It's About Time - Can Stable Time Loops and Free Will be reconciled?

[Ganondox 899]

Here is the problem: It's About Time uses time travel, and no matter what, time travel creates problems. Here they used the stable time loop, the problem with that being it effectively erases free will. Now, this can be hand waved over in fiction because the characters will confirms to that of the author, the reason why this is a problem is because I'm planning on making a video game adaption for the level. Unlike in a story, the protagonist has control independent from the author as they are controlled by the player. I realized this was a problem when thinking how to handle the fail conditions for this level. So, how do you think I should handle it? There are two ways to work around the problem and just follow what the show did, but they are both lame. One would be just to freeze time and have the game only progress when you conform to Twilight's destiny, but that is lame as it eliminates the sense of pressure the original episode if there is no time limit. The other option is to have the game hijack Twilight and force her to conform, but that is even lamer as what the point in making it a game if the game just plays for you? Rather I'd want to have failure, but I'm not sure how to do it. The most obvious, cliche way is the make some universe destroying paradox, but I think that's stupid, overdone, and overly destructive. Or it could just be ignored as future Twilight is from like a different timeline or something, but that sort of ruins the point of everything, how would it be failure if it's all the same. Is there anyway to take a middle ground between the two final options, or those anyone have any other solutions to this problem? 

[Shenron00 366]

I always thought it was non-canon.

[Ganondox 899]

I always thought it was non-canon.

The episode? Well, aside from time travel being problematic, none of the other episodes are non-canon, so there is no reason to believe this episode is non-canon. 

[Shenron00 366]

The episode? Well, aside from time travel being problematic, none of the other episodes are non-canon, so there is no reason to believe this episode is non-canon.

Well, there's no better explanation that I can think of. I thought it was a one-time thing.

[Ganondox 899]

Well, there's no better explanation that I can think of. I thought it was a one-time thing.

Well okay, but that's doesn't help me if I want to make a video game adaptation of the specific level. 

[TheChosenPony 279]

Here is the problem: It's About Time uses time travel, and no matter what, time travel creates problems. Here they used the stable time loop, the problem with that being it effectively erases free will. Now, this can be hand waved over in fiction because the characters will confirms to that of the author, the reason why this is a problem is because I'm planning on making a video game adaption for the level. Unlike in a story, the protagonist has control independent from the author as they are controlled by the player. I realized this was a problem when thinking how to handle the fail conditions for this level. So, how do you think I should handle it? There are two ways to work around the problem and just follow what the show did, but they are both lame. One would be just to freeze time and have the game only progress when you conform to Twilight's destiny, but that is lame as it eliminates the sense of pressure the original episode if there is no time limit. The other option is to have the game hijack Twilight and force her to conform, but that is even lamer as what the point in making it a game if the game just plays for you? Rather I'd want to have failure, but I'm not sure how to do it. The most obvious, cliche way is the make some universe destroying paradox, but I think that's stupid, overdone, and overly destructive. Or it could just be ignored as future Twilight is from like a different timeline or something, but that sort of ruins the point of everything, how would it be failure if it's all the same. Is there anyway to take a middle ground between the two final options, or those anyone have any other solutions to this problem? 

 

Look at a game like Assassins Creed. It gives you free will yet it gives you missions to do. You could design the game like that..... Whenever a mission is accepted or completed, a cutscene plays. Things still happen in the world around them, yet its only those who the game is focusing on that is controlled. You could make the game progress from the fail if you want to do that. For instance, If you win- This cutscene will play and this and this will happen... -the game will progress as you originally wished it. If you fail- The game will fork into a different mission and a different cutscene will play and this and this will also happen.

[Ganondox 899]

Look at a game like Assassins Creed. It gives you free will yet it gives you missions to do. You could design the game like that..... Whenever a mission is accepted or completed, a cutscene plays. Things still happen in the world around them, yet its only those who the game is focusing on that is controlled. You could make the game progress from the fail if you want to do that. For instance, If you win- This cutscene will play and this and this will happen... -the game will progress as you originally wished it. If you fail- The game will fork into a different mission and a different cutscene will play and this and this will also happen.

I already plan on the game being mission based, where It's About Time would be a single mission. The problem is this isn't simply a fail condition, it's that you can't branch paths. I mean even if you fail the ultimate end result is already set, which is that Twilight get's banged up and travels into the past. I could make the game end when you fail to do that, but it doesn't explain where future Twilight came from, and why exactly that would be a failure. As I said, I could make there be a world destroying paradox for failure, but I don't like that idea very much. 

[TheChosenPony 279]

I already plan on the game being mission based, where It's About Time would be a single mission. The problem is this isn't simply a fail condition, it's that you can't branch paths. I mean even if you fail the ultimate end result is already set, which is that Twilight get's banged up and travels into the past. I could make the game end when you fail to do that, but it doesn't explain where future Twilight came from, and why exactly that would be a failure. As I said, I could make there be a world destroying paradox for failure, but I don't like that idea very much. 

Well you know, Celestia oversaw everything Twilight learned. So you could make Celestia come to Twilight and explain everything, and then say you failed the mission and to retry or something along the lines, or continue the story from there.

[Ganondox 899]

Well you know, Celestia oversaw everything Twilight learned. So you could make Celestia come to Twilight and explain everything, and then say you failed the mission and to retry or something along the lines, or continue the story from there.

Well, I guess that would assume future Twilight came from an alternative timeline, but if that happens, what exactly about it makes it a failure? Would Celestia force Twilight into the past to prevent a paradox or something or what? 

 

EDIT: Now I remember Twilight did a bunch of practical tasks like taming Cerberus and fixing the bridged, maybe some alternative disaster happens if you fail to conform to the timeline?

Edited April 8, 2014 by Ganondox

[TheChosenPony 279]

Well, I guess that would assume future Twilight came from an alternative timeline, but if that happens, what exactly about it makes it a failure? Would Celestia force Twilight into the past to prevent a paradox or something or what? 

 

EDIT: Now I remember Twilight did a bunch of practical tasks like taming Cerberus and fixing the bridged, maybe some alternative disaster happens if you fail to conform to the timeline?

 

In fact, now that I think about it. Future Twilight would have never gone back in time if it wasn't for her past actions..... All future twilight tried to do was to warn her past self why she shouldn't be worrying. It's a bit of a tongue twister because past's twilights actions caused future twilights response to them. I would suggest that Future Twilight would look different if you failed to tame Cerberus or fix the bridge. But yeah I guess that those things could be the changing factor and some of the objectives in the mission

Edited April 8, 2014 by TheChosenPony

[Ganondox 899]

In fact, now that I think about it. Future Twilight would have never gone back in time if it wasn't for her past actions..... All future twilight tried to do was to warn her past self why she shouldn't be worrying. It's a bit of a tongue twister because past's twilights actions caused future twilights response to them. I would suggest that Future Twilight would look different if you failed to tame Cerberus or fix the bridge. But yeah I guess that those things could be the changing factor and some of the objectives in the mission

Okay, I got a solution. When you fail you get a vision of an alternative future Twi going into the past, and then the image dissolves and you need to retry. The implication is this keeps happening until the timeline stabilizes, by you not screwing up. Thanks for the suggestions.