Line #48 Main/GrayIsUseless


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grey_9.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: [[VisualPun A useless image.]]]]
3	[[gray:Gray]] is a rather dull color. So, if it is used for normally brightly colored buttons or even people, that's probably a bad sign. As far as the most common use is concerned, it means that button cannot be used, or that person is dead or can't help for some other reason.
4
5	Commonly used in VideoGames for both [[GameplayAndStorySegregation gameplay and storytelling]], especially for menus indicating incapacitated members. In most examples of SubsystemDamage, the system that is lost, disabled, and/or destroyed is often grayed out on the diagram if red isn't used instead (or red is reserved for when a system is destroyed versus gray when it's merely disabled).
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7	A SubTrope of ColorCodedForYourConvenience. Super trope to DeathIsGray and NoPowerNoColor.
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9	Contrast PowerupFullColorChange. See ColorFailure for when the change to a singular color scheme is the result of a state of shock.
10
11	----
12
13	!!Examples:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
18	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'': Mobile Suits with Phase Shift Armor depend on the color of their activated armor to determine its strength and power consumption. If the armor is deactivated from the suit being on standby in a hangar or the battery running low on power, the only color the armor will have is gray and the machine will be left vulnerable.
19	[[/folder]]
20
21	[[folder:Fan Works]]
22	* The Franchise/HarryPotter fanfiction ''Core Threads'' represents each person's magical core as a ball of colorful threads. {{Muggles}}, who are incapable of doing magic, have gray threads.
23	[[/folder]]
24
25	[[folder:Literature]]
26	* ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'': The Awakening magic system uses color as fuel: when you Awaken something you need to be touching something colorful, which fades to grey as part of the Awakening. This also means that items that are already grey can't be used to fuel Awakenings.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
30	* ''Series/BlackMirror'': In [[Recap/BlackMirrorNosedive "Nosedive"]], as part of the deconstruction of GoodColoursEvilColours, Ryan, who is portrayed as lazy, and Susan, who is a 1.4, both wear gray, contrasting with the bright pastel colors of the setting and the clothes worn by most characters.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
34	* ''TabletopGame/DeadOfWinter'': "Helpless survivors" are represented as grey silhouette tokens and don't do any work for the Colony, whereas the {{player character}}s have [[NominalImportance names]] and full-colour portraits.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Toys]]
38	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': The Masks of Power are grey until worn by a Toa when they change to that Toa's [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience colour]]. When the Bohrok-Kal steal the Nuva Symbols, depriving the Toa Nuva of their elemental powers, their masks turn gray again.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Video Games]]
42	* ''VideoGame/AmongUs'': Players have buttons on the bottom right of their screen to perform necessary functions. If they are not allowed to use said functions (i.e. an Impostor's "Kill" function is on cooldown), the buttons will be grayed out.
43	* ''VideoGame/BearAndBreakfast'': If a room doesn't have all the essential items to be functional, it'll be grayed out and unusable.
44	* In the ''VideoGame/BurgerShop'' series, already completed orders will be grayed out, to prevent filling out the same thing twice.
45	* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'':
46	** In some games, unpowered structures turn very dark gray, sometimes with a lightning symbol above them. Starting with ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer3TiberiumWars'', exceeding the power supply to your base slows production and disables base defenses and superweapons, which turn almost pitch-black. The same thing happens if any building is voluntarily powered down, along with an icon to denote it. Vehicles under the effect of an EMP also darken.
47	** The Global Conquest mode in the PC version of ''Kane's Wrath'' uses this for cities to denote that the population is outright decimated by the Scrin rather than the cold-to-hot colors indicating the level of panic and unrest.
48	* In ''VideoGame/DeBlob'', Raydians who have their color drained by [[CulturePolice INKT]] are turned into constantly-depressed Graydians. Thankfully, Blob can restore their color and happiness by rolling over them.
49	* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' has the numbers 2 through 7 on the [[StatusLine status bar]] that represent the various weapons Doomguy can use. Doomguy always starts a level with the pistol, #2, but must collect better weapons in his travels. These corresponding numbers will be in dull grey until Doomguy obtains that weapon, although he can collect the ammunition for it beforehand.
50	* In the health screen, ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' grays out one's [[AnArmAndALeg missing body parts]].
51	* ''VideoGame/EndlessSky'':
52	** Ships disabled by excessive damage are grayed out on the minimap and can't act until repaired back to normal. Ships only temporarily disabled are marked blinking between gray and the usual color instead, to signify this state won't last.
53	** Uninhabited planets and systems are color-coded gray, as there are no services available there.
54	** In the dialog box, unavailable options are grayed out.
55	* ''VideoGame/{{Factorio}}'' allows the player to construct devices, even when there isn't sufficient fuel or power to operate them. One could build a nuclear reactor if one has the materials, but it will sit there, grey and useless, until sufficient uranium is obtained to energize it. At that point, the reactor will glow neon green (running normally) or golden yellow (overheating pending explosion).
56	* The ''VideoGame/FossilFighters'' series grays out combat actions that can't be used due to insufficient FP.
57	* PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/FreedomWars''. The names of weapon mods that are incompatible with other weapons are colored gray, meaning gray weapon mods don't positively or negatively affect the weapon but activate with a compatible weapon. For example, a mod that increases CriticalHit damage doesn't affect a rocket launcher because all critical hit mods aren't compatible with ranged weapons or LifeDrain melee weapons, but a non-leeching spear is compatible with the mod, benefitting from the critical damage increase. The same thing applies to negative weapon mods.
58	* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Grow}} Grow Island]]'', if the Onky man is rejected by the woman, he'll fall on the ground, turn gray, and will stop moving until the game is over. His inactivity hinders the game's progression.
59	* In ''VideoGame/MergeDragons'', dead land is grayed out, and you have to match and activate Life Essence in order to heal it. Matching items with those on dead land can also heal it, and this is the only way to heal the darkest corners of the earth.
60	* In ''VideoGame/MetalWarriors'', undamaged mech suits are brightly colored, but when they get more and more damaged, their color fades. Empty mech suits are gray, and change color depending on which player enters one (players are either red or blue in multiplayer, and AI enemies in single-player mode are purple).
61	* ''VisualNovel/MurderByNumbers2020'':
62	** If all of the Investigate options have been used, then the option is darkened and unusable.
63	** If a Question dialogue option has been seen already, it's written in grey, but can be selected to hear it again.
64	* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'': If the player counters certain attacks with specific Brush Techniques, the enemy will be stunned momentarily, which is represented by them turning grey and gaining a pair of CirclingBirdies above their head.
65	* ''VideoGame/OpenSorcery'': Options that are impossible are in grey text instead of the orange of usable ones.
66	* ''VideoGame/PrayerOfTheFaithless'': Scrolling onto characters not in the main party, when checking party members' abilities, or statuses, has the non-mains be in greys instead of the colored version like the active party.
67	* In ''VideoGame/ProjectHospital'', procedures and treatments which can't be used because you don't have the right staff or facilities are grayed out.
68	* ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'': If a playable unit falls in battle, its sprite in the map takes on a dark grey coloration.
69	* ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon3'' grays out pieces that can't be used in the track editor, and in the tutorial, inaccessible menu options.
70	* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndTheSevenSirens'': Sold out items in the Item Shops have their names turn from white to gray.
71	* ''VideoGame/SpaceStation13'': [[TheScrappy Assistants]] are known for their [[ColorCodedCharacters signature gray uniforms]] and a lack of assigned job, and typically are useless at best and [[SpannerInTheWorks generally disruptive]] at worst, not to mention being frequently dismissed as {{noob}}s or just plain old {{griefer}}s.
72	* ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'': No power in each character's magic meter slots is represented by empty gray bars.
73	* ''VideoGame/ThreeFairiesHoppinFlappinGreatJourney'': Unsellable items are marked with a grey row in the selling screen instead of the regular blue.
74	* ''VideoGame/TinkerQuarry'': While the toys cannot die, they can be "Impaired", which [[AndIMustScream traps them in a death-like state]]. When a toy is either Impaired or close to being Impaired, they lose all their color and go grayscale.
75	* ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}'': Locked slots for function configuration are noted by a grey plate of (presumed) metal with a padlock icon on it.
76	* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': Not-yet available units, abilities, and researches have icons that are grayed out and don't have a border (or when bringing up the menu). Amusingly enough, custom maps that lack the appropriate greyed-out version of the icons will display them as neon-bright ''green'' instead.
77	* In ''VideoGame/{{Wordle}}'', letters that are not in the word will turn grey after the player attempts to use them.
78	* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', poor-quality items, which are usually ShopFodder, have their names in gray text.
79	* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'': Unavailable chat options when talking to people have the buttons grayed out.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Web Animation]]
83	* [[https://youtu.be/jzauCmOvF_U This video]] explaining how to replace the internal batteries of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Ruby]]'', ''Sapphire'', and ''Emerald'', shifts pictures of batteries (both clipart and actual photos from the cartridge internals) into greyscale to represent the battery running dry.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Webcomics]]
87	* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': In [[https://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-499-inopportunity/ "#499 ? Inopportunity"]], Syndey notices that a new function has been activated:
88	--> '''Sydney:''' That mystery button isn't grayed out anymore.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Web Original]]
92	* On ''Website/{{Neopets}}'', Grey Faeries are Faeries who have lost their magic and wings, and are rendered sad and unable to do much.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Western Animation]]
96	* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': In "Sabotage", Ulrich's virtual avatar is affected by a glitch that turns him black and white. While in this state, he is unable to fight, as all his attacks pass through enemies harmlessly.
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Real Life]]
100	* Most PC operating systems have certain buttons "greyed out" when the underlying functions are not available.
101	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / GrayIsUseless