Post by sofia on Jul 16, 2018 22:52:23 GMT
First things first: A big thanks to Jason Blackhart, Carlzilla, and TheDenizen for their original writeups.
Although CPU Logic is, on its own, a bit of a struggle for newer Fire Pro edit wrestler makers to grasp, most of it is nonetheless fairly self explanatory. You set percentages that determine what a wrestler does in every major situation imaginable, from the lead-up to a collar-and-arm tieup to whether or not they follow the opponent to the outside of the ring. However, there are still a set of four or five logic settings that are fairly poorly elaborated upon, even in official documentation. Four of them have been in Fire Pro since 6 Men Scramble at the earliest: Personality or Showmanship, Discretion, Flexibility, and Cooperation. Returns added a fifth to the mix, Ukemi. The first three stats, along with ukemi, can lead to drastically different results in a match, even when the rest of a wrestler's logic has not been changed, and as such, it would be prudent to explain what exactly they do.
UKEMI: THE ART OF SELLING
Let's start out with the first one that will show up as you're going through the CPU Logic menu in World, Ukemi. A Japanese phrase from martial arts, ukemi refers to breaking one's own fall when taking a throw or tackle. In pro wrestling terminology, it would refer to taking bumps, and/or selling moves, so a better translation would perhaps be "Selling." As previously mentioned, Ukemi is a comparatively new mechanic to the series, added for two reasons.
First, it introduces an element of surprise to matches. In previous Fire Pro games, when a wrestler's health and spirit are still high, they would automatically counter any move for which they have not been sufficiently worn down. Thanks to Ukemi, however, it creates a small chance that the opponent will sell a medium or big move when they lose a grapple, even in the early or mid stages of a match--a surprise move that adds an element of randomness to the match flow, as if the opponent was caught off-guard and unable to react in time.
Second, it also introduces a comeback mechanic that previously was reliant on spending extra skill points on special skills such as Quick Return, Overturn, Guts, and Strikeback. Every time a wrestler takes a bump for a move that they would normally automatically counter, it fills up a hidden "Super Meter" of sorts that activates once their spirit points fall to under 25% and they escape from a pinfall at 2.9; or once their spirit meter reaches 0%. Once activated, they gain a boost to their willpower/spirit; and they do more damage while they gain their second wind. The more moves they chose to sell -- and inflicted damage has been stored in a bank -- the greater the spirit boost, the longer the damage boost, and thus the greater potential for a match to have a sudden comeback victory.
So, why use it? The obvious answer would be to extend the length of matches. You get a sudden burst of spirit that allows the opponent to power out of big moves and pinfalls, as well as a chance to let the wrestler who has been on the losing side to deal a huge amount of damage in a short time. It also does a nice job of creating a realistic, competitive match flow, where a wrestler may be down but not out. Just because someone has taken a lot of damage does not mean all is lost in the violent choreographed drama that is pro wrestling; just look at the amount of punishment babyfaces like Sting, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena took in their biggest matches.
Having said all that, what is an ideal ukemi setting? At the risk of weaseling my way out of a straight answer, I'd say it's up to your discretion as a person making a wrestler. However, using Spike's edits as a base, we can go with this:
There's nothing stopping you from going higher or lower, or doing your own thing entirely using the ukemi percentages. Setting a higher ukemi simply means that the wrestler wll not reverse a move when he loses a grapple, and thus akes more damage; but it also gives him a much larger ukemi boost when it comes time. If you're aiming to give a wrestler an epic comeback, however, be aware that the biggest opportunities for building ukemi are in medium and large damage, where more powerful moves are likely to be used.
As for creating jobbers, the common wisdom in the day has been that high ukemi encourages more of a squash; however, both Fire Pro World lead developer Toshiaki Tamura and game director Tomoyuki Matsumoto refuted this idea. Higher ukemi, as mentioned, results in higher spirit boosts, which makes a wrestler harder to pin. Instead, the emphasis should be on contradictory fighting and return skills along with low ukemi, which prevents them from getting any chance of a comeback. A completely 0 ukemi may seem like something you would use for a shoot style wrestler, but with the right combination of stats, wrestler size, and wrestler fight style, it can create a real tomato can of a wrestler who racks up losses en masse. It can also be used for the inverse -- a wrestler who shrugs off early-match offense and tries to demolish his opponents like a wrecking ball. A giant/giant wrestler with giant size would benefit from this, allowing you to keep their defensive parameters relatively low. That way, once someone actually breaks through their defenses, they fall easily. This may be useful for wrestlers such as The Great Khali or Giant Gonzalez, who would generally fall quickly once an opponent makes their way past their sheer size.
SHOWMANSHIP: THE CULT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS
Moving on from Ukemi, we have Showmanship, which was previously listed as "Personal Traits" in Fire Pro Returns. The official manual states "The higher this value, the more the wrestler tries to work an enertaining match as opposed to fighting conservatively." Great! ...What does that mean??
Essentially, it amounts to two big things. One, as confirmed by Jason Blackhart, is that it determines how often a wrestler will opt to put the opponent into a corner or outside the ring when he is near the cornerpost or apron when doing an irish whip. The higher it is, the more that the wrestler will tend towards these flashy moves, and conversely, the lower the value, the more they'll keep the match in the middle of the ring when possible.
Per Fire Prowrestling World's development chief, Toshiaki Tamura, the way in which Showmanship affects irish whips to the ringside area is like so: The lower the value, the earlier the wrestler will try to send his opponent outside. High showmanship, in theory, represents a wrestler who wants to save the ring dives for climactic points in the match, where the action rises to a crescendo; conversely, low showmanship represents a wrestler who is interested in ending the match as quickly as possible, and as such, going for a ring dive or outside brawl whenever it is most likely to lead to a finish.
The next trait is Discretion. Described as "emphasizing winning" at higher rates and "doing damage" at lower rates, this is perhaps slightly misleading. While setting it higher does emphasize winning in one way, that doesn't mean that lower discretion = not wanting to win. Rather, it emphasizes what kind of style the wrestler works even further than just the move logic itself.
The biggest effect of discretion is in how often, and where, the wrestler will position his opponent, using the front face lock->elbow move in front grapples; and in general how close they'll stay to the ropes while moving around the ring. The higher it is, the closer to the center of the ring they'll leave the opponent. Keeping it high, as with keeping showmanship low, encourages a very conservative fight style. Keeping it lower, however, is conducive to wrestlers who have top rope moves. It's a tricky balance, though, as setting it too low means that their dives will be in the ropes. This is mainly of importance to wrestlers who work a style that does not allow for a long jump distance. Juniors, luchadores, the panther style, and to a lesser extent orthodox and technician all have longer than average diving distance; but for a wrestler like Bam Bam Bigelow, or Vader, their dive range is quite a bit lower on account of his power style, making it a bit less likely that they'd hit a signature diving move. Additionally, if the wrestler has the Rounding Body Press as a top rope dive, discretion is a much less important stat -- true to Keiji Mutoh in his prime, a wrestler with this particular moonsault variant can hit it from pretty much anywhere in the ring, seemingly regardless of style.
As a side note, as of Early Access version 0.9500 of Fire Pro Wrestling World, discretion has no effect on the probability that a wrestler will drag his opponent out from under the ropes before performing a pinfall or submission.
The second effect has to do with catching one's breath. Although even the most reckless wrestlers will eventually have to catch their breath, high discretion makes the cut-off point for focusing on one's own stamina higher.
As such, if you're making an older wrestler, it might not hurt to keep discretion higher for multiple reasons, even if it's a sadistic heel character like Abdullah the Butcher. From a strategic standpoint, a veteran wrestler would probably want to take command of the ring space more than a reckless kid. Also strategically, they would be more aware of their physical limitations, and want to take a moment to catch their breath more often, especially if it's a guy whose breathing stats are below average.
FLEXIBILITY: POUNDING A SQUARE PEG INTO A ROUND HOLE
The fourth trait used in all matches is flexibility. "The higher the value, the more flexible the wrestler is in different circumstances. The lower the value, the more they stick to the script." This is... one way of putting how it works.
Per Jason Blackhart again, flexibility has an effect on the rate of irish whips against MMA fighters, who will outright no-sell them under most circumstances. The higher the flexibility, the more the wrestler will change their pace and start replacing the whips with a front facelock to maintain space control. The lower it is, the more they'll try and stick to their own style. Tamura from Spike Chunsoft confirmed this specifically, and added that, if flexibility is high, the wrestler will start doing moves he wouldn't normally do--mainly replacing the irish whip with a front neck lock for space control against shootfighters.
Though this may be conjecture, it is said by LordMo and users on 2ch that this extends to all other styles as well. Wrestlers with high flexibility will emphasize moves that are appropriate to the opponent's style, while lower flexibility results in more adherence to one's own style. It also extends to match types! Higher flexibility means that the wrestler will play to the match's rules more often, so in a barbed wire deathmatch, they'll be more willing to whip the opponent into the electrified wire or explosive panels on the outside. Similarly, a high flexibility means that a wrestler will try and climb out of a steel cage as quickly as possible.
TEAMWORK: THERE'S NO I IN IT
The last personality trait is also the most straightforward. Teamwork affects, well, teamwork. The higher it is, the more likely a wrestler will try and come in to cut off the opponent's partner, break up a pin, etc. While they're the legal man, it also determines how often they will use the front facelock to keep the opponent on their own team's side of the ring. Last, it determines how often they will opt to use double team moves and double team positioning in tag matches and battle royals--for example, setting up for the Doomsday Device from front grapple, or holding the wrestler in place from behind. Generally, you might want to keep this high, unless you're trying to make a wrestler known for being a poor team player (like Stone Cold, maybe).
One last thing. Because Agetec was seemingly basing the CPU Logic localization of FPR on Bam's localization of the Game Boy Advance games, the personality trait values are reversed. Yes means no, and No means yes. So if you're porting wrestlers over from the PS2 game by hand, make sure that you're basing the showmanship, discretion, flexibility, and teamwork values off the bottom number.
Did I miss anything? Am I completely wrong? Is this basically just reiterating what was in the linked guide from the FPR subforum? Let me know!
Although CPU Logic is, on its own, a bit of a struggle for newer Fire Pro edit wrestler makers to grasp, most of it is nonetheless fairly self explanatory. You set percentages that determine what a wrestler does in every major situation imaginable, from the lead-up to a collar-and-arm tieup to whether or not they follow the opponent to the outside of the ring. However, there are still a set of four or five logic settings that are fairly poorly elaborated upon, even in official documentation. Four of them have been in Fire Pro since 6 Men Scramble at the earliest: Personality or Showmanship, Discretion, Flexibility, and Cooperation. Returns added a fifth to the mix, Ukemi. The first three stats, along with ukemi, can lead to drastically different results in a match, even when the rest of a wrestler's logic has not been changed, and as such, it would be prudent to explain what exactly they do.
UKEMI: THE ART OF SELLING
Let's start out with the first one that will show up as you're going through the CPU Logic menu in World, Ukemi. A Japanese phrase from martial arts, ukemi refers to breaking one's own fall when taking a throw or tackle. In pro wrestling terminology, it would refer to taking bumps, and/or selling moves, so a better translation would perhaps be "Selling." As previously mentioned, Ukemi is a comparatively new mechanic to the series, added for two reasons.
First, it introduces an element of surprise to matches. In previous Fire Pro games, when a wrestler's health and spirit are still high, they would automatically counter any move for which they have not been sufficiently worn down. Thanks to Ukemi, however, it creates a small chance that the opponent will sell a medium or big move when they lose a grapple, even in the early or mid stages of a match--a surprise move that adds an element of randomness to the match flow, as if the opponent was caught off-guard and unable to react in time.
Second, it also introduces a comeback mechanic that previously was reliant on spending extra skill points on special skills such as Quick Return, Overturn, Guts, and Strikeback. Every time a wrestler takes a bump for a move that they would normally automatically counter, it fills up a hidden "Super Meter" of sorts that activates once their spirit points fall to under 25% and they escape from a pinfall at 2.9; or once their spirit meter reaches 0%. Once activated, they gain a boost to their willpower/spirit; and they do more damage while they gain their second wind. The more moves they chose to sell -- and inflicted damage has been stored in a bank -- the greater the spirit boost, the longer the damage boost, and thus the greater potential for a match to have a sudden comeback victory.
So, why use it? The obvious answer would be to extend the length of matches. You get a sudden burst of spirit that allows the opponent to power out of big moves and pinfalls, as well as a chance to let the wrestler who has been on the losing side to deal a huge amount of damage in a short time. It also does a nice job of creating a realistic, competitive match flow, where a wrestler may be down but not out. Just because someone has taken a lot of damage does not mean all is lost in the violent choreographed drama that is pro wrestling; just look at the amount of punishment babyfaces like Sting, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena took in their biggest matches.
Having said all that, what is an ideal ukemi setting? At the risk of weaseling my way out of a straight answer, I'd say it's up to your discretion as a person making a wrestler. However, using Spike's edits as a base, we can go with this:
- The most common ukemi setting in Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is 20/25/15, used by the vast majority of the cast outside of wrestlers representing New Japan. This is also the default ukemi setting for edits in Fire Pro Wrestling World, so if you're not entirely sure if messing with ukemi is necessary, it's safe to keep it as is.
- A wide number of characters use 20/30/10 for their settings, almost all of whom are wrestlers working in New Japan Pro Wrestling; those whose primary training was in NJPW's dojo, such as Mutoh, Hase, and AKIRA in All Japan; and Riki Choshu's promotion RikiPro. A majority of the women's wrestlers also use this setting. Again, if you're not sure what to go with, this seems ideal for wrestlers working in NJPW's style.
- Almost all shooters, fighters, and grapplers have their ukemi set at 20/20/20, likely for balancing purposes, in order to keep all MMA matches from potentially becoming one-sided bouts. The main exceptions coming to mind are Andy Hug and Kiyoshi Tamura, who have no ukemi whatsoever. I'm assuming there's some sort of joke or reference there.
There's nothing stopping you from going higher or lower, or doing your own thing entirely using the ukemi percentages. Setting a higher ukemi simply means that the wrestler wll not reverse a move when he loses a grapple, and thus akes more damage; but it also gives him a much larger ukemi boost when it comes time. If you're aiming to give a wrestler an epic comeback, however, be aware that the biggest opportunities for building ukemi are in medium and large damage, where more powerful moves are likely to be used.
As for creating jobbers, the common wisdom in the day has been that high ukemi encourages more of a squash; however, both Fire Pro World lead developer Toshiaki Tamura and game director Tomoyuki Matsumoto refuted this idea. Higher ukemi, as mentioned, results in higher spirit boosts, which makes a wrestler harder to pin. Instead, the emphasis should be on contradictory fighting and return skills along with low ukemi, which prevents them from getting any chance of a comeback. A completely 0 ukemi may seem like something you would use for a shoot style wrestler, but with the right combination of stats, wrestler size, and wrestler fight style, it can create a real tomato can of a wrestler who racks up losses en masse. It can also be used for the inverse -- a wrestler who shrugs off early-match offense and tries to demolish his opponents like a wrecking ball. A giant/giant wrestler with giant size would benefit from this, allowing you to keep their defensive parameters relatively low. That way, once someone actually breaks through their defenses, they fall easily. This may be useful for wrestlers such as The Great Khali or Giant Gonzalez, who would generally fall quickly once an opponent makes their way past their sheer size.
SHOWMANSHIP: THE CULT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS
Moving on from Ukemi, we have Showmanship, which was previously listed as "Personal Traits" in Fire Pro Returns. The official manual states "The higher this value, the more the wrestler tries to work an enertaining match as opposed to fighting conservatively." Great! ...What does that mean??
Essentially, it amounts to two big things. One, as confirmed by Jason Blackhart, is that it determines how often a wrestler will opt to put the opponent into a corner or outside the ring when he is near the cornerpost or apron when doing an irish whip. The higher it is, the more that the wrestler will tend towards these flashy moves, and conversely, the lower the value, the more they'll keep the match in the middle of the ring when possible.
Per Fire Prowrestling World's development chief, Toshiaki Tamura, the way in which Showmanship affects irish whips to the ringside area is like so: The lower the value, the earlier the wrestler will try to send his opponent outside. High showmanship, in theory, represents a wrestler who wants to save the ring dives for climactic points in the match, where the action rises to a crescendo; conversely, low showmanship represents a wrestler who is interested in ending the match as quickly as possible, and as such, going for a ring dive or outside brawl whenever it is most likely to lead to a finish.
With that in mind, consider the wrestler's style a bit. Wrestlers with a decidedly un-flashy style should keep their showmanship somewhat low. There are a number of reasons to consider this -- perhaps they weren't really known for doing high risk moves like top-rope suplexes, or maybe it's just that, with advanced age, they can't go at it for as long as they used to without starting to feel the pain of an extended fight. However, I'd say that most modern wrestlers should consider keeping it pretty high, 90% or above.
DISCRETION: PRACTICE SAFE GRAPPLING
The next trait is Discretion. Described as "emphasizing winning" at higher rates and "doing damage" at lower rates, this is perhaps slightly misleading. While setting it higher does emphasize winning in one way, that doesn't mean that lower discretion = not wanting to win. Rather, it emphasizes what kind of style the wrestler works even further than just the move logic itself.
The biggest effect of discretion is in how often, and where, the wrestler will position his opponent, using the front face lock->elbow move in front grapples; and in general how close they'll stay to the ropes while moving around the ring. The higher it is, the closer to the center of the ring they'll leave the opponent. Keeping it high, as with keeping showmanship low, encourages a very conservative fight style. Keeping it lower, however, is conducive to wrestlers who have top rope moves. It's a tricky balance, though, as setting it too low means that their dives will be in the ropes. This is mainly of importance to wrestlers who work a style that does not allow for a long jump distance. Juniors, luchadores, the panther style, and to a lesser extent orthodox and technician all have longer than average diving distance; but for a wrestler like Bam Bam Bigelow, or Vader, their dive range is quite a bit lower on account of his power style, making it a bit less likely that they'd hit a signature diving move. Additionally, if the wrestler has the Rounding Body Press as a top rope dive, discretion is a much less important stat -- true to Keiji Mutoh in his prime, a wrestler with this particular moonsault variant can hit it from pretty much anywhere in the ring, seemingly regardless of style.
As a side note, as of Early Access version 0.9500 of Fire Pro Wrestling World, discretion has no effect on the probability that a wrestler will drag his opponent out from under the ropes before performing a pinfall or submission.
The second effect has to do with catching one's breath. Although even the most reckless wrestlers will eventually have to catch their breath, high discretion makes the cut-off point for focusing on one's own stamina higher.
As such, if you're making an older wrestler, it might not hurt to keep discretion higher for multiple reasons, even if it's a sadistic heel character like Abdullah the Butcher. From a strategic standpoint, a veteran wrestler would probably want to take command of the ring space more than a reckless kid. Also strategically, they would be more aware of their physical limitations, and want to take a moment to catch their breath more often, especially if it's a guy whose breathing stats are below average.
Besides those effects, a lower discretion trait also raises the chance that a wrestler will use the tree of woe to string up an opponent in the corner. At 100% discretion, they will never use the tree of woe.
Most average wrestlers will have a discretion of around 60-70 percent. 70 percent is also a good sweet spot for setting up corner to center signatures and finishers. As previously mentioned, more conservative wrestlers -- and wrestlers who try to pace themselves for marathon technical sessions may have discretion of 80 to 100. An example of this would be Ric Flair, whether we're talking about him in his 80s prime or his twilight years.
FLEXIBILITY: POUNDING A SQUARE PEG INTO A ROUND HOLE
The fourth trait used in all matches is flexibility. "The higher the value, the more flexible the wrestler is in different circumstances. The lower the value, the more they stick to the script." This is... one way of putting how it works.
Per Jason Blackhart again, flexibility has an effect on the rate of irish whips against MMA fighters, who will outright no-sell them under most circumstances. The higher the flexibility, the more the wrestler will change their pace and start replacing the whips with a front facelock to maintain space control. The lower it is, the more they'll try and stick to their own style. Tamura from Spike Chunsoft confirmed this specifically, and added that, if flexibility is high, the wrestler will start doing moves he wouldn't normally do--mainly replacing the irish whip with a front neck lock for space control against shootfighters.
Though this may be conjecture, it is said by LordMo and users on 2ch that this extends to all other styles as well. Wrestlers with high flexibility will emphasize moves that are appropriate to the opponent's style, while lower flexibility results in more adherence to one's own style. It also extends to match types! Higher flexibility means that the wrestler will play to the match's rules more often, so in a barbed wire deathmatch, they'll be more willing to whip the opponent into the electrified wire or explosive panels on the outside. Similarly, a high flexibility means that a wrestler will try and climb out of a steel cage as quickly as possible.
TEAMWORK: THERE'S NO I IN IT
The last personality trait is also the most straightforward. Teamwork affects, well, teamwork. The higher it is, the more likely a wrestler will try and come in to cut off the opponent's partner, break up a pin, etc. While they're the legal man, it also determines how often they will use the front facelock to keep the opponent on their own team's side of the ring. Last, it determines how often they will opt to use double team moves and double team positioning in tag matches and battle royals--for example, setting up for the Doomsday Device from front grapple, or holding the wrestler in place from behind. Generally, you might want to keep this high, unless you're trying to make a wrestler known for being a poor team player (like Stone Cold, maybe).
POSTSCRIPT
One last thing. Because Agetec was seemingly basing the CPU Logic localization of FPR on Bam's localization of the Game Boy Advance games, the personality trait values are reversed. Yes means no, and No means yes. So if you're porting wrestlers over from the PS2 game by hand, make sure that you're basing the showmanship, discretion, flexibility, and teamwork values off the bottom number.
Did I miss anything? Am I completely wrong? Is this basically just reiterating what was in the linked guide from the FPR subforum? Let me know!
