This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Diamond Weapon: Is it just me or does this trope cover every single possible instance of obstacles destroyable by a specific item? Type 1 if the obstacles continue to appear after you're guaranteed to have the item and type 2 if they don't.
Muninn: Would it make more sense for Case 2 to be it's own separate trope? Cases 1 and 3 are about obstacles that are unnecessary, whereas Case 2 has nothing to do with unnecessary obstacles, but is actually about unnecessary items (which is more or less the polar opposite of the rest of this trope).
Griffinmills: Agreed. Case 2 is a mess anyway, I'd be amazed if people made it past the imaginary 3rd rock in a tunnel before they got bored of this over-long definition/explanation. Is it just a case of using up items in one spot and never needing them again or what?
Masami Phoenix: I'm not sure if the Pokemon example counts, as A) There are places to backtrack to use such powers in previous places to unlock more stuff. and B) The power is given to a pokemon. Unless you give Cut to enough pokemon that you always have a cut pokemon with you, this limits who you can take with you. Particularly annoying when the ability sucks and you don't want to waste giving it to a pokemon, because it eats up a slot.
Potato Engineer: I'm trying to figure out how "old games" avoided both Case 1 and Case 2. In a purely linear game (which most old games were), any of these Pumpkin Smashers that removes obstacles is either Case 1 or Case 2 (assuming it didn't fall into Case 3). If it only comes up once, it's the Failure at Nonlinearity (case 2). If it comes up more than once, it's Remember Your Inventory (case 1). So how did old games avoid it?
Ninjacrat: I can't speak for the tope writer, but I think what they're describing are games like Legend Of Zelda and Ultima. In those games it's often not required to smash many or any pumpkins, or even to find the pumpkin-smashing hammer, to win. Back in the day adventure games tended to be more 'simulationist' than 'narrative', and the smashable pumpkins would be there "because it's logical for a pumpkin to be there" rather than to contol the player's path through the plot.
Case 4 is 'verisimlitude', basically. [edit: And shiny hidden treasure.]
Freezair For A Limited Time: Of the Slingshot in Twilight Princess. Enemies actually CAN still be stunned by the Slingshot, and smaller enemies *coughcoughkeesecoughcough* can be damaged by it. I actually still found use for the Slingshot, since it made taking out aerial enemies easier without having to waste arrows. I used it with Keese almost exclusively. However, Your Mileage May Vary, I suppose.
i8246i: Doesn't this page go against the base ideals of this website? I'll quote the front page here: "On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means "stereotyped and trite". In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them. "
Most of the 'tropes' listed here are dull, boring, and are just there for us to poke fun at...while remembering just how dull and boring they are.
Prfnoff: I object to the recommendation for deletion, given the nonexistence of Sandbox Barrier. (Red and 0 wicks? Oh, please.) If someone wants to propose a rename, they should do so.
Hylarn: The description could use a rewrite to be less whiny (and less clouded by the Nostalgia Filter), but this is a legitimate trope.
CAD: @ Prfnoff: Exactly my point, Sandbox Barrier doesn't exist yet, yet this trope exists to complain about it being used badly. The trope really should be rewritten to cover the obstacles themselves, both good and bad. I sent Sandbox Barrier to YKTTW
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CAD: Cut list declined... I was under the impression that a bad name, plus a complete change of focus, would merit just scrapping the thing and starting over. So what do I do now, just overhaul the page myself and change the name?
Anonymous Mc Cartneyfan: First, gently overhaul the page. That should be sufficient if there is a trope here.
Anonymous Mc Cartneyfan: I have finessed the description. I hope it helps.
