[HYPE] C-Verse Expansion Pack - The C-Verse Companies You Never Knew Existed!

[azzak]

Okay so now that I've finished creating the first company I'm going to go ahead and announce this, that way I can't back out of it without shaming myself. Here we go...

 

Feel like you've explored most, if not all of what the TEW2020 CornellVerse has to offer?

 

Think that the USA and Japan have had it too good for too long and there needs to be some fresh meat to play with in the other regions of the world?

 

Sick to the back of your teeth with rehashing the same old saves using the same old companies?

 

Tired of the lack of companies to challenge yourself with getting to the top of the wrestling industry?

 

Well not any more.

 

Introducing the C-Verse Companies You Never Knew Existed expansion pack!

 

A mod designed to be imported into the default database, this unofficial expansion to the existing CornellVerse sees the addition of several smaller companies across some of the 'quieter' regions of the gameworld, each complete with their own workers and lore. Written in a way that compliments and conforms to the existing canon (hopefully), once you've experienced this expansion, you won't be able to recognise which companies and workers weren't in the default data!*

 

(*Disclaimer: Hyperbolic statement designed to raise lofty expectations and add pressure to this first-time mod maker. TEW smarks will likely still be able to distinguish the additional content from the original data.)

 

Okay, enough blabbing. I don't want to give away all the plans just yet, as I want people to be interested enough to discover it for themselves when the time for the release comes, but as a basic outline, the premise is to expand on the British, Canadian and European (and potentially Oceania) regions of the gameworld by introducing some smaller companies. Hopefully in doing so expanding on the available types/styles of wrestling in each world, like women's wrestling in Britain, for example.

 

I'm undecided on how frequently to provide update reports, but that will likely depend on how building each company is going. I am literally doing an import of the first company made into the default database to see how it gels now - I guess that's update #1 for you.

 

Finally, I have been granted permission from some fantastic graphics and renders makers to use some of their incredible work - so a huge thank you to them for the kind use of their art. A full credit list will be supplied once the database is dropped. If there is anyone artsy who wants to get involved then please feel free to message - admittedly I haven't even got round to messaging all the incredible creators in this community who's material I'm keen to use.

 

Stay tuned!

[azzak]

Okay so now that I've finished creating the first company I'm going to go ahead and announce this, that way I can't back out of it without shaming myself. Here we go...

 

Feel like you've explored most, if not all of what the TEW2020 CornellVerse has to offer?

 

Think that the USA and Japan have had it too good for too long and there needs to be some fresh meat to play with in the other regions of the world?

 

Sick to the back of your teeth with rehashing the same old saves using the same old companies?

 

Tired of the lack of companies to challenge yourself with getting to the top of the wrestling industry?

 

Well not any more.

 

Introducing the C-Verse Companies You Never Knew Existed expansion pack!

 

A mod designed to be imported into the default database, this unofficial expansion to the existing CornellVerse sees the addition of several smaller companies across some of the 'quieter' regions of the gameworld, each complete with their own workers and lore. Written in a way that compliments and conforms to the existing canon (hopefully), once you've experienced this expansion, you won't be able to recognise which companies and workers weren't in the default data!*

 

(*Disclaimer: Hyperbolic statement designed to raise lofty expectations and add pressure to this first-time mod maker. TEW smarks will likely still be able to distinguish the additional content from the original data.)

 

Okay, enough blabbing. I don't want to give away all the plans just yet, as I want people to be interested enough to discover it for themselves when the time for the release comes, but as a basic outline, the premise is to expand on the British, Canadian and European (and potentially Oceania) regions of the gameworld by introducing some smaller companies. Hopefully in doing so expanding on the available types/styles of wrestling in each world, like women's wrestling in Britain, for example.

 

I'm undecided on how frequently to provide update reports, but that will likely depend on how building each company is going. I am literally doing an import of the first company made into the default database to see how it gels now - I guess that's update #1 for you.

 

Finally, I have been granted permission from some fantastic graphics and renders makers to use some of their incredible work - so a huge thank you to them for the kind use of their art. A full credit list will be supplied once the database is dropped. If there is anyone artsy who wants to get involved then please feel free to message - admittedly I haven't even got round to messaging all the incredible creators in this community who's material I'm keen to use.

 

Stay tuned!

[Thevampire]

love this idea. Would love to play that European scene

 

Small tip if i may be so bold.

the really small promotions go out off business quick

 

maybe have a small wrestling Alliance binding the promotions or have working relations so they can circulate the one big star they will have at some point.

 

also u can take a look into the cverse expansions of the older era's ( 70 mod 95 mod etc) U could get wrestlers from that age get into this age as roadagents of owners of a really small promotion.

this van be a great story within the world of c-verse

 

 

Hit me up, if u need someone to bounce ideas off. Would love to exchange/ spar ideas with u.

[azzak]

love this idea. Would love to play that European scene

 

Small tip if i may be so bold.

the really small promotions go out off business quick

 

maybe have a small wrestling Alliance binding the promotions or have working relations so they can circulate the one big star they will have at some point.

 

also u can take a look into the cverse expansions of the older era's ( 70 mod 95 mod etc) U could get wrestlers from that age get into this age as roadagents of owners of a really small promotion.

this van be a great story within the world of c-verse

 

 

Hit me up, if u need someone to bounce ideas off. Would love to exchange/ spar ideas with u.

 

Shoot me a PM!

[azzak]

A little bit of a progress update:

 

Some adjustments to the first company, with a couple of watcher simulations to see how it operates in the CVerse. Happy with it overall but still one or two minor things to clean up. Once these are done I'm hoping to release an introduction to hype up the mod and give a flavour of what is to come.

 

Work has started on the next company, which I'm having a lot of fun creating workers for. It's a complete change from the sort of company I'd play, but it's giving me a lot of entertainment to write, and if people playing have half as much joy in playing it then it will be a success.

 

Ideas for at least three more companies are at advanced stages, with a few more bubbling away in the background. I am really keen to widen the gameplay options for people, but I don't want to stretch things too thin so I'm trying to limit ideas for new companies until I'm at advanced stages with those I've already planned.

 

I've struggled with visualising companies perfectly due to my subpar graphics making ability, so I'm hoping they are just suitable placeholders until close to a release, when I can look at passing them on to willing, better and more creative graphic designers.

 

Technical issues left me a little concerned due to the inability to import workers employment history being already linked to the company, to the extent I considered shelving the mod as I didn't want anyone who downloads the mod to have to work in the editor. Luckily I think I've figured a workaround that will either mean no work required by players, or the absolute minimum, depending on which mods they'd like to use this mod in conjunction with.

 

Overall I am still really enthusiastic about working on this and hoping once I get past a busy weekend I can make some serious headway.

[lavelleuk]

I must have misread your post the first time, I thought this was just extra companies that could one day open, didn't realise you were adding workers and stuff too. Will be interested in seeing the final product - good luck!

[ShikariFC]

I like the sound of this!

[jackwad]

Looking forward to what you come up with. I'm also hoping you do decide to work on Oceania because I think they're ripe for another smaller company given the existing unsigned talent in the default data.

[azzak]

Thanks for all the kind words above, it means a lot!

 

(Minor) Progress Update:

 

I've just finished work on the third company, and at present we're at 123 workers created. So far there's one company in the British Isles, one in Europe and one in Canada. I've been thinking about if and when to drop some bigger news on this, and I'm happy to announce that I'm going to write an introduction to the three companies later this week. I'm really enjoying myself with this project and I'm excited to get it out in the open.

 

I have solid plans for at one more company in the British Isles, including a big collaboration with a renderer who has been on fire lately! Preferably I'd like to work on another British Isles company (bringing the total for this mod to three for that region), as I also have some ideas forming, but I'm cautious not to make this mod too Brit-centric.

 

Thanks to some thoughts and ideas sent in I've got a concept for Europe, but again it's a thing I'm in two minds about. They're pretty diverse already in terms of product types, and I think the company I've already made for there only enhances that, so I don't want to saturate the waters too much.

 

I want to show Canada some more love, as even with the one company I've already made they're still threadbare (in my opinion), and could use another company or two, so they're very much at the forefront of my mind.

 

Regarding Oceania, similarly to Europe I feel as though product wise they are very well represented in the default data, so I don't want to add something for the sake of it. Of course women's wrestling is non-existent in that region of the game, so that is a possibility, but going down that route means having to strengthen the list of workers available to hire as a whole, not just the workers already working in the company. And given I'm already doing similar in another region *cough* spoiler *cough* it's a tough ask to do so twice.

 

As I said above, I really am enjoying myself working on this, so I'm mindful to keep it that way, and allowing the ideas to come to me rather than forcing out half-baked concepts feels like the best way to keep the excitement going.

 

So stay tuned for the introduction to three companies over the next week!

 

Hope you're all well.

[lavelleuk]

Sounds like things are coming along quite nicely!

 

Mind if I ask what kind of workers you've added? Colourful characters? Generic independent guys? a mix?

[azzak]

No I don't mind - any and all questions are welcome!

 

I'd like to think I've made a mixture of characters, as I'm making companies with different styles. I don't just want to beef up the free agent list with generic workers, so I've tried to incorporate characters as much as possible, though naturally the workers for the wrestling purist companies typically tend to fall back on that a little in favour of stronger stats. That said, there's one company in particular full of eclectic characters that I think might go over well round these parts.

 

It's been tough trying to balance the stats - obviously most of the companies I'm creating are lower level so as not to disrupt the CVerse lore, and as such there's a fine point I'm trying to hit where the workers are good enough not to languish in the free agent pool forever, and not too good that they should have (and would have) been signed by the bigger companies long ago! It's a very tight margin, but I'm hoping that I've hit the ballpark.

[lavelleuk]

No I don't mind - any and all questions are welcome!

 

I'd like to think I've made a mixture of characters, as I'm making companies with different styles. I don't just want to beef up the free agent list with generic workers, so I've tried to incorporate characters as much as possible, though naturally the workers for the wrestling purist companies typically tend to fall back on that a little in favour of stronger stats. That said, there's one company in particular full of eclectic characters that I think might go over well round these parts.

 

It's been tough trying to balance the stats - obviously most of the companies I'm creating are lower level so as not to disrupt the CVerse lore, and as such there's a fine point I'm trying to hit where the workers are good enough not to languish in the free agent pool forever, and not too good that they should have (and would have) been signed by the bigger companies long ago! It's a very tight margin, but I'm hoping that I've hit the ballpark.

 

Yeah I've been there haha

 

Although I can say from testing the balance of play a lot, a few truly awful independent workers isn't always a bad thing, it can help keep companies insignificant or small, help reduce costs as they don't get hired by a WrestleWorld company and suddenly go from earning £20 a night to £500. So something to potentially consider.

 

But yeah for my mod with the balancing I go through whole areas and make sure the % of good workers isn't loads more than default data, it can take time but it's so worth it so I'm sure people will appreciate you doing that...even if it would be fun to suddenly have 100+ Tommy Cornell's lol

[azzak]

Yeah I've been there haha

 

Although I can say from testing the balance of play a lot, a few truly awful independent workers isn't always a bad thing, it can help keep companies insignificant or small, help reduce costs as they don't get hired by a WrestleWorld company and suddenly go from earning £20 a night to £500. So something to potentially consider.

 

But yeah for my mod with the balancing I go through whole areas and make sure the % of good workers isn't loads more than default data, it can take time but it's so worth it so I'm sure people will appreciate you doing that...even if it would be fun to suddenly have 100+ Tommy Cornell's lol

 

Oh yeah don't get me wrong - there will be a fair few absolutely terrible workers for sure! I think as a general rule I've actually found them the most fun to write.

 

When you say about making sure the % of good workers isn't loads more than the default data, do you mean that as a loose rule of thumb or as a literal exact science? Sometimes I come up with rules for applying stats, thinking they'll help, but more often than not I find they actually make things worse.

 

As for 100+ Tommy Cornell's... Damn that would be some VERY rough justice!

[lavelleuk]

Oh yeah don't get me wrong - there will be a fair few absolutely terrible workers for sure! I think as a general rule I've actually found them the most fun to write.

 

When you say about making sure the % of good workers isn't loads more than the default data, do you mean that as a loose rule of thumb or as a literal exact science? Sometimes I come up with rules for applying stats, thinking they'll help, but more often than not I find they actually make things worse.

 

As for 100+ Tommy Cornell's... Damn that would be some VERY rough justice!

 

Ha yeah I agree, it's fun to crap on people in their own bio's lol

 

A rule of thumb thing, the only changes I have made so far when looking at stats is giving some younger European guys more star quality (turned out I had been too stingy)

 

I just look after I've completed an area to make sure things aren't too over powered, but it's also good to look at younger guys to make sure the area will develop in the future too

 

 

So on that pic, nothing was changed, for the most part things were a couple of percentages higher...but if I'd done that and it was like 10% increase in great workers or 5% people who have the star quality to be big stars I would have gone back to increase/decrease stats

 

When working on a new worker sometimes you just have to do what feels right, you go in thinking you're creating some average brawler, but the render and bio you end up created gives you a high-flyer with a god complex who is the master of selling but can't talk on the mic at all lol

[azzak]

Oh okay so very statistical then - that's good to know, thank you. That spreadsheet looks like a great tool, I'll have to consider mocking up my own. With respect to the overall ratings of the wrestlers, how did you calculate that? All the stats scores/total number of stats? Were there any you excluded etc? I think I should already be roughly in line with your +/-% but it'd be cool to check to be sure.

[lavelleuk]

Oh okay so very statistical then - that's good to know, thank you. That spreadsheet looks like a great tool, I'll have to consider mocking up my own. With respect to the overall ratings of the wrestlers, how did you calculate that? All the stats scores/total number of stats? Were there any you excluded etc? I think I should already be roughly in line with your +/-% but it'd be cool to check to be sure.

 

I just went for any stat from the "primary skill" when you search for workers, apart from flash. On TEW 2016 you could search for "great" "good" etc. workers which was much easier lol.

 

Since finding out match scores only go off the highest number it's just seemed best to do it that way. Technique of 80 doesn't matter if you're a brawler for 85 lol

 

So basically search brawlers 85-100, if any come up change that to brawlers from 0-84 and then move to puro 85-100, that way you don't get the same workers coming up multiple times

 

Entertainers again I search all three

 

It's a bit basic but it does the job.

[azzak]

Introducing the first three companies of the expansion pack...

 

British Omega Wrestling

 

Graphics courtesy of the incredible Willr0ck.

 

After the closure of the MOSC and ROF, and with 21CW in it's early days of utter British wrestling dominance, a small, alternative promotion in British Omega Wrestling was born. Focused on being a company for the loyal-to-a-fault wrestling fans, BOW quickly became one of those 'indy darling' promotions. With the formation of SNP and CWW in latter years, British wrestling has seen dedicated promotions for many areas of wrestling, with 21CW offering sports entertainment, SNP's hardcore brawls, and CWW providing a home for wrestling purists. BOW has maintained it's position in the centre of that triangle, as a blend of those three styles. Over the past few years the company has developed substantially, and the growth of the company has coincided with the expanding online wrestling community. And although that community can be toxic at times, they are very much the core BOW audience. A couple of years into their first ever TV deal, BOW is now in a position to be considered a significant promotion in the world of British wrestling, though they are still some way off the dizzy heights of the 21st Century powerhouse.

 

Locas Leyendas de la Lucha Libre

Most likely a placeholder image for the company graphics.

 

Born out of a personal tragedy, Locas Leyendas de la Lucha Libre is a feel-good, fun-for-all-the-family promotion based in Spain. Originally starting as a one off charity show, the creator of LLLL had such a blast organising the event that they decided to give it a go in turning the idea into a fully fledged wrestling promotion. Full of whimsical and zany gimmicks, the company offers a fun and safe environment for parents and children alike to enjoy wrestling. Nowhere near even challenging the likes of EWA, UEW or VWA, the name of the company is parody in itself, hosting neither legends nor what is considered traditional lucha libre. Still, the company doesn't take itself too seriously and knows exactly what it brings to the industry. Highly unlikely to host any 5 star matches, LLLL is all about bringing laughter and joy to kids.

 

Extreme Canadian Combat

Stupid me forgot to save the larger version, but I'm considering all my graphics as placeholders until I can find someone more talented to take them on!

 

Not one for the faint of heart, Extreme Canadian Combat is a hardcore promotion based out of British Columbia that is all about creating bloodshed and sickening acts of violence. Worlds apart from the historical, prestigious and industry-changing efforts of the Stones and the DeColts, you're not going to find spectacles or technical masterclasses in ECC. But what you will find is a double-tough roster who seem to only be content when they're beating the living tar out of one another! Priding themselves on their rabid fanbase, there's a saying around the BC area, "You won't be the same once you've seen Extreme Canadian Combat." Is it a good saying? No. Is it catchy? No. Is it original? No. But it does get the point across that the brutal wrestling in this promotion has the power to shake you to your very core.

[neslo024]

All these companies seem great, especially BOW. Will definitely be checking these out when released

[azzak]

A little teaser until I next update...

 

Things have been going well recently, with a further two companies completed. One for the Brits and after a long consideration a bout of inspiration convinced me that yes, the Oceania region did need a new company. I don't think many will like it though!

 

I'm part the way through the sixth company in total, a European venture. In an ideal world I'd like to boost each region to at least five running companies, but ideally I need the mod completely finalised and released by September as I'm moving across the world! And I'm running out of renders I've accumulated from our fantastic artists on the forum, so we will have to see what I've got left to play with when the already existing ideas in my head are in the database.

 

At present the current companies per region are as follows. I've only included companies from the mod if I have already at least started on them in the database.

 

USA: 12 (all default)

Canada: 3 (1 addition)

Mexico: 4 (all default)

Britain: 5 (2 additions)

Japan: 7 (all default)

Europe: 5 (2 additions)

Oceania: 5 (1 addition)

India: 0 (I've already said I won't be doing India as there is already some brilliant mods out there to boost this region of the world)

 

That would require 2 more Canadian and 1 more Mexican company to boost each area to at least 5. I already have an idea for one Canadian company, and one that was intended for Britain but could work for Canada, and the musings of a Mexican promotion, but the main issue is the renders if I'm honest - I need to go on another spree of collecting them and contacting renderers for use of their work. I've tried throughout not to use renders created with a specific CV character in mind, as I like to respect the artist's original intention - there have been a few exceptions but in every event it's because I've seen the render and instantly recognised them as a particular character I'm introducing. I have created a fair amount myself for the mod, but my work is nowhere near as good as our regular contributors, and I feel as though I've already exhausted all the materials I've purchased to render with.

 

Anyhow this post was literally only intended to be a teaser but I've rambled on, so I'll stop here for now.

[azzak]

So it's been a minute...

 

I just thought I would provide a little update on my progress. I've all but finished the second to last fed, and I'm quite confident on what I'm doing with the last one.

 

I'm also really happy with how many women I've been able to introduce into the game, far more than I had originally anticipated!

 

Provided all goes well with the final company, there should be no less than five companies in every active region of the world with this expansion pack added to the original database.

 

I'm hoping to have the data completed by the end of the month and reach out for some play testers while I try and source whatever graphics are still required. Every worker is rendered, and I've been creating what placeholder graphics I can so there shouldn't be anything missing per se, just not as slick as I would like.

[azzak]

So as an update - should all things go smoothly I'm hoping to release this within the next week. Stay tuned!

[falling_star]

Looking forward to it!