Talk:Time Limit

(First topic)

This could be an interesting term, describing how time limits work in video games, why they are used, and how they are implemented in the Mario series and spin-off franchises. Any takers? ♥♪!? 20:10, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

Like Player, it seems redundant, but a list of games that use a time limit in some way may make the article useful. I'll start, and you can take over :P Wa _T^C_@^Y 23:02, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

I'm thinking about starting a category called Game Mechanics. Good idea or not?Knife (talk) 23:09, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

Sounds Good, Knife. Go for it. User:Pokemon DP/sig

I added the nonexistent category for Knife. I did my best with platformers :) Wa _T^C_@^Y 23:16, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

Split Pre-Race Countdown Timer from Time Limit

This talk page proposal has already been settled. Please do not edit this section or its subsections. If you wish to discuss the article, please do so in a new section below the proposal.

Don't Split 1-12

This section needs its own article. So, I say we should split them!

Proposer: Reddragon19k (talk)
Deadline: April 10, 2011, 19:00 EDT

Split

1. Reddragon19k (talk) Per my proposal

Don't Split

1. BabyLuigiOnFire (talk) I see this section implemented finely into this article. And why does it need its own article? The proposer fails to give valid reasons on seeing this needs to be split. What we are going to end up with if this succeeds is a short, rather-pointless article that seems very minor. Besides, I don't think "Pre-Race Countdown Timer" is an official term. And why this term? What about the rest of the Countdown Timers? What makes this anymore special than the other countdown timers?
2. Zero777 (talk) Per BLOF
3. Bowser's luma (talk) I originally thought this was a proposal to delete time limit, it's so unnecessary. I might have it deleted after this. Oh yeah, per BLOF.
4. Mario4Ever (talk) Per above.
5. DKPetey99 (talk) Every other timer is merged within this article! Per BLOF
6. UltraMario3000 (talk) Per the Baby of Luigi who's flammin'.
7. SWFlash (talk) ಠ_ಠ It's time limit. Time limit is time limit for all games, it shouldn't be splitted.
8. Mario jc (talk) Per BLOF.
9. Walkazo (talk) - Per BLOF.
10. Edofenrir (talk) - Per Bowser's luma.
11. Bop1996 (talk) Per BLOF.
12. Ultrahammer5365 (talk) Per BLOF.

Comments

Why does that section needs its own article? It's me, Mario! (Talk / Stalk) 13:07, 27 March 2011 (EDT)

Wasn't it a separate article that was merged by a proposal? Or was that something else? Yoshiwaker 13:53, 28 March 2011 (EDT)

I fail to see an actual reason for this proposal, aside from the somewhat vague "this needs its own article". Ultrahammer5365 23:16, 1 April 2011 (EDT)

I'm agreeing with all of you because this is my first proposal so, I want to find out if we split it or not! Reddragon19k(talk)

Okay, I think you want our consent to see if this article should be split or not. Next time, put your reasons in so we know why you want to split. That is the point of proposals. You want to change something for a reason. If you want to change something without a reason, we're going to oppose it. It's me, Mario! (Talk / Stalk) 02:09, 2 April 2011 (EDT)

Remove the "Countdown Timer" section and all that from the article.

This talk page proposal has already been settled. Please do not edit this section or its subsections. If you wish to discuss the article, please do so in a new section below the proposal.

Remove Section 5-0

I've had this problem for almost two years and looks like it won't finish, so I gonna do this, you people will decide once and for all if its needed to have an article of this kind in this wiki. Looks like some user is obssesed with this but I talked with him to desist in doing this on some articles that in fact looks more like a troll's edit than of a decent one. Now go to the point: I think this info should be removed (if possible, permanently) because, first it does have nothing to do with this article, the time limit is mostly a term used to describe the restricted time to clear a level (that's evident). second, this an invented info desperately done, it contains overused, boring and repetitive info that can be gathered into a single paragraph -it only shows trite details that makes different in every appearance, sound, visual effect, etc. In a nutshell, this is too minor and definitively useless. However, the worst part is that this info is only parasiting this article in the same way as did before with another -the Countdown Timer. I think this reason reaffirms the actions made by the user that, again, looks like it was a moderate intention of vandalism than a constructive edit. With this I conclude my debate about keeping this article here or not.

PD: I don't want you to consider this a personal threat to the user. This is only a discussion with the purpose to stir up your thoughts about this controversial matter that has been messing around in the wiki and the problems that have caused in fact. However, it's up to you if you think it's fine to keep the info here anyway or not actually. and this does not imply to create an article for this or move the info into another page, just delete it.

Proposer: Coincollector (talk)
Deadline: June 12, 2011, 23:59 (UTC)

Remove

1. Coincollector (talk)
2. Mario4Ever (talk) Per proposal.
3. Reddragon19k (talk) Per both! I guess we don't need it anyway!
4. Nicke8 (talk) Per all!
5. Bowser's luma (talk) I want to trash the whole article. Let's pick 'em off one at a time, that'll do.

Comments

The deadline was wrong: June 11 was only 13 days after May 29, and proposals end at 23:59 (UTC). - Walkazo 18:47, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

Looks like Imissed a number... :/ I've got the wrong date on my computer. @ Reddragon, I know you are usually hasty and you make decisions without think twice. If you agree, that means you won't make this anymore. That makes me remember... Coincollector (talk)

@Coincollector Maybe you're right! This is the article about the time limit itself! I guess we don't need it! Reddragon19k 21:49, 8 June 2011 (EDT)

Frame count

I think it would be very useful to have the frame count for post-Lost Levels games, because "approximately 0.6 or 0.7 seconds" is very vague. If it varies slightly per game (which the "0.6 or 0.7" seems to imply), I think it would be useful to have a table with in-game time units, frame counts, and seconds (or maybe milliseconds). PikaSamus (talk) 13:52, 29 October 2018 (EDT)

Donkey Kong Arcade Games

In the Donkey Kong arcade games, it's not specifically stated, but there is a Bonus score that counts down, but it acts similarly to a timer in that:

1. The quicker the level is cleared, the more points you get
2. If the Bonus reaches zero, a live is lost.

The only game from the Donkey Kong arcade games that made the indication clear is Donkey Kong 3 though. Should the Donkey Kong games be mentioned in this article? Winstein (talk) 08:22, 9 January 2019 (EST)

Include mentions of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. as instances of Time Limit

This talk page proposal has already been settled. Please do not edit this section or its subsections. If you wish to discuss the article, please do so in a new section below the proposal.

vetoed by the administrators
Cancelled and immediately put into effect, as absence was just an oversight rather than a deliberate omission

In the aforementioned arcade games, they have a HUD called "BONUS", which ticks down as time passes. Essentially, clearing the stage will reward the player with that amount of points, but it also functions as another thing: once it reaches zero, the player loses a life. In fact, one of the facets of the "kill screen" is that the BONUS starts low enough at a later level that the player cannot complete it in time, basically creating an unwinnable state. This feature has something in common with the Super Mario platformers with time limit, despite it not being named as such.

Do note that for Donkey Kong 3 (and VS. Wrecking Crew), it's called "TIME" instead of "BONUS", which makes the intent clearer for what the display is for. This is mainly about the two earlier titles that call them differently.

Thank you for reading.

Proposer: Winstein (talk) 17:39, March 24, 2026 (UTC)
Deadline: April 7, 2026, 23:59 (UTC) Closed early on March 24, 2026

Include them (Bonus = Time)

1. Winstein (talk) Per proposal.
2. Wandering Poplin (talk) ...Truth be told, I'm not entirely convinced this even needs a proposal. The logic feels very straightforward, and it appears that its absence from the article was mainly due to oversight rather than a deliberate exclusion. But otherwise, Per Winstein.
3. Camwoodstock (talk) This does not need a proposal, as far as we're concerned. Considering the Kill Screen in the original Donkey Kong is reliant on an error in calculating what the game already calls "the level's time limit", it's safe to assume its exclusion here was an oversight, rather than some express exclusion.

Comments

@Winstein - Brought it up with other members of staff, and nobody had particular objections to just letting this get implemented immediately, considering the absence of these time limits was just an oversight. You can go ahead and add these already. ~Camwoodstock ( talk ☯ contribs ) 22:52, March 24, 2026 (UTC)

All right, then. I've added both games in the article, plus a few extra games like that Game Boy Donkey Kong game and Donkey Kong 64. Perhaps it's not entirely comprehensive, but it's a start. Winstein (talk) 17:20, March 29, 2026 (UTC)