Main Plaza

The Main Plaza is a large open room in the Chozo Ruins. It appears in Metroid Prime.
==Description==
As the name implies, it is one of the major rooms in the area. When Samus enters the room, she will be in front of a large ground, with Beetles hiding in the sand. To her left is the passageway to the Ruined Shrine, and on her right is a decomposing Cyrlic tree. In front of her is a Half-pipe that she cannot use until she gains the Boost Ball. The Half-pipe is used to get a Missile Expansion in an alcove. Samus must climb several stairs to get to the next floor of the room. Far above on the right is an indestructible door and Energy Tank, Samus will have to enter the room from the Vault to gain it. She will also find several platforms leading to a damaged bridge (stones had fallen from the walkway). Another Cyrlic tree that has been forcibly intertwined to form a bridge leads to two War Wasp Hives. Above the lowermost floor is a Grapple Point; scanning it states that it is too far away to use. Samus must enter the room from Piston Tunnel to be able to reach it. Later on in the game, the Beetles are replaced with a single Plated Beetle.
Upon first visit, a cutscene is played displaying the surrounding area. A Hidden World can be found in this room: 
==Connecting rooms==
*Ruins Entrance (via Blue Door)
*Plaza Access (on the blocking side of a one-way Door)
*Ruined Fountain Access (via Blue Door)
*Ruined Shrine Access (via Blast Shield)
*Nursery Access (via Blue Door)
*Piston Tunnel (via Morph Ball Door)
==Inhabitants==
*5 Beetles (upon approaching the area between the half-pipe and the Ruins Entrance door)
*1 Plated Beetle in said area after defeating Flaahgra
*4 Beetles (from Nursery Access)
*1 War Wasp (patrols Hive area)
*2 War Wasp Hives (contain War Wasps)
*Birds
==Items==
;Missile Expansion
:In an alcove above the half-pipe in the center of the room, which can be accessed with the Boost Ball. It is also possible in the NTSC GameCube version to get this using a Slope Jump on the side of the half-pipe.
;Missile Expansion
:Beneath a stump in the Cyrlic Tree opposite the entrance to the Ruined Shrine, which can be blown open by a Super Missile.
;Missile Expansion
:On a ledge above the entrance to the Ruined Shrine, acquired by grappling across the room after going though the Magma Pool and Training Chamber. A well-aimed Space Jump can reach the Grapple in this room without using the tunnel's ledge.
;Energy Tank
:On a high ledge. Accessible only through a one way door from the Vault. It is also possible to reach the Tank in this room using the Space Jump Boots.https://www.metroid2002.com/early_tank_main_plaza.php
==Scans==
;Cyrlic tree (not named)
:"This tree seems to be weakened due to cellular decomposition."
;Holobanner
:"Passageway to Shrine"
;Missile Expansion
:"This object rests at the top of a very smooth inclined slope."
;Tree leaf
:"These leaves appear to be unnaturally dried and withered."
;Energy Tank
:"The ledge this object rests on cannot be reached from this room."
;Door
:"This door can only be opened from the other side."
;Stones
:"These stones appear to have fallen from the walkway above."
;Tree bridge
:"These large branches have been forcibly intertwined, forming what looks to be a bridge structure."
;Etching
:"This etching resembles a birdlike creature."
;Grapple Point
:"This Grapple Point is too far away to use."
===Unused===
Unused scans in this room have been found through datamining of Metroid Prime Remastered.
==Development notes==
The Main Plaza was modeled and skinned by Elizabeth Foster.
Jack Mathews stated in a live stream that the Main Plaza was one of the first rooms built during the development of Metroid Prime. It was subsequently used for stress testing as the game was created. The room's performance impact can be seen when Prime is played on an emulator such as Dolphin, as it frequently causes frame rate drops and stuttering.
During play testing of Prime, the back steps in the plaza were invisible to players, since their colors did not stand out from the rest of the room. Zoid Kirsch spoke to an artist, who added a more obvious cue to the stairs, and this prevented confusion.Old Game Plus. Metroid Prime, Dev Interview Special. February 8, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022. https://oldgameplus.libsyn.com/metroid-prime-dev-interview-special (starts at 32:34)Zoid Kirsch (ZoidCTF). "Our testers often couldn’t figure out how to get up to the bridge leading to the Arboretum. After they acquired the morphball and returned to the Main Plaza in the Chozo Ruins they didn’t notice the steps in the back to cross the bridge. 3/5 Originally both back steps were nearly the same color. We changed them to different textures and improved lighting. Our next set of testers noticed it immediately. The steps are directly ahead in the clip below. 4/5 These tests with new players helped improve the game greatly. They provided clear feedback in how to communicate the game world to the player. It resulted in a lot of simple design changes that we incorporated throughout the game. 5/5" 12 November 2022 5:08 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1591553433924177920
==Trivia==
*The Birds flying around in the sky can be shot at and killed, their feathers slowly drifting down before disintegrating.
*The Main Plaza is the room with the most Missile Expansions in the game.
*By using the Space Jump Boots from the roof over the entrance to the Ruined Shrine onto a ledge seemingly blocked off by sand, one can get the Missile Expansion there early. Strangely, the Grapple Point over the Plaza can be scanned here for its Logbook entry, even if the player has not yet acquired the Grapple Beam. This issue was fixed in Metroid Prime Remastered.
*The one-way door in this room possesses a unique model different from other doors witnessed. It shared this trait with the door from Connection Elevator to Deck Alpha. Model data refers to this type of a Door as a "Door_Lock".
*In the Soundtrack Gallery of Metroid Prime Remastered, an image of this room is used to represent the main Chozo Ruins theme.
*Due to the lack of a roof, and the low altitude of the room relative to the rest of the ruins, it should be possible to see a handful of taller structures from a few vantage points, these include the entirety of the Sunchamber, its connecting corridors, and the top of the Tower of Light, Transport to Tallon Overworld South (Chozo Ruins) and the Sun Tower.
==Gallery==
Samus 3rd person perspective.jpg|Early screenshot.
Main plaza map screen view dolphin hd.jpg|Main Plaza on the Map Screen
Main Plaza.jpg|The Plaza, showing the Cyrlic tree bridge halfway along it.
Chozo Ruins Screenshot (49).png|A War Wasp scout patrols the bridge.
Chozo Ruins Screenshot (4).png
Chozo Ruins Screenshot (3).png
Chozo Ruins Main Plaza Dolphin HD.jpg
Chozo Ruins Main Plaza 2 Dolphin HD.jpg
NPC!_MP_Screen_29.png|Samus engages a swarm of Beetles.
Prime_Trilogy_Promotional_Plated_Beetle_Scan_Chozo_Ruins.jpg|Samus scans a Plated Beetle in the Main Plaza.
Main Plaza Missile Expansion Half Pipe Dolphin HD.jpg|Samus views the Missile Expansion.
Main plaza boost ball dolphin hd.jpg|Samus uses the Boost Ball in the Half-pipe formation.
Locked door.png|The one-way door in the room.
Main Plaza Elizabeth Foster render.jpg|Elizabeth Foster
Metroid Prime Remastered Main Plaza.jpg|Metroid Prime Remastered
MPR Main Plaza loading screen.png|Loading screen in Remastered.
NSO MPR icon backgrounds.jpg|Icon based on this room, available through Nintendo Switch Online from March 2-9, 2023.
Main Plaza missing distant view.jpg|thumb|Samus looking over the wall in the direction where the Sunchamber would be, with no structure in sight.
==References==
ru:Главная Площадь
Category:Rooms
Category:Chozo Ruins
Category:Rooms containing Missile Expansion(s) in Metroid Prime
Category:Rooms containing Energy Tank(s) in Metroid Prime