Downtime - The Art of Selling in Fire Pro
Aug 30, 2018 23:01:22 GMT
LankyLefty17, amsterDAN, and 5 more like this
Post by view619 on Aug 30, 2018 23:01:22 GMT
This guide aims to explain how selling works in Fire Pro, and clear up some of the common misconceptions that I've seen people make fairly often. I'll try to avoid getting too technical, and provide a high level explanation of how the mechanic works. Also, this guide is a work in progress and will be edited over time; I just want to get the general information out to the community before I forget again.
What is Selling?
In general terms, selling describes the act of making a move look believable to the audience. Since pro wrestling is a performance, it's up to the participants to convince the audience that their opponents' attacks are effective. Even though it's a video game, Fire Pro has a mechanic in place to replicate this idea of selling to the audience; this mechanic is called Downtime. When utilized properly, it's possible to experience matches where no-sells are kept to a minimum, as opposed to being triggered throughout the match.
What is Downtime?
Downtime is a hidden mechanic in Fire Pro that determines how long a wrestler remains in an incapacitated state. The various states (downed states) for which this mechanic applies are as follows:
Basically, as a wrestler is worn down throughout a match their Downtime duration increases every time they are placed into a downed state. Normally, moves executed against an edit will place it in a downed state and allow the attacker to follow up for a set amount of time; the exception is for any move that does damage but doesn't knock the opponent down, which we'll examine later.
Why Does Downtime Matter?
As the main mechanic for determining how long a wrestler remains incapacitated, it's important for setting up move combinations and understanding how many actions can be taken before the opponent regains control of his character. Without sufficient Downtime, you'll be unable to take actions such as top rope dives or even pin after certain moves.
Can Downtime Be Manipulated?
In general, once the Downtime has been set for a specific scenario it cannot be manipulated until the edit returns to a neutral state. However, there are a few exceptions that will increase the Downtime for a wrestler when executed:
Weak Attacks and the Downtime Flag
As stated earlier, most moves will place the opponent into a downed state and trigger the Downtime mechanic. However, there's an exception for moves that do damage but leave the opponent standing (weak attacks); these are moves like weak grapple strikes, weak standing strikes and even throwing someone against the barricade or turnbuckle without knocking him down. When a weak attack connects with an edit, their Downtime counter is flagged; the next move that puts that edit into a downed state will trigger Downtime and ensure that the edit sells accordingly. For example:
When manipulated properly, this mechanic can result in situations where an opponent is forced to sell animations that wouldn't normally force Downtime to trigger. The best example for consideration is rolling an opponent back into the ring; while normally the opponent will stand back up immediately, if you hit a weak attack and then roll him back inside he'll be forced to remain grounded. It's also useful from a defensive stand-point, as landing a weak attack will give your edit additional time to recover in situations where an opponent is downed by their own attack; since most submissions and pin falls force the attacker into a downed state, this can trigger often.
Currently, I'm not aware of a method for "unflagging" this state before it can take effect; I've seen situations where a weak attack 2 minutes earlier has an effect when the wrestler finally executes a move that puts him into a downed state .
1. Why Won't My Opponent Sell My Moves?
As mentioned earlier, excluding the exceptions, Downtime cannot be manipulated until an edit returns to a neutral state. Once they've been placed into a downed state initially, the Downtime duration begins to count down until the player is able to regain control of the character. This means that the defender will recover eventually, even if his attacker stays aggressive during this period; the idea is to provide a balanced game play experience that allows players to regain control of their character as opposed to being stun-locked indefinitely.
If a player puts his opponent into a downed state and then performs a number of attacks, it's likely that the opponent's Downtime duration will be so low that he will recover immediately. This is working by design, and is not an instance of poor selling.
For example:
The opponent's Downtime does not reset/increase due to additional moves, but while the player is executing moves the duration is decreasing. Eventually, the defender will be able to recover regardless of the final move performed; in this situation the player should look for a pin/submission before the opponent recovers, or work the match fully expecting that their opponent will recover.
2. Why Does My Wrestler Stay Down Longer Than The Opponent?This is a combination of two previous points:
In this situation, the defender's Downtime duration will end before the attacker and they'll get up first. Alternatively, if the second point is true and the defender kicks out of a pin or submission that leaves the attacker in a downed state, the attacker will be incapacitated while the defender is free to act.
What is Selling?
In general terms, selling describes the act of making a move look believable to the audience. Since pro wrestling is a performance, it's up to the participants to convince the audience that their opponents' attacks are effective. Even though it's a video game, Fire Pro has a mechanic in place to replicate this idea of selling to the audience; this mechanic is called Downtime. When utilized properly, it's possible to experience matches where no-sells are kept to a minimum, as opposed to being triggered throughout the match.
What is Downtime?
Downtime is a hidden mechanic in Fire Pro that determines how long a wrestler remains in an incapacitated state. The various states (downed states) for which this mechanic applies are as follows:
- A wrestler is face up/face down on the mat.
- A wrestler is stunned by a move, such as Toe Kick B.
- A wrestler is slumped against the corner post.
- A wrestler is in a front headlock, tree of woe position, held by the arms, or in the electric chair position.
- A wrestler stands up dazed from an attack.
Basically, as a wrestler is worn down throughout a match their Downtime duration increases every time they are placed into a downed state. Normally, moves executed against an edit will place it in a downed state and allow the attacker to follow up for a set amount of time; the exception is for any move that does damage but doesn't knock the opponent down, which we'll examine later.
Why Does Downtime Matter?
As the main mechanic for determining how long a wrestler remains incapacitated, it's important for setting up move combinations and understanding how many actions can be taken before the opponent regains control of his character. Without sufficient Downtime, you'll be unable to take actions such as top rope dives or even pin after certain moves.
Can Downtime Be Manipulated?
In general, once the Downtime has been set for a specific scenario it cannot be manipulated until the edit returns to a neutral state. However, there are a few exceptions that will increase the Downtime for a wrestler when executed:
- The first taunt performed during an opponent's incapacitated state. This allows edits to perform taunts and still capitalize on the opponent's vulnerability, and works at any point in a match.
- Bouncing against the ropes increases the Downtime by a small amount, in order to account for the additional run time caused by the animation.
- Hitting top rope moves against face up/face down opponents, in order to allow the attacking player to pin the opponent. The opponent will recover immediately after the third top rope move, in order to prevent stun-locking.
Weak Attacks and the Downtime Flag
As stated earlier, most moves will place the opponent into a downed state and trigger the Downtime mechanic. However, there's an exception for moves that do damage but leave the opponent standing (weak attacks); these are moves like weak grapple strikes, weak standing strikes and even throwing someone against the barricade or turnbuckle without knocking him down. When a weak attack connects with an edit, their Downtime counter is flagged; the next move that puts that edit into a downed state will trigger Downtime and ensure that the edit sells accordingly. For example:
- Wrestler A is hit by a weak punch.
- Wrestler A immediately grapples the opponent and executes a brainbuster, leaving him in a downed state (face up/face down).
- Due to being flagged by the weak punch earlier, the wrestler's Downtime activates and he sells the brainbuster's impact.
When manipulated properly, this mechanic can result in situations where an opponent is forced to sell animations that wouldn't normally force Downtime to trigger. The best example for consideration is rolling an opponent back into the ring; while normally the opponent will stand back up immediately, if you hit a weak attack and then roll him back inside he'll be forced to remain grounded. It's also useful from a defensive stand-point, as landing a weak attack will give your edit additional time to recover in situations where an opponent is downed by their own attack; since most submissions and pin falls force the attacker into a downed state, this can trigger often.
Currently, I'm not aware of a method for "unflagging" this state before it can take effect; I've seen situations where a weak attack 2 minutes earlier has an effect when the wrestler finally executes a move that puts him into a downed state .
Common Complaints
1. Why Won't My Opponent Sell My Moves?
As mentioned earlier, excluding the exceptions, Downtime cannot be manipulated until an edit returns to a neutral state. Once they've been placed into a downed state initially, the Downtime duration begins to count down until the player is able to regain control of the character. This means that the defender will recover eventually, even if his attacker stays aggressive during this period; the idea is to provide a balanced game play experience that allows players to regain control of their character as opposed to being stun-locked indefinitely.
If a player puts his opponent into a downed state and then performs a number of attacks, it's likely that the opponent's Downtime duration will be so low that he will recover immediately. This is working by design, and is not an instance of poor selling.
For example:
- Player A hits BIG move, forcing the opponent to stand up dazed.
- Player A then hits a running move, while the opponent is dazed.
- Player A then picks up the opponent and hits another running move.
The opponent's Downtime does not reset/increase due to additional moves, but while the player is executing moves the duration is decreasing. Eventually, the defender will be able to recover regardless of the final move performed; in this situation the player should look for a pin/submission before the opponent recovers, or work the match fully expecting that their opponent will recover.
2. Why Does My Wrestler Stay Down Longer Than The Opponent?
- The defender recovers from his downed state, due to the attacker hitting multiple moves during the downed period.
- The attacker was previously hit with a weak attack that flagged his Downtime trigger, and ended his attack with a move that leaves him in a downed state.
In this situation, the defender's Downtime duration will end before the attacker and they'll get up first. Alternatively, if the second point is true and the defender kicks out of a pin or submission that leaves the attacker in a downed state, the attacker will be incapacitated while the defender is free to act.
