A companion to the TRON 2.0 Unofficial FAQ that provides up-to-date
news about the TRON 2.0 gaming community and TRON in general.



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An Interview With Meatsack

By TronFAQ on Thursday, May 04, 2006 at 12:24 AM
After a long hiatus . . . here is the fourth in a series of interviews I'm doing with people, whose efforts I feel should by recognized by the TRON community.

Today's interview is with Meatsack. You may know him for his User Error Single Player expansion for TRON 2.0, and for his efforts to try and create a TRON fan film.

I hope you enjoy reading this latest interview.


FAQ: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where do you come from, and what are your interests/hobbies (aside from TRON)?

Meatsack: I’m 32, currently live in Louisville, KY, and am married with children.

Sci-Fi/Adventure/Fantasy has been a big part of my life as long as I can remember. Reading and movies mostly, but when computers became affordable: my parents got me a Commodore 64, to work with. I was ten. I quickly learned enough BASIC to write a fantasy text adventure game, much like ZORK. I’ve always wanted to be a game designer since then. I somehow got a B.S. in Accounting instead. What was I thinking?

Otherwise, I’m also into camping, paintball, writing (SF/F), and LAN parties with friends.

FAQ: When was the first time you heard about, or saw, TRON? Did you see the movie, or play the arcade game, first? What did you think of the film?

Meatsack: I saw TRON in the theater when I was eight years old. I somehow got my parents to take me back to see it once or twice more. On the way out of the first show, I saw the game in the arcade. It had a crowd around it, but the cabinet was one of those that had the second screen above it so kids like me could see what was going on. My parents had to drag me down the hall since I was so enthralled, I couldn’t look away.

As far as the film goes, it captured my imagination and I wanted to get an Atari 2600 ASAP. (The Atari was the first thing I ever worked and saved money for, to buy on my own.) I was eight years old then. So I didn’t nit-pick the film, look for errors, or anything like that. I just enjoyed it for what I thought it was: a journey inside a computer game.

FAQ: When did you first find out about TRON 2.0? Was it one of the demos? And what did you think of the finished game?

Meatsack: I had a subscription to a game magazine when TRON 2.0 was announced. I checked with Fileshack regularly until the demo was released, which I then played online fairly often until the game was released. I bought the game the day it came out. I completed it on normal difficulty three days later. Then I played it through again.

Like the movie, I didn’t nit-pick the game until much later. I just enjoyed the experience for what it was: playing inside the computer world, which had enthralled me so long ago. The next few times through the game: I paid more attention to detail, level design, AI behavior, storytelling elements, etc. Overall, it was a very positive and fun experience for me. Though I didn’t care for the loose ends, left hanging at the end of the story. I wanted the whole story to be wrapped up nice and neat. BVG left room to grow, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. (At least through them!) Bummer.

Online play was much different, though. It looked very good, but the gameplay got old quick. (Remember, this was before the Derez patch.) I wasn’t great and lost a lot, but I didn’t mind that at all -- as much as a small handful of players who soiled the arenas with foul trash talk and whining . . . even if they won! It may be different now, but I just can’t get into online play much anymore. Those same reasons go for most online games, for that matter. I play for fun, and good sportsmanship helps that experience a lot. That’s why I really enjoy LAN parties with my buddies.

FAQ: When did you first create your User Error story? What form did it originally start in? Did it start as a script for a fan film, or an expansion for TRON 2.0? Were you always planning to do both, or did one idea evolve out of the other?

Meatsack: User Error started shortly after I got a good grip on using DEdit. Everyone was making maps for Light Cycles and Disc Arena. I like to be different, and was underwhelmed by the lack of gameplay types available for the game. So in learning DEdit, I made some experimental Disc Arena maps with alternative methods to winning. I’m no visual artist, so the arenas weren’t very pretty. And their alternative nature caused them to be buggy in most unique ways. But I learned a lot in the process of making them.


I then decided to do what nobody else even hinted at doing -- an expansion for the single player game. I thought: an expansion’s storyline usually picks up soon after the original game ends. I didn’t want to step too much on the existing storyline, so I made an alternate main character working at the same place. Then I had to invent a reason he gets digitized. One thing led to another, and I embellished a lot on it. I had hoped for a small expansion, but after outlining the basic storyline: I ended up with 15 levels to make, to tell the whole story to my satisfaction.

Good design comes from good pre-planning, so I started a User Error development notebook: where I sketched out rough level designs, goals, dialogue, and email texts for the first mission (five levels).

I made those maps and released them as a playable mod. They weren’t visually astounding, but they told a story. The mod was well received by the part of the community that played it. I got a lot of feedback, and made some changes . . . but never got around to releasing an update with the modifications in place.

The reason for this, is that I was distracted by life in general: and TRON-Sector specifically. I stumbled into the fan film section of TRON-Sector’s message boards, and found an enthusiastic fan who wanted to make a CG film based in the TRON world. He goes by the nickname of Falty. We talked a lot, and I wrote the User Error movie script; based on the storyline I had made from designing the game expansion. Falty did some wonderful work -- making some first steps toward getting a movie started -- before he fell on hard times. I’ve heard little from him, since then.


I still have the ambition to make both the game expansion and the fan film, but I lack the self-discipline to focus on either one enough, to make much progress on either.

FAQ: How is the second part of your User Error expansion for TRON 2.0 coming along? Who else is contributing to this project, and how much of the actual level design and implementation is being handled by each person? What is it like working in a team, as opposed to by yourself? When can we expect its release?

Meatsack: The User Error project has grown bigger than I ever expected. Not so much in the popularity department, but more in what I want it to be in the end. The second mission (three maps) of the User Error expansion is completely planned out in my developer notebook, and I have the DEdit world geometry done for the three levels. I just need to make time, to edit in dialogue, emails, NPCs, and enemies.

I’ve delegated levels for the third mission to other TCDG members, that were interested in helping out. They each got a separate "system" to design, for the player to raid and obtain data. Those levels are completely of their own design, and I’m not restricting them in any way: except the amount of version upgrade bonuses they can hand out. From what they have shown me so far, they are coming along nicely.


It’s not a team effort, since each level is an individual undertaking. So the expansion project is more of a compilation than work of a well-managed team. I think that by doing it this way: the final product will be much more interesting, than the player suffering my design style throughout the whole expansion.

Everyone is working in their own time, and I’m not a pushy person -- so there are no deadlines. Right now, there is no release date for the next User Error expansion, except "when it’s done". All I can say, is that I am determined to get it done eventually . . . even if it takes me until I’m 80 years old . . . and I don’t plan on taking that long.

FAQ: At the same time, how is the fan film progressing? What happened to the work you and Falty were doing on a CGI film? And what is happening with the team you contacted, who created the Muppet Matrix fan film? How are negotiations with them proceeding?

Meatsack: As I mentioned before, Falty has fallen on hard times and isn’t able to work on this project right now. I still have all the work and samples he sent to me, when we were really working hard on the production. There are other people interested in helping out that have contacted me. I’ve even put out messages requesting assistance in certain areas. However, what I really need for the movie to move forward is an animator.


I’ve talked with the guys who made the Muppet Matrix about making the opening segment of the User Error script. I used the material collected from Falty’s efforts, to make the pitch to them. I was quoted that they would do it for $2000, and that they wouldn’t change the price on that later -- even if they made the big time, after they graduated from the ITT Technical Institute. So the price is set for about two minutes of footage. I’m saving up for that to be done: but am still wanting to pull the TRON community together, to make the whole movie as something we can all be proud of.

I tell you what, though . . . if I hit the lottery jackpot . . . I’m hiring those Muppet Matrix guys to make the whole movie, then I’ll retire and devote my time to finishing the game expansion!

FAQ: Are you still looking for team members to join either project? If so: what talents are you looking for in potential team members, and what will they be asked to do?

Meatsack: I’m absolutely looking for any and all talent that I can get to work on the project. There are some specific talents I’m missing, to pull everything together on both film and game expansion fronts.

For the expansion: I’d really like someone artistic to make over my existing levels, to make them as visually stunning as the movie and original game. I think they look really boxy and flat, as they are now. I just don’t have the artistic touch needed, to do what I want visually.

As far as the movie goes: I need animators. I have plenty of volunteers for voices and modelers -- though I won’t turn anyone else away, who wants to help on those fronts too.

Since I’m not a demanding lead designer -- I don’t push people to do anything they don’t want to do, or set deadlines. So . . . both the game expansion and the movie are coming along at a snail's pace, in everyone’s spare time. If anyone wants to see anything done soon, they can feel free to jump right in and do something. Otherwise . . . it’ll all get done . . . eventually.

FAQ: How do you feel, regarding the situation with the TRON film sequel from Disney? Last year, a press release announced that Disney intended to do a remake (rather than a sequel) with new writers -- and without Steven Lisberger (the writer and director of the original). Since then, we've heard nothing. Probably because the news was not met with a warm reception, by most fans.

Meatsack: Disney is a business. They want money, and as much as possible. I understand that. My best guess is that a TRON sequel would have to follow the computer game, which would alienate most people -- except those who have already played it. So the next best idea, is to remake the original movie with respect to today’s level of technology. But then Disney scrapped the idea, because of God-Knows-Why. Maybe they couldn’t merge the feel of the original TRON for us old-school fans, with the new feel of digitization stories for the kids. (I cite Code-Lyoko and Zixx as examples.)

So if making a sequel means a limited audience, or not pleasing a segment of said audience: then what’s stopping Disney from making it? It’s not like they don't take a chance every now and again, on what turn out to be blockbuster flops! Cabin Boy anyone? How about Meet the Deedles? TRON is guaranteed to not suck as bad as those titles. I think Lisberger would be great to write the next movie. TRON is his brainchild, so he’d definitely get the feel right for the movie. That’s not to say that nobody else would get it right. But as long as the movie isn't Lawnmower Man 2 bad, I’d go see it.

FAQ: What do you think of the current state of affairs, on the TRON 2.0 scene? You and I are both part of a group of people interested in creating projects for TRON 2.0, called the TCDG (TRON Community Developer Group). We make our home on the Boxhat web site. We tried very hard to get BVG to release more editing materials to the modding community, but there were strings attached and in the end we were rebuffed. How do you feel about BVG's lack of support?

Meatsack: I think that the state of the TRON 2.0 scene is one of abandonment. BVG gave up supporting it, a long time ago. I personally talked with the same contact at BVG that you did -- at the very end of those days, where the TCDG was asking for source materials. This person was very professional and kind, when it was made clear that nothing more would be forthcoming from BVG regarding TRON 2.0 . . . ever. Frankly, I would have taken the materials with the strings attached, so that something else could be made for fans -- by the fans. (The problem is, BVG didn't even give us a choice in the end. Discussions about a release, were simply terminated. - FAQ)


I’m thinking that the deal ended because of Disney’s proprietary rights lawyers, worrying what inappropriate things might be made with their property, if all the materials were made publicly available. (I agree that this was probably the main reason, other than requiring BVG to spend money on what they saw as a poor investment with little financial return. But if they were worried about inappropriate content, then it was a silly reason: because there's nothing stopping anyone from doing that right now, even with the limited resources we were given. - FAQ)

TRON 2.0 is also slowly being abandoned by the players. Without much new content to keep things fresh and interesting, I think people are getting bored with what’s available and moving on to the newer games out there. Everyone that’s left now, are hard-core TRON fans and people that check back in every now and again, to see if anything’s new. Or just to visit with friends. I’m feeling it, too. But as long as I live, I will continue to be a part of the TRON community and try to contribute what I’m able, to enhance it.

FAQ: You've had a chance to read the first issue of the new TRON comic from SLG Publishing, isn't that correct? What do you think of the first issue, and do you plan to purchase the remaining issues?

Meatsack: The first issue is the typical storyline setup and hook, like any good production. Kind of like the first scene of CSI before the commercial break. The dark and brooding storytelling is very Blade Runner-esque. I’m liking it so far. There’s a lot of potential for the comic to be great, and just as much for it to go all cliche on us. I trust the writers know what they are doing, and will make it a wild adventure for the readers. I’ll definitely be buying them as they come out.


I'd like to thank Meatsack for agreeing to do this interview. If you want to help him with his projects, visit either Boxhat or TRON-Sector and reply in one of the message threads discussing his work.



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Servers Reach END OF LINE?

By TronFAQ on Monday, May 01, 2006 at 4:43 AM
It's been a difficult decision, but I've decided to stop running my TRON 2.0 Multiplayer servers twenty-four hours a day.

There were a number of factors in the decision, but essentially one of the main reasons boils down to: there were too many servers, and not enough players.

I've been running them almost non-stop -- 24/7 -- since the DayenTech servers went down, and just before Buena Vista Games decided to pull the plug on their servers, too. But from this point forward: I will only bring them back if I see a need. If too many of the remaining servers disappear, they will return.

Until then.


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TRON Comic Polls

By TronFAQ on Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 6:15 PM
I thought I'd do a couple of polls, to find out if people are buying the comic. And if they are, what do they think of the first issue?

December 6th, 2008 UPDATE: These polls are now closed. Please see this article for the results. Thank you to everyone who participated in the polls!


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TRON Comic Issue 1 Review (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

By TronFAQ on Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 2:57 PM
While I have tried to keep them to a minimum, this article contains spoilers about the first issue of the TRON: The Ghost In the Machine comic. So if you haven't read the comic yet, you may want to stop reading this!

Lo and behold, today I have in my grubby little paws the first issue of the new TRON comic! After being in development hell for at least two years, a TRON comic has finally been released. And what a comic, it is!

I was actually surprised that the local comic store had it in stock on the release date, since I live in Canada. But it turns out the comic is printed here, so that's good news to me.

My first impression on seeing the comic, was just how slick and beautiful it is. The book has a gorgeous cover, and is printed with high quality ink and glossy paper. This is a book that's been crafted with care, and it shows.

I do have a couple of minor nits to pick with the cover, though. First, considering the comic is printed in Canada: why isn't there a Canadian price on the cover? (The U.S. price is $3.50.) Second, it mentions "Inspired by the Classic Film and Hit Video Game": but nowhere in the comic does it actually talk about that game, mentioning it by name. That game being, of course, TRON 2.0. (Though there is a brief reference I'll get to, later.) A bit disappointing. Especially considering the story of the comic is largely based on the game.

When first opening the book, you're greeted with a foreword written by the authors, Landry Walker and Eric Jones. It's an interesting read: meant to help introduce the world of TRON to those who may have picked up the book on an impulse, and are perhaps new to the story of TRON.

What's interesting about it, is it makes some speculative conclusions about story threads in the film and game, that were never completely explained. Like the nature of the MCP and Dillinger's involvement in creating it, more hints as to what happened to Flynn, and so on. What surprised me about it, is a lack of mention about the fact that Alan Bradley created TRON. I feel it's one essential story element, that should have been included as well.

Last chance! Spoilers start here!

Upon flipping through the pages of the book, you'll really come to appreciate the artwork by Louie De Martinis. He's done an incredible job. In fact, if you compare early samples, to his work in the book . . . there's a dramatic improvement from some of those earlier drawings. For example, I voiced some concerns on TRON-Sector about the way Jet Bradley had been drawn in the early samples -- that he looked too old -- but the final result in this issue is exactly what I was hoping to see.

The story starts with something very strange going on in the electronic world . . . a backup of Jet is restored and executes! Hence the "Ghost" in the title of the comic. (Or is it that simple?) How can a backup of a User even exist? This is a question we're going to have to wait for, to be answered.

We then switch to the real Jet, who is haunted by his experiences inside the computer. He's completely distanced himself from any and all technology. His father Alan, is concerned about him. Unlike Jet, Alan has not been affected by his similar experiences inside.

As I've said before, the idea of Jet being troubled by his experiences seems to clash with the end of the TRON 2.0 game. At no point did Jet appear stressed-out by what was happening to him, and in fact joked about what had happened. You could argue that he was showing bravado to hide his real feelings, but it just seems odd that Jet is actually the one having problems. Meanwhile, Alan was obviously shaken by his experiences in the game's story: yet here in the comic he's pretty calm and collected. I hope there's a better explanation for this situation, in future issues.

Speaking of Alan, unfortunately the likeness of him isn't too close to Bruce Boxleitner. (I feel Alan in TRON 2.0 looks a bit closer to Bruce, than he does here.) But I really wasn't expecting any different. If he looked exactly like Bruce, they'd have to pay for the right to use his likeness. Ah, the joys of showbiz. Oh, but a nice touch: Alan is visiting Jet in what appears to be his son's apartment . . . and that apartment happens to be the loft in Flynn's Arcade.

In the image to the left, is the only reference to TRON 2.0 by name in the entire comic. It also seems to imply that Alan has finally completed a new version of his TRON security program, based on the TRON Legacy code. So perhaps TRON will actually put in an appearance at some point?

As the story progresses, Jet finds himself in trouble with the police. And he doesn't even know the reason why they want him.

Jet eludes the police, and heads to Encom to meet his father. When he gets there, he views a security video that now totally shatters his life. The video seems to prove that he has committed a terrible crime. But did he really do it? What's going on? Did someone else actually do it, or is Jet losing his mind? Again, more questions than answers here. Which is good . . . it means plenty to look forward to in future issues. In my personal opinion, Jet did not commit the crime. Someone else did. I won't get more specific than that, though.

Viewing the video, prompts Jet to ask Ma3a to digitize him again. He's decided to enter the electronic world, once more. Despite his misgivings. The only little thing that bothered me in this part, is the dialogue Jet has with Ma3a. Ma3a and Jet had established a close relationship by the end of the game, but here they talk as if they hardly know each other. The conversation should have had more of a personal touch, since they know each other so well by now. For Ma3a to issue coldly logical statements such as "unable to comply", is a bit strange to read.

In the final moments of the book: when Jet appears in the electronic world, he meets another program right away. There's been a lot of speculation already, as to who this program is. My money is on "not Mercury". If you look at the cover of the comic, you'll see Mercury . . . who looks very little like this character. Who is it then? I'd say it's someone's name mentioned in one of the pictures in this article. :)

Spoilers end here!

Last little nitpicks . . . as Landry has already said on TRON-Sector, the Letterer's name is missing from the credits, on the inside front cover. Also, there are no page numbers. (Conscious choice?)

So, the final verdict? This first issue of the TRON comic is utterly fantastic. If you don't have it, run out to the store and buy it now! As I mentioned in a previous article: you can also get it from Amazon.com HERE, and directly from SLG Publishing HERE, if there isn't a local comic store in your area.


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Second Comic Issue In July?

By TronFAQ on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 at 9:02 AM
I just found a listing on SLG Publishing's site, that indicates the second issue of TRON: Ghost In The Machine won't be coming out until July. Which is somewhat of a surprise, to me. It's a bit early to say with certainty: but this seems to indicate the comic will be bi-monthly. At six issues, that means it would take a year for all the issues to come out.

The listing on the SLG site also has what seems to be a preview for the cover of the second issue, seen on the left.

April 26th UPDATE: Landry (one of the writers) answered my question about the schedule of the comic, HERE. He said there isn't any fixed schedule as to when the issues will be coming out. But apparently there will be a 2-3 month wait, between them.


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Where To Buy The TRON Comic

By TronFAQ on Monday, April 24, 2006 at 7:40 PM
One of the writers of TRON: Ghost In The Machine -- Landry Walker -- recently confirmed the April 26th release date I mentioned in a previous article. He also posted a teaser picture of what the actual inside of the comic book looks like.

The first issue of TRON: Ghost In The Machine (there will be 6 issues) has finally shown up on Amazon.com: so if you can't find the comic in your local book or comic store on or shortly after the 26th, you can order it from Amazon HERE.

It's also available directly from SLG Publishing themselves, on their order page HERE.


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REZ Handler Does NOT Contain A Virus!

By TronFAQ on Saturday, April 22, 2006 at 3:02 AM
I've been hearing some reports lately: where people with Norton Anti-Virus, are saying that the program is flagging the REZ Handler installer as containing a virus.

This is NOT correct. Norton is reporting what's known as a false positive. Since this problem has never been reported before, a recent LiveUpdate by Symantec must have caused this.

I repeat, the program DOES NOT contain a virus. Hundreds of people have been using REZ Handler, and you would think that if it contained a virus they would have said something by now . . .

If you temporarily disable Norton Anti-Virus, you can then download and install the program and turn it back on afterward, to get around this. Meanwhile, I'm going to try and contact Symantec to see if there's a way I can get them to update their product, and eliminate this false positive result.

I also found a message thread discussing the false positive problem, on the company site whose product I used to create the REZ Handler installer.

And I just realized, that I used the same installer creation program for the Capture the Bit Update. You will get the same false positive result on that, too.

April 24th UPDATE: Symantec has updated their Anti-Virus definitions and fixed the problem. Use LiveUpdate to get the latest definitions. The REZ Handler and Capture the Bit Update installer programs will no longer mistakenly be identified as containing a virus!


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Some KH2 Cutscenes In English, And Cool TRON Music Video

By TronFAQ on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 at 9:21 PM
Lately, some videos of Kingdom Hearts 2 cutscenes in English have been appearing on the Internet, so I thought I'd post some links to them for the curious to check out.

Note that these cutscenes are obviously huge spoilers, if you haven't played the game yet.




First visit to Space Paranoids World








Second visit to Space Paranoids World







TRON and gang about to attack MCP







After defeating the MCP, TRON says goodbye







Super Light Cycle action





Since I don't own a Playstation 2 (and have no intention to), I won't be getting the game. Nor will I go out of my way to play KH2. But if the opportunity arose to play it, I would definitely give it a spin. (I already own an Xbox and a copy of TRON 2.0: Killer App, anyway. Both of which I hardly play.)

Based on all the various cutscenes I've watched, the TRON world in KH2 is pretty faithful to the film. And Bruce Boxleitner sounds pretty much the same as he used to, as TRON. Unfortunately, David Warner didn't do the voices of Sark and the MCP, and you can hear it. The replacement actor does a good enough job as Sark, but the MCP's voice just ain't the same. Also, other little things bother me (repetitive background music, and the Light Cycle sound isn't right). But I'll reserve judgment for the day I actually get around to playing it.


While searching for these videos, I stumbled across another one. It's a cool TRON music video tribute that I haven't seen before. I've seen all the various ones out there already (e.g. the Depeche Mode one), but this was new to me. Enjoy it.




Cool TRON music video






NOTE: All these videos will probably be pretty slow to load, since they're hosted on the YouTube site. So you'll have to be patient, and wait for them as they stream to your computer.


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TRON Comic Release Date

By TronFAQ on Saturday, April 15, 2006 at 4:03 PM
The first issue of the new TRON comic entitled TRON: Ghost In The Machine from SLG Publishing should appear in stores starting on April 26th.

This is it, folks! We're finally getting a TRON comic, after the previously announced comic from 88MPH Studios ended up being cancelled. If you want the sad story behind that, visit this article in Andrew Dabb's blog. (Andrew Dabb was the writer.) And if you want to see artwork from that comic, visit Gabe Bridwell's site. (Gabe was the penciller.)

I think it's important that everyone understands, that this new comic absolutely needs to be a success. Every TRON fan needs to buy this comic, and harass their friends and family to buy copies, too. ;)

Because if this comic doesn't sell well enough, it will probably mean the end of TRON as far as Disney is concerned. No more games, no more comics, and no movie sequel.

Thanks to fellow LDSO member Load"*",8,1, for the tip!


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Update On The Digital Messiah (TDM)

By TronFAQ at 2:59 AM
Xistence just posted an update and some new screenshots for The Digital Messiah -- his Single Player total conversion for TRON 2.0 -- on his blog site (temporarily down).

Sample screenshot
The rest can be seen on his blog site

What can I say, except that it looks like it's going to be amazing?

You can find out more about Xistence and TDM in the interview I did with him, previously.


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Still More Derez Maps To Come, And Kingdom Hearts 2 Review

By TronFAQ on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 4:38 PM
Aside from some updated versions of current maps, and the previously mentioned map by Zook_One (actually titled Clu Dispatch, I've learned) -- VMan has just announced that he has more Derez maps in the works, and he released a screenshot of one of them.

Screenshot from one of
VMan's upcoming Derez maps

Meanwhile, Kain-Xavier (creator of the KMX Skins mod) just posted his review of Kingdom Hearts 2 on the Boxhat message boards.

The verdict? Don't buy KH2 just for the TRON world, or else you'll probably be disappointed. But if you're a fan of TRON and Kingdom Hearts, then definitely get it.


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System Shock 2 Still Owns Me

By TronFAQ on Sunday, April 09, 2006 at 7:49 PM
I've been saving this for a slow news period. This is one of the few times where I'll post something almost completely off-topic.

It might come as a surprise to you, that TRON 2.0 is not my favorite game of all time. It's a very good game, yes. And it's in my top three picks. But it's not number one. TRON 2.0 is number three. Deus Ex (the original, not the lousy Invisible War) is number two. And, of course, System Shock 2 is number one.

As I get around to playing more games (which as of late, I have had very little time for), this may change. For example, I have yet to play the first two Thief games, which were made by the same company: Looking Glass Studios. (R.I.P.)

Irrational Games -- who partnered with Looking Glass to create SS2 -- still exists, and is what I consider one of the last game developers who could really innovate and surprise us when they release Bioshock next year. (The "spiritual" successor to SS2.)

What never ceases to amaze me, is if you take a gander at the Through The Looking Glass site: development of fan missions and other add-ons is still going strong. Even though SS2 is almost seven years old, now. If I ever need inspiration not to give up on TRON 2.0, all I need to do is look at SS2 as an example. People are still modding and playing that game. Admittedly, they have an advantage though. Looking Glass and Irrational were good enough to release all the development tools and source maps used in the game, unlike BVG.

There have been several good FMs (short for Fan Missions) released recently, and an example of one in particular is called Ponterbee Station by Christine from Germany. It has an unusual name, but the mission itself is nothing short of amazing. And with the addition of texture and model upgrades added: SS2 looks really good even today.

If you have an opportunity to pick up a copy of SS2 (or Deus Ex) from the bargain bin or somewhere online, I strongly suggest you do. If you liked TRON 2.0, you should also enjoy SS2 . . . and Deus Ex, for that matter. All three games have similarities to one another. Rich, immersive atmospheres on every level. Great soundtracks and sound effects. Hybrid Action/RPG play, with inventory management. A science-fiction setting, with "cyberpunk" elements to them. And the list of similarities goes on. (In fact, TRON 2.0 sometimes feels like a Deus Ex Lite. Very similar game mechanics, but more light-hearted and not as dark.)

SS2 may not be everyone's cup of tea, as it has a lot of horror elements to it. It's been called one of the scariest games ever made. And I tend to agree. When Doom 3 was released, people were hailing that as the scariest game in recent memory. But frankly, the "monster closets" got old fast and I hardly found the game to be scary at all. Meanwhile in SS2, you never know when you're going to be attacked. Enemy AI spawn and attack completely at random. And you never seem to have enough ammo or health. To top it off, your weapons are unreliable and sometimes break. All of this creates serious tension.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Shodan, the game's Computer AI antagonist. Shodan is an enemy that manipulates the player and the environment around her, from behind the scenes. She continually taunts and mocks the player, as he progresses. The feeling of isolation, combined with an enemy that seems to know your every move -- and tells you in no uncertain terms that you're going to die, if she has anything to say about it -- and the haunting logs of the dead crew, add up to an experience that will never be forgotten.

SS2 can be a bit troublesome to get running on Windows XP, but it will be worth the effort. All you need to do is visit the TTLG site, and there you will find plenty of advice on how to get the game running. And don't forget to download FMs like Ponterbee Station, while you're visiting. The screenshots in this article, are all from this fan mission.

One final thought, before I finish. Ken Levine, the General Manager and co-founder of Irrational, posted an article on IGN that other game developers and publishers like BVG could learn a thing or two from. One section in particular caught my eye, that I'll leave you with.

Given the size and dedication of our fanbase, we knew that the last thing we wanted to do was a make a follow up to Freedom Force that tried to expand the market to casual gamers. To do so would have meant alienating our core fan base, something we refused to do. Freedom Force is always going to be a PC game for people who love strategy, RPG and heroes. It's not going to be for everybody. You know the old saw . . . "Try to please everybody, you end up only pleasing the marketing department."


1 Comment
 

FINALLY . . . How To Use Custom Maps On The Mac, The Easy Way

By TronFAQ on Sunday, April 02, 2006 at 8:40 PM
Okay, it's been a long time in coming. But I'm finally able to reveal an extremely easy method of using the custom maps made for the PC version of TRON 2.0, on the PowerPC Mac OSX version of the game.

If you own a newer Intel Mac, then these instructions are not for you. I would recommend playing the Windows PC version of TRON 2.0 instead, through the use of Boot Camp.

There are three ways of doing it, two of which were covered back in my CONFIRMED . . . Custom Maps DO Work On The Mac article. (Though the FAQ needs to be corrected and updated, regarding the first approach.) Now, here is a third approach.


  • Download the following specially prepared map packs, for the Mac:

    LC Map Pack - 375.5 MB
    Contains all current custom Light Cycle maps.

    DA and DM Map Pack - 126.3 MB
    Contains all current custom Disc Arena and Derez maps, except Capture the Bit (CTB2 TDM).

    Updated Capture the Bit (aka CTB2 TDM) - 28 MB
    A specially prepared version of the Capture the Bit Team Derez map, for the Mac.

    Using a file download manager to download these files, is strongly advised.


  • Download Stuffit Expander or WinRAR for the Mac, and install the program.

    Note that the rest of this article will demonstrate using Stuffit Expander, to decompress these files.


Drag and drop each .RAR file from the Finder on to the Stuffit window, one at a time. The program will decompress each file. The Preferences button allows you to customize which directory the decompressed files will end up in.



Once both files have been decompressed, use the Finder window to navigate to the directory where they're located. Then open another new Finder window, and view your Applications directory. Change the view to Columns mode. Click on the TRON 2.0 folder, then the Data folder. Highlight both the gamep5.rez and gamep6.rez files with your mouse.




Drag and drop these two files, into the parent TRON 2.0 folder. This will move them safely out of the way, to be kept as backups in case you ever want to return to your original install state.





Now highlight the two .REZ files that you extracted earlier, in the original Finder window. Drag them to the column for the Data folder.






Finally, drop them in the Data folder. These two files are replacements for the original gamep5.rez and gamep6.rez files.




That's it! That's all there is to it, to making custom TRON 2.0 maps work on the Mac version of the game.

These replacement files will not affect the game in any way, other than allowing you to play custom maps in addition to the default retail maps. These specially prepared .REZ file custom map packs, created on a PC, are completely compatible with the Mac version. That's because TRON 2.0 on the Mac is, essentially, the PC version being emulated. Almost all the files between the two versions are identical. There are only a few small differences.

In the future, I will also talk about getting mods to work on the Mac version. But for now, download these custom map packs and play the maps!


In closing, I'd like to thank the following people for their help:

Tomzer - For giving me the opportunity to look at some files from the Mac version of the game, which allowed me to guess the previous two approaches.

Mr. Anderson - For working with everyone involved, and providing Ocelot with map packs to test.

9VoltChicken - For helping to co-ordinate the testing, putting me in touch with Ocelot, and coming up with the idea for this third approach.

Ocelot - Biggest thanks go to Ocelot, a TRON 2.0 Mac player who tested out this third approach and confirmed that it works. (And he confirmed that the other two approaches, work as well . . . with the first approach only needing minor corrections, that are forthcoming.)


1 Comment
 

BVG Servers Gone For Good

By TronFAQ on Friday, March 31, 2006 at 2:49 PM
UPDATE: There's something I wanted to add, based on a message post I read somewhere.

The fact that BVG took down their servers, DOES NOT mean you can no longer play TRON 2.0 Multiplayer. There are still servers being run by fans. There are people still playing online. But you need to install a Multiplayer Fix before trying to go online.


As if this came as any big surprise.

Fellow LDSO member Win3K took the opportunity to e-mail BVG (Buena Vista Games), to ask about the status of their TRON 2.0 Multiplayer servers. Here's the response from BVG customer support.

Thank you for writing.

There are currently no dedicated servers available for the game and no plans to bring them back in the future. All multiplayer games, if any are available, are currently being hosted by individuals who own the software. To view any multiplayer games currently available online, you will need the most current update available from our website at:

http://a.disney.go.com/adownload/bvg/support/
tron_update_v1x042c.exe

If you have any additional questions, comments or concerns please do not hesitate to let me know. When writing include all prior correspondence in your e-mail reply.

Sincerely,

BVG Mark Escarcega

Buena Vista Games

http://buenavistagames.com/support


The fact that they just shut them down, without any kind of formal announcement . . . well, you don't want to know what I think.


10 Comments
 

Two New Derez Maps Released And Server Changes

By TronFAQ on Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 2:41 AM
Mor.Evil-1 has just released two new maps, called SkyGrid Sector 01 and SkyGrid Sector 02. You can download them both in a map pack, HERE.

Screenshot of SkyGrid 01

The Sector 01 map is meant as a chat grid where players can kick back, relax, and drink in the atmosphere: with only the Disc Primitive as a weapon. Any combat on this map, will genuinely test the skill of players who engage in battle.

The Sector 02 map? I'll leave that as a surprise. If you can think of Sector 01 as being peaceful and a version of "heaven", then I wonder what Sector 02 would be like?

I'd just like to add that I think Mor.Evil-1 has done an exceptionally good job, on these two new maps. Well done, Mor!


Due to the release of these two maps, I've taken the opportunity to make further changes to my servers.

For the LC server, the ping limit has been increased to 400. No other changes.

On the DA server, the order of the retail maps in the rotation has been re-shuffled.

Finally, on the DM server the map I/O Error has been removed, while the two new SkyGrid maps were added.


DA Server

Map rotation

DISCARENA05
DISCARENA02
DISCARENA01
DISCARENA03
DISCARENA04
Ring - DSO Map Pack
Disc - DSO Map Pack
Rhomboid - DSO Map Pack
Rebound - DSO Map Pack
Tetra - DSO Map Pack
Coliseum - DSO Map Pack
Tube Fragmented - DA Map Pack 1


DM Server

Map rotation

DM-02
DM-01
DM-03
TankGrid-01A - DM Map Pack 1
Oldskool - DM Map Pack 1
Prankster Bit Alley - DM Map Pack 1
DM-1.5A - DM Map Pack 2
SkyGrid 02 - DM Map Pack 1
Micro - DM Map Pack 1
PartyGrid - DM Map Pack 1
Morsmap - DM Map Pack 2
Fragmented - DSO Map Pack
RGB Processing Grid - DM Map Pack 1
CTB2 - CTB TDM and CTB Update
SkyGrid 01 - DM Map Pack 1


1 Comment
 

BVG Would Rather Bring You A Desperate Housewives Game

By TronFAQ on Monday, March 27, 2006 at 10:40 AM
Read it and weep . . . this is what they cancelled another TRON game, in favor of?

'Desperate Housewives' inspires video game

Thanks to Bigred, for the news.


Wow, Desperate Housewives and Turok. Another "killer" line-up.


3 Comments
 

TRON Sequel/Remake Poll

By TronFAQ on Sunday, March 26, 2006 at 4:07 PM
Hey, this is one of those times where I'm actually talking about something other than the game! Imagine that. :)

Just for fun, I thought I'd post a poll asking what everyone thinks about the situation with a follow-up TRON film from Disney.

The fact that the development of another TRON film has dragged on this long without any significant progress, is pretty discouraging. I personally think that if Disney brought back Steven Lisberger and teamed with Pixar (which Disney now happens to own) to do the CGI, a TRON sequel (not remake) would be a smash hit. The world is ready for TRON now. Back in 1982, it was way above most people's heads. But today, computers surround us everywhere. They've invaded everyone's personal lives, and we can't escape them any longer. A film touching upon how computers affect our lives is much more relevant today, to your average movie-goer. That, and the fact that they've become used to CGI special effects: makes a new TRON film a sure bet.

But don't take my word for it. Let's see what the people out there think, by checking the poll results and the various TRON site message boards. You out there Disney? Are you paying attention to the TRON fan sites? You should be. In fact, I know you are . . . you just won't admit it.

December 6th, 2008 UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Please see this article for the results. Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll!


1 Comment
 

More New Derez Maps On The Way

By TronFAQ on Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 2:08 PM
There are at least two new Derez maps that will arrive soon, along with a couple of updates to existing maps.

One of the new maps is from Zook_One, who did the recently released RGB Processing Grid. His next map is apparently titled Clu Tank. Zook released a preview screenshot last night, seen below.


Mor.Evil-1 is also working on another new map (not his previously announced City map), but I think he wants to keep the details hush-hush so I'll leave you in suspense until it's actually released. :)


2 Comments
 

Mor Reports On TRON Comic From Wizard World Convention

By TronFAQ on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at 8:50 AM

Fellow LDSO member and friend Mor.Evil-1, attended the Wizard World Convention in Los Angeles this past weekend (held from March 17th-19th). He dropped by the Slave Labor Graphics booth, who are the publishers of the upcoming TRON: The Ghost In The Machine comic, coming in April.

Here's what Mor has to report:

Unfortunately, Louie De Martinis, Landry Walker, and Eric Jones were not there when I attended. Who are these dudes, you ask? Only the creators of the TRON comic series, that will be debuting this April 2006!

Yes, in case you have not heard, TRON: The Ghost In The Machine will finally be released in April.

In light of the fact that the TRON dudes were absent, I was able to chat with Roman Dirge: Cover Artist of the newly released Haunted Mansion comic. Since I am a huge fan of anything Mansion related, I picked up the first two issues. And he totally signed them for me, most nice of him.

Anyway, I asked him about the TRON comic. (Also informed them that there is a strong following, still playing and creating materials as best we can, for the TRON 2.0 game. And that many of us have waited very long, for the release of the comic.)

I proceeded to tell him about the lack of BVG support for the game, when he asked me "What is BVG?" (had to laugh at that). But I told him it was Buena Vista Games, and then he got it. It did seem quite a shock to him that the game was "vaporware", since the comic was just getting released.

As we continued to chat a bit more: two other SLG employees then opened a notebook, and seemed to be taking notes regarding our conversation. At that point I thanked Dirge for the comics -- and due to the apparent stares I started to receive from the two dudes -- I then went over to look at the original script for the TRON comic, and left it at that. I mean, you really can't rave about another comic: when the dude who is the cover artist for that other comic is standing there trying to promote his own, you know?

All I can say, is Dirge confirmed that the comic will be released for sure next month. And that TRON fans will love the comic, for sure. I can add that the inking is fantastic, and the storyline doesn't look half-bad.

The story does take place after TRON 2.0, where we find Jet all messed up from his experience in the system. Apparently he can't even be around any tech stuff, and lives quietly without any. However, something wants him back in the machine again.

Before I continue, I just wanted to say that I apologize for leaving out mention of Eric Jones as co-writer of the comic, back in my Just How Well Did TRON 2.0 Do, Anyway? article. Mea culpa.

I'm of two minds, when it comes to the direction that the story in the comic will take. On the one hand, having Jet become averse to technology is an interesting angle to run with. You'd think that Flynn, Alan, and Jet would at least have some kind of baggage lurking in their subconscious minds, after their experiences inside the "electronic world". On the other hand, this idea kind-of clashes with the ending of the game. Jet didn't seem too stressed-out or disturbed by what had happened to him, in the game's ending cutscene. But I guess you could argue that his experience inside, took time to really sink-in.

I found Mor's comments about how, apparently, some of the SLG employees were not aware of the TRON 2.0 game being "vaporware" (I'd use the term "abandonware", myself) -- both amusing and surprising. You would think that all the people at a company publishing this comic -- whose story is in large part based on the TRON 2.0 game -- would be keenly aware of the sales and support data for all previous TRON merchandise, and keep themselves informed.

Of course: BVG picked the worst time ever, to shut down their Multiplayer servers. Just when TRON is back on the radar screen again, with Kingdom Hearts 2 and the TRON comic right over the horizon. Just when people might find out about and buy the game, because of the comic. But logic never does seem to apply, when you are talking about BVG.

Thanks again to Mor, for providing this scoop!


1 Comment
 

Boxhat Problem Fixed

By TronFAQ at 8:46 AM
As some of you may already know, the problem with posting messages at the Boxhat TRON 2.0 forum has been fixed now. Everyone will be able to post a message again, without receiving an error.


0 Comments
 

Problem With Boxhat Site

By TronFAQ on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 7:52 AM
There's currently a problem with the Boxhat TRON 2.0 forum. Every time you try to post a message, you will receive an error.

Bigred (the site owner) is aware of the problem, and is working on a fix. Please be patient, until he can solve the issue.


7 Comments
 

Server Changes (Again)

By TronFAQ at 7:27 AM
I've made a couple of small changes to my servers.

The LC server is now set for Fast speed, instead of Extreme speed. This is to give people on dialup a better experience, and it might also prove a bit less frustrating for newer players.

The DM server has had the VMan Black map removed. There is an issue with this map, where too many AI enemies can spawn and cause severe lag to occur. I was hoping this would never happen, but it did last night. It's been replaced with VMan's Micro DM map, for the time being. This map is found in DM Map Pack 1, so the majority of people should already have it.


1 Comment
 

CONFIRMED . . . Custom Maps DO Work On The Mac

By TronFAQ on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 at 12:44 AM
There are now three Mac users, reporting that they have been able to successfully use custom maps on the Mac version of TRON 2.0.

Both Askilfeasd and TRS-80 reported success in this thread on Boxhat. But now thanks to Ocelot, who explained what he did step-by-step, it's been 100% confirmed that following the second approach on a page I wrote a long time ago, will work.

This method works exactly the same way as it does on the PC version. It's possible to extract the contents of the custom map .REZ files using Game Extractor on the Mac, and put it in a folder called Custom, and then the game will see the maps. This will work for any type of map: be it Disc Arena, Derez, or Light Cycles.

And thanks to 9VoltChicken (who introduced me to Ocelot), he came up with an idea that would allow Mac users to use maps directly from a .REZ file in a way that's much simpler than the first approach on the previously mentioned page.

I'll be looking into somehow making the custom maps available in their extracted form. Or even better, give more details about using 9VoltChicken's approach. We just need a bit of time to figure out the best way to proceed with these ideas.

Check back in the near future, for further details!


1 Comment
 

New Derez Map and Server Changes

By TronFAQ on Wednesday, March 08, 2006 at 4:45 AM
Zook_One has just released his newly finished Derez map, called RGB Processing Grid.




You can download this new map, from HERE.


Due to the release of this map, and for other reasons: I'm making some adjustments to my servers again. The DA and DM server map rotations will change to the following.


DA Server

Map rotation

DISCARENA01
DISCARENA02
DISCARENA03
DISCARENA04
DISCARENA05
Ring - DSO Map Pack
Disc - DSO Map Pack
Rhomboid - DSO Map Pack
Rebound - DSO Map Pack
Tetra - DSO Map Pack
Coliseum - DSO Map Pack
Tube Fragmented - DA Map Pack 1


DM Server

Map rotation

DM-02
DM-01
DM-03
TankGrid-01A - DM Map Pack 1
Oldskool - DM Map Pack 1
Prankster Bit Alley - DM Map Pack 1
DM-1.5A - DM Map Pack 2
I/O Error - DM Map Pack 1
Black - DM Map Pack 1
PartyGrid - DM Map Pack 1
Morsmap - DM Map Pack 2
Fragmented - DSO Map Pack
RGB Processing Grid - DM Map Pack 1
CTB2 - CTB TDM and CTB Update


In case you're wondering, I do read the chat logs once in a while. (And I even jump in to chat or play, from time-to-time.) The comments I've read, are another part of the reason for the changes. Though I must say, it seems some players are only at their happiest when they can complain.

Oh my ping sucks, oh this map is garbage. Gimme a break, folks. The true test of a player's skill, is whether he or she can handle differing pings (within reason, of course) and unfamiliar maps. And out of fairness: I'm giving several maps a chance to be played, that don't see themselves in rotation very often. (There are people commenting that certain maps seem to be new, when in fact they have been around for a couple of years. They're just "new" to the majority of you, because no one has put some of these custom maps into rotation for a long time.)


6 Comments
 

BVG Servers Down . . . Now, For How Long?

By TronFAQ at 12:39 AM
The BVG (Buena Vista Games) TRON 2.0 Multiplayer servers have been down for at least 48 hours, at the time of this writing. So the question is, are they gone for good now?

I've heard stories that BVG have taken down the servers before, because they cannibalize the computer equipment when they go to trade shows, and the like. (And the 2006 Game Developers' Conference is almost upon us.) Or maybe they're doing maintenance. We'll see.

If the servers aren't back after a couple of weeks, I think that will be quite telling.


2 Comments
 

An Interview With TheReelTodd

By TronFAQ on Sunday, March 05, 2006 at 7:42 PM
Here is the third in a series of interviews I'm doing. Today's interview is with TheReelTodd, who you may know from the TRON-Sector site. Todd is an administrator there: who has an infectious sense of humor and is considered the "good will" ambassador of the site, that greets new members and makes them feel welcome.

Enjoy this latest interview.


FAQ: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where do you come from, and what are your interests/hobbies (aside from TRON)?

Todd: I was born in Western NY. I grew up in, and spent most of my life, living in the Upstate NY area. I've always been fascinated with technology, sci-fi, and the art of filmmaking -- mostly how special visual effects were created. I saw Star Wars in 1977 with my family when I was 6 years old. It blew me away with its amazing visual effects and engaging story. I remember thinking that I wanted to do that -- I wanted to make cool and fantastic visuals. The same thing happened all over, when I saw TRON in 1982. The film absolutely blew me away with its amazing and groundbreaking visual effects, and incredible 3-D computer animation. After seeing TRON, I knew my future would be in the art of 3-D computer animation. I never did get into 3-D animation beyond the most simple and basic elements of it. The tools just weren't available to me back then. These days, I work at a small company where I manage the Imaging Department. I've experimented with creative production over the years, but never really pursued it professionally.


FAQ: One of your pursuits is filmmaking. What lead you to this area of interest?

Todd: It happened when I was young, 6 to be exact. The experience of seeing Star Wars left me both amazed and creatively energized. I remember when the Star Wars toys started coming out, some time well after the film was released. The toy spaceships were my favorite. While most kids were content playing with their Star Wars ships: I clearly remember thinking how I could make my own Star Wars film now, because I had models (toys) like they used to make the film. Even as a kid, I studied special FX and found it fascinating how blue and green screen matte technology could be used to composite images together. It wasn't until many years later that I finally had the tools to experiment with this kind of imagery. I made some very basic productions when I was in high school. Nothing with any visual effects because we didn't have any visual FX tools at our high school.

I finally got my own video camera when I was about 20 years old. It was a very basic, low-end GE CG 9806 VHS camcorder (I still have it), but I used it all the time and would often partner up with a friend (who was also into film and video production). We'd plan out and produce very basic little music videos. We made a handful of them, one of which is currently available on my website (Cemetery 1993). I experimented with some very basic visual effects in the early 90's (in the form of reflection image compositry), but it wasn't until the late 90's that I finally got my hands on some tools that allowed me to play with some real visual effects. I've always been interested in film and video production, but it is the visual effects part of it that intrigued me the most.

FAQ: As people reading this interview may or may not know, you finished creating your own music video last year called On The Cutting Room Floor Of Oblivion. This wasn't the first film or video you've created, but definitely your most ambitious. Can you tell us the story behind the creation of this video, such as how it got its name?

Todd: On the Cutting Room Floor of Oblivion started out as an office gag, in February 2004. We can be a silly bunch at the office, and often used to play "get that 80's song stuck in your co-worker's head" frequently. I can't remember who, but someone got the 1986 Wang Chung song Everybody Have Fun Tonight stuck in my head and it stayed there for days. I was trying to explain the jittery video effect they used in the Wang Chung music video for the song, to one of the younger workers in the office who had never seen it. We were unable to find the video on the net, so I figured I'd quickly put together a sample of the effect myself.

I embarked on what was to be a short, 3 or 4-day production. I'd put together a silly stop-motion dance sequence for the song intro, and then just lip-synch a verse and chorus of the song to show the jitter effect. In a few days, maybe a week, I'd have a cool gag video to share with the guys at work. I shot the initial footage of the stop-motion dance sequence and lip-synching very quickly. So quickly, that I shot the entire set of stop-motion dance frames out of focus and did a poor job lip-synching. No big deal -- it was just a quickie video. As I got in to post-production, I started having some ideas. I was smart enough (thinking ahead) to shoot myself lip-synching against a green background, just in case I wanted to composite some odd imagery in the background. So I shot some odd things around the house: some of my wife's decorative statues, patterns in the carpet, the pattern on our ironing board cover, the tiles in our shower, and some other things. I just applied some quick image filters to the footage, to make them look really wacked out, and put them behind the headshot close-up of me lip-synching.


It took longer than expected to assemble the stop motion dance sequence. A few days turned in to a few weeks. Soon, there I was -- doing a very silly stop motion dance in my living room, followed by a headshot of me lip-synching the song. Behind my head were some odd things I filmed around the house -- and by now, I had applied a series of image filters to my own image to make it look much like it is seen in the final video. The short office gag video started morphing in to something much bigger. Weeks turned in to months. I found myself having various ideas that I wanted in the video, but many of the ideas were a little bit more than I could pull off with what I had to work with. The video editing application alone, gave me a hard time the whole way through the project. Though I had a lot of ideas for this video as I got further in to it, I also had some severe "creative constipation". That's what I call it. It's like writer's block, but more general. Sometimes weeks or more would go by, when I would not even touch the project. Doing battle with the video editing application I was using -- and also having trouble coming up with ideas for some parts of the video -- slowed things way down. The video editing application was the worst though. I just wanted to put things together. I had all the pieces, but the application was a pain in the ass to work with. It crashed very frequently, became very slow and unresponsive to work in with every addition I made to the video, and would flat-out just not work properly at times. I knew I was doing a lot more with the app than it was designed to do, but I didn't have access (nor could I afford) to upgrade to better tools.

Many times throughout the production of this video, I simply walked away and scrapped it. Nothing was worth this much trouble. Each time I walked away, it was only a matter of time before would find myself having trouble sleeping at night: because of video ideas that would haunt my thoughts. This is, in fact, is how I ended up with the name of the video: "On the Cutting Room Floor of Oblivion". The video came very close to ending up on the cutting room floor of oblivion. The name is also a play on one of the lyrics "on the edge of oblivion" in the song.

FAQ: Before I continue, I'd just like to state that I think the work you did on Cutting Room Floor, well . . . floored me! The fact that -- despite the simple tools you were forced to work with, and the sheer amount of time and effort required -- the video turned out so well, just boggles my mind. This was obviously a labor of love, and whenever I need inspiration all I have to do is look at that video and think: "Todd never gave up, so I shouldn't either." You are a true guerilla filmmaker, in the finest sense. Working with modest resources, to create extraordinary results.

Todd: Thank you very much! :-D Yes, it was indeed a labor of love . . . and a little bit of obsession at times. I take what you said as a big compliment and really appreciate your kind words about my work. The fact that my creative labor has become an inspiration to you makes it all the more meaningful to me. I really think that's great!


FAQ: Shortly after you completed the video, it was screened at The Little Theater in Rochester, NY. What was it like at the event that night, and what was the reaction when your video was presented? How did it feel to have your video shown on the big screen?

Todd: It was really cool to see my work on the big screen in a theatre like that. My production was not the main event or anything -- people were not coming to see my work, there were several shorts screened, but it was still cool. The audience reaction to my humorous, animated music video was only lukewarm though. There was some laughter, but not at all the places I would have expected to hear it. Oddly enough, the audience pretty much made no noise during any of the handful of productions screened that night. There was no applause, and not much display of emotion (of any kind).

Well, except for the chicken cruelty documentary. It just so happened that my production was being screened the same night a "controversial" documentary about cruelty to egg-laying chickens was screened. The documentary was really very well done on the technical and production quality end, but it seemed very shady and misleading to me in terms of content. There were a lot of activists in the audience that night, and they really ate it up. The chicken documentary was the only production to get any applause at the end; mainly from the pockets of activists in the audience, not the whole audience. Yes, the "chicken people" were the rock stars that night.

During the Q&A session following the screenings, they fielded a lot of questions: while the rest of us producers just kind of hung out in front of everyone for a while, patiently waiting for a question to be asked of us. Although it was really neat seeing my work on the big screen in front of an audience, it was shown to an audience that had little interest or appreciation in the kind of silly and light-hearted production I was presenting. Oh well. I still made some people smile and laugh. :-) Perhaps I would have gotten some applause if I had included some animated chickens in the video? :-P

FAQ: Cutting Room Floor has a wonderful retro 80's theme to it, and there are several nods to various pop culture items from that era in it. (Including some cleverly hidden easter eggs.) One of those references, is to TRON. When was the first time you heard about, or saw, TRON? What impressed you the most, about it? Did you see the movie, or play the arcade game, first? Did you own any of the Atari or Intellivision TRON games? And you own a Tomy LED Light Cycle game, correct? Which is one of the TRON items that made an appearance in the video.

Todd: I first learned of the film in a TV special called Computers are People Too, months before it was in the theatres. They showed some footage of a new and amazing technology: 3-D computer animation. Along with clips of TRON, they showed other examples of 3-D computer animation, including the Triple-I demo of a shiny 3-D man in a tuxedo and top hat, juggling. I was absolutely fascinated with the way a computer could be programmed to render these 3-D images with such depth and perspective. I had never seen anything like it before -- it was completely new.

It was probably the 3-D animation in TRON that impressed me the most. The way the Recognizers moved about, the scenery and landscape, the Solar Sailer, Sark's Carrier, the Tanks . . . and my favorite scene: the Light Cycle competition. Again, this kind of 3-D animation was completely new at the time, and it totally blew me away. I loved the perfect look of everything, and how they looked like they truly had depth to them. I loved knowing they were all generated on a computer, and only existed in cyberspace (though the term "cyberspace" itself did not yet exist). The whole film was amazing, really. From the concept of being digitized in to the computer, to the wonderful adventure that was told of Flynn's tale. It was an awesome film, period.

I first saw TRON when I was 11, in the summer of 1982. My grandparents took my little brother and me to see the film. It totally blew me away and I loved every micro-cycle of it! My grandfather fell asleep.

I saw the film first. I had the opportunity to play the arcade game a while later, at a local Chuck E. Cheese. The TRON arcade game was where most of my game tokens ended up that night!

I had an Atari VCS, so I had (and still have) Adventures of TRON, and TRON Deadly Discs. Adventures of TRON really wasn't much of a game. It was a poorly done "Donkey Kong" looking screen where you'd collect all the bits on each level, then enter the stream in the middle of the board. The TRON Deadly Discs game was more fun: taking place in an arena where three guards would rez in one at a time, trying to take you out by shooting at you. You had a disc with which to derez them -- the disc would return to you each time it hit a wall, or when you pressed the fire button again. I played that game more frequently of the two. One of them (don't remember which) came packaged with a TRON Arcade-looking joystick. That was really cool, though it was a little difficult to play games with. Its innards were very brittle and it broke (internal directional actuator) within a few months of getting it.


Yeah, Tomy's TRON handheld game. I still remember going out to the mall to buy that as a kid, not too long after seeing the film. It was the coolest handheld game I ever had, and I played it very frequently. It had an awesome Light Cycle game in it -- which is what appears in the video. I was originally going to show bits of an entire round in the game: Light Cycles, the Disc Ring game, and defeating the MCP. But it seemed like a bit much in the video (too long), so only the Light Cycles made it in.

FAQ: When did you first find out about TRON 2.0? And what did you think of the finished game, when you finally bought it?

Todd: I think it was a few months or so before it was released. There were two sources I learned of it: on a filmmaking message forum, and in a magazine a co-worker gave to me. I don't remember which was first now, but I think they were within a month or two of each other. I was not highly impressed initially, after reading a tidbit about it on the internet and the write-up in the magazine. I remember thinking it had a TRON look, but was turned off by the fact it looked like they basically changed the look things, like the guards (ICPs), etc. I was also initially disappointed thinking there would be no traditional (film) Light Cycles in the game, which I later found to be not true.

My immediate thought, after embarking on the Single Player adventure, was basically: WOW! From the opening sequence of the game, I was hooked. I clearly remember not wanting to stop playing it once I started. I played it pretty much every single moment of free time I had, that first time through. I didn't really care much for some of the story elements in the game -- and there were other things that bothered me -- but as a whole, the game ROCKED!

FAQ: Your favorite part of TRON 2.0's Multiplayer is Light Cycle racing, and you started a fun thread on TRON-Sector where yourself and other players discuss the action on the "game grid", as we like to call it. A thread that's still active, even though it was started almost two years ago! Can you describe to others, what makes Light Cycle racing fun?

Todd: For me, it goes way back. When I was a kid and saw TRON in the theatre, there was no Multiplayer Light Cycle game that I could play. I played Light Cycles in the TRON arcade game, and on my Tomy TRON handheld game. And they were fun. But it wasn't really Light Cycles the way it looked and felt in the film. With TRON 2.0's online Multiplayer Light Cycle game, I finally found myself able to rez-in and enjoy it the way I had wanted to do, for more than two decades! I really sucked at first, but loved playing it anyway and got better in time. The game is very addicting. An added element of fun that I really didn't expect: was meeting other TRON fans who were actually fellow 30-somethings out there, playing the game. I got to know many of them as "the regulars", and half the fun of the gaming experience was joking around and chatting with these cool folks I'd meet up with. Between meeting up with great personalities, and the thrill of trying to out maneuver the other light cyclists, the experience is a very exciting and enjoyable. I just wish there weren't so many bugs in the Multiplayer Light Cycle game.

FAQ: Have you tried either of the other Multiplayer game modes (Disc Arena and Derez)? And have you played any of the custom maps out there? If so, what do you think of them?

Todd: I've enjoyed all the online Multiplayer games that TRON 2.0 has to offer. The Disc Arena is a lot of fun, especially when you get some good team-action going on. The Derez/DM game is good fun too. I've had the bits blasted out of me plenty of times in there. I don't play the Disc games frequently though. My true love is the online Multiplayer Light Cycle game.

I've had the pleasure of playing on several custom Light Cycle game grids, but I never got around to installing any of the custom Disc maps/arenas. The custom Light Cycle grids I've played on have ranged from neat to amazing. I've seen several outstanding custom grids. My favorites are the TRON themed ones, though I do find the non-TRON themed ones cool as well -- if a bit odd to see Light Cycles on them. I tip my hat to the creative talents behind each of them.

FAQ: What do you think of the current state of affairs, on the TRON 2.0 scene? How do you feel about BVG's lack of support?

Todd: In a word -- sad. I can't believe they put this game out, as amazing as it is, and then just let it dry up. It is obvious so much work went into it, and by very talented people. It's a damn shame BVG just walked away from it, like dumping an unwanted puppy in an alley. Well, more like they gave up on it and locked it up in the "do not ever show the light of day again" vault. The talent pool at BVG during the making TRON 2.0 was obviously very high. Too bad such poor management was (and probably still is) in charge at BVG. Such a waste.

FAQ: Rumor has it that you have considered making a TRON fan film. I think I can speak on everyone's behalf when I say: "TheReelTodd, will you do it? Please?"

Todd: Oh, it's no rumor. :-) I generally kept quiet about it for a long time, but I've been more open about it in the last year or so. My original plan was to produce a short TRON fan film that would explore . . . well, I'd rather keep quiet on the plot. :-) That seemed a bit more than I could do, so I started focusing on getting a TRON music video put together. I wanted to be the first to produce a TRON fan film or music video. That was before I learned of the Regurgitator video that was made in the late 90's. They did a nice job, too. I used some TRON film footage to put together a quick demo sequence, for a guy who wrote a cool song called Digital Risk -- a song that immediately put TRON imagery in my head. But that project fell through as well.


Just to get something going, I set out to construct my own TRON-themed circuitry suit. I had done visual FX demos, and figured out a workable formula for generating the glow effect of the circuitry for motion video. But my search for suit components didn't go well, and I threw in the towel before I even gathered up the materials. This put my TRON project on hold indefinitely. I'll say this though -- should someone step forward and provide for me a TRON circuitry suit of the specifications and particular color scheme I need for the visual FX, I'd definitely move forward on a TRON project. So I'd love to do a TRON project, but it doesn't seem likely to surface any time soon.

END OF LINE.



I'd like to thank TheReelTodd for agreeing to do this interview, and for providing such insightful and entertaining responses.

You can find out more about him and his work, plus see his On The Cutting Room Floor Of Oblivion video, at his personal site: TheReelTodd.com.


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Problem With Unofficial Patch Discovered?

By TronFAQ on Thursday, March 02, 2006 at 9:01 PM
Well, it's a bit late . . . but here is the "shocking" discovery I was talking about in my last news post. I'm certain I've found a problem with the Unofficial Patch.

I've been using the Unofficial Patch since it was first released: because I felt that it was far better than the Official Patch. And I still feel that way. The fact that it doubles the amount of custom map .REZ files you can use -- that alone -- makes it worth using. But there seems to be an issue, that needs to be fixed.

The problem specifically lies within the modified TRONSrv.exe executable, and mainly affects those who wish to host their own TRON 2.0 servers.

When using the TRONSrv.exe executable from the Unofficial Patch, the following problems occurred in testing:

  • When hosting within the game itself, music and sound effects are sometimes not heard for both the host and client.
  • When hosting a Dedicated Server, many sound effects are always completely missing for the clients.
  • When hosting within the game itself, certain maps will exhibit odd behavior. The main symptom is both objects and players falling through an elevated plane/brush, when spawned above it.
  • When hosting a Dedicated Server, certain maps will exhibit this same odd behavior: especially if they are the first in rotation. Symptoms include not only the objects/players falling problem, but also hidden objects immediately showing themselves -- instead of remaining hidden until the proper time.

The way to fix these problems, is to use the original TRONSrv.exe from the Official Patch instead. When using the original version, the aforementioned problems disappeared. And testing has shown that the Dedicated Server will still be able to load the extra custom map .REZ files, past the Official Patch limit.

On the downside, the Official Patch version of TRONSrv.exe still has problems. But these are less bothersome than the ones caused by the modified version of the executable, from the Unofficial Patch. The original version seems to crash on startup more often. And I have noticed that the "attachment bug" with players' weapons floating in mid-air by themselves, occurs more frequently with the original version. Also, there are still instances where even the original version will sometimes not play music or sound effects. But it's nowhere near as problematic.

I recommend that everyone stops using the TRONSrv.exe from the Unofficial Patch (not just server hosts) until the problems can be fixed, and replace it with the original executable. Which can be downloaded from HERE.

At least one of these problems has been independently verified in the past, HERE and HERE. And the verified problem, is the one relating to sound effects missing while playing on TRON 2.0 servers. At the time, no one realized the exact cause. But I think I've found it. All it takes is for one end (host or client) to be using the modified TRONSrv.exe from the Unofficial Patch, and the sound problem will occur.

So again, this means everyone should download the original TRONSrv.exe and replace the one they have, if they're using the Unofficial Patch.



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