Storyline Questions

[phenomenon]

I have been searching the forum and either I missed it or it's not here, but is there a simple guide for storylines? I am unfamiliar with the game but I keep hearing "unchained" storylines... what exactly are they?

I have more questions, but we can start with one :-)

[CQI13]

Regular storylines have steps you must complete (i.e. the winning streak has a number of matches for one guy to win, promos, etc.)

Unchained Storylines will simply grade every segment one member is in. For example, if you have two unchained storylines, your heavyweight title and your tag title. If you were to have a 6 man tag, with your heavyweight champ and your tag champs against another team, both storylines would advance/receive a grade for that segment. In a regular storyline, unless the match is specified to be a 6 man tag, the storyline would not advance. Hope that helps.

[James Casey]

Unchained storylines simply means that there is no set format for the storyline to follow - you put two or more guys together in an unchained storyline, and any segment (match or angle) featuring two of the guys from that storyline will affect the heat of the storyline.

This is opposed to the standard storyline, which has a precisely defined plot, and every step must be complied with specifically.

Unchained storylines offer a lot more freedom - but at the same time, they require that extra bit of imagination to avoid falling into the tag match/attack/interview/inconclusive singles match etc. etc. that I always seem to end up booking

[Self]

With Unchained Storylines, you're making it up as you go along.

[phenomenon]

Gotcha, makes sense.

I saw the HBK/Douglas storyline about the bar incident about being attacked.. the first thing is the announcers "announce" what happened but I couldn't find it to progress it lol.

It appears unchained is the best way to go then...

[CQI13]

if you can't find an angle that fits the storyline (it tells you in the storyline screen what kind of angle it must be i.e. Singles match between side 1 and side 2, with side 1 being the winner, or a HYPE angle with whatever participants you can write the angle in the ingame editor (I believe it's on the booking screen).

[Apupunchau@optonline]

Originally Posted by phenomenon

It appears unchained is the best way to go then...

Is not the best way to go. It's one way to go but not the best. Although a number of changes have been made still not everything counts toward the storyline. Things like a worker on a winning streak and then stopped by one worker at the end won't as all the matches that the worker on the streak has won't count for the unchained story as the other worker isn't in the story. There are of course ways around it, either adding all the losers as minor parts of the story or having the guy stopping the streak run in on every match.

Unchained stories are how a lot of people who like to book on the fly like to do things and that's fine. Personally I prefer writing stories. I'm a planner I'll plan shows ahead as much as six months in advance so I like to use pre written stories when I play feds that use stories at all.

You problem with the storylines seems to be with the story you're using you are looking for the angle with the exact same name. All you really need to do is find the same angle type (Hype, attack, challenge, skit, ect...) and has a place for the workers involved (cataylst, Support, Subject, ect...) Even if the main angle only has two people in it as described by the story you ca use angles that use more people as long as there are space for the two people the angle says are required in the role it says they should be in.

[phenomenon]

In a tag match.. if I want to turn a partner, but before the full turn.. have miscommunication (storyline is them fueding in unchained).. how would I do this during the show/match?

[Apupunchau@optonline]

Originally Posted by phenomenon

In a tag match.. if I want to turn a partner, but before the full turn.. have miscommunication (storyline is them fueding in unchained).. how would I do this during the show/match?

You can do it anyway you like, here's a few options.

Angle: Failed rescue (If you don't really care what the game puts out to how the angle goes off just use one of the standard rescues. If you do care rigth your own rescue angle where the commentary says "rescuer failed to make it in time."

Match: Use the turn road agent note to have the worker you want turn on the other. it doesn't really say how the turn is made so use your imagination. He attacks his former friend allowing the other team to get the pin. Maybe he just walks out mid match and his former friend loses.

or this might work

Match: Have the team lose a match with the guy you want to be turned on getting pinned

Angle: The guy turning (The guy who didn't get pinned) is frustrated by losing and attacks his former friend. Use an attack angle it doesn't matter witch as long as it involves the two people you want and the guy you want to turn is set to the right role (you'll see then anle say this role can turn heel, can turn face or can turn both.)

[Bigpapa42]

From my experience, there's no right or wrong way to do it. Its just about what you prefer.

A standard storyline forces you to tell a certain story. You can obviously evolve it to change things a bit, but you're following what is set out for the most part. Neither good or bad, just a preference.

Unchained allows you to tell any story you want. You can end up with almost no story at all sometimes - just a sequence of events that are basically just a rivalry between wrestlers.

At the moment, in a SE fed (SWF), I prefer unchained. It allows me to move in different directions, though I have a direction in mind when I set up a storyline in the first place. What I really like is setting up several cross-over storylines with my top guys. Most of 4 or 6 person storylines with 2 main characters and the rest as minor characters. So a guy that is a main character is one storyline is a minor one in two others. This connects the storylines, so one angle with a lot of guys helps more than one. The storylines are intended to be interconnected anyway. You can do this with regular storylines, but I can never seem to get it to work the same.

Another nice aspect to unchained is that you can tailor them to the specific workers. For example, if I'm trying to build a guy without great overnesss or entertainment skills but great menace, a set storyline might force me to put him into angles that are rated on overness or entertainment, which are unlikely to go over well. If I can use or create angles that take advantage of his menace, its going to work out better. Unchained gives me more flexibility in that regard.

[Comradebot]

Originally Posted by Bigpapa42

From my experience, there's no right or wrong way to do it. Its just about what you prefer.

A standard storyline forces you to tell a certain story. You can obviously evolve it to change things a bit, but you're following what is set out for the most part. Neither good or bad, just a preference.

Unchained allows you to tell any story you want. You can end up with almost no story at all sometimes - just a sequence of events that are basically just a rivalry between wrestlers.

At the moment, in a SE fed (SWF), I prefer unchained. It allows me to move in different directions, though I have a direction in mind when I set up a storyline in the first place. What I really like is setting up several cross-over storylines with my top guys. Most of 4 or 6 person storylines with 2 main characters and the rest as minor characters. So a guy that is a main character is one storyline is a minor one in two others. This connects the storylines, so one angle with a lot of guys helps more than one. The storylines are intended to be interconnected anyway. You can do this with regular storylines, but I can never seem to get it to work the same.

Another nice aspect to unchained is that you can tailor them to the specific workers. For example, if I'm trying to build a guy without great overnesss or entertainment skills but great menace, a set storyline might force me to put him into angles that are rated on overness or entertainment, which are unlikely to go over well. If I can use or create angles that take advantage of his menace, its going to work out better. Unchained gives me more flexibility in that regard.

BUT, with a set storyline you can write your own storyline that plays to these strengths. Honestly, I prefer writing my own. I'll throw in the occaisonal unchained, but most of my storylines are written myself. The only way a set storyline will force you to use someone in a manner they shouldn't is if you choose one of the default ones, or if you just fail at writing your own angles.

In fact, I have a set storyline going in my diary thats basically designed to ride the menace of the two workers involved. In about a month its caused the otherwise lackluster (but totally Alpha) Bam Bam Johansson to go from a D+ to a C in overness in Central Europe, almost all thanks to the storyline. I don't know what it is, but I can never seem to be able to get unchained storylines as hot as the ones I write. Maybe I just don't know how to use em anymore.

[phenomenon]

I looked at the "write storyline" and it can get a little confusing... are there any tutorials or quick guides about what it all means or how to make your own stuff?

BTW.. thank you all for your input and help

[Bigpapa42]

Originally Posted by Comradebot

BUT, with a set storyline you can write your own storyline that plays to these strengths. Honestly, I prefer writing my own. I'll throw in the occaisonal unchained, but most of my storylines are written myself. The only way a set storyline will force you to use someone in a manner they shouldn't is if you choose one of the default ones, or if you just fail at writing your own angles.

In fact, I have a set storyline going in my diary thats basically designed to ride the menace of the two workers involved. In about a month its caused the otherwise lackluster (but totally Alpha) Bam Bam Johansson to go from a D+ to a C in overness in Central Europe, almost all thanks to the storyline. I don't know what it is, but I can never seem to be able to get unchained storylines as hot as the ones I write. Maybe I just don't know how to use em anymore.

Honestly, I don't think I'm really strong enough at booking to make writing my own work right yet. Hasn't so far, anyway. Where I ran into major issues was the timing of the cross-over segments between the storylines. I'll have some attack or brawl that is set for one storyline but crosses over into another due to the workers used and its timing makes no sense for that one...