The December 2010 issue of the Hungarian edition of GameStar magazine is including the full retail version of TRON 2.0, for free.

As can be seen in the image on the right, the top of the issue's front cover has the words ""Teljes Játék: TRON 2.0" which means "Full Game: TRON 2.0".

Also, if you visit the GameStar.hu site, you'll see another phrase saying: "Decemberi Tron-áradat: ajándék teljes játékunk minden idők legjobb Tron-játéka: a Tron 2.0, címlapon pedig a Tron: Evolution!" The Google translation result is: "December Tron-tide gift complete game of all time best-Tron game: Tron 2.0, while the front page of Tron: Evolution!"

Frankly, I'd like to know how GameStar's publisher IDG managed to convince Disney Interactive to let them give the game away for free. To me, this seems like a small miracle. Disney has yet to re-release TRON 2.0 in any form, and seems to pretend that it doesn't even exist. (Sure, it gets mentioned in their press releases now and then, but it's always downplayed and treated as unimportant now that Legacy and Evolution are here.)

Perhaps, then, there's some small hope for TRON 2.0 showing up in the not-too-distant future on a service like GOG.com (Good Old Games).

Fandango has sent me some cool preview images of their upcoming Limited Edition TRON Legacy gift cards, that can be used to pay for movie tickets at any theater that accepts them. They'd make great gifts, or even collector's items to TRON fans.





I'd like to thank Fandango for giving me this exclusive first look at their TRON Legacy gift cards. I'll post more information in the future as I receive additional details about them.

If you've been reading this site for any length of time, you've probably noticed that I've said very little about TRON Evolution for the last year. Why is that, you might ask.

Out of fairness to the game, I've been waiting until the last possible moment prior to release, before forming an opinion. I think I've seen enough previews now, to draw an accurate conclusion about the quality of the title. Evolution is scheduled to be released tomorrow (November 26th, 2010) in the UK and possibly most of Europe. (I've found conflicting information as to whether it's just the UK, or a broader European release. So it's not clear at this point.) The North American release date is December 7th, 2010.

Frankly, I don't understand the reasoning behind the staggered release schedule because it's practically inviting people to pirate the game. In fact, the 360 version of Evolution was already pirated a couple of days ago. (So much for piracy only being a PC problem.)

There's also Battle Grids for the Wii, which is a completely different game from Evolution for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. And there are also DS and PSP versions, which are again different.

But let's now take a look at a couple of videos that preview Evolution.


After seeing that, you're probably thinking: "OMFG, this game is going to own!" Yeah, of course it looks awesome. It's a pre-rendered animation done by Digital Domain, who did the CGI on TRON Legacy. But it's not actual gameplay, so it's useless as a means to base any kind of informed opinion.

Let's take a look at Giant Bomb's preview instead. It's a whole half-hour of real gameplay. But be warned that the preview spoils a fair bit of the game.



Let's go over certain points in the video.

• 00:20 - Disney/Propaganda decided to drop the "The Video Game" subtitle from TRON Evolution. Good call. Any game with "The Video Game" as part of its title sounds more than a little tacky.
  
  
• 03:26 - Watch as the employee from Disney Interactive tries to do the parkour moves in order to progress through the level. Is that supposed to be fun? Having to make jumps with fairly precise aim and timing, and then having to do them again and again when you don't manage, doesn't look all that fun to me. A lot of players grumbled about the jumping puzzles in TRON 2.0. Now they've taken the worst part of the previous game, and made that the main gameplay mechanic throughout the entire Single Player campaign.
  
  
• 3:43 - The game's director, Darren Hedges, reveals that there are around 9 levels in the game. (They're on Level 6 and he says they're roughly "two-thirds" of the way through.) Much later at the 17:54 mark, he mentions that total Single Player gameplay length is about 8 hours. This game is short.
  
  
• 5:57 - Hedges makes a point about the player having all sorts of choice in Evolution, and then explains how in a particular area you can either jump up and hit a switch or stay below to hit the switch. That's meant as a good example of choice? Whether to hit a switch from above or below? Sorry, but the level progression still looks very linear to me.
  
  
• 7:01 - Here we can see the other main game mechanic. Brawl style combat, from a third-person perspective. I prefer first-person, but could live with third-person if the gameplay makes up for it. Unfortunately, this brawling combat looks repetitive and boring. The AI seem like pushovers. Just mash the buttons, and beat the crap out of your opponents without having to think too much. The disc is auto-aim, so you have no fine control over it like you did in TRON 2.0. So not much skill or finesse required for disc combat. Also note the text hints on-screen. I hope there's an option to turn this hand-holding measure off.
  
  
• 9:14 - Hedges mentions persistent player progression, where the player can take his or her skill level and abilities from the Single Player game into Multiplayer, and vice-versa. While this sounds cool in theory, I have to wonder how well it will work in practice. The game had better do player matchmaking based on the players' levels, or else matches in Multiplayer will not be very fun.
  
  
• 15:30 - Here again, the Disney Interactive employee demoing the game falls to his death more than once. Jumping puzzles still aren't fun.
  
  
• 19:00 - Hedges mentions that the energy strips on the walls are supposed to keep you constantly moving and progressing rather than "just, basically, walking into a room, plowing your way through - you know - a bunch of bad dudes, and then going to the next room and just repeating it ad infinitum". Well, how does this "high mobility system" prevent that? What a load of bafflegab. It doesn't change anything.
  
  
• 22:33 - Hedges mentions how the PS3 version supports 3-D. What he neglects to mention is that the PC version also supports 3-D. But, honestly, how many people will have the 3-D TV or monitor and glasses, to take advantage of it? It's not a huge selling point at this time. It's really more of a marketing gimmick, than anything.
  
  
• 23:07 - Here, Single Player Light Cycle gameplay is demoed. And, again it looks boring. It's entirely an on-rails experience. You're only allowed to go down a guided track, while explosions go off around you and structures collapse. So all you do is just dodge things, with the occasional opponent Light Cycle showing up. If that's all there is to riding Light Cycles, then it's not really impressive.
  
  
• 25:08 - The DI employee mentions that 90 degree turns have been implemented for Light Cycles in Multiplayer. This was not originally the plan, and only because of fan protests did Propaganda add it at the last-minute. Kind of astonishing to believe they hadn't made it a priority earlier. Then they go on to gripe about how it was difficult to make it work with the physics middleware they're using, which is why they didn't do it sooner. They make it sound so difficult when it really isn't.
  
  
• 27:01 - Now we're shown the Light Tank. While this game mechanic is simplistic as well, at least it will give players an immense sense of satisfaction when they go around blowing away enemies. This is one of the few parts demoed that actually looks like it could be fun.

Finally, at the end of the preview at the 30:32 mark, Hedges is asked if he looked at what came before, when designing Evolution. He mentions TRON 2.0, shareware TRON games, and reading up on what fandom said they wanted.

Indeed, TRON Evolution looks like a game that made a shopping list of must-have features. Those features read pretty closely to a wish list I compiled years ago. But unfortunately, along with implementing what fans wished for: Propaganda also went shopping for what they thought were "cool" features in other current games and ripped them off, in an effort to be trendy and to create what they desperately hope is the recipe for a very successful game.

TRON is not Prince of Persia. TRON is not Mirror's Edge. TRON is not Assassin's Creed. TRON is not Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions. TRON is not Enter the Matrix.

TRON is TRON. Instead of focusing alone on the strengths of what makes TRON unique (Light Cycles, Recognizers, Tanks, pure Disc Combat), they crammed in all these other gameplay elements that fit uneasily into the TRON universe and instead seem forced.

I think Spoony summed up best in his video preview a lot of people's reactions (and certainly mine) when he essentially said: "Parkour? In TRON? No. Just . . . no." This isn't the first time Propaganda has blatantly ripped off other sources, as Yahtzee explains (video is NSFW). The developers try to justify these "borrowed" gameplay elements at the end of this article, but it sounds like they're really reaching when they come up with reasons as justification.

TRON Evolution doesn't look like it will be the kind of game that I'll enjoy much. It's all about being cool and edgy, with lots of sprawling combat and not much else. It has none of the charm or sense of wonder that TRON 2.0 had. The only positive things I can say are that the environments (graphics) look very good, the Light Tank sections look like they could be fun, and Multiplayer seems as if it could be promising. That's about it.

And I think a lot of fans will agree. Particularly those who like old-school TRON. Disney, naturally, is saying and hoping that Evolution will be a huge hit. Of course they would say that, what else would they say? But I'm going out on a limb to predict that Evolution won't be a great success.

Sure, it will probably sell decently. At least one million copies. Which seems to be the minimum required not to be a complete "failure" in today's market. It gets to ride on the coattails of TRON Legacy and has the massive marketing hype machine of the film behind it, after all. Something that TRON 2.0 didn't have, and it went under most people's radars unappreciated as a result.

Disney's Interactive division had some more management shake-ups and has been seeing losses for a long time. TRON Evolution won't change that. It won't be a big hit.

Meanwhile, the film itself - TRON Legacy - should be a box office smash.

November 26th, 2010 UPDATE: Disney Interactive has delayed the PC release of TRON Evolution in the UK until an unspecified date in December. (Scroll to the bottom of this article for the news.) I imagine it will be December 7th, the same date as the release in North America. Unless Disney pulls the same stunt here too, and delays it again. How did I know they would pull this crap? Thanks to fellow LDSO member Win3K for the news.

Early last year, I predicted correctly that the Blu-ray remaster of TRON would not be released in 2009. And I think it's safe to say, that it won't be coming out in 2010, either.

The Blu-ray edition of TRON was originally supposed to appear either shortly before, or at, the release of TRON Legacy in theaters. But once we reached late October/early November with still no word of a Blu-ray release, Disney's silence on the matter was speaking volumes.

The reason for the change in plan, is apparently due to a screening of the film during the summer at Disneyland that Disney executives attended, as detailed over at Blue Sky Disney. The audience reaction was negative. People laughed at the film and thought it looked extremely dated.

I don't know that I agree with Disney's decision to hold back the Blu-ray release until 2011, particularly if they based their decision on a single screening. One negative reaction isn't really enough of a sample to be accurately representative of audiences as a whole. It comes across as a bit of a knee-jerk response.

But we will see the Blu-ray release eventually, which is all I guess really matters. It will now be released at the same time as TRON Legacy is released on Blu-ray. Steven Lisberger, director of the original TRON, has done work on the remaster and comments on it toward the middle of the following video from Collider.com.

I've been seeing a lot of people doing Google searches, trying to find help when they have problems with the Killer App Mod. (You would think they'd read the ModDB site page or the documentation that comes with the mod, that already has troubleshooting advice in it. Or try to contact the creators when they have difficulties. But I guess people are impatient.)

Anyway, rather than have troubleshooting advice scattered through various sites, I'm going to collect all the advice together into one concise article.

This article is a work in progress, and will be edited from time to time to update and/or improve the information contained within it.



LAST UPDATED April 18th, 2020

Q: When I use the mod, widescreen doesn't work. How can I fix this?

A: First, before installing the mod, make sure you are correctly identifying the aspect ratio and resolution your monitor is capable of.

Popular aspect ratios and resolutions:

• 4:3 (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x960, 1600x1200)
  
• 5:4 (1280x1024)
  
• 16:9 (1280x720 aka 720p, 1360x768, 1920x1080 aka 1080p)
  
• 16:10 (1200x800, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1600)

Once you've determined your aspect ratio and desktop resolution, select them during the installation of the mod when it asks for this information.

After the mod has been installed and you run the game: if from the TRON 2.0 main menu you go to Options > Display, the game will reset the resolution back down to 640x480. You will not be able to select any resolution that isn't in 4:3 aspect ratio, because the game does not allow you to choose them. (This is something that will be remedied in the upcoming v1.2 of the Killer App Mod.)

If this happens, quit the game and run the TRON 2.0 game launcher, then click the Display button. You will be able to select your non-4:3 widescreen resolution there, starting with v1.1a of the mod.



If the game is still not correctly displaying in widescreen, you might need to alter your GPU Scaling settings in the Nvidia Forceware or AMD/ATI Catalyst control panel.

Here are links to guides on how to change your GPU Scaling settings:

Turning on Nvidia GPU scaling (change setting to Aspect ratio)
Turning on AMD/ATI GPU scaling (change setting to Maintain aspect ratio)

In both cases, the selection you need to choose may be blanked out. To fix this, temporarily lower your desktop resolution at least one setting below your current one. Then when you go back to the control panel, the option should be selectable. After making the change, return to your original desktop resolution. The setting might not appear to stick, but it should still be working. This is a flaw in both Nvidia's and AMD/ATI's drivers.

It's also possible that your monitor has an aspect ratio setting. This feature is sometimes called 1:1 pixel mapping. If your video card is set to use GPU scaling, this monitor feature should be turned off. Or, if your video card isn't using GPU scaling, then you will probably want to turn this feature on. But don't have both on at the same time.


If none of the above has helped, be aware that recent Nvidia drivers have had problems with correctly displaying games without "black bars" even when the Aspect ratio setting is used. Read this message topic to learn more details.



Q: After installing the game, when I run it: it either crashes or I can hear music but I'm getting a blank or black screen. What can I do to fix this?

A: Locate your TRON 2.0 folder in the Windows Explorer and go inside it. If you installed the CD/DVD version of the game to the default location, it will be at:


C:\Program Files\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0
(Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit)

   OR

C:\Program Files (x86)\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0
(Vista/7/8 64-bit)


If you installed the Steam version of the game to the default location, it will be at:

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0
(Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit)

   OR

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0
(Vista/7/8 64-bit)


In your TRON 2.0 folder, highlight Lithtech.exe, and click the right mouse button. Click Properties, choose the Compatibility tab, put a checkmark in the box beside Disable desktop composition (Windows Vista and 7 only), and/or set Compatibility mode to Windows XP SP2 or 98. A few people have reported that this helps.

Another thing to try, is hitting the Esc key a few times. Sometimes the game will get "stuck" when displaying the introductory videos and hitting Esc will skip them. This might take you to the main menu. If you click the Options button in the TRON 2.0 game launcher, there is a setting called Disable Movies that allows you to turn off the introductory videos.

Before installing the Killer App Mod, you should install the Unofficial v1.042 Patch rather than the Official one. The Official Patch still uses copy protection that does a disc check, which doesn't work so well for some people on newer versions of Windows like Vista/7/8. Note that the Killer App Mod adds Français/Deutsch/Italiano/Español language support to the Unofficial Patch.

DO NOT patch the game or use any kind of No-CD crack AFTER the Killer App Mod is installed. This will prevent the game from running at all. A No-CD crack is not necessary, because the Unofficial Patch recommended during the mod installation eliminates the disc check.


If none of the above works, visit this message topic. Download the file mentioned and run the registry script. But only do this as a last resort if the other suggestion didn't help. It forces TRON 2.0 to reset all its settings, and you will lose your preferences that you set in the game.



Q: I can't get the Killer App Mod to install at all. The installer hangs or crashes during installation. What can I do?

A: Thanks to Moravuscz on the Steam discussion forums for suggesting this easier solution, if the installer hangs. It's strongly suggested to try this first, before trying anything else listed further below. This easier solution works on Windows 7/8/10.

• Run the Killer App Mod installer (if you cancelled installation earlier), and wait until it hangs again
• Hit the Windows key and R simultaneously
• A window named Run will appear, type resmon and hit Enter
• If a Windows User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears, click Yes
• Click the CPU tab in the Resource Monitor window
• Scroll through the list of processes until you find the irsetup.exe entry (which should be highlighted in red), and place the mouse pointer on top of it
• Right-click and choose Analyze Wait Chain
• A window will appear, showing which process irsetup.exe is waiting on and causing it to hang (the process irsetup.exe is waiting on will be different for everyone)
• Click the small box next to the process irsetup.exe is waiting on (to put a checkmark in it), then click the End process button
• A dialog will appear asking to confirm if you want to end the conflicting process, so click the second End process button
• Close the Resource Monitor window, to return to the Killer App Mod installation screen

After following the above steps, the Killer App Mod installer should now resume and complete installation.

Below are additional troubleshooting steps you can try (if you're on Windows XP/Vista for example), but the above steps should resolve the Killer App Mod installer hanging issue for the majority of people. (The hang is due to a bug in the installation software, used to create the Killer App Mod installer. The developer acknowledged, and has claimed to fix, this issue in an update to the software. This hanging problem doesn't occur for everyone. But for those who do encounter it, the issue should no longer occur in the upcoming Killer App Mod v1.2, when it's released.)


In order to determine which processes can cause this hanging issue, if everyone could please do the following I would very much appreciate it.

Download this batch file (saving it to your Desktop will make it easy to find) > Right-click it and choose Run as administrator (If the Windows 8 SmartScreen prompt appears, click More info and then Run anyway) > Wait until the Command Prompt window closes, do not close it yourself (this can take a couple of minutes) > Click here to start composing an e-mail (address is tronfaq@ldso.net) > Add the msinfo32.nfo file that should now be on your C: drive (at the root, not in any folders) as an e-mail attachment > Also attach the file TRON 2.0 Killer App Mod Setup Log.txt that should be in your C:\Windows folder.


For advice on how to solve this issue:

Before trying anything else, some users have reported that quitting their Razer (Comms/Cortex/Synapse/Booster) or Logitech (Gaming/SetPoint) software, allowed the mod to install.

In the case of Razer software, you may also need to stop the Razer Game Scanner service. Please visit this page and scroll to the bottom. Instead of restarting the Game Scanner service, follow the instructions but choose to Stop the service instead and then try installing the mod. (The service will automatically start again, the next time you restart your computer.)


Next, try unplugging any USB storage devices such as Flash memory keys. This may help.

The next step to try, is simply restarting Windows and attempt installation again.

If this does not work, try setting the installer to run in XP Compatibility mode. At least one person has reported that this helped.

Right-click ka_mod_v1x1a_setup.exe > Choose Properties > Click the Compatibility tab > Put a checkmark in the box beside Run this program in compatibility mode for > Select Windows XP (Service Pack 2) from the drop-down menu > Click OK.


If that doesn't work, try installing the mod in Windows Safe Mode. On Windows XP/Vista/7, Restart the computer from the Start Menu, and before the Windows bootup logo appears, hit the F8 key on the keyboard. This will bring up a menu. Choose Safe Mode. When you reach the desktop, run the installer again. After installation of the mod completes, restart the computer once more and it will automatically return to the normal desktop.

In the case of Windows 8, the F8 key alone no longer works when booting and reaching Safe Mode is a bit more awkward.

Hit the Windows key and R simultaneously on the desktop > A window named Run will appear, type msconfig and hit Enter > Click the Boot tab > Put a checkmark in the box beside Safe boot > Click OK > Click Restart. When you reach the desktop in Safe Mode, try installing the mod again.

After installation of the mod in Safe Mode has finished: Repeat the steps to run the System Configuration (msconfig) program > Remove the checkmark in the box beside Safe boot > Click OK and Restart to return to the normal desktop.

If the installer complains that a previous version of the mod is installed, say Yes to deleting the mod folder.

Note that the installer will require approximately 2.5GB of hard drive space in order to install the mod. (1.5GB for installed files, and 1GB temporary space during installation.)



Q: During installation of the Killer App Mod, when it reaches the patching stage I get a "Not enough disk space" error. Even though I have plenty of free space. Why is this happening?

A: There is an issue with the patching software used during the installation process. If TRON 2.0 is installed on a drive partition with greater than 2TB of free space, the patching software incorrectly calculates the amount of space and this error occurs. (I've already contacted the developer of the software, and asked them to fix this.)

To get around the problem: Download this .zip file (saving it to your Desktop will make it easy to find) > Copy/extract the contents of the .zip to your desktop > Right-click freespace_v1x0.bat and choose Run as administrator (If the Windows 8 SmartScreen prompt appears, click More info and then Run anyway) > When the batch file runs and asks for a drive, type in the letter of the drive partition where TRON 2.0 is installed.

The batch file will use Contig.exe to create a temporary blank file, large enough to bring the free space on the partition down to less than 2TB. It will then pause, and allow you to attempt installing the mod again. Do not close the window. Once the mod has been successfully installed, return to the open batch file window and press any key. The temporary blank file will be deleted.



Q: When I try to install the mod, my anti-virus quarantines or deletes some or all of the Killer App Mod installer files. (This may also happen silently, without the anti-virus notifying you.) Should I be worried?

A: No, the Killer App Mod installer absolutely does not contain any kind of virus. Your anti-virus program is giving you what's known as a false positive. Some anti-viruses are overzealous and incorrectly identify the compression used on the installer, or its patching activities, as suspicious.

Here's a link to an online virus scan site, to which the Killer App Mod installer runtime was submitted for scanning. The site reported the setup program as being clean.

Setup - Virustotal result



Q: When I try to manage my subroutines in the System Memory screen (accessed by hitting the F1 key), if I place my cursor on top of a subroutine it doesn't highlight. I have to move the cursor slightly off to the side, to get it to highlight. Why is this happening?

A: This occurs when playing at 16:9 and 16:10 widescreen resolutions (more noticeable in 16:9 aspect). Although most of the changes needed for TRON 2.0 to work in widescreen resolutions were successfully implemented, this particular issue was a challenge to resolve and is true for both v1.1 and v1.1a of the Killer App Mod. However, in the upcoming v1.2 of the mod, this issue has been fixed and will no longer occur.

A tip to help make managing subroutines a bit less difficult, is to click the right mouse button on a subroutine. Rather than left click, and drag it around. Clicking the right mouse button will cause the subroutine to jump in or out of Jet's memory ring. Using the mouse scroll wheel will allow you to cycle through the subroutines in each of the three subroutine libraries, rather than having to click on the arrows, which will make finding subroutines hidden off-screen much easier.



Q: The game used to work with the mod installed, but now it keeps crashing. Why has it suddenly stopped working?

A: Unfortunately, a bug has been discovered in the Mod Manager. When it edits the game's configuration files, it sometimes removes a space or newline by mistake. Entries in the config files then get mashed together, and the game doesn't do error checking so it just crashes with Error copying file cres.dll, Could not init CircuitButeMgr, Couldn't initialize DebrisMgr, or a Client MFC error.

If you see the messages Error copying file cres.dll, Could not init CircuitButeMgr, or Couldn't initialize DebrisMgr, then just use the TRON 2.0 game launcher to run the game instead. This should solve the problem.

If you get a Client MFC error, look for the following files in the Windows Explorer if you installed the CD/DVD version of the game to the default location:


C:\Program Files\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0\Profiles\ProfileName.txt
C:\Program Files\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0\Profiles\_ProfileName.txt
(Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit)

   OR

C:\Program Files (x86)\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0\Profiles\ProfileName.txt
C:\Program Files (x86)\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0\Profiles\_ProfileName.txt
(Vista/7/8 64-bit)


Look for the following files if you installed the Steam version of the game to the default location:

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0\Profiles\ProfileName.txt
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0\Profiles\_ProfileName.txt
(Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit)

   OR

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0\Profiles\ProfileName.txt
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0\Profiles\_ProfileName.txt
(Vista/7/8 64-bit)


Where ProfileName is the name of the current player profile you are using in the game. The defaults will be Player.txt and _Player.txt.

Load both files into a text editor, and look for the following entries in both the ProfileName.txt and _ProfileName.txt files:

PlayerModel = xxPlayerName = "PlayerName"

Change them to this, and save the changes in both files:

PlayerModel = xx
PlayerName = "PlayerName"

By separating the entries on to different lines, the game will no longer crash. The xx represents a number you will see in the files, and PlayerName represents the player name that you have chosen for yourself.

This issue with the Mod Manager will be fixed in the upcoming v1.2 of the Killer App Mod.



Q: In the Single Player Light Cycle section of the game, I can't access all of the Light Cycle colors. The original colors are locked, and it seems as though the new colors added by the mod are locked as well. How can I access them?

A: By default, the mod locks the original Light Cycle colors and provides new Light Cycle colors that are unlocked.

If all the colors are actually locked, then something has gone wrong. Try running the Killer App Mod manager and make sure that the program shows New Light Cycles Unlocked. If not, place an X in the box beside it.

If you change your Player Profile name after the mod is installed, it will cause the Light Cycles to become locked again and you will get the error message The player profile PlayerName.txt could not be found. Where PlayerName is the name of your current profile. If you want to change your profile name, do it before installing the mod. If you change your profile back to the default Player, the error message will stop appearing and the Light Cycles will be unlocked again.

Note that this does not affect Multiplayer. All Light Cycle colors, both original and new, are always available there.



Q: I'm getting all sorts of graphical glitches, such as transparent or missing items (like the Light Cycle floor grid) or corrupted geometry. Is the mod causing this?

A: No.

On AMD/ATI cards, an anti-aliasing setting can cause geometry to become transparent when it shouldn't be, or even disappear altogether. While with Nvidia cards, recent Forceware drivers are not always working well with TRON 2.0. The graphic anomalies on Nvidia cards are confirmed both by myself, and independently verified by Stevedroid in this topic, to happen whether or not the Killer App Mod is installed and active.

If you own an AMD/ATI card
Change the Anti-Aliasing type from Adaptive to one of the others in the Catalyst control panel. This will cure transparent or missing geometry.

If you own an Nvidia card
There is currently nothing you can do to prevent the graphic anomalies except hit Alt-Tab to leave the game and then hit Alt-Tab again to come back. This resets the game's renderer and should clear up the glitches.

Changing the Power management mode (under Manage 3D settings) in the Nvidia control panel to Prefer maximum performance, seems to help a little to improve loading times and slightly decrease the occurrence of glitches.

Also, be sure that your graphics card is not overheating. Download and install a utility like MSI Afterburner to check your video card's temperature. On average, a video card should not go above 80° degrees Celsius, though some cards can go as high as 100° degrees while continuing to operate normally. Check around to see what temperature is normal for your video card while operating under full load playing games.



Q: I'm getting some other strange glitches. For example, on the Primary Docking Port level, an E-mail Archive Bin or I/O Node is far above or below where I can reach it. Or in the later fCon themed levels, particularly Command Module, the game sometimes crashes. Is the mod causing this?

A: Once again, the answer is no. These also happen without the mod, and are game bugs that were not fixed in the last v1.042 patch for TRON 2.0.

The problem with an E-mail Archive Bin or I/O Node being too high or low occurs quite rarely. If it does, loading the Autosave for the current level or an earlier save from the previous level, and playing through the game again until you reach the same point should eliminate it.

As for the crashing on later fCon themed levels, it seems to happen most often when fighting DataWraiths. There is really nothing you can do about it, except save often and reload after the game crashes, so you can try to get past the crashes and finish the game.



Q: Sometimes when a level loads the game freezes/hangs, and I have to end the process Lithtech.exe from the Task Manager to exit the game. Is the mod causing this?

A: Again, no. This is a bug that has existed in the game, from before the mod was even released. Sometimes when loading a saved game multiple times in rapid succession, the game will hang. There is not much that can be done about this.



Q: When I quit the game, it crashes sometimes. Is the mod causing this?

A: No. This happens without the mod, on vanilla TRON 2.0, as well. The game crashing on exit does no harm, but is quite annoying. To prevent the game from crashing on exit, try adding it to the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) exception list. This should solve the issue.

Go into the Windows Control Panel > Click System > Click Advanced System Settings on the left side of the window > Click the Advanced tab on the window that pops up > Click the Settings button under Performance > Click the Data Execution Prevention tab > Click the radio button labelled Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select > Click the Add button near the bottom.


If you installed the CD/DVD version of the game to the default location, browse to:

C:\Program Files\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0
(Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit)

   OR

C:\Program Files (x86)\Buena Vista Interactive\Tron 2.0
(Vista/7/8 64-bit)


If you installed the Steam version of the game to the default location, browse to:

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0
(Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit)

   OR

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Tron 2.0
(Vista/7/8 64-bit)


Select Lithtech.exe and click Open > Make sure you see an entry labelled Client MFC Application, with a checkmark in a box beside it > Click OK > Restart the computer.



Q: When the animation of Jet appears on the main menu, he looks very strange and is partially black. Why is this?

A: From the game's main menu, go into Options > Performance > Display. If the Dynamic lights setting is turned off, then turn it on. This will alleviate the issue.



Q: I'm stuck on the third level (Program Integration). I used the Gold cheat, and Byte is now asking me to optimize a subroutine. I can't continue without optimizing, but it seems that all the subroutines are gold. What do I do now?

A: Even if you used the Gold cheat, one subroutine was deliberately left in Beta form. Precisely to prevent you from getting stuck at this point. Look for the Prankster Bit subroutine in the top subroutine library. This subroutine can be optimized and will allow you to continue.



Q: With the mod installed and active, I'm not able to connect to any servers in Multiplayer. Why is that happening?

A: Everyone must be using Version 1.1a of the mod in order to play together online. Even the server hosting the game must have the mod enabled.

LDSO does run Killer App Mod servers, but only on weekends. Every Friday evening to Sunday evening.

If there are no servers running the mod at the time you want to play: you will need to contact server operators and request that they put servers with the mod online, or host your own server.

The ModDB Mod of the Year awards are back again. If you're a member at ModDB, then vote for the Killer App Mod and User Error mods for the PC game TRON 2.0 if you liked them. Or even if you're not a member, vote anyway! We appreciate everyone's feedback on both mods so far. :)

Scroll down until you see the horizontal voting bar, and click the green button, on these pages:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/killer-app

http://www.moddb.com/mods/user-error

Just as a FYI: the long awaited update for User Error to add proper widescreen support is due soon. It should be done and released before the TRON Evolution game and TRON Legacy sequel are out.

I've recently discovered that TRON 2.0 can now be played on Mac OSX Leopard (10.5) and Snow Leopard (10.6). I'm not sure when this first became possible, but I believe it's only happened within the last four months. (I could be wrong.)

However, there are certain conditions that must be met:

• You must own a Mac with an Intel processor, not a PowerPC processor.


• You must own the Windows PC version of TRON 2.0, not the PowerPC version by MacPlay.

If you own an Intel Mac and manage to grab a copy of the Windows PC version of TRON 2.0, then you will be able to play the game in Leopard/Snow Leopard by using an emulator (also known as a "wrapper") called CXZ, rather than needing to use Windows with Boot Camp like before. This wrapper uses WINE as its basis, but it has been specifically redone and tailored to work well on OSX. The wrapper translates the Windows API calls from the PC version of the game to their Mac OSX equivalents.

Below is a video showing TRON 2.0 running with CiderX on Snow Leopard. You could argue that CiderX is another code "fork" of CXZ, though that's oversimplifying things. I won't discuss CiderX any further, its legality is dubious since it relies on you obtaining Transgaming's Cider, which is a commercial product. While CXZ is free and open source. I just wanted to show an example of the game actually running on Leopard.



The video author states that the problems with the sound were the result of recording it to make the video, and that it actually works perfectly on CiderX. My understanding is that TRON 2.0 also works well on CXZ.

Being able to run the Windows PC version of the game, opens all sorts of possibilities in terms of mod content for the Mac. It might actually be possible to use the Killer App Mod, User Error, and the Complete Map Pack.

Unfortunately, I don't own a Mac so I can't try this out for myself and I can't give advice to anyone on how to get TRON 2.0 working with CXZ. However, there's a section on the Porting Team forum where you can get some instructions and help if you join their site.

If anyone manages to get TRON 2.0 running on Leopard - specifically if they're able to get any of the maps and mods working - please let me know so I can share it with the rest of the community. Thanks!

For those of you who don't know it: LDSO is a TRON gaming clan dedicated to the further development of the TRON 2.0 (and the much anticipated TRON Evolution) PC games, including the creation of maps, mods, expansion packs, and tools.

I'm a member (TronFAQ) of LDSO, and the rest of our team consists of members Xistence, Mor.Evil-1, Load"*",8,1, Win3K, and Zook_One.


Our web site address is: http://www.ldso.net/

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LDSO/153033314732559

Twitter page: http://twitter.com/_LDSO_


If you're already a member on Facebook or Twitter, come check out our pages and share them with your friends!

It's been quite some time since a new custom Multiplayer map was released for TRON 2.0. But today marks the release of Electronic Cave, a Derez map by fellow LDSO member Zook_One. This incredible map re-creates the scene in the original TRON film where Flynn, TRON, and Ram find a cave with an energy pool which they use to recharge themselves.

Video trailer of Electronic Cave

This map has specifically been designed to take advantage of a feature that the Killer App Mod adds to the game: a fully working Energy Claw powerup. Something that the unmodded version of the game doesn't provide.


This new map will be hosted on a TRON 2.0 server starting this Friday evening (October 8th, 2010), and continue to be hosted through the weekend. The server will be running the Killer App Mod, so you will need to download and install it if you want to join the server.

The map can be downloaded individually, but it's also part of a new Complete Map Pack that offers every map ever released in one download. This new Complete Map Pack is self-installing, so it now makes it very easy to install custom maps. All it takes is a few mouse clicks. (This map pack is large however, at 748 MB.) Though if you want to download the individual map file, you can still use REZ Handler to make that easier as well.

I'd just like to congratulate Zook_One on such an amazingly accurate and well done map. It truly is a remarkable achievement. Also be sure to look for the really cool Easter Egg in this map!

After a lot of deliberation: I've made the decision to stop offering all the Multiplayer custom maps as a collection of several files, that either require you to use REZ Handler or manual intervention to install. Instead, all the maps are now contained in one self-installing map pack executable (for the PC version of TRON 2.0; Mac map packs will continue to be offered and will be updated ASAP).

There are many pros and cons to going this route. The main cons are the large file size and longer download time. The map pack is quite large, at 748 MB. But I believe the simplicity of installation and the fact that you get all the maps in one download, more than outweighs the drawbacks.

The setup program has a list of all the maps that are installed (in the scrolling text box), but it's important to know that there are brand new maps included amongst all the older ones. These include Zook_One's new Electronic Cave Derez map, and new Light Cycle maps named T.Basic and T.Corrupt by Tailmister.

As new maps continue to appear, this Complete Map Pack will be updated to include them. But for those who already have all the previously released maps and don't want to have to download the entire thing all over again, new maps will also be made available individually and can be installed using REZ Handler.

After the Map Pack setup program is finished installing, you will end up with four map pack files in .REZ form that are installed in TRON 2.0. The game has a limit on how many of these .REZ files it can handle, and in this new Complete installer several of the earlier map packs have been consolidated down to four in order to avoid any limit problems. Though if you have any trouble, you can use REZ Handler to temporarily disable map packs. Or you can even merge them using the "Combine selected .REZ files" feature to bring the number down.

Here is a guide to what the older map packs used to be named and how many there were, compared to what they're named now and how they've been merged to reduce their number.

---

Old Name	New Name
LC_Pack_1.REZ	LC_Pack.REZ
LC_Pack_2.REZ	LC_Pack.REZ
LC_Pack_3.REZ	LC_Pack.REZ
LC_Pack_4.REZ	LC_Pack.REZ
LC_Pack_5.REZ	LC_Pack.REZ
DA_Pack_1.REZ	DA_Pack.REZ
DM_Pack_1.REZ	DM_Pack.REZ
DM_Pack_2.REZ	DM_Pack.REZ
DSO.REZ	LDSO.REZ

---

Changes in Light Cycle (LC) Map Pack
T.Basic (T.BASIC) ADDED
T.Corrupt (T.CORRUPT) ADDED

Changes in Derez (DM) Map Pack
Electronic Cave (Z_CAVE_V1.0) ADDED

---

I recommend that everyone (especially server operators) update their map pack files, as soon as possible.

The Complete Map Pack, as well as the new maps on their own as individual files, are available from the All TRON 2.0 Files page.

January 20th, 2013 UPDATE: Gamespy has dropped support for TRON 2.0. A fix for Multiplayer has been released. You will need the fix to play online.

Just a quick site update to let people know that the master server for TRON 2.0 at Gamespy is down right now. You won't be able to find or join any online Multiplayer servers for the moment. A number of other games are affected, too. So if you've noticed that you suddenly can't play TRON 2.0 online: don't worry, it's not your end. The problem is at Gamespy. I've left a message on their support forum asking them to look into it.

But don't forget that you need to install the v1.042 Patch to play online. Otherwise, even when Gamespy fix their problem you still won't see any servers because you're running an older version of the game. (You might also want to check out the Killer App Mod while you're at it.)

This is like, what? The third time in the last year they've gone down? Their service has become pretty spotty the last couple of years. Lots of downtime, and their server has often been slow to respond when you want to get a list of TRON 2.0 servers.

Today is the seventh anniversary of the game's release, no less. TRON 2.0 was released on August 26th, 2003. Great timing on Gamespy's part. :p

I'll update this article as soon as I find out the problem has been fixed.

August 27th, 2010 UPDATE: Gamespy's service still isn't working 100% correctly, but at least servers show up most of the time if you try to Join an Internet Game from within the TRON 2.0 game itself. Try refreshing the server list a few times. The down time and ongoing difficulties have been the result of Gamespy moving their servers to a new location.

August 31st, 2010 UPDATE: As of today, Gamespy's service seems to be fully working again for TRON 2.0.

Shortly after the release of the TRON 2.0: Killer App Mod, I received an e-mail from Dan Miller congratulating the teams who worked on the Killer App Mod and User Error.

He now works at Bungie, but back in 2003 Dan worked on TRON 2.0 at Monolith. He was responsible for designing and implementing the Disc Arena Multiplayer mode in the game.

After receiving his e-mail, I replied and asked if he would be willing to do an interview with me. He said yes, so here is the resultant interview that I carried out with him, again by e-mail.


FAQ: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? How you became interested in working in the game industry?

Dan: I got my start at Monolith in Public Relations when I joined there in 1999 as an Intern. After a year or so, they moved me around and finally into design, since I happened to be working with the toolset on my off hours and more design manpower was desperately needed. I’ve always loved games but never thought I’d actually be developing them. Call it a lucky break. Monolith was awesome to work for and I credit them for helping me get my start.

FAQ: How did you come to join the team at Monolith working on TRON 2.0? Is working on TRON 2.0 something you specifically wanted to do (i.e. are you a fan), or were you given the task to work on it? If you were not a fan before, did you become one?

Dan: I started in design on Aliens vs. Predator 2. Once I was done with that, they moved me to No One Lives Forever 2 and then after ship, they put me on TRON 2.0 Multiplayer. I really enjoyed the movie and it was an awesome opportunity to work in a fresh universe. Because I had experience working with the AI systems from previous games, I also helped out polishing up some of the AI stuff in the single player game. My task from the outset was Multiplayer and trying to figure out the best way to build it with the resources I was allotted (one engineer, one artist).

FAQ: When did development of TRON 2.0 start at Monolith? (There is evidence that suggests it started some time around 2000 or 2001.)

Dan: To be honest, I don’t fully recall when we started on TRON. I came onto the project late and it was already in full production mode. Maybe 2001?

FAQ: The original title of the game was apparently going to be TRON: Killer App. (As evidenced in the TRON 20th Anniversary DVD promo for the game.) When did the title change to TRON 2.0? Do you know what the process was, that led to the decision responsible for changing the name?

Dan: I don’t recall when they changed the name of the game, I think it was pretty early in production. I don’t know why either. I think TRON 2.0 is a good name because it feels more like an official part of the universe than a side story-esque name. Plus, I’m not exactly sure if most casual/average players knew what a "Killer App" was at the time.

FAQ: What was the reason for the delay of the release of TRON 2.0? It was originally supposed to have been released in March 2003, but it was delayed to August 2003. (There's a rumor suggesting it had something to do with making Light Cycles playable over the internet, because focus testers were demanding it. When the plan had originally been for Light Cycles to be LAN only.)

Dan: Like all games, there are always a number of factors in delaying a game, ranging from more polish time needed to added features. I don’t know or remember what the exact reason was- but I do remember that Disney was very positive about it and resulted in a better game.

FAQ: Can you recall any features, items, or moments earlier in development, that were cut for the final version of TRON 2.0? (Apparently, some beta testers claim that certain cutscenes were trimmed. Also, there is ample evidence in the game's files that numerous small features were dropped. Such as: Disc Arena was going to be playable in Single Player with AI bot opponents; Build Notes were apparently going to contain messages (from Flynn?); there were additional subroutines, including a Disguise subroutine to steal other programs' colors; there was an attempt at flashing wheel spokes and gradient trails on the classic Light Cycles, something the Killer App Mod restored.)

Dan: Hmm. Production is one of those things where things are cut/morphed into other features constantly. Sometimes things just don’t work the way you envisioned them, so it is cut or changed. I do know that Disc Arena was never meant to be playable with bot opponents. It never was even planned because it would’ve been far too complicated and bots just can’t pose a threat. Features in games require a great amount of bang-for-buck and if you couldn’t do something well, then it might as well not be in the game at all- bots are one of those things that require a dedicated programmer to do. TRON was one of those few games where actually more things were added near the end than cut- but then again I wasn’t a part of the beginning, so maybe there were a lot of things cut that I didn’t know about.

FAQ: Outside of the original TRON film, is there anywhere else you and the rest of the team drew inspiration for the all of the levels in the game (both Single Player and Multiplayer)? How about the Disc Arena levels you worked on, in particular?

Dan: I really enjoyed Quake Rocket Arena, the Quake 1 mod back in the day, and drew the multi-tiered/observation room layouts from that game. Visually, I drew inspiration from the single-player levels. It worked really well, because I basically built all of the levels save for the ring levels with very simple concepts. I originally had like 15 separate levels to test a number of combat strategies with the disc. I ended up boiling those down and matching them together so that each Disc Arena level consisted of four sub-arenas. After that, we tried to match them up with a single player environment and bam, Disc Arena was born.

FAQ: Did you ever consider doing a Jai Alai or "Pong" mode for Multiplayer: like the moment in the film where Flynn plays against Crom, using the scoop and energy ball on the rings?

Dan: That was discussed, but we had to focus on one game mode and I felt that Disc Arena was similar to the original arcade game and at the same time unique amongst all of the other multiplayer offerings. I really didn’t want Deathmatch with new textures- that wasn’t a very interesting concept to me.

FAQ: Why were there no free-roaming areas in Single Player, involving vehicles? A lot of fans wanted to ride a Tank, Recognizer, Solar Sailer, or Light Cycle across a landscape. No One Lives Forever had free-roaming sections where you could ride a motorcycle: why didn't TRON 2.0?

Dan: I wasn’t there at the outset of the project, so I wasn’t in on those conversations. I worked on the No One Lives Forever 2 free-roaming sections with the Snowmobile and I always felt that it was very hard to pace those out and make them feel interesting. Free-roaming always sounds cool and there have been a few games that have done it somewhat well, but it takes a lot of resources and you almost have to build the entire game around that concept- yet, I’m not sure how much bang-for-buck you can get with the concept- especially with teaching navigation and making our AI work with that concept.

FAQ: Are there any secret areas or easter eggs in any of the Single or Multiplayer maps, that you are aware of? (It would seem not, except perhaps that the DISCARENA01 map appears to have rings arranged in a fashion to represent a Mickey Mouse head?)

Dan: Hahah ... I did notice this one night when I was working on it, but it wasn’t intended. I don’t have any stories of easter eggs, sorry.

FAQ: Have you ever played TRON 2.0 online in Multiplayer with the public? Even anonymously? Did anyone at Monolith ever take a look at the maps, mods, and other content that the fan community produced for the game? Were they aware at how disappointed the fans were with Disney's attitude toward modding the game, or even their attitude toward the game as a whole? (The editing toolkit was in very rough shape which made it extremely difficult to do anything, plus Disney claimed that any maps or mods uploaded to the official TRON 2.0 site would become Disney's property. And pretty much all of the constructive criticism was ignored. This drove everyone away.)

Dan: I played the multiplayer demo a ton and the full game anonymously. I even came back after a bit when I had some down time. I got owned. I followed the game for quite some time, but it's hard working on game after game after game and at the same time keeping up with previous games. When you are crunching, other games sort of fade away. Monolith was only signed up to do TRON so I don’t recall many conversations, but then again, I left Monolith in Fall of 2004, about a year after TRON shipped.

FAQ: Was there ever talk about an expansion pack for TRON 2.0 on the PC, to further improve the game? For Single Player or Multiplayer? The Xbox version - called TRON 2.0: Killer App - received some new Multiplayer game modes and maps, but the PC never got those. A lot of fans were greatly disappointed by this. (And now that Microsoft shut down Xbox Live for the original Xbox, no one will be playing those new Multiplayer modes any more. A tragic waste.) Also, why didn't Monolith develop Killer App on the Xbox? Were Monolith themselves disappointed to not be involved?

Dan: I don’t recall talks regarding an expansion pack. If I recall at the time, Monolith was absolutely booked with other deals ranging from The Matrix Online to Condemned, Contract JACK, and FEAR. Doing an Xbox version was not possible. When you develop games for another company, it’s definitely a very contractual relationship. If there isn’t an agreement written up to do X or Y far in advance, then it most likely won’t happen. People need paychecks and it’s not a smart business practice to not have this stuff signed up far in advance.

FAQ: Are you disappointed, now, to not be involved in the development of the new TRON Evolution game? (A lot of fans were hoping Monolith would do it, but I could see it would never happen: Monolith is now owned by Warner, a competing studio.)

Dan: I’m super happy with my work on TRON 2.0. TRON 2.0 was easily one of my favorite games I’ve ever worked on. It was just so imaginative and fresh and the team clicked pretty well from what I recall. I have other things that I’m working on now. TRON 2.0 was a great experience also because there was no modern movie or book or media riding along side that we had to emulate or confer with. It was its own thing and a chance to take the TRON universe in whatever direction we thought was cool and applicable to the time. I’m still very proud of what we did with TRON.


To conclude, I'd just like to thank Dan for graciously agreeing to do this interview and taking the time to answer the many questions that fans, and myself, had. I also know that everyone on the LDSO team, felt very fortunate and flattered to hear praise from a team member who had worked on TRON 2.0.

In addition, I'd like to thank the following fans who submitted questions: Load"*",8,1, Daddyo, Win3K, tronman63304, Jizaboz, Zook_One, TRON.dll, and Jademz.

Recently, I was sent an item from Threadless' new TRON-inspired line of clothing: which consists of a T-Shirt (available in both Men's and Women's) and Hoodie, with a TRON-like design called "My Other Ride Is a Light Cycle". Sizes range from Extra Small (XS) to Double Extra Large (2XL).

The product page can be found here. The Tee costs $20 U.S., while the Hoodie is $45 U.S. (This is before shipping. The shipping varies depending on where you live.)

The design was chosen in a contest as a winner, designed by Rolf Nelson. A designer from Texas, he stated his inspiration for the design as being: "A few years ago I found an old, working Tron machine at a concert venue, and remembered how awesome the movie was. After hearing about the sequel I figured it would be the right time to try unite other Tron fanatics by designing something they could sport all the time."




The Tee is a Light Blue while the Hoodie is an Aquamarine color. Those seem to be the only colors available at this time. Both use glow in the dark ink for their designs, a nice touch.

  
I was sent a Hoodie for review. I wear a Large size, and the sweater and hood fit snugly. It's very light and comfortable. The material is 100% cotton, so you will have to be a bit delicate with it when you wash it. There's a drawstring in white for the hood.

The zipper is metal, which I think is great and very important. Nylon zippers can easily get stuck or break. Metal is far better and lasts much longer. Kudos to Threadless for making the zipper metal and not cheaping out here.

I tried to see the "glow in the dark" effect, and it was there . . . but very faint. It's probably because the hoodie hasn't been exposed to enough direct sunlight yet. The weather where I live has been overcast lately. If it glows more strongly with enough light exposure, then the effect is going to be very cool and draw a lot of attention.

All in all, I like the hoodie very much. The metal zipper is a big plus in my book. It's too bad there isn't more color selection available, but the Aquamarine does fit the TRON-inspired look they're going for. The circuit pattern looks great, exactly what you expect if you're a fan of the film. Recommended.

Thanks to everyone at, or working with, Threadless for the chance to review one of their products. :)

October 31, 2014 UPDATE: This article is out of date. Killer App Mod v1.1a has been released.


A project that can trace its origins back almost five years: the TRON 2.0: Killer App Mod is releasing today.

Download link Mirrors



Video guide on how to install the mod
on Vista and Windows 7


April 20th, 2010 UPDATE: Everybody hold off on User Error. The current version (that was released a couple of years ago) doesn't work properly together with the Killer App Mod in widescreen yet. We're releasing an updated version of UE soon. We just wanted to announce User Error in widescreen as coming soon. Also, User Error 2 = User Error. They are the same thing. User Error 2 is just the updated version. No additional levels since the last release.


Also releasing soon is an updated version of the Single Player expansion User Error 2. The new version will now work in widescreen (with the KA Mod installed first), and it fixes some bugs. If you've already played User Error, then the only reason to obtain the new version would be for widescreen support. The gameplay experience is otherwise not significantly different than before.

These fan-made modifications are for the PC game TRON 2.0, released by Buena Vista Interactive (now known as Disney Interactive Studios) and Monolith Productions. (The Killer App Mod will not work on the Mac OSX version of TRON 2.0, or the PC demo version.)

Visit the Killer App Mod and User Error 2 pages on ModDB for further information, screenshots, and download links. And visit the following TRON fan sites for the same information and downloads.

http://www.ldso.net/
http://www.tron-sector.com/

Note that if you have not played TRON 2.0 or User Error 2 before: there are some SPOILERS in the trailer below, so you may not want to watch.


Due to the sheer number of updates that the mod will make to the game, from the most minor to the major: the mod has been released as an Open Beta. This will allow for testing by a broad range of users, to help discover any problems that may crop up. These issues will be dealt with in another future and final version, based on everyone's feedback.

If you just did a fresh install of TRON 2.0 on Vista or Windows 7, make sure you are running the game in Administrator mode. Otherwise, the game will not create certain files the mod needs to install. You will get a "TRON 2.0 has not been run before" error when attempting to install the mod.

To prevent this: Right click the TRON 2.0 shortcut icon, choose Properties, go to the Compatibility tab, and put a checkmark in the "Run this program as an administrator" box. Then run the game at least once.

The game may also crash with a "Client MFC" error after the mod has been installed if Administrator mode is not enabled.

Note that the Killer App Mod allows you to choose Français, Deutsch, Italiano, and Español text for use in the game if you use the Unofficial v1.042 Patch. In other words: if you download and install the Unofficial Patch, you can change the language from English. The mod also fixes the missing sounds issue when you host a Dedicated Server with the Unofficial Patch. Therefore, there is really no reason to use the Official Patch any more.

Also note that if you want to use Xistence's Ancient Disc Mod, you must download and install it first before you install the Killer App Mod.

When using Single Player with the Killer App Mod, older saved games will not work and loading them will cause the game to crash. You must either disable the mod to load old saved games, or start a new game. Since the mod fixes a few issues and adds some things: you will probably want to enjoy the new improved experience in Single Player from the beginning, anyway.

When using Multiplayer with the mod, EVERYONE must be using the mod in order to access the new features when playing together. This inculdes the host (server) and all players (clients). This new version 1.1 of the mod is not compatible in Multiplayer with the old version 1.0. (If you have the old version, you must uninstall it first.)

If you try to join a Multiplayer server not running the mod, you will be kicked off and the game will let you know why. If you cannot find any servers running the mod at the time that you want to play online, the mod can be completely disabled to allow you to play with others who do not have it.

If there are no servers running the mod: you will need to contact the server operators and request that they start using the Killer App Mod, or host your own server. When setting up a server using the mod, you should add a KAMod tag to the name of your server so that players can differentiate between those either using or not using the mod.


Please leave any comments or feedback here on this site, on ModDB in the comments section, or the forum of one of the TRON fan sites. Do not use the "Send Message" link on ModDB, otherwise your feedback may not be read for a long time.

Thanks from LDSO and the Killer App Mod team (KA Mod); LDSO and Meatsack (UE2).

April 16th, 2010 UPDATE: This article is out of date. The Killer App Mod v1.1 has been released.

This will be the final news update about the Killer App Mod before its return.  Below you will also find the final pre-release preview trailer.  No more trailers will be posted until after the mod becomes available.



This trailer shows, for the first time, 1280x720 widescreen in the 16:9 aspect ratio. Not only that: it shows corrected widescreen menus, and the new Derez 3-D Powerups. Note that this is still WORK IN PROGRESS, but the mod is finally nearly complete and will probably go into private testing within a couple of weeks. Then it will become publically available shortly thereafter. The release is close now.

It's best to watch the trailer in higher quality HD so you can see the details better.

In case anyone is wondering, the map seen in the trailer is a custom map called IO-ERROR by Nunyas.  It's not something that's included with the mod, but can be downloaded separately.

Due to the sheer number of updates that the mod will make to the game, from the most minor to the major, and because not all the planned features may end up in the upcoming release: the next version of the mod will likely be released as an Open Beta. This will allow for the fact that not all features may be complete, and also to allow testing by a broad range of users, to help discover any problems that may crop up. These issues will be dealt with in another future and final version, based on everyone's feedback.

Thanks from the LDSO and Killer App Mod teams.

For earlier updates, please read this previous article. More information can also be found on the ModDB KILLER APP Mod page.

March 20th UPDATE: The Killer App Mod v1.1 is finished and in testing.