============================================= FIRE PROWRESTLING Z CHARACTER GUIDE: THE ROCK ============================================= for Sony PlayStation 2 (Japan) Version 1.0 by Bill Wood (billwood661@comcast.net) Last modified: 8/4/03 Fire ProWrestling Z (c) 2003 Spike NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface. =================== ==VERSION HISTORY== =================== 1.0 - Initial release of the guide. ===================== ==TABLE OF CONTENTS== ===================== SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION SECTION 2: HISTORY OF THE ROCK SECTION 3: CREATING THE ROCK IN FIRE PRO Z A) NAME ENTRY B) APPEARANCE C) SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS D) MOVESET E) CPU LOGIC SECTION 4: STRATEGY A) GENERAL STRATEGY B) STRIKES C) GRAPPLES D) A "PROPER" PEOPLE'S ELBOW SECTION 5: CLOSING =========================== ==SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION== =========================== I know what you're thinking: "Waitaminnit! The Rock isn't even in Fire Pro Z! How the heck can you write a guide for him?" Well, he's in the game and he isn't. You see, although he's not in there by default, The Rock's likeness is the game, as well as all of his signature moves. "I already knew that!" you say. But what you may not realize is that the Fire Pro Z Japanese Complete Guide also provides you with a complete moveset and CPU logic for the People's Champ. When you put all of this together, you get a complete Spike-approved version of The Rock. Interested now? Then read on. The point of this guide is to allow those of you who can't download other people's creations and don't feel comfortable creating their own edits from scratch to have an "official" version of Rocky in FPZ. In this day and age, this may be the closest thing you'll get to an old- school Fire Pro template. In addition, I will suggest several "tweaks" to Spike's version of The Rock that will make him more accurate and up-to-date. When it's all said and done, I hope you'll find this character guide to be much more thorough than any character guide I've previously authored. Of course, the obligatory history and strategy sections will also be provided, free of charge. =) ================================== ==SECTION 2: HISTORY OF THE ROCK== ================================== When Dwayne Johnson left behind a sagging football career for a career in wrestling that had been in his family for generations, little did he know he would almost singlehandedly turn the wrestling business upside down. He would become The Rock, a slogan-spewing narcissist, and arguably the most popular performer in the history of sports entertainment. He attained more success before the age of 30 than most wrestlers will ever see in their entire career. The Rock is also well known for his unselfishness in the ring, and in a business full of inflated egos, has been more than willing to "do the job" for WWE newcomers such as Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar, Bill Goldberg, and even The Hurricane. Yet for all of his accomplishments, The Rock will probably be remembered for one thing -- his mouth. Coining catchphrase after catchphrase, cutting one classic promo after another, Rocky had an entire generation of wrestling fans glued to their set, wondering what would come out of his mouth next. Unfortunately for wrestling fans, The Rock's future appears to be in feature films as opposed to wrestling. But when he does make his eventual return, heel or face, you can bet he'll have millions (and millions) of fans chanting his name once again. ============================================== ==SECTION 3: CREATING THE ROCK IN FIRE PRO Z== ============================================== [NOTE: Before we get underway, I should advise you that creating an accurate edit in FPZ can take up a good chunk of your time. Of course, you can always save your progress and complete your edit later, but it's best to set aside at least an hour or so for each edit creation.] A) NAME ENTRY I'm assuming you already know what to do here, but in case you don't: NICKNAME: People's Champ SHORT NAME: Rock LONG NAME: The NAME FLIP: On SEPARATOR: Space B) APPEARANCE Start by going into Edit Mode and load up Wrestler Model No. 323. If this is all Greek to you, then I suggest you familiarize yourself with the game menus before continuing, as this guide assumes you're able to navigate your way through the menus with little or no difficulty. Anyway, Model No. 323 will get you Spike's discolored version of The Rock. Don't forget to hold down the ([]) button while scrolling through edits to get the full head _and_ body presets. We're definitely going to have to work on Rocky's appearance to get him to look right. SUGGESTED APPEARANCE TWEAKS Umm, a lot. First off, we're going to edit Rocky's color set to give him something more lifelike, then we're going to do a head swap to reflect his new haircut and give him those tattoos he's missing. You've loaded up Model No. 323, right? Good. Next, go into the color palette in Appearance Edit and edit the following color presets. (You can scroll through the color presets with L1 and R1, and the color preset number is located near the lower left corner of the Appearance Edit Screen.) Skin Color Preset...........012 Hair Color Preset...........001 (neutral black) Tights Color Preset.........001 Elbow Pads Color Preset.....001 Knee Pads Color Preset......001 Boots Color Preset..........001 Now we're getting somewhere! That skintone looks OK, but I'd prefer to see The Rock a little more bronzish. If you want, try this tweak for his skintone: 05 10 16 21 25 28 02 05 08 14 17 21 <- New Skintone 00 02 04 09 11 14 Next we're going to locate Rock's upper arm layers in Appearance Mode and give him some tats. Locate the upper arm layers and add layer #14 to that layer set. They're not perfect, but it's better than nothing. Use the 001 color preset for the tattoos. The default Rock head in FPZ is the same one from FPD circa two years ago, and it can be improved upon. You may have your own preference as far as which head to use, but I find that Head #188 (Mark Coleman) is pretty accurate. We should also edit the hair color to reflect the close-shaven look The Rock currently sports: 05 07 12 18 04 05 08 14 <- New Hair Color 03 03 05 10 You could also choose one of the tights designs to reflect the design on The Rock's tights, but none of them are really accurate so I choose to leave them black. C) SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS SKILL ----- Real Name......The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) FPZ Name.............................N/A Promotion............................WWE FPZ Promotion........................N/A Size..............................Medium Class..............................Heavy Height............................189 cm Weight............................123 kg Country..........................America Birthdate.....................05.02.1972 Stance.............................Power Offensive Skill.................American Return Skill....................American Critical Type...................Finisher Special Skill..................Superstar Recovery..........................Medium Recovery (when bleeding)..........Medium Respiratory........................Above Respiratory (when bleeding)........Below Awareness.........................Medium Awareness (when bleeding).........Medium Neck Strength.......................High Arm Strength......................Medium Waist Strength......................High Foot Strength.....................Medium Movement Speed...............Medium Fast Ascend Speed......................Medium Ascend Skill..................Can Ascend PARAMETER - OFFENSE PARAMETER - DEFENSE ------------------- ------------------- Punch.............7 Punch.............6 Kick..............5 Kick..............6 Suplex............7 Suplex............5 Submission........3 Submission........4 Stretch...........4 Stretch...........6 Power.............6 Flying............7 Instant-P.........8 Crush.............6 Arm Power.........4 Vs Lariat.........6 Technical.........9 Technical.........7 Rough.............8 Rough.............8 Ground............4 Ground............4 TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-300): 193 SKILL CHANGES FROM FIRE PRO D TO FIRE PRO Z: none SUGGESTED SKILL AND PARAMETER TWEAKS: * Increase Recovery stat from "Medium" to "Fast". * Decrease offensive Technical stat from 9 to 7. * Decrease offensive Instant-P stat from 8 to 4. * Increase offensive Submission stat from 3 to 4. * Increase offensive Submission stat from 4 to 5. * Decrease defensive Flying stat from 7 to 5. * Increase defensive Crush stat from 6 to 7. ADJUSTED SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-300): 194 D) MOVELIST NOTE: This movelist is my direct translation of the Japanese Fire Pro Z Player's Guide, there may be some minor errors. If I was unable to translate, I looked up the move in Edit Mode. Specialty moves are marked with [S]. Finisher is marked with [F]. KEY: ([]) = Square button (X) = X button (O) = Circle button (/\) = Triangle button STRIKES ------- Standing ([]).............................American Jab Standing (X)..................................Toe Kick Standing (O) + d-pad.....................American Hook Standing (O).............................Lariat Attack Standing ([]) + (X)....................Football Tackle Running ([]).............................Lariat Attack Running (X)...............................SPINNING DDT [S] Running Counter ([])......................Front Suplex Running Counter (X)........................SPINEBUSTER [S] Running to corner...............................Lariat GRAPPLES -------- Grapple ([])..............................Face Scratch Grapple ([]) + Up............................Body Slam Grapple ([]) + Left/Right..................Elbow Stomp Grapple ([]) + Down.......................Dragon Screw Grapple (X)..................Swinging Neckbreaker Drop Grapple (X) + Up...........................Brainbuster Grapple (X) + Left/Right.........Belly-to-Belly Suplex Grapple (X) + Down............................Low Blow Grapple (O)........................American Punch Rush Grapple (O) + Up.................Back Flip/Samoan Drop Grapple (O) + Left/Right.............Russian Leg Sweep Grapple (O) + Down.................................DDT [S] Grapple ([]) + (X).........................ROCK BOTTOM [F] Back Grapple ([]).........................Sledgehammer Back Grapple (X)..............................Low Blow Back Grapple (O)..........................Sleeper Hold Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down.......Leglift Backdrop Hold Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right.......German Suplex Whip Back Grapple ([]) + (X)..........Rollover Bridging Pin* Back Grapple Counter ([])....................Elbow Pat Back Grapple Counter (X).................Kick to groin * = I don't know the actual name for this move, but I can pretty much guarantee The Rock's never done it in a real match! OPPONENT DOWN MOVES ------------------- Opponent Face Up at Head (X).......................Pin Opponent Face Up at Head (O)..................Stomping Opponent Face Up at Feet (X)..............Sharpshooter Opponent Face Up at Feet (O).............Kick to groin Opponent Face Down at Head (X).......Roll over and pin Opponent Face Down at Head (O)................Stomping Opponent Face Down at Feet (X).............Boston Crab Opponent Face Down at Feet (O)................Stomping Running at Downed Opponent (O)......THE PEOPLE'S ELBOW [S] MOUNT MOVES ----------- Mount Position ([])...........Guard Pos. Knuckle Arrow Mount Position (X)........................Sharpshooter Mount Position (O)......................Jackknife Hold Mount Position Counter........................Arm Lock Front Facelock Attack ([])..................Body Punch Front Facelock Attack (X)..............Front Neck Lock Front Facelock Attack (O)...................Piledriver Front Facelock Attack Counter...............Hammerlock Back Mount Position ([])......Back Mount Knuckle Arrow Back Mount Position (X)..................Choke Sleeper Back Mount Position (O).......................Arm Lock Back Mount Position Counter.................Back Press POST AND APRON MOVES -------------------- Post ([])............................Diving Elbow Drop Post (X)..............................Diving Knee Drop Post (O)..................................Sledgehammer Post ([]) + (X)..........................Diving Lariat Run-Up Post vs Standing ([])......................none Run-Up Post vs Downed (X).........................none Corner Grapple (O) + Up............Avalan. Brainbuster Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right......Corner Punch Rush Corner Grapple (O) + Down...........Avalanche Backdrop Front Avalanche Counter...................Face Scratch Back Avalanche Counter......................Body Press Apron Grapple from inside..........In-Ring Brainbuster Apron Grapple from outside................Shoulder Pat Running to out of bounds..........................none Slingshot to outside......................Sledgehammer Slingshot to inside...............................none DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES ---------------------------- Two Platon Front Grapple.................W.Brainbuster Two Platon Back Grapple.....................W.Backdrop Two Platon Corner...............Combo Bulldog Headlock Three Platon Front Grapple.............Triple Beatdown Three Platon Back Grapple..............Triple Beatdown Three Platon Corner....................Triple Beatdown PERFORMANCE ----------- Analog Stick Left...........................arena scan Analog Stick Right...........motion for People's Elbow Analog Stick Up...................."Bring it!" gesture Analog Stick Down...............points down, then away MOVELIST CHANGES FROM FIRE PRO D TO FIRE PRO Z: none SUGGESTED MOVELIST CHANGES There are a few glaring errors in The Rock's moveset that we can correct. This list of changes is by no means exhaustive, and you may want to add your own tweaks here and there: * Change the Back Grapple ([]) + (X): Rollover Bridging Pin to something more simplistic, like one of the backdrops. * Change the Analog Stick Down taunt to the new animation where the wrestler has his hands on his knees, waiting for a spear (it's near the bottom of the taunt list). Rock does this a lot. * Change the Grapple (O): American Punch Rush to a "face slap" combo more akin to the combo The Rock uses in matches (see "Spittle Hand Slap of Doom"). * Change the Back Avalanche Counter: Body Press to Backhand Elbow. * Switch the Special from Grapple (O) + Down: DDT to Opponent Face Up at Feet (X): Sharpshooter. * Finally, You _could_ switch Rocky's finisher from the Rock Bottom to the People's Elbow, but then you'd be losing your one chance for a "CRITICAL!". I suggest you leave this one alone. E) CPU LOGIC Some people don't bother with CPU logic when it comes to creating edits, but if you want to be thorough and accurate, then I suggest you spend the time it takes to give The Rock proper CPU logic. STANDING -------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> Grapple 45% 50% <> Stand Back 10% 10% <> Circle Opponent 15% 10% <> ([]) Attack 08% 03% <> (X) Attack 08% 06% <> (O) Attack 05% 08% <> (O) + d-pad Attack 08% 10% <> ([]) + (X) Attack 01% 03% FRONT GRAPPLE ------------- Sm. Damage Med. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ----------- ---------- <> ([]) 16% 00% 00% <> ([]) + up 15% 00% 00% <> ([]) + left/right 18% 05% 00% <> ([]) + down 10% 05% 07% <> (X) 02% 12% 00% <> (X) + up 05% 15% 00% <> (X) + left/right 05% 12% 00% <> (X) + down 02% 10% 05% <> (O) 00% 05% 10% <> (O) + up 00% 05% 10% <> (O) + left/right 02% 03% 08% <> (O) + down 00% 03% 12% <> ([]) + (X) 00% 00% 20% <> (/\) Button (whip) 20% 20% 18% <> R1 Trigger (headlock) 05% 05% 10% BACK GRAPPLE ------------ Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> ([]) 30% 00% <> (X) 25% 20% <> (O) 15% 00% <> (O) + up/down 15% 30% <> (O) + left/right 00% 20% <> ([]) + (X) 00% 10% <> (/\) Button (whip) 15% 20% OPPONENT THROWN TO ROPES ------------------------ Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> Running ([]) 40% 10% <> Running (X) 10% 30% <> ([]) Counter 40% 15% <> (X) Counter 00% 45% <> L1 Trigger (dodge) 10% 00% OPPONENT DAZED IN CORNER ------------------------ Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> Running (O) 15% 15% <> (O) + up Corner Grapple 05% 05% <> (O) + left/right Corner Grapple 75% 75% <> (O) + down Corner Grapple 05% 05% OPPONENT DOWN NEAR CORNER ------------------------- Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- <> Attack Normally 100% 100% <> ([]) Post 00% 00% <> (X) Post 00% 00% <> (O) Post 00% 00% <> ([]) + (X) Post 00% 00% <> Corner Run-Up Rebound (X) 00% 00% OPPONENT DOWN IN CENTER OF RING ------------------------------- Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- <> Attack Normally 100% 00% <> Running (O) Opponent Down 50% 50% OPPONENT DOWN-FACE UP --------------------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- ---------- <> Pick Up 15% 25% 52% <> Roll Over 00% 00% 00% <> Near Head (X) 10% 15% 25% <> Near Legs (X) 00% 40% 15% <> Near Head (O) 40% 10% 00% <> Near Legs (O) 35% 10% 08% OPPONENT DOWN-FACE DOWN ----------------------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- ---------- <> Pick Up 15% 25% 60% <> Roll Over 00% 00% 00% <> Near Head (X) 10% 15% 30% <> Near Legs (X) 15% 40% 00% <> Near Head (O) 30% 10% 05% <> Near Legs (O) 30% 10% 05% OPPONENT STANDING DAZED NEAR CORNER ------------------------------- Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- <> Attack Normally 98% 98% <> ([]) Post 00% 00% <> (X) Post 00% 00% <> (O) Post 01% 01% <> ([]) + (X) Post 01% 01% <> Corner Run-Up Rebound ([]) 00% 00% <> Apron-to-Inside 00% 00% [(O) button + toward] OPPONENT STANDING DAZED NEAR CENTER OF RING ------------------------------- Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- <> Attack Normally 70% 70% <> Running ([]) 20% 15% <> Running (X) 10% 15% OPPONENT STANDING DAZED ----------------------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage Near Death ---------- ---------- ---------- <> Initiate Front Grapple 20% 15% 00% <> Initiate Back Grapple 50% 60% 70% <> (O) Attack 10% 10% 15% <> (O) + d-pad Attack 15% 10% 10% <> ([]) + (X) Attack 05% 05% 05% OPPONENT GRAPPLES FROM BEHIND ----------------------------- <> ([]) Back Counter............. 60% <> (X) Back Counter.............. 40% OPPONENT IS OUTSIDE THE RING ---------------------------- <> Follow Opponent Outside........55% <> Slingshot to Outside (O).......25% <> Running Dive to Outside (O)....00% <> ([]) Post .....................00% <> (X) Post ......................00% <> (O) Post ......................00% <> ([]) + (X) Post ...............00% <> Wait for Opponent to Return....20% MOUNT POSITION -------------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> Mount ([]) 60% 40% <> Mount (X) 20% 30% <> Mount (O) 20% 30% FRONT FACELOCK POSITION ----------------------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> Front Facelock ([]) 40% 30% <> Front Facelock (X) 40% 40% <> Front Facelock (O) 20% 30% BACK MOUNT POSITION ------------------- Sm. Damage Lg. Damage ---------- ---------- <> Back Mount ([]) 60% 60% <> Back Mount (X) 20% 20% <> Back Mount (O) 20% 20% TAUNTING -------- Opponent Standing Dazed <> Analog Stick Left.......00% <> Analog Stick Right......00% <> Analog Stick Up.........15% <> Analog Stick Down.......00% <> Do Not Perform.....,,,..85% Opponent Down <> Analog Stick Left.......00% <> Analog Stick Right......40% <> Analog Stick Up....... 00% <> Analog Stick Down.......10% <> Do Not Perform..........50% Opponent Outside of the Ring <> Analog Stick Left.......10% <> Analog Stick Right......00% <> Analog Stick Up.........10% <> Analog Stick Down.......00% <> Do Not Perform..........80% On the Top Turnbuckle <> Analog Stick Left.......10% <> Analog Stick Right......00% <> Analog Stick Up.........00% <> Analog Stick Down.......00% <> Do Not Perform..........90% PERSONALITY TRAITS ------------------ Everytime I Am Particular (Entertainment) <> High................100% <> Low..................00% Serious Time (Discretion) <> High.................50% <> Low..................50% Flexibility <> High.................60% <> Low..................40% Cooperation <> High.................82% <> Low..................18% OTHER TENDENCIES ---------------- Outside Return Count <> Fast.................40% <> Slow.................60% Touchwork <> Fast.................50% <> Slow.................50% Weapon Usage <> Use Weapon...........00% <> Don't Use Weapon....100% SUGGESTED CPU LOGIC TWEAKS You may want to increase the frequency of weapon usage to 10-15%. Also, if you changed his taunt like I suggested, you could switch the "Opponent Standing Dazed" taunt from Analog Stick Up 15% to Analog Stick Down 15%. ======================= ==SECTION 4: STRATEGY== ======================= A) GENERAL STRATEGY The Rock is an entertainer at heart, therefore your goal should be to entertain when playing as him. This means a lot of taunting, posing, and of course, nailing your signature moves. His medium fast walking pace means you can dictate the pace of the match against most heavyweights. Use this to your advantage and outpace your opponent if possible. The Rock's defensive stats are extremely good, so he can take a great deal of punishment. Stay patient, even if you start losing. If you can work your way up to the strong grapples, your opponent is definitely in for a world of hurt! B) STRIKES The Rock uses big American-style punches and kicks. If you can learn the timing and distance of the (O) lariat, you should definitely use it. Unlike most strikes, the lariat will immediately send the opponent to the mat, where you can work on ground moves like the Sharpshooter. C) GRAPPLES As if you didn't know, Rocky's big grapple move is the Rock Bottom. Every match should be based around building up to this move. Other than that, you really can't go wrong with any of his offense. D) A "PROPER" PEOPLE'S ELBOW [NOTE: My previous Rock FPD guide had this info wrong, so if you pulled your hair out trying to get it right, my apologies!] OK, I'm only bothering to do this because I've heard people say it's impossible to do in Fire Pro. Far from it! So below I'm going to give step-by-step directions on how to execute Rock's signature move: PEOPLE'S ELBOW - VERSION A 1) In the center of the ring, grapple your opponent. They must be be weakened considerably. 2) Use your Grapple ([]) + (X) move to execute The Rock Bottom. 3) Hold the analog stick Right to motion for The People's Elbow. 4) Use (/\) to run and rebound off the ropes. 5) When approaching your opponent (who should still be on the ground), simply hold (O) to drop the elbow. PEOPLE'S ELBOW - VERSION B (more difficult) 1) Use (X) as a run counter to do a Spinebuster. You can do this either when your opponent is running at you or as an Irish Whip reversal. 2) Hold the analog stick Right to motion for The People's Elbow. 3) Use (/\) to run and rebound off the ropes. 4) When approaching your opponent (who should still be on the ground), simply hold (O) to drop the elbow. By the way, The People's Elbow won't "CRITICAL!", so don't be surprised! Use the Rock Bottom if you want a "CRITICAL!". And before you ask, no, he doesn't take the elbow pad off! =) ====================== ==SECTION 5: CLOSING== ====================== In closing, I would like to thank: * www.wwe.com for historical reference. * CJayC and GameFAQs for hosting this guide. Fire ProWrestling Z Character Guide: The Rock (c)2003 Bill Wood