they are booked in a certain way.

I do always like to book consistently in the same savegame, but in general I take no1 contenders to the title matches, but if they are unavailable I stray from that plan and take any top8 fighter with a winning streak who's beaten a top8 guy.

robsoccerpro · January 6, 2018

I like to book fighters who are on winning streaks against higher ranked fighters they are favourite against where possible.

As the game goes on it’s harder to get fighters on streaks than at the start so it’s important to try build them for a title challenge if possible

Nephrinn · January 6, 2018

It really depends on the mood I'm in. My ideal way to play is how booking is "naturally" done. That means being flexible and not just booking based off of rankings, but how exciting the fight would be and weighing the advantages and disadvantages of having a particular fighter win or lose.

Normally I don't stick to the natural method because the game usually loses its challenge for me and then I stop caring about putting all that time and energy into booking because it doesn't really matter when I'm making so much money anyway. So, I come up with more inventive ways of booking fights that cater to that play style.

One way I enjoyed was to split the stand-up fighters and ground fighters into separate divisions (lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight for ground fighters) and book fights based strict or loosely on rankings.

Another way is to employ your own ranking system with a strict set of rules. For example, fighters have to work their way up through a divisional ranking system within a weight class; moving up a division requires beating the top fighter in that division, losing to the lowest ranked fighter means moving down a division. Losing too much in the "can" division means being fired. That sort of thing.

It's also just fun to just role-play. If a fighter calls another fighter out, you have to book them (that's now a feature in WMMA5 since it generates heat). Or book fighters based on region and have regional titles (American, European, Asian). You could even have a TV championship title or kickboxing title and book accordingly to see who's best at a given talent.

By all accounts, it looks like WMMA5 is going to be much more challenging, so I'll be sticking with the natural approach to booking (the way that makes the most money/popularity).

BuddyGarner · January 6, 2018

Pyramid booking with unfavorable matches for older fighters who are on time decline and on retirement risk. Build up against cans for fighters who are rising up and are charismatic and exciting.

Daffanka · January 6, 2018

I used to book optimally (young up and comers on looong winning streaks, old guys getting fed to the young guys, etc.), but as I've played more and more WMMA, I started booking with my heart instead. It's really fun when, like, Carlos da Guia or Bobby Brubaker or someone like this claws his way back to a title shot at 40 after a few rough years. Or when a journeyman fighter gets a winning streak so you put him against a top guy he's got a stylistic advantage against to make sure he gets the title shot. In my XCC game Gene Oakley, who's your bog standard 3-2 brawler at the start of the game, knocked out Ateb in the first round to win the title after a career of winning some, losing some. He got knocked down three times in a row but then found Ateb's chin and that was that. Never defended the title but it happened like a year ago and I still remember it.

Booking purely optimally, with all of your champions being undefeated, gets kinda boring I think. I like it when there's a 15-7 champion who no one expected to win. Mirrors real life MMA better as well.

BrokenCycle · January 6, 2018

The game has always been pretty open to different booking styles, and I think I have tried all of them that I could think of. Booking with betting lines in mind is fun, but so is booking fights with great fighters vs cans. Booking popular fighters is great, but so is booking purely on rankings. Every type of booking has its pros and cons.

What I would suggest is to constantly change your booking. Do whatever you feel like at the time.

The way I book in this game is by constantly asking myself "What would happen if..."

What would happen if I put this fighter on a 10 fight win streak and should be challenging for the belt in another dangerous fight that could ruin all my plans?

What would happen if I put a guy I was trying to protect in a dangerous fight?

What would happen if I put a great unknown fighter in with some experienced, old fighter?

This engagement in the game and ability to change on the fly is what will keep you playing, because you'll constantly be excited about what you book.

WCW Mark · January 8, 2018

I usually plan three title fights ahead in each division. So as an example:

I'll know that James Foster vs Tim Boyer is my next Heavyweight Title Fight, lets say it's happening in January.

Then I'll know that in February I'll have a number one contenders bout which will involve fighters A and B, as I'll book this before I know the winner of Foster v Boyer both Fighter A and Fighter B will need to be able to headline against either Foster or Boyer.

So then in August I'll have the winner of Foster v Boyer vs the winner of A v B.

In the meantime, in January to March I'll have been lining up two fighters to fight in September, it's not usually possible to have 4 fighters who can match up against any of Foster, Boyer, Fighter A or Fighter B as at least a couple will have fought one or more of them before. So what normally happens is I'll have 8 fighters face off in three matches with a view to arranging it so I have a viable number one contender bout regardless of who wins the January Title bout and February number one contender bout.

So as an example say I have the following 8 fighters floating around my top 12 or so.

Fighter C hasn't fought Foster, Boyer, A or B before.

Fighter D has lost to Foster, hasn't fought Boyer, has beaten A and hasn't fought B.

Fighter E has lost to Foster, has beaten Boyer and hasn't fought A or B.

Fighter F hasn't fought Foster, he's fought Boyer twice and they are 1-1, he's lost to A and hasn't fought B.

Fighter G lost to Foster and Boyer a long time ago, but he's younger than both and has improved since. He's beaten A and B before.

Fighter H hasn't fought Foster, he's lost to Boyer and he's not fought A or B.

Fighter I is a young prospect, I've kept him clear of any of the big names so he's not fought anyone, however he's probably a few steps away from being a title contender.

Fighter J is an old veteran, he's lost to Foster, Boyer and Fighter B before.

I'd arranged the following fights:

D vs E: They can face anyone except Foster so they would be in the September number one contender bout unless Foster wins in January.

C vs G: They can face any of the four so I definitely want to pair them off to create at least one contender who can face anyone.

F vs H: Either can face Foster, H cant face Boyer and F can't face A.

I vs J: This is a back up fight, I expect I to win but if J manages a victory he might get thrown in as the aged veteran getting one last shot story.

So if August ends up being Foster v A then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of I vs J (not ideal as I don't really want I or J near the title but this is why it's a back up).

If August is Foster v B then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of F vs H.

If August is Boyer v A then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of D vs E

If August is Boyer v B then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of D vs E.

This then sets up the title match for Feb/Mar next year, so basically when I'm booking my shows for January 2000 (or whatever year it is) I already know the possible combinations for my next two title fights.

So once Foster vs Boyer, A vs B and the other for fights are out of the way I've narrowed the field for August/September down to four fighters, which means I then look at setting up more qualifying fights for that period with the aim being to have a viable contender lined up for whoever comes out on top in those.

Of course plenty of things can go wrong with suspensions, people retiring, injuries etc and that where you have to get creative, but I find doing it this way gives me a long term plan for most of my top ten, keeping me interested in what's happening. It also means whoever ends up in the title fight is coming off at least two victories, so their momentum should be pretty decent.

It does involve a lot of paper to keep it all straight.

woody316 · January 8, 2018

Thanks for all the advice. One other question I have regarding booking is how do you manage keeping on top of booking multiple divisions. I have to book fewer divisions because I find it difficult to keep on top if I have a lot of divisions and I don't think I would ever be able to get my head around a UFC size roster (though having exclusive use of fighters may make that a little easier).

I tend to have to book shows based on an entire division rather than mix and match because I struggle to know how to structure my booking if I do shows that contain a mix of different divisions.

So any tips or advice for this would be greatly appreciated

woody316 · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="WCW Mark" data-cite="WCW Mark" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I usually plan three title fights ahead in each division. So as an example: I'll know that James Foster vs Tim Boyer is my next Heavyweight Title Fight, lets say it's happening in January. Then I'll know that in February I'll have a number one contenders bout which will involve fighters A and B, as I'll book this before I know the winner of Foster v Boyer both Fighter A and Fighter B will need to be able to headline against either Foster or Boyer. So then in August I'll have the winner of Foster v Boyer vs the winner of A v B. In the meantime, in January to March I'll have been lining up two fighters to fight in September, it's not usually possible to have 4 fighters who can match up against any of Foster, Boyer, Fighter A or Fighter B as at least a couple will have fought one or more of them before. So what normally happens is I'll have 8 fighters face off in three matches with a view to arranging it so I have a viable number one contender bout regardless of who wins the January Title bout and February number one contender bout. So as an example say I have the following 8 fighters floating around my top 12 or so. Fighter C hasn't fought Foster, Boyer, A or B before. Fighter D has lost to Foster, hasn't fought Boyer, has beaten A and hasn't fought B. Fighter E has lost to Foster, has beaten Boyer and hasn't fought A or B. Fighter F hasn't fought Foster, he's fought Boyer twice and they are 1-1, he's lost to A and hasn't fought B. Fighter G lost to Foster and Boyer a long time ago, but he's younger than both and has improved since. He's beaten A and B before. Fighter H hasn't fought Foster, he's lost to Boyer and he's not fought A or B. Fighter I is a young prospect, I've kept him clear of any of the big names so he's not fought anyone, however he's probably a few steps away from being a title contender. Fighter J is an old veteran, he's lost to Foster, Boyer and Fighter B before. I'd arranged the following fights: D vs E: They can face anyone except Foster so they would be in the September number one contender bout unless Foster wins in January. C vs G: They can face any of the four so I definitely want to pair them off to create at least one contender who can face anyone. F vs H: Either can face Foster, H cant face Boyer and F can't face A. I vs J: This is a back up fight, I expect I to win but if J manages a victory he might get thrown in as the aged veteran getting one last shot story. So if August ends up being Foster v A then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of I vs J (not ideal as I don't really want I or J near the title but this is why it's a back up). If August is Foster v B then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of F vs H. If August is Boyer v A then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of D vs E If August is Boyer v B then September will be the winner of C vs G v the winner of D vs E. This then sets up the title match for Feb/Mar next year, so basically when I'm booking my shows for January 2000 (or whatever year it is) I already know the possible combinations for my next two title fights. So once Foster vs Boyer, A vs B and the other for fights are out of the way I've narrowed the field for August/September down to four fighters, which means I then look at setting up more qualifying fights for that period with the aim being to have a viable contender lined up for whoever comes out on top in those. Of course plenty of things can go wrong with suspensions, people retiring, injuries etc and that where you have to get creative, but I find doing it this way gives me a long term plan for most of my top ten, keeping me interested in what's happening. It also means whoever ends up in the title fight is coming off at least two victories, so their momentum should be pretty decent. It does involve a lot of paper to keep it all straight.</div></blockquote> Thanks I like that booking strategy and think I'm going to give that a go in my next game. I definitely think I'll need some paper to keep track of everything. When you do the next round of qualifying fights after August/September fights would you use the four fighters that lost in the previous qualifying fights or would you only use fighters that are coming off of a victory?

BrokenCycle · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="WCW Mark" data-cite="WCW Mark" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I usually plan three title fights ahead in each division. So as an example: I'll know that James Foster vs Tim Boyer is my next Heavyweight Title Fight, lets say it's happening in January.</div></blockquote> This is absolutely nuts.

Nephrinn · January 8, 2018

The easiest way I've found in booking multiple weight divisions is to simply assign a weight division(s) to a given month with a four month interval in between.

For example, say you have 6 weight divisions, then book as follows:

January: Heavyweight

February: Middleweight/Welterweight

March: Lightweight/Featherweight

April: Light Heavyweight

May: Heavyweight

June: Middleweight/Welterweight

July: Lightweight/Featherweight

August: Light Heavyweight

September: Heavyweight

October: Middleweight/Welterweight

November: Lightweight/Featherweight

December: Light Heavyweight

I usually play this booking method strict, so if a fighter gets hurt or for whatever reason can't make a January booking, they have to wait until May to fight. I've found that 99% of the fighters will recover after fighting within this four month window, so it works quite well.

WCW Mark · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="woody316" data-cite="woody316" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Thanks I like that booking strategy and think I'm going to give that a go in my next game. I definitely think I'll need some paper to keep track of everything. When you do the next round of qualifying fights after August/September fights would you use the four fighters that lost in the previous qualifying fights or would you only use fighters that are coming off of a victory?</div></blockquote> They could be included, depending on popularity, record and ranking. They definitely wouldn't automatically be excluded just because they lost. Same with the loser of Boyer vs Foster, they could be in with a chance of getting another go (more likely if the champ lost than of the challenger lost).

WCW Mark · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="BrokenCycle" data-cite="BrokenCycle" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This is absolutely nuts.</div></blockquote> Yeah, I have to do a lot of critical path planning etc at work and I'm generally just a little OCD anyway so it comes naturally to me, but yes I guess it is a little nuts, lol

Blackman · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="BrokenCycle" data-cite="BrokenCycle" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This is absolutely nuts.</div></blockquote> Perhaps that method is indeed a little over the top, in the sense that you WILL get nuts if you play with training injury settings on normal (default is "low" to keep people sane), or - if you want a realistic game - on "high(est)". You're going to have to scramble to find suitable main events for all your planned events, and I've learned that I'm rarely going to be on top of things, so I embrace the chaos and just book whatever the game gives me. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Title prestige will drop if you give non-top5'ers a shot, so there's that. With the morale feature no1 contenders might get pissed off if they don't get a shot (I assume). And in the end you'll understand why top guys fight a only a couple of times a year, and why resilience is a more important stat than most people think.

abovethesink · January 8, 2018

My preferred booking scheme is insane and I think unique to me, but unfortunately it wasn't even possible in WMMA4. It requires one night tournaments.

So, historically Adam programs the game to allow 20 matches per card. I use them all. Each show features only one division.

The main event is the world title fight. This is self explanatory. Below it is the eight main tournament. That takes seven fights, so there is eight. The winner of the tournament gets the next title shot.

The tournament fights are chosen by the following. The title shot loser and the three fighters who won a fight in the previous tournament but did NOT earn the title shot stay in as one side of the bracket.

Below the tournament is what I call the four Qualifier fights. The winner of those four fights moves up to fill the other four tournament slots. The four the lost their opening fights in the previous tournament fall to the four Qualifier slots and replace the four that moved up.

This is how the whole card works. The title fight plus the tournament plus the qualifiers equals twelve fights, leaving me room for two more tiers which I call the Mid Class and the Openers. The four winners move up a tier and the four losers fall down.

That is the basics of it, but there are more details to account for all the variables.

For one, fantasy booking is mandatory here. Refusals to fight certain individuals blow this whole thing up.

Two, I keep a list of yet to debut signees and add the newer ones to its bottom. The two that are on the top of the list are added to the Openers. Why only two when it seems like there should be four? Well, because I keep a list of fighters who are "On Warning." These fighters have fallen out of the system completely by losing an opener once already. I take the top two of them and put them back in an opener. If I don't have two fighters available in one list, I pull the remainder from the other. I might also sign someone to add.

Once a fighter has fallen out of the system twice, he is moved to the "Black List." These fighters have to do something really remarkable somewhere or have very high popularity to come back for a third chance and it rarely happens.

Also, injuries and hiatuses. So, first, I track all these on a spreadsheet. It is tedious to set up, but once you have it going it is easy to take care of. You are basically just cutting and pasting four fighters at a time up and down. I book the next event for the division the day the title fight is ready. If a fighter that should be in the system can't go, and there are always some, I remove them to the "Out List" with a note as to what tier they were in when they went out.

I then make a subjective pick on who from the lower tier to elevate to fill their spot. Generally it just goes to who I want to see succeed more. I put a plus sign next to their name on the list, however. Someone who has been jumped up a spot cannot be jumped up a second time. When the Out List fighters are available again, I usually can slot them within one tier of where they were thanks to someone else not being ready. If they get put back in above, they get a plus sign. If they get put in one tier below, however, they get a minus sign. Minus signed fighters always get jumped up a tier when a slot opens.

That's basically it. It is nuts and basically just a world sim, but it is how I played decades of WMMA3. WMMA4 broke my heart, but I can bring it back for WMMA5.

Redox · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="abovethesink" data-cite="abovethesink" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>My preferred booking scheme is insane and I think unique to me, but unfortunately it wasn't even possible in WMMA4. It requires one night tournaments. So, historically Adam programs the game to allow 20 matches per card. I use them all. Each show features only one division. The main event is the world title fight. This is self explanatory. Below it is the eight main tournament. That takes seven fights, so there is eight. The winner of the tournament gets the next title shot. The tournament fights are chosen by the following. The title shot loser and the three fighters who won a fight in the previous tournament but did NOT earn the title shot stay in as one side of the bracket. Below the tournament is what I call the four Qualifier fights. The winner of those four fights moves up to fill the other four tournament slots. The four the lost their opening fights in the previous tournament fall to the four Qualifier slots and replace the four that moved up. This is how the whole card works. The title fight plus the tournament plus the qualifiers equals twelve fights, leaving me room for two more tiers which I call the Mid Class and the Openers. The four winners move up a tier and the four losers fall down. That is the basics of it, but there are more details to account for all the variables. For one, fantasy booking is mandatory here. Refusals to fight certain individuals blow this whole thing up. Two, I keep a list of yet to debut signees and add the newer ones to its bottom. The two that are on the top of the list are added to the Openers. Why only two when it seems like there should be four? Well, because I keep a list of fighters who are "On Warning." These fighters have fallen out of the system completely by losing an opener once already. I take the top two of them and put them back in an opener. If I don't have two fighters available in one list, I pull the remainder from the other. I might also sign someone to add. Once a fighter has fallen out of the system twice, he is moved to the "Black List." These fighters have to do something really remarkable somewhere or have very high popularity to come back for a third chance and it rarely happens. Also, injuries and hiatuses. So, first, I track all these on a spreadsheet. It is tedious to set up, but once you have it going it is easy to take care of. You are basically just cutting and pasting four fighters at a time up and down. I book the next event for the division the day the title fight is ready. If a fighter that should be in the system can't go, and there are always some, I remove them to the "Out List" with a note as to what tier they were in when they went out. I then make a subjective pick on who from the lower tier to elevate to fill their spot. Generally it just goes to who I want to see succeed more. I put a plus sign next to their name on the list, however. Someone who has been jumped up a spot cannot be jumped up a second time. When the Out List fighters are available again, I usually can slot them within one tier of where they were thanks to someone else not being ready. If they get put back in above, they get a plus sign. If they get put in one tier below, however, they get a minus sign. Minus signed fighters always get jumped up a tier when a slot opens. That's basically it. It is nuts and basically just a world sim, but it is how I played decades of WMMA3. WMMA4 broke my heart, but I can bring it back for WMMA5.</div></blockquote> I love it <img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

AlexB · January 8, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="abovethesink" data-cite="abovethesink" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>My preferred booking scheme is insane and I think unique to me, but unfortunately it wasn't even possible in WMMA4. It requires one night tournaments. So, historically Adam programs the game to allow 20 matches per card. I use them all. Each show features only one division. The main event is the world title fight. This is self explanatory. Below it is the eight main tournament. That takes seven fights, so there is eight. The winner of the tournament gets the next title shot. The tournament fights are chosen by the following. The title shot loser and the three fighters who won a fight in the previous tournament but did NOT earn the title shot stay in as one side of the bracket. Below the tournament is what I call the four Qualifier fights. The winner of those four fights moves up to fill the other four tournament slots. The four the lost their opening fights in the previous tournament fall to the four Qualifier slots and replace the four that moved up. This is how the whole card works. The title fight plus the tournament plus the qualifiers equals twelve fights, leaving me room for two more tiers which I call the Mid Class and the Openers. The four winners move up a tier and the four losers fall down. That is the basics of it, but there are more details to account for all the variables. For one, fantasy booking is mandatory here. Refusals to fight certain individuals blow this whole thing up. Two, I keep a list of yet to debut signees and add the newer ones to its bottom. The two that are on the top of the list are added to the Openers. Why only two when it seems like there should be four? Well, because I keep a list of fighters who are "On Warning." These fighters have fallen out of the system completely by losing an opener once already. I take the top two of them and put them back in an opener. If I don't have two fighters available in one list, I pull the remainder from the other. I might also sign someone to add. Once a fighter has fallen out of the system twice, he is moved to the "Black List." These fighters have to do something really remarkable somewhere or have very high popularity to come back for a third chance and it rarely happens. Also, injuries and hiatuses. So, first, I track all these on a spreadsheet. It is tedious to set up, but once you have it going it is easy to take care of. You are basically just cutting and pasting four fighters at a time up and down. I book the next event for the division the day the title fight is ready. If a fighter that should be in the system can't go, and there are always some, I remove them to the "Out List" with a note as to what tier they were in when they went out. I then make a subjective pick on who from the lower tier to elevate to fill their spot. Generally it just goes to who I want to see succeed more. I put a plus sign next to their name on the list, however. Someone who has been jumped up a spot cannot be jumped up a second time. When the Out List fighters are available again, I usually can slot them within one tier of where they were thanks to someone else not being ready. If they get put back in above, they get a plus sign. If they get put in one tier below, however, they get a minus sign. Minus signed fighters always get jumped up a tier when a slot opens. That's basically it. It is nuts and basically just a world sim, but it is how I played decades of WMMA3. WMMA4 broke my heart, but I can bring it back for WMMA5.</div></blockquote> I did something similar, but hadn’t had the idea of keeping all the returning fighters on the same half of the draw. I like that wrinkle a lot, and may incorporate it into my plans!

KentuckyFriedLizard · January 8, 2018

Mine's nothing special, mostly ranking based with considerations made for match-up and streaks. Try to keep it striker/striker, grappler/grappler, etc. in 3 I used to mix it up more with Sprawl and Brawl vs BJJ guys and the such to really test everyone (plus it made for some fun results), but haven't felt it worked in 4 =/.

Streak wise, took that from the forums here, but try to keep it with guys coming off defeat facing each other, and people on win streaks against each other.

Show wise I only have 3 right now and being I'm playing GAMMA and ALPHA-1, have them running different set-ups to make it fun. With both the PPV is the "premier" card, with mostly ranked fighters on win streaks making up the card. GAMMA then has Fight Night which is like a mini-PPV with just 4 main card fights of mostly ranked fighters. Showcase is the lesser TV show.

ALPHA-1 runs Warriors and Shockwave as the TV shows, with Warriors being all weight classes below Welterweight and Shockwave being Super Heavy-Middleweight. Thinking of making the eventual 3rd show into being all female weight classes but haven't decided yet.

AQuebman · January 9, 2018

I book 1 show per month and I try to focus on an entire weight class for that month with the title fight being the main show. So ill do Heavyweight's for example then a month later ill do welterweights then rinse and repeat each month. This allows me to have everyone healthy and have an exciting title fight for each month. I used to just mix and match with whatever sounded fun but then id find myself with shows without a good main card or just plain boring fights because everybody is out or unavailable.

I will likely continue this practice but occasionally throw in a one night tourney or something along those lines just for fun. It is interesting to see how much the rankings shift around after one of my shows since the whole roster for that weight class usually gets a shot.

I also generally only keep guys who are ranked with very few extras laying around.

kaneso14 · January 9, 2018

I have some rules I follow during most of my games.

I mainly try and stick to the rankings, though I make exceptions in some cases e.g. a high ranked fighter does not have enough name value or if they have already received more than 1 title shot.

With regard to title shots, anyone who loses two title fights to the same champion or three title fights in the same division gets moved up or down to the nearest weight class. If this is not possible then they get moved into a gatekeeper role and get given the most difficult match ups. It would take a very long win streak for me to consider giving them another shot. The above rule also applies if someone has three losses to someone in the same division as them.

If a fighter is of a high rank but has low name value I try to give them favourable match ups in order to build their name value before giving them a title shot, although I make exceptions if it is a very popular champion who can carry the name value of the fight alone.

I only give automatic rematches to long time, dominant champions. My number one contender fights are usually made up of fighters on win streaks, though I make exceptions for very popular fighters and champions coming off a loss. Everyone else coming off a loss in a title fight or a No 1 contender fight has to go to the back of the line.

With regard to prospects, I try to build them up at the start by feeding them cans. Once they have some name value they can move onto older veterans and competitive journeymen before being given top 10/5 opponents. I try and make matches where veteran fighters with name value, who are on their way down the card, face my up and coming fighters. Hopefully this can help 'make' the up and comers but there are always upsets and previously 'washed up' fighters have fought their way back into contention once again.

Dublin Sky · January 9, 2018

First of all I eliminate all of the other companies except GAMMA. I control all the fighters, and the sole company. I signed all relevant fighters after closing the other companies. From here I sign new fighters every month based on their skill set levels. I also watch for prospect watches. Every year on January 1st I go through the unemployed fighters and sign any who have accumulated records of 10-0 or better.

I release fighters based on performance in last 10 fights. If an unranked fighter goes 5-5 I usually release. If a ranked fighter goes 4-6 I'll usually keep them for another couple fights to see if they can turn things around. If a fighter is 3-7 and ranked the only way I keep him is if he was a previous champion and the only way to stay on the roster from here is to win his next fight.

I hold 2 shows a month. One on the 2nd week of every month on the Saturday and the 4th week also Saturday. Whoever is champion I look at the top 10 fighters and factor in their last 5 fights. The top 5 fighters always get first crack as long as they are on a 2 fight win streak. If there is a fighter in the top 10 with a 4 fight win streak or more they get the shot.

I book fights based on who is available at the time of booking. Fighters who are ranked I only allow to fight 5 ranks above or below their own rank ( ranked 13 fighter can only fight fighters that are available to fight at time of booking and are ranked within the 5 spaces ranked 8 low end to 18 high end)

There are other factors in to booking also such as if two fighters have previously fought. If two fighters have fought within the last 2 years I avoid a rematch unless the result was a split decision or majority decision.

Any champion that is injured longer than 6 months will automatically vacate the title. Any champion that goes on hiatus also vacates.

I begin booking main card fights starting with the top 5's that are available at time of booking for every division. I progress through to top 10's and so on. Fighter's ranked in the top 20's of every division may only fight an unranked fighter if there are no other available fighters in the top 20 from their division. I chose whoever oddsmakers choose as the favorable opponent. After all available top 25 fighters are booked I move on to the unranked fighters. I book these based on odds per match. If I run out of space due to the amount of fights I will create a battle lines T.V show full of unranked fighters.

I will hold these events the day after the main show is held on the sunday. I choose who gets the main event based on popularity of the match ( high level national etc).

A challenger will only receive an immediate rematch if they lose via split decision or majority decision and the fight was rated as great or higher. I have created a complicated system and I've tried to explain it the best I can lol. I am sure I am missing some stuff though. I really enjoy having the only company in the game world as the best fighters will always fight.

Remembered this - If I cut a fighter I will only re-sign if the fighter wins 3 fights against NAMED opponents outside my organization and 5 against TBA'ed fighters. Their skill set level has had also to have improved or remained the same. Any noticeable decrease and they are gone. Also any doping violations (PEDS or drugs) are forgiven initially. If there is another infraction they are banned from the company for good. I have banned champions for this and it sucks! but rules are rules lol

Night Robin · January 9, 2018

Super cool to see all the different strategies you guys employ.

woody316 · January 10, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="WCW Mark" data-cite="WCW Mark" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44531" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div> Fighter I is a young prospect, I've kept him clear of any of the big names so he's not fought anyone, however he's probably a few steps away from being a title contender. Fighter J is an old veteran, he's lost to Foster, Boyer and Fighter B before. </div></blockquote> How do you decide whether a fighter is a young prospect or a veteran gatekeeper type fighter? Do you look at skills or record or a combination of both? I find it difficult sometimes to know where fighters sit in my company in terms of are they a top guy, are they a can, are they a gatekeeper, are they a prospect etc.

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Booking schemes and philosophy

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