StrategyWiki:Staff lounge

Welcome to all users! This page is where people can ask StrategyWiki-related questions to the staff and senior community figures, and they will do their best to answer. If you want to raise a topic for discussion (rather than just ask about it), please use community issues instead. New issues are entered here, with the most recent at the bottom of the page. Please review the Table of Contents to see if your issue has already been raised; also check the archives (to the right) in case it was discussed some time ago.

To facilitate ease of browsing and replying, please:
 * 1) Place your question at the bottom of the list
 * 2) Title the question (by placing the title between equals signs: == title ==)
 * 3) Sign your name and date (by adding two hyphens and four tildes: --~ )

Cleanup and Wikify
What's the difference in usage between cleanup and wikify? -- Prod 23:03, 4 October 2006 (CDT)
 * Wikify is for pages which don't make use of wikimarkup (i.e. text-only guides which have been imported). It is to signify that they need to be marked-up correctly. Cleanup is for pages which do use wikimarkup, but which are in a mess; perhaps they aren't using it correctly, or aren't following the guidelines. --DrBob (Talk) 01:14, 5 October 2006 (CDT)

Wikiformat
I'm working on a guide for Trauma Center: Under the Knife. I have a text based system for now, but it isn't as useful as it could be. That's why I'm using strategy wiki for the guide. I am getting a digital camera and an SD card for pictures soon, so I can change the operations into a picture step by step format. This would make it hard to work onto 1 page and I need help with that. Someone set up a table of content on the page, but I don't know how to use it. I need to know how to make a new page for each operation but keep it part of the main page, and also the best format for uploading images. --Navy White 02:52, 10 October 2006 (CDT)


 * I'm not certain what kind of issue you're having with the TOC or with subpaging. The idea is to break your guide up in to digestable parts.  So if your main page is called "Trauma Center" and you want to describe each operation, you could sub page them as "Trauma Center: Under the Knife/Operation 1", and then "Trauma Center: Under the Knife/Operation 2" and so forth.  It's really that simple.  Whether you are making minor tweaks to the Table of Contents or radical changes, just make sure that you edit and update the TOC so that it properly reflects your changes in order for people to find the new content you're adding.  It is also redundant, but customary to include an abridged table of contents on your introductory page.  As for pictures, if it's a live photograph, the best format is JPG.  If however, it's a screengrab through an emulator or something similar, then the best format is PNG.  Procyon 09:38, 10 October 2006 (CDT)
 * I've fixed Procyon's suggested links to have the actual game name, and to use forward slashes, as opposed to backwards slashes. --DrBob (Talk) 12:18, 10 October 2006 (CDT)
 * Doh! Thank you very much DrBob.  Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I'm dyslexic... Procyon 12:25, 10 October 2006 (CDT)
 * The ToC on the front page is identical to the one on Trauma Center: Under the Knife/Table of Contents. Just edit that one, and the links will automatically appear on the front page.  To create a new page, just pretend the page already exists and add a link to the toc.  Rather than the regular blue links, it will turn out as a red link and when you click it, you can add info to the page.  Hope that helps. -- Prod 09:50, 10 October 2006 (CDT)

Table colors
Is there an easy way to get all the colours done properly on Tactics Arena Online rather than going cell by cell? -- Prod 22:52, 11 October 2006 (CDT)
 * Wikipedia to the rescue! --DrBob (Talk) 00:39, 12 October 2006 (CDT)
 * That only seems to be for cells, rows or the full table. Is it possible to colour a column without going cell by cell? (or a section of the table)? -- Prod 10:12, 12 October 2006 (CDT)
 * I think you'd have to do it for each cell in the column, or perhaps have one table with only one row, and one cell for each column you want, and then each of those cells contains another table with only one column but all the rows you want, and then you can colour each table. (It's a bit of a dirty hack, though.) --DrBob (Talk) 10:58, 12 October 2006 (CDT)
 * You could export the table to a visual HTML editor such as OpenOffice or Google Docs and Spreadsheets (both allow styling of multiple cells at once) and then convert it back using a wikifier. GarrettTalk 14:42, 12 October 2006 (CDT)

Transwiki
Is it possible for me to transwiki anything over here from Wikipedia? -- Prod 21:31, 14 October 2006 (CDT)
 * The licenses are compatible, so it should be fine. You should ask Garrett about how to go about it, as he knows all about doing it properly. --DrBob (Talk) 02:37, 15 October 2006 (CDT)
 * It is not possible for you to do so, as you need access to the restricted "Import pages" page, which requires Sysop status. -- Mason11987 (Talk - Contributions) 11:41, 15 October 2006 (CDT)

Wikibooks VfD heads up
Someone apparently got permission from nintendo magazine to upload their stuff onto wikibooks... it's on VfD now (I nominated it). I think the guy is actually typing the stuff in by hand, so I was hoping you folks might be willing to host his efforts. SB johnny 18:26, 2 November 2006 (CST)


 * Er... could you perhaps provide a link to the content? Thanks, Procyon 19:01, 2 November 2006 (CST)
 * Here's the link. If he actually got permission, that would be cool :D. I've got a few of them lying around somewhere, and some character recognition would probably do wonders..if we're allowed. -- Prod (Talk) 19:36, 2 November 2006 (CST)
 * OK, but I would rather see the content applied as it pertains to each particular game, not as a page-by-page magazine. In other words, rather than having Super Mario Bros. 2 be presented as Issue 1 page 6 through whatever, it should simply be part of the Super Mario Bros. 2 guide.  I guess I'll contact him. Procyon 19:52, 2 November 2006 (CST)
 * Currently the suggestion is to move it to wikisource. If we could use their images or information in general throughout the guides, that would be a huge benefit. -- Prod (Talk) 20:41, 2 November 2006 (CST)
 * Oh, here's a link to the author. -- Prod (Talk) 20:04, 2 November 2006 (CST)
 * Got it. Thanks Prod.  Procyon 20:08, 2 November 2006 (CST)
 * NP. -- Prod (Talk) 20:41, 2 November 2006 (CST)

Redirects
I'm working on a guide for Advance wars, and I need to know how to do a redirect so that I can link the names such as mech to the right name, Advance_Wars:Dual_Strike without turning a word like mech into that long annoying link. --Navy White 15:42, 3 November 2006 (CST)


 * I'm not quite certain I understand what you mean exactly, but if I'm following you right, it sounds like what you mean to type is mech, which would result in the word mech that links to the AW:DS article. Anything that appears after the pipe replaces the name of the link.  Let me know if this is what you were looking for or not.  Procyon 16:00, 3 November 2006 (CST)
 * He's referring to this diff. To set up a redirect, simply use the code #REDIRECT somewhere. However, it's better not to set up redirects at places like mech and infantry.  If more than one guide tries to use the same location (plenty of game's have mech's in them) it becomes a mess.  Just stick with the long names (look through some of the Dominions 3 pages for examples of really long names :P). -- Prod (Talk) 16:24, 3 November 2006 (CST)
 * You can also use relative names. For instance to link to Advance Wars: Dual Strike/COs you can just use ../COs to go up a level in the subpage hierarchy. You can also reach a subpage easily by entering /Page here/, which displays as typed (except without the slashes of course).

~

Questions regarding expansions and patches
Zero Hour is an example of an official expansion pack (to C&C Generals) that can be considered a game on its own (unlike The Sims expansions). It adds four new campaigns, 9 new playable factions, a tremendous amount of new units and weapons and several modifications to the original units, and is launched from a new window. My question is: does Zero Hour get its own article or is it put under the Generals article? Also, if gameplay has been heavily affected by a patch, as is the case with both Generals and Zero Hour, should the information provided be as of the latest patch or the original release?-- JYM 08:22, 15 November 2006 (CST)


 * Hi JYM. This topic has been a matter of discussion lately.  If you truly feel that this expansion pack is so distinct from the parent program that it expands upon, and you truly feel that it deserves its own page, then as the guide's starting author, you can go ahead and start it up as it's own guide.  However, if there is any reason to believe that a majority of the information about the expansion is addressed in the parent guide, what we would ideally like to do is create a section in the parent guide for expansions, while at the same time creating a main page for the expansion title that redirects to the parent guide's expansion page, and also properly categorizes the expansion so that it shows up as a distinct title in the category pages.  Ultimately, you as an authority on the subject can make that call, and from what you described above, it does sound as though this expansion merely uses the C&C engine to present a whole new game, so I would probably go the first route that I suggested and start a brand new guide.  Good luck!  Procyon 09:08, 15 November 2006 (CST)
 * Even non-standalone expansions or versions can be handled separately--see The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest; most of its pages are from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In the case of patches it really depends. If the patch is mandatory (e.g. Halo 2) then there's little reason to cover the old versions, but if the patch was optional and made enough changes that some players stick with the old method separate pages could be used for the affected content (e.g. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Cube recipes). But as Procyon said it's really down to the editors themselves to judge how connected they are. GarrettTalk 13:41, 15 November 2006 (CST)
 * I would say, use both :P. If it's a big "patch"/expansion then have the info under it's own page (such as StarCraft: Brood War) and have a shortcut at StarCraft/Brood War to the actual expansion.  If it's a small one, have StarCraft: Brood War redirect to StarCraft/Brood War.  This way, if the guide for the expansion grows, you can move it to it's own page with minimal cleanup required. -- Prod (Talk) 21:20, 15 November 2006 (CST)


 * It seems that Zero Hour deserves to be set in its own article. Thanks for your help, guys; I'll get started on ZH when I'm done with the Generals article. As for the patches, I'll cover the current versions of both games, but I'll make a note that the guides are written for the latest version (1.8 and 1.4). Eventually I'll throw in a list of severe balancing changes that were made over time with each game.--JYM 08:20, 17 November 2006 (CST)

Help New Member Needs to Correct Wrongness
I really wanted to expand SimCity 4's article after its shameful showing on Wikibooks. See, I wanted to replace the "Walkthrough" with a "Tutorial" (games like SC4 don't have walkthroughs), and to add information on the NAM, but I screwed up everything! (see bottom). Can you set up a page to have proper Wiki formats and templates and stuff...I'm so confused...Later, though, I can be a big help to you guys. Eventually Yoot Tower will be activated! Meowster 17:48, 14 December 2006 (CST)
 * I'm glad you're willing to keep trying. Adding links is done from the Table of Contents page, and they will automatically show up on all the guide pages (when showing the ToC).  If you need help with wiki-formatting, just try to write up the page the best you can, and one of us "regulars" should be able to help from there.  Happy editing :). -- Prod (Talk) 18:00, 14 December 2006 (CST)

New Request List
I just created a request list at Requests. Could you link this to Main Page? Meowster 13:10, 17 December 2006 (CST)
 * Personally, I'm not sure if this is the kind of idea we should encourage. The point of a wiki site is, if you don't see a game represented, you should feel free to start it yourself, and not rely on others to create a page for you.  Having a request page will deter people from contributing since they might figure that someone will come along and create a page for them when they might have been inclined to start one for themselves.  Procyon 13:15, 17 December 2006 (CST)
 * That or someone might be interested on working on a guide and look to see which is the most requested guide. And the page is already here. -- Prod (Talk) 14:09, 17 December 2006 (CST)

Tables
For the game Age of Mythology, I need to make a table to show things such as stats of units, god modifications, and counters. Could someone show me how to make a table? Ideally, if someone could, I'd like it to be like this-

_____________________________________________ You will need to go into editing to see it. Sorry. --Navy White 13:10, 25 December 2006 (CST)
 * Picture|__Name_______|Counters             |
 * |__Cost_______|                     |
 * | Stats      |                      |
 * _______|            |                      |
 * _____________________|______________________|
 * Modifiers           |Author's notes        |
 * _____________________|______________________|
 * _____________________|______________________|
 * _____________________|______________________|

How's this? -- Prod (Talk) 17:27, 25 December 2006 (CST)

It's awesome! Thanks!

Images
Are we allowed to use images from other sites? Screenshots count as official media, but is it okay if we borrow them from others, say, Gamespot? I already uploaded three images for the Star Fox Adventures guide from Gamespot's site. If it was wrong, how do I get rid of the images?--Wittj 22:42, 27 December 2006 (CST)
 * If they have a watermark from the site (like all the gamespot images...I forgot to check those) then no. If you want to use their images, you have to get rid of the watermark.  If you need to have the images deleted, use the delete tag, with a reason, and a sysop will delete the image. -- Prod (Talk) 22:49, 27 December 2006 (CST)

Where do I put this?
Hi, I have a strategy for beating the Midgar Zolom from Final Fantasy VII at a relatively low level (around level 21 or so), and as far as I've seen there isn't really a very detailed strategy. Problem is, I'm not entirely sure where to put it. Any ideas anyone?--Froglet 23:29, 3 January 2007 (CST)
 * It's been a while since I played that, but I'm guessing that Zolom was one of the bosses. I would probably say put it with the main battle with him as a secondary strategy for people who managed to get there at a lower level.  If there is enough low level strategies, it could all be put together in a speed run guide or something, but single strategies should go where they're used. -- Prod (Talk) 23:47, 3 January 2007 (CST)
 * I'm particularly interested in seeing "alternative" strategies, such as for beating a game with the most difficult setting, attempting to play with a low level or some kind of handicap, or attempting a speed run. For now, do as Prod recommended, but if you have a lot of material, I would recommend a brand new sub-guide. (We'll have to discuss how to best go about doing this.)  ech elon  23:50, 3 January 2007 (CST)

The Midgar Zolom was an optional monster that guards the entrance to the Mythril Mines - the only reason why anybody would take it on during the early parts of Disc One is because you can learn the enemy skill 'Beta' from it.--Froglet 02:23, 4 January 2007 (CST)
 * put it here between the mine and mideel and I'll make sure it gets linked in the proper places. --Argash 02:31, 4 January 2007 (CST)

Watchlist
When I add a game page to my watchlist, do all sub-pages under that game also become automatically watched, or do I have to add eage page individually? (eg: Grand Theft Auto/Walkthrough/Missions/Mission 1, etc...) --LeftHandedGuitarist 04:10, 12 January 2007 (CST)
 * You have to add them individually. To make it easier you can use Special:Prefixindex/Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas/Missions/ to get a complete list. -- Prod (Talk) 11:11, 12 January 2007 (CST)

Autoscroll
I don't know what this is, but I need a way to make the page automatically scroll down to one part of it, so I can keep a bunch of items on one page but when somebody clicks the link, they'll be directed to the part of the page they need.
 * Sounds to me like you need the toc. Just put a header, and when the person clicks the link at the top, it'll jump to the location of the header. -- Prod (Talk) 09:57, 16 January 2007 (CST)
 * Do you mean the automatic ToC at the top? --Navy White 10:36, 16 January 2007 (CST)
 * Yes, I do. Which page specifically are you talking about? -- Prod (Talk) 10:50, 16 January 2007 (CST)
 * If you want to link to a specific heading in a page, use link text . --DrBob (Talk) 11:25, 16 January 2007 (CST)

List Continuations
I'm working on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Guide, and I need to know how to continue numbered lists throughout subsections (for ease of browsing). Currently, whenever I start the list over again, it starts back at 1, instead of 11 or something. --19:30, 22 January 2007 (CST)
 * Must be done through HTML unfortunately (view the source). -- Prod (Talk) 19:50, 22 January 2007 (CST)

as
 * 1) asdf

I am having a similar problem here, except I want numbered lists that don't continue throughout the sub-headings. Do I do the same or do I do something different (I'm not entirely sure to go about it)?--Froglet 07:02, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * Numbered lists automatically restart if there is a space. Is this (below) what you wanted? -- Prod (Talk) 07:32, 3 February 2007 (CST)


 * a
 * b


 * c
 * d


 * ... something like that. I wanted the numbers to be there (1 through to 8 on the memory capsule/chapter1 part, and the dotpoint under it to be inline, as the dotpoint states what scene the capsule above it unlocks... yeah, it's tough to explain.--Froglet 07:39, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * Why don't you do a mockup in MS Paint or the like so we can visually see what you want? There's bound to be a way... GarrettTalk 13:32, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * Pure HTML always works.--Notmyhandle 13:58, 3 February 2007 (CST)

I did as suggested and made a mockup in paint and have uploaded it here, the stars represent dotpoints.


 * Ah, that's easy:


 * a
 * 1) * ab
 * b
 * 1) * bb


 * It's not aligned quite the same, but it works. As long as each line begins with a # and there are no blank lines inbetween the numbering won't restart. You can also have further levels of indenting along the same lines (just keep adding * or #). GarrettTalk 23:05, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * Alternatively, here's your breaks between the numbers, without interrupting the flow:


 * a
 * 1) * ab
 * b
 * 1) * bb
 * (I added the two  s for illustration.) Wiki uses the whitespace in your editing to determine when a break occurs between numbering.  But there's nothing stopping you from using HTML to force the issue, while at the same time convincing wiki that the list order should be preserved.
 * P.S. Froglet, when you want to link to an Image without displaying the image (or a Category without having the page end up being filed under that category), just stick a ":" in front of Image (or Category) to create the link. Procyon 10:33, 4 February 2007 (CST)

Maps
I'm working on Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, but I am getting a bit stuck in giving directions without maps. How do I get maps, especially of areas that take up more than the entire screen, off the game? I can't seem to find any maps from the internet. GameFAQs has an FAQ that has good maps, but they're all in plain text.--Froglet 22:59, 25 January 2007 (CST)
 * One way is with a digital camera, and stitch the images together....but that comes out really bad. The best way is with a tv-in card on your computer ($50-100 US I think). -- Prod (Talk) 23:04, 25 January 2007 (CST)
 * You can get one by Sabrient for $15 at newegg.com. I don't know about the quality, I was gonna get it but have yet to do so.  When you buy one, make sure your TV and computer is compatible (TV must have the right output cables (S-VID, etc.) and PC must have an extra PCI slot with enough room inside the case for the card). --Notmyhandle 23:19, 25 January 2007 (CST)
 * In all honesty, the best approach for this type of game would be to draw up some kind of 2D representation of the general area in your favorite art tool (Paint, Photoshop, GIMP). It takes work and dedication, but the result is better than a mish-mosh of disjoint pictures taken by a camera or screen capture device.  Essentially, you need to become to pioneer in this effort, since there really isn't any thing to copy from.  Procyon 06:29, 26 January 2007 (CST)

Would tracing the map onto pieces of paper, shrinking them using a photocopier and then scanning them be a viable alternative? I mean, they may be a little off scale, but it wouldn't matter that much, and it would look relatively good.--Froglet 07:11, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * Draw them on paper, scan them in, shrink them with the computer :P. However, this can get fairly mixed results, as trying to trace stuff off a computer/tv screen doesn't usually come out very well.  Using paint, it doesn't have to be an exact representation, but as long as major features are close to in place, it can still be a valuable drawing. -- Prod (Talk) 07:29, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * Yeah, I did this a long time ago in Paint, and it worked out fairly well. After using GIMP for as long as I have now, I'm sure I could do something better.  Man... I miss Bomberman 64, I should start playing that again.  Better yet, I should add an SW guide ^_^ Procyon 09:46, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * We know your name now... MWAHAHAHAHA. Nice work btw. --Notmyhandle 13:30, 3 February 2007 (CST)

User ID #
Does this signify how many members registered before me? Thus if I'm 100, 99 were before? --Notmyhandle 23:53, 27 January 2007 (CST)
 * Vaguely, but don't count on it. --DrBob (Talk) 02:39, 28 January 2007 (CST)

For regular members only: Wikipedia article draft
Hi everyone. Echelon asked me to help write a draft of an article that would be contributed to Wikipedia about StrategyWiki. Aside from the history (how the site began, which I'm not especially knowledgeable about), I have drafted two of the sections, the Mission and the Milestones. I think what I've done is very rough and in need of much improvement, but it should serve as a good foundation. It would mean a lot to this site if all of the regulars took a stab at molding and shaping it until we have an article worthy of depositing on Wikipedia. Have a go at it here: Wikipedia_Article. Thank you! Procyon 21:57, 2 February 2007 (CST)
 * The problem is notability. Unless outside sources have noted StrategyWiki, well then it is not supposed to exist on Wikipedia. --Notmyhandle 01:32, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * It needs to be notable so that it can be verifiable. I wouldn't bother putting an article about this site on there unless it has at least three outside sources (not here, or blogs, but gaming sites might due).  Or perhaps one major news story (like a cnn/nbc kind of thing).  As far as I know we've gotten some attention for challenging gamefaqs, but that isn't notability in itself. -- Mason11987 (Talk - Contributions) 08:29, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * What do you guys think of these sources? I am hesitant to say that they alone are enough, but I do think that they would serve well in our defense should our notability be challenged. If we need more sources, perhaps we can simply look into help--I know of a reporter at Wired, for instance.  ech elon  23:57, 3 February 2007 (CST)
 * I believe the key here is to get increasingly notable press for our project. I would like to start seeing GameFAQs regulars switching over to StrategyWiki; a Wikipedia article would only serve as an additional claim to our relevance, and though such would not be the ultimate measure of our project's worth I do believe it can and will serve as a talking point in converting GameFAQs contributors into StrategyWiki contributors. It is ultimately these people of whom we must garner the respect and support of. Random articles and Diggs may help us get more traffic, but they alone will not likely net us the hardcore contributors.  ech elon  00:07, 4 February 2007 (CST)
 * Maybe it's time we got slashdotted. Oh, and a better server while we're at it. GarrettTalk 01:34, 4 February 2007 (CST)


 * I think the Kotaku, MIT Convergence Culture Consortium, Joystiq, and perhaps lifehacker are all good don't bother with digg or delicious obviously.  It'll be a tough call to be sure on notability.  The only thing that could cause us problems is if we don't directly follow policy.  We can't attempt to game the system and using sockpuppets will sadly put our site in a more negative light.  I think we should start the article and use those three (perhaps four) articles as sources.  Ensure that all the information is sourced and meaningful to people outside of just this small group here.  -- Mason11987 (Talk - Contributions) 18:45, 4 February 2007 (CST)
 * I doubt the article will have much length, but why not give it a try. Even if it gets deleted eventually we can bring it back. --Notmyhandle 20:18, 4 February 2007 (CST)
 * Just to note, we do get classed in the top 100k websites according to Alexa, though thats only on Sundays... it'll take a little while before our 3 month avg is above 100k. -- Prod (Talk) 22:34, 4 February 2007 (CST)

Issue with Toolbox and Ad box - Firefox
When using Firefox and going into a guide page the side bar labeled Toolbox and Ads by Google will appear floating over the left side of the page actually on top of the text. I couldn't edit a page in Firefox because it was blocking the save button.
 * That was happening due to some server reconfiguration we were just doing, but it should be fixed now. :-) Thanks for reporting the issue. --DrBob (Talk) 11:40, 4 February 2007 (CST)
 * I told Ech about it before, I dunno if he was listening (in IRC). It also happens in IE sometimes, like I was editing a page and it kept covering the part I needed to see haha. --Notmyhandle 13:24, 4 February 2007 (CST)

What just happened?
Today I went to update Dirge of Cerberus, to find that several links of pages that another contributer and I have created and edited have dissappeared. The pages are still there, all content I added as far as i've seen has remained, but the links to them on the main page of the article are gone. Does anybody know of any reason why they disappeared? I don't think that it was others meddling would be the reason - I have had a brief look at it, and all I can see that was different from last night when I edited it was that Prod had reverted my prior editing (coz I made a stupid mistake).

Oh yes, I've just noticed that all the information I added for the 'unlockable features' section has dissappeared - everything. All that's left is a pink-coloured link.

Anybody have any ideas? I'm off to investigate.--Froglet 02:16, 6 February 2007 (CST)


 * Oh, I see... I thought that the Secrets and Unlockable features weren't big enough to warrant respective pages of their own, so I just kept them in one combined part of the guide - one part is for the bits that are unlocked, and another bit is how to get the hidden ending (look at DoC/Secrets).

Also, the guide had an equipment section that was removed and a new one was put in called weapons... why? Is there any technical reason these changes were made I should know of?--Froglet 02:31, 6 February 2007 (CST)


 * It seems to have happened when Prod reverted your removal of the walkthrough header link. Rather than undoing just that one edit it undid everything until it reached an edit that wasn't yours. I've restored the links now. GarrettTalk 03:33, 6 February 2007 (CST)

Thanks!--Froglet 04:28, 6 February 2007 (CST)
 * Oops, sorry about that. -- Prod (Talk) 09:15, 6 February 2007 (CST)