This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Shrikesnest: Renaming Peril Rollover with the sanction of the forums.
Copied over from Peril Rollover discussion:
Fighteer: I'm not entirely satisfied with the World Of Warcraft entry under this trope for several reasons, even though I've made the exact same point elsewhere on the wiki. First, Arthas has not yet been defeated, ever, so it's entirely reasonable to ignore the player from his point of view. Second, he loves tempting people into corruption, even above simply killing and raising them, so it's possible he figures you'll eventually come to his side later. Third, and most importantly, Gameplay And Story Segregation. Killing off plot important NP Cs to raise your fear and hatred of Arthas is fine. Killing the player in such a way that he becomes unable to continue in the game, ever, is a sure way to lose all your subscribers.
Also, I digressed with the Half-Life 2 entry a bit. I'm not sure if that crosses the line into discussion in the wiki. If so, I can move it here.
The Nerdy Ninja: How exactly is this any different from Deus Ex Machina, except that it refers specifically to villains and not to antagonistic outside forces?
puritybrown: I second that question. This is "the point at which the villain's power inflation is so great that the only way the heroes can succeed is via Deus ex Machina", and that's not really distinct enough to be a separate trope.
Kizor: How about "That moment of lost atmosphere and destroyed tension when viewers realize that there's going to be a Deus ex Machina"?
Crowley: This trope is about a specific situation where story only has two ways of ending: a spectacularly anticlimactic Downer Ending or a Deus ex Machina. While it seems audiences can see this coming, the authors never realize until the last moment...
