Reymmã
I really don't think this should have examples, except perhaps for the usual in-universe ones and deliberate, acknowledged ones like those for DM Of The Rings. Too subjective even if used right. Quite a few examples belong on Aborted Arc.
It's a pre-existing term though, so the page should stay. I think it's used mostly to mean a good premise that the creator promises but is let down by crucial flaws in the execution, or a timidity to tackle the proper implications. (At least it's how I would use it.) One thing I hear about Dominic Deegan is that the author has some good ideas and is determined to keep the story going, yet his ego and lack of detachment constantly sabotages his attempts to make the hero seem to be in danger, or have any meaningful conflict between the main characters.
edited 29th Sep '12 2:42:56 PM by RJSavoy
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No, the other one.
My complaints have been with the examples, or how to define examples. Leaving it exampleless wouldn't be a problem, I think.
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Dragon Writer
edited 29th Sep '12 4:23:30 PM by Stratadrake
An Ear Worm is like a Rickroll: It is never going to give you up.
Hooka-ed.
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer
Reymmã
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
That's the point I was making. We should keep a definition page, because everyone will have felt this at some point. But examples do not belong in a wiki format.
Dragon Writer
Well, for what I would consider a bad example, this is one game I've played personally:
I seem to recall that the Longardia/Draxil war was mostly backstory. BACK. STORY. And this "Rune" thing - a valid Chekhov's Gun, since its mentions throughout the game were equal parts brief and at-the-time nonimportant. Zegram identified traces of Rune from one boss; a corrupted prison warden was performing experiments with it; the Masked Man couldn't complete the very purpose he was cloned for because they mixed "a few cells" in when they created him. And the focus of the whole game is about Jaster's life joining a band of Space Pirates. Yes, every new party member was accompanied by a chapter placing their backstory in the limelight — but it's ultimately Jaster's story.
The final nail in this example coffin being that as a Video Game, "execution" also includes "gameplay". The action-RPG gameplay was fairly entertaining, so I would not consider that even remotely They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot.
edited 29th Sep '12 8:27:52 PM by Stratadrake
An Ear Worm is like a Rickroll: It is never going to give you up.
To the three people so far who have voted for "example cleanup", let me ask: what do you think a good example is?
So far "exampleless" is leading...so, for reference, if the trope is becoming example free, should we be removing links to it from other works pages? Because they tend to have the same problem whether they're on that page or not.
Maybe they mean Alternative Plot or something like this.
But I am going to change my vote there if we find no clue. These vague options need to be banned from crowners.
Usually no - and in this case, it says Example Sectionectomy which is limited to the main page.
edited 30th Sep '12 1:08:12 AM by SeptimusHeap
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
For those who voted up or down for Example Sectionectomy, did you think "cut the page" Cutiing is a seperate option, and read the page too. Also, the other options are Example Sectionectomy, But More Specific.
edited 30th Sep '12 1:23:32 AM by spacemarine50
Wouldn't that defeat the point? In particular, I'm pretty sure 99% of all potholes to this are purely meant as complaining.
It's useful as a concept - the primary reason I'm trying to cut the examples is because they can apply to anything, not because the concept itself doesn't exist. Plus, there's over 1,500 inbounds.
edited 30th Sep '12 1:24:01 AM by nrjxll
Added more options. Also, is this trope the same as Bait-and-Switch? And is this really Complaining About Plots You Dont Like?
edited 30th Sep '12 2:19:44 AM by spacemarine50
Only very superficially is Bait-and-Switch related to They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot, methinks. That is an actual misleading act by a character. Nothing to do with plot quality and missed chances.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
I was thinking to merge them to make Bait And Switch Plot.
If at all possible, can we just delete the "move to Darth Wiki" option altogether? It is not a dumping ground - frankly, if I thought I had a snowball's chance of pulling it off, I'd be trying to delete the complaining pages already on there. We certainly shouldn't be adding more.
Have you read Bait-and-Switch at all? It's an actual trope, and it certainly shouldn't be merged with this thing.
edited 30th Sep '12 2:01:47 AM by nrjxll
^I would agree on that sentiment.
By the way, any ideas on Alternative Plot?
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
No. Doesn't solve any problems, plus lumps in Fan Fics and examples like, "If show X had the main character do this instead...(Wall of Text). I go for Complaining About Plots You Dont Like, since that's what the trope is now.
edited 30th Sep '12 2:24:14 AM by spacemarine50
I'm all for Alternative Plot.
I think it would be an interesting Just for Fun page.
edited 30th Sep '12 6:32:56 AM by JustaUsername
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
Also like the idea of a Just for Fun Alternative Plot page.
Reymmã
If we were to have anything like that, it would need some limit. Like "take an important element of the plot/setting/characters and explore it". It would end up as Deconstruction in many cases. (Take a look at Loveless in the anime page, which takes a purely symbolic/artistic touch and takes it places the author never intended.)
A blog that gets updated on a geological timescale.
someone
The Alternative Plot idea sounds like something better suited for a fanfic site. I mean, it sounds literally like "take your own spin on this". Basically the wiki would become an actual host for some fanfics, instead of just a site that covers fanfics. Really though, wouldn't "I have an idea of how this might have turned out if (yadda yadda)" belong in the Unpublished Works section? It's basically pitching a new story.
edited 30th Sep '12 10:56:59 AM by ThatHuman
something
No, the other one.
Well, if we make that page, we'd just need to move the current one there, since that's essentially what it now. 
Except with more whining...
edited 30th Sep '12 11:31:35 AM by AnotherDuck
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Are you freaking kidding me?
I'm against an Alternative Plot page; it's off-mission and way too broad.
I don't see how it's any worse than Wild Mass Guessing.
As said above, I downvoted cutting because:
I feel that removing the complaining entirely would leave us with a page akin to Alternative Plot, which is rather interesting but may or may not be covered by Wild Mass Guessing.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman