Input for wrestling simulation game

[efrim]

I'm working on a wrestling simulation game in the vein of EWR as a hobby horse project to help myself learn additional coding. Having a background in RPG video games and D&D, I'm thinking at this point about the "character sheet" of a pro wrestler. EWR has the simple system of a 1-100 scale in technical/high flying/brawling plus another 1-100 scale in charisma for mic skills. It then has a few additional "attributes" such as "superstar look" or "high spots" that unlock additional options or gimmicks.

 

Its not a bad basic system, but it creates all kinds of issues that bug me like the inability of a great high flyer to have a good match with a great brawling big man that understands David and Goliath psychology. There's also no way to express things like "this guy sucks by any measure of technical skill, but what he does he does extremely well." It comes down to a lot of aspects in wrestling not boiling down to a 1-100 scale of skill, but rather to how a guy can perform in a particular situation.

 

I'm working on making a list of these kind of traits/exceptions to the rule that a wrestler can have and I thought this would be an awesome place to toss the idea around since so many of you are really fine observers of pro wrestling nuance.

 

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about and looking for:

 

Nurse Maid - This wrestler is great at bringing along green wrestlers, a green wrestler will always do well against this wrestler and will have better chances to grow his skills (example: William Regal)

 

Natural Monster - This wrestler is at his most compelling when booked in a highly dominant fashion, dominant booking greatly increases his base skills and crowd appeal (example: Goldberg, Road Warriors)

 

Tag Specialist - in addition to any chemistry with a particular partner, this wrestler is generally at his best in tag matches (example: Billy Gunn)

 

Solid Base - This wrestler may not be a high flyer himself, but he understands working with them and uses his size and strength as an asset in such matches (example: Antonio Cesaro)

 

This is a "feat" for a D&D character, which is how this kind of thing applies when fleshed out in a game setting:

Opportunity Shot [General, Fighter]

You shoot so fast that you can make ranged attacks of opportunity at point-blank range.

 

Benefit

When armed with a ranged weapon that is ready for use, you have an effective reach of 30 ft. (up to the range of your weapon) and can make ranged attacks of opportunity in any area out to this range. You may not make ranged attacks of opportunity if you are standing in an area threatened by an opponent.

 

Normal

Ranged weapons normally can't make attacks of opportunity, and you have no threatened area when using them.

[JerryvonKramer]

Jim Ross and Jim Cornette mentioned a great one recently: "The Carpenter" -- this is a midcard guy who is great at making other people stars.

[efrim]

Jim Ross and Jim Cornette mentioned a great one recently: "The Carpenter" -- this is a midcard guy who is great at making other people stars.

Exactly what I'm talking about. I think Austin has referred to this as a "mechanic" on his podcast. You hear these kind of traits get mentioned all the time, whether or not they have a catchy name for it.

[Jimmy Redman]

In at least one of the Smackdown vs Raw games there was a special thing that a babyface could use where in a situation where his whole body was damaged into the red, he could power up and for a time no-sell the damage and hit a bunch of moves.

 

In other words, make a superman comeback.

 

So, there should be one for the epic babyfaces who do that (Cena, Hogan, etc.)

[JerryvonKramer]

I don't have many catchy names, but these are some types of traits you might think about including.

 

Ring General - can call matches in the ring and dictate the pace and tempo of a match (e.g. Buddy Rose)

 

Ring General (bump machine) - same as above but with the caveat that they always bump like crazy too (e.g. Ric Flair)

 

OTT seller - a wrestler who sells in an exagerrated manner (e.g. Ricky Steamboat, Curt Hennig)

 

Mat Technician - a guy who can work the mat with the best of them (e.g. Billy Robinson)

 

Hooker - related to the above, but this is a guy with legit submissions skills who can also be an enforcer in the locker room (e.g. Lou Thesz)

 

Shooter - as I understand it, this is the same as the above but with the slight caveat that they might use those skills in the ring to teach guys lessons once in a while -- if there is a distinction, a certain author who posts here from time to time might be able to help (e.g. Danny Hodge)

 

Natural Jobber - someone with the look and skills of a job guy (e.g. Frank Williams)

 

Power wrestler - big muscled up dude who works power moves (e.g. Steiners, Butch Reed, Ron Simmons, Lex Luger)

 

Punchy-kicky - a wrestler who relies mostly on punches, kicks and stomps for his offense (e.g. Bruno Sammartino)

 

Great Punch - a guy who throws amazing punches (e.g. Jerry Lawler)

 

Needs 20 minutes to warm up - guys who work a slow and deliberate pace (e.g. Greg Valentine)

 

Looks great, can't work - guys who are over because of their look but who are not very good in the ring (e.g. Sid)

 

Totally fucking hopeless - guys who just can't do anything at all (e.g. El Gigante, Zeus)

 

Gimmickally versatile - guys who can take to just about any gimmick (e.g. Barry Darsow)

 

Tremendous fire - for babyfaces who are excellent at firing up and showing fire (e.g. Rick Martel, Tito Santana)

 

Rag Doll - a worker who takes amazing asskickings through great bumping and selling (e.g. Ricky Morton, Tully Blanchard)

 

Journeyman - a mediocre but experienced worker who can slot into the midcard or lower midcard and do a job for you (e.g. Doug Somers)

 

Gatekeeper - this is perhaps more of a booked role than a trait, but it's an experienced but still over guy who must be defeated before facing the top face / heel in the promotion. Typically a new guy will come in and feud with a gatekeeper before taking on said top star. (e.g. Dominic Denucci, Jim Duggan in WWF)

 

Crowd control - a guy who has the crowd in the palm of his hands and who constantly interacts with them (e.g. Jake Roberts)

 

X Factor - this is a guy who has something special but indefinable that sets him apart and makes him seem like a massive star with massive presence, he can lift a room just by being there (e.g. Ricky Choshu, Hulk Hogan, The Rock)

 

Stiff - a guy who works in a stiff and brutal manner (e.g. Stan Hansen, Vader, JBL) [some chance of injuring opponent on occassion]

 

Snug / Tight - a guy who works "hard but safe" (e.g. Ron Garvin, Steve Austin, William Regal, Daniel Bryan)

 

Light - a guy who doesn't work stiffly at all, sometimes to the point where his strikes look fake (e.g. Giant Baba?)

 

Masked - prefers to work with a mask on, or at least can work with a mask on without any harm to his natural game (e.g. Bill Eadie)

 

Heavy / Lead Ass - guy who is hard to lift or work with because he doesn't cooperate (e.g. Antonio fucking Inoki)

 

Good hand - a guy who can work with just about anyone, not too stiff, not too light, not too flashy (e.g. Terry Taylor) [NB. Most "ring generals" are de facto also good hands, guess it's a question of degree?]

 

Feeder - basically a guy who is good at feeding comebacks / hope spots as a heel or generating sympathy as a babyface. NB. This is a specific bit of the art of selling, as much to do with timing and feeling the crowd as it is to do with bumping etc. (e.g. Ted DiBiase)

 

Shakespeare - believe it or not, this is the old inside term for the old Jerry Lawler / Baron Scicluna schtik of hiding the foreign-object-down-the-tights. I came across it a few months ago reading about The Baron. Probably not a big enough skill to include, but interesting at least. (e.g. Baron Scicluna, Jerry Lawler, Bobby Heenan)

 

That's a start, others can weigh in and start adding or refining now.

 

---------

 

I don't know how you're coding it, but lots of these would stack obviously. Ric Flair, for example, probably has half a dozen or so of these traits.

[efrim]

Yeah, my notion is that certain wrestlers would have an impressive laundry list of skills and that others would be more focused "specialists", just as it really is. I want to make a wrestling simulation that actually rewards smart booking and using guys in roles that accentuate their positives.

 

Ideally, it would be impossible to stock your roster with a bunch of Ric Flair's, because they would command too much money...you'd have to balance a few top guys like that with less expensive guys that can succeed within a more narrow role. Actually, I think a really fun mechanic for the game would be little insurrection's if you have too many uber-talented alpha dogs on your roster that you can only give mid-card slots to.

 

I had a lot of fun with EWR, but the way its coded will reward you hand over fist if you just stock the roster exclusively with workrate machines. EWR really lacked an effective way to convey why a guy like The Undertaker or Andre the Giant or Hulk Hogan works as a top level star. I'd like my game to have a better system for defining the full range of what actually succeeds in wrestling.

[DR Ackermann]

Have you checked out any of the TEW games by the same guy that did EWR? They're way more intricate, and different wrestler's strengths work better with different products so that guys like Undertaker and Hogan will get over properly in a company like WWE.

 

Here's the link http://www.greydogsoftware.com/tew2013/

[efrim]

Have you checked out any of the TEW games by the same guy that did EWR? They're way more intricate, and different wrestler's strengths work better with different products so that guys like Undertaker and Hogan will get over properly in a company like WWE.

 

Here's the link http://www.greydogsoftware.com/tew2013/

I've tried out TEW some as well. The scope and consideration was very impressive, but I found that as a game it just became too slow paced and laborious. I'm not sure I have the talent to pull this off, but what I'm kind of shooting for is EWR's speed of play with a level of accuracy closer to TEW.

[subatomic_elbow]

I am a big, big fan of the genre and I hope you can pull it off. I love the ideas you've floated thus far.

[subatomic_elbow]

Other attributes:

 

Policeman: Company man who punishes other wrestlers.

 

Backyarder: Might hit impressive spots or have a lot of charisma, but is fundamentally unsound.

 

Freebird: Excels in multiman matches.

[efrim]

Other attributes:

 

Policeman: Company man who punishes other wrestlers.

 

Backyarder: Might hit impressive spots or have a lot of charisma, but is fundamentally unsound.

 

Freebird: Excels in multiman matches.

Thanks for the thoughts and the vote of support. I'll try to check in occasionally with this thread and speak on my progress/solicit further brainstorming.