Near-unreadable text does the heavy lifting: Difficulty Spike

As the title says, this◊ image mostly works because of the text, and the text is hard to read bacause it's small. I think the ideal image for this article would be a platformer game screenshot; To the left of the player a Green Hill Zone-esque landscape, to the right an Eldritch Location and/or a menacing boss. I'm not sure such a pic could be found. Any other ideas?

edited 1st Mar '11 9:24:34 AM by ArtisticPlatypus

I'm not 100% certain that this can be adequately pic-ed.

Maybe something like this?

Frame 1: Video game character facing a really easy-looking challenge.

Between Frames: "One Level Later:"

Frame 2: Video game character facing an extremely difficult-looking challenge.

edited 1st Mar '11 10:16:56 AM by INUH

Or simply, use a graph. I think it conveys the idea better.

edited 1st Mar '11 10:56:04 AM by Catalogue

Is everyone agreeing about pulling the current one?

I disagree. That's a valid image for me. We can find a better one, but don't pull it yet.

Let the current image stay. It is lampshading the whole difficulty spike thing. (and yes, the creator IS aware of it (the comic in question IS a Troper Work, after all.))

But the only part of the image that really demonstrates the trope is the second speech bubble. It'd make a good quote...well, it'd make a meh quote, but it'd be better as a quote.

This picture is good enough at explaining the trope that I think it should only be pulled if something better is found. Besides, if I recall correctly, removing pictures without replacing should only be done for "just a face and a caption", which this picture isn't.

Kid Radd would have a good picture. Somewhere near the beginning, there's a comic where he finishes the first level (happy fun sunshine land, something like that) and goes to the second (evil spikes of doom land).

(edit) nevermind, I just looked it up and it's not a very impressive pic.

edited 22nd May '11 3:14:35 AM by Spark9

I think we should just use screenshots of pre-difficulty spike and post-difficulty spike levels

I would think Eversion would be a great potential page image, but the spoilers might be an issue. I'll make an image in a bit to see what you guys think.

Another potential idea: Fallout 3's Point Lookout. The only problem is that while the enemies may be much more dangerous, they certainly don't look it.

edited 11th Jun '11 12:14:52 PM by YoungMachete

How about that◊?

...uuuuuhhhh, wuh?

I like it, but i'm not sure if it would be better than the current.

I've never played Touhou, but why don't we get a screenshot of an example from that? From what I understand, it's a good example.

I like it too, but isn't the trope. The image makes a joke about the learning curve in EVE Online which has been referred to as a "learning cliff". That's not a spike in difficulty: as the graph shows, it doesn't get easier.

edited 11th Jun '11 10:50:47 PM by Camacan

The trope doesn't mention getting easier - it is defined by a sudden jump and then it stays it's way. A cliff demonstrates that in exaggerated form.

Difficulty jumping up and then going down is Schizophrenic Difficulty.

edited 11th Jun '11 11:40:41 PM by Adannor

I LOL'd at the Eve picture, but I don't think it would work.

edited 11th Jun '11 11:54:01 PM by DRCEQ

With a name like that it better go down afterwards. It's a moot point in the primary case in the main text: real hard all of a sudden, right at the end.

edited 12th Jun '11 12:08:34 AM by Camacan

I like the EVE pic. Is the trope about a game becoming suddenly difficult at the end, or suddenly difficult at any point? The laconic reflects sudden difficulty, but not when.

Bump.

It's a fun image but doesn't demonstrate the trope, so it doesn't fit here imho.

Any other thoughts? Anyone got an idea for a graph we could do to demonstrate this?

A group of screenshots from some game, marked "level 1" "level 2" and "level 3", where one is clearly much harder than the rest?

Also, why isn't this a subjective trope? Most of the page is "complaining about levels some troper had trouble completing".

I'm in favor of pulling the current pic. Not only does the image not demonstrate the trope, but the text doesn't, either. The only reference is somebody flat out SAYING "this is the trope", and has little to nothing to do with the actual picture.