StrategyWiki:Staff lounge/2013/August

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Create Category:Vector images

• I was working on adding images in Acno's Energizer/Objects and talking to Moydow (talk · contribs), I noticed there's no Category:Vector images (or Category:Vectors).
• I questioned whether it has to be a file of a vector image, or a file of a screencapped vector image for the category to be created. After telling it's just a screencap, Moydow clarified it doesn't have to be under a file format.
• I gave an image from the game to Moydow and told that it came from an Adobe Flash game from 2000; he determined it is a sprite.
• I objected this answer because the image before being image captured is scaleable due to being made from vector graphics, especially from a SWF (Adobe Flash) file. The image is upscaled to 500 percent internet browser zoom from the level editor of the game. Moydow clarified that this is the closet definition to categorize the image as a sprite.
• I pushed on and asked if creating the category is determined by a minimum number of files. Moydow doubted that and for the fact that vector graphics are a relatively new thing, more of less. He points out to the wiki having a lot of screenshot images, justifying on having it's own category.
• Lamenting on adding the category after uploading. Moydow told me to go to this page for discussion and opinion as an opportunity.
• Examples of vector graphics besides Adobe Flash games in the internet are Castle Crashers and other games from developer The Behemoth.

Any thoughts? --RAP (talk) 05:27, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

I find vector based images really cool, and we have a lot of vector images already on the site (anything of the format .svg). We could potentially create a category for it similar to Category:Panoramic screenshots. However, as with most of our categories, they're generally pointless for browsing, but are an interesting classification system. -- Prod (talk) 06:06, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

It has to be SVG image file and not just a snapshot of the SVG image in the form of PNG image file to be a thing? Welp, better grab a SWF extractor for it to happen. I have no experience with SVG image files at all. Would love to apply it to sprites, though, they originated from being sprites, not being vector graphics. --RAP (talk) 06:41, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Vector images scale because they are made up of code that renders when the image loads. That is why it can scale. A .svg file is a text file containing all of the code. Take a look at http://inkscape.org/ for a free SVG maker. Make a simple file, save it, and then open the file in a text editor (e.g. Notepad or TextEdit). --Notmyhandle (talk • contribs) 17:00, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Bringing back an old discussion

Having a resurgence of interest in fighting games (mainly due to getting street fighter on 3ds and spending a lot of free time hitting bots around), I've reread one of our previous discussion on the scope of fighting games. I'd like to view this issue from another angle, in that our guides don't encourage people to add in-depth info (though they don't discourage them from doing so either). For example, what if a very experienced, high level Super Generic Fighter 3.14 Explosive Edition player who is a master at the Shotoman character and has detailed knowledge of the character's moveset and top tier matchups, particularly on Shotoman's intricate Fireballdouken mechanics and his matchup against Chargeguy, stumbles on to our site with little to no knowledge about wiki markup. He goes to the Shotoman page on the Generic Fighter 3 page, which features move lists of that character from vanilla Generic Fighter 3 to Ultimate Generic Fighter 3.14 Explosive Edition Reengaged. He tries to contribute his wealth of knowledge, but doesn't know where to start, since he doesn't know how to add headings or make tables. After reading through the editing help page, he decides it's not worth his time and leaves.

What I'm saying is that our fighting game guides as they are right now don't have the layout for players to add advanced or detailed strategy in, particularly minute nuances or specific information about a normal or a character matchup. Ideally, character pages should look like Brawl's Kirby page, which has a full moveset table and a matchups section, letting anonymous users and experienced editors alike contribute what they know easily. We should have a short gameplay overview, a comprehensive moveset analysis that covers every normal, command attack, special and super, a practical combos list and a matchup section. Having the base layout of the guide laid down encourages people to add in information that they know, while having to set up the structure of the guide themselves might drive some potential editors away, especially if they only just found the site. T.testLP(talk) 10:18, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Also, I am aware that the suggestion for page layouts is similar to part of the in-depth fighter analysis project. I know that I can just add it in on any page I wish, but I worry it could affect the completion stages of some of the CS4 guides. It might also make shared character pages long and convoluted, so I'd like to discuss it here first. T.testLP(talk) 15:48, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Credits pages

Do credits pages (like Dog's Life/Credits and The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night/Credits) fall within guide scope? I'm inclined to think they're not, since SW:SCOPE says not to include "any extremely detailed information that doesn't have to do with playing the game"; as far as I know, the Marketing Executive of Atari doesn't actually help players beat Dog's Life. --Moydow ^{T · C} 02:22, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

I think it's kinda relevant as it is technically game "content". I wouldn't personally add that kind of information, and I usually strip it out when bringing pages from wikipedia, but I don't think it falls outside of scope. -- Prod (talk) 03:59, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

• When this discussion came up in chat with User:Moydow before he posted this message here, I humorously jabbed StrategyWiki's functionings in that we're covering the game and not acknowledging the people who contributed into creating the game.
• In all of seriousness, I'm a bit mixed about this since StrategyWiki's main goal is to help the player in any way and get the most of out the guide.
• I don't think the average player would get anything out of it because they don't provide something that needs to be tackled through or interacted.
• The only exception I can come up with for such a credits list to be accepted is: if the credits list is incorporated to interact with the game, like the credits section of New Super Mario Bros. Wii where it involves a mini-game competition on getting the most coins out of the lettered brick blocks.
• Having a credits list is more of an acknowledgement of the game being made by those people, credited, or uncredited.
• If players interested at looking to the inner workings of the game, it would be preferable to find info in the web or go into websites that are dedicated to keeping track of credits/staff records.
• If we take on the stance of having Credits page in the wiki, we would also have to add info on uncredited people who contributed to the game.

--RAP (talk) 09:05, 24 August 2013 (UTC)

Normally, credits is stuff surrounding the game, not part of the game itself. Such things should easily be found in the manual, readme, or ending sequence, and aren't really that special. The only way they're in-scope is if they're playable and need to do something there to get the best ending or avoid a gameover sequence.

My problem while working at SW has always been filtering out what is unnecessary. But lately I've been getting more into the groove of what I/we should be focusing on (mostly because my time is limited these days). Credit pages are unnecessary, walkthrough pages are necessary. Simple as that. We don't need people fighting over credit syntax, styles, etc. We aren't about that. If you care that much about the game, go help with a full wiki on that game universe (it's okay! I admit that I help with other wikis, too). We strive to provide the best guides, not comprehensive information (unless it pertains to strategy). That being said, I, like you, fall in love with some games and 110% completion for these guides is what I want, so, think of credits as optional, unnecessary, but a good idea for featured guides or ones that are close to that. --Notmyhandle (talk • contribs) 22:00, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Note that the quote Moydow pulled from the scope was to give us the power to reject overly technical information in some cases (e.g. Namcorules' fixation on arcade hardware). It's nice and all, but we don't need our game information inter-spliced with useless technical information that would be much more valuable on an arcade hardware wiki. --Notmyhandle (talk • contribs) 22:02, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Equations in spoiler templates.

So by chance I've noticed a little oddity with the spoiler template. Strangely, whenever an equation is inserted, the whole thing that was supposed to be displayed there just fails to appear, instead displaying a {{{1}}}. Can anyone check why this is happening? T.testLP(talk) 09:14, 26 August 2013 (UTC)

That's due to how template parameters work, if it has an equals sign everything before the first equals is treated as the parameter name. Pass in 1=your equation=here as the parameter, e.g. {{spoiler|1=thing=with=equals}}

Spoiler

thing=with=equals

--Skizzerz 00:32, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Yes, numbered parameters (as defined on the template page) work both sequentially without being named (e.g. {{spoiler|PARAMETER 1 CONTENT}}) as well as when named (e.g. {{spoiler|1=PARAMETER 1 CONTENT}}). They do the same thing. Our policy is, if you use numbers in your template, then you should fill out the template sequentially. Otherwise make up names for them (e.g. content, gold, xp, name, image, etc.) and define what goes in there by describing how to use the template. --Notmyhandle (talk • contribs) 06:31, 27 August 2013 (UTC)