Bay 12 Games Forum

Alright folks, this is just a mini-update to breifly gloss over our financials from the match, and a few things I neglected to mention.

Glad you could meet with me Harry. Ticket Sales were abysmal, so I'm hoping you got something for me.

Well yes, I know you said you wanted to get more exposure for this venture by hosting the shows online. I've managed to secure deals with a number of web advertisers, and I have the estimates right here.


So yes, earlier when I claimed that we would be in a money pit for awhile before making a profit, I completely forgot to include sponsorship money. With this, and the fact that our shows will be slightly shorter from now on, means we should just barely eke out a profit. At least for now. When we make the jump to the next size, we might start having issues, especially as workers start having their contracts renewed.

Anyway, after Nikki didn't do so well as a Road Agent, I've decided to find a competent replacement. The Ref will ahve to stick around awhile longer, as we realy don't have the money to get a decent replacement, and I think, but am not entirely sure, that his weak skills aren't too big an issue for our size. But we were able to find an affordable Road Agent.


If calling a Roady a "Brawler" doesn't make too much sense, the reason is his name in the database was the Boston Bomber, and well, recent events have made that name less than palatable. So I went and changed it. Remember that this game was made late 2012, and the character himself was in the series long before then, so it's not like the name was intentional.

Regardless, he's a cheap Roady, but we may have to worry about that drug issue. In this case I did manage to talk him down from $450 a show to $400, by promising him a guaranteed salary of $600 a month. This means if he only is used one show a month, he still would collect an extra $200, but not the full $400 for the second show. This isn't a big loss for us, as we will be using him every show.

Next we are going to take a look backstage, which revels a rather troubling issue.

As you can see, our backstage rating isn't too great. And one thing is very, very clear. Not only do the fans hate Leopard King, so does literally everyone else. So I have decided to do the only sensible thing. I'm going to Job him out to some of the other wrestlers who need a few wins under their belt to look good, then dump him off of the roster and void his contract.

Hey, wrestling is a rough business.

And the last thing for this mini-update, we are going to look at our current storylines we are running.


Now for our style of wrestling, we need to run two storylines with a minimum heat of 35 to avoid penalties. Now again, because of our size, these penalties still aren't enough to actually cause us issues, they instead just slow our growth a little bit. That said, It still serves as a good point to explain how storylines work.

When you create a storyline, you need to choose at least 2 wrestlers to play a "Major" part in it. They could be feuding, they could be allies, really anything, as long as its more than two people. After that, you can add as many people as you want to "Minor" roles, which could be as simple as being a one of the wrestlers who the Face has to fight on his way to challenging the Heel, or someone on a team with them etc. However, something like a single person making their way up the ladder isn't a storyline in and of itself, but would instead just be reflected in their individual momentum.

In this case, we've started a feud between Stoner and Sackman following Sack slamming Stoner through that table and causing him an injury. The Heat of the story is based on the angles and matches that tell the story. Now I'm going to be perfectly honest. I don't actually know the equation that gives out the final result. But really all you need to know is good angles and matches help it, and bad ones don't.

Anyway, that's all for this mini-update. But I shall pose a question to you all. What should our second storyline be. And no, everyone beating the piss out of Leopard King for 4 straight months before he gets fired is not a storyline.

An update. That mod I linked which unlocked some of the playable factions, has now unlocked EVERY MINOR FACTION excluding Rhodes.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?618568-Playable-Factions-(Total-23-Added-this-round-9

Just an FYI, unlocking factions is already being done by modders after CA helped them figure out why unlocking factions caused a crash bug (Non playable factions lacked a Political System, so they have to be added by the modder for each one).

This mod unlocks a few of them already, although it doesn't have any graphics for them (so the campaign selection screen is full of missing textures). It's at a very incomplete stage right now, with just the factions unlocked, but non of the strings filled in (So your family name is just a blank space for instance) but since this is within a few days of release, It still is a nice proof of concept.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?618568-Playable-Factions-(Total-23-Added-this-round-9)

The fact that they seem to be fine with letting modders  (To the point of assisting even) unlock non-playable factions leads me to suspect the faction DLCs will focus on adding flavor and units to the factions they add, that or it will specifically lock out the added playable nations. Either way with a bit of script editing you can play whatever minor tribe you desire.

I will say that starting from the bottom in 2005 is weird because federations OUTRIGHT have better wrestlers then they can afford. They are lucky if they get 1000 dollars from a match and yet some of them cost a thousand a match.

We lost around $4k that show, but that's because our popularity meant nobody showed up. Between shortening the show to 60 min (Which means less salary costs) and gaining fans (Especially since we release our shows to the internet for free right now, instead of trying to sell DVDs) We should make a profit before bankruptcy happens. We might go into debt for a bit, but we should pull out ok.

2005 In universe was actually the time when a huge amount of the feds folded IIRC. (Although an equally huge number took their place. Its a rough buisness) That said, you usually only want one pair of main eventers per match. Its just our roster is so small that the lines between Main Event, and Midcard is so damn thin.

Which Fed are you running? I might pop in an check to see their situation.

Are you ready? It is time for the Main Event! Or rather scheduling the Main Event. First things first, we are going to run a biweekly schedule, which means that we will need two seperate shows, as the game only does not have an option between Weekly and Monthly. That said, I went with the "Suggest a Name" feature, so if anyone has any better ideas for names, please speak up.

Anyway, this is the basic setup of our first show.
First off we have to name it and give it a size. Since we just started, I went with the smallest choice. Brand isn't an issue for us yet, since we only run one show. This would be if say, WWE was running a show under the name of an older company it bought out. Next, I have decided that a local band is well worth the cost, since $250 is less than some of the wrestlers are making. Besides a local band means cover songs, which means the LP will make more sense when you guys march out to copyrighted music. We could choose to have celebrities show up to hype the crowd, but this is something you want to use sparingly, like at a end of year event.  Lastly it asks if this show can ever be on PPV. Yes or No the option makes no difference, as we are far, far away from even thinking about PPVs.


Now, an hour and a half may actually be cutting it a bit long, seeing how with 13 wrestlers, we can only realistically have 6 matches a show. However, this is our first gig, so might as well go overboard, then scale it back, after all, we can always modify it later if need be.

Finally the night is here, and we do our final preperations for the big show.

As you notice, our backstage rating is rather low. This means you guys basically are all assholes who don't get along. I'll have to look into bribing you guys with things backstage, however if we can't turn morale around, I might have to replace Irwin and Leopard, as they seem to be the source of the problem.


Anyway, the game automatically chooses a venue for us based on what the AI thinks is best, however the player is free to override it if they don't trust the AI's judgement. However, because of our size, the AI just gives us the cheapest, smallest place possible, which is exactly what we want.

Finally it's time to book the actual matches. I'll walk you through the first one, but after that we'll observe them as they play out. Otherwise this LP would get rather dull fast. Now, I personally like to plan the Main Event first, and work my way backwards.

Now first thing is we select who will be wrestling, in this case Sam "Stoner" and Nelson Roberts, with Nikki Power as our Road Agent. Now you may ask what's a Road Agent, well, thankfully the game actually has a tooltip for this!
So in other words, the Road Agent is the choreographer, in charge of helping the wrestler's design their match. We give them some basic guidelines, and they help make the best match they can. In this case, I want the show to be a slow buildup, which should make the crowd really get involved with the match. I also want it to seem like there was more to it, and that they missed out on something great. By missed out of course I mean, Roberts is going to end the match early by putting Stoner through a table, and Stoner will need to be taken out by paramedics to treat his "injury".

After that, we chose the other matches, and the angles that happen between them. Here's the overview of it if you want a sneak peek, but I'll be telling the story, as it were, during the actual show.


One thing I want to mention is the time. With everyone save Nikki wrestling tonight, and angles to go along with it, we still barely made it to 90 minutes. We have 22 minutes of leeway in either direction before people complain (This varies dependign on show size) but still its not a very comfortable thing. We will be dropping to an hour show from now on. Another thing to mention is, IIRC, if we had a TV deal, we would have to fit exactly to the time limit.


Anyway, RP mode activated.

Note, the themes for each wrestler won't be updated at the same time as the LP, I will go back and add them when I find appropriate songs. If you'd like to reccomend one, please PM me.


The Big Opening Show

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the Bay Twelve Wrestling Federation. Tonight we have lots of excitement for you and we hope you all enjoy it. So, without further ado, let's get this started. And first up, we have, hailing from London, England.. Peaches Martin!


[Takes the Microphone in the ring] Leopard King is weak. I will destroy him. Every day I see him, and he cowers. But he cannot hide any longer. I shall crush him like the insect he is. Come down and face me, unless you are too afraid.

  Well, I'd sure hate to be in his shoes. Speaking of which, where is.. wait, I'm being told Leopard King has entered the Arena. So, hailing from Parts Unknown, LEEEOOOPPPAAAARRRDDD KIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG.


You think you can defeat me? I've been at this far longer than you have lady. Every day I train, and everyday I look forward to destroying upstarts like you.



I give in! I give in! Stop stop!

Oh god! She's Brutalizing him! Oh the humanity! Won't Somebody help him!

I'm not done with you yet little man!


  Well, that was something wasn't it folks. Anyway, next up, we have Buzz Reid!


Order! Order in the Ring! I've been made, aware, that there is a fugitive here. He may be from another land, or another time. I don't care. He's mine now, and I will bring him to justice.


[Trips on his way down from the entrance] I... uhh... *mutters* Line?, right, right. *Speaks back up* Uhh, I will not yield to you. You have no authority over me! I am blessed with the.. the.. power of...fuck fuck fuck. uhh... I WILL DESTROY YOU.

  Uhh.. with that in mind, let's start this match!


[Buzz Reid carts Otto out of the Gym in handcuffs, muttering to him under his breath]
Just stay quiet, I swear if you fuck this up anymore I'll actually hurt you

Right, so, next up we have the fabulous, the incredible, the athletic, BRENDAN HOSTER!


Aha. yes. You know, wrestling, its not different from other sports. You got to have spirit. And you have to have drive. I train each day on and off the field, not only for wrestling, but for football. And just like the gridiron, in the ring, there are rules. Rules I intend to follow.

  And that's great to hear. Speaking of hear, do you hear that?


[does a running flip into the ring] Woohoo! Yeah! YeahYeahYeah [bounces around as he talks, clearly excited] Alright man, let's do this! you ready? I'm ready!



Good match man, good match.

Well, isn't it great to see athletes who have real respect for the sport, and each other. A fair change of pace I must say.


Well, what's this. I haven't been informed of any matches yet. Wh-Who are you?


That is none of your concern. My.. associates have informed me that you all ahve set up an athletic competition of sorts. I want in.

  But, we don't have you on the schedule, there's nobody to-

Denying me would be... most unwise.


  Jack, what are you... you aren't scheduled...

Don't worry, I have this handled. Nobody threatens my promotion. My fans. My coworkers, and gets away with it.


I expect... better next time. Do not dissapoint me. [Exits silently out the back]

  Well that was, terrifying. But, not to worry, we have much safer entertainment for you folks. Because Irwin, the Straight Edge, will be taking on Olivia Diamond next!


You know, living my life is hard. I keep myself clean you know. No drinking, no drugs, no partying. And-


Oh shut up you old hasbeen. People need to loosen up man. Just go with the flow. Life is like an ocean ya know.

(Again, more gimmicks that they came with. I honestly have no clue what to say, so fuck it, skipping right to the match.


  And wow, what an exciting match that was. But folks. Are you ready for the Main Event. Make sure you are all sitting down, because this is edge of your seat action right here folks. In this corner, we have...


  The Sackmaaaaan.

...

And in this corner, we have, Sam O'Mally


Woah man. Woah. Whats with him. He looks intense man. Like he seriously needs to take a hit or something.

Sam, you seriously cannot be promoting the use of illegal narcotics?

Hey man, it grows natural. It's natures gift to..

[Shoves the announcer out of the way and starts the match early, cutting Sam off]


Wow, now this is what you call a match. Sam seems to have the advantage, no wait, now Sackman does. What's he, he's thrown Sam out of the ring. Can Sam get up in time?


Son of a bitch! I mean, shit, I mean, oh my god!

[Climbs back into the ring] That is the fate of all who dare to challenge me. You are weak. Pitiful. The drugs ruin your body and your mind. Yet you dare to think you can defeat me. I spit on you O'Mally


Well, my table is ruined, and so is one of our competitors. However, that final bell means it's time to back it in folks. I hope you all enjoyed this night, and we'll see you again next week!


So, we actually managed to get an E-, which is pretty damn good for a promotion made up of misfits that's never wrestled before. As long as our shows do better than our popularity, we're good. That said there were several mistteps that I will be correcting, including getting a proper Road Agent, and firing our Referee.

I guess my Wrestler could gain skill to succeed. I bet it is his stamina that bit him in the butt.

By the way what kind of league is our league?

I'm gonna try to do 80s/90s Style Pro Wrestling. Think WWF during the Hulk Hogan days. lots of over the top characters and glamour. However, we can change our product rather freely if things don't quite work, as changing product loses us fans and popularity, which we don't really have much of in the first place.

There are some pretty hefty penalties to forced march but keep in mind it was fairly common in the old days. I think the main reason it's here is just to make the navigating of the massive map more tolerable. So instead of waiting 4 - 5 turns for one army to march from Rome to Gaul, it takes only 2. Quality of life change.

The weaknesses are you can't attack anything. You can't turn it off in the same turn after you selected it so you really can't attack anything. You can't recruit or do any of that stuff. And god help you if you get attacked, look at all those negative buffs.

I actually got caught in am ambush during a force march. Yeah imagine all the fun of an ambush battle, but with a 25% morale penalty. Quintillius Varus indeed.