What do you want in a wrestling game?

[Guest LaParkaMarka]

I have a friend who is working for a company that wants to develop a wrestling game for the PC. The FAQ on the game is here, and it sounds great. I'll post it here just so you don't have to go all clicky-clicky.

 

Q:"Will the game play more like No Mercy, Fire Pro, or Smackdown?"

A:"At this point the game engine will feel most familiar to fans of the AKI N64 games. It will use a grapple based system for the majority of the moves but we may still incorporate non-grapple "ready moves" for stronger finishing and special moves. There will, however, be three levels of grapple instead of two. Weak, medium, and strong. It's more difficult to program but we feel strongly that it will give us the simulation style game play we are looking for." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Is this game only going to be on PC or will it be on the other consoles when you release it?"

A:"Pro Wrestling X will originally be released only on PC but we have every intention of releasing a version for the consoles as well. At this point we need to focus our attention strictly on the PC version and if fans make it as successful as we expect we can foresee console releases soon after. " -Dave W.

 

Q:"Has a release date been set?"

A:"No. But if we suddenly aquired full financing we would hire enough crew to get the game done by December 2003." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will any WWE wrestlers be in the game?"

A:"No. Any wrestlers currently under WWE contracts will not a part of Pro Wrestling X and we are not pursuing a WWE license of any sort." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will there be blood in Pro Wrestling X?"

A:"Yes. Lots." -Dave W.

 

Q:"What will the minimum system requirements be?"

A:"We can't give concrete numbers yet but we are dedicated to making sure as many people as possible will be able to play PWX. We don't want half of our fanbase excluded because their computer happens to be more than a year old. Our technical crew assures me we can make PWX run smoothly on a very modest computer." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will PWX only be released in the U.S. and Canada?"

A:"The game will be made available through at least one major international retailer as well as mail order. This way, even if you live in an igloo at the north pole you'll be able to get a copy of PWX." -Dave W.

 

Q:"How many moves will be in the game?"

A:"Last count was 1700 including taunts. This figure is expected to grow considerably during production." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will your wrestler be able to do more than 5 front grapple moves?"

A:"Yes. After each level of grapple (weak, medium, and strong) the player will then be able to enter a button/d-pad command to execute between two and sixteen move possibilities depending on wrestler style and skill level. For example, a high level power wrestler may have a total of forty-eight front grapple moves." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will I be able to work a certain body part on my opponent and then slap on a submission move and make him give up?"

A:"Targeted attacks and submissions are part of our design, yes." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will there be K.O.s?"

A:"Yes, certain moves at certain times will cause a knockout." -Dave W.

 

Q:"If it's on PC does that mean I can rip my own theme songs?"

A:"Yes. We are exploring the option of importing audio for other game elements as well." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will there be commentary?"

A:"Not at this time. However, we are planning to include a feature that would allow you to save a match and over dub your own commentary afterwards. This would be a fun feature for those people running efeds." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will there be a management mode?"

A:"Not in our initial release." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Can you interfere in other people's online matches and vice versa?"

A:"If the match option is set to allow interference then yes. You will have the option to close your online matches to outside interference as well." -Dave W.

 

Q:"I wrestle for an indie fed. Can I be in your game?"

A:"We are working on a plan that will give a great amount of exposure to the hundreds of talented indie wrestlers around the world by including their likenesses and signature moves in Pro Wrestling X. We'll have an announcement regarding this plan in the near future." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Can I be a beta tester?"

A:"When we reach the beta testing stage we will release a working demo of PWX to the public so that everyone can contribute to it's quality assurance." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will this be a free download or do I have to pay for it?"

A:"We wish we could give PWX away for free but it's just not possible. Please keep in mind mind that our crew is working on a world class wrestling game and they deserve to at least be compensated for their time and talent. However, we are exploring every possible way to keep PWX as affordable as possible. What's the point in making a game unless all the WGU supporters can afford it? " -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will there be create-a-pay per view?"

A:"Yes. Complete with pre-match promos." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will tag teams enter together?"

A:"Yes." -Dave W.

 

Q:"How many arenas will there be?"

A:"We currently have plans for five different venue sizes each with multiple stages or entrance designs as well as a few suprises." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Can you take the turbuckle padding off?"

A:"Yes." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Can I create my own move?"

A:"There may be a very basic create-a-move editor in PWX." -Dave W.

 

Q:"Will there be weapons?"

A:"Yes, although what types and how many has not been decided." -Dave W.

 

Q:"What kind of gimmick matches will there be?"

A:"That's a good question. At the very least we will have a first blood match and we are working on tables as well. It's simply a matter of resources. If there is enough time, money, and demand, we would love to include everything including ladders, exploding cages, scaffolds, and barb wire. The engine must come first though." -Dave W.

 

The only glaring omission I could see was a career/story mode. They really need that. But now that I've done some wandering around on the site, their message board has some info on a tentative career mode, where you work your way up from the indies to a national fed. Could be interesting.

 

So what does everyone think? I think it could turn out well, as long as the gameplay is as promised and the graphics aren't atrocious.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

If they really wanna focus on the gameplay, I'd say make it 2D. Dunno, but I've always had a soft-spot for 2D wrestling games (the old shitty-shitty-shitty WWF Acclaim games for SNES, and two of the best wrestling games ever in SATURDAY NIGHT SLAM MASTERS and TECMO WORLD WRESTLING).

 

**salivates**

Create-a-move mode...

[Guest razazteca]

I request a CAW with unlimited characters, I want to make every wrestler imagineable. With hundreds of different mask and face paints and every wrestling move I have seen on tv to choose from.

 

More tag team double team tandam moves are a must, such as the ones by the guys in my sig or by Rockers, Hardys, Dudleys, etc....

 

make the CAWs easy to trade with other gamers through your website or whatever.

[Guest areacode212]

I'd dig a 2D game too (as everyone knows, I'm a huge Fire Pro mark), because it wouldn't require high system requirements, and you'd be able to have huge battle royals. It probably won't happen for marketing reasons though.

 

I want Fire Pro D-style downloadable moves after the game is released, only I want more than just 52. Have the development team keep pumping out new ones. If some indy wrestler debuts some funky new move, I want to be able to download it for my game by that weekend! OK, maybe not that soon, but it would be cool if the developers kept putting out new moves as long as possible.

[Guest BorneAgain]

Looks like pretty good game, The Indies to national fed concept sounds interesting.

[Guest The Electrifyer]

This game seems very promising. I've been dreaming about a game like this for a while too, especially one that came out for the PC since I don't have any one of those big game consoles. The idea of downloading updates is very cool, hopefully things like new matches, new moves, new taunts, etc can be downloaded and added like a patch or something.

[Guest areacode212]

Here's something else I'd like to see: apply the idea of wearing down body parts to the victim's offense as well, meaning that if you work over his legs, not only would a figure-four be more effective, but his kicks would be do less damage, too. You could also introduce a chance of a "critical failure", too. Like, say I spent the entire match working on Edge's shoulder, and now his shoulder would be "in the red" (you could have some kind of stick figure in the corner of the screen with color-coding indicating that wrestler's hurt body parts). So if he tried to do a spear, not only would it do little damage to me, but it would hurt Edge as well.

[Guest Karnage]

Here's something else I'd like to see: apply the idea of wearing down body parts to the victim's offense as well, meaning that if you work over his legs, not only would a figure-four be more effective, but his kicks would be do less damage, too.

I agree, a wrestling game with logic makes a big difference. If Wrestler A keeps weakening Wrestler B's legs, Wrestler B should be limping.

[Guest Flyboy]

Damnit...

 

I was just about to post this!

[Guest The Electrifyer]

Do they have an idea for a release date yet?

[Guest Flyboy]

Q:"Has a release date been set?"

A:"No. But if we suddenly aquired full financing we would hire enough crew to get the game done by December 2003." -Dave W.

 

 

Read, my friend.

[Guest chirs3]

I want a more intelligent Smackdown.

 

---> 20 minutes into a ladder match, neither man should be able to race up to the top. After X amount of abuse, the "slow climb up the ladder" should be mandatory.

 

---> Hand in hand with that is the long-term selling. If I pound on a guy for 10 minutes, then he gets a spinebuster and I'm not up quick enough to stop him from climbing the ladder and grabbing the belt, something is off. Why not just zone off the body into 9 sections: Head, Neck, Back, Chest, Abdomen, Right Arm, Left Arm, Right Leg, and Left Leg, and have all the body parts start with a 100% integrity rating. Every time an attack hits a certain body part, it knocks off X percent. Once a leg is down to 80 percent, the guy limps a little. 60, he limps a lot. Take a guys back down to 70% integrity, and he's slower getting back to his feet. Get a guys left leg down to 30% integrity, and he'll tap to an Anklelock faster than if it were applied on a leg with 60% integrity. When a crowd rallies behind a guy, it could build his integrity back up for a second wind. Would this be a hard thing to do? I'm no programmer, but it seems like it wouldn't be all that difficult.

 

--- An improvement on the Submission system. I'm not really sure how, but locking it on for X seconds then just letting go is kinda silly.

 

--- Better writing.

 

Keep everything else the Smackdown series has, and I'd love it.

[Guest Flyboy]

Bascially you want a Smackdown! game with AKI tendencies.

[Guest chirs3]

I dunno. What're AKI tendencies?

 

All I've played are the Smackdowns, the WWF/WCW Super Nintendo games, a few WWF Coin-Ops, and... uh... that's about it, really. A demo for some WCW game on computer, but I don't remember much about it.

[Guest Flyboy]

... FOOL!

 

AKI-game tendencies are basically what you want...

 

An example from a AKI match: I'm Chris Benoit working over Austin's leg constantly. Dropkick to the knee, hitting the leg with a chair, etc, etc. After awhile, Austin will start to grab his leg favoring it. His running ability slows down, and if I apply a leglock on him he will tap instantly because I've focused on the leg so much. If I would have applied the leglock to Austin in the beginning of the match, he wouldn't tap.

[Guest chirs3]

Makes sense. If it's been done before, why the hell isn't Smackdown doing it now, though? Doesn't make much sense to me...

 

Oh well. There's always next year.

[Guest Flyboy]

Simple.

 

AKI made No Mercy and Wrestlemania 2000.

 

YUKES made the Smackdown! engine.

 

Two different copies w/ two different versions of their 'perfect' wrestling game. AKI was right on.

[Guest chirs3]

I don't suppose AKI is planning any WWE games for the PS2 in the near future, eh?

[Guest Flyboy]

Nope.

 

The next AKI game that is coming out will be Def Jam Wrestling. Even though it has rappers, AKI owns so I'll probably get it.

 

I think it's multi-platform, but I'm not sure.

[Guest GeneMean]

If this game in development is being geared towards the PC crowd then I would highly recommend some sort of online play.

 

Open this game up to the mod community.. Let skinners make CAWs and individual CAW parts like tights and accessories. Provide support for modder's to be able to animate new moves/taunts.

 

I'd truly like to see a good wrestling game on PC besides my AKI roms, however this game in development will probably end up vaporware.

 

That said bring on the Def Jam Wrestling. I hate the hell out of rap but bah gawd give me the AKI engine and a good CAW system and I'll finally have a GOOD WWE game for PS2.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I heard about this a while ago, I think. I still have my doubts about it ever being released, but I think if it did it could be suprisingly good, seeing as the staff is basically made up of a bunch of people who met on gamefaqs.