User talk:DrBob/1

"Manoeuverability"

I changed it because manoeuverability isn't a word that is easily read at first try. I scanned through the sentence and put in "maneuvers at your pick" to make it easier to read, at least for me. Feel free to edit it back if you think otherwise.--Dan 13:18, 26 May 2006 (PDT)

Sorry for re-adding links

I thought that my edits just didn't end up getting saved, I didn't realize someone has removed them. Can you please epxlain to me how I make sub-pages though? I'd be more than happy to make them for Diablo II:Lord of Destruction if you tell me how.

-Azura

P.S. - Sorry If I'm doing this incorrectly. I think this is the proper way to reply, but I'm not sure.

A better method of replying is just to reply in your own talk page, using a colon and space before your reply to indent it. :-) Another good thing to do is sign your messages, using the signature button in the edit toolbar. Your edits were saved fine, but I removed all the links. To make sub-pages, simply create links to them (e.g. Diablo II: Lord Of Destruction/Kashya), follow the links, and create the page as you would any other page. (Or you could go straight to the URL, but it's easier to make the link first.) I removed the links instead of changing them to sub-pages as I didn't know if – for example – you wanted Diablo II: Lord Of Destruction/Characters/Kashya, or Diablo II: Lord Of Destruction/Kashya — it all depends on how you want things organised, and that's not up to me. --DrBob 15:18, 29 May 2006 (PDT)

Why have a category for individual Days?

In wikipedia, you often link to the day and year of something just as a novelty, and you'll often have a category for movies released in 1999, etc. It's useful to look up games or movies by a specific year to observe trends and see what it's comparable to. But categorizing games by the days on which they were released just seems fairly ridiculous, and the overlap of April 2nd games for example is just likely to be meaningless.--BigCow 21:40, 16 June 2006 (PDT)

As I'm told (I haven't verified it myself, but it came up in the discussion in community issues), if you link both the day and year of a date written like "April 1, 2006", MediaWiki will rearrange the date according to the user's date format preferences. Apparently this doesn't work if they're not linked. An upside of having a category of days when games were released is that you can look up (for example) what was released on your birthday. :-P --DrBob (Talk) 03:07, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

The number of people who are going to look up a game released on their birthday seems extremely small, and besides you could accomplish that exact same task by going to April 2 and seeing what links there. Categories take up room at the bottom, and they should only be used for actual categories the article falls into. Days of the year should be links rather than categories in my opinion, that should accomplish both those purposes and leave the bottom less cluttered.--BigCow 09:35, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

You should probably make these points in community issues. "The number of people who are going to look up a game released on their birthday seems extremely small" That was just an example, but I admit there aren't a great many uses. "Categories take up room at the bottom" There isn't a limit to the size of the bottom bar; it does stretch. "they should only be used for actual categories the article falls into" However much you argue that it's not worth it, a game will always fall into the category of its release date. --DrBob (Talk) 09:54, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

I've promoted you to SysOp

Based on the amount of work you're doing here, especially of the organizational nature, I've decided that you should have administrative permissions to better be able to do things. (So long as you don't mind having it, that is.) I'll probably make a few more of the regulars administrators as well. Enjoy :-) echelon 11:42, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

Coo. Cheers. :-D --DrBob (Talk) 11:45, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

Reconsider some deletions

I've included commentary on the talk pages of three soon to be deleted articles. (I deleted the rest). I think those three might not require deleting and function as navigational redirects (Wikipedia itself frequently does this). Let me know what your opinion is and then we'll proceed. echelon 22:00, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

I think I was in a bit of a strict mood yesterday. All those three pages are staying. Thanks for pointing it out. :-) --DrBob (Talk) 23:52, 17 June 2006 (PDT)

ah

I see I am now a user that has been persuaded to join by you, which I sort of am. I said I wouldn't go on this but I might in future.

More licensing boxes

Wikipedia has a whole page of licensing boxes which people might like to put on their userpage. That way we could automatically sort everyone who agrees to release their content under CC for example, and then if a page was edited only by CC licensed editors, then the page changes to CC. Of course Public Domain editors would be included on that too. -- Mason11987 ^{(Talk - Contributions)} 00:51, 25 June 2006 (PDT)

Are you planning to move them all across? --DrBob (Talk) 03:25, 25 June 2006 (PDT)

Sigh

Read your blog and got dragged here (I have better things to do!) if only to comment on the license. Howdy (congrats) - Estel 04:33, 29 June 2006 (PDT)

That really makes me feel wanted. :-P Welcome. :-) --DrBob (Talk) 08:44, 29 June 2006 (PDT)

Donkey Kong box art problem

Hi DrBob. I noticed you put back the NES Box art for Donkey Kong. The problem is, the entry is no longer NES specific, and is actually far more dedicated to the arcade version. Therefore, I'm not sure if using the NES boxart makes sense. If anything, perhaps a picture of the arcade cabinet might be more appropriate. What do you think?Procyon 10:01, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

That section is for box artwork, and as such I think the NES artwork is better there. An arcade cabinet would look a bit out-of-place, imho. If you want to upload such a picture (remembering to categorise it under Photos), feel free. What I've done with other similar guides (i.e. ones which have multiple versions of the box art) is to put the main piece of box art in the infobox, and the others in a <gallery> tag below, with captions saying what version they're for. That's where I'd put the arcade cabinet photo. :-) --DrBob (Talk) 10:32, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

Image Names

Do you know any easy ways to change the name of an image? I plan to go through and rename images with the game acronyms in it, but I'd hate to have to download each image and then reupload and categorize it again.--DukeRuckley 11:27, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

I'm afraid I don't. However, I'd hold off if I were you (unless you're really eager), as I'm in the process of writing a bot framework. It can already move articles from one category to another, and should be able to move articles from one page to another (including all the sub-pages, although this hasn't been tested yet). Functionality to rename images would be useful, and I'll code it next. If you want to help, could you write a plain-text list of all the images you want to rename, and their new names please, with one on each line? (e.g. "Image:badname.png -> Image:prefix_goodname.png".) :-) --DrBob (Talk) 12:52, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

Sure thing, I'll get on that when I can.--DukeRuckley 13:24, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

Is this what you want?

01_-_Starman_Junior.gif -> Image:EB_Starman_Junior.gif
Image:04_-_Captain_Strong.gif -> Image:EB_Captain_Strong.gif
Image:05_-_Everdred.gif -> Image:EB_Everdred.gif
Image:06_-_Carpainter.gif -> Image:EB_Carpainter.gif
Image:07_-_Boogey_Tent.gif -> Image:EB_Boogey_Tent.gif
Image:08_-_Minibarf.gif -> Image:EB_Minibarf.gif
Image:09_-_Master_Belch.gif -> Image:EB_Master_Belch.gif
Image:1_-_Titanic_Ant.gif -> Image:EB_Titanic_Ant.gif
Image:10_-_Guardian_Digger.gif -> Image:EB_Guardian_Digger.gif
Image:2_-_Mondo_Mole.gif -> Image:EB_Mondo_Mole.gif
Image:3_-_Trillionage_Sprout.gif -> Image:EB_Trillionage_Sprout.gif
Image:Attack_Slug.gif -> Image:EB_Attack_Slug.gif
Image:Black_Antoid.gif -> Image:EB_Black_Antoid.gif
Image:Bubble_Monkey_-_Bubble2.gif -> Image:EB_Bubble_Monkey.gif
Image:Cave_Boy.gif -> Image:EB_Cave_Boy.gif
Image:Coil_Snake.gif -> Image:EB_Coil_Snake.gif
Image:Container-Present.gif -> Image:EB_Present.gif
Image:Container-Trash_Can.gif -> Image:EB_Trash_Can.gif
Image:Frank.gif -> Image:EB_Frank.gif
Image:Frankystein_Mark_II.gif -> Image:EB_Frankystein_Mark_II.gif
Image:Gruff_Goat.gif -> Image:EB_Gruff_Goat.gif
Image:Jeff_(Front).gif -> Image:EB_Jeff_(Front).gif
Image:Mighty_Bear.gif -> Image:EB_Mighty_Bear.gif
Image:Mr._Saturn_(Front).gif -> Image:EB_Mr._Saturn_(Front).gif
Image:Paula_(Front).gif -> Image:EB_Paula_(Front).gif
Image:Photographer_(Front).gif -> Image:EB_Photographer_(Front).gif
Image:Pogo_Punk.gif -> Image:EB_Pogo_Punk.gif
Image:Poo_(Front).gif -> Image:EB_Poo_(Front).gif
Image:Ramblin'_Evil_Mushroom.gif -> Image:EB_Ramblin'_Evil_Mushroom.gif
Image:Rowdy_Mouse.gif -> Image:EB_Rowdy_Mouse.gif
Image:Runaway_Dog.gif -> Image:EB_Runaway_Dog.gif
Image:Skate_Punk.gif -> Image:EB_Skate_Punk.gif
Image:Spiteful_Crow.gif -> Image:EB_Spiteful_Crow.gif
Image:Teddy_Bear_(Front).gif -> Image:EB_Teddy_Bear.gif
Image:Yes_Man_Junior.gif -> Image:EB_Yes_Man_Junior.gif
Image:Knight_(F)_-_Status.GIF -> Image:FFT_Knight_(F)_-_Status.gif
Image:Knight_(F).gif -> Image:FFT_Knight_(F).gif
Image:Knight_(M)_-_Status.GIF -> Image:FFT_Knight_(M)_-_Status.gif
Image:Knight_(M).gif -> Image:FFT_Knight_(M).gif
Image:Squire_(F)_-_Status.gif -> Image:FFT_Squire_(F)_-_Status.gif
Image:Squire_(F).gif -> Image:FFT_Squire_(F).gif
Image:Squire_(M)_-_Status.gif -> Image:FFT_Squire_(M)_-_Status.gif
Image:Squire_(M).gif -> Image:FFT_Squire_(M).gif

--DukeRuckley 14:00, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

Yeah, that's great. :-) Just keep them saved in a file somewhere, or perhaps paste it into a sub-page of your user page until I've got the functionality coded in the bot. --DrBob (Talk)

I'll put it in the subpage User:Dukeruckley/Image Fix.--DukeRuckley 14:45, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

Looks like some of the images were lost, but it's easy enough to just upload them again. I'll get on that either Sunday or Monday. Thanks!--DukeRuckley 20:24, 14 July 2006 (CDT)

Categorisation

DrBob, thanks for the tips. I didn't know about the All Game Nav. It's much better, I'll start to use it. I see you categorized the images I uploaded. Thank you! I always forget to do this. As I'm new here I'll probably make much more mistakes, so every time I do something wrong you can object on my talk page, hehe. Thanks again!

TT1 ^Yeah? 12:45, 16 July 2006 (CDT)

No problem. Please keep replies to talk threads in the original talk page (i.e. yours) in future, though. :-P --DrBob (Talk) 12:47, 16 July 2006 (CDT)

Table layouts for the TOC

You've indicated that you do not prefer table layout for the TOC. May I ask why not? I get using headers instead of <big> tags (and I'll fix those soon), but what's wrong with putting it in a table with headers? It's better than a toc that takes up multiple screens. Koweja 22:53, 18 July 2006 (CDT)

I am a web developer by trade, so I know the rules and regulations coverning markup usage. HTML tables are designed solely for the purpose of displaying tabulated data (e.g. numbers in a table), and most definitely not laying pages out. Their use for laying pages out is a recent perversion of the rules, and doesn't help. It puts the markup in the wrong order (e.g. while some of the ToC entries would be displayed before others, their markup might actually come first), which doesn't help screen readers and other accessibility aids. There are many other reasons why it's bad for accessibility. Additionally, tables take up a lot more room markup-wise than CSS-positioned divs. --DrBob (Talk) 00:57, 19 July 2006 (CDT)

DK revisions

Hi DrBob. Just wanted to collaborate with you on DK so that we don't end up stepping on each others toes. As you can see, I took your suggestion about the box art and set up the gallery for it. I really like the way it came out. (I'd like to try and find the remaining Atarisoft box art scans and complete it.) I realize that we are both trying to fine tune the page to where we both feel that it's complete. I understand all of your changes with one exception. Why do you prefer not to have the "Introduction" header? I put it back the second time because my wife felt it "complemented the layout" Also, it's on the other pages that I started. I'd like to help create a consistant standard for those pages, so whatever changes occur on DK should probably occur on the others. Please let me know your thoughts, either here or on my talk. Thanks! Procyon 10:31, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

I've never actually played Donkey Kong (so shoot me :-P ), and I'm just doing my general wiki housekeeping tasks, so I'm not likely to make many more edits, as I'd consider the front page of that guide to be just about perfect. :-) With reference to the introduction header, I feel (it's not actually a policy, but I'm a bit like Judge Dredd here in that what I say generally becomes policy :-D ) that it's a bit obvious that the text below it is an introduction. With the header in, the line breaks the flow of the page, and the heading itself doesn't actually help people's understanding of the structure of the guide. Then again, that's just my opinion, and if you feel strongly that there should be an introduction header, feel free to take it to community issues for discussion. :-) --DrBob (Talk) 16:28, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Nope, that's cool, I can live without it, your explination makes sense. I will basically use Donkey Kong as the template to go by, with respect to the other pages that I'm working on, so I wanted to get the layout (not the content) as close to "final" as possible. I've already started adding a box art gallery to Pac-Man, and should have Ms. Pac-Man done tonight. Thanks for your response! Procyon 16:38, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Glad to help. :-) One minor thing is that I would discourage the use of more banner images such as the one at the top of Donkey Kong. As with the introduction header, the break the page up a bit, and aren't particularly useful, although they do add a splash of colour. ;-) Perhaps they could be placed further down, and centred? --DrBob (Talk) 16:41, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Template Tables

Is this what you wanted for the template, in terms of wikification/dropping the table layout? I haven't had much experience writing with that syntax so if you see any problems, please feel free to fix them and I'll learn from it.--DukeRuckley 12:06, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Yeah, you'd got it mostly right. :-) Do you do much web development? Anyway, generally things should be floated "left" instead of "right" (it's the accepted method for making rows of things, because then they don't get out of order); the "border: 0px" wasn't needed at all, because by default divs have no border (and even if they did, it would be "border: none" ;-) ); and I thought you probably wanted a "margin: 2px" instead of a "padding: 2px" (margins are outside the border and paddings are inside). For breaking the two rows apart, a {{-}} is much better than any linebreaks, because it accounts for the height of the images, whereas the linebreaks will only extend the space between the two rows by 2em (two lines of text); if you had a really tall image as number 2, for example, and you were using linebreaks to separate the lines, that image would (should :-P ) overlap with the one below. --DrBob (Talk) 16:35, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

I don't do any web development at all, honestly. Everything I know comes from looking at examples. In the case of floating things to the right, I was thinking that it would keep the images on the right of the page, but I see what it really does now. I didn't know what {{-}} did, honestly, but now I do :). Thanks for explaining it to me. I have a better grasp of it now, in case I decide to make another table.--DukeRuckley 16:41, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

The {{-}} template (take a look at its source) basically creates an invisible line at the bottom of the lowest floated thing above it in the markup. All content after it in the markup has to be below this line. (This is quite simplified, but I hope you get the gist. :-) ) --DrBob (Talk) 16:48, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Image categorisation

Hi DrBob, I got your notice on my talk. I've been trying to make sure I use the correct image categories. I noticed I screwed up with the marquee, I apologize for that. Aside from that one, did I make any other mistakes? I have been identifying the box scans as Category:Box artwork, which seem appropriate to me. I also uploaded new images for exsisting ones, but I did not think that I needed to categorize them a second time, is that correct? Please let me know on my Talk if I have made any other specific mistakes, as I would like to prevent myself from doing so again in the future, thanks! Procyon 09:02, 25 July 2006 (CDT)

Mostly, you're getting things right, and that's good, but there was a load of Donkey Kong Jr. images you uploaded (for example DKJR_SparkRed.png) where you didn't add any categories at all, which I thought rather odd, because you usually get such things right. :-P --DrBob (Talk) 10:07, 25 July 2006 (CDT)

OK, that's good to know. Those were images that I updated, and I didn't think that I needed to recatagorize them, but now I know that I do. Thanks for alerting me to this. Procyon 10:59, 25 July 2006 (CDT)

StrategyWiki Cleanup Project

Hey I'd be glad to join the cleanup project (I've already learn the Wiki can get pretty messy :)). In my spare time between the Biohazard guide I'll try to clean up as much as I can. --Antaios 23:54, 25 July 2006 (CDT)

Great! To sign up, just add your name to the current members list and start work on one of the tasks listed on the page (probably one of the periodic tasks. :-) --DrBob (Talk) 03:29, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

Awesome. Sorry for the late response, I'll put my name on the list right away. --Antaios 16:37, 6 August 2006 (CDT)

Re: Colons

Hey Garrett, why do you think the controls are better without colons (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas/Basics/Controls)? To me, a colon denotes a relationship between the two operands even if one of them is an image (or something else). --DrBob (Talk) 03:32, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

Well, I did change my mind after that edit. :) You're right that it's a relationship, and yet it seems a little silly to have hanging pixels. I might experiment with tables instead later or something. Garrett^Talk 04:40, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

I would say tables are actually worse than lists without colons. It adds a huge amount of wikimarkup with no real benefit, as there're only two variables in the relationship, which can easily (and pleasantly) be expressed using lists (and colons! :-P ). --DrBob (Talk) 05:03, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

I was trying to eliminate the bullets (since the buttons pretty much serve the same purpose), but that can probably be managed with breaks... I must be tired. :( Garrett^Talk 05:06, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

Legend of Zelda Glitch page

Hi DrBob. I had intentionally orphaned the Glitch page because what little content was there was already contained in the Cheats page, and I hadn't even edited those at all. I figured someone would come along and delete the Glitch page. Would it be possible to do that? Thanks. Procyon 10:23, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Done. :-) In the future, you could add the delete template to the page, and remove all links to it. That way, when I'm going through the orphan list, I can just delete it. --DrBob (Talk) 10:43, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Awesome, thank you very much and good to know. Will do. Procyon 14:19, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Hello again. I figured I'd contact you to ask if you could delete the first revision of LOZ_Zelda.png, as I made a mistake and uploaded the original source file with all of my sprites as opposed to just the individual copy of Zelda. It's just 2K, but I figure every little bit counts. Thanks very much. Procyon 16:39, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

It's not possible to delete revisions of things. It's fine as it is. ;-) --DrBob (Talk) 16:55, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Macca screenshot

Just wondering why you've added that strange screenshot to the frontpage of GTA:SA; Macca. Craziness? Jackhynes 09:30, 12 August 2006 (CDT)

I was going through the list of unused files, and it was there. Since I know absolutely nothing about GTA: SA, I just added it to the front page. Feel free to move it to a more appropriate place, or tag it with {{delete}}. --DrBob (Talk) 09:50, 12 August 2006 (CDT)

Haha, I thought it were strange because he plays a very minor role in the game. I'll move the image. Jackhynes 09:57, 12 August 2006 (CDT)