Advice on making storylines?

[Aura]

I've been playing for a few months now, but there's one consistent weakness in my booking that I would really like to address.

 

Aside from one or two times, I only ever book companies that don't require storylines. I just sort of have this concern about storylines when they're required for a company. For example, I'm not sure what directions that I should take, and there's always the fear that I might set up a storyline, only for the wrestlers involved to turn out to not have any chemistry with each other, dragging the ratings down with them.

 

I guess that it just feels like it's easier to simply book matches and angles without layering storylines on top of them, but I really want to learn how to handle storylines so that I can really tackle any sort of product or promotion that the game has to offer.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to approach this?

[Monday Night Chores]

With regards to chemistry you can always test this on house shows to make sure. Although isn’t half the fun that you build to a match that could tank like in real life?

 

It depends how many storylines you need running but I find if you start with basic stuff like wrestler A wants wrestler B’s title and go from there you get used to how it works. I find the longer you play a game and get immersed in your roster you find coming up with storylines much easier.

 

I treat it as real life that sometimes storylines just don’t work and part of booking a company that requires them is knowing when to stop them and when carry on.

[Scott Zodiac]

You can’t run house shows until you are a Medium sized company and only with workers on exclusive written contracts. It may take some time before you are able to do this.

 

You can test for chemistry by simply having them in a match beforehand. I also run a product without the need for storylines, but at the beginning I ran very basic ones where all my top guys were in a storyline. This was merely to say they were all fighting over the title. There was no narrative in my head. I just wanted to get the bonuses for hot storyline and let my creative department figure something out.

 

However, now I’m in year 4, and have got to know my roster, I booked 4 months of TV and PPVs in advance using the format you can see here:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7nqvi1qw8t4as4h/Stories.rar?dl=0&file_subpath=%2FStories

 

It wasn’t perfect, and one storyline didn’t quite work the way I wanted to, but that just added to the realism. Do I follow it through to the end or drop it like Hacker Ali only to reference it in a throwaway line months later? I didn’t quite get the timing right either, and I had to adjust in the fly when I had things to fit in before a PPV since I didn’t book enough and wanted the big match at the PPV. I also changed the finish to my Title storyline to keep it on the heel, since I had a face ‘win’ another storyline and perform so well I decided he should be the next contender.

 

I have found the angles to be a bit restrictive, but you can find newer ones with the Angle pack Mod.

 

https://tewdb.com/img1052.htm

 

You have to import the angles from this mod into your game save whenever you’re want. I’m eventually going to get round to writing my own just to make the storylines work for me. You have to have workers do something in angles (act, mic, fight or sell) or you will be penalised. You need to have good angle workers in your storylines, or you will lose heat every angle.

 

I’ve just started a new storyline between two workers on the back of finding they have great chemistry together, which will raise ratings and push them up the card. The worst one you can get is when you want to give a worker with a rubbish promo a manager, only for there to be chemistry and they complain!

[Slash-LN]

Book the ending first. By that I mean figure out mentally what you want the outcome to be.

Just for example, say you have a heel champion and you want a babyface to win the title in the end that's where you want to start. Think about how long you want it to take to get your desired outcome. Do you want the face to chase the champion for six months? Do you want it to go longer than that?

Once you figure that out figure out how you want things to start. Is it going to be a subtle start? Is it going to kick off with a bang? Once you figure that out then you just fill in the blanks.

 

I started simplifying things quite a bit. I mostly just have the foes do promos on each other and do the major stuff during the matches. Then I pepper in feuds that are more personal. Those are the ones that are going to end with a gimmick match and in some cases carry on longer than normal.

[Makhai]

I've been playing for a few months now, but there's one consistent weakness in my booking that I would really like to address.

 

Aside from one or two times, I only ever book companies that don't require storylines. I just sort of have this concern about storylines when they're required for a company. For example, I'm not sure what directions that I should take, and there's always the fear that I might set up a storyline, only for the wrestlers involved to turn out to not have any chemistry with each other, dragging the ratings down with them.

 

I guess that it just feels like it's easier to simply book matches and angles without layering storylines on top of them, but I really want to learn how to handle storylines so that I can really tackle any sort of product or promotion that the game has to offer.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to approach this?

 

Storylines are a lot less demanding than you think. It doesn't have to require you to be Aaron Sorkin or anything. It's literally just formalizing your programs, and adding structure to your booking. They don't even have to have a story at all. A simple best of 5/7 storyline works just as well as the 2 year long epic with the heel turning face and descending from the rafters to get his. Ease into it. The system isn't what it was in 2005 where you had penalties and stuff for breaking them. You can sub guys in and out, and pop them and replace them pretty much whenever you want. Just have fun with it.

[Matt_Black]

It helps when one wrestler offers to put another over. That's often a good starting point for me.

[gazwefc83]

I have strict storylines turned off, it gives a lot more freedom.

 

I book my shows one month at a time using a 'booking template' spreadsheet, then booking it in-game

 

I use freestyle angles 100% of the time, it makes no sense to be to search through the angles looking for something that fits when freestyles angles are so easy to work with.

 

Template

http://www.mediafire.com/file/rlqahapj9e8goff/Booking+Template.xlsx/file

 

The spreadsheet calculates the angle/match ratio and has drop downs for title belts etc

 

Preview

[Zero]

Everyone here has posted fantastic suggestions. For myself, I look at what marquee match ups I want to see. For example, I know that at Starrcade 1994, I want to book Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan for the belt. So I pencil that in and work backwards.

 

Also, if a match blows up in your face, that happens.

[Scott Zodiac]

Everyone here has posted fantastic suggestions. For myself, I look at what marquee match ups I want to see. For example, I know that at Starrcade 1994, I want to book Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan for the belt. So I pencil that in and work backwards.

 

Also, if a match blows up in your face, that happens.

 

Just had my big veteran v young upstart storyline headline the last two PPVs and both times one of them has been off their game!

[Scott Zodiac]

I use freestyle angles 100% of the time, it makes no sense to be to search through the angles looking for something that fits when freestyles angles are so easy to work with.

 

Template

http://www.mediafire.com/file/rlqahapj9e8goff/Booking+Template.xlsx/file

 

The spreadsheet calculates the angle/match ratio and has drop downs for title belts etc

 

Preview

 

How does this spreadsheet work? Can you book a storyline in it’s entirety and it auto populates shows? Or does it just replicate the booking screen?

[Monday Night Chores]

Also with storylines I massively steal ideas that have happened in real life wrestling and just shoe horn my guys in.

[gazwefc83]

How does this spreadsheet work? Can you book a storyline in it’s entirety and it auto populates shows? Or does it just replicate the booking screen?

 

It just replicates the booking screen, but allows you to book as far in advance as you like rather than booking each week on the fly. I just find it easier to plan ahead. I pencil in my PPV big matches and then go back to week one and type that feud in week by week. I then do the same with the next PPV match and so on. Then I fill in the gaps with matches.

[Acamality]

I'd like to think I'm pretty decent at storylines. I find it best to decide how you want it to end, as others have said. "Okay so I need wrestler x to lose the title... Which face could I have feud with him to take it?"

 

Or.. "Wrestler x needs to be pushed, who is someone close but lower in popularity he can feud with and eventually end with a victory.."

 

What I struggle with is longer storylines... E.x. I have champion feuding with guy who is gonna take his title. How do you have that storyline go a few months and not just be filled with a ton of angles? You can't have them fight too often because of that penalty (unless you turn it off), so I usually just try to sprinkle in tag or multi-contender matches where one of the feuders wins over an extra member.

[Grimikus]

I have strict storylines turned off, it gives a lot more freedom.

 

I book my shows one month at a time using a 'booking template' spreadsheet, then booking it in-game

 

I use freestyle angles 100% of the time, it makes no sense to be to search through the angles looking for something that fits when freestyles angles are so easy to work with.

 

Template

http://www.mediafire.com/file/rlqahapj9e8goff/Booking+Template.xlsx/file

 

The spreadsheet calculates the angle/match ratio and has drop downs for title belts etc

 

Preview

 

Thank you for this, i think this will help me alot to plan out what I want!

[Scott Zodiac]

What I struggle with is longer storylines... E.x. I have champion feuding with guy who is gonna take his title. How do you have that storyline go a few months and not just be filled with a ton of angles? You can't have them fight too often because of that penalty (unless you turn it off), so I usually just try to sprinkle in tag or multi-contender matches where one of the feuders wins over an extra member.

 

I play with it turned off, but I seem to think you overcome the penalty by having better rated matches in subsequent bouts. You can extend feuds by indeed having workers in stables where the face has to fight through the lackeys only for the main heel to interfere. Non-finishes in PPVs or somebody turning on the face to give a reason for a non-decisive finish. However, big storylines often have the protagonist and antagonist never physically touch to build the suspense. It would be a good mechanic to put into the game to see how much anticipation there was for a match.

[akokulit]

I play RW WWE atm.

What I do is plan a very big picture of the whole roster and do a big storyline where feuds intermingle with each other in one storyline. Then we have the "big fight" finale match which will be the end-game main event probably on WM or any of the big 4.

 

I take inspiration on non-wrestling TV shows where even the most minor of characters interact with the major characters.

 

In the end, everyone benefits because the star/s of the storyline carry the minor characters as well.

[BHK1978]

I have a weird question that is sort of storyline related. Years ago one of the older fans talked about how Vince McMahon Sr. would book Bruno's WWWF World Title feuds. IIRC, it was usually a three match series but I cannot remember the details beyond that. I was wondering if anyone knows/recalls who Vince Sr. used to book the World Title back in the 60's/70's.

[hailthebulldog]

I have a weird question that is sort of storyline related. Years ago one of the older fans talked about how Vince McMahon Sr. would book Bruno's WWWF World Title feuds. IIRC, it was usually a three match series but I cannot remember the details beyond that. I was wonder if anyone knows/recalls who Vince Sr. used to book the World Title back in the 60's/70's.

 

Match 1: Double Countout

Match 2: Bruno gets DQ'd

Match 3: Cagematch that Bruno wins

 

That is just one of the variations that Vince Sr. used with Bruno as champ. There were others but they pretty much followed this flow.

[BHK1978]

Match 1: Double Countout

Match 2: Bruno gets DQ'd

Match 3: Cagematch that Bruno wins

 

That is just one of the variations that Vince Sr. used with Bruno as champ. There were others but they pretty much followed this flow.

 

Thank you! Now that you've posted it, it does look familar.

 

That is weird that they would have Bruno get DQ'd, I thought having a face get disqualified back then was a big no-no.

[hailthebulldog]

Thank you! Now that you've posted it, it does look familar.

 

That is weird that they would have Bruno get DQ'd, I thought having a face get disqualified back then was a big no-no.

 

It typically would be that the heel would be blatantly cheating behind the refs back and that Bruno would lose his cool and get DQ'd. Imagine Hogan's hulk up or Backlund's manic trances. Something similar to that but Bruno would go farther and get DQ'd. Sometimes by shoving a ref that was trying to stop him from getting to the heel. Also, it wasn't always a DQ loss. Sometimes it was a count-out. But Bruno never got pinned or submitted. Even with shenanigans.

[Matt_Black]

I've rarely ran into the problem where the one on one gets played out. Tags, trios, and of COURSE the triple threat or fatal 4-way, where the heel gets the win, but they didn't pin the babyface chasing them.

[Vinsmoker]

What I like to do, is put two wrestlers from different storylines into the same segment, from time to time. It will be nothing major. But a segment in which Wrestler A wishes Wrestler B luck against their match with Wrestler C, can naturally give you something to mix up later. Like having Wrestler A feud with Wrestler C next. Or Wrestler A & B versus C & D.

 

irl...think of Jeff Hardy, Sheamus and Elias being involved with each other in segments, before Jeff Hardy feuded with the later one

[Bad Collin]

I always play with factions because it gives an endless supply of storylines. I give my factions a theme to make it easier to remember the types of characters the members have.

 

I book on the principle that factions who fail are going to change something to turn things around (e.g. turn on members, disband, get more vicious etc) and successful factions will get over confident and be ripe for an implosion as the members argue over who was most deserving of credit for the success.

[BHK1978]

It typically would be that the heel would be blatantly cheating behind the refs back and that Bruno would lose his cool and get DQ'd. Imagine Hogan's hulk up or Backlund's manic trances. Something similar to that but Bruno would go farther and get DQ'd. Sometimes by shoving a ref that was trying to stop him from getting to the heel. Also, it wasn't always a DQ loss. Sometimes it was a count-out. But Bruno never got pinned or submitted. Even with shenanigans.

 

Thank you for telling me about that. I started watching wrestling right after Wrestlemania II, so I never got to see much of the Bruno, Pedro, Backlund eras of the WWWF but I have always been interested in how they used to book those old shows. Those old crowds at MSG would just go nuts for anything that involved Bruno.

[hailthebulldog]

Thank you for telling me about that. I started watching wrestling right after Wrestlemania II, so I never got to see much of the Bruno, Pedro, Backlund eras of the WWWF but I have always been interested in how they used to book those old shows. Those old crowds at MSG would just go nuts for anything that involved Bruno.

 

Ethnic heroes always worked for WWF. Bruno was Italian, Pedro was Hispanic, He renamed Hogan to make him Irish.