The CRPG Book – which I contributed to, in the form of a review of TRON 2.0 – will finally be receiving a printed physical copy in early 2019!

https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/blogs/news/the-crpg-book-a-guide-to-computer-role-playing-games

I’ve posted about the book before. But in case you missed those posts: the book contains reviews of hundreds of CRPG games. Said reviews are written by passionate fans of the genre, along with luminaries in game development or the gaming press, such as: Chris Avellone (Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas), Peter “Durante” Thoman (of DSFix fame), George Weidman (Super Bunnyhop), and Jason Scott (Internet Archive), etc.

If you have any interest in the history of the CRPG (Computer Role Playing Game) genre of video games, you should at least check out the free online .PDF version of the book when it becomes available. But the physical version of the book will be released first. The project is non-profit, and all proceeds from sales of the physical book will go to charity.

As it turns out, a lot of people were against the inclusion of TRON 2.0 in the CRPG Book, because they don’t consider it a "true" CRPG. But it does actually fit the definition of a CRPG. So I’m thankful to the creator of the book, Felipe Pepe, for including it. TRON 2.0 deserves to be remembered.

January 17th, 2019 UPDATE: The CRPG Book is now available for pre-order!

If you live in the U.S., please visit Bitmap Books' new U.S. store:
https://bitmapbooks.com/products/the-crpg-book-a-guide-to-computer-role-playing-games

For those living outside the U.S., please visit Bitmap Books' original U.K. store:
https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/the-crpg-book-a-guide-to-computer-role-playing-games

There are two editions of the book. The Standard Edition hardcover at $39.99 USD or £29.99 GBP; and the Collector's Edition which adds an embossed slipcase, poster of the cover artwork, pencil and notepad (for mapping your way through games and taking notes), and postcards of artwork from inside the book for $64.99 USD or £49.99 GBP. (These prices don't include shipping.)

Today is the 15th Anniversary of the release of TRON 2.0 (at the time I’m writing this). The game was released in North America on August 26, 2003. (Though it had a limited release 3 days earlier, exclusively in Germany, I believe.)

The link below will take you to a download that contains concept art, wallpapers, and videos about TRON 2.0. Some of this content probably hasn’t been seen, by the majority of TRON fans, for over a decade. (I’ll also try submitting this to GOG.com, to see if they’ll add it as a bonus "goodies" download for TRON 2.0.)

TRON 2.0 Concept Art/Wallpapers/Videos Download

In addition to this newly released collection of TRON 2.0 content: LDSO has previously released the TRON 2.0 soundtrack and game manual, which can also be found if you visit the link above.

All of the videos in the download, plus more, can be found on the LDSO YouTube channel if you'd prefer not to download them.

The picture to the left, is the very first content I produced when TRON 2.0 was announced. This was even before LDSO existed, and it also preceded my TRON 2.0 Unofficial FAQ, which I became known for (hence the nickname "TronFAQ").

It was a page I named "TRON 2.0 Spoilers and Speculation", and it went live in early 2003. As the name of the page indicated, I posted some spoilers and speculated about what the game would be like, before it was released. Some of the concept art, in the download being released today, was featured on this page.

There’s another story I could tell about the page, regarding how Disney was not happy about it and contacted me. But I’ll save that for another time.

Thanks to Disney, Monolith Productions, Steven Lisberger (who went uncredited for his contributions), Richard Taylor and Syd Mead (who contributed to the game as well), and everyone who worked on TRON 2.0.

Thank you for creating such a memorable, and fun, game. That perfectly captured the aesthetic, humor, and imaginative storytelling of the original TRON. It absolutely had many fans excited and spellbound at release, as the first follow-up to the original film in decades.

October 30th, 2019 UPDATE: Monolith recently released some new concept art for TRON 2.0 I'd never seen before, as part of their 25th Anniversary celebration. I asked for, and got permission, from Monolith to share this new TRON 2.0 concept art. In return, they asked that I provide a link to their Official Monoilith Productions Discord channel, where the new art originated from.

Since Monolith has released more concept art, I've updated the download on this page to include the few new pieces of art Monolith provided.

This trailer showcases many of the fixes to the Single Player levels of TRON 2.0, via the upcoming Killer App Mod v1.2. (Some have been shown in previous trailers, but most are new.)

These are all the Single Player issues I've personally noticed, or had pointed out to me. (Some by Mister Julius. Thanks!) But I'm sure I've still missed a few.

The trailer was originally meant to show ALL the Single Player level fixes. But the video became too long, and showing the rest of the fixes had to be postponed until another trailer.

One of the mandates of Killer App Mod v1.2 has always been to fix or enhance the Single Player campaign, a goal partly inspired by the similar (in purpose) System Shock 2 Community Patch (SCP).

Time stamps for notable changes and fixes:

General changes/fixes

• 00:36 - Fall damage reduced further (earlier versions of the mod already reduced fall damage, but it's been toned down further)
• 00:55 - Changing disc and arm colors in Single Player via the Mod Manager also changes Jet's body armor color
• 01:31 - Jet's thrown third-person discs now look the same as the first-person view discs
• 02:04 - ICPs' thrown third-person discs now look the same as the first-person view discs
• 03:16 - Kernel's thrown third-person discs now look the same as the first-person view discs
• 03:47 - Z-Lots now hold third-person handheld model that reflects which weapon is actually in use (instead of always looking like the Ball Primitive)

Program Initialization level

• 04:25 - Enhancements to opening cutscene (specifically the laser status board changing what it displays)
• 07:32 - No penalty for de-rezzing help programs or Byte, by using cheat to obtain weapons early, has been remedied (to be consistent with all other levels)

Combat Training Arena level

• 10:00 - Added glow to second smaller practice arena platform, to match the first one
• 11:29 - Fixed switches (not accurately showing status) and energy bridge (texture panning effect missing)
• 11:50 - Mesh Primitive removed from Archive Bin

The Mesh Primitive was removed because, in terms of the game's story, it makes no sense for it to be available that early. It seems clear this was a mistake, and accidentally left in from earlier game testing. The Xbox version of TRON 2.0 also removed the Mesh Primitive, for the same reason.

Jet is introduced to the Mesh Primitive much later during a cutscene, and from that point onward it makes sense for him to have access to it. Not before.

Even if the Mesh Primitive was left in, the player — SPOILER ALERT — loses all their weapons two levels later, anyway. So the period where the Mesh Primitive can be used early is short-lived.

Program Integration level

• 12:00 - Fixed regression causing disc to not appear on Jet's left arm in many cutscenes, and updated disc to look identical to first-person view
• 12:30 - Added Build Note "hint" that only appears when Gold cheat is used, to remind players there is a Beta subroutine they can optimize so they won't get stuck in the level
• 13:46 - Fixed exploit allowing player to jump into another part of the level early
• 16:14 - Smaller Quarantine Protocol force fields now turn off along with the larger one (leaving them on after Jet disables security measures didn't make much sense)
• 17:35 - Changed Exit Port beam to be consistent with other levels, added objective completion message, fixed Kernel Aide's lips not moving when he speaks in cutscene


• 19:02 - Screenshot of Killer App Mod v1.2 changelog (at the time this trailer was uploaded)

You may or may not recall me mentioning this before. A couple of years ago, I was invited to write a TRON 2.0 review for a book.

It’s named the CRPG Book Project, and its first complete release debuted today.

https://crpgbook.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/update-19-crpg-book-released/

An incredible resource, it covers CRPGs (Computer Role-Playing Games) dating as far back as the early 1970s, all the way up to today’s modern titles. It reviews, and preserves the history of, over 400 games.

The CRPG Book Project is a non-profit digital book, that aims to review as many classic and modern CRPGs as possible. With emphasis on accuracy (development history and game mechanics), and finding reviewers who are knowledgeable and passionate about the game titles that they review.

A printed physical hard copy version of the book is being looked into, which would be sold at cost, since this is a non-profit endeavor. But for now, you can download this 528 page book in .PDF form completely for free!

Read up on over 400 games, in one convenient, attractive package. It covers a great many influential, noteworthy, and even overlooked titles. With some reviews written by game journalists, or even the game developers themselves.

You’ll find ones from luminaries in game development or the gaming press, such as: Chris Avellone (Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas), Peter “Durante” Thoman (of DSFix fame), George Weidman (Super Bunnyhop), and Jason Scott (Internet Archive), etc. in addition to my own review.

TRON 2.0 qualified for inclusion in the book, because it’s a First-Person Shooter/Role-Playing Game hybrid, featuring light RPG elements such as experience points, character progression, "inventory" management, and skill and "equipment" upgrades (subroutines).

My TRON 2.0 review can be found on page 318 of the book.

Again, I’d like to thank the curator/editor of the book, Felipe Pepe, for being patient with me. It took a long time to write, and I kept making endless revisions to the review. (Which was originally much longer, but had to be edited down to fit into two pages. So I had to pick and choose, which points about the game were the most important to address.)