Crowner

PageAction: NonstandardGameOver

20th Apr '10 12:00:00 AM

Crown Description:

What is the definition of a Nonstandard Game Over? The current article gets linked in two ways:

An unusual, context-sensitive method to trigger a Game Over screen (e.g. something other than loss of HP, lives, time, or NPC). Shmuck Bait would be a subtrope of this.
An unusual, context-sensitive screen that declares the Game Over, regardless of whether the method of achieving it was unusual. Have A Nice Death would be a subtrope of this.

The two meanings do overlap, as an unusual method for getting a Game Over often result in a context-sensitive Game Over screen (e.g. eating the Shmuck Bait results in Have A Nice Death).

Also of note that Nonstandard Game Over is typically only one or two context-specific Game Overs, while The Many Deaths Of You is in some ways The Same But More (every Game Over is context-specific); both in the ways of achieving one and the message/screen that results from it.

28 (Yeas:34 Nays:6) 5.67 : 1

Hard split A:

Redefine Nonstandard Game Over as any unusual method for achieving a Game Over (rename optional), regardless of whether or not it uses the game's "standard" Game Over Screen.
Move the current article text (presentation of unusual Game Over screens) to a new title.
Comb through and clean up the related wicks, making sure that examples of both are linked to both.

Pros

Game Over is already pre-existing jargon for the condition of having lost a game, while Nonstandard Game Over currently talks about the screen that declares it. The snowclone isn't consistent with its source.
Various samples of wicks imply that a majority of links discuss unusual methods for triggering a Gameover, moreso than the screen that results from the trigger. This may or may not strictly be misuse, but it doesn't match article as currently defined.

-2 (Yeas:4 Nays:6)

Supertrope:

Create two new articles with new names: One for a non-standard loss condition, the other for a non-standard Game Over screen.
The Nonstandard Game Over article becomes a "no examples" Super-Trope; all current examples get shuffled into the respective Sub-Trope as needed.

Pro

Since the two meanings overlap, wicks that ambiguously mention one meaning or the other aren't necessarily misuse.

-3 (Yeas:8 Nays:11)

Soft split:

Mention both definitions (defined at top) in the article, effectively expanding the article to both definitions.

Pro

The two definitions frequently overlap. Avoiding a hard split means we also avoid duplicating examples where an unusual method triggers an unusual Game Over screen.
Only minor cleanup to the article itself is required; no major review or cleanup of wicks is necessary.

-11 (Yeas:3 Nays:14)

Cleanup only (Hard split B):

Nonstandard Game Over is already defined more or less as an unusual Game Over screen regardless of the method used to trigger it.
Draft a new article for unusual methods of achieving a Game Over (ykttw: Nonstandard Loss Condition).
Comb through and clean up related wicks; anything that uses a game's "standard" Game Over screen would constitute misuse.
- Games featuring The Many Deaths of You (e.g. Sierra games) generally feature context-sensitive Have a Nice Death messages, this could be construed as misuse.

Pro

Preserves the current article/definition.