Misused: Some Kind Of Force Field

Deflector Shields says it's Force Field, but a Force Field doesn't have to be around anything in particular, does it?

If we're satisfied with the way it is now, it still ought to be a supertrope to all the force field tropes.

edited 27th Mar '12 4:50:45 PM by Arha

Deflector Shields is ever so slightly too specific to be the supertrope, but that could be tweaked. It talks about sci-fi science and pseudoscience and lots of Warsie and Trekker stuff. I think Some Kind of Force Field and Deflector Shields are both probably doing too much load-bearing. Both cover lots of general force field conventions, but are also covering more specific tropes (a semi-invisible barrier in the first place, and a mass and ray defeating technological defense system in the second place). There probably ought to be a supertrope that covers both, as well as Green Lantern force fields, mystical force fields, and so forth.

My suggestion is to launch a force field supertrope and then give this and Deflector Shields some love.

Should it be a supertrope with or without examples? Or rather, throw it from here or go to YKTTW to collect some?

edited 27th Mar '12 7:37:24 PM by Feather7603

I'm thinking, supertrope with just examples that don't easily fit subtropes.

There's also Orbiting Particle Shield in YKTTW. Is there a consensus on running Force Field through YKTTW? — currently that's a redirect to Deflector Shields.

edited 28th Mar '12 2:47:01 PM by pawsplay

What's wrong with Force Field/Deflector Shields as it is now?

Not all Force Fields are Deflector Shields.

It's not a bad article, it's just that starting on paragraph 5, it starts talking about all sorts of sci-fi things that have nothing to do with a lot of force fields, whether because they are personal shields, rubber science, magical, or what-have-you. My suggestion is to leave that article mostly as it is, but create a force field supertrope.

Deflector Shields says:

None, that's actually what a force field is. The problem is that this article really only pertains to a fraction of things that are force fields. For instance, Doctor Strange can create a force field, which has nothing to do with phlebotinum or electromagnetic shields or what-have-you. The first line suggests this is an article about a Force Field, while the rest is about Deflector Shields.

Specifically, I would change this:

to read

Notice how axing the general definition does almost nothing to diminish the content of the article. The original definition can then become the opening line of Force Field, proper.

edited 28th Mar '12 6:35:32 PM by pawsplay

No, the article covers all of them. It's the supertrope.

Personally I think we need to split Deflector Shields up into like 4 tropes.

• Personal Shields Mass Effect, Halo style personal shielding.
• Force Fields the standard blocking Force Field like Star Trek's internal shields that block corridors or even islands and such they block access to X.
• Casted Shields like this◊ they basically put up a shield, a Barrier Warrior this is their only power. Usually placed in one direction, Instant Runes are common for this. Its also common for them to crack.
• Standard Ship Deflector Shields for Defense usually omnidirectional one way deflection. Standard Technobabble is transfer power from X to shields, "forward shields down to XX%" yada
  • Rarely will there be Point Defense Shields ala Robotech with roving shields blocking attacks (occasionally Shield Bits do this like Gundam 00) You can get though these if you are fast enough or enough attacks at one time.

edited 29th Mar '12 12:45:34 AM by Raso

It does claim to be the supertrope, but there is a lot of splittable material.

Maybe we should just make Force Fields a Super-Trope/Index page for force fields in general.

edited 29th Mar '12 4:15:02 AM by Ekuran

We do have Force-Field Door and Containment Field as existing tropes.

Ok that takes care of a lot of my issues....

Is there a consensus on making Force Field a supertrope/index, and the rest, including Deflector Shields, under that?

That sounds like a plan.

If we're talking about renaming Deflector Shields, that's another issue, isn't it?

I don't think we are. There's currently no trope called Force Field, which is what the index/supertrope should be called, but it's a redirect to Deflector Shields. Deflector Shields isn't affected by that change. There might be other adjustments to calibrate the tropes between themselves better, but I don't think a rename is on the top of that list.

I'm for making Force Field a supertrope index with examples. Supertropes missing examples lead to trope decay in the subtropes.

I'll YKTTW it. When it launches, I'll make the minor trim to the lead-in to Deflector Shields.

Doesn't most of the Deflector Shields description belong on the supertrope?

I feel like a Trope Transplant for Deflector Shields should have a separate thread.

We're not really doing one, though. I assume it's just being treated as deflector shields for ships and stuff rather than the broader supertrope we're discussing.