Create-a-wrestler

Create-a-wrestlers (CAWs) are creations made in wrestling video games, in which creators use the wrestling "CAW mode" to create new people on the game. The online CAWs community has grown massively in the past few years, with lots of dedicated sites hosting CAWs for wrestling game owners. It is estimated that there is approximately 11,000 CAW Formulas online. CAWs have also known to be known as CAS's (Create-A-Superstar).

The CAW community is currently popular around the WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 game for Playstation 2 and PSP and WWE Day of Reckoning games for the GameCube, and is awaiting the release of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007.

History


It was not until the release of 3D wrestling games such as WWF Warzone and WCW/nWo Revenge that the emphasis of created wrestlers was brought into focus in the wrestling gaming niche. With the release of the games like WWF No Mercy where even more extensive CAW modes were present, an even greater rise in popularity or the creating of CAWs occured. At this point, wrestling game fans began to post "how-to" forumlas of their creations online in places such as forums.

Various small sites devoted to CAWs began to appear online, with people displaying their CAWs to other wrestling fans online. However, CAWs were not the main discussion for wrestling game fans.

However, with the release of the SmackDown! Series, several big game sites like GameFAQs began to host CAW FAQs, with formulas which helped to create wrestlers and non-wrestlers inside (using the CAW system).

The popularity of CAWs really rose when a site called "Cheats for Playstation2" began to create a directory of CAWs for SmackDown Shut Your Mouth. It hosted the best and realistic CAWs online, and people flocked to the site to get the creations. Most of the CAWs had pictures, so people could view what the CAWs looked like in the game.

The usage of this CAW directory increased with the release of Smackdown Here Comes the Pain. The game had the most detailed CAW system yet, and helped aid the popularity of CAWs.

After Smackdown Here Comes the Pain however, the owner of the Cheats for Playstation2 site, said he would no longer continue hosting CAWs for the next game, and the online CAW community started to look elsewhere.

By the release of Smackdown vs RAW, people were looking for a new CAW site. A site called CAWs.ws began to prosper, as it was the only real place to get SmackDown! CAWs. The site pleased the CAW community, as it had lots of creations for the game, although some critics critized the quality of the CAWs hosted on the site.

CAWs.ws is now the most popular CAW site online, and now hosts CAWs for Smackdown vs RAW 2006. New CAW site alternatives have started appeared recently, including CAW Center and Code X's "Forum CAW Archive". A site known as CAW Alliance has gained momentum in the Day of Reckoning community, although it hosts creations from various wrestling games (including the SmackDown games and No Mercy) and some non-wrestling games such as Soul Calibur III and the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

How CAWs Work
CAWs have grown in popularity mainly due to the easiness of posting them online. CAWs are posted in formulas which give the player instructions how to make the CAW in their game. For example, "Eyes (34,54,65,0)", the CAW engine in SmackDown! games uses numbers to assign positions on the CAW for the parts. For example, If the nose size on the CAW is huge, the number assigned would be "100".

By editing areas with sliders and choosing clothing options, wrestling games allow CAW makers to create a large variety of real or fictional wrestlers. Originally, CAW modes were used mainly for roster updates, but due to the increased freedom of CAW modes, many CAW makers solely devote their efforts to recreating comic book, television, and video gaming icons such as Link (The Legend of Zelda series), Wolverine (comics), and Goku.

People with Memory Card devices like a MaxDrive sometimes don't have to use formulas, as they can simply download saves from their computer onto their games console. The simplicity of save devices, has lead to the rise in the number of "CAW Saves" which include lots of CAWs which can directly be downloaded onto the console.

CAW Popularity


Since Smackdown Here Comes the Pain CAWs have had a lot of publicity in magazines and video game sites.

Recently the CAWs.ws site has had publicity in several magazines, including issue #172 of the GamesMaster magazine. Some of the CAWs from CAWs.ws were also featured in a cheatbook by Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (OPSM2).

The SmackDown! series is widely acclaimed to have the best Create Modes, even outperforming Electronic Arts games in terms of detail.