MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2014-11-11T02:36:56Z

Alexvoda: /* Help archiving an old game */ new section

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This is the place for discussion of topics that affect the entire wiki. Some topics that would ordinarily be here have merited their own pages:

{{chapters|title=Specific Discussion Subjects|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">'''Moving From Wikia:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Arriving|Arriving]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Leaving|Leaving]]
* [[Transformers Wiki:Community Portal/Complaints|Complaints]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''New Ad Policy:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki:Ads|Ads]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Bookworm Database-Crash:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Damage Control Central|Damage Control Central]]
* [[Project:Bookworm Crash]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Leaving2|Leaving Take 2]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Server Move:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Arriving2|Arriving Take 2]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Relicensing:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Relicensing|Relicensing]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Dealing With Vandalism:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Vandalism|Vandalism]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''GoBots Sister Wiki:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/GoBots|Discussion on the place of GoBots in this wiki]]
<br/> <div class="list-header">'''Wiki Technical Information:'''</div>
* [[Transformers_Wiki:Tech|A Not So Brief Summary of the Horrible Things That McFly and Co. Have Done To Keep This Wiki From Melting Down]]
}}<br/>

{{:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}/Archive}}


==Minor internet fame==
I don't know if everyone saw this, but we made Us Vs Th3m's favourite wiki definition of "[http://usvsth3m.com/post/84521565788/wikipedias-entry-for-human-is-like-a-bizarrely human]". It's nice to get a bit of recognition :) --[[User:Emvee|Emvee]] ([[User talk:Emvee|talk]]) 03:23, 15 July 2014 (EDT)
::Argh, I just realised they linked to the wrong wiki :( --[[User:Emvee|Emvee]] ([[User talk:Emvee|talk]]) 03:27, 15 July 2014 (EDT)
:Well ''technically'' it's our article.--[[User:Carrion|Carrion]] ([[User talk:Carrion|talk]]) 06:18, 15 July 2014 (EDT)

== Transformers: Human Alliance ==

I noticed the wiki has no article on the recent(ish) arcade shooter, "Transformers: Human Alliance". It's based on the live-action films. I played through the game while I was on vacation a few weeks back. Besides a few strange occurrences(There are a LOT of Ravage and Scorponok, as they're both common enemies in some levels, though a "King Scorponok" appears as a boss. Brawl is misnamed, this time as "Decepticon Brawler"...), it was alright. I was wondering if there should be an article for it? [[User:RazorSlash|RazorSlash]] ([[User talk:RazorSlash|talk]]) 22:05, 21 July 2014 (EDT)
:Absolutely! --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 01:52, 22 July 2014 (EDT)
::Alright. Went ahead and created [[Transformers: Human Alliance|a page for it]]. First page I've created on this wiki, so feel free to correct any errors I may have made. [[User:RazorSlash|RazorSlash]] ([[User talk:RazorSlash|talk]]) 16:48, 22 July 2014 (EDT)

== Toys vs. Merchandise ==

Okay, where the hell is the line meant to fall for these? Some stuff, like [[Heroes of Cybertron]] or Kabaya toys, I would definitely put under "Toys" is under "Merchandise". Merchandise is surely stuff like knitting patterns, M&Ms, tents, etc.

By the standards of what often goes under "merchandise", [[:File:AoE dino sparker Optimus and Grimlock.jpg|this]] should be merch, not toy... - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] ([[User talk:SanityOrMadness|talk]]) 12:02, 18 August 2014 (EDT)
:We had a discussion some time ago ([[Talk:Toy#What specifically is a "Transformers toy"?]]) but did not come up with any hard guidelines. My personal categorization would put Heroes of Cybertron, Kabaya kits and Dino Sparkers all into merchandise. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 12:30, 18 August 2014 (EDT)
::Yeah, this has always been nebulously defined. IMO, 'merchandise' should be reserved for stuff that's not actually a representation of the character (i.e. their face on a lunchbox or something) or where 'playing with it' is clearly not the intended purpose (i.e. a statue). It seems absurd to me that, say, the SDCC Shockwave HISS Tank is listed as 'merchandise' when it's clearly a thing that is a toy, and intended to represent Shockwave in-fiction. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 13:14, 18 August 2014 (EDT)
:::I'm with Jalaguy on this. There could possibly be a sub-division of "toy" into transforming and non-transforming, or something like that, but the division as it is is (a) inconsistent and (b) insomuch as it is consistent, frequently irrational (HISS Shockwave being a good example of the latter) - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] ([[User talk:SanityOrMadness|talk]]) 13:50, 18 August 2014 (EDT)

== Maintenance ==

I'm going to take the server down briefly for maintenance in about half an hour. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 04:17, 7 October 2014 (EDT)
:Maintenance is done. Please feel free to go about your business. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 04:52, 7 October 2014 (EDT)

== Wikia links still in history pages ==

Here's a blast from the past:
http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Lord_Imperious_Delirious&diff=126966&oldid=126965

I know this had been discussed in the past, and people had mentioned some sort of program that was automatically stripping them out. But if there's one left, there are probably more. Anything quick & simple that can be done to scan and purge? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 21:23, 24 October 2014 (EDT)
:I thought I had a solution, but the import thingy is being annoyingly uncooperative. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 22:16, 24 October 2014 (EDT)

== Third Party Unlicensed ==
This will probably never be allowed, right? I mean, some of them have pretty accurate depictions of in-fiction characters and machines, shouldn't they at least have a little info about their products on this wiki? {{unsigned|Optimus Prime (Convoy)}}
:The existence of unlicensed third party stuff is acknowledged on articles like [[Knockoff]] and [[Customizing]], and that's all there needs to be. This is a wiki about official Transformers products and fiction, and unofficial toys are no more within our purview than, say, people's fan-art. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 10:35, 31 October 2014 (EDT)

=="Order of appearance" and another suggestion==

Is there any reason why we do this? It doesn't really seem to convey any important information and is just tedious work for editors, especially on pages with many character appearances. Furthermore, I think [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_VI:_Return_of_the_Jedi#Appearances Wookieepedia's "appearances" format] is a lot better for our uses, since it includes mentioned characters and other stuff like locations and technology. As is, we don't really have a way to collect all of the concepts that appear in a piece of fiction and provide red links for pages that need to be created. [[User:Mimi|Mimi]] ([[User talk:Mimi|talk]]) 15:21, 4 November 2014 (EST)
:For stuff like comics, order of appearance helps you identify characters. As in, if I'm wondering who a certain guy is, I can use the numbers to count along and find out. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 15:38, 4 November 2014 (EST)
::I know I've found it useful when writing up characters' articles, and have been able to use the appearance order to quickly find them within the episode or comic. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 15:49, 4 November 2014 (EST)
:::I vote for keeping order of appearances. I do like the idea of mentioned characters, locations and technology being neatly listed as well though... --[[User:Ascendron|Ascendron]] ([[User talk:Ascendron|talk]]) 16:41, 4 November 2014 (EST)
::::Agree with Ascendron. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 16:59, 4 November 2014 (EST)
:::::I guess I'm alone in disliking the appearance numbers, but what about including lists of other stuff? We'd have to make up new templates and stuff for that, though. Maybe copy Wookieepedia's?. [[User:Mimi|Mimi]] ([[User talk:Mimi|talk]]) 08:46, 5 November 2014 (EST)
::::::I can see the appeal of lists of locations and technology, but I'm somewhat leery of actually doing it. I'm not familiar with Wookieepedia, but over at Memory Beta (Star Trek novels, comics and other non-canon sources) a sample list of "other references" includes "balloon ... bench ... fiesta". Are such things what you are talking about listing? --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 10:58, 5 November 2014 (EST)
:::::::No. Things we actually make articles for. Null ray, Gorlam Prime, Afterspark, etc. [[User:Mimi|Mimi]] ([[User talk:Mimi|talk]]) 11:02, 5 November 2014 (EST)
::::::::Well, we would have to establish some guidelines before we implement this. I don't think listing "Null ray" every time Starscream shows up would be necessary. --[[User:Ascendron|Ascendron]] ([[User talk:Ascendron|talk]]) 12:42, 5 November 2014 (EST)
:::::::::"Fusion cannon" might be a better example of how it would be a problem, since Starscream doesn't use the null ray on every appearance, but the fusion cannon is Megatron's primary weapon. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 13:35, 5 November 2014 (EST)
::::::::::I'm not sure I'm seeing the problem? It counts as an appearance for the fusion cannon and it doesn't take up a whole lot of space on the article. We can implement show/hide options for the whole list if we have to. Isn't the point to note whenever X appears and give readers a convenient link if they want to learn more about X? [[User:Mimi|Mimi]] ([[User talk:Mimi|talk]]) 14:27, 5 November 2014 (EST)
:::::::::::Wouldn't there already be convenient links in the summary? How is this list more useful than what we already have and less silly than the sort of thing I mentioned from Memory Beta?--[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 14:09, 6 November 2014 (EST)
::::::::::::[[Special:LonelyPages]]
::::::::::::And that's just the pages that have '''no''' links. Lots more have only one or two when they should have many more. Stuff habitually, systematically goes underlinked or downright unlinked at present. - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] ([[User talk:SanityOrMadness|talk]]) 14:43, 6 November 2014 (EST)
:::::::::::::The vast majority of those links are, like, production crew members. I don't think this problem is solved by the proposed changes. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 22:50, 6 November 2014 (EST)
::::::::::::@Walky: I know most of the zero-links are, but there's no easy way to get a list of "pages linked very few times", unfortunately, only the downright orphans, so I went with what I had. The fact that there's *any* examples of stuff that would be helped going forward there should be indicative of pages being underlinked in summaries.
::::::::::::(I've personally gone through and linked to pages that were on that list, or whose Special:Whatlinkshere revealed only one or two links, but I won't claim to have done much more than scratch the surface on that matter) - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] ([[User talk:SanityOrMadness|talk]]) 07:52, 7 November 2014 (EST)

==The Almanacs==

(Thread started in response to someone asking him if had any regrets on past works, leading to Derrick bringing up "Getting the Almanacs in line"

http://ask.fm/DerrickJWyatt/answer/120967236212

http://ask.fm/DerrickJWyatt/answer/120968889460

I just wanted to note there that conservation with Derrick J Wyatt about the Allpsark Almanacs gives some pertinent insight into their construction.

Now from what I can parse, they’re set in a kind of bizarre “Reverse Alignment” scenario, where despite being published officially, Authorial Intent states that they no not match up with what the actual production team made. Now, I’m not the tfwiki pro some folks here are (I still think IDW being g1 is a load of crud but bygone and bygones…) so I don’t know how best to handle this. A note I suppose?
[[User:Lush City|Lush City]] ([[User talk:Lush City|talk]]) 11:52, 5 November 2014 (EST)
:There's nothing much to handle. I suppose a note and a link to those answers could be put in somewhere, but it's not really anything special for Transformers to have additions to a franchise/continuity not made by it's original creators not line up with their unrealized intentions. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 14:10, 5 November 2014 (EST)

I get what you mean, but in this case what gave me pause was that this is less "unrealized" and more "unseen" as opposed to say, the creator's personal vision, in this case it's a gap in oversight. The way he speaks, there is an actual TFA timeline they used in the series and otherwise information, that the Almanac isnt accurate to, in that case, what we have is material that exists as was used as the background of the canon show, but was pre-empted by a canon release that was made in error. Basically, what I'm saying is, by circumstance and accident, a timeline was published in an official release that does not match the one used for the actual canon product. Thus me saying "unseen" rather than "unrealized" given the show itself is the realization of those intentions.[[User:Lush City|Lush City]] ([[User talk:Lush City|talk]])
::"Made in error"? What was the error? If there are contradictions between the Almanacs and the actual show, comics, or other canon materials, those would be errors. If there are contradictions between the Almanacs and things in a production bible or something like it, or concepts and timeline ideas the showrunners had that they never actually put in the show or anywhere else, or just stuff people who worked on the show don't like, those are not errors at all. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 23:45, 6 November 2014 (EST)
:I added a note about Wyatt's criticisms to the bottom of the first Almanac article. But until these other production materials that were used by the show's creators or some other conflicting timeline or storyline elements are released (which may never happen), then there's no reason to overhaul the existing article. A note about creator dissatisfaction seems all that's really necessary at this juncture. --[[User:DrSpengler|DrSpengler]] ([[User talk:DrSpengler|talk]]) 15:52, 5 November 2014 (EST)

:Besides, like Kil said, this is so common in Transformers stories. Furman's planned timeline for IDW G1 is probably nothing like it at this point, for example. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 15:58, 5 November 2014 (EST)
::Good point. --[[User:DrSpengler|DrSpengler]] ([[User talk:DrSpengler|talk]]) 16:33, 5 November 2014 (EST)
:::The sooner folks disabuse themselves of the idea that Derrick Wyatt's headcanon is the be-all end-all of Animated, the better. Animated isn't some special snowflake to be entirely defined by one or two guys, it's the same as any other TF franchise, free to be interpreted and added to by other creators. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 17:55, 5 November 2014 (EST)

True, but the way he spoke (both about possible re editions and the "us") made it seem more like the crew just didnt vet them as well as they could. That and the whole "Mass rewriting of the bios" would lead me to believe a note is in order. Obvious a rehaul is impossible unless we get acesss to the materials, and even then probably wouldn't bear more than a note until the possible pie in the sky Alamanac re issues.

Also, a bit tense on the text aint you Mr. McFeely? Not trying to come at you bro. [[User:Lush City|Lush City]] ([[User talk:Lush City|talk]]) 23:08, 6 November 2014 (EST)
:.....did you listen to a single thing he just said? Just because the "us" (I'm presuming the other one in this is Isenberg) didn't agree with some of the bios doesn't mean everything in the book is invalidated. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 23:21, 6 November 2014 (EST)
:If I am being tense on the text, I, likewise, am now trying to come at you. I've just seen this attitude around and it bugs me. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 07:02, 7 November 2014 (EST)

What was published was published. That is what the wiki places importance on. We are not unwriting bios to remove canonical information. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 02:31, 7 November 2014 (EST)

:Dude (Lush City), I already added a note, but only commenting on the dissatisfaction of 1 creator which is all this situation really amounts to. The Almanacs were approved by Hasbro. They're canon. They count. They're legit. Whether Wyatt likes them or not. A small note about incongruity with creator intent is about all that's called for (and it's been added). --[[User:DrSpengler|DrSpengler]] ([[User talk:DrSpengler|talk]]) 08:57, 7 November 2014 (EST)

Didn't I just say what the four of you did? I don't know why you felt it necessary to get aggressive when I agreed with you that the note was probably all that would be placed until a published contradiction. In any case the note last I saw it was a bit jury rigged, I'll tighten it up a bit. [[User:Lush City|Lush City]] ([[User talk:Lush City|talk]]) 17:17, 8 November 2014 (EST)

== Help archiving an old game ==

Hello.
This game [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Energon:_Battle_for_Megatron Transformers Energon: Battle for Megatron] was apparently lost to time.
This [http://www.lmpd.com/arcade/index.php?action=play&aid=94 link] where it was hosted is defunct, but now, I found it here [http://media.lmpd.com/94.dcr], on the same site, by digging through the source code of the Google Cache version of the page.
I downloaded the file but if I open the local version, the game doesn't start.
The file 94.dcr is a Shockwave file made with Adobe/Macromedia Director.
This is actually not a Flash game, but a Shockwave game.
How can we properly archive this game?
[[User:Alexvoda|Alexvoda]] ([[User talk:Alexvoda|talk]]) 21:36, 10 November 2014 (EST)

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MediaWiki talk:Community Portal