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Ask the Tropers:
openNo Title Videogame
I have two questions, actually, but since one requires a simple answer and one is a request, I suspect one post will be sufficient.
The simple answer: Are square brackets actually, officially the TVTropes default for stage directions, rather than curved brackets? I've been handed that edit reason a few times, but it doesn't seem to be consistent (or even close to the majority usage) across the wiki. I went through all the instructional entries I could find that seemed relevant and can't find a single reference either way. Personally, I think square brackets look ugly used that way and already serve a typographical/markup purpose - if they're also used for stage directions, there's scope for some very broken formatting - but I'll abide by the rules if the rules exist.
The request is for someone to do...something...about Spec Ops: The Line, because the entire page is riddled with Natter and worse. Entries arguing with other entries, an incoherent and badly-formatted rant about something I can't even parse, and lengthy entries in Fridge Logic, which I thought were supposed to go to Headscratchers. The game attracts incendiary opinions no matter what, I know, but can it at least be kept down to a dull roar? I'd do it myself, but I've made my own stupid edits in the past and I don't think I have the clout or wisdom to clear it all up for good. Or even a little while.
Edited by NanoMooseopenSuggesting material Videogame
I'd like to add a something to the God of War (2018) page of tropes. Specifically to the Nightmare Fuel page. I don't want to add it myself. I only want to point this thing out to a troper who had previously worked on/edited the God of War Nightmare Fuel page.
openVideoGame/PrimusUnderfell Videogame
Alright, where do I begin? The page is full of ZCEs, is only indexed to Undertale's fanworks page, and is possibly importing offsite drama. At the least, it's not related to the game itself and shouldn't be there.
Also, aside from fixing what I assumed to be a spelling error, Reptiny is the only one who's edited the page.
openNo Title Videogame
Why is Polished Port a YMMV trope? It says on that page itself it's like Updated Re-release but on a different system, and that trope isn't YMMV.
openCombined examples needing split Videogame
I'm working on a trope page for a project of mine (though I'm keeping it off TvT itself until said project gets far enough), but I'm having a problem with two of them. At the moment, they had to be merged into a single example in order to make sense, but I want to split them into separate entries that still reference each other in a coherent manner.
- Attract Mode/Automatic New Game: When the game is first started, the main menu treats you to a flyby of the Hub (sans portals) in the background, with the menu itself disappearing if the game is left alone long enough. When a new game is started, the menu goes straight into it’s Attract Mode as if it’d been left alone, but the music starts to fade out instead of remaining on, as the camera slows to a stop. A few seconds later, we’re treated to a loud *THUD* followed by an equally loud “...Ow!” from Mike after another second, immediately going into the intro mission’s starting cutscene from there.
- On subsequent loads, the game does the same thing, but for the world the player was last in. But instead of going into attract mode, it instead fades to black (which also functions as a concealed loading screen), before cutting to a short scene showing Sam/Mike waking up, at which point it seamlessly switches to gameplay.
- When starting a new game (or new game+) when not in the Hub, it will start differently, with the game fading out as normal, before the loud thud is heard while the screen is still faded out. Beyond this, the scene starts as normal.
openNo Title Videogame
I'm editing the Character pages for Injustice Gods Among Us. Do you think that only tropes that apply to the characters that show up in the game should be listed there?
I'm talking about all the cameo characters listed in particular. Darkseid, Trigon, Atrocitus, Kilowog, Alfred, and the others.
Darkseid for starters: In his portrayal in the comics, He's one of the most powerful characters in the universe. He's worshiped as a god on his own planet and claims himself as one. He's just as powerful as he is smart, and he wants to eradicate all life in the universe.
In the game, he makes a five second cameo appearance during a stage transition where he grabs the character who gets thrown into his lair through the portal, smashes them into the ground, throws them back through the portal, and shoots his Eye Beams on the way out. That's it. Nothing that justifies any of his character backstory because he plays no importance to the story in the game.
Trigon as well. He's listed as the Big Bad for the Teen Titans. While this is true, the Teen Titans have nothing to do with the Injustice game's storyline. Trigon does show up as part of Raven's S.T.A.R. Labs missions in the game and in her super move, and deserves any tropes associated with him there, but not his entire backstory.
Alfred Pennyworth: What does being a Retired Badass who used to work at MI 6 have anything to do with his brief appearance in this series?
Yet Red Hoods Shadow insists on practically policing the page, making sure nothing gets by without his approval, and he insists that because the character is in the game, and that it is how they are portrayed in the comics, that it is justified to give these cameo characters full background tropes. Last week almost started an edit war over it, but I decided to back off to get this straightened out.
Other tropers agree on my standpoint that only tropes pertaining to the characters as they appear in the game or corresponding comic book (takes place in a seperate continuity from the rest of DC comics) should be listed.
Edited by DRCEQopenShould we recreate Shadow the Hedgehog's Self-Demonstrating Article? Videogame
I just learned there used to be a Self-Demonstrating page for Shadow the Hedgehog, but it got deleted because it wasn't "distinct enough and an uninteresting SD page for a stoic character." Is it a good idea to recreate it, but better than the last one?
resolved Franchise Fatal Frame: Recreate It? Videogame
The Fatal Frame videogames used to have a Franchise page that would work, but ultimately led to the Videogame page for the games. Overall, it worked just fine because all the games' tropes were listed there. Now that the sequels (Fatal Frame II until Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water) have gotten their own subpages, wouldn't it make sense to make a Franchise/Fatal Frame page again?
This way, the Franchise page can list all of the games and common tropes, with links to the games' own pages, while the Videogame/Fatal Frame page can list only the tropes and information for the first game itself.
openNo Title Videogame
So I was browsing the Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain page and found out that the Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes page still exists. The problem being that Ground Zeroes is the prologue to The Phantom Pain and word of god says that both projects make up Metal Gear Solid V. While some third-parties are speculating that they will be seperate releases, but the trailer for the game itself shows parts from Ground Zeroes and Phantom pain in it, so there's no reason to keep the two seperated.
Where do I go to propose a merger of the two pages?
Edited by ShaokenopenNo Title Videogame
Oh, I see Whitecroc already reported his own actions in Original War.
Long story short, his edits were pointless from the start. He picked already finished and mistake-proofed entries in the article and change them, creating not only language mistakes but also glaring errors toward game content. He removed or changed beyond recognition numerous tropes that are more than valid for the game, without any explanation of why doing so. When discussion was started, he didn't wait for any settlement, but just keep on editing the page, derailing it even further from the game content. Now the page is heavily vandalised, as his edits are half-made and with both language and content mistakes. Bonus point for starting the whole edit rampage under the guise of "removing grammar mistakes" and succumbing to them himself off the bat.
And I really don't see why I'm suppose to work with person who outright states that made mistakes and didn't bother to clean them up nor gives any reason why editing finished entries.
Edited by RysioPysioopenIsn't the Splatoon series a case of Gray and Gray Morality? Videogame
I thought about the Splatoon series and one thing came to mind: On one side, you have the selfish Inklings who only care about style and sports while the Octolings are destructive and militarized. Because of the these two sides, isn't this case of Gray and Gray Morality?
Reading tropes such as You Know What You Did
openNo Title Videogame
Not sure how to go about this, but here goes.
Been playing Mass Effect 2 lately. I usually play as a female Shepard and during those playthroughs I love Jack in it. However playing as a male Shepard I find myself continually being pushed away from her because of how much worse she seems to treat him. So I've been working on pointing it out across the game and trope pages, however thought I should stop and ask for a bit of input.
I'm a little worried about going too far in discussing what a Jerkass Jack can be, if I hadn't already. Would someone mind looking at my recent edits and seeing if what I've said is fair enough?
openNo Title Videogame
Okay, I kinda goofed with something here. I made a new page for a game, Cargo Commander , as seen here:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/CargoCommander
I took a cue from the Prototype2 and thought that putting it in as a Videogame entry was the correct way to do it, but it turns out I've made it difficult to link to, and the stuff like the YMMV page for it doesn't have the Main button. The thing is, I thought it would do redirects automatically, like it did with the Prototype 2 one here, but evidently I was mistaken -
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Prototype2?from=Main.Prototype2
Could someone please fix this, or better yet, tell me how to fix it myself so I don't screw a page up like this in the future, please?
openNo Title Videogame
So i am a somewhat new troper, and i don't have much ( read: not at all) experience with editing pages, such as how to put Spoilers or writing for other Troper rather than myself. Currently in trying to enrich the Kana Little Sister pages, particularly the Heartwarming page, which didn't have anything still until i started. The question is: Could please another Troper who is also a fan of the game, help here? at least with learning the editing? the wiki doesn't help much with that.
openNo Title Videogame
I had requested a custom title for Kid Icarus: Uprising, and I think it was accepted, because on the page for the game itself, it has a colon in there - Kid Icarus: Uprising. However, it doesn't seem to show the custom title on any other page. How does this get fixed?
openIndentation example I need clarification for Videogame
This is for the Dissidia Opera Omnia page and to also be wary of any indentation issues I've come across that lead to my suspension.
So far, I've planned to do a portion on Thancred's Folder for the character pages of DFFOO in this format:
- Charge Meter: Thancred's new mechanic via his EX Ability's passive which nods to how ninjas work back in FFXIV as a Mythology Gag. A scroll icon with a number above his head (and above any buffs placed on him) will indicate how much "Ninki" (lit. Stealth Qi/Ki) he has left. The following actions below described interact with the number like so:
- Using his normal BRV Attack or HP Attack when under 3 stacks will raise his Ninki counter up to 1, while using either Jugulating Wasp or Shadow Fang will grant 2 stacks instead.
- If up to 3 stacks, his BRV Attack will be enhanced by his Ninki, where it deals higher damage to poisoned targets, has high chance of a 4 turn poison infliction on the target, and allows his next skill usage to be zero cost on his next turn. However, using it will consume the Ninki amount by 3.
- His EX Ability also turns into a plus version of itself where it can overflow up to 200% Max BRV instead of the normal 120% when at 3 Ninki stacks or higher, but will also consume 3 Ninki likewise when used.
Is this formatting plausible? I might replace the Charge Meter trope part with something else if I can find a better substitute.
Edited by SneaselSawashiro
Reading tropes such as You Know What You Did
openNo Title Videogame
I'd like a little consensus on a trope I'm trying to add.
The ending for Mass Effect 3 has Shepard essentially doing the work of the Reapers, after telling them to go screw themselves throughout the series. I explained this as Character Derailment on the character page but since it's a YMMV trope it was removed. I see, so I then listed it under the YMMV page but Character Derailment is not to be used, ever. Okay, so I tried listing it under Character Derailment itself and it was again removed.
Am I misusing the trope? Is there something I'm missing here? As I understand it Character Derailment is when a character does something that is really out of character for them. Shepard's actions at the end of the third game seem very much out of character, being established to stop the Reapers.
Edited by tsstevensopen What's this genre? Videogame
I've now gotten a Works page for the Fairune series suitably big, but i can't figure out where to index it by genre. It's a top down game where the player explores a world gathering items, solving puzzles and beating monsters by walking into them, with multiple different maps for itself. I'd like to say Action Adventure, but it doesn't seem action-y enough for that. I don't suppose there'd be someone with a better grasp on genres over here?
For that matter, where do i go to get help with crosswicking? I could do it on ym own, but i might not have enough time to crosswick every trope on the page.
openDoes it count if a work offers a Mythology Gag within itself? Videogame
- Another Vanu Vanu daily quest is called "The Binding Soil". Does it count if a work offers a Mythology Gag within itself?
Well, does it? (This was on Final Fantasy XIV. The context is that a quest in the :Heavensward expansion has a Punny Name with the pun being derived from a Bonus Level [Specifically what MMO players would refer to as a "Raid"] in the base game)

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me why the indexing doesn't work properly on the 5 subpages present in Woobie/Videogames. Reason I asked this is that I created a new subpage for Dark Souls, and added it to a mini-index on the media subpage. Then I find out all 4 other previous subpages have never been indexed properly either. I went out to change each subpage's page type, but to no avail. Could it be that the entire trope's indexing was wrong from the very start, given the Woobie/Videogames subpage itself is indexed under Imagelinks?