Gears of War Exile Theory.

[Head For My Bullet]

I don't think gears is big enough for it to have an app like Halo or COD.

[Mishibishi Swag]

Never really considered this, but it sounds like quite a good idea.

[Viewing the hue]

That would be awsome

[captain ped]

The book will probably be like the others.... It will have them finding out what is on the disk etc and Marcus sitting down with Anya and telling her about what happened in "the Slab". Here is what Karen said:


"The fifth Gears of War novel is THE SLAB and it'll be out in May 2012 from gallery Books. Yes, it's about Marcus Fenix and his time in The Slab, the COG's maximum security prison, so we're flashing back to before Gears 1. Find out what really happened when Marcus slugged Hoffman. And it'll answer some questions left in Gears 3 about Adam Fenix."




Die hard fans mostly read the books anyway. The books have already given loads of info that the games don't. In fact most of the Gears universe and character back stories come from the books.

The books have far better character development and story development than the games. Especially Gears 1 and 2.

I second this motion...

[II Coffey II]

Karen said via twitter it is one contained time frame before gears 1. So it can't have flash forward events to things that never technically happened yet.



See above. Karen said it herself, it is very much a contained story and time frame.


Edit: recent tweet

“@Scoobythebeast: @karentraviss Is The Slab going to have a secondary story line in another time period like the other 4 Gears novels?”

“@karentraviss: @Scoobythebeast No, The Slab is one timeline.”

Some others...

“@karentraviss: @ykobets No, there's no flashforward in The Slab. But events in Gears 3 will look very different when you see what happened years earlier.”

“@karentraviss: @Benedict_Perry That's it. How Marcus ends up in prison, what happens to him, and the effect his actions have on others during that period.”




Your right, but in msny cases these 'rumors' usually are spot on. Everything in gaming is speculation until you hold it. Kotaku is a reputable source, not to mention every major gaming outlet was saying the same thing, and there was an image in the article posted. They had a copy of an early build. It pulled from the spike awards at the last minute. Exile is not campaign DLC. Its a game in limbo.

I want DLC as much as anyone but it's not what that was.

OK I'm wrong, I can't compete with your provided evidence. lol Shame though.

[NFI]

OK I'm wrong, I can't compete with your provided evidence. lol Shame though.

Hah, well it wasn't a competition, just a discussion. The only reason I commented was because I remembered her tweeting about it.

[Kracker Kid]

Hah, well it wasn't a competition, just a discussion. The only reason I commented was because I remembered her tweeting about it.

its a shame.... part of what i liked about the other books was the little cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, only to have the next chapter flash back/forward.

[mmartina]

Hope not i will never buy kinect

[NFI]

its a shame.... part of what i liked about the other books was the little cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, only to have the next chapter flash back/forward.

I hear ya, but it's better given the fact the book takes place prior to gears 1, it wouldn't flow well. The current crops of books are rooted in the present and flash BACK to things that occurred. This book, chronologically is before anything occurred thus far. So it wouldn't make sense to flash ahead to things that haven't technically occurred.

I'm looking forward to some revelations about what went on. Marcus is one of my favorite game figure in my 25 odd years as a gamer. I look forward to learning more about him.

[DaRkNeSs]

So the new book is going to answer questions about Adam Fenix? *sighs* when does it come out?

[NFI]

So the new book is going to answer questions about Adam Fenix? *sighs* when does it come out?

Not all of them. Marcus is the focus,m but you will get some events that led up to Marcus abandoning his post to save his dad, so we will get some insight into what Adam was doing. The focus is on Marcus though.

[Kracker Kid]

I hear ya, but it's better given the fact the book takes place prior to gears 1, it wouldn't flow well. The current crops of books are rooted in the present and flash BACK to things that occurred. This book, chronologically is before anything occurred thus far. So it wouldn't make sense to flash ahead to things that haven't technically occurred.

I'm looking forward to some revelations about what went on. Marcus is one of my favorite game figure in my 25 odd years as a gamer. I look forward to learning more about him.

"aspho fields" took place after gears 1, which was the current timeline at the time, and still flashed back to something that happened in the past at aspho fields. "the slab" couldve easily been on the current timeline and taken place after gears 3, yet still flashback to what happened to marcus in prison

[DaRkNeSs]

Not all of them. Marcus is the focus,m but you will get some events that led up to Marcus abandoning his post to save his dad, so we will get some insight into what Adam was doing. The focus is on Marcus though.

Well I guess Google will be my friend, lol...

[NFI]

"aspho fields" took place after gears 1, which was the current timeline at the time, and still flashed back to something that happened in the past at aspho fields. "the slab" couldve easily been on the current timeline and taken place after gears 3, yet still flashback to what happened to marcus in prison

I think you misunderstood my post.

I understand your point, but that is a hypothetical scenario that isnt occuring and thats not what my statement was about. I wasnt saying it was impossible to write a book rooted in the present that flashed back, I said it doesnt make sense that given the fact the book actually takes place before gears 1, that it would flash forward to things that havent happend. The book doesnt take place in the present like aspho fields, so what could have been done doesnt matter at this point. I already acknowledged that the current books are rooted in the persent and flash back to the past, however this one is not. I was not discussing what could or couldnt be done. I was simply saying that, given the fact it IS actually taking place in the past, means flash forward sequences dont make a lot of sense.

[Kracker Kid]

I think you misunderstood my post.

I understand your point, but that is a hypothetical scenario that isnt occuring and thats not what my statement was about. I wasnt saying it was impossible to write a book rooted in the present that flashed back, I said it doesnt make sense that given the fact the book actually takes place before gears 1, that it would flash forward to things that havent happend. The book doesnt take place in the present like aspho fields, so what could have been done doesnt matter at this point. I already acknowledged that the current books are rooted in the persent and flash back to the past, however this one is not. I was not discussing what could or couldnt be done. I was simply saying that, given the fact it IS actually taking place in the past, means flash forward sequences dont make a lot of sense.

i did understand your post, but i was trying to explain how your view was subjective. it flashing forward in time WOULD make sense, because it would just be like if it was taking place now, and flashing backwards in time. the point of time the books take place in can change with the turn of the page. its not unusual and has been done already. the term "present time" in a fictional story is subjective, and changes depending on the time period the author is writing about

[NFI]

i did understand your post, but i was trying to explain how your view was subjective. it flashing forward in time WOULD make sense, because it would just be like if it was taking place now, and flashing backwards in time

You still arent getting my point. You keep talking about books flashing back, this isn't what I am talking about. Yes, you are right if that's how the book was written, but we already know that the book is not being written like that, it DOESN'T take place after Gears 3, its not being written like the other books, so thats a moot point. The other books flashed back in time to something thats already finished. None of them flashed forward to future events Aspho Fields didnt talk about Gears 2s events, or Coalitions End. The book would essentially be predicting the future, since none of that following events exist yet.

Flash Forwards existed in the other books in some regards due to the shifting flash back perspective, yes, but none of them flashed forward beyond their time frame. If this book flashes back to events prior to the event at Ephyra, a flashforward would merely bring us back to where Marcus is in the slab, and still wouldnt touch on events during and after any of the subsequent books or games, which is my point.

i did understand your post, but i was trying to explain how your view was subjective. it flashing forward in time WOULD make sense, because it would just be like if it was taking place now,

It makes no sense for the book to flash forward to anything from Gears 1 through anything that comes after. The layout of the books we have mean nothing here. Those dont flash forward, they flash back. The Slab book is not a "look back" at that event, its not written like those, it's a story unfolding as it happens. The subjectivity of a time frame doesn't matter. There is nothing to flash forward to. This book is being written as if the other 4 books and 3 games haven't happened yet, and happens first. If this book flashed back it would flash back to events even closer to E Day. I am talking about discussing any events that take place after this books time frame. Not things that happened prior to it.


Given its place in the timeline, flash forwards do not make sense.

[Time Victim]

You can not earn achievements for one game while running another.

[DBO316]

Just because they can't add achievements doesn't mean they can't add dlc. Maps, player, and weapon skins will be easy to put on the market as a pack or stand alone content.

[Kracker Kid]

You still arent following. The other books flashed back in time to something thats already finished. None of them flashed forward. Flash back and Flash Forward are not interchangeable terms.

It makes no sense for the book to flash forward to anything from Gears 1, and anything that comes after. The layout of the books we have mean nothing here. Those dont flash forward, they flash back. The Slab book is not a "look back" at that event, its not written like those, it's a story unfolding as it happens. The subjectivity of a time frame doesn't matter. There is nothing to flash forward to. This book is being written as if the other 4 books and 3 games haven't happened yet, and happens first. It is a prequel in every sense of the word. If this book flashed back it would flash back to events even closer to E Day.

Yes, you are right if that's how the book was written, but we already know that the book is not being written like that , it DOESN'T take place after Gears 3, its not being written like the other books, so thats a moot point.

Given its place in the timeline, flash forwards do not make sense.

the subjectivity of time DOES matter. if the story starts in the present, it'll flashback when it starts talking about the past. but when it starts talking about the present, its flashing forward. this book IS a look back, because its going back and explaining what happened to marcus in the slab.

this book isnt being written as if the other books havent happened, because both aspho fields and anvil gate take place before marcus's time in prison.

i know it doesnt take place after gears 3, but to completely say that flashing forward to gears 3 wouldnt make sense is an ignorant statement. especially since previous books have already done it

[NFI]

the subjectivity of time DOES matter. if the story starts in the present, it'll flashback when it starts talking about the past. but when it starts talking about the present, its flashing forward. this book IS a look back, because its going back and explaining what happened to marcus in the slab.

this book isnt being written as if the other books havent happened, because both aspho fields and anvil gate take place before marcus's time in prison.

i know it doesnt take place after gears 3, but to completely say that flashing forward to gears 3 wouldnt make sense is an ignorant statement. especially since previous books have already done it

Yes those books were written and take place after marcus time in the prison. However the timeline in this book is BEFORE those two books and all of those events, meaning that, if you approach this with no recollection of the series, this book is flat out first, nothing else happened yet. In the chronological timeline, if you were to map it out, this book is before every other piece of Canon and literature and games in the series. The book is a single, solitary timeline contained within a period before anything else. Effectively meaning nothing else happened yet.

Look at Halo. We all knew about the events of Reach already, it was discussed time and time again. However, Halo Reach was a look back at the events ofthe fall of Reach, but was a prequel that took place before the Halo Trilogy, meaning nothing in said trilogy technically happened yet. Nothing from Halo 1, 2 or 3 occured yet. This is no different. Reach couldnt look ahead to what Master Chief did because he was still in cryostasis.

This book is not a flashback, its a look back at those events but its a prequel. Flashbacks and writing a prequel to look back are not the same. Every prequel is technically a look back. As we read it the events are unfolding at the same time, they arent completed and being recounted. Subjectivity of time does not matter, you keep saying "if the book starts in the present", it doesnt, we already know it doesnt, it is a single self contained story, so that hypothetical is irrelevant to the topic at hand. You are right if they wrote the book that way flash forwards would be perfectly fine, however this is not the case.

Those two books have 2 story arcs, the main story arch and primary plot for Aspho Fields, is in the present talks and about events following Gears 1, the book uses flashbacks to the secondary timeline about the battle at Aspho Fields 26 years prior as a backdrop to divulge character history,and give them some depth and weight. Anvil Gate also has two story arcs, with the main story arc taking place after the events of gears 2 and flashbacks used to provide character weight. So therefore the back and forth can occur because both for Aspho Fields, the events of Gears 1 already occured, and for Anvil Gate the events of Gears 2 also were completed. This book is absolutely nothing like that. Its single and sole plot line opens and closes before Gears of War 1.

The two books you cited touched on the events and tale that this book will now tell in full. It is a singluar story line, its contained to the past. This is why the others haven't technically happened yet. Its a pure prequel, and prequels chronologically speaking take place before everything else. In other words, those other events do not exist.

None of the books talked about any event that took has yet to occur, none of them. The book does not start in the present, in any fashion, there are not two story lines, and unlike the first two books every single event that follows has yet to happen. it begins and ends in the past, so flash forwarding to Gears 3 would not fit in the game because the events simply havent happened yet. There is nothing to flash forward too.

Saying flash forwards wont work in this book is not an ignorant statement, because this book, unlike the other books, does not at any point in time shift perspective backwards or forwards. Meaning it is being written as if it is just occuring.

[Kracker Kid]

This is incorrect. Those two books have 2 story arcs, the main story arch and primary plot for Aspho Fields, which opens up in the present talks about events following Gears 1, and uses the secondary timeline about the battle at Aspho Fields 26 years prior as a backdrop to divulge character history, and give them some depth and weight. Anvil Gate also has two story arcs, with the main story arc taking place after the events of gears 2. So therefore the back and forth can occur because both for Aspho Fields, the events of Gears 1 already occured, and for Anvil Gate the events of Gears 2 also were completed. This book is absolutely nothing like that. Its single and sole plot line opens and closes before Gears of War 1.

None of the books talked about any event that took has yet to occur, none of them. The book does not start in the present, in any fashion, there are not two story lines, and unlike the first two books every single event that follows has yet to happen. it begins and ends in the past, so flash forwarding to Gears 3 would not fit in the game because the events simply havent happened yet. There is nothing to flash forward too.

Saying flash forwards wont work in this book is not an ignorant statement, because this book, unlike the other books, does not at any point in time discuss present events. Those other books main plots both set firmly in the current events in the gears universe and used back story as a way to provide some history on what was going on, those flashbacks were secondary plot lines.

yes this book does have 1 story arc, but youre saying it wouldnt make sense to have a second story arc. just because the author didnt write in events that happened after gears 3, doesnt mean she couldnt. she just chose to stick to past events. main/secondary story plots dont matter, because plenty of stories have switched between the main story being in the past or the present. some even have the main story take place in the future. there already is a set cannon in the story for gears 3, the slab couldve flashed to another point on the time table, and it would still make sense. even if there was no set cannon, there could be a flash forward that would make sense if done correctly. the slab had plenty of events to flash forward to.

and you cant say none of the books talk about events that happened before the slab, because the books DO talk about events before the slab. the battle at aspho fields happens before marcus's imprisonment, and anvil gate happens way before that. the books even talk about when marcus was a kid and how he met carlos. events from the books HAVE happened, and you cant deny them that

[NFI]

yes this book does have 1 story arc, but youre saying it wouldnt make sense to have a second story arc. just because the author didnt write in events that happened after gears 3, doesnt mean she couldnt. she just chose to stick to past events. main/secondary story plots dont matter, because plenty of stories have switched between the main story being in the past or the present. some even have the main story take place in the future. there already is a set cannon in the story for gears 3, the slab couldve flashed to another point on the time table, and it would still make sense. even if there was no set cannon, there could be a flash forward that would make sense if done correctly. the slab had plenty of events to flash forward to.

and you cant say none of the books talk about events that happened before the slab, because the books DO talk about events before the slab. the battle at aspho fields happens before marcus's imprisonment, and anvil gate happens way before that. the books even talk about when marcus was a kid and how he met carlos. events from the books HAVE happened, and you cant deny them that

The Slab has many events to flash forward to? Such as? In regards to the books timeline, Marcus has yet to even go to prison. So Dom hasnt busted him out, they havent done the light mass bomb, they havent sunk Jacinto, they havent found Azura, found Marcus dad or killed the queen yet. This book is a prequel, written as such, and takes place before all of that. Tell me, what would make sense for the Slab to flash forward to? It really has no place if this book is written in a manner that is solely contained in the past.

She is approaching this book as a pure prequel, meaning forward reference do not really fit. You keep on referencing PAST events. Past events that took place BEFORE the slab. Forget about the Pendulum war era stuff, that is not what I am discussing.

The Events of Gears 1, 2, 3, and every book as far as their main plot lines are concerned (not the stuff about their childhood or anvil gate) ,in the chronological order of things, take place after this book. Meaning as you read this, those HAVENT happened. Meaning it makes 0 sense to flash forward to those events, or reference them or have characters discuss them. Of course events before this book like Anvil Gate still occured, I am discussing the overall plot that is relevant to Delta Squad.

Also, I never said the books dont talk about anything that happened before the slab. I said none of the books ever looked ahead to something that chronologically hasnt happend yet. Did "Aspho Fields" ever talk about Gears of War 2, or talk about the sinking of Jacinto? No. Did Anvil Gate discuss the events of Gears of War 3 and how Marcus dad was alive? No. So my original point stands, no book, in this series, has ever looked AHEAD of its main time line to future events that have yet to occur.

I also never said it wouldnt make sense to not have a secondary story arch. I said it in fact doesnt have one, which alters the viability of and real effectiveness of flash forwards because of the fact there is absolutely no grounding in current events. I am saying that with the way the book is being written, it is being written as a prequel, not a current time period piece, looking back like the other books. Prequels and flashbacks are not remotely the same thing. A flashback occurs in a situation or event that is taking place in the present, and is a form of remembering in some manner. Prequels are events that happened at the beginning of a story line and are written in a manner that does not reference future events because technically speaking they have yet to occur. Aspho Fields was written in the present and used as a flashback mechanism. It was not written as a prequel.Meaning it is first. Meaning the time is well before any of the other events. If they were rebooting Gears, and wiping the slate clean, this is the very first thing you would read. Meaning in the scope of the book and its writing style, nothing afterwards has happened. None of it. Suddenly referencing it makes little sense. As a reader you go into this with the mindset you know nothing else about the story. Just like in the Star Wars Trilogy.

You may hint or allude to things to come, but never outright state it. This is done to preserve the theme of it being an early, story changing event. Halo Reach alluded to Master Chief and the events of Halo 1 in its last mission, but never stated or flash forward to what would happen. Thats what this is.

I understand other stories switch view points, and that works IF in fact the book is being written that way. This book is not. This is the first book, these are the first events that impacted Gears 1 all the way through 3, the Humans vs Locust, and Delta. The The Pendulum War history obviously stands.