text: The game was first hinted at during E3 2009 by EA’s CEO, John Riccitiello. Riccitiello stated that Criterion Games, developers of EA's own "Burnout" series, was working on a "revolutionary" addition to the "Need for Speed" franchise, stating: "We don't have a plan right now for a separate major launch on "Burnout", because the team doing it is working on a revolutionary take on "Need for Speed"." The title was confirmed to be in development by EA's chief operating officer, John Pleasants, at a Stock meeting in June 2009, where he stated: "We've taken the "Burnout" team and combined it with our "Need for Speed" franchise. So we now have that in our favor because that "Burnout" team is probably one of the more online-centric and notably high-quality game developers that we have out at Criterion." "Shift" producer, Jesse Abney, expressed his delight to work with Criterion Games, stating that it would be a "great team to work with on that stuff," referencing the development of "Need for Speed". It was reported that the game was scheduled for release in Q4 2010. EA's COO, John Schappert, said that the Q4 "NFS" title was, "a new action based "Need for Speed" from our Criterion Studio," in a post-financial report conference call. The title was officially revealed as "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" at EA's Media Briefing during E3 2010, with a trailer which showed a high-speed police chase involving three different racers. The trailer was followed by a live demo of the game on stage between creative director Craig Sullivan as a cop and producer Matt Webster as a racer. According to Riccitiello, the game was in development for two years.


title: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010 video game)

text: In August 2010, before "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" was set to take center stage at EA's press conference during Gamescom, it was announced by art director Henry LaBounta that Criterion collaborated with "Battlefield" creators EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) in building the massive open world of "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit". Early in November 2010, Patrick Söderlund, Senior Vice President of EA Games Europe, said this of the collaboration: "I think the most important thing, when you have two high-quality developers working together, for it to work, they need to have mutual respect. They need to have that respect, to say ‘Ok, we trust you to do this.’ This was a case where that was so obvious, where the Criterion team had a full trust in the DICE team to do what they were doing, and vice versa."


text: Recent games in the "Need for Speed" franchise included a story, but Matt Webster, producer of "Hot Pursuit", said: "We didn’t really think it was necessary to include a story. If you’re a cop, the aim is to go up the ranks, while a racer’s aim is to get to the highest rank they can." EA stated that the combination of acclaimed developer Criterion Games, a socially-focused online mode and official car licences makes the franchise more accessible than before. UK product manager for "Need for Speed" Kevin Flynn said: "This is definitely the best "Need for Speed" I’ve seen to date. I thought "" was a great game but different and a bit serious, while "Hot Pursuit" is more fun and accessible."


text: With the game sharing the as the 1998 installment in the franchise, the game's creative director, Craig Sullivan, told why they didn't name the game something totally different, stating: "To be honest when we started out making the game we didn’t know it was going to be called "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit", we just didn’t. We got to the game before we got to the name. We realized we were making something that had a lot of cops in it and was really interesting to us, so we thought what can we call this? Eventually we thought this actually fits quite well with "Hot Pursuit" and went with it."


text: The game features 7.1 channel surround sound in PCM (Dolby Digital and DTS are also available). The soundtrack of "Hot Pursuit" features a general track list as is seen in EA Black Box "Need for Speed" games such as "", "" and "" rather than a scored soundtrack as seen in "" and "". The song "Edge of the Earth" by Thirty Seconds to Mars serves as the game's theme song; other songs in the game's soundtrack include "Big Weekend" by Lemonade, "Cinema" by Benny Benassi (feat. Gary Go), "Opposite of Adults" by Chiddy Bang, "Sofi Needs a Ladder" by Deadmau5 (feat. SOFI), and "Watercolour" by Pendulum. The game's musical score, which is usually played during the police pursuit events, was composed by Marios Takoushis and Vanesa Lorena.


text: Players can also add custom soundtracks to the game, so that any music stored on the player's hard drive can be selected during gameplay, as long as they are added to a playlist via the console's system menu. As well as optionally using songs from the player's hard drive, several categories of licensed music are available for the game's racing, menu screens, and the photo mode.


text: EA announced the "One Million Challenge" on 25 November 2010. The idea behind the challenge was that if the "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" launch trailer received one million views on YouTube by 12 December 2010, a free downloadable content (DLC) pack would be released with three new cars. Although the trailer fell short of the million views, EA still awarded the three cars for free. EA stated the cars would be added to the game through a future title update on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; PC users were told that EA will share more news when it becomes available. On 14 December 2010 the first update was released which added the three cars to the player's garage. Criterion released another Xbox 360 title update the following day. On 17 December 2010, a third title update was released which repaired issues experienced with earlier versions of the update. Criterion released the official second update for the consoles on 15 February 2011, addressing some minor issues and glitches.


text: Criterion also promised updates to add new features in addition to bug fixes for the PC version. The first update for the PC was released on 26 November 2010 which addressed crashes, issues with aspect ratios, and missing effects. D-Box motion chair support was also added. The second update for the PC was released on 19 January 2011, which fixed issues with flickering graphics, controller configurations, steering response, player car engine audio volume, CPU performance and a rare crash issue when entering the Career map screen. The three free cars from the "One Million Challenge" were also added. The third update for the PC was released on 17 March 2011, which fixed several issues players were having relating to game crashes and bugs. The fourth update for PC was released on 4 April 2011, which fixed another 30 percent of the game's known bugs, with a total of 77 percent of the issues fixed. The fifth update for PC was released on 14 April 2011, as with the most recent patch this new update mainly dealt with various game crash issues which players encountered while playing the game. One game crash in particular, which occurred on some systems when players were prompted to "Press Any Key", was fixed in this patch. EA announced that the PC version of the game would not receive downloadable content. Criterion confirmed this on their official message boards; "We have a limited amount of resources that makes it so that we are unable to deliver new content to all platforms, however we do have more updates and content on the way for PC players."


text: In addition to the free update, Criterion has released several optional, premium packs that add content like new cars and events. The first two DLC packs for "Hot Pursuit" were released one week after the game's launch. Dubbed "Racer Timesaver Pack" and "SCPD Timesaver Pack", either pack grants the player immediate access to every car in the game on the relevant side of the law. Buying the "Racer Timesaver Pack", for example, gives the player access to all the Racer cars, and vice versa for the SCPD. The third pack for "Hot Pursuit" was released one week after the first two. The "SCPD Rebels Pack", adds seven new cars previously available only in police variants to the Racer line-up, including the Audi R8 5.2 FSI and Aston Martin DBS.


text: EA announced the first official DLC for "Hot Pursuit" on 6 December 2010. The "Super Sports Pack" adds three new cars; the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Gumpert Apollo S, and Bugatti Veryon 16.4 Super Sport in variants for both sides of the law. There are also 13 new race and pursuit events, and new achievements/trophies to earn. It was released on 21 December on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America and on 22 December on PlayStation Network in Europe. Although this is the first official DLC, extra additional content could also be purchased via online storefronts.


text: Criterion announced three new DLC packs for "Hot Pursuit" on 17 February 2011. "Armed and Dangerous" brings two new online game modes. ‘Most Wanted’ has the cops in pursuit of a single racer in an open world, with the other racers fighting to protect him. ‘Arms Race’ is free-for-all racing that sees weapons enabled. In addition, this pack also contains three new achievements/trophies. It was available from 22 February on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace.


text: The second pack, "Lamborghini Untamed", adds the Lamborghini Diablo SV (the cover car of "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit"), Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV and Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, while the third pack, "Porsche Unleashed" (named after ), adds the Porsche 911 Turbo (1982 model), Porsche 959 and Porsche 997 Speedster. All mentioned cars are in both cops and racer variations, and both packs bring ten new events and four new achievements/trophies. The "Lamborghini Untamed" pack was available from 1 March and "Porsche Unleashed" pack from 8 March on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. In addition, a bundle pack consisting of "Porsche Unleashed", "Lamborghini Untamed", and "Armed and Dangerous" called the "Three for All Bundle" was released on 22 March only on the PlayStation Store.


text: A limited edition of the PC game was released to EA employees during December 2010. The "EA Crew Edition" includes seven bonus racer cars; Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition, Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Lamborghini Reventon, Bugatti Veyron 16.4, Aston Martin DBS, and Audi R8 5.2 FSI (these vehicles were later released in the "SCPD Rebels Pack"). The box is not labeled for retail sale and the disc is marked as "not for resale".


text: A remastered edition of "Hot Pursuit", titled "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered", was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 6 November 2020, and for Nintendo Switch on 13 November 2020, just ahead of the game's tenth anniversary. It is the first game in the "Need for Speed" series to receive a remastering, and is based on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the original release. In addition to updated visuals and support for newer hardware, the game includes cross-platform play support for multiplayer. It also includes all former main DLC, with the career events of the "Super Sports Pack", "Lamborghini Untamed", and "Porsche Unleashed" integrated into the main career rather than being separately playable from it. It also adds the ability to change the colour of most Racer vehicles and—via an update released in February 2021—add custom wraps to such vehicles; neither feature were found in the original release. Notably, three vehicles that were in the original game, the 722 Edition and Stirling Moss models of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and the Carbon Motors E7 Concept, are missing. The remastered version was developed by Criterion Games and Stellar Entertainment, the latter who also handled the 2018 remaster of Criterion's "Burnout Paradise".


text: In early July 2010 EA announced "Need for Speed Hot Pursuit on Tour", a seven-city event that took the game around the United States prior to the game's release. Each stop featured recording artists and showcased an assortment of exotic cars. The tour began on 14 July 2010 at the Manhattan Classic Car Club in New York City, headlined by DJ Z-Trip. It then continued to Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and Miami, ending with the "Hot Pursuit" launch party in Los Angeles. EA received a helping hand from UK vehicle wrapping company Totally Dynamic for the UK launch event, held at Totally Dynamic's South London centre. In addition to the standard edition, a "Limited Edition" of the game has been released, which was originally only available through pre-order at the same price as the regular game. However, it was still available beside the regular game, but in limited quantities. The "Limited Edition" features numerous bonuses over the standard edition, including exclusive packaging, two exclusive racers and four unlocked cars.


text: The "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" demo was available for download on 26 October on Xbox Live Marketplace worldwide and the PlayStation Network in North America and on 27 October 2010 on the PlayStation Network in Europe. The demo was a limited time demo and closed on 9 November 2010. Criterion Games stated that "Unlike Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, PC demos require comparatively more resources to ensure that they run smoothly across a wide variety of systems," for not getting the chance to release a demo for the PC. The demo was a hit, the demo was download more than 2 million times, making the demo for "Hot Pursuit" the "most popular demo in "Need for Speed" history".


text: EA announced on 15 November 2010 the first two "Games with Developer", both on the first weekend after the game launched. The event allowed the players to test their newly developed skills against those who had a hand in creating the game. EA announced on 26 November 2010 an "Autolog Recommends Contest". It was a two-week-long competition. If the fans beat any of NFSDrew's "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" Autolog recommended times on Xbox or PS3, it gave one of them the chance to win a custom (NTSC) "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" PlayStation 3, which is an extremely rare "Collector's Edition". EA also announced two "Autolog Photo Contests", the first ended 26 November 2010 and the second 6 January 2011. The players had to take creative photos, then EA with the community announced the best and creative photo, which win a custom "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" PlayStation 3 "Limited Collector's Edition". EA announced the "Friday Gaming Sessions", which started on 17 January 2011. EA announced the "Need for Speed Autolog" iPhone app in late November 2010. The app features the Wall, Dreamshots, Autolog Recommendations, SpeedWall and a Play Later button. The app was released on iTunes on 13 December 2010.


text: In addition to the trailer shown at the official reveal during E3 2010, several other game trailers have been released, each revealing new aspects of the game. One trailer promoted the "Limited Edition" of the game, which features additional cars. Some trailers explained the game's new Autolog feature. Two trailers released in September 2010 showcased the different aspects of cops vs racer gameplay. A trailer released on 25 September 2010 promoted the limited-time demo. Three video clips were released on 29 October 2010. Entitled "Fast Needs no Friends", these videos depict two foolish valet parkers, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara, who have gained a love for fast, exotic cars, by playing "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit". Several trailers were released in November. A trailer was released for indicate Seacrest County, the game's primary locale. A trailer was released for hint that the demo was a success. Two live action trailers was also released to showcase the relationship between the cops and racers. A launch trailer was also released on 16 November 2010. A new video clip was released 15 December 2010, which featured the two foolish valet parkers Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara again. Most of the trailers are now available for free download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.


text: Four developer diaries were released to promote the game. The first was released on 14 October 2010 which features the game's Producer detailing the Autolog feature. On 28 October 2010 the second developer diary was released that features the game's Creative Director explaining the contents of the recently released demo. The third developer diary, released on 6 November 2010, details the specifics of Seacrest County's terrain and climate, as well as explaining day and night cycles. It was also released two video early in November that featured the game's Designer, he gave some tips on how to succeed in the Dark Horse and Roadsters Reborn events in the demo. If some of the fans beat his record on the Roadsters Reborn event, they had a chance to win some "NFSHP" prizes. The fourth diary, released 26 November 2010, explains why and how the game's cars were chosen.


text: "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" was well received by critics at E3 2010 and was most notably awarded with "Best Racing Game" from Game Critics Awards as well as several other media outlets. Other games in the category included "Forza Motorsport 4", "Gran Turismo 5", "Test Drive Unlimited 2" and "". IGN stated that it had "an inspired level of connectivity", while 1UP.com claimed that "the other racing games at E3 never had a chance". This was the first game in the "Need for Speed" series since to win an E3 award. "Hot Pursuit" was also nominated for "Best Xbox 360" and "Best PS3" game by IGN, and "Best Graphics" by Gaming Excellence.


text: "Hot Pursuit" was received positively upon release; review-aggregating website Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version an aggregate score of 89/100, the Xbox 360 version 88/100, and the PC version 86/100, while the Wii version was met with mixed or average reviews with an aggregate score of 50/100. In the edition of 8 November 2010 of "Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine", the first review score was given as 10/10. The reviewer said "It's consistently challenging without feeling difficult. It's immensely rewarding without ever being taxing."


text: "IGN" gave the game 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice Award, praising the game's "pure over-the-top driving entertainment. The cars and environments are gorgeous, the crashes are spectacular, and the new Autolog feature breathes new life into the time-honored tradition of video game competition among friends." Eurogamer gave the game 9 out of 10. Reviewer Tom Bramwell said "It's stuffed with content but rarely for the sake of it, and knowing Criterion it will be handsomely supported for months to come, even though it's already the best pure arcade racing game since "Burnout Paradise"." GameTrailers also scored the game 9 out of 10. The reviewer stated "Hot Pursuit" was "excellently crafted, letting you take the world's fastest cars across miles of stunning landscapes. Chases are exhilarating from either perspective, and the autolog feature completely changes how you compete with friends, keeping you hooked until you've wrecked all of their scores." Destructoid gave the game 9.5 out of 10. Reviewer Nick Chester noted that "it delivers a near-perfect competitive experience, in a way that few games - racing or otherwise - can. "Hot Pursuit" is not only a defining moment for the series, but for arcade-style racing, period." Reviewer Randy Nelson of Joystiq was the second reviewer to give the game a perfect score of 10/10. Reviewer Chris Antista of GamesRadar also gave the game 10 out of 10. Chris stated that "with so many modes and diverse rewards to uncover in "Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit", it almost feels like 2.5 games in one package." Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewer Brett Bates gave the game 9.0 out of 10, which felt much the same as GamesRadar's Chris Antista, stating "In effect, you're getting two games in one: What you do as a racer has no bearing on what you do as a cop."


text: Reviewer Tom Orry of VideoGamer gave the game 8 out of 10, and stated "the core driving is never anything but exhilarating, visually it's almost flawless and the Autolog features are genre leading. There's still something missing, though - a reason to explore the open world." GameSpot awarded the game 8.5 out of ten and said "This fast-paced racer keeps you glued to the TV and on the edge of your seat regardless of which side of the law you're playing on." Official Xbox Magazine gave the Xbox 360 version 7 out of 10, and said ""Hot Pursuit" feels a little too safe for its subject matter, limited by pedestrian road design that doesn't express all the playfulness that we'd expect in car combat." However, the UK edition of the magazine gave the game a 9 out of 10, and said "It pays respect to the classic "NFS" games, borrows the best bits from "Burnout" and is a technical masterpiece. The chase to reclaim "<nowiki>NFS'</nowiki>"s once legendary chart topping form is well and truly on."


text: PlayStation Lifestyle reviewer Thomas Williams gave the game 9 out of 10 and stated "What Criterion Games has done with "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" is develop the best entry in the series in the last 5 years of release. Once you start playing this game, there is no way you can play just one race." PlayStation Lifestyle writer Mike Hartnett declared "Hot Pursuit" better than "Gran Turismo 5", and concluded with ""Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" is just downright more fun than anything rolling out of Polyphony Digital’s garage. There is certainly no shortage of epic moments in this game. Whether you're tearing through single-player mode to rank-up as a cop or a racer, throwing down spike strips to take out your friends online, or just relieving a bit of stress by driving around in free-ride mode."


text: According to Metacritic, the "Remastered" version received "generally favorable" reviews from critics; the site gave aggregate scores of 74/100 for the Nintendo Switch version, 75/100 each for the PlayStation 4 and Windows versions, and 77/100 for the Xbox One version.


text: In the UK, "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" debuted at number three on the UK All Format Gaming Chart on its first week of release, beaten by Activision's "" and Ubisoft's "". The second week was it dropped down to number six. However, the fourth week, "Hot Pursuit" sales jumped 48 percent, which boosted the game from seventh to third. The sixth week, "Hot Pursuit" sales were down 67 percent, which slipped down one place to number fourth. The seventh week, "Hot Pursuit" was placed number ten, but the next week it jumped up to number seven.


text: In the US, "Hot Pursuit" was ranked number seven on NPD's sales charts for November 2010, outselling Sony's racing juggernaut "Gran Turismo 5", which launched about a week later. On 10 December 2010 GamesIndustry reported that "Hot Pursuit" managed to sell 417,000 units in the US in just two weeks. Cowan and Company reported that despite the positive sales figures were not enough to pick up EA's year on year sales figures. The analytical firm stated that the year on year sales figures for November were still down 25 percent for EA. Gamertell stated that ""<nowiki>Hot Pursuit'</nowiki>"s success is a big boost for a genre that has taken some hits in 2010, as well as a franchise that has been searching for its identity. After several 'reinventions', EA turned to Criterion Games, the studio famous for the "Burnout" series, to right this racer. Criterion took the series back to the high-octane formula of cops chasing racers. Unlike actual illegal street racers, "Hot Pursuit" fans seem happy to see the police." "Hot Pursuit" was placed number ten on NPD's sales charts for December 2010 with sales of 906,000 units for the month.


text: On 1 February 2011, on EA's financial result report of Q3 2010 was it mentioned that the game has sold more than 5 million units. "It's on a sharp uptick the last couple of years as we've driven high-quality titles ever higher in the charts, particularly in Europe but also in North America," John Riccitiello, EA CEO, said during the publisher's overnight Q3 earnings call. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter commented on the figures, saying that they were slightly over his expectation of 4.5 million units at this point. "Hot Pursuit" surprised him, then, but not as much as "Medal of Honor" did. Early in November, analyst Mike Hickey also said he believed EA's "Hot Pursuit" could sell 4.2 million copies during the 2010 Christmas period.


text: Following the high praise it received at its release, "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" received numerous awards from various magazines, trade shows and gaming websites. The game has won over 30 different awards, including Racing Game of the Year from major publications, more than any other racing game that year.


text: In 2010, at the E3 2010, Game Critics Awards gave "Hot Pursuit" the Best Racing Game award. "Hot Pursuit" was named the Best Driving Game at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards. "Hot Pursuit" was awarded Best Racing Game by GameSpot, 1UP, GameSpy, and Shacknews. VGChartz awarded "Hot Pursuit" the Best Racing Game on Xbox 360, while GameTrailers and Game Revolution nominated "Hot Pursuit" for Best Racing Game. "Hot Pursuit" was awarded Best Competitive Multiplayer on Xbox 360 by IGN, as well as a nomination for Most Addictive Game on Xbox 360, while GamesRadar nominated it for Multiplayer That Broke The Mold. Giant Bomb gave "Hot Pursuit" the Most Improved Franchise award, while Gamereactor awarded "Hot Pursuit" for the Year's Fastest.


text: In 2011, at the 2011 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, "Hot Pursuit" was named Racing Game of the Year, and at the 2011 BAFTA Video Games Awards, "Hot Pursuit" won the Multiplayer award. At the 2011 Golden Joystick Award, "Hot Pursuit" was a runner up for Racing Game of the Year. "Hot Pursuit" was nominated for Favorite Videogame at the 2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, and Best Game at the 2011 BAFTA Kid's Vote Award.


title: Track gauge

text: In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges exist worldwide, gauge differences often present a barrier to wider operation on railway networks.


title: Track gauge

text: The term derives from the metal bar, or gauge, that is used to ensure the distance between the rails is correct.


title: Track gauge

text: Railways also deploy two other gauges to ensure compliance with a required standard. A "loading gauge" is a two-dimensional profile that encompasses a cross-section of the track, a rail vehicle and a maximum-sized load: all rail vehicles and their loads must be contained in the corresponding envelope. A "structure gauge" specifies the outline into which structures (bridges, platforms, lineside equipment etc.) must not encroach.


title: Track gauge

text: The most common use of the term "track gauge" refers to the transverse distance between the inside surfaces of the two load-bearing rails of a railway track, usually measured at to below the top of the rail head in order to clear worn corners and allow for rail heads having sloping sides. The term derives from the "gauge", a metal bar with a precisely positioned lug at each end that track crews use to ensure the actual distance between the rails lies within tolerances of a prescribed standard: on curves, for example, the spacing is wider than normal. Deriving from the name of the bar, the distance between these rails is also referred to as the track gauge.


title: Track gauge

text: The earliest form of railway was a wooden wagonway, along which single wagons were manhandled, almost always in or from a mine or quarry. Initially the wagons were guided by human muscle power; subsequently by various mechanical methods. Timber rails wore rapidly: later, flat cast-iron plates were provided to limit the wear. In some localities, the plates were made L-shaped, with the vertical part of the L guiding the wheels; this is generally referred to as a "plateway". Flanged wheels eventually became universal, and the spacing between the rails had to be compatible with that of the wagon wheels.


title: Track gauge

text: As the guidance of the wagons was improved, short strings of wagons could be connected and pulled by teams of horses, and the track could be extended from the immediate vicinity of the mine or quarry, typically to a navigable waterway. The wagons were built to a consistent pattern and the track would be made to suit the needs of the horses and wagons: the gauge was more critical. The Penydarren Tramroad of 1802 in South Wales, a plateway, spaced these at over the outside of the upstands.


title: Track gauge

text: The Penydarren Tramroad probably carried the first journey by a locomotive, in 1804, and it was successful for the locomotive, but unsuccessful for the track: the plates were not strong enough to carry its weight. A considerable progressive step was made when cast iron edge rails were first employed; these had the major axis of the rail section configured vertically, giving a much stronger section to resist bending forces, and this was further improved when fish-belly rails were introduced.


title: Track gauge

text: Edge rails required a close match between rail spacing and the configuration of the wheelsets, and the importance of the gauge was reinforced. Railways were still seen as local concerns: there was no appreciation of a future connection to other lines, and selection of the track gauge was still a pragmatic decision based on local requirements and prejudices, and probably determined by existing local designs of (road) vehicles.


title: Track gauge

text: Thus, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway (1826) in the West of Scotland used ; the Dundee and Newtyle Railway (1831) in the north-east of Scotland adopted ; the Redruth and Chasewater Railway (1825) in Cornwall chose .


title: Track gauge

text: The Arbroath and Forfar Railway opened in 1838 with a gauge of , and the Ulster Railway of 1839 used .


title: Track gauge

text: Locomotives were being developed in the first decades of the 19th century; they took various forms, but George Stephenson developed a successful locomotive on the Killingworth Wagonway, where he worked. His designs were so successful that they became the standard, and when the Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened in 1825, it used his locomotives, with the same gauge as the Killingworth line, .


title: Track gauge

text: The Stockton and Darlington line was immensely successful, and when the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first intercity line, was built (it opened in 1830), it used the same gauge. It was also hugely successful, and the gauge (now eased to ), became the automatic choice: "standard gauge".


title: Track gauge

text: The Liverpool and Manchester was quickly followed by other trunk railways, with the Grand Junction Railway and the London and Birmingham Railway forming a huge critical mass of standard gauge. When Bristol promoters planned a line from London, they employed the innovative engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He decided on a wider gauge, to give greater stability, and the Great Western Railway adopted a gauge of , later eased to . This became known as "broad gauge". The Great Western Railway (GWR) was successful and was greatly expanded, directly and through friendly associated companies, widening the scope of broad gauge.


title: Track gauge

text: At the same time, other parts of Britain built railways to standard gauge, and British technology was exported to European countries and parts of North America, also using standard gauge. Britain polarised into two areas: those that used broad gauge and those that used standard gauge. In this context, standard gauge was referred to as "narrow gauge" to indicate the contrast. Some smaller concerns selected other non-standard gauges: the Eastern Counties Railway adopted . Most of them converted to standard gauge at an early date, but the GWR's broad gauge continued to grow.


title: Track gauge

text: The larger railway companies wished to expand geographically, and large areas were considered to be under their control. When a new independent line was proposed to open up an unconnected area, the gauge was crucial in determining the allegiance that the line would adopt: if it was broad gauge, it must be friendly to the Great Western railway; if narrow (standard) gauge, it must favour the other companies. The battle to persuade or coerce that choice became very intense, and became referred to as "the gauge wars".


title: Track gauge

text: As passenger and freight transport between the two areas became increasingly important, the difficulty of moving from one gauge to the other—the "break of gauge"—became more prominent and more objectionable. In 1845 a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges was created to look into the growing problem, and this led to the Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846, which forbade the construction of broad gauge lines unconnected with the broad gauge network. The broad gauge network was eventually converted—a progressive process completed in 1892, called gauge conversion. The same Act mandated the gauge of for use in Ireland.


title: Track gauge

text: As railways were built in other countries, the gauge selection was pragmatic: the track would have to fit the rolling stock. If locomotives were imported from elsewhere, especially in the early days, the track would be built to fit them. In some cases standard gauge was adopted, but many countries or companies chose a different gauge as their national gauge, either by governmental policy, or as a matter of individual choice.


title: Track gauge

text: "Standard gauge" is generally known world-wide as being . Terms such as "broad gauge" and "narrow gauge" do not have any fixed meaning beyond being materially wider or narrower than standard.


title: Track gauge

text: In British practice, the space between the rails of a track is colloquially referred to as the "four-foot", and the space between two tracks the "six-foot", descriptions relating to the respective dimensions.


title: Track gauge

text: In modern usage the term "standard gauge" refers to . Standard gauge is dominant in a majority of countries, including those in North America, most of western Europe, North Africa and the Middle east, and in China.


title: Track gauge

text: Broad gauge is the dominant gauge in countries in Indian subcontinent, the former Soviet Union (CIS states, Baltic states, Georgia and Ukraine), Mongolia and Finland, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile and Ireland. It is also use for the suburban railway systems in South Australia, and Victoria, Australia.


title: Track gauge

text: The term "medium gauge" had different meanings throughout history, depending on the local dominant gauge in use.


title: Track gauge

text: In 1840s, the Irish gauge was considered a medium gauge compared to Brunel's broad gauge and the narrow gauge, nowadays being standard gauge.


title: Track gauge

text: In modern usage, the term "narrow gauge" generally refers to track spaced significantly narrower than .


title: Track gauge

text: Narrow gauge is the dominant or second dominant gauge in countries of Southern, Central Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Central America and South America,


title: Track gauge

text: During the period known as "the Battle of the gauges", Stephenson's standard gauge was commonly known as "narrow gauge", while Brunel's railway's gauge was termed "broad gauge". Many narrow gauge railways were built in mountainous regions such as Wales, the Rocky Mountains of North America, Central Europe and South America. Industrial railways and mine railways across the world are often narrow gauge. Sugar cane and banana plantations are mostly served by narrow gauges.


title: Track gauge

text: Very narrow gauges of under were used for some industrial railways in space-restricted environments such as mines or farms. The French company Decauville developed and tracks, mainly for mines; Heywood developed gauge for estate railways. The most common minimum-gauges were , , , , or .


title: Track gauge

text: Through operation between railway networks with different gauges was originally impossible; goods had to be transshipped and passengers had to change trains. This was obviously a major obstacle to convenient transport, and in Great Britain, led to political intervention.


title: Track gauge

text: On narrow gauge lines, Rollbocks or transporter wagons are used: standard gauge wagons are carried on narrow gauge lines on these special vehicles, generally with rails of the wider gauge to enable those vehicles to roll on and off at transfer points.


title: Track gauge

text: On the Transmongolian Railway, Russia and Mongolia use while China uses the standard gauge of 1,435 mm. At the border, each carriage is lifted and its bogies are changed. The operation can take several hours for a whole train of many carriages.


title: Track gauge

text: Other examples include crossings into or out of the former Soviet Union: Ukraine/Slovakia border on the Bratislava–L'viv train, and the Romania/Moldova border on the Chișinău-Bucharest train.


title: Track gauge

text: A system developed by Talgo and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain uses variable gauge wheelsets; at the border between France and Spain, through passenger trains are drawn slowly through apparatus that alters the gauge of the wheels, which slide laterally on the axles.


title: Track gauge

text: A similar system is used between China and Central Asia, and between Poland and Ukraine, using the SUW 2000 and INTERGAUGE variable axle systems. China and Poland use standard gauge, while Central Asia and Ukraine use .


title: Track gauge

text: When individual railway companies have chosen different gauges and have needed to share a route where space on the ground is limited, mixed gauge (or dual gauge) track, in which three (sometimes four) rails are supported in the same track structure, can be necessary. The most frequent need for such track was at the approaches to city terminals or at break-of-gauge stations.


title: Track gauge

text: Tracks of multiple gauges involve considerable costs in construction (including signalling work) and complexities in track maintenance, and may require some speed restrictions. They are therefore built only when absolutely necessary. If the difference between the two gauges is large enough – for example between and – three-rail dual-gauge is possible, but if not – for example between and – four rails must be used. Dual-gauge rail lines occur (or have occurred) in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, North Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia and Vietnam.


title: Track gauge

text: On the GWR, there was an extended period between political intervention in 1846 that prevented major expansion of its broad gauge and the final gauge conversion to standard gauge in 1892. During this period, many locations practicality required mixed gauge operation, and in station areas the track configuration was extremely complex. This was compounded by the common rail having to be at the platform side in stations; therefore, in many cases, standard-gauge trains needed to be switched from one side of the track to the other at the approach. A special fixed point arrangement was devised for the purpose, where the track layout was simple enough.


title: Track gauge

text: In some cases, mixed gauge trains were operated with wagons of both gauges. For example, MacDermot wrote:


title: Track gauge

text: In November 1871 a novelty in the shape of a "mixed-gauge" goods train was introduced between Truro and Penzance. It was worked by a narrow-gauge engine, and behind the narrow-gauge trucks came a broad-gauge match-truck with wide buffers and sliding shackles, followed by the broad-gauge trucks. Such trains continued to run in West Cornwall until the abolition of the Broad Gauge; they had to stop or come down to walking pace at all stations where fixed points existed and the narrow portion side-stepped to right or left.


title: Track gauge

text: The nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a certain distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head (the "gauge faces") are not necessarily vertical. Some amount of tolerance is necessarily allowed from the nominal gauge to allow for wear, etc.; this tolerance is typically greater for track limited to slower speeds, and tighter for track where higher speeds are expected (as an example, in the US the gauge is allowed to vary between to for track limited to , while track is allowed only to . Given the allowed tolerance, it is a common practice to widen the gauge slightly in curves, particularly those of shorter radius (which are inherently slower speed curves).


title: Track gauge

text: Rolling stock on the network must have running gear (wheelsets) that are compatible with the gauge, and therefore the gauge is a key parameter in determining interoperability, but there are many others – see below. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the railway company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only, and independent hauliers provided wagons suited to the gauge. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as "four-foot gauge wagons", say, if the track had a gauge of four feet. This nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for.


title: Track gauge

text: An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a slight variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons.


title: Track gauge

text: Imperial units were established in the United Kingdom by "The Weights and Measures Act of 1824". The United States customary units for length did not agree with the Imperial system until 1959, when one international yard was defined as 0.9144 meters and, as derived units, 1 foot (= yd) as 0.3048 meter and 1 inch (= yd) as 25.4 mm.


title: Track gauge

text: A temporary way is the temporary track often used for construction, to be replaced by the permanent way (the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers/ties and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade) when construction nears completion. In many cases narrow-gauge track is used for a temporary way because of the convenience in laying it and changing its location over unimproved ground.


title: Track gauge

text: In restricted spaces such as tunnels, the temporary way might be double track even though the tunnel will ultimately be single track. The Airport Rail Link in Sydney had construction trains of gauge, which were replaced by permanent tracks of gauge.


title: Track gauge

text: During World War I trench warfare led to a relatively static disposition of infantry, requiring considerable logistics to bring them support staff and supplies (food, ammunition, earthworks materials, etc.). Dense light railway networks using temporary narrow gauge track sections were established by both sides for this purpose.


title: Track gauge

text: In 1939 it was proposed to construct the western section of the Yunnan–Burma Railway using a gauge of , since such tiny or "toy" gauge facilitates the tightest of curves in difficult terrain.


title: Track gauge

text: Infrastructure owners specify permitted variances from the nominal gauge, and the required interventions when non-compliant gauge is detected. For example, the Federal Railroad Administration in the USA specifies that the actual gauge of a 1,435 mm track that is rated for a maximum of must be between and .


title: Track gauge

text: Speed, capacity, and economy are generally objectives of rail transport, but there is often an inverse relationship between these priorities. There is a common misconception that a narrower gauge permits a tighter turning radius, but for practical purposes, there is no meaningful relationship between gauge and curvature.


title: Track gauge

text: Narrower gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are usually lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives (smaller loading gauge), as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels (smaller structure gauge). Narrow gauge is thus often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in civil engineering work can be substantial. It is also used in sparsely populated areas, with low potential demand, and for temporary railways that will be removed after short-term use, such as for construction, the logging industry, the mining industry, or large-scale construction projects, especially in confined spaces (see Temporary way – permanent way). For temporary railways which will be removed after short-term use, such as those used in logging, mining or large-scale construction projects (especially in confined spaces, such as when constructing the Channel Tunnel), a narrow-gauge railway is substantially cheaper and easier to install and remove. Such railways have almost vanished, however, due to the capabilities of modern trucks. In many countries, narrow-gauge railways were built as branch lines to feed traffic to standard-gauge lines due to lower construction costs. The choice was often not between a narrow- and standard-gauge railway, but between a narrow-gauge railway and none at all.


title: Track gauge

text: Broader gauge railways are generally more expensive to build, because they are usually heavier in construction, use larger cars and locomotives (larger loading gauge), as well as larger bridges, larger tunnels (larger structure gauge). But broader gauges offer higher speed and capacity. For routes with high traffic, greater capacity may more than offset the higher initial cost of construction.


title: Track gauge

text: The value or utility a user derives from a good or service depends on the number of users of compatible products – the "network effect" in economics. Network effects are typically positive, resulting in a given user deriving more value from a product as other users join the same network. At national levels, the network effect has resulted in commerce extending beyond regional and national boundaries. Increasingly, many governments and companies have made their railways' engineering and operational standards compatible in order to achieve interchangeability – hence faster, longer-distance train operation. A major barrier to achieving interchangeability, however, is path dependence – in this context the persistence of an already adopted standard to which equipment, infrastructure and training has become aligned. Since adopting a new standard is difficult and expensive, continuing with an existing standard can remain attractive unless longer-term benefits are given appropriate weight. An example of the consequences of path dependence is the persistence in the United Kingdom – the earliest nation to develop and adopt railway technologies – of structure gauges that are too small to allow the larger rolling stock of continental Europe to operate in that country. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard has resulted in the historical multitude of track gauges dwindling to a small number that predominate worldwide.


title: Track gauge

text: When interchangeability has not been achieved, freight and passengers must be transferred through time-consuming procedures requiring manual labour and substantial capital expenditure. Some bulk commodities, such as coal, ore, and gravel, can be mechanically transshipped, but even this is time-consuming, and the equipment required for the transfer is often complex to maintain. Further, if rail lines of different gauges coexist in a network and a break of gauge exists, it is difficult in times of peak demand to move rolling stock to where it is needed. Sufficient rolling stock must be available to meet a narrow-gauge railway's peak demand (which might be greater in comparison to a broader-gauge network), and the surplus equipment generates no cash flow during periods of low demand. In regions where narrow-gauge lines form a small part of the rail network (as was the case on Russia's Sakhalin Railway), extra cost is involved in designing, manufacturing or importing narrow-gauge equipment.


title: Track gauge

text: Solutions to interchangeability problems include bogie exchanges, a rollbock system, dual gauge, variable gauge, or gauge conversion.


title: Track gauge

text: More than half of the world's railways are built to . New railways have been built in Africa to standard gauge. Most of the narrow-gauge railways in India are being converted to the dominant, broad-gauge.


title: Track gauge

text: Further convergence of rail gauge use seems likely, as countries seek to build inter-operable networks, and international organisations seek to build macro-regional and continental networks. Almost all new high-speed rail lines are built to standard gauge, except in Uzbekistan and Russia.


title: Track gauge

text: The European Union has set out to develop inter-operable freight and passenger rail networks across its area, and is seeking to standardise gauge, signalling and electrical power systems.


title: Track gauge

text: EU funds have been dedicated to assist Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the building of some key railway lines (Rail Baltica) of standard gauge, and to assist Spain and Portugal in the construction of high-speed lines to connect Iberian cities to one another and to the French high-speed lines. The EU has developed plans for improved freight rail links between Spain, Portugal, and the rest of Europe.


title: Track gauge

text: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) is planning a Trans-Asian Railway that will link Europe and the Pacific, with a Northern Corridor from Europe to the Korean Peninsula, a Southern Corridor from Europe to Southeast Asia, and a North–South corridor from Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf. All these would encounter breaks of gauge as they cross Asia. Current plans have mechanized facilities at the breaks of gauge to move containers from train to train rather than widespread gauge conversion. The Northern Corridor through Russia already operates since before year 2000, with increasing volumes China–Europe.


title: Track gauge

text: The East African Railway Master Plan is a proposal for rebuilding and expanding railway lines connecting Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan and beyond. The plan is managed by infrastructure ministers from participating East African Community countries in association with transport consultation firm CPCS Transcom. Older railways are of or gauge. Newly rebuilt lines will use standard gauge. Regular freight and passenger services began on the standard gauge Mombasa–Nairobi railway in 2017 and on the standard gauge Addis Ababa–Djibouti railway in 2018.


title: Track gauge

text: Lines for iron ore to Kribi in Cameroon are likely to be with a likely connection to the same port from the Cameroon system.


title: Track gauge

text: Nigeria's railways are mostly Cape gauge. The Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway is a gauge conversion project by the Nigerian Government to create a north–south standard gauge rail link. The first converted segment, between Abuja and Kaduna, was completed in July 2016.


title: Track gauge

text: The African Union has a 50-year plan to connect the capital cities and major centres by high-speed railways.


title: The English (TV series)

text: The English is a revisionist western television miniseries produced by the BBC and Amazon Prime, written and directed by Hugo Blick. It stars Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. It premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Two and iPlayer on 10 November 2022, and in the United States on Amazon Prime Video on 11 November 2022.


title: The English (TV series)

text: An Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke, comes to the West in 1890 looking for revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son, and meets Eli Whipp, ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, on his way to Nebraska to claim the land he is owed for his service in the US army, despite having been told that the white men will not honour their debt. They discover a possible shared history.


title: The English (TV series)

text: In February 2020, Emily Blunt joined the cast of the series, with Hugo Blick writing and directing, and Amazon Studios and BBC Studios set to co-produce. In May 2021, Chaske Spencer, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, Valerie Pachner, Ciarán Hinds, Malcolm Storry, Steve Wall, Nichola McAuliffe, Sule Rimi and Cristian Solimeno joined the cast.


title: The English (TV series)

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 82% approval rating and an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 56 reviews. The website's consensus reads: "A visual knockout elevated by Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer's performances, "The English" is a heady and somewhat meandering Western made with admirable craft." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The Guardian gave it five out of five, stating: "although you might lose track of the details, the plot never becomes impenetrable or the performances less than compelling" citing Spencer and Blunt's performances as “a revelation”.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: Paul Raymond Burke (July 21, 1926 – September 13, 2009) was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, "Naked City" and "12 O'Clock High". He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of New York Police Department detective Adam Flint in "Naked City".


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: Burke was born in New Orleans, the son of Santa Maria (née Palermo) and Martin Joseph "Marty" Burke, a boxer who fought Gene Tunney and later owned a restaurant and nightclub known as Marty Burke's in the New Orleans French Quarter.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: After training at the Pasadena Playhouse, Burke's film career began with a small role in the movie "Golden Girl." Early in his career, Burke guest-starred in the syndicated series "Highway Patrol" and "Men of Annapolis." In 1956–57, Burke was cast as Dr. Noah McCann in "Noah's Ark," a weekly program produced by Jack Webb which aired on NBC, the story of a pair of dedicated veterinarians. Victor Rodman played the older colleague, Dr. Sam Rinehart.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: In the 1957–58 season, Burke appeared as Jeff Kittridge in five episodes of Barry Sullivan's adventure/drama series, "Harbormaster." Burke also guest-starred on episodes of "The Lone Ranger," "Tightrope," "Dragnet," "Adventures of Superman," "The Man and the Challenge," and "M Squad." In the 1959–60 season, he appeared as Robertson in the NBC espionage series "Five Fingers," starring with David Hedison.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: After "Five Fingers" Burke was cast in the lead role of the police show "Naked City," in which he appeared as Adam Flint from 1960 to 1963. Burke then appeared in the starring role of Captain (later Maj., then Col.) Joe Gallagher on "12 O'Clock High" between 1964 and 1967, during which time he met his wife, Lyn. The "12 O'Clock High" role was Burke's last lead television role.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: In 1967, Burke starred in the film "Valley of the Dolls" as Lyon Burke, the young lawyer who befriended all three female stars and had a tempestuous relationship with Anne Welles. He also played a police officer who pursued a bank thief played by Steve McQueen in "The Thomas Crown Affair".


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: During the 1970s he appeared in three episodes each of ABC's "The Love Boat" and CBS's "Medical Center." In 1984, he appeared as C.C. Capwell in 21 episodes of the NBC soap opera "Santa Barbara." He appeared in supporting roles in a number of television series, including recurring roles in "Dynasty" from 1982 to 1988 and in Tom Selleck's "Magnum, P.I.," from 1981 to 1985 as Rear Admiral Hawkes. Burke also served as a television commercial spokesman for the electronics retailer RadioShack.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: In 1989 Burke and Harry Connick Sr., New Orleans district attorney, were indicted on racketeering charges for aiding and abetting a gambling operation by returning gambling records to an arrested gambler. They were both acquitted of the charges.


title: Paul Burke (actor)

text: Burke was the grandfather of actress Alia Shawkat, whose mother is Burke's daughter, Dina. He retired from acting in the early 1990s. Suffering from leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he died at his home in Palm Springs, California, aged 83. His second wife, Lyn Peters, died in Palm Springs on September 10, 2013, at the age of 72.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: Mouse Hunt is a 1997 American slapstick black comedy film written by Adam Rifkin and directed by Gore Verbinski in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, and Christopher Walken. The film follows two Laurel and Hardy-like brothers in their struggle against one small but crafty house mouse for possession of a mansion which was willed to them by their father. While the film is set in the late 20th century, styles range humorously from the 1940s to the 1990s. It was the first family film to be released by DreamWorks Pictures, who released it in the United States on December 19, 1997 to mixed reviews but was a commercial success.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: This was one of William Hickey's final roles before he died, and the film was dedicated in memory of him.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: When the once-wealthy string magnate Rudolf Smuntz dies, he leaves his factory and an abandoned Victorian mansion to his two sons: the dutiful and optimistic Lars, and venal cynic Ernie, who has ignored the family business to become a chef; he walks out of the reading of their father's will, taking a box of cigars. At Ernie's restaurant, a cockroach crawls out of the box of cigars and into a dish prepared for the mayor, causing him to have a heart attack when he accidentally bites into it and is taken away in an ambulance. Shortly after the mayor dies, Ernie's restaurant, Chez Ernie, is condemned and scheduled for demolition, costing Ernie his career and home in the process. Meanwhile, a cord company called Zeppco International offers Lars a buyout for the string factory, but then remembers that he promised his father never to sell it and refuses. Lars's wife, April, is furious and kicks him out. With nowhere else to go, the brothers spend the night in the mansion.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: The brothers cannot sleep due to noises caused by a mouse, and while investigating find blueprints of the property. The blueprints reveal that the mansion was the final design of a famous architect, Charles Lyle LaRue, and it would be worth a fortune if restored. The brothers decide to renovate and auction the mansion to recover their lives. Ernie, fearing a repeat of the cockroach incident, convinces Lars they must also get rid of the mouse. Conventional methods fail when the mouse demonstrates itself to be exceptionally intelligent. The brothers resort to extreme measures to remove the mouse, including buying a monstrous Maine Coon cat named "Catzilla" and hiring an eccentric exterminator named Caesar; the mouse drops Catzilla to his death in a dumbwaiter, and traumatizes Caesar by dragging him through the mansion using his truck's winch line.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: Ernie had borrowed against the mansion's mortgage to pay for an unnecessary addition as part of the renovation. As the bank informs them that they will be evicted in two days unless they pay, they know that with their limited funds, the brothers cannot pay their workers, causing them to go on strike. Ernie finds Zeppco's business card and arranges a meeting to secretly accept their buyout offer. After Lars accidentally loses his clothes to several machines while trying to run the factory alone, he is met by April, who has learned of the mansion's value and takes Lars back, giving him the funds they need. Ernie then misses his meeting with Zeppco's representatives when he attempts to impress some women and is hit by a bus. The brothers return to the mansion only to witness a now-insane Caesar being taken away by paramedics.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: Realizing the mouse's intelligence, the brothers become more desperate to kill him. Ernie chases the mouse with a shotgun and accidentally shoots a bug bomb Caesar had dropped, blowing a massive hole in the floor and sending him and Lars tumbling. As the brothers recover from the blast, Zeppco calls and leaves a message, saying they have taken back their proposal since Lars declined their offer and Ernie never showed up for the meeting. Angry at each other for the deceptions, the brothers get into a heated argument. Lars throws an orange at Ernie, which misses Ernie but hits the mouse, who is stunned but still alive. The brothers cannot bring themselves to kill the mouse and mail him in a box addressed to Fidel Castro. The brothers reconcile and finish their renovations. The night of the auction, Lars discovers the postal box returned due to insufficient postage and a hole chewed in it, while Ernie sees the mouse on his podium as he gives a speech. As the auction begins, the brothers attempt to flush the mouse out with a garden hose, filling an inner wall of the mansion with water until it bursts, washing the bidders out and causing the estate to collapse. As April leaves with a wealthy bidder and the other bidders, the brothers are left with nothing, but take solace in that the collapse indeed killed the mouse.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: The brothers spend the night in the factory, unaware that the mouse has survived, and followed them. Seeing their sorry state, the mouse takes pity on them and activates the factory's machinery, dropping a block of cheese into the wax boiler to produce a ball of string cheese. Inspired, the brothers end their battle with the mouse and renovate the factory to produce string cheese and other cheese-based products. Lars (now having formed a relationship with a Belgian model named Hilde) runs the factory with Ernie as his chef and the mouse as their taste-tester for new cheese combinations. The film ends with a shot of Rudolf's lucky string (the last thing he gave the brothers before he passed) framed and with a plaque underneath it saying his motto: "A world without string is chaos."


title: Mouse Hunt

text: "Mouse Hunt" was released in North America on December 19, 1997, then in the United Kingdom on April 3, 1998.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: "Mouse Hunt" was originally released on VHS on May 5, 1998 and DVD on December 8, 1998, by DreamWorks Home Entertainment. It was released on Blu-ray on February 2, 2021, by Paramount Home Entertainment.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: "Mouse Hunt" received mixed reviews from film critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 42% of 32 critics had given the film a positive review. The critic consensus reads: ""Mouse Hunt" gets trapped under the weight of its excessive slapstick antics." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, calling it "not very funny, and maybe couldn't have been very funny no matter what, because the pieces for comedy are not in place... A comedy that hasn't assigned sympathy to some characters and made others hateful cannot expect to get many laughs, because the audience doesn't know who to laugh at, or with." Though partner Gene Siskel liked the film.


title: Mouse Hunt

text: Regarding the digital special effects, Ebert deemed the film "an excellent example of the way modern advances in special effects can sabotage a picture ("Titanic" is an example of effects being used wisely). Because it is possible to make a movie in which the mouse can do all sorts of clever things, the filmmakers have assumed incorrectly that it would be funny to see the mouse doing them."


title: Mouse Hunt

text: Nonetheless, the film was a financial success, partially due to releasing during the Christmas and New Years period. It was released on December 19, 1997, opening in North America at #4 and grossing $6,062,922 in its opening weekend, averaging $2,817 from 2,152 theaters. In its second weekend, it stayed at #4 and increased by 60 percent, making $9,702,770, averaging $4,428 from 2,191 theaters, and bringing its 10-day gross to $21,505,569. In its third weekend, it once again stayed at #4 and dropped by only 13 percent, making $8,418,001, averaging $3,804 from 2,213 theaters, and bringing its 17-day gross to $40,021,527. It closed on July 1, 1998, with a final gross of $61,917,389 in the North American market and $60,500,000 in other territories for a worldwide total of $122,417,389. Its budget was $38 million. The film was released in the United Kingdom on April 3, 1998, and opened at #2, behind "Titanic".


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Bonnie Gail Franklin (January 6, 1944 – March 1, 2013) was an American actress, known for her leading role as Ann Romano in the television series "One Day at a Time" (1975–1984). She was nominated for Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Franklin was born January 6, 1944, in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Claire (née Hersch) and Samuel Benjamin Franklin, an investment banker who founded the Beverly Hills chapter of B'nai B'rith. Her parents were both Jewish immigrants, her father from Russia and her mother from Romania; they married in Montreal before moving to the United States.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Her family moved to Beverly Hills when she was 13 years old, and she graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1961. She attended Smith College, performing in an Amherst College production of "Good News" as a freshman. She moved back to California to attend UCLA, and earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1966.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Franklin first appeared on television at age 9 in "The Colgate Comedy Hour". At age 11, she appeared in a non-credited role in the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Wrong Man" (1956). She and Tuesday Weld are the two giggling girls in the doorway of an apartment.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: In the 1960s, she portrayed a teenage feature character in "You're the Judge," a short educational film about baking sponsored by Procter & Gamble and featuring the use of Crisco. She debuted on Broadway in 1970 in the musical "Applause", earning a Tony Award nomination. Her recording of "Applause", the show's title track, was the most successful Broadway song of the season, vocally upstaging the star of the show, Lauren Bacall. Although she was on stage for only a fraction of the running time of that show, Franklin attracted a lot of attention. In its July 1970 edition, for example, "Vogue" published a photo spread in which the magazine predicted big careers for three young women: Melba Moore, Sandy Duncan, and Franklin.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Franklin appeared at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey in both "George M!" and "A Thousand Clowns". From June 22 through September 2, 1973, she appeared as Carrie Pipperidge in a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at the Jones Beach Theater on Long Island in New York in a cast that included John Cullum and Barbara Meister.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: She guest-starred on several television series, including "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." ("The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" from 1965) and "Hazel" ("Hazel Sits It Out" from 1965). She had a semi-regular role in the ABC series "Gidget". She directed several episodes of the 1980s sitcom "Charles in Charge" and the syndicated comedy series "The Munsters Today".


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Franklin was best known for her portrayal of divorced mother Ann Romano on the television situation comedy "One Day at a Time" (1975–1984). In April 2011, Franklin and other cast members from "One Day at a Time" accepted the "Innovators Award" from the TV Land cable channel—one of several awards in the annual event. The citation on the TV Land web site reads:


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: In 1988, Franklin appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse and at the Pocono Playhouse, both in Pennsylvania, in the title role of "Annie Get Your Gun". Also in 1988, she appeared with Tony Musante at the Westside Arts Theatre (in Manhattan) in "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" by Terrence McNally. She later performed in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at the Pittsburgh Public Theater (July 1998). In 1997, she appeared at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C., in "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" (September 1999). In 2005, she appeared with Bruce Weitz at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas in "2 Across" (August–September 2011). She played "Ouiser" in a production of "Steel Magnolias" at the Rubicon Theater, Ventura, California (October 4–14, 2011).


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: In the mid and late 2000s, Franklin appeared in nearly a dozen staged readings in the Greater Los Angeles area with Classic and Contemporary American Playwrights (CCAP), which she founded in 2001 with her sister Judy. During the 2006–2007 season, she appeared in the drama "Toys in the Attic", written by Lillian Hellman. She appeared in Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound" at the Pico Playhouse in January 2008.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: In 2005, she was reunited with her "One Day at a Time" co-stars Mackenzie Phillips, Valerie Bertinelli and Pat Harrington for the 60-minute CBS TV special retrospective "The One Day at a Time Reunion". In 2011, she was reunited once again with Bertinelli on "Hot in Cleveland", playing the mother of Bertinelli's character's boyfriend.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: On April 28, 2012, she was among several stars who appeared at the 28th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (STAGE) benefit, titled "Original Cast 3", at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. The event raised more than $200,000 for APLA's work with clients living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Franklin and other original-cast members from a variety of musicals performed songs with which they are associated. Franklin sang the title song from "Applause", which she had originally introduced on Broadway in 1970.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Franklin appeared in several episodes of the daytime drama "The Young and the Restless". The episodes were broadcast in August 2012, and only a month later she was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. The actress was cast as a nun, Sister Celeste, who came to the assistance of Victor Newman when he had amnesia while working at a shipping port in Los Angeles. In addition to her work in the theater and on television, Franklin performed in cabaret at various venues, including Le Mouches, Grand Finale, The Eighty-Eights, Triad, and The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel—all in New York City—and at Odette's in New Hope, Pennsylvania.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: She was scheduled to appear in Joan Didion's one-woman play "The Year of Magical Thinking" at the Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara in April 2013, but withdrew because of illness.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: Franklin was married twice, first to playwright Ronald Sossi from 1967 to 1970, and then to film producer Marvin Minoff for 29 years, from 1980 until his death on November 11, 2009. Minoff had been the executive producer of a television movie, "Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger", which starred Franklin as Margaret Sanger, before the couple married in 1980. She had two stepchildren, Jed and Julie Minoff.


title: Bonnie Franklin

text: On September 24, 2012, a family spokesman announced that Franklin had pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. Franklin died at age 69, on March 1, 2013, at her home in the Los Angeles Area. Franklin is buried next to Minoff at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.


title: Miranda Raison

text: Miranda Raison was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, on 18 November 1977. Her mother is former Anglia News reader Caroline Raison ("née" Harvey). Her father, Nick Raison, is a jazz pianist who accompanied the BBC National Orchestra of Wales when Raison played a showgirl in the "Doctor Who" episodes "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks".


title: Miranda Raison

text: Raison's parents divorced when she was five years old. From a young age she attended five boarding schools, including Gresham's School, Felixstowe College and Stowe School; her education was paid for by her grandfather.


title: Miranda Raison

text: It was at Felixstowe College where she developed an interest in acting; she moved there after experiencing bullying at her previous school. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.


title: Miranda Raison

text: From 27 February to 7 April 2001, she performed in the role of Davina in the farce "Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!" (originally titled "Whitehall Farce") at The Mill, Sonning.


title: Miranda Raison

text: From 2002–3, she appeared as Ben-Hur's love interest in a minimalist production of the eponymous play at the Battersea Arts Centre. Later in 2003, she was featured in "Pains of Youth", again at the Battersea Arts Centre, playing the death obsessed bisexual Desiree; Lyn Gardner of "The Guardian" described her performance as making "Desiree's death wish seem tragic rather than merely silly."


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2010 she played the title role in "Anne Boleyn", a new play by Howard Brenton, who had also been involved in scripts for BBC's "Spooks" in which Raison went on to appear in 5 series, which premiered at Shakespeare's Globe on 24 July 2010 to high critical acclaim. In the same Shakespeare's Globe season Raison also played Anne Boleyn in "Henry VIII" by William Shakespeare.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2011, she appeared as Ann in the short play "Oliver Lewis" by Jack Thorne, part of the series of plays "66 Books" performed at the Bush Theatre.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In June/July 2012 she appeared in a production of "The Physicists: A Comedy in Two Acts" at the Donmar Warehouse, playing the roles of Lina Rose, the lead character's ex-wife, and Monika Settler, the lead's attending nurse. From October 2012 Raison starred in "The River," a new play by Jez Butterworth, at the Royal Court Theatre (Jerwood) alongside Dominic West. Tickets became "the most sought-after theatre tickets in London" after rave reviews.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2013–14 she played Anne Faulkner in the theatrical version of "Strangers on a Train" at the Gielgud Theatre, produced by Barbara Broccoli.


title: Miranda Raison

text: From January to February 2015, she starred opposite Shaun Evans in "Hello/Goodbye" at the Hampstead Theatre. In August 2015 she joined the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company in "The Winter's Tale" and "Harlequinade" which ran at the Garrick Theatre from October 2015 until January 2016. Raison played the wife of Kenneth Branagh's character in both plays. She stated that she enjoyed the experience and was grateful for the opportunity, given that previously she had a bad audition with Branagh for "Macbeth" in 2011. She also enjoyed learning from Judi Dench.


title: Miranda Raison

text: Raison's first film role in 2000 was playing Marianne Faithfull in "Suzy Q" alongside Carice Van Houten


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2004, Raison was cast as 'Heather' in "Match Point", the first Woody Allen film to be made in London.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2005, she appeared in "", which she said "may as well have been the most brutal Lars von Trier film. Another actress and I actually spent a whole night just crying." She called the experience "regrettable from start to finish" and a "hideous, hideous moment and a great lapse of judgement on my part".


title: Miranda Raison

text: Raison's breakthrough role was as Jo Portman (2005–2009) in the BBC One television drama series "Spooks" (also broadcast under the title "MI-5"). She requested that the production company let her go in 2009 as she felt that her character could not develop further and wanted to follow up on theatre opportunities.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In April 2007 she appeared in the "Doctor Who" episodes "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks" as Tallulah, a show girl whose opening scene involved singing to a musical number, for which Raison's father played the piano background as part of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2009, she was featured in the show "Plus One". She was originally featured in the Comedy Showcase pilot in 2007, where she wore a fat suit.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2010 after leaving "Spooks", she played a model called Abbey in the ITV1 comedy-drama "Married Single Other".


title: Miranda Raison

text: She had a small role in "My Week with Marilyn". She expressed pleasure in being able to work with great British talent and her fascination with Marilyn Monroe.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2013 she played 'Harriet Hammond' in the third series of the BBC legal drama "Silk;" her character was a practice manager who shook up the firm and a potential love interest for her former "Spooks" co-star Rupert Penry-Jones' character.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2014, she had a small role in "I Am Soldier", playing "Stella", the lead interrogator in the "Tactical Questioning" portion of the lead character's training.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In July 2014 she was announced as a new cast member of "Spotless", a (10 × 1 hour episode) drama produced by "Canal+".


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2018, Raison reprised her role as ‘Sylvie’ in 6 episodes of "Dark Heart", played xenobiologist ‘Tessia’ in 6 episodes of "Nightflyers" and appeared in "Artemis Fowl".


title: Miranda Raison

text: In May 2019 it was announced that Raison would be joining the main cast of "Warrior" for the second season.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In September 2021 it was announced that Raison had joined the first series of "Sister Boniface Mysteries" playing Ruth Penny, a main character across all ten episodes.


title: Miranda Raison

text: Raison is set to reprise her role as 'Nellie Davenport', as part of the main cast of the third season of "Warrior" which will begin filming in the summer of 2022.


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2005 she appeared in the BBC radio comedy "Deep Trouble". She has voiced several video game characters, including Cassandra Pentaghast in the "Dragon Age" series, Lieutenant Sandra Lansing in "" and Natasha and other characters in "Renegade Ops". BioWare also hired Raison for providing several voices in . She voiced three characters in "The Secret World" and lent her voice for "Dreamfall Chapters" and "Blades of Time".


title: Miranda Raison

text: Raison has also voice-acted in several Big Finish "Doctor Who" audios, including "The Davros Mission" and "The Wreck of the Titan", and plays Constance Clarke, a regular companion to the Sixth Doctor. She also provides additional voices in other Big Finish audio productions, including other "Doctor Who" stories and "The Avengers".


title: Miranda Raison

text: In 2013 she joined the CGI series cast of "Thomas & Friends" and provides the voice of Millie (UK/US), first introduced in "King of the Railway".


title: Miranda Raison

text: While separated from her first husband, Raza Jaffrey, she began a relationship with her "Married Single Other" co-star Ralf Little in November 2009, which ended in February 2013.


title: Bravely Default

text: Bravely Default, known in Japan as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, is a role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. "Bravely Default" was originally released in 2012, while an expanded edition subtitled For the Sequel was released in 2013 in Japan, Europe and Australia, and in 2014 in North America. This expanded edition used the subtitle Where The Fairy Flies in territories outside of Japan. Square Enix published the game in Japan, while Nintendo handled publishing duties overseas. The gameplay uses a turn-based battle system and job system, in addition to incorporating options to combine job abilities and adjust battle speed and random encounter rates.


title: Bravely Default

text: "Bravely Default" is set in the world of Luxendarc, which is kept in balance by four elemental crystals protected by the Crystal Orthodoxy, a religious group with influence across the world. The story follows the adventures of four protagonists: Agnès Oblige, vestal of the Wind Crystal, who was forced out of her duties after the crystals were consumed by darkness; Tiz Arrior, the sole survivor from a destroyed village caused by the crystals' blight; Ringabel, an amnesiac philanderer trying to uncover a mysterious journal in his possession; and Edea Lee, a defector of a large army bent on capturing Agnès. Together, the party aims to reclaim the four crystals from the darkness and confront a greater evil along the way.


title: Bravely Default

text: Starting development as an action role-playing sequel to "", it retained elements from the "Final Fantasy" series while having its own story and gameplay elements. The producer of "The 4 Heroes of Light", Tomoya Asano, returned to produce "Bravely Default". The story's writer was Naotaka Hayashi, who was brought in from 5pb. due to his work on "Steins;Gate". The characters designs were handled by multiple artists, including art director Akihiko Yoshida and mangaka Atsushi Ōkubo. The game was influenced by western video games and television series, and individual elements were inspired by aspects of the "Dragon Quest" series and "Higurashi When They Cry". The music, composed by Revo of Sound Horizon, was intended to evoke the feelings of classic series such as "Dragon Quest" and "SaGa".


title: Bravely Default

text: "Bravely Default" was first announced in September 2011 as part of Nintendo's 2012 lineup for the platform. In the run-up to release, multiple demos were developed, and the team adjusted the game using feedback from players. "For the Sequel" was the basis for the overseas release, being localized without any subtitle. In both Japan and overseas, "Bravely Default" met with strong sales and critical acclaim. Common praise went to the gameplay's mixture of traditional mechanics and new elements, along with its storyline, graphics and music. Main points of criticism were its repetitive late-game stages and elements of its social gameplay. "Bravely Default" spawned multiple media tie-ins and spin-off games. A direct sequel, "", was released in 2015 in Japan and 2016 overseas for the Nintendo 3DS, while another sequel set in a new world, "Bravely Default II", was released worldwide in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch. The "Bravely" series has shipped over 3 million copies by November 2021.


title: Bravely Default

text: "Bravely Default" is a role-playing game (RPG) which features a party of four characters navigating the fantasy world of Luxendarc. Navigation in towns, dungeons, and the world map environments are presented in an angled, third-person overhead view: the character remains still, the camera zooms out to a distant view. These environments are displayed on the top screen of the Nintendo 3DS system, while the bottom screen displays maps of environments, party stats and other information such as item menus. On the world map, a day-night cycle alters the types of enemies present, and after a certain point in the story an airship can be used to speed up travel and access previously inaccessible areas. In towns, players can interact with non-playable characters (NPCs), purchase items or magic at specialized shops, buy or sell weapons and equipment at an armory, or rest at an inn to restore health points (HP) and magic points (MP). In all environments, the party can find chests containing items, weapons or equipment. During certain points, a Party Chat option appears, giving players the option of initiating conversations between the party members. During exploration, standard enemies appear through random encounters: outside battle, the encounter rate can be adjusted from high to nothing. The game features multiple difficulty levels, which can be adjusted freely outside battle.


title: Bravely Default

text: Outside the main campaign, the game uses networking features powered by the 3DS's StreetPass functionality. A central element is the campaign to reconstruct the village of Norende, destroyed at the beginning of the game. The village is constructed on new ground after obstacles are removed and an area is prepared. The reconstruction incorporates social game elements: friends encountered by the player through StreetPass and online invites become the village's residents, and their efforts are used to create various buildings including houses and shops. The amount of time a project takes to complete depends on the number of friends assigned to it, taking anywhere from days to weeks. Increasing the number of people speeds up the towns' reconstruction. As the reconstruction progresses, the player is awarded with new items and equipment. Individual buildings will gain experience points, granting access to higher-tier rewards, and players have the option of adjusting the types of items rewarded. Special randomly generated optional bosses, known as Nemeses, will appear in the region. Defeating them yields special rewards.


title: Bravely Default

text: Battles come in two types: random encounters with standard enemies, and staged boss battles. The battle system revolves around turn-based combat: each side is allowed to perform an action or multiple actions, with each character having independent movements and commands: these actions include attacking with the equipped weapon, using magic, or using an item. The party also has the option to escape from most battles. Two new options to the battle system are the Brave and Default options. Brave Points (BP) dictate the number of actions a character or enemy can take within a turn, along with being needed for the execution of certain abilities. Party members can utilize BP down into negative figures, enabling up to four actions within a single turn. When the BP gauge is into negative figures, they must wait for the BP counter to reach zero before they can act again. BP are naturally recovered once per turn. Alternately, any party member can Default, which reduces the damage taken by enemy strikes and accumulates BP. An additional power is "Bravely Second", an ability which freezes time for the enemy, allowing a party member to move four times in a single turn with no cost. Bravely Second requires Sleep Points, or SP, a currency which is either replenished while the Nintendo 3DS is in sleep mode or through buying regenerative SP Drinks through microtransactions. Battle speed during combat can be sped up or returned to normal at the player's discretion.


title: Bravely Default

text: Tied into the battle system is a Job system: beginning with the Freelancer, the party can gain additional Jobs by obtaining gems called "asterisks" from defeated human bosses. Twenty-four Jobs can be found in the game, ranging from the agile Valkyrie to White and Black Mages that respectively specialize in healing and fighting magic. Each Job has different strengths and weaknesses in battle. Outside battle, characters can be assigned any available Job. In addition to the skills of the equipped Job, the skills of a second Job can be learned, allowing for free customization of parties and the mixing of Job abilities in battle. After obtaining the Summoner Job, characters can use summoned monsters to launch attacks that deal high damage on all enemies. Friend characters can also be summoned from other players' games: the more a friend summon is used, the more effective their actions become. Descriptions of defeated enemies, along with story recaps and descriptions of locations, weapons, and Jobs are included in an item called D's Journal.


title: Bravely Default

text: Within certain conditions, characters can perform Special Moves, customizable powerful moves tied to Jobs: after a Special Move is performed, the entire party is granted buffs for a limited period. This period is represented with a specific tune that plays over normal battle music. Various elements can be added to Special Moves, such as granting elemental properties, launching status ailments at enemies, recovering HP and MP, and temporary status ailment immunity to the party. The customization of Special Moves is directly tied to the creation of specialist shops during the reconstruction of Norende. Experience points acquired at the end of a battle enable characters and their assigned Jobs to level up, unlocking new abilities and boosting character stats such as available HP and MP. Bonuses are gained if the party fulfilled certain conditions. Job abilities and levels can also be borrowed from online friends, in a feature called Abilink. Any Job can be borrowed from available players regardless of their current level.


title: Bravely Default

text: "Bravely Default" is set in the world of Luxendarc, which is kept in balance by four elemental crystals which are protected and venerated by the global religion known as the Crystal Orthodoxy. One day, the crystals are consumed by darkness and the world is thrown into chaos with numerous calamities. Agnès Oblige, vestal of the Wind Crystal, escapes while the rest of the temple's worshipers perish to protect her. At the same time, a great chasm opens up beneath the village of Norende, killing all of its inhabitants except a young shepherd named Tiz Arrior. When he returns to the chasm hoping to find other survivors, he meets Agnès and her fairy companion Airy. The three are then attacked by forces from the hostile Duchy of Eternia, who seek to prevent Agnès from awakening the crystals. After defeating the soldiers, Tiz decides to travel with Agnès as her protector. They return to Caldisla, where they are also joined by Ringabel, an amnesiac vagabond who holds a book predicting future events, and Edea Lee, an Eternian soldier who becomes disillusioned and defects after her commanding officer commits war crimes. The party travels to the Temple of the Wind Crystal first where Airy instructs Agnès on how to awaken the crystals through prayer. The party visits three of the four temples and awaken each of the crystals from darkness, being confronted by the forces of Eternia as they proceed. During their journey, the group is aided by the ancient Sage Yulyana and observed by the immortal Lord DeRosso. The party eventually reaches Eternia, the home of the Earth Crystal, and are forced to defeat the Duchy's leader, Edea's father Braev Lee in battle. A column of light then appears in the ocean in the South East near the desert land of Ancheim once the Earth Crystal is awakened. Airy instructs the others to take her to the Holy Pillar of Light. After the group fend off Edea's close friend Dark Knight Alternis Dim, whose face is identical to Ringabel's, Airy's ritual is completed and the party is blinded by the bright light surrounding them and blacks out.


title: Bravely Default

text: The group awakens and they find themselves back in the Kingdom of Caldisla where the game started. They quickly learn that Airy's ritual had instead sent them into a parallel world, with Airy unsure of how any of it actually happened. They also start to notice a change in the pattern on Airy's wings which originally resembled the number 5 and now resembles the number 4. They resolve to reawaken the crystals as they have been corrupted again, not knowing what else to do, and the process is repeated multiple times; in each of the five worlds the group travel through. They find and awaken the corrupted crystals, Airy performs her ritual in the Holy Pillar of light, they are thrown into a new parallel world, and the pattern on Airy's wings continues to count down towards 0 with each new world. In each world, they find variations on the situations they encountered in their own world, and gradually learn several truths about themselves and their adversaries. Nearly all of the Eternian elite they face were taken in by Braev out of compassion as they were rejected by the Orthodoxy, and Yulyana and DeRosso are revealed to be Braev's allies and key figures in cleansing the Orthodoxy of its corruption. During the group's travels, both Yulyana and DeRosso give subtle warnings to Tiz and Agnès about Airy's true intentions with Yulyana adding that they should "Have the courage to think and act on their own. And have the courage to disobey.” Ringabel, revealed to be a version of Alternis Dim who got dragged into the original group's Luxendarc, slowly regains his memories of pursuing the party of his world before witnessing them being killed by Airy after she turned into a monster. In truth, Airy has been manipulating the party and Agnès to not just awaken the crystals, but to send their power out of control in order to link the all of the parallel worlds to enable her master, the demon Ouroboros, to reach and conquer the Celestial Realm. (By this point, even the game hints at Airy's true intentions; on the title screen after selecting a save file, most of the letters in the game's sub-title, ""Flying Fairy/Where the Fairy Flies"", vanishes from the screen, eerily leaving behind the message ""Lying Airy/Airy Lies."")


title: Bravely Default

text: Depending on the player's actions, two different routes could play out. In the normal route, triggered if Agnès chooses to destroy one of the crystals in their awakening after figuring out Airy's scheme ("Have the courage to think and act on your own, and have the courage to disobey."), Airy attacks them in a fit of rage. The group then pursues her to the Dark Aurora, a realm of darkness near the chasm, and defeat her; her final words claim Ouroboros is still a threat to the world. In the canonical true route, should the player awaken the crystals across four different worlds, Airy reveals herself and is defeated by the party. She then retreats to the Great Chasm which now has been shrouded in an eerie fog. The group goes to Yulyana and DeRosso, who reveal a message left by an "angel", a version of Agnès from another world who was betrayed by Airy; the two have been planning for Ouroboros' arrival, and the group resolves to stop the demon. They travel to the Dark Aurora over the Great Chasm and catch up with Airy, who is granted her ultimate form by her master. Despite this, the party defeats Airy, who is then devoured by Ouroboros. After revealing that Tiz is being kept alive by a being from the Celestial Realm, Ouroboros attacks, and DeRosso sacrifices himself to restrain the demon's regeneration. The party are temporarily stopped when Ouroboros begins consuming worlds to regain strength, but alternate versions of them break the links formed by Ouroboros, giving the party a chance to destroy him. Once defeated, the links to the other worlds through the Great Chasm begins to close. Before the path between worlds closes, they return to their own world.


title: Bravely Default

text: In the epilogue, Agnès and Edea return to their respective groups to better relations between the reformed Orthodoxy and the Duchy; Ringabel returns to his own world and reclaims his identity as Alternis Dim; Tiz is rendered comatose after going to Caldisla's graveyard and releasing the Celestial Being within him. In a special video teasing the , Tiz wakes in a life support tank in Eternia before being rescued from captivity by the mysterious Magnolia Arch.


title: Bravely Default

text: According to producer Tomoya Asano, "Bravely Default" began development as a sequel to "" (2009), and would have been part of the "Final Fantasy" franchise. After completing "The 4 Heroes of Light", Asano considered what he wanted to do next. Despite having the option to developing something within Square Enix's core franchises, he wanted to do something new, establishing a new brand. During this initial phase, the original development team reached out to Silicon Studio, whose previous work was mostly related to development middleware. Silicon Studio developed a well-received demo for the project and were assigned to develop the game. Despite moving away from the "Final Fantasy" series, it retained a battle system and world setting in common with many "Final Fantasy" games. According to Asano, this was both a leftover of the project's original form and a conscious choice to give players from the "Final Fantasy" series a sense of comfortable familiarity. In later responses to fan questions, Asano confirmed that he designed the "Final Fantasy"-style story so players would have little trouble entering the world. The story-telling and gameplay was heavily influenced by western video games and television series. Asano described the result as a "Japanese RPG with American content thrown in". The main challenge for the team was making "Bravely Default" a traditional RPG without overloading it with nostalgic elements. Despite this, as the team were fans of both "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest", nostalgic features were added for genre veterans and be appreciated by newcomers. Asano wanted to bring together what he considered the three core elements of RPGs (battles, growth, and connection) in "Bravely Default". An important element was creating a casual experience that anyone could enjoy, even if they had never played an RPG.