We Need Your Help: Writing Storylines

[cody8200]

Hey gang,

I'm back writing storylines along with other members of the beta team. I'd love for some interested people to help us out. Reminders of what a storyline CAN and CANNOT do.

Storylines CAN

Make a player worse/better, heavier/lighter/, smarter/dumber, higher/lower work ethic, more/less loyalty, more/less popular, increase/decrease greed and morale, injure them, cause them to retire, be placed on trading block by team, to be released, to waive their no trade clause, to be fined, to be suspended, improve/decline talent, increase/decrease desire to play for a winner, increase/decrease local and national popularity, increase/decrease batter and pitchers main stats (stamina, contact, movement, etc.)

Make a team more/less cohesive (better/worse), increase/decrease fan interest, change a team's focus, change team's fan interest, change team's market size.

Storylines CANNOT:
Mention the results of a specific game, find someone that played bad in the past, change a player's position, find someone that hit a HR/had a hit/etc that day, change a team's league or team name, etc.

I'm also looking for storylines where a team's fan loyalty increase/decreases, market size increases/decreases, when a team clinches playoff birth, when a manager wins manager of the year, a story about a team who was eliminated from postseason contention, etc.

Finally, here is a great way to write a story

STORY TITLE
Year of story allowed (ie. if you mention Twitter, we need the story to run only in leagues of 2012+)
What types of player do you want the story to run for - an average player, a star, a rookie, etc.
Should this story be contained to the majors?
Should the player have certain characteristics? Good work ethic, dumb, angry, etc.
Should the team be playing well (if applicable)
Should the player be playing well this year (if applicable)
What season does this story occur in - preseason, offseason, season, etc?

I'm not really looking for ideas. I would like fully formed stories with quotes, titles, conditions and outcomes as mentioned above within your entry. A finalized version of a story would look like this:

Title: PLAYER LAST NAME Making Big Difference in CITYOFTEAM
Conditions: Player is star, player has high work ethic, player is locally popular, player is under 30 years old, major league only, year 2000 or higher.

Outcome: Higher national popularity for player, higher team interest by fans.

Story: PLAYER NAME has been making a big splash in City Name ever since he joined the Team's Nickname. The HEIGHT, WEIGHT lbs POSITION has really taken to the city and the city to him. Said one fan, "PLAYER LAST NAME has been really charitable with not only his money, but just as importantly, his time." PLAYER FIRST NAME AND LAST has been visiting local hospitals to see sick kids, raising money for the city's veterans and all in all, being a standout guy.

Said PLAYER LAST NAME of his work, "I don't like this being a story - I just want to do what I can for a community that has done nothing but embrace me since my time here." The PLAYERS AGE year old continues to set a great example for the city's youth and this reporter hopes we continue to see him around the city and at the stadium for a long time.

Thanks everyone! Please PM if you have questions.

[Chico Guilbault]

Do we PM or post our entries?

[cody8200]

Originally Posted by Chico Guilbault

Do we PM or post our entries?

Either way works great. I'll make sure and clear up space in my PM inbox so I won't miss any.

[The Yurpman]

I'll give a go at one. I've been playing since OOTP11 so I sort of know what works and what doesn't.

(I was thinking of David Price when creating this story.)

ELIMINATION FROM PLAYOFFS INCREASES CONCERNS OF PLAYER'S NAME CONFIDENCE IN BIG GAMES

PLAYER'S NAME still hasn't gotten the proverbial monkey of his back when it comes to playoff performance. PLAYER'S NAME, who put up solid regular seasons stats of (REGULAR SEASON STAT LINE), failed to live up to expectations, once again, when it mattered the most in the (PLAYOFF SERIES).

PLAYER'S NAME wasted little time when taking to Twitter to apologize for his poor performance and vowed, if given another chance, he would play better in the (PLAYOFF SERIES LOST). The rabid fan base, on the other hand, was seemingly torn. Some wished encouragement to PLAYER'S NAME while others hurled insults and other words incapable of printing. It can be said, however, that fan and ownership confidence in PLAYER'S NAME took a major hit and we will have to wait and see how the team approaches this matter.


- Year of story would have to be in the social media age (2012+)
- Story line would probably have to be for a star or superstar
- Would only concern players and teams in the majors
- Story line would occur following an exit from the playoffs
- Confidence, popularity, fan interest in PLAYER'S NAME would drop
- Maybe it could affect how likely PLAYER'S NAME would be to resign with his current team, accept a player option if he had one in his contract, or if the fans/media would run him out of town.

[baseballonly]

Conditions: 2012+, Above average or better players, in offseason after trade, majors only, player has low loyalty, low intelligence

Title: PLAYER NAME's Tweet Causes Concerns Among TEAM CITY NAME's Players, Fans
An old tweet from PLAYER NAME has got fans of the TEAM NICKNAME worried about the loyalty of their newest player. A tweet made three years ago by PLAYER LAST NAME, who was acquired by TEAM CITY NAME yesterday, surfaced today and reveals his true feelings about the ballclub:

"The TEAM NICKNAME are not the type of team I'd ever like to play for. Their coaches, players, and ownership are all terrible."

PLAYER LAST NAME was not available for comment, but a veteran of TEAM CITY NAME spoke to the media under the condition of anonymity. "I'm not quite sure what PLAYER FIRST NAME meant by that post," he said. "But I can tell you that's not the type of player we want around. The guys around here aren't going to be very happy with a person like him on the team." PLAYER LAST NAME's agent said the post was meaningless and fans ought not to worry.

Outcome: decreases team cohesion, decreases player loyalty

[baseballonly]

Conditions: 2005+, Player with little fan interest, player is not a starter, pre-season or season, work ethic average or worse.
Title: PLAYER NAME Stars in New Music Video--And Fans Love It
Most fans of the TEAM NAME have probably never even heard of PLAYER NAME, but that is quickly changing. The PLAYER AGE-year-old PLAYER POSITION stared in a music video which has received over 5,000,000 hits on the video-sharing site Youtube in just three days, earning recognition from baseball fans across the country. In the video, PLAYER LAST NAME is shown dancing to a popular tune while in his TEAM NICKNAME uniform.

The video has already infiltrated the TEAM NICKNAME's clubhouse, causing quite the reaction. "The guy's a goofball, and he's funny," said one teammate of PLAYER LAST NAME. "He's always fun to have on the team." Another player, however, did not offer the same feelings. "PLAYER FIRST NAME's a good guy, don't get me wrong," he said. "But he's got to get his head in the right place. We're here to win baseball games, not become pop stars."

Outcome: increase player Nat'l+Local Popularity, increase fan interest, decrease team cohesion.

[baseballonly]

Circumstances: Must be 2000 or later
Title: Report: TEAM CITY NAME Among the Fastest Growing Cities
According to a new report by Forbes, TEAM CITY NAME's population is growing at a rapid pace. The city's growth rate reached a staggering 3.5% in YEAR MINUS 1. This has large implications for the TEAM NICKNAME, as they can expect to sell more tickets in the near future to an ever-growing base of supporters.

Outcome: Increase Market Size, Decrease Fan Loyalty

[tejdog1]

Can we write up these stories using a real players name/real team, and have you edit them in the program?

[tejdog1]

Title: Rookie of the Year Winner Vows "This is just the beginning."
Conditions: player is reigning Rookie of the Year Award Winner, player has average work ethic, player is under 24 years old, major league only

Queens, New York -- Rookie of the Year winner, PLAYERNAME, today accepted the award and vowed to improve upon his performance in upcoming seasons. "I got a little taste of what it's like playing in TEAM LOCATION when you're going great, and I want more of that feeling. The fans really get behind you, make it easier to perform. I want to win for them." PLAYER LASTNAME was quoted as saying.

Outcome: Increase in work ethic and loyalty

------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Title: Superstar Wants to End Career with TEAM LOCATION, TEAM NICKNAME
Conditions: player has played whole career with one team, is locally very popular, above the age of 32, 9+ years of ML service

Denver, Colorado -- PLAYER NAME today indicated that he would be willing to take a substantial hometown discount to ensure he finishes his playing career with the TEAM LOCATION, TEAM NICKNAME. "I've been playing baseball for a long time, all of it in this fine city, in front of these fine fans. They've treated me with dignity and respect the whole way through, through the ups and downs, and I'm proud to be a member of the TEAM NICKNAME. This is where it began for me, and this is where, hopefully, it'll end for me, when that day comes." PLAYER LASTNAME was quoted as saying.

For his/her part, the General Manager of the TEAM NICKNAME is said to be open to such an extension. "PLAYER LAST NAME has been an ambassador of this franchise for years, and it would only be proper for him to end his career here. We'll sit down together and see what happens."

Outcome: Loyalty maxed, greed minned (minned?)

[cody8200]

Originally Posted by tejdog1

Can we write up these stories using a real players name/real team, and have you edit them in the program?

Yep, that would be okay. Thanks.

[Lukas Berger]

Cool stuff guys, please keep it up

[tejdog1]

Devastating Off-Field Accident Leaves Bryant's Playing Future in Jeopardy

Chicago, IL -- Kris Bryant was cleaning his own roof of snow today following the largest snowfall in Illonis' record, when disaster struck. Bryant, 25, slipped and fell off the two story roof, landing flat on his back. Luckily, his family immdiately alerted authorities and Bryant was rushed to a local hospital where he is currently being treated. The Cubs organization has asked for privacy and prayer for the superstar third baseman.

VVVVVVVVV

Bryant's career ends following tragic accident

Chicago, IL -- Three weeks ago, Kris Bryant suffered a terrible accident, tumbling two stories off a roof and sustaining major injuries. Today, he found out just how severe his injuries were, when doctors informed the 25 year old that he would never play baseball again. A tearful Bryant made the announcement today in front of a packed pressroom. "I'm... stunned, I haven't really had time to process it yet." Bryant said through tears. "Given the alternatives, I'm glad not to be paralyzed, but this is a pretty lousy alternative."

[tejdog1]

Four Straight Pennants lead to massive jump in ticket sales

New York, New York -- Fresh off four straight NL Pennants and three World Series titles, the New York Mets have seen the largest increase in demand for season tickets in their 55 year history. "We competitively priced our tickets for a team that has been as productive on the field as we have been recently, but the demand is through the roof." Mets principle owner Fred Wilpon said. "We're seeing fans that we have not seen before."

Indeed, a survey taken by the team after the conclusion of the most recent World Series has determined that the Mets market size and fanbase has increased as the team truly enters a golden period. It is expected that payroll should rise consummate to the increase in revenues. There are no plans as of yet to increase capacity at Citifield.

[andjbock]

Can storylines been cumulative, i.e. reference matters over 2+ seasons?

[cody8200]

Originally Posted by andjbock

Can storylines been cumulative, i.e. reference matters over 2+ seasons?

Unfortunately no, unless we are talking about teams not making the playoffs or making the playoffs.

[Padreman]

So you can't do end of the season storylines a player giving his response winning an award?

[cody8200]

Originally Posted by Padreman

So you can't do end of the season storylines a player giving his response winning an award?

The text team (not storylines) has much more capability with that type of story. Storyline editor could pull up a report about a player like that but wouldn't be able to insert his numbers for that year or any specifics. It would be too generic to be useful in a storyline. The text team (that currently does stories about that) uses a different system than the storyline system. Ideally they would have the same token/condition system in place but that isn't the case currently.

[David Watts]

We have pre-season predictions. What if at the end of our season we were to get a storyline saying something about ESPN(insert fictional sports network) decided to simulate the upcoming World Series using OOTP Baseball. The storyline could link to the results of the replay and also highlight some of the interesting moments that occurred as well.

Not sure if this qualifies as a storyline, but thought I would mention it here.

[andjbock]

Conditions:
average player, African (or foreign) country, offseason, intelligent, good work ethic

Outcome:
- <<weight>>, + <<LOCAL POPULARITY>>

Title:
<<PLAYER LAST NAME>> Completes 30 Day Hunger Strike to Raise Awareness for <<COUNTRY>>.

Story:
In an effort to bring attention to the recent political climate in his native <<COUNTRY>>, <<TEAM CITY>> <<TEAM NAME>> <<POSITION>>, <<PLAYER NAME>> recently gave up all solid foods for the past 30 days.

<<PLAYER LAST NAME>> has a well-documented history of showing his support for <<COUNTRY>> and this latest event should come as no surprise.

At a local press conference, <<PLAYER LAST NAME>> addressed the media by saying, “This hunger strike was not about me as an individual. It was about brining non-violent awareness and change to my home country. We are a peaceful people, but we will not be silenced when it comes to oppression.”

<<PLAYER LAST NAME>>’s effort have not gone unnoticed as donations for <<COUNTRY>> have been coming in from all around the world.

In response to his efforts, the <<TEAM NAME>> plans to donate money for every victory the team wins this year.

[andjbock]

-<STORYLINE only_in_offseason="1" random_frequency="2000" id="[%personname#1 l] Credits Yoga for Adding Life to His Pitches">


-<REQUIRED_DATA>

<DATA_OBJECT player_quality_min="4" player_quality_max="5" player_position="11" person_age_min="28" main_actor="1" type="PLAYER"/>

</REQUIRED_DATA>


-<ARTICLES>


-<ARTICLE id="000" pitching_stuff_modifier="1" pitching_movement_modifier="1" pitching_control_modifier="1">

<SUBJECT>="[%personname#1 l] Credits Yoga for Adding Life to His Pitches </SUBJECT>

<TEXT>While searching for inner peace, [%personlink#1 f l] may have also have found a way to mow down opposing hitters. [%personname#1 l] has been practicing Power Yoga six days a week for the past few months and now says he is in the best shape of his life. “The yoga has definitely helped in a variety of different ways,” said [%personname#1 l]. “I’m more flexible, I have a clear mind, and spiritually I am in a better place. Time will tell how his new regiment will affect his results on the mound, but for now, the pitcher is expecting to see a few more W’s next to his team’s name in the Win column.</TEXT>

</ARTICLE>

</ARTICLES>

</STORYLINE>