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ailendolin · 4 months

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From what I've seen, a lot of fans weren't happy with the way Ghosts ended. While I personally would have preferred the Coopers to stay at Button House, I do understand why the Idiots chose to end it the way they did, though. The issue here, I think, is not Alison and Mike leaving but the way it was executed. The last episode of series 5 was all about the ghosts convincing Alison and Mike to stay so having them sell the house an episode later almost felt like a retcon because that twist was so sudden and seemingly came out of nowhere.

I've mentioned before that a longer run time would have probably fixed that issue but thinking about it, swapping the main storylines of series 4 (gatehouse) and 5 (selling part of the land) might have as well. And here's how:

Alternate Series 4: To get the gatehouse ready, Alison and Mike need money and look into selling some of the land they own. This sets up the plots with Barclay and the French buyers. Just like in 5x06, the company expresses interest in the house which leads to Alison finding out that Julian pushed her out of the window. In the end, Julian convinces her to stay and Alison and Mike sell the land but not the house.

Alternate Series 5 starts with them trying to make the gatehouse work, including all the shenanigans we've seen in series 4 but with added, "Omg we're going to have a baby," to raise the stakes because Alison and Mike really, really need this to work if they want to get the house ready for a child. And just like in series 4 everything seems to work out until the gatehouse gets struck by lightning and burns down. The series ends on an uncertain note: "The question is: what now?"

Which leads us to the final episode where Betty stays after Mia's birth to help out as much as she can because Alison and Mike have their hands full with the insurance company and trying to make ends meet. Nerves are frayed, tensions run high until at last the ghosts come to Alison on Christmas Day and tell her, "It's okay. You don't have to stay." They know it's not working out for Alison and Mike (Fanny did the math) and they know they can't ask them to stay, not when they have Mia to think of now. So they let them go.

The show would end the same way it did in canon but not quite so abruptly because Alison and Mike wouldn't leave because the ghosts are annoying and overbearing. They would leave because it's the right thing for them to do at this point - the only option they have left, really, and it would have given us a gentler goodbye.

#I firmly believe it all comes down to pacing #the ending of the show isn't bad #in fact it's beautiful and heartbreaking and wonderfully human #the problem is there was not enough time to set it up #and I think either a longer runtime for the Christmas Special #or switching the storylines of s4 and s5 would have solved that #bbc ghosts #mp bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts meta

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ldso-tron · 6 years

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Is TRON 2.0 a CRPG?

As I mentioned previously, many were against the inclusion of TRON 2.0 in the upcoming CRPG Book because they don’t consider it a “true” CRPG (Computer Role Playing Game).

They likely consider TRON 2.0 to be an Action or Adventure RPG (ARPG), and that’s definitely a fair argument.

Okay, so what’s the definition of a CRPG, then? Well . . . ask many different people, and you’ll get just as many different answers.

But, there’s a forum post on the site RPGWatch that seems to be commonly cited as a good “litmus test” for whether or not a game meets the requirements.

So, just for fun, let’s see if TRON 2.0 meets the RPGWatch requirements to actually be classified as a CRPG.

Strap yourselves in, because this is going to be a long post! I wanted to do TRON Evolution as well, but then this would become far too lengthy. Will have to save it for another time!

Character Development

Describes ways to create, change or enhance your characters in order to increase their effectiveness in the game.

Must Have

C1: you can control and role-play one (=Avatar) or more (=Party) unique characters (-> not only uniform units)

TRON 2.0 meets this basic requirement. (As do most games.)

C2: you can progressively develop your characters' stats and/or abilities (-> e.g. through an in game value (usually exp. points) gained by quests, exploration, conversation, combat, …)

Yes, definitely present in TRON 2.0. (Subroutines = Skills/Equipment, Performance Ratings = Character stats, Build Points = Experience points.)

C3: Checks against character stats and/or character abilities/skills are necessary to make progress and finish the game

Arguably, yes, this is the case in TRON 2.0. You could, in theory, finish the entire game with just the basic Disc Primitive and never upgrade. But it would make completing the campaign far more difficult and, frankly, tedious. Not to mention, upgrading Jet’s jumping ability (Y-Amp subroutine) is absolutely necessary. Or else, you won’t be able to jump high enough to progress through levels.

C4: you can equip and enhance your characters with items you acquire

Again, yes, this is present in TRON 2.0. (Subroutines.)

Should Have

C5: you can create your characters

No, TRON 2.0 doesn’t have this. But it’s a “should have” and therefore not a requirement.

C6: the player needs preplanning for the development of the character(s)

Again, not present in TRON 2.0. But, again, not a requirement.

C7: the primary means of problem solving, gameworld interaction and overcoming challenges is the tactical use of character/party skills/abilities (-> the player's physical coordination skills are secondary)

Arguably, yes, this happens in TRON 2.0. Defeating enemies (mainly bosses) requires using certain skills/abilities to defeat them more easily. Otherwise, defeating them becomes a chore. Also, this is again where the Y-Amp subroutine becomes essential. (Skill/Subroutine needed to overcome challenges in the game world.)

Exploration

Includes how you can move through the game world, as well as everything you can find, see, manipulate or interact with, like locations, items and other objects.

Must Have

E1: your character(s) can interact with the gameworld and find new locations by exploring.

Interaction, yes. Definitely in TRON 2.0. (Then again, most game worlds are “interactive” these days, encouraging exploration.) Finding new locations by exploring . . . arguably, yes.

E2: your character(s) can find items that can be collected in an inventory (-> there have to be more item types than quest items, weapons, ammunition and consumable stat boosters.)

TRON 2.0 features an inventory system, yes. (The System memory screen, where you store subroutines.)

E3: your character(s) can find information sources (-> e.g. NPCs, entities, objects that provide info)

Yes. You talk to NPCs (Civilian programs), and collect E-Mails that provide a backstory to TRON 2.0.

Should Have

E4: there are NPCs in the game

Yes. Civilian programs you can talk to in TRON 2.0.

E5: you can choose a path (-> there is at least some branching)

Are there branching paths in TRON 2.0? Not really. It’s mostly linear. You could make the (admittedly tenuous) argument that there are a couple of choices that prevent you from experiencing all the game has to offer (the ICPs listening to the Light Cycle races, skipping participating in Light Cycle races yourself). But, again, this isn’t a requirement.

E6: your character(s) can manipulate the game world in some way (-> e.g. pull levers, push buttons, open chests, …)

Yes, TRON 2.0 has plenty of this. (Switches = Levers/Buttons, Archive Bins = Chests.)

E7: the gameworld can affect your character(s) (-> e.g. weather, traps, closed doors, poisoned areas, …)

Yes, there are many areas that can damage or trap Jet in TRON 2.0. (Corrupted floors and the “Format wall” are just two examples.)

E8: there are initially inaccessible areas in the gameworld that can only be reached by enhancing your characters' abilities, solving quests or puzzles (-> e.g. unlock locked areas, overcome obstacles, repair bridges, dispel barriers, …)

TRON 2.0 is chock full of this. Hunting down permissions to open doors, lower force fields, turn on energy bridges, and so on.

Story

Concerns all narrative elements like setting, lore, plot, characters, dialogue, quests, descriptions, storyline(s) and similar, including how you can interact with them.

Must Have

S1: your character(s) can get information from information sources (-> e.g. hints, goals, quests, skills, spells, training, …)

Yes, there are quests/goals (the Status Display, aka Jet’s Task list), tutorials/training, and hint/information sources (Help Files, E-Mails, Build Notes) in TRON 2.0.

S2: your character(s) can follow quests (-> there is at least one main quest)

Again, Jet’s Task list in TRON 2.0. Yes.

S3: your character(s) can progress through connected events and play their role

Arguably, yes. Jet, the character you play as, is the common element that ties together all the different story threads in TRON 2.0.

Should Have

S4: the story is influenced by your decisions and your characters' actions and stats/abilities/skills.

This is another tenuous one. Does the player’s decisions as Jet influence the story of TRON 2.0? This hearkens back to “branching paths”. Not really, no. Again, the path through the game is pretty linear. But, this isn’t a requirement.

S5: your character(s) can interact with information sources (-> e.g. NPC conversation, riddle statue question, …)

This is virtually a repeat of a previous requirement. Yes, TRON 2.0 has plenty of this.

S6: your character(s) can make choices in those interactions

Yes, see the answer to E5.

S7: at least some of these choices have consequences

Yes, though it’s minor. (Potentially missing out on Build Points, so you can’t maximize Jet’s version score at the end of the TRON 2.0 Single Player campaign.)

S8: advancing in the story requires thinking of the player (-> e.g. irreversible choices, moral dilemma, riddles, …)

You can definitely make choices that are irreversible in TRON 2.0 (without loading an earlier saved game, that is), and prevent you from experiencing all the game has to offer. Again, see the answer to E5.

Combat

Describes how combat (or more general: conflict resolving) corresponds with elements of Character Development, Exploration and Story.

Should Have

F1: Combat efficiency is in some way tied to character stats or abilities (-> e.g. amount of damage, chance to hit, weapon access, …)

Absolutely. Subroutines can become infected by corruption, making combat less effective in TRON 2.0. Subroutines can also be upgraded, making them more effective. Performance Rating stats can be upgraded, too.

F2: Combat works with some random elements (game internal dice rolls)

Yes. Most notably, the Ball subroutines are unpredictable and somewhat random in TRON 2.0, in terms of the damage they cause.

F3: Combat should provide some challenge (-> e.g. preparing, use of tactics or environment possible)

Definitely the case. Preparing Jet’s subroutine loadout in TRON 2.0, before combating certain enemies, is a challenge. In the sense of determining which subroutines will be the most effective against a particular type of enemy.

What’s the conclusion, then?

In terms of “Must Haves” for a CRPG, I would argue that TRON 2.0 meets all the Character Development, Exploration, and Story requirements. And it even meets many of the “Should Have” requirements, though not all of them.

So, yes, I say that TRON 2.0 is a CRPG, based on the RPGWatch checklist.

- TronFAQ

#LDSO #tron #tron 2.0 #crpg #book #pc #game #video games #computer games #computer #rpg #tron evolution #tron runr #tron legacy #tron uprising

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