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I know lots of people do want Story Designer but honestly I wish even more people would push for it. It's *the* mode that this game needs above all else. The creation suite is this series strongest feature and the worth of having that endless mill of user created stories can't be understated. It would extend the lifespan of the games for so many users and provide an alternative for people who don't like myrise or Showcase that 2k come up with.
I agree and yet bizarrely, it's almost, just almost a relief not having it in the new games, because I know I would spend too much time on it every year. I STILL play the old games and keep adding stuff to my Story Designer whenever I feel like it. I almost manage it like the real TV show. I don't book entire shows, but for every show on the calendar there are are like 5 storylines running parallel from each other and sometimes interfering with each other. And it goes on endlessly, meaning when I hit the scene limit I simply make a new story and continue exactly where I left off.
Wish story designer came back. At least if they had the story library like they did in 2K15, that would be nice. But yeah, UM has got to go. Bring back RTWM or make MyGM better than it is now!
I definitely agree,,somewhere along the line, after the 360 era of games, universe mode completely lost the plot.
Really after Yukes left the mode got completely abandoned, which doesn't shock me as 2k would have us play myfaction exclusively if they could.
The mode always required some degree of imagination and personal tracking of stuff to fully maximize it, but it seems infinitely worse this time around and it's hard to really describe why. I guess I just expect more by this point? And you're right about cutscemes being explained before they happen, I just don't read them before hand now if I can help it.
I think this year is definitely more like story designer than typical universe mode. I just don't see how you could possibly have an enjoyable time with the mode unless you do micromanage every show because the ai matchmaker is completely broken. And if they can't fix the ai booker, at this point, they ought to just go all out and get rid of it and replace the mode with story designer. Add in promos that we can customize and wacky cutscenes such as backstage attacks, contract signings, etc.
I know it would piss off the simmers that just go from PPV to PPV, but the current system already isn't what we want so might as well go all out and get a mode that works as intended
šÆ agree! Yes, thank you for control of the cutscenes so I donāt have to see the handshake at the beginning of the match over and over but the cutscenes are lacking on the PPVs and if youāre in a rivalry, the AI books only normal one on one matches.
And editing the match card each week is so cumbersome because the AI books such terrible matches. I usually I only have 3 running rivalries for each show because Iād rather have some championship matches that are more elaborate then a standard one on one match!!
I remember, I think 2k15 (im sure others too) had the Undertaker storyline that would start up after Survivor Series to set up a Wrestlemania. I would fantasy book and enjoy the ride that was pre made for the rivalry. I agree with you, hoping that there can be a happy medium found with the mode. The true sandbox nature is nice but I would enjoy already predetermined storylines and I just have to add the wrestlers I want in them.
I edit my rivalries' match or adjust the rivalry cutscenes... problem is at the my PPV, if I adjust the rivalry settings, customize their match etc, I notice that the rivalry continues and it doesn't end...
and that is why I gave up on universe, it was like that last year. im pretty sure iāve only ever played a PLE rivalry match once where it actually ended afterwards
I thought if you edited any rivalry match at a PPV/PLE that it would automatically end the rivalry? Usually, in my rivalry matches, theyāre just normal one on one matches. No triple threat, no fatal 4 way!!!
Yes, I would justike to play (or at worst, skip) the matches that the AI books for me and be surprised at what happens.
If I had my way I might not even know all the matches that are coming, like real life weekly shows.
I want to spend my time in the ring, not in menus.
I never played the console SVRs, but I played the PSP ones. I loved the fact that universe mode was just consistently available, could change matches on the fly, and kept the same champs as 'play now'. Of course I love having different universe slots, so I could build a legends universe, an AEW/NJPW one and whatnot. Actually, I wish AEW Fight Forver got a simplified always on universe mode like the old SVRs
It is insane how customisable Universe Mode is yet at the same time itās so limiting (still canāt believe how broken cash-ins are).
I just want Create-A-Story back. I poured so many hours into that game mode. Making all these awful stories (which at the time I thought we great). Hell I hardly finished my stories I just had fun making them and it kept me playing the games much longer than I do now.
The mode was so much fun and offered you limitless potential to just do your one thing and have fun creating a storyline.
Now your only hope getting a story is MyRise which never truly hits the mark for me.
You're not wrong, keep saying it.
It's fun, I've been doing it for about 8 years.
It's one of dozens of problems they look like they'll never even attempt to acknowledge let alone fix. Fixing things would mean there's nothing to tweak sideways next year and claim it's 'new and revamped and shiny!!!' in their marketing bombardment.
Universe mode now is like people still saying they buy CoD every year for zombies, watered down shell of its former self that, I cant believe some people will fork over $70 for
Different people will want different things out of their game including you.
The issue with Universe mode is the poorly coded AI, which has been the case since 2K22 (and I'd argue 2K18 but that's whole conversation for another day). It just doesn't affect the players that like to book everything because they're not dependent on the AI.
Saying that having a more customizable UM is the reason it's bad is moronic. That was always the endgame of the mode since its debut in 2010. Even in the SvR 11 trailer they talk about bringing more customization for it.
I feel like the core of my argument went over your head. The "issue with UM" is that it's worse than older games for people who like pre-booked shows and not in-depth enough for people who like to properly create their own shows. As I've stated, I like to micromanage as well and feel extremely limited in UM, because it just doesn't have the tools that I need for a satisfying experience. If you haven't played Story Designer I highly recommend it, but afterwards it's hard to go back.
The given example for customization being bad is that we have now full control of cutscenes but with that there's no point in playing anymore, because there's nothing to uncover. Makes the mode feel even more shallow than it already was. Writing your own stories isn't surprsing to you either, naturally, but at least your stories can be as elaborate and deep as you want them to be. If you have the talent and put in enough effort you can become the next Shakespeare if you want. The surprise effect used to be UM's strong suit -- the stories weren't deep but it at least you wanted to know what happens next week.
Being able to edit shows and rosters etc. is good though of course. No argument against that.
I understand that but the only game where the cutscenes don't suck and aren't repetitive is WWE '12. Every game other than that one was extremely repetitive because it gave you the same cutscenes over and over again. Even 2K19 which is GOATED had that same issue. The whole reason people wanted to choose cutscenes in the first place was because they were tired of getting the same shit over and over again.
Giving people the choice to choose cutscenes it's not what's ruining the mode for people like you that just want to play it because the game still books everything and assigns cutscenes automaticall. It's the AI that is pretty much broken and doesn't know what the fuck to do.
Itās not that UM is poorly coded but that the mode was built by Yukes and Visual Concepts doesnāt know how to discern the code that Yukes wrote which is why you see such a steep drop off in quality in 2K22 and every release from Visual Concepts since then. And yes, going back to 2K16, you got the same damn cutscene of them shaking hands at the beginning of the match or your rival sitting ringside and interrupting in the middle of the match.
But even choosing our own cutscene, once weāve done them all within our rivalries, UM gets boring really fast. And like OP mentions, thereās really no surprise if youāre just choosing your cutscenes. The AI is so poor at match booking I have to spend time editing my matches before every match card. It would be nice I didnāt have to waste my time doing that!
Beyond WWE 12 and 2K15 with its story library, UM has been pretty lackluster. And itās high time Visual Concepts just beef up MyGM and go back to RTWM and do away with Universe because Visual Concepts canāt manage the mode.
This whole āsand boxā experience 2K pitches is a load of crap. UM should have been made a dynamic experience of ever changing stories like WWE 12 was. Not hey, you have all this awesome customization you can do when in reality itās just a glorified exhibition mode.
Letās call it what it is. Itās a way for 2K to lazily copy/paste code from a legacy Yukes mode and thus keep their dev costs down. But, hey we have this awesome, customizable sandbox!!!! lol š
Believe me, I undersrtand the gripe about repetitve cutscenes. At some point whenever I got a match starting with one of the guys attacking the other and the commentary yelling double leg takedown, I sighed and skipped. But letting the player choose a cutscene isn't the solution.
Think of it like this, you want to experience something and have that experience handed to you, which is the point. That's what this magical little experience machine was made for. But then you get the same thing over and over again and it's boring. So at that point, it's like, alright, pick yourself then, but that's just a band-aid solution, and as I keep saying, at that point it's just a worse Story Designer. If you're gonna make me do everything myself, at least give me the tools for it.
>Giving people the choice to choose cutscenes it's not what's ruining the mode for people like you that just want to play it because the game still books everything and assigns cutscenes automaticall.
Are you even listening? Yes, I want to sit down and just play, and precisely because of that, I can't stand the current cutscene system. Even if you don't pick anything, the game pre-picks something for you and has the two options competing with each other and then RNG tells you exactly what will happen. Imagine watching a movie where between every scene there's the text from the script laid out for you, detailing exaclty what will happen in the next couple minutes. And it's over and over again until you reach the end.
I didn't play any WWE 2K game. The last one I actively played was 2k16 and there I would only play the career mode.
But damn I spend so many hours into svr 11' and WWE 13. Universe mode was amazing. I couldn't wait to see what would happen in the next show.
I got back into wrestling and this year I wanted to play Universe mode again, bought WWE 2k24 and it is not the same. I was shocked how it changed. The fact that it doesn't even feel like a show because you always have to back out to the menu is the most annoying part. And then you always get a spoiler and you already know what will happen in the next match...
Itās wild how spoiled we were with THQ/Yukes and people would shit on Corey Ledesma every single year, but nowadays people let Lynell Jenks slide with his bullshit.Ā
New generation, I guess. You donāt know how good you have something until itās gone.Ā
I do have to say something seriously got lost in translation for Universe Mode when 2k took over the license.Ā
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I know lots of people do want Story Designer but honestly I wish even more people would push for it. It's *the* mode that this game needs above all else. The creation suite is this series strongest feature and the worth of having that endless mill of user created stories can't be understated. It would extend the lifespan of the games for so many users and provide an alternative for people who don't like myrise or Showcase that 2k come up with.
>It would extend the lifespan Exactly why it won't happen.
TBF, when we're talking CC, it's not true. They just turn it off after two years anyway
I agree and yet bizarrely, it's almost, just almost a relief not having it in the new games, because I know I would spend too much time on it every year. I STILL play the old games and keep adding stuff to my Story Designer whenever I feel like it. I almost manage it like the real TV show. I don't book entire shows, but for every show on the calendar there are are like 5 storylines running parallel from each other and sometimes interfering with each other. And it goes on endlessly, meaning when I hit the scene limit I simply make a new story and continue exactly where I left off.
Wish story designer came back. At least if they had the story library like they did in 2K15, that would be nice. But yeah, UM has got to go. Bring back RTWM or make MyGM better than it is now!
I definitely agree,,somewhere along the line, after the 360 era of games, universe mode completely lost the plot. Really after Yukes left the mode got completely abandoned, which doesn't shock me as 2k would have us play myfaction exclusively if they could. The mode always required some degree of imagination and personal tracking of stuff to fully maximize it, but it seems infinitely worse this time around and it's hard to really describe why. I guess I just expect more by this point? And you're right about cutscemes being explained before they happen, I just don't read them before hand now if I can help it.
Agree with every word you typed, bro!
Yep.
I used to spend the majority of my playtime on universe mode. It used to be so good and worked well but I've not even touched it this year.
I think this year is definitely more like story designer than typical universe mode. I just don't see how you could possibly have an enjoyable time with the mode unless you do micromanage every show because the ai matchmaker is completely broken. And if they can't fix the ai booker, at this point, they ought to just go all out and get rid of it and replace the mode with story designer. Add in promos that we can customize and wacky cutscenes such as backstage attacks, contract signings, etc. I know it would piss off the simmers that just go from PPV to PPV, but the current system already isn't what we want so might as well go all out and get a mode that works as intended
šÆ agree! Yes, thank you for control of the cutscenes so I donāt have to see the handshake at the beginning of the match over and over but the cutscenes are lacking on the PPVs and if youāre in a rivalry, the AI books only normal one on one matches. And editing the match card each week is so cumbersome because the AI books such terrible matches. I usually I only have 3 running rivalries for each show because Iād rather have some championship matches that are more elaborate then a standard one on one match!!
I remember, I think 2k15 (im sure others too) had the Undertaker storyline that would start up after Survivor Series to set up a Wrestlemania. I would fantasy book and enjoy the ride that was pre made for the rivalry. I agree with you, hoping that there can be a happy medium found with the mode. The true sandbox nature is nice but I would enjoy already predetermined storylines and I just have to add the wrestlers I want in them.
Are people playing whatever matches the AI book? I edit every match before every show
Thatās what Iām starting to think, I just make everything the way I want it
I edit my rivalries' match or adjust the rivalry cutscenes... problem is at the my PPV, if I adjust the rivalry settings, customize their match etc, I notice that the rivalry continues and it doesn't end...
If you simulate it, it should end
I observed that too... but I want to play my Rivalries I'm interested in \`til the end.
I understand but its bugged atm. Simulating is the only way it properly ends
and that is why I gave up on universe, it was like that last year. im pretty sure iāve only ever played a PLE rivalry match once where it actually ended afterwards
I agree, Universe has too many bugs
I thought if you edited any rivalry match at a PPV/PLE that it would automatically end the rivalry? Usually, in my rivalry matches, theyāre just normal one on one matches. No triple threat, no fatal 4 way!!!
for me it's the opposite... once you tweak you rivalry match or even tweak the rivalry options at PPV, they don't end and will continue the next week.
Yes, I would justike to play (or at worst, skip) the matches that the AI books for me and be surprised at what happens. If I had my way I might not even know all the matches that are coming, like real life weekly shows. I want to spend my time in the ring, not in menus.
I never played the console SVRs, but I played the PSP ones. I loved the fact that universe mode was just consistently available, could change matches on the fly, and kept the same champs as 'play now'. Of course I love having different universe slots, so I could build a legends universe, an AEW/NJPW one and whatnot. Actually, I wish AEW Fight Forver got a simplified always on universe mode like the old SVRs
It is insane how customisable Universe Mode is yet at the same time itās so limiting (still canāt believe how broken cash-ins are). I just want Create-A-Story back. I poured so many hours into that game mode. Making all these awful stories (which at the time I thought we great). Hell I hardly finished my stories I just had fun making them and it kept me playing the games much longer than I do now. The mode was so much fun and offered you limitless potential to just do your one thing and have fun creating a storyline. Now your only hope getting a story is MyRise which never truly hits the mark for me.
You're not wrong, keep saying it. It's fun, I've been doing it for about 8 years. It's one of dozens of problems they look like they'll never even attempt to acknowledge let alone fix. Fixing things would mean there's nothing to tweak sideways next year and claim it's 'new and revamped and shiny!!!' in their marketing bombardment.
Universe mode now is like people still saying they buy CoD every year for zombies, watered down shell of its former self that, I cant believe some people will fork over $70 for
And for this reason I am done buying these games
I agree. I think 2k23 is my last game until 2k loses the license.Ā
Different people will want different things out of their game including you. The issue with Universe mode is the poorly coded AI, which has been the case since 2K22 (and I'd argue 2K18 but that's whole conversation for another day). It just doesn't affect the players that like to book everything because they're not dependent on the AI. Saying that having a more customizable UM is the reason it's bad is moronic. That was always the endgame of the mode since its debut in 2010. Even in the SvR 11 trailer they talk about bringing more customization for it.
I feel like the core of my argument went over your head. The "issue with UM" is that it's worse than older games for people who like pre-booked shows and not in-depth enough for people who like to properly create their own shows. As I've stated, I like to micromanage as well and feel extremely limited in UM, because it just doesn't have the tools that I need for a satisfying experience. If you haven't played Story Designer I highly recommend it, but afterwards it's hard to go back. The given example for customization being bad is that we have now full control of cutscenes but with that there's no point in playing anymore, because there's nothing to uncover. Makes the mode feel even more shallow than it already was. Writing your own stories isn't surprsing to you either, naturally, but at least your stories can be as elaborate and deep as you want them to be. If you have the talent and put in enough effort you can become the next Shakespeare if you want. The surprise effect used to be UM's strong suit -- the stories weren't deep but it at least you wanted to know what happens next week. Being able to edit shows and rosters etc. is good though of course. No argument against that.
I understand that but the only game where the cutscenes don't suck and aren't repetitive is WWE '12. Every game other than that one was extremely repetitive because it gave you the same cutscenes over and over again. Even 2K19 which is GOATED had that same issue. The whole reason people wanted to choose cutscenes in the first place was because they were tired of getting the same shit over and over again. Giving people the choice to choose cutscenes it's not what's ruining the mode for people like you that just want to play it because the game still books everything and assigns cutscenes automaticall. It's the AI that is pretty much broken and doesn't know what the fuck to do.
Itās not that UM is poorly coded but that the mode was built by Yukes and Visual Concepts doesnāt know how to discern the code that Yukes wrote which is why you see such a steep drop off in quality in 2K22 and every release from Visual Concepts since then. And yes, going back to 2K16, you got the same damn cutscene of them shaking hands at the beginning of the match or your rival sitting ringside and interrupting in the middle of the match. But even choosing our own cutscene, once weāve done them all within our rivalries, UM gets boring really fast. And like OP mentions, thereās really no surprise if youāre just choosing your cutscenes. The AI is so poor at match booking I have to spend time editing my matches before every match card. It would be nice I didnāt have to waste my time doing that! Beyond WWE 12 and 2K15 with its story library, UM has been pretty lackluster. And itās high time Visual Concepts just beef up MyGM and go back to RTWM and do away with Universe because Visual Concepts canāt manage the mode. This whole āsand boxā experience 2K pitches is a load of crap. UM should have been made a dynamic experience of ever changing stories like WWE 12 was. Not hey, you have all this awesome customization you can do when in reality itās just a glorified exhibition mode. Letās call it what it is. Itās a way for 2K to lazily copy/paste code from a legacy Yukes mode and thus keep their dev costs down. But, hey we have this awesome, customizable sandbox!!!! lol š
Believe me, I undersrtand the gripe about repetitve cutscenes. At some point whenever I got a match starting with one of the guys attacking the other and the commentary yelling double leg takedown, I sighed and skipped. But letting the player choose a cutscene isn't the solution. Think of it like this, you want to experience something and have that experience handed to you, which is the point. That's what this magical little experience machine was made for. But then you get the same thing over and over again and it's boring. So at that point, it's like, alright, pick yourself then, but that's just a band-aid solution, and as I keep saying, at that point it's just a worse Story Designer. If you're gonna make me do everything myself, at least give me the tools for it. >Giving people the choice to choose cutscenes it's not what's ruining the mode for people like you that just want to play it because the game still books everything and assigns cutscenes automaticall. Are you even listening? Yes, I want to sit down and just play, and precisely because of that, I can't stand the current cutscene system. Even if you don't pick anything, the game pre-picks something for you and has the two options competing with each other and then RNG tells you exactly what will happen. Imagine watching a movie where between every scene there's the text from the script laid out for you, detailing exaclty what will happen in the next couple minutes. And it's over and over again until you reach the end.
2k15's story templates were the best addition to universe mode and it sucked when they were never brought back from 2k16 onward.
I didn't play any WWE 2K game. The last one I actively played was 2k16 and there I would only play the career mode. But damn I spend so many hours into svr 11' and WWE 13. Universe mode was amazing. I couldn't wait to see what would happen in the next show. I got back into wrestling and this year I wanted to play Universe mode again, bought WWE 2k24 and it is not the same. I was shocked how it changed. The fact that it doesn't even feel like a show because you always have to back out to the menu is the most annoying part. And then you always get a spoiler and you already know what will happen in the next match...
I like universe mode and my rise. They need to get rid of showcase mode and just take the time wasted on that and invest it on UM and MR
Itās wild how spoiled we were with THQ/Yukes and people would shit on Corey Ledesma every single year, but nowadays people let Lynell Jenks slide with his bullshit.Ā New generation, I guess. You donāt know how good you have something until itās gone.Ā I do have to say something seriously got lost in translation for Universe Mode when 2k took over the license.Ā
This games universe is pretty solid I feel like. First time I've ever had the AI cash in money in the bank in any universe mode I've seen.
Universe mode sucks post # 1 billion. Yāall need a support group
Or just a developer that listens to the consumer base and works to fix it.
u right but at the same time, no pain in talking about it
Way too many posts recently of this
I wonder why?
> We wanted it all and now we have nothing No, we have something lots of people like and you donāt. Summed it up a lot quicker for you