saintcross' Bible of CPU Logic

This guide will teach you how to adjust CPU Logic for better simulated matches, by giving you a better understanding of the mechanics of Fire Pro.

Creating an Effective Moveset

Move selection is as important as an Edit's CPU Logic settings. Every single move should have a reason for being in an Edit's moveset; this is especially crucial in the later stages of a match. Fire Pro Wrestling is NOT real wrestling. Many times we have to sacrifice realism for practicality to create effective and fun-to-watch edits. Having too many moves to add "flavor" or make them more "true-to-life" can handicap an Edit. This is a big advantage Original Edits have over those based on real-life Professional Wrestlers. Some finishes are very flexible (like Back Grapple moves), while others (like Corner-to-Center moves) must have the Edit's moveset built around them.

Picture this. You are watching a great match between your champion and a challenger you are looking to make the new champion. The challenger is fighting back after being cut off for most of the match, now able to string together stronger and flashier moves. The challenger finally has the (hopefully) soon-to-be dethroned champion "Near Death", one move away from victory:

• Your Edit hits a Front Grapple Chest Slap 22 minutes into the match, serving only as overkill as both Edits return to neutral immediately afterwards.
  
  
• Your Edit has a Face Up Ground Finisher, but the Edit's late match moveset has only moves that end with the opponent Face Down.
  
  
• The Edit has a Corner-to-Center or a Jump from Post to a Standing Opponent Finisher but its Front (BIG) Grapples moveset is loaded with moves ending in Pinfalls and Submissions.
  
  
• The Edit has a Back Grapple Finisher with only a 5% change of going for it in order to artificially extend the match or so the Edit does not "spam" its only finishing move.

These situations are essentially "Logic Dead Ends", and they can completely take you out of a match. A match should end at or near the time an Edit hits Near Death, unless the other Edit is mounting a comeback. Nothing is worse than two Edits playing patty cake for ten minutes past the expiration date instead of ending the match, or at least attempting to. Every Edit should be trying to win, unless they were made specifically to always lose.

When choosing moves for an Edit's late match moveset, ask yourself this: can this move end the match or set up a move that can? If the answer is no, is it deserving of a place in your moveset over a move that could?

Early Match Move Selection

Move selection for the early match is about managing downtime and minimizing wasted movement. Downtime is minimal (if not nonexistent) at first, so avoiding moves that down opponents is recommended. Picking up opponents off the ground should be saved until later as well, since the opponent will recover almost immediately making it impossible to follow up with anything meaningful (and making both Edits look stupid in the process).

Move Slot Properties

One thing to consider when creating an Edit's moveset is the slot you place moves in, particularly with Front and Back Grapple moves. Different slots apply different properties to a given move. Moves placed in the Grapple (SML) rows will have the shortest down time, moves in the Grapple (MED) rows will have a "medium" long down time, and moves in the Grapple (SML)+(MED) slot will have the longest down time. This effect becomes more pronounced the more damage the opponent has taken. In the early stages, downtime will be minimal regardless of how strong the move is. When a match is on the last stages, downtime duration becomes much longer allowing for follow-up moves and moves that normally are near impossible to connect with in the early stage of a match, especially for the CPU. The Cage Deathmatch match type is unique in that late into the match, downtime becomes much longer than in standard match types to accommodate escaping the cage or attempting a Dive from Top of Cage move.

When an Edit places an opponent in the Tree of Woe position, it will follow up with whatever move is in the Standing (MED) slot.

Moves placed in the Grapple (BIG) slots will have opponents get to their feet dazed. These are crucial for setting up certain moves like Corner-to-Center Attack moves, Jump from Post moves, Running to Outside the Ring moves, etc. To clarify, not just any move that ends with a stun will set up the aforementioned moves (for example, Face Raking B). Only moves that end with the opponent downed will trigger the dazed state, which will then trigger the desired sequence. All these properties apply to Back Grapples as well, but like with Front Grapples this can only happen on a "fresh" opponent. And the only way this can happen with Back Grapples is if a Position Change is used (for example, the Back Switch).

In tag team matches, when an Edit grabs an opponent from behind to allow their teammate to follow up with an attack, the teammate will perform the move in the Standing (SML)+(MED) slot.

Moves receive a damage boost when placed in a higher slot category than normal. For example, if the Front Grapple S Bodyslam is placed in a Front Grapple (MED) slot it will receive a damage boost, and an even more significant boost if it is placed in a Front Grapple (BIG) slot. The boost is not big enough to come close to the strongest moves in the game like the Burning Hammer, but it is something to keep in mind when creating moves in Move Craft. Consider this boost when calculating damage values for your moves to keep them in line with other moves in the game.

Okite Yaburi

OKITE YABURI is a gameplay mechanic that allows you to steal a move from the opponent's moveset. By pressing the Left Shoulder Button + SML + MED when in a Front Grapple, you will perform the move in the opposing Edit's Front Grapple SML+MED slot. If the move in the SML+MED slot is not designated as a SIGNATURE or FINISHER, the move in the Down+BIG slot is performed instead. Each Edit can only perform Okite Yaburi once a match.

Okite Yaburi is not its own separate section in an Edit's CPU Logic. Instead, a formula is used to determine how often an Edit will attempt Okite Yaburi. A simplified version of the equation is:

(FLEXIBILITY + 40 - SHOWMANSHIP) x .015 = ?

The maximum value one can get from this formula is:

(100 + 40 - 0) x .015 = 2.1

So an Edit with 100 Flexibility and 0 Showmanship has a roughly 2% chance of attempting Okite Yaburi (assuming the opponent has taken enough damage). It is a little more complicated than this (what with the random number generator when grappling); but to keep things simple, keep an eye on these two values in order to maximize or minimize the use of Okite Yaburi in your Edit's sims.

Another thing of note is that if an Edit steals a move from the Down+BIG slot, it will have the moveslot property of a SML+MED move instead of a BIG move. Check the Moveslot Properties section for more information, but essentially the Edit will follow CPU Logic accordingly. A stolen Superkick from the opponent's Down+BIG slot can trigger a Diving Moonsault Press, but not a Diving Dropkick.

Stand Back (Stall)

The STAND BACK (STALL) section determines what an Edit will do when an Edit and its opponent are in a "neutral" state, a fighting game term for any time Edits are free to move and act (not in a grapple, dazed, downed, etc.).

The options here are pretty self-explanatory, but to clarify, if an Edit chooses to Stand Back (Stall) it will actively avoid its opponent by walking back side to side for a short period of time. If an Edit chooses to use one of its Stand moves, it will attempt to land one of its moves for around three seconds. Even though wrestlers miss strikes all the time, whiffing strikes in neutral is not the best way to represent this in Fire Pro. The closest thing is wrestlers throwing out low kicks in the early stage of a match, but that's about it. Edits throwing out American Hooks or attempting a Leaping Cutter that has no hope in connecting is an eyesore. More than 10% for a strike runs the risk of seeing that strike too often which is bad enough; but in really bad cases, the Edit may tire themselves out just purely on missed strikes.

The Stand Back and Circle Opponent choices sound appealing at first, but many times Edits will "Stall" or "Circle" late into the match even when points are purely confined to the Sml Dmg column (the Sml Dmg column also controls what an Edit will do when the Edit has taken "Medium" damage, unless there is a Med Dmg column in the logic setting). If you really want the visual that these options can afford you, then feel free to pick whatever value you want. I would recommend not going past 25% for either though, personally.

Opp. Dazed Near Center

The OPP. DAZED NEAR CENTER section dictates how an Edit behaves when an opposing Edit is dazed on or near the center of the ring. When these conditions are met, the Edit will run to the ropes, bounce off the ropes, then follow up with a Running attack. If the opposing Edit is outside the center of the ring, your Edit will follow its OPP. DAZED Logic instead.

Moves that end with a pin or submission work best in this situation, since the opposing Edit will usually recover immediately after being downed as their downtime will have reached 0 by then.

Opp. Dazed

OPP. DAZED is the section of CPU Logic that determines what your Edit will do when an opposing Edit is dazed (or out of Breath). The Edit will then attempt one of three things: go for a Front Grapple, go for a Back Grapple, or attempt to land one of three of their Standing Strikes. A lot of Edit makers like to put all their points in making their Edits attempt a Back Grapple or settle for another Front Grapple, leaving Standing Strikes with a paltry sum (if any). In doing so, you miss out on a pretty interesting feature: a way to string together moves to form a variety of combos and setups.

Strikes in the Sml Dmg column are arguably pointless as the opposing Edit will not be stunned long enough to not dodge the attempted strike, but Strikes in the Lrg Dmg column should be boosted way up. This is a small window of opportunity in most matches so you are going to want your Edit to take advantage of that. For the Opp. Condition Critical column, keep in mind this governs what your Edit will do when an opposing Edit's health is near or at 0, so here is where you want to give points to your Edit's Standing Strike Finisher, if any.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbvXR3sTnrwCheck this video out to see some sequences made possible by this method, things like: one-two combos, rushes into Standing Finishers, and the only way to make the Leaping Cutter a viable finisher.

Adjusting logic this way allows for things that not even Priorities can make happen. For example, an Edit kicking another Edit into the turnbuckle where they can follow up with a Corner Grapple. Satisfying but more importantly, dynamic.

Ukemi

UKEMI may be the most obscure and misunderstood mechanic in Fire Pro. To put it simply, Ukemi is the practice of purposefully taking moves in order to gain a late-match spirit and attack bonus. This is done by holding the Left shoulder button while in a Front or Back Grapple. The more damage an Edit absorbs, the stronger the Ukemi boost will be, potentially. The boost comes into play when an Edit's Spirit first drops to 0, giving the Edit a small window of opportunity to deal a lot of damage and "catch up". Not the optimal way to play competitively, but it does a pretty good job of portraying comebacks you may see in an actual match. And it makes for more compelling sims.

A new Edit will start with a 20/25/15 Ukemi setup (read 20 for the Edit when in Small damage, 25 when in Medium, 15 when in Large) by default. This setup does not really make good use of the Ukemi mechanic. Instead, I suggest either 100/100/0 or 0/0/0. Anything else produces inconsistent results and will not give your Edit much of an identity, at least in terms of taking and dealing damage. 100/100/0 means the Edit will potentially have a ton of Spirit to draw from to kick out of would-be match-enders and the offensive power to come back from underneath. On the other hand, a 0/0/0 setup means the Edit will counter whenever it can, making it easier to maintain control of the match at the expense of lacking the large Spirit reserves to kick out of late-match high-damage moves (sometimes one Finishing maneuver is enough to put them down). Like you can imagine, these two types of Edits pair well against each other.

An Edit using Ukemi will allow moves that they normally would not. If an Edit attempts a high damage move when the opponent has too much health, a system in place punishes that player by having their move reversed automatically. Ukemi overrides that system. This means an Edit using Ukemi will allow themselves, for example, to be put into a Fierce Headlock instead of countering with a Backdrop Suplex. An Edit with 100 Ukemi will never counter the Headlock. On the other hand, an Edit with 0 Ukemi will always backdrop that same opponent each time assuming that the Headlock is attempted too early (important to note that the default Fierce Headlock is a Medium Grapple move).

The Counter Style setting determines what animation plays when the move is reversed automatically.

It is important to note that Ukemi, like any other mechanic, cannot “fix” bad CPU Logic on its own. If an edit's late match logic is too unfocused or too convoluted, Ukemi won't do much to remedy that. But if you have a solid grasp of CPU Logic, I recommend playing with Ukemi past just using the default 20/25/15 setup.

Opp. Outside of Ring

The OPP. OUTSIDE OF RING section determines what an Edit will do when an opponent is outside the ring when the Edit is inside the ring. I want to focus on a common complaint for those that sim, and that is Edits never going for dives (for example, the suicide dive/tope suicida) when an opponent is outside the ring. A dive to the outside (whether Running to Outside the Ring, Rope Slingshot to Outside the Ring, or Post) is like any other dive to a standing opponent: the opponent must come to their feet in a dazed state in order to "receive" the dive. The CPU will not attempt to dive on a standing opponent that is not dazed. This requirement is a big reason why dives are uncommon: the window of opportunity is too small. Edits only "wake up" dazed at the last stage of a match; and at this point Edits are looking to finish the match, not set up dives that are often effectively overkill.

In any case, it is recommended having a few set up moves in the LRG section of an Edit's Front Grapple moveset. The logic here being that moves in the LRG slots have a special property: defenders will stand up dazed as long as the move does not end in a pin or a submission and the opponent has taken enough damage. It is best to use moves that leave the attacker on their feet (like with Corner to Center moves), otherwise they may not recover quickly enough to attempt a dive. I like to use a custom version of the Medium Front Grapple Frankensteiner that causes the opponent to spill to the outside if they fall close enough to the edge, which took five seconds to make in Move Craft.

Due to positioning and other factors, one can safely crank up all diving moves to 100 in this section and still not see too many dives. Keep in mind if an Edit's logic had landed on attempting a dive and for any reason the dive cannot be completed: the Edit will, by default, remain inside the ring instead.

Performance

The PERFORMANCE section in an Edit's CPU Logic controls when the Edit will perform one of of its four taunts. The Edit's Entrance Ramp Performance is not considered. The Edit will only follow the logic set here until its opponent's health (or more accurately its damage) is past the Large threshold. When an Edit performs a Taunt when drawing from the Logic set here, the time the opponent is downed or dazed increases in order to accommodate the taunt and a follow-up move (except when drawing from the Opp. Outside of Ring column). However, taunts triggered by priorities do not receive this property. If, for example, I were to give an Edit the priority chain:

Powerbomb Whip -> Idol Song Dance
Idol Song Dance -> Turning Body Press

I would find that the taunt would be eating up a lot of the Downtime needed for the Edit to climb the turnbuckle and hit the Turning Body Press, assuming the Powerbomb is even a proper setup to begin with.

Also, the Opp. on Post Logic only comes into effect when the Edit can hit a Jump From Post Move that requires the opponent to get up dazed, but not when it requires the opponent to be downed. In other words, the game does not check Opp. on Post Logic before the Edit hits the Double Lotation Moonsault, but will if it goes for a Diving Dropkick.

To reiterate, taunts triggered by Performance Logic increase the time that needs to pass before an opponent is back to neutral. To a ridiculous degree, in fact. After equipping an Edit with a custom move that was as long as allowed by Move Craft (a move that was the full 96 frames, each at 99 TM), I can confirm that Fire Pro has no measure against what would surely be a frustrating exploit in playing or simming competitively. This custom taunt essentially held the match hostage for nearly three real life minutes, a delay so long the referee had to drop to one knee. This will never come into play in regular simming, but an interesting flaw nonetheless.


From "Fight Forever!" to "End this Match!"

2nd Rope Taunts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2wYz-VnZnI2nd Rope Taunts are a new type of move introduced in the Entrance Craft DLC. The video above will show some tricks to get more out of them: specifically proper voice clips and crowd effects.

Broken Moves

Fire Pro World has more than a few "broken" moves, with some being far more broken than others. For example, moves like the Shining Triangle and Tequila Sunrise are missing a K flag in their Move Craft data, which determines at what moment the crowd will react to the move. This only makes the move less satisfying to hit; it has no other effect gameplay-wise. However, the following moves can be absolutely lethal to the quality of a match.

Adding a K flag where there isn't one.

There are two types of moves that are so broken, they could be considered "overpowered". It was not until World that we began to see moves that would normally not have D flags (which determine at what frame damage is registered), have them. Before World, moves with A flags (these determine the part of the move that registers as a hit to the opponent) did not have a D flag as the moves worked fine without them. Moves that do have both an A flag and a D flag end up doing double damage as a result.

NOTE: The exception to this rule being Submission moves. They must have both an A flag and a D flag to function properly.

A flags determine the start and end of the hitbox. Here, frame 6 and 7 are the part of the move that counts as a successful hit when colliding with an opposing Edit. Most moves have only one frame with an A flag.

Types of moves that use A flags instead of D flags:
Standing
Running
Counter
non-Grapple Post
Corner to Center
Running to Outside of Ring
Rope Slingshot to Outside of Ring
Rope Slingshot from Apron to Inside of Ring
Run Up Turnbuckle (Standing)
Run Up Turnbuckle (Down)
Jump From Post
Dive From Cage

Moves in World with a "redundant" D flag:
Leaping Cutter (standing)
Slingblade (running)
Frankensteiner Whip (running)
Flapjack (counter)
Pendulum Bomb (counter)
Spanish Fly (counter)
Pop-up Jumping Bomb (counter)
Exploder (counter)

Some of these moves have frames copied from other moves, so perhaps Spike forgot to delete the D flag that remained from being carried over from an existing move (for example, the Pendulum Bomb has a Front Grapple version that we can guess was made before the Counter version).

This move is ridiculously broken.

A move with a pinfall needs two things: an SL Loop (stretched across several frames in Submission moves but compressed into just 1 frame for pinfalls) and an F flag. The TM (determines the duration of any given frame in a move) for both these frames must be exactly 1. The following moves do not follow this rule, causing each move to demand much more button presses in order to register a kickout. So many button presses that even the CPU cannot manage to kickout. As you can imagine, this can cause matches to end prematurely. If you have played Mission Mode, you have probably fallen victim to this.

Moves with an improper pinfall:
Body Buster (front grapple)
Appeal Body Buster (front grapple)
El Es Culero (back grapple)
Barmian Stamp (opponent down - face up, near head)
Top Rope Rollup Pin (front avalanche setup counter)
Top Rope Rollup Pin (back avalanche setup counter)

Sample Edits

Sample "Babyface"-type Edit:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3370521418
Will add a "Heel"-type Wrestler soon.