Here Comes the Strategy! Strategy Guide for "WWE Smackdown!: Here Comes the Pain" System: PlayStation 2 Genre(s): Wrestling, Fighting, Sports Final Version Thanks to everybody who read(s) this guide! ==================== LEGAL STUFF!!! This document was written by Kevin Love. Copyright Kevin Love, 2003-2004. All trademarks mentioned within this document are the property of their respective owner(s). The author has no affiliation with THQ, Yukes, or WWE. This guide, above all else, is to remain free. If your site makes the decision to make its FAQ section available to paying customers only, please remove this guide. Since this guide will no longer be updated, I will only allow it to be posted to new sites in special situations. You can reach me at neo_aa@hotmail.com. Approved Sites: GameFAQs IGN FAQs Gamespot (by way of GameFAQs) Neoseeker Cheat Code Central Nettowa-Ku ==================== Note - If looking for a specific topic, use your browser's "find" feature. If you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail them to: neo_aa@hotmail.com WILL I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? Since the guide is complete now, there should be few questions left. If you are having trouble though, you can always try e-mailing me. If the question is already answered, or if I know you're going to figure it out in ten minutes on your own, I will probably not reply. Version Updates: Final -Added Sub Section "Custom Character Tips" -Updated FAQ Portion -Updated Singles Match -Added Section Five -Added Jeff Hardy Custom Wrestler Design 1.7 -Updated FAQ Portion 1.6 -Updated FAQ Portion -Added Elbow-Whip to Controls -Updated Permission List 1.5 -Updated FAQ Portion -Updated Elimination Chamber Match 1.4 -Added Ladder Match -Updated FAQ Portion -Updated Hell in a Cell Match -Updated "Self Control" 1.3b -Updated Permission List 1.3 -Updated FAQ Portion -Added Tag Match 1.2 -Updated FAQ Portion -Added to Permission List -Added Last Man Standing Match 1.1 -Updated FAQ Portion -Added Contributors Section -Added Sub Section: Character Stats -Updated Controls -Added Hell in a Cell, Lumberjack Matches Contributors: Clinton Bernes David Brookes Jimmy Chan Archie de Leon Ang Corey Garnett Bryan Glass Mitch Glover Ronnie Gonzalez Jeremy Hosack Goran Hourami David R. Keller Daniel Lugo Vince Nguyen Dustin Nichols Paul Orrell Eric Smith Adam Spencer David Stephen Shawn Ullom Aaron Williams Chad Dave Jay Jon Kam Nesan Rob Wes Guardian Flash Mister Mystery Nicodemus Queen Richard Alvarez16 BardstownJam Brdhsby5 DTruthPaulPierce Jagos369 LazyJoeD Lmbenred MadmanUnmasked98 Monkeyboy41104 R562 Rocketboy723 WCWBladeX Xassclown711x Xclusiv3mamii ==================== SECTIONS OF THE GUIDE: 1. The Best WWE Game Ever 2. Self Control -Sub Section: Character Stats -Sub Section: Custom Character Tips 3. Illuminating the Matches 4. FAQ 5. The End, My Only Friend ==================== SECTION 1 - The Best WWE Game Ever ==================== "WWE Smackdown!: Here Comes the Pain" is the best WWE game ever... that's what you'd say if you were four years of age. With the number of WWE (formerly WWF) games on the market, people will never agree on which one is the best. However, I can securely say that HCTP is a great wrestling game, and everybody should be able to find a reason to like it. Simply put, don't e-mail me telling me how much the game stinks. Because it doesn't and you know it. To put it in the words of Comic Book Guy: The grappling system is superb. The season mode is quite adequate. The unlockable wrestlers are spectacular. The damage system is irrefutable. The blood is amusingly dramatic. HCTP is a profound wrestling experience for those interested in the subject of dramatized fantasy combat. "Best PS2 wrestler... EVER!" ==================== SECTION 2 - Self Control ==================== The beauty of HCTP is that the instruction manual contains everything you need to know about the controls. However, here's a basic rundown of terms and how they essentially work. RUNNING - The act of moving your legs quickly. Press triangle to run. You can perform strikes and grapples while running with their respective buttons. STRIKING - The act of damaging an opponent with a limb, whether it's a foot or fist. Press X or X plus any direction to perform a strike. COMBO - The act of performing several strikes in a rapid manner. Press X on its own up to three times in a row to perform your wrestler's combo on a standing opponent. GRAPPLING - The act of throwing or forceably controlling your opponent. Press circle plus a direction to initiate a grapple. If standing, the following presses will perform specific grapple types... press circle plus a direction after one of these to perform an actual move. Circle + Up: Power Grapple Circle + Down: Submission Grapple Circle + Left: Signature Grapple Circle + Right: Quick Grapple REVERSING: The act of countering an opponent's move and escaping damage. Press L2 to reverse a strike, and R2 to reverse a grapple. TAUNTING: The act of physically gesturing to rile up a crowd and tease your opponent. Press up, down, left, or right on the right analog stick to taunt. The longer the taunt lasts, the more your Smackdown meter rises. SMACKDOWN! MOVE: As you beat on your opponent and taunt, your Smackdown meter will rise. Every time it fills, you'll get a smackdown icon. Daze your opponent and press L1 when the Smackdown logo pops up in front of your name bar to perform your Smackdown move (when selecting a character, you can view details about their Smackdown moves.) PINNING - The act of holding another wrestler's shoulder to the ground. Doing this for three counts will typically mean you've won. While your opponent is on the ground, press down + circle. Some other moves will perform pins depending on who you're playing as. SUBMISSION - The act of attempting to make an opponent give up. When you come across one of these moves, press the X and Square buttons rapidly to push the contest your way. There will be an on-screen prompt to do so, don't worry about missing it. IRISH WHIP - The act of forcing your opponent to run in to something as only the physics of pro-wrestling allow. You can either run at your opponent and hit Circle, or press Circle standing still. If standing still, you can push a direction after initiating the whip to control which way your opponent runs. This is useful for three reasons: 1. You can run your opponent in to a turnbuckle, where they will become hung up and you can perform additional moves. 2. You can run your opponent in to the ropes, where they will bounce back and can be struck or thrown in a powerful fashion. 3. You can run your opponent in to obstacles, from a security barrier to book shelves. ELBOW-WHIP: The act of feigning an irish whip only to reverse it and strike your opponent with your elbow. This dazes them, readying them for higher damage or your Smackdown move. Perform this move by tapping circle, then tapping X before letting go of the opponent. CLIMBING THE TURNBUCKLE - Just run in to the turnbuckle post to climb it. Press X along with various directions to perform flying attacks. ACTION BUTTON - The Square button performs many actions. It picks up and drops weapons, sets up some items like Tables and Ladders, and removes turnbuckle covers. WEAPONRY - While holding a weapon, press X to swing it and Circle to throw it. DRAGGING - The act of pulling a downed opponent in the direction(s) that you like. While your opponent is prone on the ground, hold down the circle button on its own and use the directional buttons to drag them. This move is useful for avoiding rope breaks. ========== Sub Section Character Stats ========== Each character has stats that affect their performance vastly. Here is the breakdown: STRENGTH: Increasing this increases the damage amount of all your moves. SUBMISSION: This increases the length of time you can hold a "contest" submission move. Equal to number of seconds it will be held. Also contributes to effectiveness of button presses during submissions, whether on offensive or defensive side. ENDURANCE: The amount of damage you can shrug off. Increasing this means that if a move hits you, the damage will be less than before. TECHNIQUE: Your ability to avoid moves. The higher this rating is, the earlier you can press a defense button and reverse a move successfully. SPEED: This controls a lot. It controls the rate at which you walk, run, climb turnbuckles and cages, and even how quickly you get to your feet after recovering from a move. OVR: Overall rating. All characters, technically starting with stats of 1, gain a point for each half-point upgrade they make. A character with all 1's will have an overall rating of 10. A character with all 5's will have a rating of 50. A character with all 10's (woah!) will have a rating of 100. SP: How popular a character is. You get this by winning matches and certain events in season mode. It can be lost as well, so be careful. ========== Sub Section Custom Character Tips ========== So, you've been trying to create your wrestler's appearance. During your work, the process somehow messed up your wrestler's figure! Don't fret. Here's a combination I've worked out that makes a basic/realistic/humanly proportioned character. The following assumes that you're editing your character's appearance, and makes a good body in five easy steps. Step 1: In body morphing, change the size back to 0. That's 0 for X, and 0 for Y. Step 2: Select form, and starting from the top, set the following settings (X is width, Y is height, and Y2 refers to length.) Head: X=-1, Y=0, Y2=28 Neck: X=39, Y=39, Y2=-78 Shoulders: X=-12, Y=0, Y2=25 Chest: X=13, Y=-5, Y2=-1 Arms: X=34, Y=25, Y2=-76 Forearms: X=0, Y=-1 Hands: X=0, Y=-1, Y2=5 Abdomen: X=34, Y=0, Y2=0 Waist: X=0, Y=-20 Thighs: X=5, Y=5 Legs: X=5, Y=5, Y2=0 Feet: X=19, Y=19 Step 3: Set the height of your wrestler (6'2"-6'4" makes for an average heavyweight character.) Step 4: If you're happy with the character so far, you can skip this. If you'd like the character to be bigger or smaller, edit their setting in body morphing so that the character is thin/beefy/bulky to your taste. Step 5: Play a singles match against a character who has a build like you want yours to have. If you notice that your head is too big, adjust it under form. Make any other adjustments you need. As written, the head may be a little large (depending on what basic model you set for it under face.) Compare it to the regular wrestlers. I recommend under "skin" for the body that you select the very first texture. It's the most generic and won't look silly, no matter what size you change the body to. Keep in mind that the numbers on any object may change slightly on their own, but it won't happen more than once and the proportions should still be exactly the same as you entered them. ==================== SECTION 3 - Illuminating the Matches ==================== SINGLES MATCH This is as simple as it gets. You are fighting another wrestler. There are two ways you can win. If you want to win by pin, stick to moves that damage the other wrestler's body and head. Once they turn orange and red, begin attempting to pin them. You can also win the single match by submission. Figure out the part of the body that your move damages. For example, the sharpshooter does NOT damage the opponent's legs... it damages their body, since the spine is having pressure placed on it. Attack that point of their body mercilessly. When your submission is being used, hit X and Square rapidly to attempt to make them give up. In any match, you'll need to learn to dodge. As your opponent is about to hit you with a strike, press L2 to reverse the punch. As your opponent is about to grab you, press R2 to reverse the grapple. This works against both an initial grab and the grab where an actual move is about to happen. In some situations when your opponent reverses, they will step behind you and put you in a wrist-lock. This reversal can be reversed! When the character visibly applies pressure, press L2 to counter the wrist-lock. It is a somewhat effective tactic to open a match with lots of strikes. Strikes, since they happen faster than grapples, will raise your special meter faster than grapples. However, they don't do as much actual damage, so you will need to use grapples sooner or later. A good opportunity to use a front Smack Down move is right after you've reversed a regular attack. Your opponent will be temporarily dazed, and all you have to do is hit L1. If you need to do something illegal, make sure the referee doesn't see it. You can accomplish this by knocking him down. It's difficult to do, as he's learned how to dodge attacks since the last Smackdown game, but it is possible to catch him off guard. Once he's down, quickly find a weapon (either under the ring or at ringside) and bash your opponent with it. Remember, if the referee gets up, don't use the weapon! You will be disqualified in most single matches for using weapons. The best way to take down a referee is with a running grapple. Sometimes the opportunity for a running strike presents itself as well. Don't aim your designator at the referee, or he'll know you're after him. Press the direction pad in his direction, run, and hit X. If DQs are off in a singles match, don't worry about knocking the referee out. TAG MATCH Here's the rundown: Each team has two wrestlers. Only one wrestler may be in the ring at a time (unless the match is a tornado match.) As a wrestler gets damaged, they will want to tag out so that a less-damaged wrestler can come in and fight. While a partner waits on the side of the ring, their Smackdown meter will rise on its own. To tag in your partner, walk to your corner. Press towards your partner and hit the square button. To call in your partner for a quick assist, press the right analog stick in any direction (will also taunt if you are standing.) To perform a turnbuckle double-team move, whip your opponent in to your side's turnbuckle and perform a grappling move on them. Your partner will not only be tagged in, but a devestating move will be performed. Use these strategically. The moves are very damaging, but on the downside, the partner's Smackdown meter will stop rising while this is going on (though your enemy's partner's meter is still increasing.) You can also perform a regular tag team move. Grab your opponent with any style of lock-up when your partner is in the ring. Assuming they grab the opponent in time, a double-team move will be performed. You can not count on your partner to protect you when you pin an opponent. Before you go for the pin, walk over to your opponent's corner, and target the enemy on the apron. Knock them off, then quickly get back to your downed enemy and after targetting them, go for the pin. HARDCORE MATCH This is basically like any other match, depending on how many people are in it, but with one exception: weapons are abundant and legal. Press square to pick one up, X to bash an opponent with one, and circle to throw it. You can also irish whip your opponents in to objects to damage them. Many walls, stacks of objects, cars, shelves, etc. will work. If you come across the motorcycle, you can climb on with the square button. Press X to accelerate, Triangle to go in reverse, Square to dismount, and circle to grab your opponent. It's tricky, but if you manage to grab them, press circle one more time to throw them. LUMBERJACK MATCH This is a single match with an important change. Each of the two wrestlers has two friends outside of the ring. Much like managers, each lumberjack will attempt to grab the enemy of their ally while they are in the ring. Stay away from the edges where your enemies are lurking. If you get the opportunity, whip your opponent out of the ring near where one of your allies is. This will keep them out of the ring for awhile, allowing you to taunt them. They will also accumulate a bit of damage. CAGE MATCH There are two types of cage matches. One can only be won by escaping the cage. The other can be won not only by esacping, but can also be won by pin or submission. To escape the cage, beat on your opponent until he lies still on the mat (this is their most injured state as far as getting back up goes.) Climb the side of the cage by pressing towards it and hitting square. Climb faster by rotating the control pad. When you get to the top, wait a moment and your wrestler will climb down the side and escape. If your opponent is attempting to escape, attack the side of the cage that he's escaping from as quickly as possible. One hit should be able to knock them off. ELIMINATION CHAMBER The ring is surrounded by a massive cage. Two wrestlers start out the match, and another wrestler is released from glass enclosures every minute. Each wrestler must be eliminated battle-royale style with a pin. Keep out of the match as much as possible and let your enemies do most of the work for you... they're after each other too, don't forget. The pin does not need to take place within the ring structure. You can climb the cage by standing next to it and hitting square. When you climb as high as you can go, you can move left and right to climb on top of one of the glass chambers. From there, you can climb down with square or perform a flying attack with X. The glass chambers can be broken by using circle to whip somebody in to one. This is extremely damaging. You can also grind your opponent's face in to the side of the cell. Get next to one of the flat sides of the cell (that is, top/bottom/left/right sides) and tap circle. Press towards the side you're standing next to. This will begin to perform an Irish Whip, but will wind up rubbing your opponent's face on the cage. HELL IN A CELL The ring is surrounded by a large cell. The match ends when an opponent has been pinned. You can exit the cell by running in to the door (triangle) to first break it. Then you can exit with triangle or square. To climb the cell, run at the side of the cell when outside of it. To get down without hurting yourself, walk towards the edge of the cell and hit square when you get close to the side. (thanks to LazyJoeD for the question about getting down.) You can slam an opponent through the top of the cell. The central two squares are different than the rest. Slam them multiple times on those squares. After it is dented, it will break with one more slam. Be careful, you'll fall through the cell if you're over the opening as well! You can toss an opponent off the side of the cell. Whip your opponent towards the edge, and grapple them while they are unbalanced. You can perform aerial moves from the top of the cell. While your opponent is on the floor below, press X to leap from the top of the cell. When outside the ring but inside the cell there are special grapples you will perform: Circle: Roll opponent in to ring Circle + Up: Body Press Toss in to cage Circle + Down: Face Slam in to cage Circle + Left: Rub opponent's face on cell repeatedly Circle + Right: Slams opponent's face in to ring, smashes back in to cell If you are standing near a turnbuckle (the corner of the cell,) you will slam your opponent's face in to the turnbuckle and roll them in to the ring. Other than basic match strategies, use the dangerous heights in HIAC to your advantage. If your opponent falls a few times, they're done for. You can pin your opponent anywhere, even on top of the cell! (thanks to everybody who pointed this out.) LAST MAN STANDING This is basically a Hardcore match. However, you must beat your opponent until they can no longer get up rather than pin them. The best way to do this is to get a chair from under the ring. Press Up + X to perform a powerful strike with the chair. You can also strike them with the chair while they are on the ground. When they sprawl out on the ground as if they're totally out of energy, let them sit. The referee will begin counting. If they get back up, daze them with the chair by pressing left + X, then press L1 to use a chair special move (assuming you have a Smackdown icon.) Continue attacking them until they stay down for ten counts. LADDER MATCH Very much like a Hardcore match. However, you can't win by pins or submission. The only way to win the match is to climb a ladder and grab the belt suspended from the top of the arena. First, you must beat your opponent senseless. Remember, you can use the ladder! Press up or down plus X to throw the ladder on the floor, and your opponent on top of the ladder. From there, you can grapple them to perform a body slam on the ladder, or you can use ground strikes. Once your opponent is badly damaged and is sprawled out, pick up the ladder with square. In your mind, divide the ring in to nine equal squares... 3 rows of 3 squares each. Put the ladder in the center of one of those squares. If you put the ladder directly under the belt, climb the ladder with direction plus square and tap circle on its own to grab the belt. If you are in one of the eight other squares, press towards the belt and hit circle when on top of the ladder. If your opponent isn't down, they'll grab your legs and pull you down! If another wrestler grabs on to the belt, you'll have a few moments to grab their legs and pull them down. Without climbing the ladder, stand under them and press a direction plus circle to grab them. They will come down without the belt if you do this. To knock over a ladder, press square on its own. This works whether your opponents are on it or not! ==================== SECTION 4 - FAQ ==================== FEATURES Q. Does the game feature commentary or announcers? (thanks to Aaron Williams for the question.) A. No, the matches are completely voiceless, along with season mode. Q. Can you rip your own music for the game? (thanks to all who asked.) A. No, the game doesn't support this. EXHIBITION Q. How do I bring up the list of Taunt/Attack/Respect in exhibition? (Thanks to Wes.) A. You can't. This menu only appears duing season. Q. How do I do a 3D through a table? (Thanks to Wes.) A. To the best of my knowledge, there is no table 3D. If anybody has done this however, please e-mail me. Q. Can you defend titles in Exhibition? (thanks to Jeremy Hosack for the question.) A. No, you can't. Q. How do you use special effects during your Smackdown move? (thanks to Kam for the question.) A. All special effects are automatically handled now. There is no way to force a certain effect. Q. Can I change the time limit to something other than ten minutes for iron man and ultimate submission matches? (thanks to jagos369 for noticing this!) A. No, you can't. Q. How do you drag an opponent away from the ropes? (thanks to all who asked this question.) A. Hold down the circle button on its own while your opponent is down. When you grab them, push the directional pad in the direction you wish to drag them. Q. I attack an opponent who is holding a chair, but they won't drop it! What do I do? (thanks to Eric Smith for the question.) A. It's difficult to make an opponent drop a weapon when they have it. The best way I've found to disarm an opponent is to run at them, and pressing a direction, hit circle. This will force them to drop the weapon and place you behind them. Q. Can you throw your opponent in to the steel cage during a cage match? (thanks to David Brookes for the question.) A. No, it's not possible. Q. How do I set tag matches so that I don't control both members of a team? (thanks to Chris Heilman for the question.) A. In exhibition, when you select the player configuration for a tag match, you'll notice that 1P is listed for both members of a team. Deselect one of those that it says COM. Now you'll always control only one character. During a tag match, you can also switch the character you are controlling by pressing select. This is useful for outside interference and for protecting your character while they are pinning an opponent. (thanks to Corey Garnett for this information.) Q. Can you climb to the peak of the cell during Elimination Chamber matches? A. No, you can only climb on top of the four holding cells and the sides of the chamber. Q. Can you perform finishers through tables? (thanks to Brdhsby5 for the question.) A. Yes. When you grab your opponent who is lying on the table, you'll climb up with them. Hit them with a toe kick (left or right plus down and X) and press L1. This only applies to frontal finishers. Q. Can created female wrestlers participate in a Bra and Panties match? (thanks to David R. Keller for the question.) A. No, custom female wrestlers cannot wrestle in this match. Q. How do I get somebody to interfere in my match? (thanks to all who asked.) A. As long as you're in a stable with somebody (you can check in "Create A Stable" mode if you're in one,) you can press R3 to have a stablemate interfere. This only works if interference is turned on. For those of you who don't know, R3 means actually pushing in the right analog. Not up, down, left, or right, but in... like it's a button. It clicks, too. Q. Is there a key to press to recover more quickly after being knocked down? (thanks to Dave and Chad for the question.) A. I received a tip from Nicodemus that the instruction manual says to press directions rapidly, but I was unable to find that in the manual or through testing. Tapping a single direction rapidly while down, however, will help you escape in that direction when you get up. Q. Is there a button you can press to help you while pinning your opponent? (thanks to Dave and Chad for the question.) A. No. A pin's success is determined by how damaged the victim is, and the buttons they press. During a singles match, you can tell if a pin will work or not by whether or not the screen blurs. If it does, you've got a guaranteed pin. GRAPPLING Q. My submission moveset doesn't perform all submissions! What's the deal? A. The submission movesets don't seem to be all about performing actual submissions in every case, but rather they give you a way to injure your opponent's limbs (making it easier for submission moves to work.) Think of it as a "submission assistance" move set. THE DAMAGE SYSTEM Q. How does it work? A. As you attack a specific part of the body, it will become more damaged. After several attacks the limb will change color in the display next to the wrestler's name. The color will slowly change from yellow to orange to red. Once it is orange, the wrestler will occasionally grab the appropriate part of their body in pain. Q. How do I get my opponent to bleed? A. First, you must damage their head to the point that it is red (not orange, red.) Next, you must perform a "bleeding" move. These are denoted with a red B in the create a move set mode. If a move slams somebody on their face, it is likely that it will make them bleed. Weapons can make people bleed, so try them if you can do it without getting disqualified. WEAPONS Q. Where do I get weapons? A. You can get weapons from under the ring. Standing still next to the ring (making sure you're centered along the side) press Square. Q. What weapons are in the game, and where can I get them? (thanks to Xclusiv3mamii for the question.) A. Here is a list of the weapons and places you can find them. If something appears in multiple places, that will be noted. -Sledgehammer (under south side of ring, multiple other places) -Chair (under east and west sides of ring, multiple other places) -Table (under north side of ring) -Trash Can (multiple places) -Crate (back entrance to arena) -Computer Monitor/Television? (training room) -Trash Can lid (multiple places) -Sewer Cover/Hub Cap(?) (multiple places) -Metal Pipe (back entrance to arena) -Metal Drum (back entrance to arena) -Baseball Bat (training room behind cracked wall) -Fire Extinguisher (Times Square?) -Shopping Cart (Times Square?) -Manniquin Head (Times Square) -Ring Steps (can whip opponent in to ringside steps) -Ladder (during ladder or TLC matches) -Locker Door (after breaking through wall in training room) Q. Can you get a bigger ladder, like in XBox's "WWE Raw 2?" A. No, there is only one size of ladder. Q. How do you reverse weapon attacks? A. It depends on whether you're being hit with a weapon strike or a weapon grapple. If you think it will be a strike, hit L2. If you think it will be a grapple, hit R2. It's mostly guess-work. In my experience, the computer will mix it up pretty well. Q. How do you perform a special weapon move? (thanks to all who asked this.) A. Use a chair. First they have to be groggy. The easiest way to do this is to press Left or Right plus X to hit a chair shot to the gut. Assuming it works, hit L1 to perform the maneuver (you must have a Smackdown move saved up.) If it's on the higher difficulty levels, the gut shot with the chair can be tricky. Time it so that they're busy (beginning a strike or a grapple) and then try it. ARENAS Q. What's the difference between an A and B arena? (thanks to Vince Nguyen for the question.) A. Apparently, the only difference is the roof. To put it in Mitch Glover's words, the A Arenas have ceilings like Madison Square Garden, and the B Arenas have regular ceilings. Thanks to Mitch and everybody else who sent in information about this question! Q. What arenas can you climb structures in? (Thanks to Dustin Nichols for the question.) A. Other than tables, there isn't anything else that you can climb. There are many backstage areas where you can climb on ladders, trucks, different floors, etc. (thanks to all who contributed information.) Q. Where are the Arenas that I unlock? I don't see them! (thanks to all who asked this question.) A. When you're selecting a venue for an exhibition match, you can scroll to the left and right to view backstage areas and PPV arenas. CREATION Q. Can you create factions? (thanks to all who asked.) A. In season mode, you can create a faction if you are approached and asked about it. You select your first member based on your alignment and popularity. Assuming your created wrestlers in season match this criterea, they can join. Q. Do created characters bleed? (thanks to Kid Platinum for the question.) A. Yes, but only the male characters bleed. Q. Is there any way to change the entrance of a wrestler? (thanks to Shawn Ullom for the question.) A. Yes, they can be changed within "Create a Move Set" mode. Q. Can you create two appearances for your character, one for entrance and the other for during a match? (thanks to all who asked this question.) A. Yes, and it's not very hard either. If you go in to the layer list in create a wrestler mode by hitting circle, you can choose to change the display settings of many different articles. On each thing you want to show during entrance only, change the display setting to "Entrance Only." If you want something to be shown only during a match, select "Match Only." Everything shows during both entrance and match by default (that is, if you don't change it.) SEASON MODE Q. Can I change my alignment during Season? (Thanks to David Stephen for the question.) A. Only if offered during a story line. There is no menu to do this. Q. My wrestler's stats are all 1 and I can't win! What do I do? A. Whenever you start a new season with a wrestler who has all 1's for season stats, you need to select their "original" stats to begin. These stats will then be transferred to their season stats and you can build from there. Of course, you can always try toughing it out with stats of all 1, but you will get yourself beaten by everybody from Torrie Wilson to Steven Richards. Q. I'm not making enough money! How do I get more? A. For every title you hold, you get more money. Go to your GM's office using the "move" option in the locker room to go there. Once there, you can ask for title shots. Q. Who is a face, and who is a heel? (thanks to DTruthPaulPierce.) A. Though each character has a default, you can change who is a face and who is a heel when you start a new season. It's really up to you. Q. What's the difference between being a face and a heel? (Thanks to Bryan Glass for the question.) A. A face is supposed to be a good guy, and a heel is supposed to be a bad guy. In the game, however, it really only puts them on opposing sides (not truly assigning personality.) Q. How many superstar points do you need to challenge for the WWE and World titles? (thanks to Dustin Nichols for the question.) A. 85 points. If you want to know what you need to challenge for a title, select "profile" in the locker room, then select title info. Select a title, and hit "contender list" to find out who may challenge for the title. (thanks to Queen Richard for the info!) Q. Is there a better way to build up points for my created wrestler? (thanks to Guardian Flash for the question.) A. Go for the tag team titles as soon as you can. That way, you can win matches using your partner and still get the experience you need to improve your stats. Q. Can a character earn an overall rating of 100? (thanks to Goran Hourami for the question.) A. Assuming you put the time in to earn the points necessary to do so, yes. I have done this. The best way to do it is to get used to the Smackdown! difficulty level and play season mode that way, as you'll get many more points per match. Q. Can you injure people and put them on the shelf? (thanks to Daniel Lugo for the question.) A. There is a plotline where you can put somebody in a wheelchair, but it's only temporary. There is no function of the game to injure people and take them out of the action. Q. Can I transfer my experience points in season to a wrestler other than the one I earned them with? (thanks to all who asked this question.) A. No. I've looked in to this, and there is no way to earn exp. with one character and apply it to another. Q. Can I have a stablemate interfere in season mode? A. I haven't seen a match where it's possible. If it was, the rules you see before the match would have "interference" set to "on." Q. How long is a season supposed to last? A. One year. When you start a new season, however, you can port over all the old stats to the new one (including titles.) Q. Can you have two players in season mode? (thanks to everybody who asked this question.) A. No. Not in any way, shape, or form. The season mode can only be played by one person. If you really must play this with your friends, I suggest taking turns with the controller. Q. Can a female character be used in season mode? (thanks to all the people who asked this question.) A. Only if you set their gender in "Biography" to "Male" or "Other." You can't play as the regular divas in season. Q. How do I switch shows? Every time I ask, the GM tells me that I'm too busy! (thanks to Clinton Bernes for the question.) A. First, you'll have to drop every title that you're holding. They won't let you leave with them. Second, you can't be involved in a story-line. There are some points at which you'll be asked by a staff member if you want a manager, or a tag shot, etc. Say no, and you won't be involved in a story-line. Once you have done these two things, you should be able to change shows by asking the General Manager. Q. After I've unlocked everything, what can I do with money? (thanks to Kyle for the question.) A. There is no regular function to spend the money on. However, if you participate in the season's Royal Rumble, you may be offered to buy the final spot (number thirty) in the rumble for $100,000. That is the only known use for money once the unlockables have all been bought. (thanks to Adam Spencer for this tip.) UNLOCKABLES Q. How do they work? A. As you win matches in Season mode, you will earn money. This money is used to select the things you'd like to unlock in the Shopzone. Q. I heard that (insert name here) is in the game! Is it true? A. If you don't find their card in the shopzone, then they aren't in the game. Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior are just two of the characters who are not in the game. Q. Can you unlock anything through modes other than season? (Thanks to Xassclown711x for this question.) A. No. The only place you can unlock new features is through the Shopzone. Q. Does Goldberg have more than one attire (his old WCW outfit?) (thanks to Rob for the question.) A. No, he only has the black shorts (not the black and white ones.) Q. How do you use the costumes you unlock? (thanks to Ronnie Gonzalez for the question.) A. When you have unlocked a costume set for a particular wrestler, you will be prompted to select a costume after picking that wrestler in exhibition mode. In season mode, you will be prompted to pick a costume before a match. Q. What's the deal with unlocking move sets? (thanks to Nesan for the question.) A. Unlocking move sets (USA, Japan, Etc.) will unlock new move sets, not new moves. These move sets are accessible in "Create a Move Set" mode, under Auto Setting. Select it, then select Superstars. Scroll towards the end of the list to view the special move sets. These are move sets of famous wrestlers who are not in the game. Typically, the first letter is the organization they are in, and the last two letters are their name. A few examples: Moves Set 21 ODD = Old WWE - Diamond Dallas Paige Moves Set 26 WSM = WWE - Shane McMahon Moves Set 39 CRR = WCW - Razor Ramone Moves Set 70 OHH = Old WWE - Hulk Hogan Moves Set 71 OUW = Old WWE - Ultimate Warrior Q. I heard you can change the color of the Divas' Underwear! Is this true? (thanks to all that asked.) A. Yes, you can unlock this ability for each individual Diva. The colors will be used in the "Bra and Panties" match. CHARACTERS (AND JUST FOR FUN) Q. Does John Cena have the F-U in the game? A. Yes, he certainly does! Q. How does Stephanie McMahon look? A. She has bangs on her forehead, as in real life. Q. Does Triple H hold on to the title forever like on TV? A. No, you can beat him for the title. He will at some points make it difficult to get to the title match, however. Q. Is Kevin Nash able to walk without hurting himself? A. No, he's not. Oh, you mean in the game! Unlike real life, Kevin Nash has a full range of motion. Q. Who is the weakest male character in the game? A. Eric Bischoff has the lowest overall rating of any male character. Q. Who is the best overall male character in the game? A. Brock Lesnar is the best regular character in the game, with an overall rating of 91. The unlockable Undertaker (old school) slightly edges him out however, with a rating of 93. Q. Can you perform an F5 on the ring post with Brock Lesnar? A. No. There are only two F5's, and they are both front standing Smack Down moves. Q. How do you perform the spear with Goldberg? (thanks to Mister Mystery for this question.) A. He has several ways to do it. First, he can perform it as a ground special. Get near a downed opponent's shoulders when you have a Smackdown icon and hit L1. He'll stalk them, and hit a spear. Second, you can perform it as a running grapple. Whip your opponent off the opposite ropes, run at them, and hit circle when they bounce back. He can also perform a diving spear by standing on a turnbuckle (or other high object) and hitting left + x. Finally, you can spear an opponent by standing near their shoulders while they are on the ground and pressing Circle + Left. Goldberg will stalk the opponent, and spear them when they get up. (thanks to Lmbenred for the reminder about the ground spear.) Q. Is Kane unmasked to begin with, or do you have to unlock this? A. Kane starts out unmasked. If you unlock his attire, you'll have the masked version as well (which looks much better than it has in previous versions.) Q. Is there an easy way to set up for the Angle Slam? (thanks to Alvarez16 for the question.) A. To get in place for Kurt Angle's Angle Slam, run at your opponent when they aren't dazed (triangle) and press a direction + circle. You will step behind your opponent, and they will become vulnerable to a special move. This works for anybody who has a back Smackdown! move. You can also double-tap circle when your opponent is lying on the ground. (thanks to Nicodemus for contributing.) Q. Why is Jeff Hardy not in the game? (thanks to Jon for the question.) A. Jeff Hardy had not been with WWE for quite some time when this game was released. There may have been images of him from an earlier version of HCTP from when it was in development, but THQ most likely made the decision to remove him. It's rare for them to put in a character who has been gone from the company (as in no longer has a contract) for a significant amount of time. For example, it was planned to put two versions of Hulk Hogan in HCTP, but he was removed for the same reasons as Hardy. MEMORY CARDS Q. How do I use two memory cards so that I can fight my friends' Created Wrestlers? (thanks to MadmanUnmasked98 for the question.) A. In options, select system data, then copy a superstar. Thanks to Jimmy Chan for this answer! CREATE MODES Q. Where can I find (insert wrestler name here)'s version of (insert article of clothing or body part here)? A. I don't know. There are plenty ofplaces to find custom wrestlers, just do an internet search using one of the tons of search engines out there. You're smart, you can figure it out! I don't use any CAW sites myself, so I don't have any to tell you about. :) Q. What about the LOD's shoulder pads? (thanks to the tons of people who asked this.) A. The shoulder pads aren't in for custom wrestlers. Q. How do I create (insert wrestler's name here)? A. I haven't really created any WWF/WWE/WCW/ECW wrestlers who aren't in the game. Well, I MIGHT have done one... if I did, it would be at the end of this document. :) Q. Why doesn't my custom wrestler appear on the posing screen? (thanks to Monkeyboy41104 for the question.) A. It takes several seconds for the game to load them. They'll appear, just give it a few moments. CHEAT CODES There aren't any cheat codes for the game. FUTURE WWE GAMES Q. What's the name of the next Smackdown! game? A. At the time of this guide's completion, no new WWE games have been announced. Yukes is publishing and developing a game called "Online Pro Wrestling" which looks like it will be just a Japanese release. They are also co-developing "WWX: Rumble Rose" along with Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. Both of these titles are slated for the PlayStation 2. ABOUT THIS GUIDE Q. Who wrote this guide? A. I, Kevin Love, did. Though I wrote it all, there many who contributed. They are each given credit at the top of this document. Q. Can I display this on my (or any) website? A. Only in special cases, and you must have my permission first. E-mail me about this if you are interested in displaying this guide. Q. What is your e-mail address? A. neo_aa@hotmail.com Q. I want to know something that isn't answered by this guide! What do I do? A. If you absolutely can't find something in this guide, E-mail me with the subject "HCTP" and look for a reply within a day or two. If you don't get it, I'm not writing back. This may be because the question is answered in this FAQ already, or because the question is answered by the manual. Q. I'm renting the game and don't have a manual! Won't you help me out? A. By giving you a basic rundown of the controls, I have helped you out plenty. It's not such a hard game to control that you'll need to spend hours learning it. Q. Could you tell me what moves (insert name here) has? A. No, and there's a good reason... you can view every wrestler's move set in the game's "create a move set" mode. Yes, even for the original wrestlers. Printing the moves of every character is a very nice thing to do, but honestly, I don't have the time for it and don't care to do it. The more popular wrestlers will probably have move sets released for them by other authors if you absolutely must view them on a computer screen instead of your own TV. ==================== 5. The End, My Only Friend ==================== It has been a pleasure working on this guide. Special thanks to all who contributed! The guide would not be as good as it is without you. For all the people who I didn't have an answer for before, here is how you create Jeff Hardy. Make sure to give me credit if you post this on a forum. It's easy, just copy everything between the dashed lines. See you next time! -------------------- JEFF HARDY CUSTOM WRESTLER BUILT BY KEVIN LOVE The costume worn by Hardy in this design is based on an outfit he wore in the year 2001. His hair is from close to the end of his last WWE run, the short style. It's colored green in this version, but could easily be changed by you. FORM Head: X=3, Y=-10, Y2=8 Neck: X=50, Y=50, Y2=100 Chest: X=5, Y=-25, Y2=5 Shoulders (both): X=-45, Y=19, Y =-16 Abdomen: X=30, Y=-32, Y2=14 Arms (both): X=9, Y=-25, Y2=-90 Forearms (both): X=-19, Y=-11 Hands (both): X=0, Y=-1, Y2=-25 Waist: X=0, Y=-16 Thighs (both): X=5, Y=7 Legs (both): X=-17, Y=-15, Y2=-13 Feet: X=-21, Y=0, Y2=-35 BODY MORPHING X=0, Y=-25 HEIGHT 6'2" SKIN Type 1 Color: X=-91, Y=5 Shade: X=5 FACE Texture 1 Model 3 Skip Morphing Segment Head: X=0, Y=0 Eyebrows: X=0, Y=10 Eyes: X=-15, Y=-35, X2=-10, Y2=-10 Nose: X=0, Y=0, X2=0, Y2=0 Cheek: X=5 Mouth: X=0, Y=0, Y2=0 Jaw: X=0, Y=20, Y2=0 EYES Type 26 Color: X=-94, Y=9 Shade: X=0 EYEBROWS Type 95 Color: X=-78, Y=-10 Shade: X=-15 LIPS Type 25 Color: X=-96, Y= -5 Shade: X=5 HAIR Type 33 Color: X=-28, Y=-41 Shade: X=29 FACIAL HAIR Type 85 Color: x=-89, Y=9 Shade: X=0 Transparency: X=-20 SHIRT (LONG HEMLINE)(Must go below PANTS) Type 14 Pattern 1 Color: X=0, Y=-90 Shade: X=-100 Transparency: X=100 Length: X=20 SHOES Type 16 Pattern 1 Design 5 Color: X=0, Y=-90 Shade: X=-100 GLOVES (Below WRIST BAND) Type 6 Pattern 1 Color: X=0, Y=-50 Shade: X=-100 WRIST BAND (Below WRIST BAND 2) Type 1 Pattern 1 Color: X=0, Y=-45 Shade: X-100 Transparency: 100 Length: X=-15 WRIST BAND 2 Type 9 Pattern 1 Color: X=0, Y=54 Shade: X=-100 Transparency: X=100 Length: X=-15 PANTS Type 5 Pattern 168 Design 5 Color: X=0, Y=-75 Shade: X=-100 UPPER BODY ACCESSORY (Necklace) Type 15 Color: X=-73, Y=-55 Shade: X=-39 Transparency: 100 DESIGN (Goes on both Left and Right arm, one each) WWE Type 16 Size 2 (second smallest) Color: X=0, Y=9 Shade: X=-100 Transparency: 100 ATTRIBUTES (If starting new) Strength: 4 Submission: 4 Endurance: 4 Technical: 4 Speed: 5 MOVES Auto-Setting Superstars Moves Set 18 - OJH (WWF Jeff Hardy) -------------------- Legal information appears at the top of this document. :)