The Grid



The Grid is a vast part of the Tron system, programmed by Kevin Flynn. the Grid was made to provide an experimental platform where all forms of research could be carried out at unparalleled speeds. Perceived time on the Grid is measured in cycles and run at a pace far greater than time perceived in the real world, thus allowing anyone immersed in the computer environment to perform the same functions in a fraction of the time it would take them otherwise.

Much of the Grid consists of a flat, dark platform with glowing blue, cyan, or white ribbons of light covering it in a vast latticework. Within the Grid itself lies Tron City, a metropolis modeled on a real world city, which plays host to a diverse range of programs. The programs in turn carry out all the day-to-day running of the system. On the periphery of the Grid lies the Outlands, an inhospitable region where most programs never venture.

Tron City is the main city in the Tron system. It is built on the Grid, Kevin Flynn's master creation, and is the pinnacle of his "digital frontier". It is constructed in a hexagonal shape, with a deep chasm surrounding its perimeter. Bridges connect it to the surrounding area and form highly defensible choke points against any surface-based aggression. The city, like the Grid around it, matches the darkened environment of the rest of the TRON system. The gloom is offset by brilliant white illumination, meandering throughout the city like circuits on on a printed circuit board.

The first beginnings of Tron City were in 1983 after the establishment of the Grid. It was expanded to accommodate a multitude of diverse programs and beyond the purely functional streets and buildings it eventually gained some of the less essential trappings of a society, such as a vast entertainment arena and nightclubs. One building in particular provides a significant point of interest; Flynn's Arcade in the real world has its very own digital simulation in Tron City and this modest structure in the heart of the city provides the entry point into the system for users rezzing in from the real arcade.