Why was FLB closed in 5?

[Hawk1665]

Just curious if we (well I) can get some reasoning behind the decision. From a pure gameplay standpoint it kills off one of the more interesting feds from the past and it makes it so former FLB guys cloud up the recommendations for free agents.

 

From a design standpoint it limits the scope of the game which I'd think would be the exact opposite of the goal. Given how well WMMA simulates (well 4 did, too early to tell with 5 but I'd guess it's similar) the MMA world, you'd want an expansion of available promotions and regions rather then a contraction.

[Adam Ryland]

I would disagree that they were interesting in previous games; their big stars always got raided, with no way to prevent it, and they were generally left with a terrible roster very quickly. They would generally just circle the drain for a few years before inevitably collapsing.

 

With them out the way, their talent could be redistributed making for better rosters for the other companies. I don't think the "limiting the scope" argument really holds water - I suspect most people would much rather sacrifice one poor company to have more interesting and diverse rosters for GAMMA and ALPHA-1 and a better free agent pool for everyone else.

[Blackman]

<p>If that's how you feel, what's stopping you from resurrecting them and playing them yourself? Just go to the editor, change "closed by" to "haven't closed", give yourself half a million $ (or more) and rehire whoever you want and you're good to go. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

Maybe closing them wasn't the optimal call, but I like it as it redeals the cards somewhat, allowing for exciting signings without having to poach.</p>

[robsoccerpro]

Also this gives you the option of starting a save as a new company in Brazil with the hope of one day surpassing the legacy of FLB, you can sign a lot of the FLB free agents and try build a company back up. No doubt there will be some talented Brazilians debuting in future years.

[klnOmega]

<p>I agree. FLB was my favorite org to play as. There had the right size and roster that you could grow them to be a competitor with ALPHA and GAMMA in a reasonable amount of time. </p><p> </p><p>

Adam's logic of them tending to go out of business and hence not being interesting doesn't make sense to me for several reasons. A company that gets picked apart and dies a slow death is interesting in itself, its just part of the story. Secondly, like I already said, it makes that company interesting to play as because they have their own unique challenges.</p>

[AQuebman]

With the editing capability I think it's an easy call as a developer when users can very easily just recreate FLB in the editor and it's as if Adam made that call.

[Bigpapa42]

I never played as FLB so I can only empathize so far, but I can understand the frustration of a company you liked changing or outright closing.

 

People want the world to evolve. They don't want the CV being static version to version. But some of those changes are going to frustrate people, whether its someone improving, someone declining, someone signing with a bigger promotion, or a company closing. I seem to recall that from TEW 2010 to TEW 2013, there were complaints that the world hadn't changed enough. Then from 13 to 16, there were complaints that too much had changed.

 

Adam's logic of them tending to go out of business and hence not being interesting doesn't make sense to me for several reasons. A company that gets picked apart and dies a slow death is interesting in itself, its just part of the story. Secondly, like I already said, it makes that company interesting to play as because they have their own unique challenges.

 

Those two points can be applied to literally any company in any situation. No matter what happens, it creates an in-game story or narrative. And every company has its own dynamics that you have to deal with. I took Adam's point to be that the exact same fate happened to FLB every single time unless it was user run. The exact same narrative playing out isn't as interesting as a unique narrative that creates unique dynamics in different saves.

[Hawk1665]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Adam Ryland" data-cite="Adam Ryland" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44638" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I would disagree that they were interesting in previous games; their big stars always got raided, with no way to prevent it, and they were generally left with a terrible roster very quickly. They would generally just circle the drain for a few years before inevitably collapsing.<p> </p><p> With them out the way, their talent could be redistributed making for better rosters for the other companies. I don't think the "limiting the scope" argument really holds water - I suspect most people would much rather sacrifice one poor company to have more interesting and diverse rosters for GAMMA and ALPHA-1 and a better free agent pool for everyone else.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I understand, it's just an interesting difference from how I played 4. I intentionally set up promotions to open in new areas/under represented areas to make a more diverse world. So FLB closing is the exact opposite of that mentality.</p><p> </p><p> I just wanted to understand why it was done, not to complain.</p>

[DAVEFAN95]

Although I agree with Adam in the fact that FLB would be raided early game, if you were the user of FLB, you could prevent some of your top talents from going. However, all in all, I do think some company needed to die to bring a fresh new start for the database. I would have liked to see a new company or two though.

[shawn michaels]

Although I agree with Adam in the fact that FLB would be raided early game, if you were the user of FLB, you could prevent some of your top talents from going. However, all in all, I do think some company needed to die to bring a fresh new start for the database. I would have liked to see a new company or two though.

 

Same here. In that regard i expected something new.

[KholDrum]

I have a little database of almost 100 new fictional companies I collected over the years with WMMA4. I also have a bunch of fictional broadcasters and stuff as well to flesh out the game world. I didn't make any of the logos or anything, just sort of compiled them over years of playing. When I eventually buy this on full release I will definitely try to put together a pack of all of those again if they're compatible with the new game.

[Hawk1665]

<p>IMO, the best idea is to set up companies to open up in all the under-represented regions of the game world. There should be an Australian fed, or a Chinese fed, a Russian fed, or a Brazilian fed. That's why I was a little baffled by Adam's decision since I feel the database needs to expand in scope. </p><p> </p><p>

If it works like 4, the game will automatically begin creating new characters to fill out promotions in that region. So if you make a Australian fed, the game will generate Australians. </p><p> </p><p>

In my 4 games, I engineered it so the game world had companies in every region and took full advantage of all the weight classes through narratives to have GAMMA go to Feathweight or KDMFC to open a Flyweight division, those sorts of things.</p>

[Blackman]

<p>Let's just drop the issue. We all know the real reason. Adam was simming the database and saw FLB inevitably overtake his BCF. Being a Brit, he quickly closed it off officially out of spite. And there you have it... <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

(just kidding guys <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/rolleyes.png.4b097f4fbbe99ce5bcd5efbc1b773ed6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />)</p>