Dream Theater Survivor 2017 - SFAM Survivor Options (PLEASE READ!)

[The Letter M]

So to shake things up a little, I had decided to run the survivor for SFAM with 9 options, one for each of the album's 9 "Scenes", as depicted on the back of the album with the track times (where the three two-part Scenes have combined track times):



This poll will run for ONE WEEK, so please try and make a decision before then. Basically, do you think I should run it with 12 options, or change things up a bit and run it with 9 options. One opinion against doing 9 options was that TDOE would be lumped in with OLT, a less-favored track, but I don't think that would really affect the strength and favor of TDOE - if people like it, they won't vote it out just because it's with OLT. Same with TMW/FT, which go together really well, and even more so with Overture 1928/SDV, which are practically one song anyway.

So please vote, explain your reasons if you want, and I hope this will be a fair way for everyone to participate in the survivor for SFAM.

(Also, I just wanted to maintain the symmetry created by Octavarium, where in the 3 albums after it have 7, 6, and 9 tracks, while the two before it have 7 and 6. If SFAM had 8, then the symmetry would continue, but that's just me being a Death The Kid).

-Marc.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

I think it should only be two options, since a vote for the third option is essentially the same as a vote for scenes.

[Crow]

it's always a bit weird because i feel Through My Words and Fatal Tragedy are inseparable but the other two two-part scenes are not the same 

[The Letter M]

it's always a bit weird because i feel Through My Words and Fatal Tragedy are inseparable but the other two two-part scenes are not the same 

I've always felt the Overture and SDV were pretty inseparable, going all the way back to the original Metropolis Part 2 demo where those parts were originally composed together. It's hard to listen to one without the other IMO, and the band seemed to think so on the DT12 tour. Same goes for TMW/FT on the ADTOE tour.

-Marc.

[Serah Farron]

Or maybe for those songs you can put them together, but maybe separate TDOE and OLT?

[Crow]

through my words is literally just Fatal Tragedy's intro and the song doesn't have a proper start without it, so 

I guess the argument for Overture/SDV can be made but TDOE/OLT are completely different songs (and the latter is the superior track, by the way)

[The Letter M]

TDOE/OLT are completely different songs (and the latter is the superior track, by the way)

OLT is superior to TDOE? TheCountOfNYC seemed to have the opposite opinion, thinking OLT would drag down TDOE in the survivor if paired together. I guess to each their own...as a pair, I like both and they're a good compliment to each other, both musically and in context to the album.

-Marc.

[CharlesPL]

SFAM should run with 12 Tracks/Options

[jjrock88]

12 tracks

[MirrorMask]

Or maybe for those songs you can put them together, but maybe separate TDOE and OLT?

This. Through my Words with Fatal Tragedy, Overture 1928 with Strange Deja Vu, but separate the instrumental and the song with lyrics.

[Elite]

10 options; Scene Two and Three as one and scene seven separated (because TDOE and OLT arw very weirdly lumped together).

Basically, I votes for every track separately, not every scene.

[RoeDent]

Hmm. Difficult one, this. Scenes Two (O28/SDV) and Seven (TDOE/OLT) feel like two distinct songs in each scene, but Scene Three (TMW/FT) feels more like one song. Perhaps the only tracks you should pair together as one poll option would be Through My Words and Fatal Tragedy, and the other 10 tracks would be given their own poll options.

[Dave_Manchester]

Run both options in parallel, simultaneous survivors. If both survivors produce the same 2 winners (for example Finally Free and Home), then  there's no issue, but if they produce a different 2 winners (for example FF and Home in one survivor, and FF and Overture/SDV in the other), then put all 3 winning songs through to the finals. 

[The Letter M]

Run both options in parallel, simultaneous survivors. If both survivors produce the same 2 winners (for example Finally Free and Home), then  there's no issue, but if they produce a different 2 winners (for example FF and Home inn one survivor, and FF and Overture/SDV in the other), then put all 3 winning songs through to the finals.

I do like the idea of running the Survivor twice, just to see how different the results might be.

Maybe if the results are different between each, I can put to a vote which pair of songs goes on to the Finals, and which 3rd place song goes to Consolation. That way, fans of both options can vote on their preferred winners?

It could be that someone who wants 12 options may not have their top 2 or 3 favorites in the end of that survivor, but find their favorites in the top spots in the 9 options survivor.

What does everyone think about that? Would that be fair? Complicated and needless? Or would it be a good compromise of what I, and at least 5 others, would like to do along with the rest of the majority vote, which is 3-to-1 so far.

-Marc.

[ToT-147]

Run both options in parallel, simultaneous survivors. If both survivors produce the same 2 winners (for example Finally Free and Home), then  there's no issue, but if they produce a different 2 winners (for example FF and Home inn one survivor, and FF and Overture/SDV in the other), then put all 3 winning songs through to the finals.

I do like the idea of running the Survivor twice, just to see how different the results might be.

Maybe if the results are different between each, I can put to a vote which pair of songs goes on to the Finals, and which 3rd place song goes to Consolation. That way, fans of both options can vote on their preferred winners?

It could be that someone who wants 12 options may not have their top 2 or 3 favorites in the end of that survivor, but find their favorites in the top spots in the 9 options survivor.

What does everyone think about that? Would that be fair? Complicated and needless? Or would it be a good compromise of what I, and at least 5 others, would like to do along with the rest of the majority vote, which is 3-to-1 so far.

-Marc.

I think it's a nice solution to the dilemma.. Yeap, do that instead of the two options above..

[Destiny Of Chaos]

I agree. This shall be interesting.

Might also be interesting to run a movement survivor for Six Degrees (the song).

[Serah Farron]

Or maybe just have a separate poll. Most people want TMW/FT to be together so why not polls for Overture/SDV and TDOE/OLT?

But, if you want to want multiple survivors, that will be very interesting also like others have stated.

[Prog Snob]

12 songs.  Overture 1928 and Strange Deja Vu do not belong together as one song.

[MirrorMask]

I'm in for the double survivor!