Wrestling Manager iOS: Update + Q&A

Hi people, I noticed a while back that quite a few of you were interested in Wrestling Management for the iOS devices and I wanted to swing by and ask if you had any questions about it?

We're coming close to release now so I can answer most things.

For those that don't have a clue what I'm talking about, here's a quick link that will explain it.

I'll be checking this post a few times per day for the next week...ish... and I'll try to answer as many questions as I can.

 

Thanks, I'll answer as many as I can and if there's somewhere I can't, I'll at least explain why I can't.

1: Any idea on cost and file size of final release?

Unfortunately I don't have an answer for those just yet. We are doing all we can to get the file size down as low as possible without hurting the quality of the art but the game contains a lot of high quality art work (aprox 650 cards) and then when you factor in the code, UI and sound files, it's quite a beast.

In terms of price, I'm not certain what it will be priced at but if I had to guess (which is always a bad idea) I'd say probably about the same price as Football Manager on the iPhone. Considering how long people will play this game, I'm certain they will all feel like they got more than their moneys worth. I've been playing a really early build for well over a month now and it's still got me hooked and that's before all the bells and whistles are in.

2: How in depth is the game? I have played a lot of the Extreme Warfare/Total Extreme Warfare PC Wrestling management games, if you had to compare it to one what would be the most similar?

In terms of depth, it's one of those games that if you have a minute free you can -> get in -> book an event -> get out and still feel like you've made good progress OR if you're in the mood to really crunch down into the game, it will reward you for trying harder.

So for example, if you don't really care about booking each and every match in the game, you can automate individual matches or even whole events with one touch of a button. This is perfect for booking a Battle Royal because you simply select the event and press the automate button, then if there was a particular wrestler you wanted in the match, add him in and you're done.

That said, if you're looking for the most efficient way to the top of the wrestling world, just like Vince McMahon you'll have to scrutinise every tiny part of your organisation. You'll have to listen to what the journalists have to say, use story lines effectively and have a keen eye out for emerging talent. You'll need to book events months in advance and promote them as much as possible to make sure they pay off.

3: How many wrestlers are in the game? and how many have full picture profiles?

We have over 500 character cards in the game each with full picture profiles.

4: Can you edit the database and individually edit the wrestler's stats and picture?

You can edit wrestler names and pictures. The quickest way to do that is by using iTunes. Basically you drag a folder into your iTunes library with the images you want to use, then you sync the game and providing you've named the images correctly they will appear in the game instead of the cool art we have made lol.

We don't allow you to edit the stats though because they are integral to gameplay. That said, you can level up wrestlers in many ways. For example putting wrestlers in matches with better wrestlers will increase their WRESTLING ABILITY stat. Having them win lots of matches will increase the number of FINISHING MOVES they have which will in turn increase their WRESTLING ABILITY. You can also improve the wrestlers MIC SKILLS and POPULARITY in different ways.

5: Is it never-ending or can you only do a certain amount of years?

The game never officially ends but after a certain number of years we calculate how much your company is worth and that becomes your official score for that save game. You can continue the game though and there's plenty of reason to but I'll talk more about that in the coming weeks.

6: Can you setup your own PPV and TV calendar schedule?

If you're good enough to get a TV deal you will be offered specific time slots and it's up to you if you want to take it. At which point the game becomes all about the ratings!!! The same goes for PPV's.

7: What version of IOS is this going to be compatible with?

Now there's a tough one. I'll have to consult the tech team and get back to you. I'm pretty sure it will be compatible with most versions but I'll confirm that as soon as I know the answer.

8: Do you have a solid release date?

We are sooooo close but I can't give any accurate dates because we still have some finishing touches to apply and then it has to go through the Apple submission process. If all goes to plan, you will be playing the game REALLY REALLY SOON! As soon as we know the release date, we'll be shouting it from the rooftops... or posting it on twitter/facebook/wrestlingmanagement.com (cheap plug) at least lol.

 

Thanks, I'll do my best to answer your questions but I can't really go into detail with prices because we don't have anything set in stone just yet.

1. Over 500 wrestlers etc. Are the all made up or are there "real" wrestlers?

There's over 500 character cards in the game and they are all new characters.

TO BE 100% CLEAR, WRESTLING MANAGER IS IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH ANY REAL LIFE WRESTLING PROMOTION AND THERE ARE NO REAL WRESTLERS IN THE GAME. THE WRESTLERS IN WRESTLING MANAGER ARE COMPLETELY FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.

The hard truth is, there's a lot of politics involved in signing real licensed wrestles and promotions and as much as we all would love to have made a fully licensed official wrestling management game, it just seems unlikely that anyone could get all of those companies to work together.

I'm sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for but the game has been designed as a parody of the wrestling world and we thought it was more consistent to have all of the wrestlers as parodies rather than having some as real wrestlers and others as parodies.

2. Similar price to Football Manager? That game is £5.99 which would be a fare price but i noticed you also have to buy in game packs of cards. How much will these cost? Most games with iap of card packs are normally free!


I'm sorry if we haven't been clear on this so far but you can play the whole game without picking up any of the IAP's and you won't miss out on any of the content. Alternatively, the IAP's in Wrestling Manager can be bought using in game currency that you earn from hosting events so you've no need to worry about that.

In truth, Wrestling Manager is a game I've always wanted to make but I'd be lying if I said it was a smart business decision. The reason there aren't any major companies like EA, Sega, Activision or THQ making wrestling management sims is because it's a huge investment for such a niche product. We built this game, knowing that it's an incredibly risky financial move and it's doubtful that we will ever make our initial investment back but it's something we really wanted to play and we know that others would really like to play it, so we took the chance. We have included the real IAP's because we are hopeful that the wrestling community will understand this and help support the game so that we can keep adding free patches to game play.

3. Wll this be universal or will there be a separate iPad version?

It will be universal.

 

The auction system allows you to target which cards you are specifically after. With any IAP in Wrestling Manager we guarantee a decent improvement to your company. We try to give you a wrestler who is better than your whole roster along with a few pot luck cards and some strategically placed cards all of which have the goal of improving your company. Granted, not every single pack will significantly improve your roster but most packs will certainly improve your company.

The card trading aspect of the game is quite fun and if you're good at Wrestling Manager you can pick up quite a lot of our in game currency in a short period of time which makes picking up your ideal roster an easy enough process.

We also have the option for the player to merge with whole organisations and these are huge packs which can basically give the player a high end roster along with quite a few nice perks. We know that some players don't really want to start at the bottom, some people want to just jump right in at the top and gain all of the features that other players will want to unlock, so the organisation merges act as a quick way for people to do that.

Well folks, thanks for asking the questions. I'll be back in a couple of weeks with some big news and so if you want to ask us anything, feel free to post it in here and when I come back I'll answer the new questions.

-Dan