The DeLorean explanation (merged threads)

[Dangerzone]

To be quite honest, The explanation I was expecting was that the time machine was from before doc showed up at the end of back to the future part one... and that we would be interacting with "Past Doc" from before the second and third films

I do hope they have some sort of alternate revelation planned as the existence of the time machine is what this whole story is hinging on, and the current explanation is satisfyingly vague and far fetched, I agree (whereas everything else fits into the universe quite well)

[Guy..]

When the game first started, it took me a repeated play through the prologue to realise it was just a dream and not some awesome re-telling of the original's timeline.

When the car didn't re-appear my jaw hit the floor and I thought they'd come up with some awesome reason as to why that happened and thus explaining how Doc still has a DeLorean (he stole the first one, from himself). Especially when the car first re-appeared with just Einstein in it, I still thought the prologue could be part of the storyline.

When I realised it was just an emotional dream sequence, I was still cool with it, but then when given the explanation of a magic second DeLorean I can't help but feel a little a saddened by that when compared to my initial feelings about the prologue and I hoped that played into the story that was coming up.

[bambi]

I like it. Works for me quite well.

[Shadowknight1]

Originally Posted by Mino_Dan

Doc still has that train. Okay, its difficult to hide something that big but he could've built the time machine into another vehicle.

A cop out means "An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty."

Pretending that a lightning strike through the time circuits would cause the Delorean to multiply does definatly fall under that category!
Building a new Delorean Time machine would've made a lot more sense.

Sorry, but building a new time machine out of a DeLorean makes no sense at all. I know I've defended that theory in the past, but since it's been knocked out of the running, here are the reasons why it would be an even bigger cop out:
1) If Doc could afford another DeLorean, he wouldn't be having financial troubles in 1986.
2) For Doc to get another DeLorean that is either in very good condition or brand spankin new, he would have to return to the 1980's, and in that case, why wouldn't he at least visit Marty and check up on things?
3) One thing that would hinge on Doc building another car is that we all assumed he had the blueprints. The first part of the episode before the DeLorean arrives proves this isn't the case. The notebook that Marty has to get from Biff has all the plans for the Flux Capacitor and the time machine.

Also, the time circuits getting struck by lightning isn't what caused the duplication. It was a gigawatt overload going through the flux capacitor. In case you don't remember, the flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity in order to activate temporal displacement, or time travel in layman's terms. Imagine what would happen if double that amount were suddenly pumped into the flux capacitor. Yes it's pseudoscience. But then again, so is the entire premise of the time machine in the first place.

[Farlander]

I know I've defended that theory in the past, but since it's been knocked out of the running, here are the reasons why it would be an even bigger cop out:

There's a difference between 'an idea being a cop-out' (and new DeLorean technically isn't, it's a reasonable and simple explanation) and 'it being impossible/implausible in a set of circumstances' (and in the set of circumstances we have in the game, which you've all listed, I do agree that it's not that plausible).

And, as long as the time duplicate stuff isn't played out in the plot (I hope it will) it's as much as a cop-out as 'new DeLorean' or 'no/vague explanation'.

[markeres]

It occurs to me that the DeLorean explanation is an optional dialogue choice, so if you want, you can skip it altogether as it has no bearing on the plot, and it probably won't play out or be explored more in the rest of the season (since many people seem to have missed the conversations you can have with Doc in jail altogether, and you can't suddenly spring this info on people if they missed it). You can always just ignore it and pretend it's a newly built DeLorean, or that it just appeared out of thin air, or whatever floats your boat. That said, I'm accepting the DeLorean explanation we got as "game canon" that was obviously approved by Bob Gale.

[Mino_Dan]

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

Sorry, but building a new time machine out of a DeLorean makes no sense at all. I know I've defended that theory in the past, but since it's been knocked out of the running, here are the reasons why it would be an even bigger cop out:
1) If Doc could afford another DeLorean, he wouldn't be having financial troubles in 1986.
2) For Doc to get another DeLorean that is either in very good condition or brand spankin new, he would have to return to the 1980's, and in that case, why wouldn't he at least visit Marty and check up on things?
3) One thing that would hinge on Doc building another car is that we all assumed he had the blueprints. The first part of the episode before the DeLorean arrives proves this isn't the case. The notebook that Marty has to get from Biff has all the plans for the Flux Capacitor and the time machine.

Also, the time circuits getting struck by lightning isn't what caused the duplication. It was a gigawatt overload going through the flux capacitor. In case you don't remember, the flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity in order to activate temporal displacement, or time travel in layman's terms. Imagine what would happen if double that amount were suddenly pumped into the flux capacitor. Yes it's pseudoscience. But then again, so is the entire premise of the time machine in the first place.

Yet he could still afford a steam train with hover conversion.
Oh and rebuild the flux capacitor and time circuits for said train by memory.

[Farlander]

Originally Posted by markeres

It occurs to me that the DeLorean explanation is an optional dialogue choice, so if you want, you can skip it altogether as it has no bearing on the plot, and it probably won't play out or be explored more in the rest of the season (since many people seem to have missed the conversations you can have with Doc in jail altogether, and you can't suddenly spring this info on people if they missed it). You can always just ignore it and pretend it's a newly built DeLorean, or that it just appeared out of thin air, or whatever floats your boat. That said, I'm accepting the DeLorean explanation we got as "game canon" that was obviously approved by Bob Gale.

There's a difference between 'accepting' and 'liking' And I've got to stop using 'There's a difference' phrase.... Ahem. Anyway, I don't LIKE the explanation, but optional or not, it IS an official explanation and I HAVE to accept it. But my liking of it depends on it's bearing of the plot - if it has no bearing absolutely and is there to, well, basically, have an explanation - then I will like it even LESS. If it will be played out - I'll like it more, even more if it will be played out in an interesting manner.

But, so far, most of the optional dialogs with Doc, though optional, don't necesserily have to bear no bearing on the plot (which gives me hope). Clara/kids question is kind of a reason why Doc is in 1931 in the first place, the name of Marty's grandmother (considering the meeting with his grandfather) is most likely mentioned not out of air, Doc says in an optional dialog that he and Edna never met so it's clear that them meeting would possibly make a big change of the future (and it's kind of hinted in Docs/Edna's first meeting too), Doc also mentions the Hill Valley Expo (I think the Expo one was an optional), and it will be vital in Ep4, so I really hope that the DeLorean dialog is not optional because it doesn't have absolutely any bearing, but because it's not that important YET.

Originally Posted by Mino_Dan

Yet he could still afford a steam train with hover conversion.
Oh and rebuild the flux capacitor and time circuits for said train by memory.

To be honest, we don't know if the flux capacitor and the time circuits are the same for the DeLorean as they would've been for a train (with mostly 1885 technology). Doc DID send some schematics to the future (and the small time circuit was replaced by some kind of... big thing on the hood of the car Meaning that 1885 technology would have an even bigger time circuit, hence the train ), and obviously he knows how the flux capacitor would work, being it's creator and all, but the flux capacitor for something running on steam may be very different from something running on electricity. And rebuilding means making the same.

[Shadowknight1]

The train was probably salvage from the crash. As for the hover conversion, there's no telling where that came from.

As for the flux capacitor and the time circuits, they were built differently than the DeLorean's.

[Farlander]

The train was probably salvage from the crash. As for the hover conversion, there's no telling where that came from.

Huh? Who says that's the same train which crashed? It could be a new one, that doesn't matter (and I actually think that salvaging and rebuilding something from scraps would be a very bad idea, especially for a Time Machine)

And there is telling where the hover conversion came from. The End of BttF3, Marty asks if Doc's going to the future, Doc says that he's already been there, and poof! Flying train.

[Shadowknight1]

Originally Posted by Farlander

Huh? Who says that's the same train which crashed? It could be a new one, that doesn't matter (and I actually think that salvaging and rebuilding something from scraps would be a very bad idea, especially for a Time Machine)

And there is telling where the hover conversion came from. The End of BttF3, Marty asks if Doc's going to the future, Doc says that he's already been there, and poof! Flying train.

I meant financially.

[Farlander]

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

I meant financially.

Oh. Well, financially speaking he could steal stuff. You know, for science!

[doggans]

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

1) If Doc could afford another DeLorean, he wouldn't be having financial troubles in 1986.

All of his "financial troubles" in 1986 are a result of him, you know, not BEING in 1986. We saw in Part II that he is prepared for all financial situations; if he actually spent any time in 1986, he'd be able to pay off his debts.

[Masta23]

Originally Posted by SuperEgz

It makes sense to me. Im just curious if their is going to be a duplicate Doc or not.

Well if there is a duplicate Doc, then he is a jerk for not going back for Marty in 1955 lol.

[Packet]

Originally Posted by Rusty0918

Does Doc Brown still have the steam locomotive time machine? Or did that get destroyed somehow? I'll be playing the game around Christmas Day I assume (or a bit later).

It seems to me that...

...Clara probably has the train. In one of the optional dialogue trees Doc mentions that in his timeline enough time has passed since Marty's seen Doc that Jules and Verne are now teenagers. When you follow up on that by asking about how Clara and the boys are doing, Doc mentions they're trying to decide what era to send Jules and Verne to college in. He also mentions why he initially came to 1931 (to pick up an out-of-print book as a gift for Clara). The impression I got as a result was that Clara, Jules and Verne may have taken the train to scout potential eras for college, while Doc took the future-duplicated DeLorean and went off to 1931 to pick up a gift for Clara, intending to give it to her when she gets back.

[Shadowknight1]

Quite probable. Quite probable indeed.

[Hituro]

Originally Posted by Spartanapples

Maybe he has been duplicated...

Put on your tinfoil hats people.

Hmmm.. maybe this might actually be looked at in the episode titled "Double Vision" Anything is possible.

[Elizabeth of Jupiter]

I agree that it's a cheap explanation unless there's a second Doc. But then, there're some pretty cheap explanations for things that happen in the second and third movies. I think they figured that players would really want to drive the Delorean, so there needed to be some sort of explanation.

[Krohn]

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

S...
1) If Doc could afford another DeLorean, he wouldn't be having financial troubles in 1986.

Just because he has no money in 1986 doesn't mean he has no money in 2020

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

2) For Doc to get another DeLorean that is either in very good condition or brand spankin new, he would have to return to the 1980's, and in that case, why wouldn't he at least visit Marty and check up on things?

You can buy a brands new delorean today, so no time travel necessary (and probably also in 10 years)
http://www.delorean.com/newbuild.asp

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

3) One thing that would hinge on Doc building another car is that we all assumed he had the blueprints. The first part of the episode before the DeLorean arrives proves this isn't the case. The notebook that Marty has to get from Biff has all the plans for the Flux Capacitor and the time machine.

He made a time machine out of a train, so he obviously has the plans for time circuits ready..and thanks to modern FPGAs and modern microcontrollers a new design with modern technology would probably end up much cheaper than a 1986 equivalent

Note that he said his boys were teenager..so this doc obviously spent years after the events of bttf III, giving him all the time needed to build a new machine if he wanted it.

[Shadowknight1]

You know what, it doesn't really matter what we think of the explanation. It was obviously approved by Bob Gale so it is part of the game's canon.