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== Backward compatibility ==


Currently, there is a consideration to add all platforms that a game is playable on to its infobox. This includes platforms that offer backward compatibility (for example, all PS4 games can be purchased on the PS5's digital storefront, even though those games were not made for the PS5). The question then becomes how to handle this for platforms that offer limited backward compatibility (for example, the original DS and DS Lite models could play all GBA games, but this feature was discontinued with the DSi). Any thoughts? --[[User:E-123Wario54|<span style="color:Purple">'''Wario'''</span>]]<sup>[[User talk:E-123Wario54|<span style="color:Blue">'''Talk'''</span>]]</sup> 19:01, 7 May 2021 (UTC)
:I think we should cover this information, but with BC being inconsistent, we would need some kind of clarification. I think the easiest solution is a template like {{t|bc|ps5}} in the infobox, which links to the <code>#Backwards compatibility</code> section on the relevant system's page, which can go into how BC is supported on that system. The infobox could look something like this:
:<pre>|systems=[[PlayStation 2]], {{bc|ps3}}</pre>
:A related question would be purpose-built backwards compatibility like [[Super Game Boy]], which allows you to play GB games on SNES. I think it supports everything that [[Game Boy]] supports, but some games have "special features", like special borders and colour schemes. Would these count as supported systems, or BC? -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 19:42, 7 May 2021 (UTC)
::Still hoping to get more feedback on this one. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 00:22, 12 September 2021 (UTC)
:::Now with {{t|syslist}}, perhaps we can have {{t|bclist}}? -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 23:06, 30 July 2022 (UTC)
:::I'm thinking the best course of action is probably having a <code>|bcsystems=</code> parameter in the infobox with a {{t|bcsyslist}} template. This way we can modify the layout in the future (either show it with the systems, or as a separate row), and we can have more unique categorization options for each system. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 02:41, 8 August 2022 (UTC)
:I think splitting them to two groups is fine. I would not treat hardware extensions like SGB the same as I would say the Wii playing GCN games. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 17:11, 23 March 2023 (UTC)


== Adding external links without being logged in is broken ==
A topic that came up on discord yesterday was the {{c|Wii Virtual Console}} situation where games were sold on new platforms, but using emulation. In particular the fact that without the category the main {{c|Wii}} category is filled with irrelevant entries. My opinion is that it was a mistake to remove the category, it is needed to keep the main system category free of clutter.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 17:53, 23 March 2023 (UTC)


First time I click save page, and the page reloads asking for a reCAPTCHA. After filling out the reCAPTCHA, the page reloads telling me I'm adding to many links in rapid succession and asks me to click save once more if I'm adding something serious. Clicking save once more reloads the page asking for yet another reCAPTCHA, and after that it reloads with the "adding too many links" message again. It continously goes back and forth between the two, and never actually gets to the point where it's saving my contribution. {{unsigned|84.202.106.243}}
== {{c|Multiplayer}} ==


== Would LaserTank be within the scope? ==
This category should be split up into more specific categories. At least the following:
* Local multiplayer
* Local co-op
* Local splitscreen multiplayer
* Local hotseat multiplayer
* Online multiplayer
* Online co-op
* MMO
Any others? -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 17:29, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
:Local splitscreen co-op, and maybe instead of "multiplayer" it should be "versus" or "PVP". Also it would be good to have a modelist template. -[[User:BrownDerby|BrownDerby]] ([[User talk:BrownDerby|talk]]) 19:21, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
::I'm still a bit concerned about the "co-op" term at all. It's really useful to know which games have a co-op mode, but a game has to have multiplayer in some form to allow it, so I'm not sure it exactly fits in with all the other options. Perhaps it should only be a single option that says "yes there is some form of multiplayer co-op".
::* Single player
::* Email multiplayer ([[Civilization]])
::* Multiplayer ([[Contra]])
::* Hot-seat multiplayer ([[Super Mario World]])
::* Split-screen multiplayer ([[GoldenEye 007]])
::* Online multiplayer
::* Massively multiplayer online
::* Co-op
::-- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 20:24, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
::: Going by this list, it looks like the "coop" designation is orthogonal to the rest. Coop describes the relationship between players, while the rest are how two players share the experience.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 08:12, 11 August 2022 (UTC)
::::Being orthogonal, we could either create categories for every intersection (with multiplayer, so 13 total) or keep it as a separate entry and people could search based on some kind of query (DPL or Cargo). I feel these 8 categories should be enough of a split for most purposes, or is it over-categorization already? -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 22:51, 23 March 2023 (UTC)


Would the game [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserTank LaserTank] be appropriate to add here? [[Special:Contributions/93.173.239.14|93.173.239.14]] 09:35, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
== Delete all {{c|Days}} ==
:This is a tough one. It falls under the non-commercial section, but most of the links on wikipedia are from the website itself or just discussions. The journal article is kinda interesting as an independent article, but a bit odd as it's not gaming related. Regarding alternatives, I found http://lasertankpedia.zdobywca.com/, https://lasertankkids.blogspot.com/, and https://lasertankkids.blogspot.com/. The first one seems to already have a lot of information about the game, so I'm not sure if it's a good idea to split the community. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 15:45, 15 October 2020 (UTC)


==Expanding [[StrategyWiki:Guide/Copyrights]] and image licensing==
As the various {{t|rd}} based templates are disappearing, nothing will be categorized by the days of the year. It makes sense to delete all the day sub-categories like {{c|January 1}}. This leaves the redirects, like [[January 1]]. Simplest would be to delink and delete them all. Does anyone see any potential uses for these pages otherwise? -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 00:09, 10 August 2022 (UTC)
Hello! I'm generally an editor for other wikis that has set up some projects here and as I soon intend to start another with integration of Wars Wiki, I would like to introduce a full set of image licensing to the site. Currently, the policy is to just assume all images are fair use unless listed otherwise, but I feel as though this not enough to appropriately cover all images--generally fair use is more acceptable when explicitly stated on every example. Not only this, but having specific templates is much more commonly used on other sites as well. Furthermore, specific licenses could help categorize images by type. The following licenses I would like to add are the following:
:Honestly no, these categories rarely helped unless someone wanted to know what games were released on their birthday.  I did wonder if a month/year category would be interesting, but probably only for people who religiously chronogame like I do, and I have other sources for that information.  I say let 'em go.  '''[[User:Procyon|<span style="color:red">Pro</span>]][[User talk:Procyon|<span style="color:grey">cyon</span>]]''' 01:07, 11 August 2022 (UTC)
*General/Miscellaneous
::I agree with the end of days. I think keep things in months as the smallest is fine. As for day pages, with the exception of April 1st which may have inter-site function (and should exclusively be used for that), games should not have listed days as links. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 17:11, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
**Copyright -- Catch-all for ambiguous or unknown copyrights
:::If you mean <tt>Category:March</tt>, I feel that's unnecessary since it doesn't really serve a purpose. If you mean at the year-specific level, like <tt>Category:March 2023</tt>, I feel it gets back to the original problem of us having verified data on specific months. Users shouldn't come to us as a source for release dates, even at a monthly level, the primary use of dates, since none of it is verified. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 22:22, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
**Artwork -- Art that may be from guides, advertisements, etc
:This is now done. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 06:59, 23 April 2023 (UTC)
**Sprite -- Game sprites and textures
**Model/Render -- For 3D models or generations
**Screenshot -- Game or web screenshots
**Box Art -- For game covers, cartridge art, etc
**Media -- For any audio or video files
*Alternate free licenses
**Creative Commons
**GFDL
**LGPL
**Public Domain
*Other
**Self -- For those that self release an image into Public Domain that they created
**Used with permission -- For images allowed to be used with permission from copyright holders (perhaps unlikely to be used)
**No license -- For images so basic that licensing does not apply (for example a 32x32 solid black square used as a bullet point)


Now you might be asking how this could even be accomplished. How could it ever be done? Well, Wikirby went through the same process earlier this year and the year prior and successfully took ALL files and properly updated their licensing, as well as major categorical, quality, and informational updates in the process. This would be a good way to ensure that everything is up to date, at an appropriate quality, and that there aren't perhaps accidental duplicate images of the same thing. I am confident that the methods used on the Wikirby platform ([https://wikirby.com/w/index.php?title=WiKirby:Project_Clean-Up&oldid=128373#Image_Licensing initial licensing section] / [https://wikirby.com/wiki/WiKirby:Project_Clean-Up now, with 0] can work here with enough effort. I expect this to be a lengthy project, but it will be extremely useful when completed. If you have questions, feel free to ask me here or on discord. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 20:59, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
== Fully gut supporting unplayable games ==
:I can't say I'm an expert in any of this, so I'll mostly leave it to more knowledgeable people than I to really make any decisions. My chief concerns are: achievement images, since these are hard to acquire except from specific sites; screenshots, which are the bread and butter of most guides; and artwork images that you can't really get from a screenshot alone. As long as modifying the licensing doesn't make it too hard to acquire these images, then I'm sure whatever works, works. [[User:Arrow|Arrow Windwhistler]] ([[User talk:Arrow|talk]]) 22:29, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
::There would be absolutely no change to the means of obtaining or uploading images, with the sole exception of adding another template to the upload screen. It's not any more or less than what is currently done now, except being a lot clearer that this is what is being done to obtain the image. Some websites, and as I intend to add as well, also allow a source section to the license so you can link where you may have obtained an image. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 23:55, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
:I like the idea of having proper templates for each license, but a lot of those headings aren't "copyright" related. Artwork isn't a copyright description, it's a description of the content. Someone releasing something under "self" doesn't necessarily need to release to PD. And "No license" essentially means "Public domain".
:I feel this description mixes a few different concepts: Source, content classification and copyrights. Source is hard to update after the fact and we already have [[:Category:Images|content classification]]. However, as you mention our copyright coverage is lacking. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 00:30, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
::Apologies for the delay, as I have been somewhat busy until now. I understand your point, and could perhaps rephrase this to be described another way--licenses should be created to reflect the classifications. Seeing as StrategyWiki has a little more specific amounts of classifications, they should be reflective of these categories. The licenses themselves are mostly to fully affirm that this piece of artwork is copyrighted but declared fair use because of conditions as opposed to this file is fair use as opposed to conditions. The main body of the license would be similar to the following:
<div align=center>
{| style="width: 80%; text-align: center; border: 3px solid red; border-radius:10px; background-color:#ff9999" cellpadding="3"
|-
| (Copyright symbol)
|style="text-align:left"|This image is (Content Classification), most likely from a video game. Its copyright is most likely held by the illustrator, publisher, or company associated with its franchise of origin. It is believed to qualify as '''[[Wikipedia:Fair use|fair use]] under [[Wikipedia:Copyright law of the United States|United States copyright law]]''' because:


*It is used in a non-commercial setting, and therefore is not being used to generate profit in this context
It does not make sense that we host coverage of games that are [[:Category:Unplayable games|no longer playable in any capacity]]. Many of these guides were not even well completed either. I would like to nominate the deletion of all to most existing unplayable titles, and implementing a policy that would remove game that have shut down or recently become unplayable otherwise to be deleted after 1 month of its closure. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 17:11, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
*Its use here does not significantly impede the right of the copyright holder to sell the copyrighted material
:We should absolutely keep the front pages. The games existed, and we should show that we know of their (one-time) existence. I can see validity to discussing purging all subpages, but some of these games do come back as abandonware. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 22:55, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
*It is used in a largely unaltered state, where any editing has been done purely for cosmetic/display purposes
::And if they do, the main page can be undeleted. Nonexistant/unplayable titles are for Wikipedia, not StrategyWiki. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 02:29, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
*The original content of the image has not been modified, and it is not a derivative work
:::Bumping this conversation. Since then, I have also added several more titles to the list that weren't initially marked for unplayability. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 13:10, 18 April 2023 (UTC)
|}</div>
::::Maybe it'd be better to have just made a new section, but I remain firm that we should remove these titles and they are not applicable to our scope. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 05:20, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
::Essentially, this description which is the copyright remains about the same, and the differences in template is the differences in describing the content classification. Is that better? [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig]] - 17:45, 3 December 2020 (UTC)
 
== Virtual Console ==
 
A discussion was had recently in the Discord about Virtual Console. To be more clear, in a categorical sense, games that were purchasable via Nintendo's Virtual Console should not list the console purchased on a game's infobox. An example is [[Albert Odyssey]] (1993), which while playable via the Super Famicom and Satellaview, were also able to be downloaded on the Japanese Virtual Consoles for Wii and Wii U. These Virtual Console releases are simply emulation, so I believe a consensus should be reached on whether the modern consoles names are completely removed, kept on there, or if a new category for Virtual Consoles should be added.
[[User:Auxillify|Auxillify]] ([[User talk:Auxillify|talk]]) 22:01, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
:Wii VC and similar were all removed since they're more like distributors than systems. You still play the game on your Wii system, though it is emulated (officially provided by the manufacturer, rather than 3rd party). There's a lot of systems that would need to be (re)created to re-categorize like this, and I'm not sure they're all as simple as running through an emulator.
:* [[Nintendo Switch Online]] + Expansion Pack
:* [[PlayStation Network]]
:* [[Xbox Live Arcade]]
:* [[Wii Virtual Console]]
:* [[Wii U Virtual Console]]
:* [[Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console]]
:One idea brought up on discord was to handle these like the [[Super Game Boy]]. Categorize them, but don't list them in the infobox. They're similar to accessories to the base system that provide additional functionality (playing old games). -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 23:14, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
::I think VC should be identified as a sales platform and not a system, similar to Steam.  Steam isn't a system, it's a distribution point.  (To complicate matters more, we don't identify Steam games as belonging to the PC system, we say they're Windows and/or Linux games).  We used to have this distinction in the Infobox but then it went away.  I think it's a useful distinction, and I'd be in favor of bringing it back.  Yeah it can become a headache to maintain all of the sources where a game can come from, but that's the point of the wiki; it's a collaborative effort, and it can be achieved through enough users' efforts. '''[[User:Procyon|<span style="color:red">Pro</span>]][[User talk:Procyon|<span style="color:grey">cyon</span>]]''' 00:51, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
 
==Mods are Asleep==
Write [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klondike_lost_game.jpg klondike] walkthroughs. --[[Special:Contributions/45.72.205.4|45.72.205.4]] '''04:17, 1 April 2023 (UTC)'''
 
== Syscat/data.json ==
 
"360" for Xbox 360 doesn't work. -[[User:BrownDerby|BrownDerby]] ([[User talk:BrownDerby|talk]]) 04:25, 18 April 2023 (UTC)
:I believe this should be fixed now. Thanks for bringing it up! -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 05:37, 18 April 2023 (UTC)
 
Please add "pv1000" and "pv2000" for Casio PV-1000 and Casio PV-2000. -[[User:BrownDerby|BrownDerby]] ([[User talk:BrownDerby|talk]]) 21:30, 2 April 2024 (UTC)
:Done. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 05:59, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 
== pokemon red generation 1 online trading ==
 
I recently started playing Pokémon generation 1 - red, and i wanted to know if there is any way I can trade online to complete pokedex?
thank you!
[[User:Bentho|Bentho]] ([[User talk:Bentho|talk]]) 06:18, 23 April 2023 (UTC)bentho
:This really isn't an area of expertise for StrategyWiki.  It's unclear by what method you are attempting to do this, but regardless, you would be better served posting this question to the r/pokemon subreddit on Reddit, as they are more likely to know the answer to your question.  '''[[User:Procyon|<span style="color:red">Pro</span>]][[User talk:Procyon|<span style="color:grey">cyon</span>]]''' 02:56, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
 
== Image Category updates ==
 
[[:Category:Company logos]] and [[:Category:System logos]] are currently in [[:Category:Logos]]
Category:Logos directly seems to contain a mix of series and game-specific logos (mobile games).
 
I'd like to suggest we get rid of Category:Logos, and split it into the following 4 categories:
* [[:Category:Logos (game)]]
* [[:Category:Logos (series)]]
* [[:Category:Logos (company)]]
* [[:Category:Logos (system)]]
-- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 19:30, 11 May 2023 (UTC)
 
::I retort with have all five. There will always be outliers and exceptions, plus it makes sense to have a unifying root category anyway. Logos/Game logos/Series logos/Company logos/System logos. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig Jegman]] - 20:32, 11 May 2023 (UTC)
 
== RetroAchievements inclusion ==
 
So, since RetroAchievements is a way to enjoy even more RetroGames, and that people on RA would be looking for guides of Retro games, why not include and add achievements/achievements guides to the related games pages?
 
[[User:Arkhane|Arkhane]] ([[User talk:Arkhane|talk]]) 18:54, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 
== Policy on WebP images? ==
 
I notice that [[Help:Images#Image_Formats|the policy on image formats]] does not mention [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebP WebP]. I assume PNGs are currently preferred over WebP for lossless raster images, correct? [[User:Iridium Context|Iridium Context]] ([[User talk:Iridium Context|talk]]) 16:28, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
:It's generally better to stick to the original format an image is available in. I believe webp uploads are allowed, so if the image comes in that format it should be fine. It would be better not to convert to webp as it doesn't have as widespread support as the other formats. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 22:08, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
 
== Proper image classification for sprites masquerading as 3D models? ==
 
[[Skaphander: Der Auftrag]] treats enemies and items as points (not polygonal models) in the 3D scene and renders them as distance-scaled sprites at the appropriate place in the Z order. For example, see [https://www.myabandonware.com/media/screenshots/s/skaphander-der-auftrag-xzt/skaphander-der-auftrag_5.png this screenshot], where the viruses look like 3D models to try to blend in with the rest of the scene (which is true 3D), but if you look closely, they're actually both the same sprite just at different scales. Is "sprite" still the correct [[Template:File#Parameters|image type]] to use for uploads even if these are not sprites used in the traditional sense? [[User:Iridium Context|Iridium Context]] ([[User talk:Iridium Context|talk]]) 16:29, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
 
:I would say they probably qualify still as sprites, yes. [[User:Trig Jegman|Trig Jegman]] - 19:32, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
 
== Content variation by difficulty level? ==
 
At [[Skaphander: Der Auftrag]] I was thinking it would be nice to vary the walkthrough text and images by difficulty level, a lot like is done with {{t|Control selector}} and {{t|Control}} for different platforms, rather than constantly having to describe three possible cases (easy, medium, and hard) in the prose. However, those templates rely on [[MediaWiki:Gadget-ControlSelector.js]] to function. I could abuse it, making templates that provide a controller selector reskinned to look like a difficulty selector, but that wouldn't work if some hypothetical game wants to vary page content by both platform and difficulty level. Would StrategyWiki be open to having a new JavaScript gadget to support a {{t|Difficulty selector}}/{{t|Difficulty}} pair that plays nicely with the controls templates? I would be willing to write the JavaScript, and I would keep it short and readable so that it could be reviewed to allay any security concerns. [[User:Iridium Context|Iridium Context]] ([[User talk:Iridium Context|talk]]) 15:13, 18 November 2023 (UTC)
:I'm not a fan of hiding content with js. With controls, it's not a big deal for someone to figure out an associated control if the wrong one is showing. But with walkthrough content, it could be frustrating if someone didn't notice the selector switch. Depending on how different the difficulty variations are, it could be simpler to just have sidebars to explain the differences (small changes), separate different sections on each page (large changes), or even separate pages for each difficulty (extensive changes). -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 22:12, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
 
== Attribute anonymous edit ==
 
Hi there, I just made an edit but forgot to log in. Is there any chance it could be linked to my username instead of the IP? The edit was at [[Battlefield 3/Table of Contents]]. Thank you. [[User:Hypolar|Hypolar]] ([[User talk:Hypolar|talk]]) 17:39, 24 November 2023 (UTC)
:Unfortunately, it's not really straightforward to re-attribute edits. If you're concerned about the IP being visible, we can hide the IP. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 22:14, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
::Yes, if you could hide it please that would be great, thank you! [[User:Hypolar|Hypolar]] ([[User talk:Hypolar|talk]]) 23:15, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
:::Done. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 01:26, 26 November 2023 (UTC)
::::Thank you so much! [[User:Hypolar|Hypolar]] ([[User talk:Hypolar|talk]]) 12:01, 26 November 2023 (UTC)
 
== SVG, Motion Control, Mouse 4 & 5, PS Vita, and Steam button icons ==
# I'd like to have the button icons to be in SVG file format because it is less blurry than PNG or JPG.<br>
# The Wii button template only has a shake icon for the Wii Remote, but there needs to be more motion control icons like tilt, thrust, and shake for each template that supports motion controls.<br>
# There are two mouse buttons on the side known as "Mouse 4" and "Mouse 5". It would be nice to include those two buttons in the mouse template.<br>
# I already did the L & R PlayStation buttons, but all I need next is the Rear Touch Pad on the PS Vita.<br>
# Valve's games' controls are different on Steam Controller and Steam Deck from their console versions, so it would be nice to include Steam Controller and Steam Deck button icons.<br>
[[User:Gorilli09|Gorilli09]] ([[User talk:Gorilli09|talk]]) 11:14, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
 
:# Great.  When you find any, let us know and we'll import them.
:# Again, find a good source for them and we'll import them.
:# What games use a 4th and 5th mouse button?  And how would you even represent them?
:# Find a model for what a rear touch pad icon should look like.
:# What's unique about Steam Deck and Steam Controllers that an X-Box One controller doesn't have?
:This stuff doesn't appear out of thin air.  Someone would actually have to make all of this, and I'm a little uncertain as to how useful they would be under general circumstances.  '''[[User:Procyon|<span style="color:red">Pro</span>]][[User talk:Procyon|<span style="color:grey">cyon</span>]]''' 01:41, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
::I have a set of icons for the Steam Deck that I'll upload when I can get around to them. I do have icon sets for PS3/PS4/PS5/Vita, but they have different colour schemes between them, and are very different from all our other styles. They're also all PNG. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 03:54, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
:::I tried making SVG versions of Switch button icons, but it looks like the MW software just turns it into a PNG anyway. Some of them might work as HTML + CSS, though. [[User:Wanderer|Wanderer]] ([[User talk:Wanderer|talk]]) 01:17, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
::::The mediawiki software will convert it to png, but it'll scale it first, so it should still have many of the SVG benefits. MediaWiki will support native SVG starting in 1.41, but it may be some time before we can enable that setting. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 01:05, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 
==Launchbox Images==
 
Hello! Just wanted to ask a question regarding images from LaunchBox Games Database. Are they off-limits? Can I use specific ones? Please let me know. Thank you for your time. [[User:GamingBound|GamingBound]] ([[User talk:GamingBound|talk]]) 13:13, 15 February 2024 (UTC)
 
== Suggestion: Steam link in game infobox ==
 
E.G. |steam=2731870 would link to [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2731870/ this]. This could also automatically link to [https://pcgamingwiki.com/api/appid.php?appid=2731870 PCGW]. -[[User:BrownDerby|BrownDerby]] ([[User talk:BrownDerby|talk]]) 17:00, 19 February 2024 (UTC)
:I've avoided linking steam directly since I'd rather leave it to users to figure out how to procure their games, without promoting a specific storefront. Steam is the largest online game store, and is generally just a search away, so I don't think the additional effort from editors would help users as much. One thing I've been considering is linking to archive.org's archives of some of the very old games that are much harder to find these days, which are playable online ([https://archive.org/details/msdos_Super_Solvers_Treasure_Mountain_1990 example]). I've been tempted to remove <s>Twitter</s>X (28 uses) due to recent changes on the platform, and re-assessing twitch (37 uses)/fb (18 uses) as well.
:I'd be much more inclined to link to [[wikidata:Property:P9075|wikidata]] though, which should be available for all games, not just PC. They currently link to almost 3k of our guides, so it wouldn't be too hard to have a bot connect those up. However, most of those are from PCGW already. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 01:27, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 
== Creating too many articles at a time ==
 
I'm getting concerned about getting banned on the website, because I created too many articles at a time. Is this a problem? [[User:Gorilli09|Gorilli09]] ([[User talk:Gorilli09|talk]]) 15:44, 26 March 2024 (UTC)
: What matters is not quantity, but quality. And we are lenient on good faith edits.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]])
:Your edits are positive, so low chance of being banned. However, if you could fill in the main pages a bit, that would be appreciated. Just a few sentences about the release (contents of the infobox in sentence form) and maybe a paragraph of what gameplay is like would help a lot. -- [[User:Prod|Prod]] ([[User talk:Prod|talk]]) 20:52, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

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Welcome to all users! This page is where you can ask StrategyWiki-related questions to the staff and senior community figures, and they will do their best to answer. New issues are entered here, with the most recent at the bottom of the page. If your question does not pertain to editing StrategyWiki (e.g. asking for hints or game-specific information), please ask on the guide's talk page or on the forums.

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 four tildes: ~~~~).

Backward compatibility[edit]

Currently, there is a consideration to add all platforms that a game is playable on to its infobox. This includes platforms that offer backward compatibility (for example, all PS4 games can be purchased on the PS5's digital storefront, even though those games were not made for the PS5). The question then becomes how to handle this for platforms that offer limited backward compatibility (for example, the original DS and DS Lite models could play all GBA games, but this feature was discontinued with the DSi). Any thoughts? --WarioTalk 19:01, 7 May 2021 (UTC)

I think we should cover this information, but with BC being inconsistent, we would need some kind of clarification. I think the easiest solution is a template like {{bc|ps5}} in the infobox, which links to the #Backwards compatibility section on the relevant system's page, which can go into how BC is supported on that system. The infobox could look something like this:
|systems=[[PlayStation 2]], {{bc|ps3}}
A related question would be purpose-built backwards compatibility like Super Game Boy, which allows you to play GB games on SNES. I think it supports everything that Game Boy supports, but some games have "special features", like special borders and colour schemes. Would these count as supported systems, or BC? -- Prod (talk) 19:42, 7 May 2021 (UTC)
Still hoping to get more feedback on this one. -- Prod (talk) 00:22, 12 September 2021 (UTC)
Now with {{syslist}}, perhaps we can have {{bclist}}? -- Prod (talk) 23:06, 30 July 2022 (UTC)
I'm thinking the best course of action is probably having a |bcsystems= parameter in the infobox with a {{bcsyslist}} template. This way we can modify the layout in the future (either show it with the systems, or as a separate row), and we can have more unique categorization options for each system. -- Prod (talk) 02:41, 8 August 2022 (UTC)
I think splitting them to two groups is fine. I would not treat hardware extensions like SGB the same as I would say the Wii playing GCN games. Trig - 17:11, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

A topic that came up on discord yesterday was the Wii Virtual Console situation where games were sold on new platforms, but using emulation. In particular the fact that without the category the main Wii category is filled with irrelevant entries. My opinion is that it was a mistake to remove the category, it is needed to keep the main system category free of clutter.--Henke37 (talk) 17:53, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

Multiplayer[edit]

This category should be split up into more specific categories. At least the following:

  • Local multiplayer
  • Local co-op
  • Local splitscreen multiplayer
  • Local hotseat multiplayer
  • Online multiplayer
  • Online co-op
  • MMO

Any others? -- Prod (talk) 17:29, 28 July 2022 (UTC)

Local splitscreen co-op, and maybe instead of "multiplayer" it should be "versus" or "PVP". Also it would be good to have a modelist template. -BrownDerby (talk) 19:21, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
I'm still a bit concerned about the "co-op" term at all. It's really useful to know which games have a co-op mode, but a game has to have multiplayer in some form to allow it, so I'm not sure it exactly fits in with all the other options. Perhaps it should only be a single option that says "yes there is some form of multiplayer co-op".
-- Prod (talk) 20:24, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
Going by this list, it looks like the "coop" designation is orthogonal to the rest. Coop describes the relationship between players, while the rest are how two players share the experience.--Henke37 (talk) 08:12, 11 August 2022 (UTC)
Being orthogonal, we could either create categories for every intersection (with multiplayer, so 13 total) or keep it as a separate entry and people could search based on some kind of query (DPL or Cargo). I feel these 8 categories should be enough of a split for most purposes, or is it over-categorization already? -- Prod (talk) 22:51, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

Delete all Days[edit]

As the various {{rd}} based templates are disappearing, nothing will be categorized by the days of the year. It makes sense to delete all the day sub-categories like January 1. This leaves the redirects, like January 1. Simplest would be to delink and delete them all. Does anyone see any potential uses for these pages otherwise? -- Prod (talk) 00:09, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Honestly no, these categories rarely helped unless someone wanted to know what games were released on their birthday. I did wonder if a month/year category would be interesting, but probably only for people who religiously chronogame like I do, and I have other sources for that information. I say let 'em go. Procyon 01:07, 11 August 2022 (UTC)
I agree with the end of days. I think keep things in months as the smallest is fine. As for day pages, with the exception of April 1st which may have inter-site function (and should exclusively be used for that), games should not have listed days as links. Trig - 17:11, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
If you mean Category:March, I feel that's unnecessary since it doesn't really serve a purpose. If you mean at the year-specific level, like Category:March 2023, I feel it gets back to the original problem of us having verified data on specific months. Users shouldn't come to us as a source for release dates, even at a monthly level, the primary use of dates, since none of it is verified. -- Prod (talk) 22:22, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
This is now done. -- Prod (talk) 06:59, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

Fully gut supporting unplayable games[edit]

It does not make sense that we host coverage of games that are no longer playable in any capacity. Many of these guides were not even well completed either. I would like to nominate the deletion of all to most existing unplayable titles, and implementing a policy that would remove game that have shut down or recently become unplayable otherwise to be deleted after 1 month of its closure. Trig - 17:11, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

We should absolutely keep the front pages. The games existed, and we should show that we know of their (one-time) existence. I can see validity to discussing purging all subpages, but some of these games do come back as abandonware. -- Prod (talk) 22:55, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
And if they do, the main page can be undeleted. Nonexistant/unplayable titles are for Wikipedia, not StrategyWiki. Trig - 02:29, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
Bumping this conversation. Since then, I have also added several more titles to the list that weren't initially marked for unplayability. Trig - 13:10, 18 April 2023 (UTC)
Maybe it'd be better to have just made a new section, but I remain firm that we should remove these titles and they are not applicable to our scope. Trig - 05:20, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Virtual Console[edit]

A discussion was had recently in the Discord about Virtual Console. To be more clear, in a categorical sense, games that were purchasable via Nintendo's Virtual Console should not list the console purchased on a game's infobox. An example is Albert Odyssey (1993), which while playable via the Super Famicom and Satellaview, were also able to be downloaded on the Japanese Virtual Consoles for Wii and Wii U. These Virtual Console releases are simply emulation, so I believe a consensus should be reached on whether the modern consoles names are completely removed, kept on there, or if a new category for Virtual Consoles should be added. Auxillify (talk) 22:01, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

Wii VC and similar were all removed since they're more like distributors than systems. You still play the game on your Wii system, though it is emulated (officially provided by the manufacturer, rather than 3rd party). There's a lot of systems that would need to be (re)created to re-categorize like this, and I'm not sure they're all as simple as running through an emulator.
One idea brought up on discord was to handle these like the Super Game Boy. Categorize them, but don't list them in the infobox. They're similar to accessories to the base system that provide additional functionality (playing old games). -- Prod (talk) 23:14, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
I think VC should be identified as a sales platform and not a system, similar to Steam. Steam isn't a system, it's a distribution point. (To complicate matters more, we don't identify Steam games as belonging to the PC system, we say they're Windows and/or Linux games). We used to have this distinction in the Infobox but then it went away. I think it's a useful distinction, and I'd be in favor of bringing it back. Yeah it can become a headache to maintain all of the sources where a game can come from, but that's the point of the wiki; it's a collaborative effort, and it can be achieved through enough users' efforts. Procyon 00:51, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

Mods are Asleep[edit]

Write klondike walkthroughs. --45.72.205.4 04:17, 1 April 2023 (UTC)

Syscat/data.json[edit]

"360" for Xbox 360 doesn't work. -BrownDerby (talk) 04:25, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

I believe this should be fixed now. Thanks for bringing it up! -- Prod (talk) 05:37, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

Please add "pv1000" and "pv2000" for Casio PV-1000 and Casio PV-2000. -BrownDerby (talk) 21:30, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Done. -- Prod (talk) 05:59, 3 April 2024 (UTC)

pokemon red generation 1 online trading[edit]

I recently started playing Pokémon generation 1 - red, and i wanted to know if there is any way I can trade online to complete pokedex? thank you! Bentho (talk) 06:18, 23 April 2023 (UTC)bentho

This really isn't an area of expertise for StrategyWiki. It's unclear by what method you are attempting to do this, but regardless, you would be better served posting this question to the r/pokemon subreddit on Reddit, as they are more likely to know the answer to your question. Procyon 02:56, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

Image Category updates[edit]

Category:Company logos and Category:System logos are currently in Category:Logos Category:Logos directly seems to contain a mix of series and game-specific logos (mobile games).

I'd like to suggest we get rid of Category:Logos, and split it into the following 4 categories:

-- Prod (talk) 19:30, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

I retort with have all five. There will always be outliers and exceptions, plus it makes sense to have a unifying root category anyway. Logos/Game logos/Series logos/Company logos/System logos. Trig Jegman - 20:32, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

RetroAchievements inclusion[edit]

So, since RetroAchievements is a way to enjoy even more RetroGames, and that people on RA would be looking for guides of Retro games, why not include and add achievements/achievements guides to the related games pages?

Arkhane (talk) 18:54, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

Policy on WebP images?[edit]

I notice that the policy on image formats does not mention WebP. I assume PNGs are currently preferred over WebP for lossless raster images, correct? Iridium Context (talk) 16:28, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

It's generally better to stick to the original format an image is available in. I believe webp uploads are allowed, so if the image comes in that format it should be fine. It would be better not to convert to webp as it doesn't have as widespread support as the other formats. -- Prod (talk) 22:08, 25 November 2023 (UTC)

Proper image classification for sprites masquerading as 3D models?[edit]

Skaphander: Der Auftrag treats enemies and items as points (not polygonal models) in the 3D scene and renders them as distance-scaled sprites at the appropriate place in the Z order. For example, see this screenshot, where the viruses look like 3D models to try to blend in with the rest of the scene (which is true 3D), but if you look closely, they're actually both the same sprite just at different scales. Is "sprite" still the correct image type to use for uploads even if these are not sprites used in the traditional sense? Iridium Context (talk) 16:29, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

I would say they probably qualify still as sprites, yes. Trig Jegman - 19:32, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

Content variation by difficulty level?[edit]

At Skaphander: Der Auftrag I was thinking it would be nice to vary the walkthrough text and images by difficulty level, a lot like is done with {{Control selector}} and {{Control}} for different platforms, rather than constantly having to describe three possible cases (easy, medium, and hard) in the prose. However, those templates rely on MediaWiki:Gadget-ControlSelector.js to function. I could abuse it, making templates that provide a controller selector reskinned to look like a difficulty selector, but that wouldn't work if some hypothetical game wants to vary page content by both platform and difficulty level. Would StrategyWiki be open to having a new JavaScript gadget to support a {{Difficulty selector}}/{{Difficulty}} pair that plays nicely with the controls templates? I would be willing to write the JavaScript, and I would keep it short and readable so that it could be reviewed to allay any security concerns. Iridium Context (talk) 15:13, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

I'm not a fan of hiding content with js. With controls, it's not a big deal for someone to figure out an associated control if the wrong one is showing. But with walkthrough content, it could be frustrating if someone didn't notice the selector switch. Depending on how different the difficulty variations are, it could be simpler to just have sidebars to explain the differences (small changes), separate different sections on each page (large changes), or even separate pages for each difficulty (extensive changes). -- Prod (talk) 22:12, 25 November 2023 (UTC)

Attribute anonymous edit[edit]

Hi there, I just made an edit but forgot to log in. Is there any chance it could be linked to my username instead of the IP? The edit was at Battlefield 3/Table of Contents. Thank you. Hypolar (talk) 17:39, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

Unfortunately, it's not really straightforward to re-attribute edits. If you're concerned about the IP being visible, we can hide the IP. -- Prod (talk) 22:14, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
Yes, if you could hide it please that would be great, thank you! Hypolar (talk) 23:15, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
Done. -- Prod (talk) 01:26, 26 November 2023 (UTC)
Thank you so much! Hypolar (talk) 12:01, 26 November 2023 (UTC)

SVG, Motion Control, Mouse 4 & 5, PS Vita, and Steam button icons[edit]

  1. I'd like to have the button icons to be in SVG file format because it is less blurry than PNG or JPG.
  2. The Wii button template only has a shake icon for the Wii Remote, but there needs to be more motion control icons like tilt, thrust, and shake for each template that supports motion controls.
  3. There are two mouse buttons on the side known as "Mouse 4" and "Mouse 5". It would be nice to include those two buttons in the mouse template.
  4. I already did the L & R PlayStation buttons, but all I need next is the Rear Touch Pad on the PS Vita.
  5. Valve's games' controls are different on Steam Controller and Steam Deck from their console versions, so it would be nice to include Steam Controller and Steam Deck button icons.

Gorilli09 (talk) 11:14, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

  1. Great. When you find any, let us know and we'll import them.
  2. Again, find a good source for them and we'll import them.
  3. What games use a 4th and 5th mouse button? And how would you even represent them?
  4. Find a model for what a rear touch pad icon should look like.
  5. What's unique about Steam Deck and Steam Controllers that an X-Box One controller doesn't have?
This stuff doesn't appear out of thin air. Someone would actually have to make all of this, and I'm a little uncertain as to how useful they would be under general circumstances. Procyon 01:41, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
I have a set of icons for the Steam Deck that I'll upload when I can get around to them. I do have icon sets for PS3/PS4/PS5/Vita, but they have different colour schemes between them, and are very different from all our other styles. They're also all PNG. -- Prod (talk) 03:54, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
I tried making SVG versions of Switch button icons, but it looks like the MW software just turns it into a PNG anyway. Some of them might work as HTML + CSS, though. Wanderer (talk) 01:17, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
The mediawiki software will convert it to png, but it'll scale it first, so it should still have many of the SVG benefits. MediaWiki will support native SVG starting in 1.41, but it may be some time before we can enable that setting. -- Prod (talk) 01:05, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Launchbox Images[edit]

Hello! Just wanted to ask a question regarding images from LaunchBox Games Database. Are they off-limits? Can I use specific ones? Please let me know. Thank you for your time. GamingBound (talk) 13:13, 15 February 2024 (UTC)

Suggestion: Steam link in game infobox[edit]

E.G. |steam=2731870 would link to this. This could also automatically link to PCGW. -BrownDerby (talk) 17:00, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

I've avoided linking steam directly since I'd rather leave it to users to figure out how to procure their games, without promoting a specific storefront. Steam is the largest online game store, and is generally just a search away, so I don't think the additional effort from editors would help users as much. One thing I've been considering is linking to archive.org's archives of some of the very old games that are much harder to find these days, which are playable online (example). I've been tempted to remove TwitterX (28 uses) due to recent changes on the platform, and re-assessing twitch (37 uses)/fb (18 uses) as well.
I'd be much more inclined to link to wikidata though, which should be available for all games, not just PC. They currently link to almost 3k of our guides, so it wouldn't be too hard to have a bot connect those up. However, most of those are from PCGW already. -- Prod (talk) 01:27, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Creating too many articles at a time[edit]

I'm getting concerned about getting banned on the website, because I created too many articles at a time. Is this a problem? Gorilli09 (talk) 15:44, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

What matters is not quantity, but quality. And we are lenient on good faith edits.--Henke37 (talk)
Your edits are positive, so low chance of being banned. However, if you could fill in the main pages a bit, that would be appreciated. Just a few sentences about the release (contents of the infobox in sentence form) and maybe a paragraph of what gameplay is like would help a lot. -- Prod (talk) 20:52, 26 March 2024 (UTC)
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