[EWR SSTP] Japanese Workers

[OGpistolpete]

So this is a subject concerning foreign workers in the game that I've had some trouble coming to a conclusion about. Obviously, EWR is meant to act as a simulator for North American pro wrestling, and can suffice realistic gameplay related to American, Canadian, and Mexican promotions. This leaves one area of the real world, however, left to a different system of interaction with the user: Japanese touring promotions. There is no reason for me to go into detail on how the game uses Japanese promotions and its touring systems, since we're all well versed with EWR by now. My concern is a bit specific, and relates to my development of future Wrestling at WAR scenarios, and perhaps more straight timeline databases like my August 1996 MASTERS scenario.

The reason I have been debating this with myself for awhile goes back to my introduction of Japanese workers in my Wrestling at WAR scenario. The second version I released included realistic rosters for Japanese promotions around in 1996, adding plenty of Japanese workers into the database, especially big names whom the user may be appropriately interested in using. In fact, in my alternate universe, World Star Wrestling has a prominent working relationship with All Japan Pro Wrestling, so the inclusion of workers like Misawa, Akiyama, and Kawada available for hire if the user had chosen WSW to play with, was an important aspect I wanted to include in the database.

However, having played multiple games, I've reached an awkward point in the scenario's development that has me at a cross-roads. No matter what promotion you choose, Japanese workers will always be picked up by five out of the six promotions in the database. This makes for, quite frankly, unrealistic signings. In my scenario is the company Hollywood Championship Wrestling, "owned" by Richard Branson and headlined by guys like Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Kevin Nash. Obviously, a promotion built around the sports entertainment style of wrestling, and not one to hire guys from Japan just because they have higher stats. So when companies like HCW and WWF hire Japanese workers with high stats, it kind of hurts the product of the scenario, because it's an unrealistic signing for these sports entertainment based companies hiring Japanese workers who don't speak English and don't have an gimmick transferable to American wrestling such as guys like The Great Muta may have been able to do.

Confronting the situation, here is the dilemma I've been trying to figure out and would like opinions on...

Is EWR's Japanese system intended for putting workers based in North America on tour, or for including every worker on the Japanese promotion's roster?

What I mean by this is, does EWR play better with no Japanese workers in the game, and was rather designed to have a list of five or six North American workers who are touring with, let's say, a promotion like NJPW? Does the inclusion of every NJPW worker at the time defeat the games mechanics and screw everything up because they are available to North American promotions too? Is the game not meant to include midcard Japanese workers? Does it even need to include the "big names"?

There's no doubt that in the mid-90's, Mitsuharu Misawa was a top 10 worker in the world with great "EWR stats". His inclusion in my Wrestling at WAR database is essential, because I believe the user should be allowed to hire him, especially if the user is playing as WSW? But is his inclusion in the database inherently flawed because of the way EWR treats Japan? Should North American promotions not be allowed to hire guys like him? Should Japanese promotions only be showing and signing for tours North American workers?

I created a separate thread for this because I would like there to be a conclusion reached eventually, without the discussion getting lost and forgotten about in the main SSTP thread. What are your opinions? Should databases include Japanese workers? Or should the Japanese promotions just show North American workers who are touring with the promotion?

My opinion has been shifting towards the belief that Japanese workers shouldn't be included in the database due to their game-breaking risk concerning workers like Misawa and Kawada with great statistics, but no realistic shot at signing long-term written contracts with American sports entertainment promotions. This is a shame because they inclusion is a great addition for someone running a more pure-wrestling based promotion, but perhaps it's just something we can't (or I can't) avoid because that's the nature of EWR.

[caucasianheat]

I'm leaning towards nature of EWR. The feature I think is more about throwing a kink in the gameplay and hamstringing you by taking certain wrestlers (generally good ones) away at random times. I don't know that it was designed to really replicate the Japanese scene - I don't recall the early data Adam released including a great number of Japanese workers in it. Probably just a key few.

You could add the essential Japanese wrestlers in with their touring commitments and maybe rig the deck a bit by giving them low overness relative to a high salary to discourage the AI from signing them. If they're good wrestlers, the game might still want to take them regardless.

[IDOL]

Yeah I've always been in the bout of using the Japanese feds to throw kicks in your plans and signing your workers on tour. Never saw the need to include full rosters, because as you said - the game will sign and use them in unrealistic ways which I'm not a fan of. Better to leave that to TEW which handles the Japanese scene so much better.

[Nerf]

As far as I'm concerned; only the Japanese workers that would feasibly work in North America should be included. So, the likes of KENTA etc.