Enjoying your start to this save. I've got a WWF 1992 game of my own in the early stages, too. Something I thought of to try to keep some of the period feel while propping up ratings was to take a page from Prime Time Wrestling's studio approach, which would use footage from recent house show matches from MSG, Boston Garden, Philadelphia Spectrum, Maple Leaf Gardens (Toronto), etc. to bring things home. That's where you'd get the only non-squash television matches in that era of WWF. Granted, they didn't do it every week, but at least to me (who started watching Superstars in 1990) it doesn't feel dirty to have one actual main event match on TV. Importantly, these matches usually weren't relevant to current feuds, but just fun showcases, like one of the big main eventers against a midcarder. Then you can surround that with the interview/recap style angles you used here, which are the things actually progressing stories. Using that approach, I've found I can at least get in the ballpark of the company popularity, so I'm not losing it every week. I'm also using this booking style to somewhat replicate the booking style of the time which wasn't PPV-centric. PPV matches were meant to sell house show tickets, which is where the big matches actually happened, with PPVs being home to the big story angles in a lot of cases. So, with that in mind, I put less emphasis on building PPV supercards (just having the few top matches necessary to get great ratings), and save some of the big feud matches for "house show" main events that I show on TV. Anyway, that's just my take on things. Looking forward to seeing how you adapt to TEW needs going forward. Cheers!
Though I didn't get too deep into, this is largely how I booked the WWF in the Risky Business mod, and will probably go back to that method when I try again. I almost feel like that method is easier to book than the more modern style, where you have to struggle to find fresh ideas so you don't do the same thing every week.
This is tremendous feedback! Thanks so much. I had already planned to do only a few big matches per PPV card to keep it similar to that era, so that fits well with this approach. The thing I'd been teasing about adding was house shows as special events, and that is perfect for what you mentioned about potentially showing the top matches on TV. Thanks again!
@@wrestleblake That's precisely what I did to create a schedule that looks like monthly PPVs, but it's really 4 PPVs, 4 Saturday Night's Main Events (one before each PPV, which is usually where you found the big angle that set up the PPV main event), and 4 non-televised shows. For fun, I've made those non-televised events international shows, like the old UK-exclusive shows, but with one each in UK, Mexico, Canada and Japan that I'll show on PPV in those countries (In 1993 I'll replace the Canadian one with KOTR). Going to lean into talent trades and short-term contracts with big stars in those countries to boost ratings and to have some dream-match fun. Because who doesn't want to see Hogan team with Tenryu in the Budokan against Money Inc for no reason?
As an old man from this era, Superstars was a telling of most of the top angles going on with very short matches in between. If your product is Sports entertainment, you should be fine having the show mostly angles and telling stories. Also I believe using Main Event Spotlight and tight focus in product means the top guys and angles will make your show ratings and popularity stay or rise. Instead of hiring jobbers, you can always use local workers and I ALWAYS make jobbers be giving performers, with high selling and the matches turn out well.
check your product conditions, you'll probably find your angles get the lions share of the TV rating, so you can sort of simulate the era by using lots of interview angles which is basically what Superstars was, interview then jobber squash repeat as necessary
Great point! I can probably do fewer matches than I'm already doing. The lack of storyline heat is impacting the show rating, but finding that balance with the angles and matches is key. Thanks for watching!
I vaguely recall Sid being injured somewhere during this time frame but couldn't remember exactly when that was haha. We'll make it work then! Thanks for watching.
I often think about "cheating" when booking this era. As you say, the game requires plenty of massive stars to be used, but to book true to the era, you can't book all those guys, so book realistically, tell the stories you want to tell, pretty much "fantasy book" and just use the editor to bump the pop back up when you drop below a certain level. I'll admit I haven't done that, I enjoy "playing the game", but it does mean booking wildly different to how it was in real life.
Yeah this is the type of save where I don't mind playing around with the editor if I need to haha. We should have a few key changes after the Rumble that'll help get the ratings back up. Thanks as always for watching!
@@wrestleblake Yes, he turned face before the 91 Royal Rumble in an angle seen on Prime Time Wrestling when Jimmy Hart hit him with the guitar by mistake against Saba Simba.
Honestly, I think it would fare way better for you with a little less matches on the card and make some of them 5min+. A 6-8 minutes long match will be quite longer than the usual TV match lenght in that era but will avoid the short matches penalty and get you a match rating that's closer to the individual performances ratings. I know it means less poeple on the card but if you watch the shows from that era, yes the matches are shorter but there's also not too many big names on the card. And you can still do more pre/post-show matches to use your wrestlers. Also, most of WWE's weekly shows at the time felt more like B-shows with only PPVs and the VERY occasional Saturday night's Main Event getting longer matches with less jobbers, and TEW doesn't really work with that formula. Up to you to see if you'd rather stay the most accurate you could or manage to not loose too much popularity, but I think you could have a decent compromise. I'm usually less involved with real-life saves as I often have that weird feeling of writing fanfiction with a very unusual base material but I'll keep an eye on that one, as I usually do with your saves !
Awesome feedback as usual! I do think we're gonna find a better balance between matches and angles. There have been some great suggestions in the comments about finding different ways to make it work. Hope you enjoy the series!
PWS is not as in depth but I feel you would enjoy playing it. You can have more of a sense of freedom with the text boxes and get across your point. Of course it is still in beta and has a ways to go.
Enjoying your start to this save. I've got a WWF 1992 game of my own in the early stages, too. Something I thought of to try to keep some of the period feel while propping up ratings was to take a page from Prime Time Wrestling's studio approach, which would use footage from recent house show matches from MSG, Boston Garden, Philadelphia Spectrum, Maple Leaf Gardens (Toronto), etc. to bring things home. That's where you'd get the only non-squash television matches in that era of WWF. Granted, they didn't do it every week, but at least to me (who started watching Superstars in 1990) it doesn't feel dirty to have one actual main event match on TV.
Importantly, these matches usually weren't relevant to current feuds, but just fun showcases, like one of the big main eventers against a midcarder. Then you can surround that with the interview/recap style angles you used here, which are the things actually progressing stories.
Using that approach, I've found I can at least get in the ballpark of the company popularity, so I'm not losing it every week. I'm also using this booking style to somewhat replicate the booking style of the time which wasn't PPV-centric. PPV matches were meant to sell house show tickets, which is where the big matches actually happened, with PPVs being home to the big story angles in a lot of cases. So, with that in mind, I put less emphasis on building PPV supercards (just having the few top matches necessary to get great ratings), and save some of the big feud matches for "house show" main events that I show on TV.
Anyway, that's just my take on things. Looking forward to seeing how you adapt to TEW needs going forward. Cheers!
Though I didn't get too deep into, this is largely how I booked the WWF in the Risky Business mod, and will probably go back to that method when I try again. I almost feel like that method is easier to book than the more modern style, where you have to struggle to find fresh ideas so you don't do the same thing every week.
This is tremendous feedback! Thanks so much. I had already planned to do only a few big matches per PPV card to keep it similar to that era, so that fits well with this approach. The thing I'd been teasing about adding was house shows as special events, and that is perfect for what you mentioned about potentially showing the top matches on TV. Thanks again!
@@wrestleblake That's precisely what I did to create a schedule that looks like monthly PPVs, but it's really 4 PPVs, 4 Saturday Night's Main Events (one before each PPV, which is usually where you found the big angle that set up the PPV main event), and 4 non-televised shows. For fun, I've made those non-televised events international shows, like the old UK-exclusive shows, but with one each in UK, Mexico, Canada and Japan that I'll show on PPV in those countries (In 1993 I'll replace the Canadian one with KOTR). Going to lean into talent trades and short-term contracts with big stars in those countries to boost ratings and to have some dream-match fun. Because who doesn't want to see Hogan team with Tenryu in the Budokan against Money Inc for no reason?
Considering that Owen was known as the Rocket I think that's quite the suggestion from the agent.
Haha no doubt! Couldn't think of a more perfect suggestion.
As an old man from this era, Superstars was a telling of most of the top angles going on with very short matches in between. If your product is Sports entertainment, you should be fine having the show mostly angles and telling stories. Also I believe using Main Event Spotlight and tight focus in product means the top guys and angles will make your show ratings and popularity stay or rise. Instead of hiring jobbers, you can always use local workers and I ALWAYS make jobbers be giving performers, with high selling and the matches turn out well.
check your product conditions, you'll probably find your angles get the lions share of the TV rating, so you can sort of simulate the era by using lots of interview angles which is basically what Superstars was, interview then jobber squash repeat as necessary
Great point! I can probably do fewer matches than I'm already doing. The lack of storyline heat is impacting the show rating, but finding that balance with the angles and matches is key. Thanks for watching!
I started 91 wwf save just recently made it to 1999
To be fair, Sid was injured late-1991, and did return at around this time, though the previous injury wasn't played up, so you're good.
I vaguely recall Sid being injured somewhere during this time frame but couldn't remember exactly when that was haha. We'll make it work then! Thanks for watching.
@@wrestleblake Yeah, he got scratched for the 91 Survivor Series. You're welcome and I look forward to seeing how this save turns out.
I often think about "cheating" when booking this era. As you say, the game requires plenty of massive stars to be used, but to book true to the era, you can't book all those guys, so book realistically, tell the stories you want to tell, pretty much "fantasy book" and just use the editor to bump the pop back up when you drop below a certain level. I'll admit I haven't done that, I enjoy "playing the game", but it does mean booking wildly different to how it was in real life.
Yeah this is the type of save where I don't mind playing around with the editor if I need to haha. We should have a few key changes after the Rumble that'll help get the ratings back up. Thanks as always for watching!
I've always felt ewr was better for the old school saves
It does seem that way. Could book more to the era. Appreciate you watching as always!
another problem you might be having is kayfabe face heel divide, MicheLS AND VALENTINE WERE BOTH HEELS I BELIEVE SO THAT HELD DOWN THE MATCH RATING
Valentine is listed as a babyface on the roster, but he does have ice cold momentum which doesn't help haha.
@@wrestleblake Yes, he turned face before the 91 Royal Rumble in an angle seen on Prime Time Wrestling when Jimmy Hart hit him with the guitar by mistake against Saba Simba.
Honestly, I think it would fare way better for you with a little less matches on the card and make some of them 5min+. A 6-8 minutes long match will be quite longer than the usual TV match lenght in that era but will avoid the short matches penalty and get you a match rating that's closer to the individual performances ratings. I know it means less poeple on the card but if you watch the shows from that era, yes the matches are shorter but there's also not too many big names on the card. And you can still do more pre/post-show matches to use your wrestlers. Also, most of WWE's weekly shows at the time felt more like B-shows with only PPVs and the VERY occasional Saturday night's Main Event getting longer matches with less jobbers, and TEW doesn't really work with that formula. Up to you to see if you'd rather stay the most accurate you could or manage to not loose too much popularity, but I think you could have a decent compromise.
I'm usually less involved with real-life saves as I often have that weird feeling of writing fanfiction with a very unusual base material but I'll keep an eye on that one, as I usually do with your saves !
Awesome feedback as usual! I do think we're gonna find a better balance between matches and angles. There have been some great suggestions in the comments about finding different ways to make it work. Hope you enjoy the series!
would Skinner be better just as Steve Keirn?
Probably so! The Skinner character didn't do much for him haha.
PWS is not as in depth but I feel you would enjoy playing it. You can have more of a sense of freedom with the text boxes and get across your point. Of course it is still in beta and has a ways to go.
I do need to play around with PWS some more. Might even do a video on it just for fun.