MediaWiki talk:Community Portal: Difference between revisions

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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:
This is the place for discussion of topics that affect the entire wiki. For less wide-reaching subjects, either use articles' individual talk pages or [https://discord.com/invite/N99Bygq our Discord server.]
 
Some topics that would ordinarily be here have merited their own pages:


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* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/GoBots|Discussion on the place of GoBots in this wiki]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/GoBots|Discussion on the place of GoBots in this wiki]]
<br/> <div class="list-header">'''Wiki Technical Information:'''</div>
<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]]
* [[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]]
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== G.I. Joe wiki - a little help? ==
Hello, all. I just wanted to add a request for some help for what should really by this wiki's sister site, Joepedia, the G.I. Joe Wiki. Now, I posted a similar request on some other sci-fi themed wiki, but the only answer I got was being told that the rules forbid a request from another wiki to be made. Well, I think that was kind of stupid, considering the communal attitude the whole wiki concept represents. BUT, ANYWAY, the Joepedia has been growing over the years, but it's mostly frequented by a small dedicated group of contributors. Since Transformers and G.I. Joe are so closely linked, I hoped some folks on here would like to help.
I will add that I have no authority over on that site, and I don't really contribute much, mostly because of the time spent my own website. I'm just a concerned geeky citizen drumming up some support. --[[User:JMM|JMM]] 10:26, 7 September 2012 (EDT)
:Well, I would, but I really don't know jack shit about G.I. Joe. And when I think about it, I'm not sure this post belongs here. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]] 17:36, 7 September 2012 (EDT)
::Just looking around for a little help. This seemed like the closest thing to a G.I. Joe wiki out there, and I figured it was worth a try. --[[User:JMM|JMM]] 13:23, 13 September 2012 (EDT)
::I don't see a problem with a polite request for assistance or notification that a Joe wiki exists, since there IS some crossover interest. I just don't know how much ''useful'' crossover interest for the Joe wiki there is from this end outside of what we've already done. I mean, we've got extensive coverage of the parts of Joe directly involving TFs... I'd say that's probably going to be the most useful thing we have for you. But, if others wanna try it out...<br>
::...unless you're on Wikia.... --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 13:27, 13 September 2012 (EDT)
:::Yeah, it was just a quick heads up so people who may be interested are aware. I know a number of people who are equally obsessed with TF and Joe. :) Oh, and yes, it is on Wikia! --[[User:JMM|JMM]] 14:22, 13 September 2012 (EDT)
::::We did at one point approach a partnership with Joepedia, and even had a template that cross-linked articles we shared. It was just a little premature at the time (which was years ago) as Joepedia was just starting out and often our articles were more complete than theirs, or theirs were just stubs. It looks like they've gotten off the ground a bit more now.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:30, 13 September 2012 (EDT)
:::::Yes, their wiki got started later than this one. They have a small group of dedicated contributers, but the site's yet to attract the kind of interest this one does. --[[User:JMM|JMM]] 16:34, 13 September 2012 (EDT)
== New stub templates ==
=== Video game stub template ===
Does anybody have any objections to a video game stub template? It would look something like this:
<br clear="all" />{{messagebox
|header=This article is still in beta stage.
|message_text=''This video game article is a [[:Category:Video game stubs|stub]] and is missing information. You can help '''{{SITENAME}}''' by [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it].''
|image_name=ProwlTFU.JPG
|image_width=40px
|width = 90%
}}<includeonly>[[Category:Video game stubs]]</includeonly>
If anybody knows of a better picture that would go well with this, please upload it so it can be put in. Thanks! -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 15:52, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
:How about a pic from the story where Prime dies in a video game? Heh if only Beta had ever been in a game, that'd be perfect. --[[Special:Contributions/76.28.76.206|76.28.76.206]] 16:03, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
::What story was that? And yeah, that woulda been great. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 19:53, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
:::That would be [[Afterdeath!]]. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 21:56, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
::::Well if people really want a picture from that, someone else will have to upload it, as I don't have access to it. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 21:59, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::[[:Image:Afterdeath-gameoverman.jpg|Right here, dude.]]--[[User:Detour|Detour]] 22:34, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::Thanks, man. It's on the ''[[Transformers: Prime - The Game|Prime: The Game]]'' page if you want to see it. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 22:50, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
In addition to the video game stub, I'd like to suggest adding several templates, such as "section stub" and "fiction stub". Right now, we only have "characer stub fiction" for pages only missing fiction section, but no templates for non-character page missing fiction appearance. While "section stub" can use for articles only missing one or two sections. --'''[[User:TX55|<span style= "color:#00FA9A">TX55</span>]]'''<small><SUP>''[[User talk:TX55|<span style= "color:#0000CD">TALK</span>]]''</SUP></small> 22:05, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
:Ok, so I'm gonna go ahead and make the video game one, and TX, if I get around to it later, maybe the others. If not, well, someone else will. Oh, and if I miss an article that the video game one should go on, put it here. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 22:31, 2 October 2012 (EDT)
=== Novel stub template ===
Ok, who has an idea for a picture for a novel stub template? I'm not good with coming up with pictures for these templates. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 22:11, 20 October 2012 (EDT)
It would look like this like this:
<br clear="all" />{{messagebox
|header=This manuscript still needs work.
|message_text=''This novel article is a [[:Category:Novel stubs|stub]] and is missing information. You can help '''{{SITENAME}}''' by [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it].''
|image_name=DOTM Code-Name Hero.jpg
|image_width=70px
|width = 90%
}}<includeonly>[[Category:Novel stubs]]</includeonly>
-- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 10:23, 21 October 2012 (EDT)
== Megatron Barcode Battler Card ==
Hi, I was wondering if anyone here had come across this Megatron card for the Barcode Battler, or knows where in the Wiki it should go:
{|
|-
|[[Image:Barcode Battler Megatron Card Front.jpg|200px]]
|[[Image:Barcode Battler Megatron Card Back.jpg|200px]]
|}
It seems to have been released by Toys R Us in 1992 as a promo for the Barcode Battler (which they were trying to sell in store), and was (as far as is known) the only such Transformers card, probably given away with two [http://barcodebattler.co.uk/scans/UK/ToysRUsF.jpg blank] [http://barcodebattler.co.uk/scans/UK/ToysRUsB.jpg cards] (the bottom scan - the middle is from the Barcode Battler box) to add your own barcodes to, and a card wallet.
The text ("Clad in steel, armed to the teeth, nobody toys with us good guys when this moody cool deadly-dudey is around.") is probably enough to make you want to forget this was ever made (is it really calling Megatron a good guy?), but it's cropped up in enough eBay sales (occasionally found in Barcode Battler lots with the seller unaware that they've got something rare) to make it likely to be genuine.
So does anyone else have any information on it, and whereabouts should this go? [[User:Xensyria|xensyria]] 12:26, 16 October 2012 (EDT) <small>EDIT: 13:10, 16 October 2012 (EDT)</small>
:I definitely don't know anything about it, besides that it's awesome, but if it's from 1992, then the only Megatron it could be is Megatron (G1), and so it should probably be on his toys/merchandise page.
:It's also plausible that someone who knows something about Barcode Battlers should make a short article on them for the wiki, since we have a lot of those "this broader thing had a TF thing released under it" pages. -[[User:LV|LV]] 12:31, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
::Or...this isn't anything to do with a licensed Transformers thing? I sort of blindly assumed Hasbro was the entity selling the Barcode Battler in the UK, but the packaging doesn't seem to support that. It's hard to believe it's not intended to be TF Megatron, but I'm also not sure it's an official product. Especially since this Megatron guy seems to be the boxfront "main character" for the UK Barcode Battler release. -[[User:LV|LV]] 12:37, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
:::Ah, that's a possibility, but Barcode Battler was being distributed in most of Europe by Tomy, so they probably gave Toys R Us rights to use Megatron. Perhaps they couldn't get the rights to use his picture though (as you say, it's Tomy's Barcode Battler cover on the card, so anyone who used the card probably wouldn't think it was supposed to be Megatron). I should also say that 1992 is more of an educated guess than fact, but it's bound to be somewhere around that.
:::If it's offical I don't mind making a Barcode Battler article (though I'll have to check out some of the other examples you mention first). [[User:Xensyria|xensyria]] 13:02, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
::::Wait, I just re-read Wikipedia, and Tomy was rivals with Takara who owned Transformers at the time. Still, I wonder if such big companies would risk a lawsuit over using Megatron, when they had all sorts of other franchises they could use instead; more likely Toys R Us arranged the deal with Hasbro, who they no doubt were one of the biggest retailers for at the time. [[User:Xensyria|xensyria]] 13:04, 16 October 2012 (EDT) <small>EDIT: 13:12, 16 October 2012 (EDT)</small>
:::::Unlikely to be a Hasbro/TF related thing. In 1992 TFs weren't even being made in the US and the UK line didn't have a Megatron, the Decepticons were led by Skyquake at that time. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 13:14, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::Well, this is sort of like with Yu-Gi-Oh's Space Megatron, Hasbro's trademark just didn't apply to things like gaming cards, so Tomy, just like Konami later, was in a safe zone. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 14:20, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::Ah, that would explain the "good guys" text as well. It seems to be a U.K. only thing, and though there may not have been Megatron toys there (is there a reference to them not being released in the U.K. on this on the wiki?) the name would have been familiar from the the film. Is there anywhere for similarly unofficial merchandice here, or should it be cast back into the purgatory of its makers' device? [[User:Xensyria|xensyria]] 15:11, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::::While I never played it, I distinctively remember Barcode Battlers as well, so it's not a UK-only thing. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 15:15, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::::My bad, I mean the Megatron card, which uses the Tomy box art (the U.S. version was by Irwin, and Japan by the developer, Epoch). [[User:Xensyria|xensyria]] 15:22, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::::::See [[The Transformers (toyline)]] and [[Generation 1 (European toyline)]] for lists of what was released in the US and Europe each year of the original toyline. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 15:37, 16 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::::::Also, in answer to your question about unofficial merchandise, we only cover official products from Hasbro, Takara and their license holders. About the only place that this could really go on this site is the [[trademark]] page, in a similar use as the "Space Megatron" card from Yu-Gi-Oh! --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 07:53, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::::::::Thanks to all of you for the info. I've added it to the [[Talk:Trademark#Old example: .22Megatron.22 Barcode Battler promo card|trademark talk page]], but will leave it up to you whether it's a notable enough example to be added to the article or not. [[User:Xensyria|xensyria]] 15:55, 19 October 2012 (EDT)
==Recent spamming==
Granted, I haven't been here all that often, but the recent spamming has me wondering if the perpetrator(s) are using some form of IP hopping. It's feeling rather hydra-ish at the moment. --[[User:Lonegamer78|Lonegamer78]] 07:22, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
:I still suggest you add a recaptcha for edits that add external links, at least for new accounts.[[Special:Contributions/192.249.47.177|192.249.47.177]] 14:09, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
::If that's possible, I like that idea. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 18:34, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
:::What IP guy said. Also, if we disabled all "Talk:/Talk" pages, that'd help a bit. Either way, the latest spambot assault is obliterating the recent changes page. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 08:21, 24 October 2012 (EDT)
::::The "Talk:/Talk" thing has been mentioned numerous times in the past, I was actually surprised to see these still popping up. I'm guessing some other wikis have already implemented this, as there seems no other reason for the several "Talk:T/alk" (note order of characters) pages that have popped up recently. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 10:03, 24 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::I don't care what we do, but we need to do something, and we need to do it now. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 10:09, 24 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::What McFeely said. This crap needs to stop. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 08:47, 25 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::::Looking at the recent changes, this is getting worse. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 18:20, 25 October 2012 (EDT)
According to McFly, anon editing has been eliminated. This kills a lot of it, plus a chunk of human-born vandalism. The next step is that new accounts will get an automated confirmation email with a link that will unlock the new account, which should hopefully take out the other major spambot problems. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 18:30, 25 October 2012 (EDT)
:Leaving those that make accounts just to spam. Well, one step at a time. --[[User:Lonegamer78|Lonegamer78]] 00:29, 26 October 2012 (EDT)
::Well, there's not much we can do with dedicated human antagonists. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 00:43, 26 October 2012 (EDT)
:::And, the worst problem was the spambots anyway. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 06:45, 26 October 2012 (EDT)
::::Rather than blocking all IP editing, did you guys ever try out recaptcha for new accounts or articles?[[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] 20:27, 9 November 2012 (EST)
== Universe/UT Micromaster combiners ==
There isn't any general page for these, so I'm putting this here.
Given our treatment of the ROTF/Universe (2008) Bruticus Maximus and Superion sets, I wonder if the Universe (2003) Micromaster combiners whose European releases were branded as Energon ([[Defensor (Universe)|Defensor]], [[Constructicon Devastator (Micromaster)|Constructicon Devastator]]) or Cybertron ([[Superion (Universe)|Superion]], [[Rail Racer (Universe)|Rail Racer]]) should be considered Unicron Trilogy characters.  It's the same basic situation, except that the nature of Universe (2003) means that just because the European versions are Energon/Cybertron doesn't mean they're different guys.  --[[User:Andrusi|Andrusi]] 11:00, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
:Aren't they already listed that way? Defensor and Constructicon Devastator have "Energon Autobot" and "Energon Decepticon" categories and Superion and Rail Racer are in the category "Cybertron Autobots". I haven't checked the individual team members yet. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 12:59, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
:Just checked the team members and found only one that was not categorized as Energon or Cybertron characters (Long Haul), I added the appropriate category. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 13:04, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
::I guess he's talking about the continuity identifier at the top? [[Special:Contributions/24.211.29.87|24.211.29.87]] 13:24, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
:::Ah, that makes sense. I could see something like the one used for [[King Atlas]]. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 13:49, 18 October 2012 (EDT)
::::Yeah, I meant the continuity identifiers (and in the case of some components, like [[Red Alert (Universe)|Red Alert]], the "relation unknown" bio notes).  The categories honestly never occurred to me.  --[[User:Andrusi|Andrusi]] 12:36, 19 October 2012 (EDT)
== Election Day ==
Perhaps the [[President of the United States]] should be the featured article... just for today.--[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 10:41, 6 November 2012 (EST)
:Much as I like the idea, it doesn't have much of an intro paragraph, which makes it hard to front-page it.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 12:20, 6 November 2012 (EST)
::Transtech Optimus and Megatron might also be good choices.[[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] 13:02, 6 November 2012 (EST)
:::[[Democracy]]? --[[User:Emvee|Emvee]] 13:06, 6 November 2012 (EST)
::::Yeah, that's got a proper intro paragraph and is actually a fairly nice article. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 13:08, 6 November 2012 (EST)
:::::We've used it on Election Day before, s'why.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:23, 6 November 2012 (EST)
== Aligned ==
Can we... can we just disambiguate WFC/FOC/Prime stuff like we do everything else on this wiki, please?  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:51, 11 November 2012 (EST)
:I am still not clear as to why WFC and FOC are treated as franchises of their own rather than specific iterations of the Prime franchise. I would support changing all the disambigs of WFC/FOC/Prime to Prime. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 15:03, 11 November 2012 (EST)
::WFC and FOC have their own franchise branding.  For example, the Fall of Cybertron comic is branded as Fall of Cybertron, not as Prime.  When you have a series of related properties with "Transformers: ________" as a shared title with its own logo, that's a more often than not a franchise.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:26, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:::And for that matter, WFC and FOC encompass even our most strict definition of franchise, as each of them is at minimum a game, a comic, and a toyline.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 03:54, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:So what are you asking for, here, Walky? For [[Optimus Prime (Prime)]] to be at "Optimus Prime (WFC)"? - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 05:05, 12 November 2012 (EST)
::::Yes.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 15:15, 12 November 2012 (EST)
::Frankly, I'd love to see Optimus Prime (WFC), Optimus Prime (Prime) and Optimus Prime (RB). --'''[[User:TX55|<span style= "color:#00FA9A">TX55</span>]]'''<small><SUP>''[[User talk:TX55|<span style= "color:#0000CD">TALK</span>]]''</SUP></small> 12:31, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:::Why would we part out a character's page by separate franchises within the same continuity family? --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 13:00, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:I agree that some of the disambig'ing is getting pretty mad. Like Aligned Bruticus being at (Prime) due to a piece of concept art for a foreign-market MMO that isn't even used on the page, for instance. Given that the original reason for overriding (WFC) disambigs was to avoid confusion, it seems pretty ridiculous. I understand the original intention was to help people looking for the show characters, but the same could be said of, say, [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]], who is disambig'd based on a less well known first appearance rather than a starring cartoon role, and we haven't changed him. My opinion's that we should either, as Walky says, abandon the 'Prime takes precedence for disambigs' thing, or come up with a more concrete set of guidelines than 'the moment they appear in anything the tiniest bit ''Prime''-y, change the disambig'. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 13:36, 12 November 2012 (EST)
::As someone who initially advocated for our current methodology, I'd really only intended it for show characters or characters in the Prime toyline. That's my only real hang-up here, that if a new user comes here after watching the show or picking up a toy, they shouldn't get tangled up by the fact that we're insisting on putting (WFC) on the end of something because it debuted in the game. Parentheticals are for ease of use, not dogmatic technicality.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 14:59, 12 November 2012 (EST)
For what it's worth, I still think that we should do our disambiguations by continuity families.  We still have one article per character per continuity family, so it seems the most logical to me to call that the disambiguation and only go deeper when we have two different characters from the same continuity family with the same name.  After all, when you go to the current disambiguation pages, that's how we describe the character in text.
It would avoid this entire mess.  Basically, the principal I think we should employ is to use the highest possible level when disambiguating characters.  If a character is unique, no disambiguation necessary.  If only one guy named 'Optimus Prime' shows up in Aligned, then call him Optimus Prime (Aligned).  I realized that that means that the Unicron Trilogy and movie franchises, with their rampant name reuse, will tend to go one level deeper... but since that's what we're doing today, it shouldn't be too big of an issue.
As we've seen, the lines between franchises are only getting blurrier, and we have every reason to believe this trend will continue.  In maybe 95% of cases, we really will have only one character per name per continuity family, and then we (and our readers) won't have to try to figure out where Aligned Prime first popped his head up. --[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 18:33, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:I find myself agreeing with this. As someone who was not to long ago just a reader, I can say that disambiguating by continuity family would probably help ''a lot'' of people. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 20:00, 12 November 2012 (EST)
::If you do that, may I suggest you take the opportunity to come up with a less confusing name for the G1 continuity family that isn't the same as the franchise. That way there won't be a bunch of Beast Wars characters with (G1). How about the "inaugural continuity family"? Optimus Prime (Inaugural)
::Cons
::*Continuity family names are unofficial for the most part.
::*Fiction-only dimension hoppers are a bit of a problem. Do they go in their "home" continuity family or the continuity family of the piece of fiction they originated in?
::*Pros
::*I would personally feel better about the IDW original characters if they were disambiguated by the G1 continuity family (or the inaugural continuity family) instead of the G1 franchise. - [[User:Starfield|Starfield]] 20:17, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:If it's a choice between having (WFC) disambigs on Prime characters or radically changing how we organize the wiki and having to move thousands of articles (who's going to have time to even do that?), I prefer the former as a solution. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 20:36, 12 November 2012 (EST)
::In full agreement there. But I do think redirects with other franchise disambigs would be helpful to newcomers. Like someone who may have watched Cybertron but not be aware of the Armada toy who might try to search for "Thundercracker (Cybertron)", for example. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 20:49, 12 November 2012 (EST)
:''For what it's worth, I still think that we should do our disambiguations by continuity families.''
:Agree.  The only reason we don't for the Unicron Trilogy is because of the absolutely rampant name reuse, but Prime hasn't seen that problem.  I think that (in principle) everyone should be disambig'd (Aligned).
:That or you have to more Breakdown (Prime) to Breakdown (WFC).
:...also Rescue Bots.  Aligned they are.  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 00:45, 13 November 2012 (EST)
::I strongly feel we should stick to using official terms and abbreviations thereof in our disambiguation, and "aligned" is not really official (it was from a Hasbro guy describing their aim as a "new aligned continuity" ISTR). Unless we renamed it to the "Prime continuity family", but that way possibly lies madness. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 22:33, 13 November 2012 (EST)
:::I bet you anything that if we looked around we could find someone official referring to it as Aligned.  (If only because we do.)  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 22:36, 13 November 2012 (EST)
::::Not that I want to do everything by continuity family, because I absolutely do not, but even "Generation 1" started out as a fan term, and "Unicron Trilogy" was based on something Aaron Archer said once but became widespread because the Wiki used it.  "Aligned," another thing said once by Hasbro, is no different.  But again, argh, no, disambiging by continuity family raises more headaches than it solves.  UT isn't the only continuity family where name reuse is rampant.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:08, 14 November 2012 (EST)
:::::Yeah, ''colossal'' headaches if we tried to smoosh the various comic and toy characters from each movie's ancillary franchise together.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 01:22, 14 November 2012 (EST)
::::::Would it be?  If they're different characters, they're different characters.  So, Sentinel Prime would go from Sentienl Prime (ROTF) to Sentinel Prime (Movie).  He's a good example of a confusing disambiuation.  He's the villain in movie 3, but is at movie 2 because of an unnamed montage sequence.  Someone like movie Devastator, who is two separate characters, would remain exactly as they are.--[[User:Joefan|Joefan]] 12:06, 14 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::Except if it's by continuity family, he'd be at "Sentinel Prime (LAMS)". I think changing our entire way of naming articles and moving thousands of articles just to fix the "(Prime)" issue is like using a nuclear bomb to hammer in a nail. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 14:12, 14 November 2012 (EST)
::::::::My view on this topic has changed, and I now agree with this. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 15:44, 14 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::::My understanding was that we HAD been disambig-ing by Continuity family, and chose NOT to for the Unicron Trilogy and LAMS because the rampant name reuse would make this horribly confusing.  But for Aligned... so far we've already gotten <u>three</u> franchises and virtually no overlap.
:::::::::I'm going to cite [[Help:Ignore all standards]], which states that ''Standards are good; TFWiki.net likes standards. We're just not under the illusion that standards are perfect.'' and more importantly '''"In situations where the standards intended to prevent confusion would instead contribute to it, common sense should rule."'''
:::::::::Actually... wasn't disambiging the UT series by franchise a case of H:IAS?  We decided to do that because the way rampant name reuse rendered other approaches impractical.  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 14:05, 16 November 2012 (EST)
::::::::::We don't disambig by franchise because of the UT.  We disambig by franchise because of EVERYTHING.  UT was never ever ever the straw that broke the camel's back.  The back came pre-broken.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:22, 16 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::::::Whatever.  Can I move Breakdown (Prime) to Breakdown (WFC) or not?  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 15:35, 16 November 2012 (EST)
::::::::::::That's what I'd like to do eventually, but I don't think we've reached a firm enough consensus to do something that big and sprawling.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 16:16, 16 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::::::::...he's got the wrong disambig.  We disambig by the franchise he first appeared in.  His WFC appearance was 6 months prior to his Prime appearance.  Why does that require some sort of confab?
:::::::::::::: You are preaching to the choir on this point, but previously a consensus was made that Prime stuff operates differently from everything else on the wiki.  I want to overturn that, but until I do, the previous consensus stands.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 16:58, 16 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::::::::Of course the answer is "because we're already in an <tt>Ignore all standards</tt> situation; we want to disambig them with (Prime) even though that's against our standard treatment, but we haven't properly dealt-with/processed/mourned that."
:::::::::::::If we give in to a rigid standard and move him (and everyone else) to (WFC), ''I'' think it's almost inevitable that there will be a pushback against the anti-intuitive mess that makes the disambigs, which will itself lead to either returning them to (Prime) or switching everything to (Aligned)  I just do not see (WFC) for the main characters 'standing.'
:::::::::::::Which would mean that we aren't facing a choice between standard-vs-nonstandard, but between nonstandard-vs-nonstandard.  And given that choice I think (Aligned) is the better nonstandard.
:::::::::::::(You may feel free to disagree with my assessment of the outcome of a (WFC) move.  I recognize that my beliefs about "what would probably happen after" are just a hypothesis and should not be treated as fact.)  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 16:56, 16 November 2012 (EST)
If we do go to strict franchise of origin on Aligned continuity family characters, we are going to have to be ''super'' diligent on redirects for anyone that appears in the Prime show or toyline.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 17:55, 16 November 2012 (EST)
: I half-agree, if only because we won't have to be TOO diligent on the pages that exist already, because that would involve merely not deleting the redirects from the old locations once we move the pages.  It'd be a kind of reverse-diligence, since it would really mean one less step than usual.  Otherwise, yes, if a character is in Prime, there should be a redirect from there. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 19:13, 16 November 2012 (EST)
So have people have a chance to mull this over some? I'm leaning towards going back to the "by franchise" rule and having "Breakdown (WFC)" because it's both simpler than any of the alternatives, and it's consistent with what we do everywhere else. So long as "Breakdown (Prime)" redirects there, and I don't see any reason for it not to, people will still be able to find it. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 18:56, 27 November 2012 (EST)
== Fun fact ==
According to my calculations we had around about 6876 articles when we left Wikia, so we've added over 10000 more in the four and a bit years since we left. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 03:27, 19 November 2012 (EST)
:While wikia has added... 929 articles.--[[User:Carrion|Carrion]] 12:09, 19 November 2012 (EST)
::929, really? No offense but I thought it was less. --'''[[User:TX55|<span style= "color:#00FA9A">TX55</span>]]'''<small><SUP>''[[User talk:TX55|<span style= "color:#0000CD">TALK</span>]]''</SUP></small> 13:47, 19 November 2012 (EST) <13:57, 19 November 2012 (EST) edit>
:::Hey, be fair, they've also added a blog. GUH. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 13:49, 19 November 2012 (EST)
::::And a video library! Because people go to wikis to watch movie trailers! --[[User:Abates|abates]] 14:43, 19 November 2012 (EST)
:::I was just there the other day... their article for Animated Bulkhead still has an "ongoing" tag... --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 19:06, 19 November 2012 (EST)
== Split Pages ==
We have several characters on the list of [[Special:Longpages|Long pages]]–such as [[Kup (G1)]], ‎[[Prowl (G1)]], [[Megatron (G1)]], [[Ratchet (G1)]], and [[Hot Rod (G1)]]. So I suggest to split their G1 cartoon, Marvel comics, and IDW comics section into new pages. – [[User:Thunderweb|Thunderweb]] 01:40, 20 November 2012 (EST)
:That's cool and all, but please don't split off pages if you're not going to write proper intros/summaries for them and include appropriate categories on the sub pages. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 17:12, 24 November 2012 (EST)
== Aligned section breakup is warping canon ==
Currently{{now|21:19, 26 November 2012 (EST)}} our [[Breakdown (Prime)]] page lists all his Prime appearances then ghettotizes out his Fall of Cybertron appearances into a subsequent section as a separate continuity, and thus less important than the cartoon despite coming first. 
[[Bulkhead (Prime)]] and [[Knock Out (Prime)]] are a little better, but the Prime wii game (by the series writers, intended to fit in season 2 albeit without a specific "after this episode and before this episode" date) is broken out as a '''seperate continuity'''
Traditionally this has been our way of dealing with games because they are a secondary media; being sorta warped reflections of some core media with (for the most part) minimal contribution to continuity.  But, you know, Aligned is different.  The War for Cybertron / Fall of Cybertron games are part of the same continuity, occurring before the cartoon.  We sort of rolled our eyes when Hasbro first insisted on this (mostly because the [[Transformers: Exodus]] novel doesn't fit well with the game ''or'' the cartoon.)  But the reality increasingly is that they '''are''' one continuity.  Hell, this is a quote from an interview w/ John Barber, writer of [[Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots|Rage of the Dinobots]].
{{quote|JB: The Transformers story has been going on continuously for a very long time, and I think it’s fair to say the Prime universe is working to take the best elements of every expression and build a world. What’s really exciting is that what we’re doing in the comic is going to impact this world across various mediums. So, it isn’t a case where we’re doing a book that’s subservient to the TV show—we’re doing an all-new story set in that same universe, and the stories we tell are going to be reflected in the shows and the novels and everything else. It’s “canon.” Which is cool, and sort of rare and unique.
RS: The book is a truly cross-media venture tying in with the upcoming game Fall of Cybertron as well as the Transformers Prime series, how much of a 'juggling act' is it to coordinate the story between the different outlets?
JB: Fortunately I get to work with some of the best people in the business. Michael Kelly, who’s Hasbro’s Director of Global Publishing, is a great friend and somebody I get to work with very closely. He coordinates with the Transformers brand team at Hasbro—which contains some really good friends of mine, too. Plus I’ll talk to the folks at Random House, and we’re constantly emailing with everybody at High Moon, who produce FALL OF CYBERTRON, so while there are a lot of moving parts, we’re all talking. And we’re all building toward the same goals of good storytelling and a cohesive worldview.
Also—the new Prime comic is being written by Mike Johnson and Mairghread Scott, both of whom—in addition to being comics writers, both write for thePrime TV show. So they know what’s what.|John Barber|[http://www.aintitcool.com/node/58236 AICN COMICS Q&@: Russ Sheath talks to IDW's John Barber about TRANSFORMERS PRIME: RAGE OF THE DINOBOTS!]}}
Messy as it was for the rollout, the people producing the stuff '''intend for it to be one universe and are writing it at such'''.  And the various franchises '''are''' slowly converging as a result.
We <u>need</u> to consolidate these sections under a single "Aligned continuity" header.  Because the way we're doing it right now is fucking things up. 
(And no we can't have WFC/Prime subsection headers for the same reason we can't separate the Movieverse prequel minis, they interleve.  The games don't deal with Prime and Megatron's pre-war history bot the novels and TV shows do mention it.)  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 21:19, 26 November 2012 (EST)
: Yeah, I think the way we do it now is better-organized.  Video game stuff, no matter how high-profile it is, tends to be overwritten by the "real" stories that later adapt it.  I'd rather keep stuff separated by medium.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 22:28, 26 November 2012 (EST)
::Agreed. There's no way to kludge it all together under one heading without either ignoring some details or presenting them in a vague, unhelpful manner, given the contradictions that exist. You cite the Prime game, but at no point in season 2 do the Decepticons EVER consist of Megatron, Starscream, Airachnid and Dreadwing at the same time. It can't fit. And your other example - it's all well and good to quote that Barber quote, Derik, but the preview for "Rage of the Dinobots" alone has shown Grimlock present on Cybertron, Sludge being alive and Blast Off dying at a point when in the games, Grimlock has vanished, Sludge has died and Blast Off needs to be alive. (Not to say that the comic might not address these points, it's just the example foremost in my brain as it's been discussed recently.) - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 05:16, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::Chris, the only contradiction we've seen in the Rage of the Dinobots comic preview thus far is Sludge being alive. It's set after the Ark left, during which Grimlock ''was'' still on Cybertron. And Blast Off being there ties in with Jazz and Jetfire having knocked Bruticus off the Ark before it went through the space bridge. He was last seen plummeting, seemingly, back to Cybertron; and judging by this comic, it looks like he made it.
:::Now, as for my thoughts on the reorganization of the Aligned fiction sections, I offer a counterproposal. Keep each section separate as they are, but I'd feel more confortable with the WFC and FOC sections place above the Prime sections to coincide with their chronological placement in the timeline. Perhaps put the Exodus section first, then the WFC sections, then the FOC comic section, the FOC the game, then Exiles or Rage of the Dinobots (depending on how that comic with play out will determent if it's better set before or after Exiles), then the Prime comic, then the Prime cartoon, then the Prime game, and then the Rescue Bots cartoon. Each keeps its own section, but arranged in as close to chronological order as possible. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 12:20, 27 November 2012 (EST)
::::I don't understand how putting some of the video game stuff outside of the video game section is intuitive, because presumably we'd be keeping the Prime game stuff down below.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 12:23, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::::I'm saying to treat the games as fiction themselves instead of a second tier category, since, unlike previous continuities, they're of a greater importance to their master continuity than any past games have ever been. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 12:39, 27 November 2012 (EST)
::::::The [[Breakdown (Prime)]] article separates along '''Fiction''' and '''Games''', placing the WFC/FOC games in the latter when they are part of the same body of fiction.  Even if you don't want to place them in the same continuity, they should both be in the '''Fiction''' header.
::::::The separate header for games system has its origins in the traditional relationship of games to other fiction, where they present a wildly divergent or exclusive or alternate version of another existing franchise or story.  These are primary story material which have no 'primary story' they present an alternate version of because they ''are'' the primary story.  You can't ghettoize them as "something other than fiction."  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 17:28, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::That's what I'm saying. Putting the individual video game subsections into the main fiction section instead of putting them in a separate video game section since the games aren't a second tier of the main story this time. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 17:37, 27 November 2012 (EST)
::::I realize this isn't the time or place for this, but regarding those points, I'll say that the clear implication at the end of FoC is that Grimlock has vanished through the spacebridge (he doesn't get out before the explosion and the Dinobots watch as something shoots up the beam into the portal), and as the Ark is the ''last'' of the vessels to leave in the game, it can't fit with what we're seeing here with Blast Off's timeline. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 12:26, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::::I never got the impression that Grimlock got sent through the space bridge. His fate was rather amibiguous to the nth degree, leaving plenty open room for him to still be on Cybertron after the game. He's running away, there's a blinding light, and then the scene cuts away. for all we know, he could have fallen off the platform he was on and plummeted far to the ground below, away from the space bridge's reach (though he'd be in for some serious repairs after a fall form that height). As for the other ships, we know that the planet was completely abandoned by the present day, so the Dinobots and Wreckers would have had to have gotten off the planet somehow and at some point. Just because the Ark was the last vessel to leave during the Great Exodus doesn't mean there weren't more ships set aside in reserve for or built later by those who stayed behind so they could eventually leave when the time would come for them to do so ''after'' the Great Exodus. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 12:39, 27 November 2012 (EST)
::::::And thus, we see the the hand-wringing necessary to align everything. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 12:50, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::Pun not intended.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:39, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::::::Yeah, and until we get canonical answers to things like where the Prime game or Optimus/Bumblebee's appearances in Rescue Bots fit, sticking everything under one header is just not possible. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 14:59, 27 November 2012 (EST)
I think my main qualm here is that every time someone tries to make the case that Aligned is somehow ''different'' and thus deserves us altering the way we treat it relative to other continuity families, we end up with ''even more'' examples of how Aligned is pretty much a branching, loosely-connected thing ''just like every other continuity family''. I mean sure, it'll never get quite to the point of how spread out the G1 continuity family is. Regardless, this is no different from how obvious it was that Bay's writers didn't give a damn about the movie comics, and so forth.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 12:49, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:It's very easy to say "this doesn't seem to fit" but Barber says he's coordinating his story with High Moon Studios so there aren't any conflicts.
:The people writing these things are ''trying'' to make them one continuity, damnit!  Do we have to fight them this hard?  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 13:22, 27 November 2012 (EST)
::And IDW ''tried'' to make the comics jive with the live-action movies, and Barber himself is the one that had to get the mop whenever that didn't work out. Heck, Barber had early drafts of the movie scripts in many cases, and ended up drawing off of concepts that ultimately weren't even used in the movies.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 20:07, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:::I cant' tell if you're saying IDW succeeded or not, there's a lot of handwaving in the IDW timeline but it mostly works, largely thanks to Barber bending over backwards to explain how the DotM conspiracy could possibly be present during the 2007 movie and somehow miss Megatron.  ;)  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 00:05, 28 November 2012 (EST)
::::I'm not faulting the man's efforts, and certainly he must have won a No-Prize back in the day from the Merry Marvel Marching Squad, but all I'm really saying is ''this is nothing new''.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 01:43, 28 November 2012 (EST)
:::::What are you saying? The Movieverse comics and the films are in the same continuity. Just read the [[Movie continuity]] page. I don't care so much how the fiction is listed in character pages, but I'd like to see the [[Aligned continuity family]] page moved to "Aligned continuity" and the appropriate changes made to reflect the fact that the Aligned stuff is all ''officially'' the same continuity. Officially! Nobody in G1 tried to say "all this stuff is in the same continuity." - [[User:Starfield|Starfield]] 11:10, 28 November 2012 (EST)
== James Roberts notes ==
As self-referencial as Roberts' work gets, most of the notes sections on MTMTE pages are getting ridiculously long. Some of them have become big blocks of text that cover an entire screen. Is there any way we can break these down into smaller subsections? ''"Roberts referencing Roberts"'' vs. ''"Roberts referencing other stories"''? ''"Story notes"'' vs. ''"Easter eggs"''?--[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] 09:52, 13 December 2012 (EST)
: I don't think any of the notes sections for Roberts stories are "ridiculously long."  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 10:41, 13 December 2012 (EST)
:: Four of the last five regular issues have Notes sections that cover my entire monitor. One big screen of bullet points. It's aesthetically unpleasing, my eyes glaze over just looking at it, and I can't be the only one. We discourage big blocks of text in the History sections, and this isn't much different.
:: I'm not saying the Notes themselves aren't "note-worthy". It just...doesn't look good. I think an effort could be made to make it easier on the eyes. More images in that section, or some sub-sections to break up the bullet points is not unreasonable to suggest. --[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] 11:12, 13 December 2012 (EST)
== "Things that don't exist" category ==
FYI, readers that don't have accounts can't access this category through articles because they're blocked from the editing page, which the red link automatically takes them to. [[User:Mimi|Mimi]] 02:52, 18 December 2012 (EST)
:Hmm, we could possibly use javascript to amend links to it to point to http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Category:Things_that_don%27t_exist instead, which does work for logged out users. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 03:06, 18 December 2012 (EST)
::It looks like this was resolved in MediaWiki 1.15 which automatically redirects logged-out users to the working Category page. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 20:01, 23 April 2013 (EDT)
==Batchtaster?==
Really? --[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] 18:19, 1 January 2013 (EST)
== Captions ==
I have often found myself simply reading this website for entertainment because it just appeals to my sense of humor that much. I have often found myself wanting to somehow upvote or like a caption because it was just that good. Is there a way to do this? If not, can there be? [[User:Tourny|Tourny]] 20:59, 5 January 2013 (EST)
:I don't think that'd ever happen, because at the end of the day, this a Transformers wiki, not a 'post your Transformers jokes here' website. The jokes aren't and never should be the main focus, they're just a fun side effect. If anything, such a system would kind of legitimise the people who show up and do just want to use this place as a place to post their 'hilarious' Transformers jokes without contributing anything useful, and god knows we don't want that... [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 04:52, 6 January 2013 (EST)
::A most welcome way of doing it would be to point out the captions you like by posting to your facebook or twitter or what have you, especially with a link to the TFWiki page in question. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 05:18, 6 January 2013 (EST)
== Aligned character page main images ==
Since we've finally beun to treat the Aligned characters like we do characters of other continuities by disambiguating them by franchise, does anyone else feel that a bunch of characters with (WFC) disambigs having their Prime designs as their main image feels a little off? I mean, [[Thundercracker (Armada)]] uses his Armada design as his main image despite his Cybertron depiction being his most prominent one. Wouldn't it make more sense to have the WFC designs be the main images for those characters who bear the (WFC) disambig and such? Especially since our policy says, "the main image [of a character's page] should be their original 'real world' form". --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 00:34, 7 January 2013 (EST)
:Not sure why it's there for Thundercracker, but characters like [[Sideways (RID)]] and [[The Fallen]] use their later body designs for their mainpics. It's the most prominent way they've appeared, same as Sideways and Fallen. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 00:40, 7 January 2013 (EST)
::The only reason Sideways has his Armada body at the top of the page is that there is no art of the RID body.  His packaging image was a photo of his toy and he hasn't appeared in that body anywhere in fiction.  The Fallen has his movie body because, well, it was our most popular page for a year or two, because of the movies, and so he was a special case.  Regardless, a part of me is pretty okay with the Aligned guys having their Prime bodies at the top, ignoring all standards.  That feels a lot different to me than the disambiguation parenthetical, which is there for organization, not for looks or presentation like the main image is.  But my feelings are not super strong.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:31, 7 January 2013 (EST)
:::I think we should stick with the Prime images. I'm basically okay with the disambig change at this point after not being on board at first, but I think keeping their Prime main images will help mitigate the potential confusion or blurring of the lines that Aligned seems to always foster. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 05:09, 7 January 2013 (EST)
::::I think for the time being, Prime images make the most sense. ''Going into the future'', I think additional different-looking cartoons in the Aligned continuity would be a decent argument for returning to WFC bodies, because at that point they're simply one of many looks, instead of the less prominent of two. -[[User:LV|LV]] 11:49, 7 January 2013 (EST)
==Continuing spam==
With the spam continuing, even with captchas and email activation turned on, are we to assume that it's some actual poor bastards sitting there copypasting nonsense about handbags into pages? Would a possible solution be trivia-style verification questions? Something most TF fans would know, or could otherwise find out easily, but that a bored spammer would lack the initiative to find out? Like 'who is the Combaticon leader?' or 'what faction does Hound belong to?' and so on. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 14:57, 8 January 2013 (EST)
:''Are'' Captchas and email activation turned on? I'm not sure how they could be. These are obviously bots, and last I heard we'd only turned on the requirement to register before you can edit.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:05, 8 January 2013 (EST)
::Yeah, log out and check the account creation page, there's a reCAPTCHA thingmabob on there now. Sipher mentioned activation emails being turned on in the spam discusson further up the page, but looking at the sign-up page again, email isn't required, so I guess it can't be... [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 15:14, 8 January 2013 (EST)


::There are [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Anti-spam_features several simple steps] that would improve matters immediately and immensely - [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:TitleBlacklist TitleBlacklist] to block the likes of <nowiki>[[Talk:Something/]] and [[Talk:/Something]]</nowiki>, preventing users from creating User: pages with their first edit by requiring the Autoconfirmed permission to do so, adding a [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgSpamRegex $wgSpamRegex] to LocalSettings.php to prevent pages from being saved if they contain obvious trigger words like "viagra", "cialis", "online casino", "ugg boots" and so forth. They just aren't being used. - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 19:20, 8 January 2013 (EST)
== Binder of Revelation Illustration Credits ==
Okay, don't kill me here, I'm just hoping that the artists who contributed to the Binder fifteen-ish years ago get their proper due since it's out in the open now. I got in touch with the art director of the Binder of Revelation and have a fairly complete list of credits for who did what illustration. Since this isn't actually a published work, how do we go about giving proper illustration credits?  Do we even credit anyone?  Considering the document itself has no credits, I feel like it's worthwhile that the artists get recognized, even if we aren't putting any images up ourselves.  [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 21:37, 25 November 2025 (EST)
:I don't think this is objectionable info to note at the least. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:03, 25 November 2025 (EST)
::For now, maybe put your raw info on a sandbox so we can get a better sense of it? Most of the Binder art I know of was by Ken Christiansen, for instance, so if all but a few pieces are by him, it would seem silly to list them all individually. But I'm guessing it's more varied than that. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 00:26, 26 November 2025 (EST)
:::It's a pretty wide spread, surprisingly.  A lot of the pieces are tag team works where Eric Siebenaler did roughs and other artists did the finals, but it's around 5-10 artists without me checking the exact notes at the moment. I'll start getting that together.[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 14:41, 26 November 2025 (EST)
::::All known credits added. On a side note, is it worth pointing out somewhere that the Binder itself is written in the style of a RPG manual instead of an actual franchise bible?  It goes a long way in explaining why it was so quickly disregarded by other creative teams when comparing it to bibles from other franchises or just other series bibles within Transformers on the whole, and the pricetag attached to the project.--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 15:23, 21 January 2026 (EST)


::reCaptcha is a piece of poop, security-wise.  I'm also reluctant to add more extensions at the moment, due to performance issues, BUT. Find something simple and lightweight to REPLACE reCaptcha, and we can talk. --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 05:38, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
== What are we calling the new "Core" Transformers stuff? ==
:::$wgSpamRegex isn't an extension, it's a line of code you can add various banned words to (i.e., if "viagra" is in the list and someone tries to save a page that includes it, the page wouldn't save and they'd get a error message telling them why it wouldn't save. - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 07:29, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
::::You know what WASN'T on? wgEmailConfirmToEdit.  That may make a LOT more sense, as I'd wager that spambots aren't actually including legit emails.  Email authentication is NOT the same thing. --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 16:50, 16 January 2013 (UTC)


:I still don't think reCaptcha is helping, as noticed, and it doesn't have anything like, say, a lockout policy, so I've bit the bullet and added a modified version of the SpamBlacklist extension, adding in RBL support and some basic language filters in one go.  It's reasonably light on DB traffic, too.  Will it slow the flood?  That remains to be seen, but they're still getting around it right now. I also think I've resolved the IP blocking issue, so we might (might!) be okay now. Turns out that adding a load balancer in front of the Squid caches hurts Mediawiki's IP detection logic. --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 20:21, 16 January 2013 (EST)
So... what should we call the new generically branded "Transformers" toys that have been showing up? (Prime Changers, Smash Changers, Tiny Turbo Changers, maybe more in the future). Should it be a separate new thing or maybe part of [[Transformers Authentics|''Authentics'']]?  The Prime Changer [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Authentics|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Authentics|Bumbleebee]], and [[Megatron (G1)/toys#PrimeChanger|Megatron]] were previously added under ''Authentics'', while someone just started using "Transformers (2026)" for the Tiny Turbo [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Tiny Turbo Changers|Arcee]] and [[Elita One (G1)#Tiny Turbo Changers|Elita]], which got me thinking that we should probably figure this out soon.<br>From what I've gathered they all use "TRA Core" in their listing names, but their packaging design seems identical to current ''Authentics'' packaging design, also lacking a distinct subtitle and focusing on "Evergreen" characters to start off. Then again, Hasbro homogenizing all their packaging designs in the last year makes it hard to tell if this line is meant to be its own thing. Though it is notable that unlike prior ''Authentics'', this "Core" line is using bigger size classes and is available at bigger retailers like Target instead of dollar stores. [[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:24, 13 January 2026 (EST)
::Alternate suggestion: could the system be modded to block an editor from creating an article until one of their edits is marked as patrolled (and thus approved as legitimate)?[[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] 00:53, 24 March 2013 (EDT)


== We are moving very very soon. ==
:I was JUST adding a section here and rather than rewriting...<br>
:Okay just kinda checking in, because thanks to Hasbro's goddamn infuriating thing about not promoting/announcing anything other than the expensive collector crap, the load of sub-line-less not-''Authentics'' "Core" stuff hitting Targets (at least, has anything popped up at Walmart?) is a bit of a "how do we handle this" deal. Both "how much product is there" and "do we treat this as a separate line, as an extension of Authentics despite it not being a 'discount' store line, or what". I'm leaning towards "just list it as its own line with G1 characters unless pretty explicitly otherwise". --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:30, 13 January 2026 (EST)
::Oh right, Walmart. Off memory they do have the ''Authentics''-styled [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#MegaSting|Mega Sting Bumbleebee]] (could also be considered a "larger price point" I guess). No clue if any listings gave it a separate name like "Core" has. Walmart also has a bunch of merch stuff in ''Authentics''-style packaging like big head helicopters, Dancing Transformers and a giant RC Bumblebee. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:57, 13 January 2026 (EST)


That means at some point within the next few hours to few days the wiki will go to Read Only mode while McFly moves stuff around.  Then we won't be hemorrhaging cash and things will run smoothly and we'll all have boners, even the ladies.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 17:12, 9 January 2013 (EST)
== Size of the page again ==
:I've got one right now! - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 17:23, 9 January 2013 (EST)


This page is getting pretty long again, so could someone archive the last year? [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 12:03, 22 January 2026 (EST)


== Idea for a page? ==


Okay, so, uh, what the hell happened? -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 00:43, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
Perhaps a page discussing the various Transformers that have "base modes" as a third form, like Powermaster Prime, Motormaster, etc. It's a major recurring gimmick since G1. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 09:09, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:We have moved. Some things are still being tweaked. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 00:46, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
:I think a general "[[base mode]]" article would make sense, yeah. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:19, 30 January 2026 (EST)
::Well, I knew we moved, just I thought nothing would look different. Oh, well. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 00:52, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
::seconded. frankly shocked to learn there isn't one already --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 11:58, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:::New Mediawiki software version. Some things got a little mixed up in the move, and newer versions decided to put the hammer down on bad practices.  Other things are just... being refactored from a distinct lack of notes. --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 01:43, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
:::I think base modes lend themselves better to a category page rather than a full-blown article. What would it even say? “Some Transformers have Base Modes. Here’s a list of all the toys, here’s a list of all the episodes/issues where a base mode appeared.” [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:51, 4 February 2026 (EST)
::::Most of what's left is going to be us rejiggering some templates to more efficient code, and documenting the snot out of things so McFly doesn't name his first ulcer after us.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 02:02, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I don't see why not. We have articles specifically for [[Beast mode]], [[Super Mode]], [[attack mode]], and [[transportation mode]]. For such a prominent feature of Transformers since its early days I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a specific write-up about city/base modes anywhere, and not even as single mention on the main [[alternate mode]] page. Closest I can find is [[Titan (group)#Alternate modes]]. [[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:01, 4 February 2026 (EST)
::::: http://science.education.nih.gov/home2.nsf/Educational+ResourcesResource+FormatsOnline+Resources+High+School/928BAB9A176A71B585256CCD00634489 :p - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 07:25, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
:::::I attempted a [[User:MahXyme/Sandbox/Base Mode|sandbox for a Base Mode page]] long ago, but I stopped since I realized it would require an extensive amount of work to list all fiction usages & differentiate what counts/what does not count not (something I struggled with the [[Micromaster#The Transformers|Micromasters Transports]] assorments -[[User:MahXyme|MahXyme/MahXymal]] ([[User talk:MahXyme|talk]]) 17:53, 5 February 2026 (EST)
:::::: Pedantry aside, I CAN name my migraines after you. Stress exacerbates THOSE. --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 20:05, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
::::::Seems like a good start at least. I'd argue for listing "groups" of base modes (Micromaster Stations, Titans Return Leaders, etc.) rather than individual figures --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 20:36, 5 February 2026 (EST)
::::::: Which migraine's stronger then? Madness or little Sanity? :p - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 10:36, 16 January 2013 (UTC)  


===Stuffs what have gone wrong(er)===
Agreed on the organizational aspects. And, that sandbox is a good start, though yeah, it'd need a lot of work to go through all the toylines and make a comprehensive list. There's also the fact that certain toys with base modes are intended to link to others, some universal and some just one specific bot, so it may be tricky to document when that play feature is prevelant. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 10:35, 18 February 2026 (EST)
User CSS files aren't being called post-move. Basically, the stuff [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration_settings#CSS.2FJs here] was previously all set true, now it's set false. [Is [[MediaWiki:Common.css]] even working?] - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 07:25, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
: Compared old LocalSettings.php to new, wgUseSiteJs/wgUseSiteCss were NOT set over there.  If you're not just making blanket assumptions, please point my not-MediaWiki-understanding ass to the right place. Remember, I built the house, but others (Scout?  Derik?) actually laid out the rooms and installed the appliances.  My understanding of Mediawiki extends out to "Ooh, shiny mediawiki package in apt repositories..."  Anything else is a '''Wild. Ass. Guess.''' --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 20:05, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
::I'm not an expert ('''And I can't see the Wiki's LocalSettings.php myself to be sure!'''), but I have played around with MediaWiki a fair bit, so I'm beyond the "oh, shiny" stage and I know where to look at in http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Contents .
::For instance, I don't know what $wgAutoConfirmAge and $wgAutoConfirmCount are currrently set to. If the createpage and upload ''have'' been set, but those two variables are ''not'' set, a fairly minimal barrier would be two days & four edits before you can create pages and upload files - certainly, very few spambots will hang around for two whole days before editing!


<pre>
==About character name translations==
$wgAutoConfirmAge = 86400 * 2; # Two days times 86400 seconds/day
Um... I'm new here. I have a question, and I'm not sure if this question falls under [[Help:Official info]]...
$wgAutoConfirmCount = 4;
</pre>


::If they HAVEN'T been set, you can add them with:
That is, I want to add the translated names of some characters. But I want to know what basis this wiki uses to choose foreign translations. Must the foreign translations be ones used by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy and their licensees in order to remain on this wiki? Can some of the names translated by fan Chinese translation groups be considered valid? Especially in cases where they were the first to provide a translation for a work (possibly the only one) and fixed certain character names.
<pre>
# Only users with accounts in autoconfirmed group
# (registered accounts at least as old as $wgAutoConfirmAge and having at least as many edits as $wgAutoConfirmCount)
# can create pages:
$wgGroupPermissions['*'            ]['createpage'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user'        ]['createpage'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['autoconfirmed']['createpage'] = true;


# Only users with accounts in autoconfirmed group
There are also some characters (such as [[Sentinel Maximus]]) whose works may never be introduced by licensors in certain languages, but they do have a commonly used translated name. Should we include this translated name, or just keep it without a translation in that language?
# (registered accounts at least as old as $wgAutoConfirmAge and having at least as many edits as $wgAutoConfirmCount)
# can upload files:
$wgGroupPermissions['*'            ]['upload'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user'        ]['upload'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['autoconfirmed']['upload'] = true;
</pre>
::-[[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 10:36, 16 January 2013 (UTC)


===Broken templates===
For example, when IDW comic books were introduced in China, the translation team at the time translated [[Tarn (G1)]] as '''璇玑湖'''. So this would count as an authorized translation. However, because this translated name has nothing to do with the original meaning (as well as some other controversies surrounding that Chinese translation group), the more common and widely used Chinese translation for [[Tarn (G1)]] is the direct transliteration '''塔恩'''. '''璇玑湖''' has basically been abandoned. In this case, which translation should we choose?
{{tl|cal-date}} is broken, but I'm not template savvy enough to fix it. Anyone want to have a go? --[[User:Abates|abates]] 07:17, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
:Ja, I will fix it.  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 00:15, 17 January 2013 (EST)
::$%^&*  I'm getting ''closer'' to fixing it.  -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 15:02, 17 January 2013 (EST)
:::''*cries piteously*'' -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 15:43, 17 January 2013 (EST)
::::I've just had a go and I think that's sorted it! Not sure if there are any other broken templates lurking out there... --[[User:Abates|abates]] 05:58, 20 January 2013 (EST)
===Storylink===
Are the storylinks looking odd for anyone else? They appear as full size text without the surrounding box from before for me. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 12:29, 20 January 2013 (EST)
:Yeah, storylinks, note boxes, disambig boxes, organisation templates (eg. listing comics issues) and episode/issue/etc. infoboxes are all not displaying correctly. I assume that the folks who know what they're doing with this kind of stuff are working on getting them fixed.. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 12:42, 20 January 2013 (EST)
::I think that's done it - or at least it's displaying normally for me now. Well done to all involved, much appreciated. --[[User:Emvee|Emvee]] 17:04, 22 January 2013 (EST)


== Still Confused About All This ==
:I suddenly realized that 塔恩 could be used. The packaging of Blokees does indeed call him 塔恩.


I just got registered so that I can always find this site.
Also, does the foreign name used in the product titles by the Hasbro official flagship store count?


When I search for Transformers Wiki, all I get is Teletraan 1 and I don't like that site as well. Heck, their information on BotShots is woefully unsatisfactory.
Uh, this question might seem a bit silly, or it might come across as a bit strange because I'm speaking English through a translator. But if the existing Wiki rules already cover this issue, please just tell me, thank you.[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 10:18, 12 February 2026 (EST)
:This is a fantastic question. I have no authority here so don’t take this as word of law, but I believe that Romanizations on this wiki (which I think is somewhat similar) are case-by-case. The first romanization of [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] was “Deszarus”, but the page is still titled “Deathsaurus” because that’s what the name actually is supposed to be. (Deathsaurus’ name issues are actually pretty interesting, at least to me, and I’d recommend reading the wiki article’s section on it.) Conversely, [[Jallguar]] IS the first romanization used, and the article title, but in that instance I suppose that there isn’t really any convincing reason to use any of the other romanizations we’ve gotten over the years since none of them actually mean anything (it’s just the Japanese word for Jaguar with an extra syllable inserted). I’m rambling. What I would do for foreign names is, stick with the first official translation used, unless you think there’s a compelling reason to use a different one (like what you said with Tarn), and in that case bring it up on the discussion page for the article in question or in the Discord server. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:43, 15 February 2026 (EST)
::They need to be translations used in official material. That's just the easiest line in the sand we can make. If different translations are used officially, we note them all, barring obvious typos and the such. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:22, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:::Does the name used for the flagship store count? Those works that were not introduced have kept them without translations, right?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 06:52, 15 February 2026 (EST)


Did this site used to be that site or the other way around? Much of the information in articles looks copied from one site or the other.
Some publications that contain many translations (such as the Chinese version of DW's MTMTE) I actually don't have the resources for, which is a pity.
I have come to realize some issues. For instance, if the translation team used a certain translation term when translating a publication, but later discovered that this term was incorrect, they made the correction in their subsequent fan-based translations. However, since the publication was not re-released after its introduction, the translation term in the authorized merchandise could not be modified. Can we adopt the revised translation term provided by this translation team?


Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask these questions. I was looking for an e-mail address or something and couldn't find it. {{unsigned|Haven13}}
There is another less rigorous question: Does THE translation given by the authorized Chinese translation and introduction team of Chris McFeely's TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS count?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 07:07, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:No worries! We were originally at Wikia, but split with them in September 2008 and went independent. Wikia are still operating the old version, but it doesn't get updated in a lot of areas.
:THE BASICS, while incredibly informative, is not official, so no, it would not count. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 15:52, 16 February 2026 (EST)
:Where is it you're searching for Transformers Wiki? We come up first on Google when I search on there. --[[User:Abates|abates]] 18:16, 23 January 2013 (EST)
::I reiterate, official material only. Mistakes are unfortunate, but that's how it goes and we can't presume unofficial translations will make it into official material. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:42, 16 February 2026 (EST)
::Ooh!  Ooh!  Let me guess!  BING.  (Who are blocked for '''hammering''' our wee servers.) --[[User:McFly|McFly]] 23:52, 23 January 2013 (EST)
OK, I will do it this way. Strictly follow the official materials.
:::Well, I just searched for "transformers wiki" on bing.com and we were the first result. Followed by the wikia site, wikipedia's main Transformers page, and wikipedia's Transformers (film) page. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 07:01, 24 January 2013 (EST)


== Key things missing from toy sections on character pages ==
And one more question: Can the translation names used by Hasbro's official store be used in this Wiki?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 23:40, 16 February 2026 (EST)
:Material from Hasbro is fine. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 01:50, 17 February 2026 (EST)


There are a couple of things most toy sections don't have that would probably be useful:
== So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? ==
* a link to the page about the toyline - some articles have it, but they don't seem to be the majority.
* for characters who've been more than one faction in fiction, knowing what faction their toy was sold as would be useful, especially if the toyline's page isn't split into Autobots and Decepticons.
Just a couple of ideas. --[[User:Flicky1991|Flicky1991]] 16:45, 2 February 2013 (EST)
:More than once I have thought a link to the toyline would be handy. - [[User:Starfield|Starfield]] 21:31, 2 February 2013 (EST)


== New Theme ==
It made sense to keep them together when ''Legends'' first started as Jungle Animals in Decidedly Non-Jungle Situations, and this wasn't worth pursuing before now since it'd be just moving the furniture around.  But the lore got deeper and now with ''New Legends'' as ongoing fiction I think it's worth looking at again.  As much as Legends World is treated as its own dimension, it is fundamentally just a location easily accessible from the JG1 timeline populated with clones* of Transformers from the wider continuity that exists around it.  And when we write pages for duplicate characters who co-exist, do we not typically split them off?  If that's the yardstick, several Legends Worlders interact with or refer to their JG1 selves, including Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, Arcee, and T-AI.  Leo Prime even moves in with Lio Convoy, and keeping those same dudes on the same page is complicating the already complex timeline presented by "[[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes]]". — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 12:44, 3 March 2026 (EST)
<sub>*"clones" is a simpler term for these guys than "magically created lifeforms in a telepathic dream world based on real people from 300 years in the future" but same diff</sub>
:It's always been strange to me that they weren't split off already. Having them on the same page is extremely confusing. I'd say go for it. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 12:57, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:Personally I think this might be overthinking things. I'd agree that it's not quite 1 to 1 with other cross dimension stuff, but functionally Legends Rattrap is a version of the Beast Wars character even if he is in this weird pocket dimension type thing, and ever single "native" to the dimension we see is basically just a comedic version of a pre-existing character. And we've always kept cross dimensional stories with versions of the same character on the same page (Universe, TransTech, et cetera). It makes things complicated, sure, but JG1 stuff has been like that for nearly two decades now. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 13:00, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::For my money, there's just ''so much'' with the Legends idiots now, and there's going to keep being more of it, so we'd be best off siloing them into their own pages <s>and not having to think about them any more</s>. Universe and TransTech stories that had the characters interacting were generally one-offs or short runs. This is a Cloud or Galvatron II situation, to me. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 13:45, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I am on the record as considering reader experience our prime directive and this would be such a drastic improvement to the readability of our coverage of the Legends rat's nest that I've been meaning to suggest it for years. Consider me emphatically in favor. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 20:12, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I think I'm also generally leaning towards "this is already complicated and it's just going to get more complicated so let's detangle this shit sooner rather than later." -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:19, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::Fine with this idea. Are we using Japanese names since those characters have never shown up in material with Hasbro names? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:31, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::That feels unnecessarily pedantic. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:16, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::::One could make the argument that it's too steeped in Japanese fan culture/terminology to use the Hasbro names, but I really only care about the human characters having Japanese names (because they're normal people living in Tokyo and wouldn't be named things like "T-AI"). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::::Also, I think Roadbuster, Whirl, and Windblade can stay as they are, since all three are meant to be the main JG1 versions of those characters anyway. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:37, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::I'm theoretically in favour of Japanese names, since it would improve legibility of say, the time Rattle and Rattrap teamed up – and we're absolutely keeping Lio Convoy, since Leo Prime has gone through a textual name change – BUT: characters with toys, at least, had both the Japanese and Hasbro names on their packaging.  It would be inconsistent to have Rattrap and Waspinator and Optimus Primal alongside Cheetus and — I can't think of another example, but I'm interrupting this train of thought because I CAN think of Optimus Minor being made Primal's son on the basis of Beast Convoy's western name.  And how many minor guys like, I dunno, Build Boy, are named in dialogue?  We could always title the article Wedge and slap a Noname-uncomfirmed on that bad boy like how we did with ''Shattered Glass'' in the distant past.
:::Also, what are we feeling is best for a disambig?  (Legends)?  (LG)?  (LW)? — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:43, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Or we could go with the Kre-O approach of "major characters get their own pages, cameos don't" I GUESS — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:53, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Minor is only called "Minor" in Legends, so he wouldn't get the full name. I vote (Legends). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::I second the "(Legends)" motion. It's the name of the franchise these character debuted in, in the name of the world they live in, and it's one word. We don't put Masterforce characters at "MF", for instance, and "Legends" isn't even a compound word that ''could'' be abbreviated. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 16:32, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::Doing a cursory sweep we appear to have already used "(Legends)" for a [[:Category:Transformers Legends episodes|bazillion mobile game events]] such that it might be prudent to avoid that one. My two cents would be to either use the "(LG)" abbreviation from the packaging/story titles/etc or straight up spell out "(Legends World)" for absolute maximum clarity. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:50, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::I'm leaning towards LG: it's on every toy box and in the title of the vast majority of chapters.  Plus, Deadlock uses it in-universe.  And it's shorter! — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::"Legends" is also spoken in-universe countless times all throughout the Legends manga series, even in the most recent End of G1 Universe comic starring the green Lio Convoy. The reason "LG" is on every toy box is because it's part of each toy's ID number, which we have never let dictate any of our disambiguation tags. Otherwise, we'd be using "(BT)" instead of "(Binaltech)", "(MP)" instead of "(Masterpiece)", "(UN)" instead of "(United)", "(TG)" instead of "(Generations)", "(TAV)" instead of "(Adventure)", "(PP)" for Power of the Primes instead of "(POTP)", "(SG)" instead of "(Siege)", "(TCV)" instead of "(Cyberverse)", "(ER)" instead of "(Earthrise)", "(KD)" instead of "(Kingdom)", "(TL)" instead of "(Legacy)", etc. That [[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends mobile game]] (which has been dead for over a decade, even) that "(Legends)" is currently being used for is a nonissue when "(Legends)" is ''also'' currently being used for things from the [[Transformers Legends (book)|Transformers Legends anthology book]], particularly [[Susan (Legends)]]. And "(Legends)" has already been in use for things from the Legends manga, too, like [[Groundshaker (Legends)]], [[Synapse (Legends)]], [[Duncan (Legends)]], and [[Plasma Energy Chamber (Legends)]]. It's no different from how we use "(RID)" for things from both the 2001 and 2025 franchises, "(Universe)" for things from both the 2003 and 2008 franchises, and "(Generations)" for things from both the pre-Combiner Wars toyline and from the series of Japanese guidebooks. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:37, 5 March 2026 (EST)
::::::::Yes, the principle was always "least disambiguation necessary for titles". A particular disambiguation is fine to be used by different things. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 02:13, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::::Speaking personally I cannot say I am terribly invested in any specific disambig so if y'all feel that strongly about "(Legends)," so be it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 15:00, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:Historically I've leaned more in the direction of "this feels like putting these dumb animals on too much of a pedestal", given the meta-importance that page splits tend to imply to the wiki's audience, ''but'' I find the "these are functionally clones who exist within JG1 continuity specifically, not just 'normal' alternate versions of the characters" framing pretty compelling, so I'm surprising myself by saying I wouldn't be opposed to a split at this point. Making stuff like multiple Lios Convoy interacting less insane to write about is definitely a bonus too. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:34, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Oh, also, and I hope it would go without saying, but obviously the toys that technically represent Transformerised Legends World guys would need to go on both pages (which I think we're already doing anyway for cases like the Targetmasters that are actually technically Kiss Players and Beastformers and stuff). [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:41, 4 March 2026 (EST)


So, according to Hasbro, basically the entire new theme of the Transformers brand is now Beast Hunters. So why not change the wiki theme from Animated to Beast Hunters? Just a suggestion,if people don't like it, whatever. -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|<sup>Use this!</sup>]] 12:15, 10 February 2013 (EST)
Thinking about it more, the Galvatron II example is more presuasive to me; a suite style situation would be fine. As for names, I don't really care about T-AI but for any of the Transformers I think that's a bit much. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:08, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:That's a good idea. Even if not Beast Hunters specifically, a Prime-related theme would make more sense than Animated now, considering it's been a couple of years. --[[User:Flicky1991|Flicky1991]] 12:43, 10 February 2013 (EST)


== Trivia/notes sections ==
Having gone through [[:Category:Legends World natives]] and [[:Category:Legends World humans]], if we apply the Kre-O Rule of Notability, that gives us the following:
*'''Split:''' Airazor, Arcee, Big Convoy, Bighorn, Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Dinobot, Lio Convoy, Lio Junior, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Minor, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Rhinox, Scorponok, Scuba, Scylla, Silverbolt, Stampy, Starscream, Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, Tigatron, Waspinator, Nightbeat, T-AI
*'''Lump:''' Roadbuster, Whirl, basically every real person making a cameo
*'''Small roles:''' Archadis, Armordillo, BB, Break, Bump, Colada, Diver, Drill Nuts, Gas Skunk, Guiledart, Heinrad, Ikard, Inferno, Longrack, Magmatron, Megastorm, Kobanzametarō, Prowl, Quickstrike, Rampage, Randy, Ravage, Saberback, Sling, Star Upper, Tasmania Kid, Transmutate, Venom, Wedge, Wolfang, Kelly, Kenneth Onishi, Koji Onishi
*'''TBD:''' Botanica (doesn't have a write-up yet), Buzz Saw (does not appear in JG1 elsewhere), Savage and Noble, Tank Drones (do we split subgroups?)
— [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 09:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:The Kre-O thing is because some characters (in fiction or toys) can't be exclusively slotted into G1 or movie buckets since they shift design cues between them. I think it's easier to just be consistent with the Legends gremlin people (other than real people cameos). Sensible to keep the sentient toys (Mini-Cons, Encore Big Convoy) and the three JG1 inductees (Roadbuster, Whirl, Windblade) on their respective character pages, I think. Like Wolfang/Howlinger, Buzz Saw exists in JG1 somewhere off-camera, since they got his toy. I don't think Tank Drone needs another page; it's a mass-produced bodytype that can cover instances across universes, not a specific person. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::I'm somewhere in the middle between "splitting them off the main article would help improve readability, yes," and "splitting them off entirely feels a bit too far since all of them are essentially just different versions of the main Beast Wars et al characters", so I think going the aforementioned route of suiting them would be the cleanest solution. Keeps them joined at the hip with the main versions that they're basically new versions of, while also giving them their own webpages to tidy up readability on the main pages. The Galvatron II analogy is very apropos in this case. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 10:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Coming back to this with refreshed knowledge, Botanica is split, Buzz Saw is small roles (which is now also split), Savage and Noble are split both from Noble (BM) and from each other, and Rhinox/Tankor can go on the same page. — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)


While I have nothing against a "trivia" or "notes" section (we are not Wikipedia, after all), it is my opinion that such a section should really only contain general notes about the article's subject that are either really trivial, or too general to fit into any specific paragraph. In particular, a noteworthy two-line bit regarding a specific toy in an article about a character with multiple toys might better fit into the specific toy's entry. For example, if the toy had a prototype that was very different from the final toy, the toy's entry isn't very long and the info about the prototype doesn't fill the page either, it could better be added to the toy's entry (since it's actual information about the toy, and its design process), rather than treating it as marginal trivia that is ostracized from the main portion of the article. Likewise, informative notes about fictional appearances of a character and after-the-fact retcons that affect the general perception of said character are better added as notes to the specific fiction writeup, rather than shoving it into the "notes" ghetto. So simply put: Short notes that are directly related to a specific part of the article might better be placed in that very part, rather than in an inflated catch-all "notes" section. Thoughts?--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 15:45, 16 February 2013 (EST)
So uh. I've come around on the split pages. However...I don't think completely removing any reference to them on the Beast Wars pages themselves is particularly helpful? Whether it be a suite or a "see this article for more information" I don't mind, but there should be some reference since like Sabrblade says, they are just comedic versions of the Beast Wars guys. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 07:37, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:Maybe do the disambiguation like this? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 14:09, 6 March 2026 (EST) {{disambig3.5|the Beast Wars Maximal|his Legends World counterpart|Rattrap (Legends)|Rattrap}}


== Proposal to rename an article. ==


Hi, I'm proposing that the article "Brick Springhorn" be renamed to "Brick Springstern". Because of an error in the original comic, the character was given both names at various points during the story. A radio announcer called him "Springstern" and an editorial caption said he was "Springhorn". Usually, I'd agree with calling him "Springhorn". We can rationalise the mistake by saying the announcer was mistaken or drunk or something, and of course "Springhorn" is just a damn funny name. Except...
Alright, I've decided that for now I'm just going to add a note and a link mostly because I have little patience when it comes to formatting suite links. It's going to be along these lines:


In the recent IDW reprint (which I was re-reading today), they have corrected the error, and he's now called "Springstern" throughout the comic. (Similar to how the IDW reprints corrected the Sherman Dam / Boulder Dam mistake).
{{note|Due to the unique nature of ''Legends'' place within JG1 continuity, we've opted to separate out this version of the character into its own micro-page. See [article link] for more details.}}


Given that "Springstern" is now his name throughout the most recent printing, I'd suggest that most readers trying to look up the character will type "Springstern" into the search box. I know the redirect is in place, but I feel that maybe it should now be the other way round, with 'Horn' redirecing to a main article located at 'Stern'.
If anyone has any objections or comments, leave them below. Otherwise I'll just implement it tomorrow. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 19:28, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:I don't think this is necessary, but this can be phrased in-universe if we really need it. (<nowiki>"In the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]-created [[Legends World]], its [[Character (Legends)|Character]]'s existence formed based on Character."</nowiki> or something around that.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
::Yeah, I like that much better. If nothing else it draws way less attention to itself. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:::Seconding Saix that this feels unnecessary, seconding Broadside that Saix's version is more straightforward if we must. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 22:12, 6 March 2026 (EST)
::::My thinking is that treating them as completely separate from the regular versions is not really accurate/a bit "inside baseball. Like I said at the start, they aren't quite the same as different counterparts from another universe, sure, but they are still very specifically comedic versions of the Beast Wars characters, down to the fact that they briefly turn into them late in the series. It's why I find the Galvatron II comparison more compelling for accessibility reasons (frankly, the main Galvatron article could also use a note explaining why he's separate too). As for the wording, again I think the in-universe thing is a bit inside baseball, and not clear immediately to users who have no idea what Legends is. If people have suggestions for a better way of wording a precise explanation, I'm all for it, but I still think the intent of my suggestion is more accessible to readers. I'm also still very open to suiting the articles, but I've always struggled with the way templates work, so if anyone else is up for the task, I'm all for it. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 22:27, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:::::If I'm being honest, I would prefer suites too, for all the reasons that have been given, and because the Legends World natives are stated by Leo Prime to be the "bunshin" (分身) of the normal BW characters, denoting an inherent connection between them: 君達レジェンズ世界のビースト市民は我らG1世界のビースト戦士の分身だ. 今こそ! その内なる野獣を全て呼び覚ますんだ. But if others feel that strongly enough against suites to overrule that preference, I can accept the little note proposal instead. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:01, 7 March 2026 (EST)
:For what it's worth, I'd planned to give Legends World headings to characters who exist fictionally in that world, [https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rattrap_%28BW%29&diff=1899083&oldid=1898497 like so,] to cover their "fictional" appearances. — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 05:58, 7 March 2026 (EST)
::That was what I figured we would have as well in those cases; I know there's plenty of them who do show up fictionally or as toys just based on my memories. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:11, 7 March 2026 (EST)
:While attempting to get into the endgame metaphysical hooey connecting the Legends World natives to the Transformers of JG1 on every individual character article still feels like it would do more harm than good intelligibility-wise to me, I will say that after sitting with it a while I would not be opposed to making some kind of centralized "Legends World native" article laying it all out in detail and then linking out to it everywhere. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 16:13, 7 March 2026 (EST)
::I should clarify, my thinking is that there are bound to be users who will see images from the comics, recognize instinctively that they are comedy versions of the Beast Wars characters, and go to those pages and be confused why they aren't there. Yes, they could go to the disambiguation page, but I've always felt that we should optimize things for the least amount of clicking. What separates this from a Cloud type situation to me is that there are enough vagaries there that I understand the argument to split them out (the lore of that depiction of Cybertron, things like Grimlock's backstory); the Legends characters and a lot of the jokes around them exist solely in the context of either the JP Beast Wars and Beast Machines dubs (Silverbolt's depiction, Airazor and Nightscream's whole...thing, Depth Charge's fish gun thing being a character that can talk), or the BWII cartoon characters (Bighorn's infatuation with Scylla, Big Convoy being a teacher at a school as a comedic version of him as a military instructor). In-fiction, sure, they are kind of clones, but it's not the same thing as say, the Optimus Prime clone from the cartoon, because of the metaphysical stuff involved. I think that potentially presenting them as having no connection would not be fully honest. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:28, 7 March 2026 (EST)
:::I don’t think we need a dedicated “Legends World native” page, the existing [[Legends World]] article already sums it up pretty nicely. We could direct people there. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 18:02, 7 March 2026 (EST)
::::Although, if such a page for the Legends World inhabitants were to be made, the in-story name used for those people is "Legends World citizen" (レジェンズ世界の市民 ''Rejenzu sekai no shimin'') with those based on beast-moded characters (as in, those who possess [[Beast Power]]) referred to as either "Animal-type citizens" (動物型の市民 ''Dōbutsu-gata no shimin'') or "Beast citizens" (ビースト市民 ''Bīsuto shimin''). --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 14:47, 8 March 2026 (EDT)


Advice and opinion welcome! --[[User:Ryan Frost|Ryan Frost]] 17:55, 14 March 2013 (EDT)
== Out of date MediaWiki ==
:This is terrible news, because you're probably right, and I hate it.  --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 18:01, 14 March 2013 (EDT)


== Database dump ==
So, uh, [[Special:Version|this place is on MediaWiki 1.19.20]]. The 1.19.* branch went EOL back in '''''2015''''', and isn't even the last 1.19.* (which was 1.19.24). That dpesn't seem safe for y'all.


Hello! In my region I have a bit of an internet connection issue so I'm using WikiTaxi for offline wikia browsing. Since tfwiki is based on wikimedia system I was wondering if a database dump of current pages could possibly be generated for download? I see that it currently doesn't exist on your special: statistics page. I'd rather avoid any mirroring software as it would no doubt cause issues with the site so I hope someone can help with this.
(For context, the current LTS is 1.39.17, which is the oldest supported branch. The most current version is 1.45.1.) {{unsigned|Hello Goodbye|2026-03-14T08:31}}


Thank you in advance,
== irc needed ==


[[User:NocteDraconis|NocteDraconis]]
need an irc channel populated by at least 1 wiki admin. when i tried to register, the dnsbl identified me as open proxy and prevented registration. where i am from, dynamic ips and nat/network address translation is used alot so legitimate ips are mistakenly identified as such. there was no way to contact any admin about this until i lucked out. i suggest an irc channel on rizon because rizon provides cloak for all by default -- [[User:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot]] ([[User talk:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|talk]]) 10:16, 7 April 2026 (EDT)
:I can't help personally, but it might be worth also posting this over in the  [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=83287 TFWiki discussion thread] on the Allspark board, it's frequented by several of the sysops/technical-know-how guys from here. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 09:05, 27 March 2013 (EDT)
:We have no intention of implementing an IRC channel due to the required amount of time needed to maintain and monitor it outweighing its uses. There are no shortage of other ways to get in contact with wiki personnel, such as through social media or our public Discord server. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 16:19, 15 April 2026 (EDT)
::social media and discord currently unavailable for me. irc can be a side method without needing much monitor and maintaining if one is willing to use it as that. only need 1 admin on it. if a channel not possible, have you or any other admin register on rizon irc using /msg nickserv register command and i will be able to send memo which they can later read using /msg memoserv read command and respond to using /msg memoserv send command -- [[User:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot]] ([[User talk:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|talk]]) 10:52, 16 April 2026 (EDT)
:::That still requires resources and time that we might not have to maintain and monitor an IRC channel just for a possible small number of users, which is not beneficial in the long run. When you say "social media and discord currently unavailable" for you, do you mean that your ISP is blocking certain sites? (We also have a Bluesky account.) --[[User:Lonegamer78|Lonegamer78]] ([[User talk:Lonegamer78|talk]]) 08:18, 17 April 2026 (EDT)
::::connecting to rizon irc, registering and sending memos do not require any channel. why cannot any admins do this? i send memo to registered admin on irc, they can see it next time they login to irc -- [[User:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot]] ([[User talk:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|talk]]) 04:47, 18 April 2026 (EDT)
:::::I'm sorry, but who uses IRC in 2026? [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 06:04, 18 April 2026 (EDT)
::::::I mean I'm sure some small niche communities use it, but that's neither here nor there. The primary issue is that this wiki is a voluntary, in-your-own-time deal, even for the admins. Nobody's getting paid to do this, we all have other things going on in our lives. The Discord is itself something only some of us keep tabs on, and not even every portion of it. You're asking people who are already pretty stretched to keep track of something else just for you. I'm sorry, but that's not feasible. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 16:21, 18 April 2026 (EDT)
:check what i said about memoserv. memoserv does not require much tracking, only logging in. can there not be 1 admin registered on rizon server? -- [[User:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot]] ([[User talk:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|talk]]) 10:43, 19 April 2026 (EDT)
::You have already been told no and given reasons why by three different administrators. The decision is not going to change. Please drop the subject. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 12:14, 19 April 2026 (EDT)
:how about this? no channels. 1 login to rizon server every 120 hours or higher intervals to see if i have sent any memos. possible? -- [[User:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot]] ([[User talk:Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot|talk]]) 10:42, 20 April 2026 (EDT)
::I legitimately do not understand why you expect admins to bend over your request on building an infrastructure that you're tacitly admitting only you would use, lmao ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:59, 20 April 2026 (EDT))
::No. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 12:10, 20 April 2026 (EDT)


:Thank you for pointing me in the right direction :)Though, I do hope someone will take notice of the question here as well. [[User:NocteDraconis|NocteDraconis]] 15:12, 27 March 2013 (EDIT)
== When does controversy surrounding a figure prove worthy enough to mention? ==


== Proposing New Continuity Term for Multipath Books ==
Thinking about the whole Nexus and ss86 astro situation rn, it kinda feels like theyre the [[Elephant|elephants]] in the room that we probably have to acknowledge. However, they're not documented. Makes me wonder: any criteroa I should follow seeing these types of situations before its eligible to memtion here?[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 22:37, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
:I think you need to stop giving overinflated importance to opinions you see online. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:42, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
: Nobody cares, Moby. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 23:35, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
:: ...I guess I'll take that as "never allowed" then.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 23:40, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
:What controversy is this supposed to be? [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 00:32, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
::The complaints about Nexus not being a combiner and the many, many criticisms of SS86 Astrotrain about inaccuracies/proportions etc. (Ok maybe the latter can somewhat be ignored because its just people critiquing his flaws once they got him in hand+stock images+they dont like how he looks compared to Siege).[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 00:52, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
::: People were whining about Nexus info from leaks before the post on Mark Maher's personal Instagram account and actual announcements by Hasbro confirming that yes, Nexus is a combiner frame compatible figure that can fit into the AOTP Superion, and yes, Nexus is going to be a full combiner later in 2027, we just don't know what that'll look like and I hope it's a full commander class combiner frame and four deluxe limbs (neither are confirmed as of this minute). The discourse over him not being a combiner is from stolen and unreliable info, so why add more fuel to a flame that people started themselves less than a week before the actual reveal of the Voyager figure? -[ [[User:Singularity|Singularity]] ([[User talk:Singularity|talk]]) 02:11, 28 April 2026 (EDT) ]
:Is this just about the fact that SS86 Astrotrain looks like ass? If so... I'll be the dissenting voice here and say that yes, there should be space to maybe mention the general reception of a given figure into a toy section, ''as long'' as it reflects the broader evaluation of the community and doesn't just become an editor's sole personal gripes with a given toy. With SS86 Astrotrain, I do think the consensus is pretty settled at least (though I have no idea about what's up with Nexus Prime). ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 01:00, 28 April 2026 (EDT))
::Nexus complaints are mostly hes not a gestalt (source: prematurely released images) and his alt mode being a flying brick, though it has settled down a bit when people got their hands on him. I think the former may or may not be connected to why they had to post that pic that he had a torso mode (which is apparently not shown on the box or called out, much like Sideways' head swapping).[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 01:05, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
:::You yourself said "source: prematurely released images" so why are you complaining over stolen pictures that had little to no context to them since they were leaks? Most if not all of the complaints about the figure being "not a gestalt" were dissuaded with the info given to us from the official reveal video (linked in the references of AOTP Nexus' article) and Mark Maher's post of Nexus wearing Superion (also linked in the references of AOTP Nexus' article). Also, "his alt mode being a flying brick" is a matter of taste. Nexus fits perfectly with my Diaclone Jumpstarter redecos as Topspin and Twin Twist are now combiners thanks to Titans Return. - [[User:Singularity|Singularity]] ([[User talk:Singularity|talk]]) 02:11, 28 April 2026 (EDT) ]
::::The Nexus Prime thing really feels like a matter of OP just not liking this one toy tbh, I really haven't seen a lot of people complaining about it ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 02:20, 28 April 2026 (EDT))
:::::No, Im fine with Nexus. But yeah, whatever I saw was from illegitimate material floating around, and I probably just...didnt notice people had gotten over it (TvTropes and Emgo mentioning it probably further made me think so despute said sources being as reliable as [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]]. Now I feel like I raised this topic that I had no idea how to phrase and now have to live with it...[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 02:28, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
:We are absolutely not mentioning every time some people somewhere bitch about a new toy that's months away. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 01:18, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
::Undeestood.(Sorry I brought it up)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 01:22, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
:Unless something is a big enough deal that it leads to toys being recalled, it's probably not worth mentioning on the wiki. (Also, that Nexus "controversy" is based on leaks, and you've been here long enough that you should know our stance on leaks.) -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 01:26, 28 April 2026 (EDT)


Hi, I've been working on the first six Find Your Fate Junior books since I joined about a month ago, and just finished a summary for [[Dinobots Strike Back]]. While I'm still revising it, I just began editing relevant info into character pages, and starting with Starscream's, I found I needed a new term to explain how paths within the same book relate to each other without using the word "book". I didn't see anything that applies to this in the Continuities page, so I began referring to each individual book as its own "micro-continuity nexus". I think this is necessary to clarify that each book has its own tangle of paths which don't carry over to other books in the series, even though the books in that particular series are numbered by Ballantine.
== Toy entry idea: links to Hasbro Pulse and TakaraTomy Mall entries for modern new releases ==


For example, when moving from that first book onto Starscream's actions in [[Battle Drive]], I'd begin the first paragraph with: "In the next adjacent micro-continuity nexus, Starscream and Blitzwing were on a strafing-run to torch farmland, when..." since "later" isn't true with no possible book-to-book continuity, but I need to indicate that the summaries are moving on to the next book beyond just the storylinks in that section of the character page.  
We have long linked to tfu.info pages at the bottom of toy entries, such as on "[[Shockwave (G1)/toys]]". How about we link to Hasbro Pulse and TakaraTomy Mall listings for modern toys when said listings go up? It may incite more contributors to remember to save snapshots of those relevant webpages on the Internet Archive when the official listings eventually get removed in due course. [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 02:56, 7 May 2026 (EDT)
: I can get behind this, I'm usually first to add those individual websites from Takara Tomy when available, if that's a new mandate I can help. –[[User:MahXyme|MahXyme/MahXymal]] ([[User talk:MahXyme|talk]]) 16:56, 9 May 2026 (EDT)


Please let me know if there's a better, established term I should be using for this phenomenon. Perhaps some term applied to video games with alternate endings? I don't know jack about TFVGs, and haven't studied those pages yet. I intend to add all relevant content from Dinobots Strike Back to the character pages soon, while it's still fresh in my mind, so please let me know if I'm at risk of muddying them up with a nonsensical term. [[User:Bumblevivisector|Bumblevivisector]] 23:49, 4 May 2013 (EDT)


== Holy grails and Want list need to be more visible. ==
== "Canceled media" template==
With the recent creation of the "Canceled video games" category, I can't help but wonder: in the same way that we have a little template for canceled toys, shouldn't we also have one to add to the top of the page of media that was canceled and never saw an official release? Seems like it could come in handy! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:30, 12 May 2026 (EDT))
:I'm in favor.  Plenty of canned comics and an entire dumped franchise in Transtech to justify it. [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 13:00, 12 May 2026 (EDT)
:Agreed. Definitely something that would be pretty useful for a lot of articles! - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 22:04, 12 May 2026 (EDT)


Judging by just how long Jake/Stingray has been on the want list, these two things need to be more visible. Many people visiting the wiki probably don't even visit the home page let alone scroll down far enough to read those two little boxes.
== Digging into the Beast Machines/Transtech Era ==
Would it be possible to do something like the Go! boxes for them? [[User:RavenG|RavenG]] 02:40, 14 May 2013 (EDT)
Just throwing a note in here that I'm getting in contact with some folks who were on the Transformers team during the Beast Machines/Transtech era, so I'll be adding notes, fleshing out some things, and adding design credits where I can. Like with the G2 ad creators, I'll post up the full emails on the relevant discussion pages as I get permission. [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 13:04, 12 May 2026 (EDT)
:Nice, I'm excited to see where this goes! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 15:32, 12 May 2026 (EDT))

Latest revision as of 02:04, 13 May 2026


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Binder of Revelation Illustration Credits

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Okay, don't kill me here, I'm just hoping that the artists who contributed to the Binder fifteen-ish years ago get their proper due since it's out in the open now. I got in touch with the art director of the Binder of Revelation and have a fairly complete list of credits for who did what illustration. Since this isn't actually a published work, how do we go about giving proper illustration credits? Do we even credit anyone? Considering the document itself has no credits, I feel like it's worthwhile that the artists get recognized, even if we aren't putting any images up ourselves. MCRG (talk) 21:37, 25 November 2025 (EST)

I don't think this is objectionable info to note at the least. Saix (talk) 23:03, 25 November 2025 (EST)
For now, maybe put your raw info on a sandbox so we can get a better sense of it? Most of the Binder art I know of was by Ken Christiansen, for instance, so if all but a few pieces are by him, it would seem silly to list them all individually. But I'm guessing it's more varied than that. —wadapan (talk) 00:26, 26 November 2025 (EST)
It's a pretty wide spread, surprisingly. A lot of the pieces are tag team works where Eric Siebenaler did roughs and other artists did the finals, but it's around 5-10 artists without me checking the exact notes at the moment. I'll start getting that together.MCRG (talk) 14:41, 26 November 2025 (EST)
All known credits added. On a side note, is it worth pointing out somewhere that the Binder itself is written in the style of a RPG manual instead of an actual franchise bible? It goes a long way in explaining why it was so quickly disregarded by other creative teams when comparing it to bibles from other franchises or just other series bibles within Transformers on the whole, and the pricetag attached to the project.--MCRG (talk) 15:23, 21 January 2026 (EST)

What are we calling the new "Core" Transformers stuff?

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So... what should we call the new generically branded "Transformers" toys that have been showing up? (Prime Changers, Smash Changers, Tiny Turbo Changers, maybe more in the future). Should it be a separate new thing or maybe part of Authentics? The Prime Changer Optimus, Bumbleebee, and Megatron were previously added under Authentics, while someone just started using "Transformers (2026)" for the Tiny Turbo Arcee and Elita, which got me thinking that we should probably figure this out soon.
From what I've gathered they all use "TRA Core" in their listing names, but their packaging design seems identical to current Authentics packaging design, also lacking a distinct subtitle and focusing on "Evergreen" characters to start off. Then again, Hasbro homogenizing all their packaging designs in the last year makes it hard to tell if this line is meant to be its own thing. Though it is notable that unlike prior Authentics, this "Core" line is using bigger size classes and is available at bigger retailers like Target instead of dollar stores. –BluJayWarrior (talk) 18:24, 13 January 2026 (EST)

I was JUST adding a section here and rather than rewriting...
Okay just kinda checking in, because thanks to Hasbro's goddamn infuriating thing about not promoting/announcing anything other than the expensive collector crap, the load of sub-line-less not-Authentics "Core" stuff hitting Targets (at least, has anything popped up at Walmart?) is a bit of a "how do we handle this" deal. Both "how much product is there" and "do we treat this as a separate line, as an extension of Authentics despite it not being a 'discount' store line, or what". I'm leaning towards "just list it as its own line with G1 characters unless pretty explicitly otherwise". --M Sipher (talk) 18:30, 13 January 2026 (EST)
Oh right, Walmart. Off memory they do have the Authentics-styled Mega Sting Bumbleebee (could also be considered a "larger price point" I guess). No clue if any listings gave it a separate name like "Core" has. Walmart also has a bunch of merch stuff in Authentics-style packaging like big head helicopters, Dancing Transformers and a giant RC Bumblebee. –BluJayWarrior (talk) 18:57, 13 January 2026 (EST)

Size of the page again

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This page is getting pretty long again, so could someone archive the last year? Hilfam (talk) 12:03, 22 January 2026 (EST)

Idea for a page?

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Perhaps a page discussing the various Transformers that have "base modes" as a third form, like Powermaster Prime, Motormaster, etc. It's a major recurring gimmick since G1. DrakeyC (talk) 09:09, 30 January 2026 (EST)

I think a general "base mode" article would make sense, yeah. Saix (talk) 10:19, 30 January 2026 (EST)
seconded. frankly shocked to learn there isn't one already --Arren Meuchel (talk) 11:58, 30 January 2026 (EST)
I think base modes lend themselves better to a category page rather than a full-blown article. What would it even say? “Some Transformers have Base Modes. Here’s a list of all the toys, here’s a list of all the episodes/issues where a base mode appeared.” Cylasbreakdown (talk) 16:51, 4 February 2026 (EST)
I don't see why not. We have articles specifically for Beast mode, Super Mode, attack mode, and transportation mode. For such a prominent feature of Transformers since its early days I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a specific write-up about city/base modes anywhere, and not even as single mention on the main alternate mode page. Closest I can find is Titan (group)#Alternate modes. —BluJayWarrior (talk) 18:01, 4 February 2026 (EST)
I attempted a sandbox for a Base Mode page long ago, but I stopped since I realized it would require an extensive amount of work to list all fiction usages & differentiate what counts/what does not count not (something I struggled with the Micromasters Transports assorments -MahXyme/MahXymal (talk) 17:53, 5 February 2026 (EST)
Seems like a good start at least. I'd argue for listing "groups" of base modes (Micromaster Stations, Titans Return Leaders, etc.) rather than individual figures --Arren Meuchel (talk) 20:36, 5 February 2026 (EST)

Agreed on the organizational aspects. And, that sandbox is a good start, though yeah, it'd need a lot of work to go through all the toylines and make a comprehensive list. There's also the fact that certain toys with base modes are intended to link to others, some universal and some just one specific bot, so it may be tricky to document when that play feature is prevelant. DrakeyC (talk) 10:35, 18 February 2026 (EST)

About character name translations

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Um... I'm new here. I have a question, and I'm not sure if this question falls under Help:Official info...

That is, I want to add the translated names of some characters. But I want to know what basis this wiki uses to choose foreign translations. Must the foreign translations be ones used by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy and their licensees in order to remain on this wiki? Can some of the names translated by fan Chinese translation groups be considered valid? Especially in cases where they were the first to provide a translation for a work (possibly the only one) and fixed certain character names.

There are also some characters (such as Sentinel Maximus) whose works may never be introduced by licensors in certain languages, but they do have a commonly used translated name. Should we include this translated name, or just keep it without a translation in that language?

For example, when IDW comic books were introduced in China, the translation team at the time translated Tarn (G1) as 璇玑湖. So this would count as an authorized translation. However, because this translated name has nothing to do with the original meaning (as well as some other controversies surrounding that Chinese translation group), the more common and widely used Chinese translation for Tarn (G1) is the direct transliteration 塔恩. 璇玑湖 has basically been abandoned. In this case, which translation should we choose?

I suddenly realized that 塔恩 could be used. The packaging of Blokees does indeed call him 塔恩.

Also, does the foreign name used in the product titles by the Hasbro official flagship store count?

Uh, this question might seem a bit silly, or it might come across as a bit strange because I'm speaking English through a translator. But if the existing Wiki rules already cover this issue, please just tell me, thank you.Micheva (talk) 10:18, 12 February 2026 (EST)

This is a fantastic question. I have no authority here so don’t take this as word of law, but I believe that Romanizations on this wiki (which I think is somewhat similar) are case-by-case. The first romanization of Deathsaurus was “Deszarus”, but the page is still titled “Deathsaurus” because that’s what the name actually is supposed to be. (Deathsaurus’ name issues are actually pretty interesting, at least to me, and I’d recommend reading the wiki article’s section on it.) Conversely, Jallguar IS the first romanization used, and the article title, but in that instance I suppose that there isn’t really any convincing reason to use any of the other romanizations we’ve gotten over the years since none of them actually mean anything (it’s just the Japanese word for Jaguar with an extra syllable inserted). I’m rambling. What I would do for foreign names is, stick with the first official translation used, unless you think there’s a compelling reason to use a different one (like what you said with Tarn), and in that case bring it up on the discussion page for the article in question or in the Discord server. Cylasbreakdown (talk) 02:43, 15 February 2026 (EST)
They need to be translations used in official material. That's just the easiest line in the sand we can make. If different translations are used officially, we note them all, barring obvious typos and the such. Saix (talk) 05:22, 15 February 2026 (EST)
Does the name used for the flagship store count? Those works that were not introduced have kept them without translations, right?Micheva (talk) 06:52, 15 February 2026 (EST)

Some publications that contain many translations (such as the Chinese version of DW's MTMTE) I actually don't have the resources for, which is a pity. I have come to realize some issues. For instance, if the translation team used a certain translation term when translating a publication, but later discovered that this term was incorrect, they made the correction in their subsequent fan-based translations. However, since the publication was not re-released after its introduction, the translation term in the authorized merchandise could not be modified. Can we adopt the revised translation term provided by this translation team?

There is another less rigorous question: Does THE translation given by the authorized Chinese translation and introduction team of Chris McFeely's TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS count?Micheva (talk) 07:07, 15 February 2026 (EST)

THE BASICS, while incredibly informative, is not official, so no, it would not count. Cylasbreakdown (talk) 15:52, 16 February 2026 (EST)
I reiterate, official material only. Mistakes are unfortunate, but that's how it goes and we can't presume unofficial translations will make it into official material. Saix (talk) 17:42, 16 February 2026 (EST)

OK, I will do it this way. Strictly follow the official materials.

And one more question: Can the translation names used by Hasbro's official store be used in this Wiki?Micheva (talk) 23:40, 16 February 2026 (EST)

Material from Hasbro is fine. Saix (talk) 01:50, 17 February 2026 (EST)

So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off?

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It made sense to keep them together when Legends first started as Jungle Animals in Decidedly Non-Jungle Situations, and this wasn't worth pursuing before now since it'd be just moving the furniture around. But the lore got deeper and now with New Legends as ongoing fiction I think it's worth looking at again. As much as Legends World is treated as its own dimension, it is fundamentally just a location easily accessible from the JG1 timeline populated with clones* of Transformers from the wider continuity that exists around it. And when we write pages for duplicate characters who co-exist, do we not typically split them off? If that's the yardstick, several Legends Worlders interact with or refer to their JG1 selves, including Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, Arcee, and T-AI. Leo Prime even moves in with Lio Convoy, and keeping those same dudes on the same page is complicating the already complex timeline presented by "Age of Primes". — TheLastGherkin (talk) 12:44, 3 March 2026 (EST) *"clones" is a simpler term for these guys than "magically created lifeforms in a telepathic dream world based on real people from 300 years in the future" but same diff

It's always been strange to me that they weren't split off already. Having them on the same page is extremely confusing. I'd say go for it. --Arren Meuchel (talk) 12:57, 3 March 2026 (EST)
Personally I think this might be overthinking things. I'd agree that it's not quite 1 to 1 with other cross dimension stuff, but functionally Legends Rattrap is a version of the Beast Wars character even if he is in this weird pocket dimension type thing, and ever single "native" to the dimension we see is basically just a comedic version of a pre-existing character. And we've always kept cross dimensional stories with versions of the same character on the same page (Universe, TransTech, et cetera). It makes things complicated, sure, but JG1 stuff has been like that for nearly two decades now. Escargon (talk) 13:00, 3 March 2026 (EST)
For my money, there's just so much with the Legends idiots now, and there's going to keep being more of it, so we'd be best off siloing them into their own pages and not having to think about them any more. Universe and TransTech stories that had the characters interacting were generally one-offs or short runs. This is a Cloud or Galvatron II situation, to me. --Broadside (talk) 13:45, 3 March 2026 (EST)
I am on the record as considering reader experience our prime directive and this would be such a drastic improvement to the readability of our coverage of the Legends rat's nest that I've been meaning to suggest it for years. Consider me emphatically in favor. --AzimuthAcolyte (talk) 20:12, 3 March 2026 (EST)
I think I'm also generally leaning towards "this is already complicated and it's just going to get more complicated so let's detangle this shit sooner rather than later." -- Cyberlink420 (talk) 20:19, 3 March 2026 (EST)
Fine with this idea. Are we using Japanese names since those characters have never shown up in material with Hasbro names? Saix (talk) 20:31, 3 March 2026 (EST)
That feels unnecessarily pedantic. --Broadside (talk) 22:16, 3 March 2026 (EST)
One could make the argument that it's too steeped in Japanese fan culture/terminology to use the Hasbro names, but I really only care about the human characters having Japanese names (because they're normal people living in Tokyo and wouldn't be named things like "T-AI"). Saix (talk) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (EST)
Also, I think Roadbuster, Whirl, and Windblade can stay as they are, since all three are meant to be the main JG1 versions of those characters anyway. Saix (talk) 22:37, 3 March 2026 (EST)
I'm theoretically in favour of Japanese names, since it would improve legibility of say, the time Rattle and Rattrap teamed up – and we're absolutely keeping Lio Convoy, since Leo Prime has gone through a textual name change – BUT: characters with toys, at least, had both the Japanese and Hasbro names on their packaging. It would be inconsistent to have Rattrap and Waspinator and Optimus Primal alongside Cheetus and — I can't think of another example, but I'm interrupting this train of thought because I CAN think of Optimus Minor being made Primal's son on the basis of Beast Convoy's western name. And how many minor guys like, I dunno, Build Boy, are named in dialogue? We could always title the article Wedge and slap a Noname-uncomfirmed on that bad boy like how we did with Shattered Glass in the distant past.
Also, what are we feeling is best for a disambig? (Legends)? (LG)? (LW)? — TheLastGherkin (talk) 04:43, 4 March 2026 (EST)
Or we could go with the Kre-O approach of "major characters get their own pages, cameos don't" I GUESS — TheLastGherkin (talk) 04:53, 4 March 2026 (EST)
Minor is only called "Minor" in Legends, so he wouldn't get the full name. I vote (Legends). Saix (talk) 05:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
I second the "(Legends)" motion. It's the name of the franchise these character debuted in, in the name of the world they live in, and it's one word. We don't put Masterforce characters at "MF", for instance, and "Legends" isn't even a compound word that could be abbreviated. --Sabrblade (talk) 16:32, 4 March 2026 (EST)
Doing a cursory sweep we appear to have already used "(Legends)" for a bazillion mobile game events such that it might be prudent to avoid that one. My two cents would be to either use the "(LG)" abbreviation from the packaging/story titles/etc or straight up spell out "(Legends World)" for absolute maximum clarity. --AzimuthAcolyte (talk) 17:50, 4 March 2026 (EST)
I'm leaning towards LG: it's on every toy box and in the title of the vast majority of chapters. Plus, Deadlock uses it in-universe. And it's shorter! — TheLastGherkin (talk) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
"Legends" is also spoken in-universe countless times all throughout the Legends manga series, even in the most recent End of G1 Universe comic starring the green Lio Convoy. The reason "LG" is on every toy box is because it's part of each toy's ID number, which we have never let dictate any of our disambiguation tags. Otherwise, we'd be using "(BT)" instead of "(Binaltech)", "(MP)" instead of "(Masterpiece)", "(UN)" instead of "(United)", "(TG)" instead of "(Generations)", "(TAV)" instead of "(Adventure)", "(PP)" for Power of the Primes instead of "(POTP)", "(SG)" instead of "(Siege)", "(TCV)" instead of "(Cyberverse)", "(ER)" instead of "(Earthrise)", "(KD)" instead of "(Kingdom)", "(TL)" instead of "(Legacy)", etc. That Transformers Legends mobile game (which has been dead for over a decade, even) that "(Legends)" is currently being used for is a nonissue when "(Legends)" is also currently being used for things from the Transformers Legends anthology book, particularly Susan (Legends). And "(Legends)" has already been in use for things from the Legends manga, too, like Groundshaker (Legends), Synapse (Legends), Duncan (Legends), and Plasma Energy Chamber (Legends). It's no different from how we use "(RID)" for things from both the 2001 and 2025 franchises, "(Universe)" for things from both the 2003 and 2008 franchises, and "(Generations)" for things from both the pre-Combiner Wars toyline and from the series of Japanese guidebooks. --Sabrblade (talk) 00:37, 5 March 2026 (EST)
Yes, the principle was always "least disambiguation necessary for titles". A particular disambiguation is fine to be used by different things. Saix (talk) 02:13, 5 March 2026 (EST)
Speaking personally I cannot say I am terribly invested in any specific disambig so if y'all feel that strongly about "(Legends)," so be it. --AzimuthAcolyte (talk) 15:00, 5 March 2026 (EST)
Historically I've leaned more in the direction of "this feels like putting these dumb animals on too much of a pedestal", given the meta-importance that page splits tend to imply to the wiki's audience, but I find the "these are functionally clones who exist within JG1 continuity specifically, not just 'normal' alternate versions of the characters" framing pretty compelling, so I'm surprising myself by saying I wouldn't be opposed to a split at this point. Making stuff like multiple Lios Convoy interacting less insane to write about is definitely a bonus too. Jalaguy (talk) 04:34, 4 March 2026 (EST)
Oh, also, and I hope it would go without saying, but obviously the toys that technically represent Transformerised Legends World guys would need to go on both pages (which I think we're already doing anyway for cases like the Targetmasters that are actually technically Kiss Players and Beastformers and stuff). Jalaguy (talk) 04:41, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Thinking about it more, the Galvatron II example is more presuasive to me; a suite style situation would be fine. As for names, I don't really care about T-AI but for any of the Transformers I think that's a bit much. Escargon (talk) 08:08, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Having gone through Category:Legends World natives and Category:Legends World humans, if we apply the Kre-O Rule of Notability, that gives us the following:

  • Split: Airazor, Arcee, Big Convoy, Bighorn, Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Dinobot, Lio Convoy, Lio Junior, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Minor, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Rhinox, Scorponok, Scuba, Scylla, Silverbolt, Stampy, Starscream, Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, Tigatron, Waspinator, Nightbeat, T-AI
  • Lump: Roadbuster, Whirl, basically every real person making a cameo
  • Small roles: Archadis, Armordillo, BB, Break, Bump, Colada, Diver, Drill Nuts, Gas Skunk, Guiledart, Heinrad, Ikard, Inferno, Longrack, Magmatron, Megastorm, Kobanzametarō, Prowl, Quickstrike, Rampage, Randy, Ravage, Saberback, Sling, Star Upper, Tasmania Kid, Transmutate, Venom, Wedge, Wolfang, Kelly, Kenneth Onishi, Koji Onishi
  • TBD: Botanica (doesn't have a write-up yet), Buzz Saw (does not appear in JG1 elsewhere), Savage and Noble, Tank Drones (do we split subgroups?)

TheLastGherkin (talk) 09:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)

The Kre-O thing is because some characters (in fiction or toys) can't be exclusively slotted into G1 or movie buckets since they shift design cues between them. I think it's easier to just be consistent with the Legends gremlin people (other than real people cameos). Sensible to keep the sentient toys (Mini-Cons, Encore Big Convoy) and the three JG1 inductees (Roadbuster, Whirl, Windblade) on their respective character pages, I think. Like Wolfang/Howlinger, Buzz Saw exists in JG1 somewhere off-camera, since they got his toy. I don't think Tank Drone needs another page; it's a mass-produced bodytype that can cover instances across universes, not a specific person. Saix (talk) 09:19, 4 March 2026 (EST)
I'm somewhere in the middle between "splitting them off the main article would help improve readability, yes," and "splitting them off entirely feels a bit too far since all of them are essentially just different versions of the main Beast Wars et al characters", so I think going the aforementioned route of suiting them would be the cleanest solution. Keeps them joined at the hip with the main versions that they're basically new versions of, while also giving them their own webpages to tidy up readability on the main pages. The Galvatron II analogy is very apropos in this case. --Sabrblade (talk) 10:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
Coming back to this with refreshed knowledge, Botanica is split, Buzz Saw is small roles (which is now also split), Savage and Noble are split both from Noble (BM) and from each other, and Rhinox/Tankor can go on the same page. — TheLastGherkin (talk) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)

So uh. I've come around on the split pages. However...I don't think completely removing any reference to them on the Beast Wars pages themselves is particularly helpful? Whether it be a suite or a "see this article for more information" I don't mind, but there should be some reference since like Sabrblade says, they are just comedic versions of the Beast Wars guys. Escargon (talk) 07:37, 6 March 2026 (EST)

Maybe do the disambiguation like this? Cylasbreakdown (talk) 14:09, 6 March 2026 (EST)
This article is about the Beast Wars Maximal. For his Legends World counterpart, see Rattrap (Legends). For a list of other meanings, see Rattrap (disambiguation).


Alright, I've decided that for now I'm just going to add a note and a link mostly because I have little patience when it comes to formatting suite links. It's going to be along these lines:

Due to the unique nature of Legends place within JG1 continuity, we've opted to separate out this version of the character into its own micro-page. See [article link] for more details.

If anyone has any objections or comments, leave them below. Otherwise I'll just implement it tomorrow. Escargon (talk) 19:28, 6 March 2026 (EST)

I don't think this is necessary, but this can be phrased in-universe if we really need it. ("In the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]-created [[Legends World]], its [[Character (Legends)|Character]]'s existence formed based on Character." or something around that.) Saix (talk) 19:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
Yeah, I like that much better. If nothing else it draws way less attention to itself. --Broadside (talk) 21:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
Seconding Saix that this feels unnecessary, seconding Broadside that Saix's version is more straightforward if we must. --AzimuthAcolyte (talk) 22:12, 6 March 2026 (EST)
My thinking is that treating them as completely separate from the regular versions is not really accurate/a bit "inside baseball. Like I said at the start, they aren't quite the same as different counterparts from another universe, sure, but they are still very specifically comedic versions of the Beast Wars characters, down to the fact that they briefly turn into them late in the series. It's why I find the Galvatron II comparison more compelling for accessibility reasons (frankly, the main Galvatron article could also use a note explaining why he's separate too). As for the wording, again I think the in-universe thing is a bit inside baseball, and not clear immediately to users who have no idea what Legends is. If people have suggestions for a better way of wording a precise explanation, I'm all for it, but I still think the intent of my suggestion is more accessible to readers. I'm also still very open to suiting the articles, but I've always struggled with the way templates work, so if anyone else is up for the task, I'm all for it. Escargon (talk) 22:27, 6 March 2026 (EST)
If I'm being honest, I would prefer suites too, for all the reasons that have been given, and because the Legends World natives are stated by Leo Prime to be the "bunshin" (分身) of the normal BW characters, denoting an inherent connection between them: 君達レジェンズ世界のビースト市民は我らG1世界のビースト戦士の分身だ. 今こそ! その内なる野獣を全て呼び覚ますんだ. But if others feel that strongly enough against suites to overrule that preference, I can accept the little note proposal instead. --Sabrblade (talk) 00:01, 7 March 2026 (EST)
For what it's worth, I'd planned to give Legends World headings to characters who exist fictionally in that world, like so, to cover their "fictional" appearances. — TheLastGherkin (talk) 05:58, 7 March 2026 (EST)
That was what I figured we would have as well in those cases; I know there's plenty of them who do show up fictionally or as toys just based on my memories. Escargon (talk) 08:11, 7 March 2026 (EST)
While attempting to get into the endgame metaphysical hooey connecting the Legends World natives to the Transformers of JG1 on every individual character article still feels like it would do more harm than good intelligibility-wise to me, I will say that after sitting with it a while I would not be opposed to making some kind of centralized "Legends World native" article laying it all out in detail and then linking out to it everywhere. --AzimuthAcolyte (talk) 16:13, 7 March 2026 (EST)
I should clarify, my thinking is that there are bound to be users who will see images from the comics, recognize instinctively that they are comedy versions of the Beast Wars characters, and go to those pages and be confused why they aren't there. Yes, they could go to the disambiguation page, but I've always felt that we should optimize things for the least amount of clicking. What separates this from a Cloud type situation to me is that there are enough vagaries there that I understand the argument to split them out (the lore of that depiction of Cybertron, things like Grimlock's backstory); the Legends characters and a lot of the jokes around them exist solely in the context of either the JP Beast Wars and Beast Machines dubs (Silverbolt's depiction, Airazor and Nightscream's whole...thing, Depth Charge's fish gun thing being a character that can talk), or the BWII cartoon characters (Bighorn's infatuation with Scylla, Big Convoy being a teacher at a school as a comedic version of him as a military instructor). In-fiction, sure, they are kind of clones, but it's not the same thing as say, the Optimus Prime clone from the cartoon, because of the metaphysical stuff involved. I think that potentially presenting them as having no connection would not be fully honest. Escargon (talk) 16:28, 7 March 2026 (EST)
I don’t think we need a dedicated “Legends World native” page, the existing Legends World article already sums it up pretty nicely. We could direct people there. Cylasbreakdown (talk) 18:02, 7 March 2026 (EST)
Although, if such a page for the Legends World inhabitants were to be made, the in-story name used for those people is "Legends World citizen" (レジェンズ世界の市民 Rejenzu sekai no shimin) with those based on beast-moded characters (as in, those who possess Beast Power) referred to as either "Animal-type citizens" (動物型の市民 Dōbutsu-gata no shimin) or "Beast citizens" (ビースト市民 Bīsuto shimin). --Sabrblade (talk) 14:47, 8 March 2026 (EDT)

Out of date MediaWiki

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So, uh, this place is on MediaWiki 1.19.20. The 1.19.* branch went EOL back in 2015, and isn't even the last 1.19.* (which was 1.19.24). That dpesn't seem safe for y'all.

(For context, the current LTS is 1.39.17, which is the oldest supported branch. The most current version is 1.45.1.) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Hello Goodbye (talkcontribs) 2026-03-14T08:31.

irc needed

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need an irc channel populated by at least 1 wiki admin. when i tried to register, the dnsbl identified me as open proxy and prevented registration. where i am from, dynamic ips and nat/network address translation is used alot so legitimate ips are mistakenly identified as such. there was no way to contact any admin about this until i lucked out. i suggest an irc channel on rizon because rizon provides cloak for all by default -- Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot (talk) 10:16, 7 April 2026 (EDT)

We have no intention of implementing an IRC channel due to the required amount of time needed to maintain and monitor it outweighing its uses. There are no shortage of other ways to get in contact with wiki personnel, such as through social media or our public Discord server. -- Cyberlink420 (talk) 16:19, 15 April 2026 (EDT)
social media and discord currently unavailable for me. irc can be a side method without needing much monitor and maintaining if one is willing to use it as that. only need 1 admin on it. if a channel not possible, have you or any other admin register on rizon irc using /msg nickserv register command and i will be able to send memo which they can later read using /msg memoserv read command and respond to using /msg memoserv send command -- Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot (talk) 10:52, 16 April 2026 (EDT)
That still requires resources and time that we might not have to maintain and monitor an IRC channel just for a possible small number of users, which is not beneficial in the long run. When you say "social media and discord currently unavailable" for you, do you mean that your ISP is blocking certain sites? (We also have a Bluesky account.) --Lonegamer78 (talk) 08:18, 17 April 2026 (EDT)
connecting to rizon irc, registering and sending memos do not require any channel. why cannot any admins do this? i send memo to registered admin on irc, they can see it next time they login to irc -- Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot (talk) 04:47, 18 April 2026 (EDT)
I'm sorry, but who uses IRC in 2026? S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47 (talk) 06:04, 18 April 2026 (EDT)
I mean I'm sure some small niche communities use it, but that's neither here nor there. The primary issue is that this wiki is a voluntary, in-your-own-time deal, even for the admins. Nobody's getting paid to do this, we all have other things going on in our lives. The Discord is itself something only some of us keep tabs on, and not even every portion of it. You're asking people who are already pretty stretched to keep track of something else just for you. I'm sorry, but that's not feasible. --M Sipher (talk) 16:21, 18 April 2026 (EDT)
check what i said about memoserv. memoserv does not require much tracking, only logging in. can there not be 1 admin registered on rizon server? -- Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot (talk) 10:43, 19 April 2026 (EDT)
You have already been told no and given reasons why by three different administrators. The decision is not going to change. Please drop the subject. -- Cyberlink420 (talk) 12:14, 19 April 2026 (EDT)
how about this? no channels. 1 login to rizon server every 120 hours or higher intervals to see if i have sent any memos. possible? -- Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot (talk) 10:42, 20 April 2026 (EDT)
I legitimately do not understand why you expect admins to bend over your request on building an infrastructure that you're tacitly admitting only you would use, lmao (FortressMaxxing (talk) 10:59, 20 April 2026 (EDT))
No. --M Sipher (talk) 12:10, 20 April 2026 (EDT)

When does controversy surrounding a figure prove worthy enough to mention?

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Thinking about the whole Nexus and ss86 astro situation rn, it kinda feels like theyre the elephants in the room that we probably have to acknowledge. However, they're not documented. Makes me wonder: any criteroa I should follow seeing these types of situations before its eligible to memtion here?Poliwag06 (talk) 22:37, 27 April 2026 (EDT)

I think you need to stop giving overinflated importance to opinions you see online. Saix (talk) 22:42, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
Nobody cares, Moby. --M Sipher (talk) 23:35, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
...I guess I'll take that as "never allowed" then.Poliwag06 (talk) 23:40, 27 April 2026 (EDT)
What controversy is this supposed to be? S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47 (talk) 00:32, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
The complaints about Nexus not being a combiner and the many, many criticisms of SS86 Astrotrain about inaccuracies/proportions etc. (Ok maybe the latter can somewhat be ignored because its just people critiquing his flaws once they got him in hand+stock images+they dont like how he looks compared to Siege).Poliwag06 (talk) 00:52, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
People were whining about Nexus info from leaks before the post on Mark Maher's personal Instagram account and actual announcements by Hasbro confirming that yes, Nexus is a combiner frame compatible figure that can fit into the AOTP Superion, and yes, Nexus is going to be a full combiner later in 2027, we just don't know what that'll look like and I hope it's a full commander class combiner frame and four deluxe limbs (neither are confirmed as of this minute). The discourse over him not being a combiner is from stolen and unreliable info, so why add more fuel to a flame that people started themselves less than a week before the actual reveal of the Voyager figure? -[ Singularity (talk) 02:11, 28 April 2026 (EDT) ]
Is this just about the fact that SS86 Astrotrain looks like ass? If so... I'll be the dissenting voice here and say that yes, there should be space to maybe mention the general reception of a given figure into a toy section, as long as it reflects the broader evaluation of the community and doesn't just become an editor's sole personal gripes with a given toy. With SS86 Astrotrain, I do think the consensus is pretty settled at least (though I have no idea about what's up with Nexus Prime). (FortressMaxxing (talk) 01:00, 28 April 2026 (EDT))
Nexus complaints are mostly hes not a gestalt (source: prematurely released images) and his alt mode being a flying brick, though it has settled down a bit when people got their hands on him. I think the former may or may not be connected to why they had to post that pic that he had a torso mode (which is apparently not shown on the box or called out, much like Sideways' head swapping).Poliwag06 (talk) 01:05, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
You yourself said "source: prematurely released images" so why are you complaining over stolen pictures that had little to no context to them since they were leaks? Most if not all of the complaints about the figure being "not a gestalt" were dissuaded with the info given to us from the official reveal video (linked in the references of AOTP Nexus' article) and Mark Maher's post of Nexus wearing Superion (also linked in the references of AOTP Nexus' article). Also, "his alt mode being a flying brick" is a matter of taste. Nexus fits perfectly with my Diaclone Jumpstarter redecos as Topspin and Twin Twist are now combiners thanks to Titans Return. - Singularity (talk) 02:11, 28 April 2026 (EDT) ]
The Nexus Prime thing really feels like a matter of OP just not liking this one toy tbh, I really haven't seen a lot of people complaining about it (FortressMaxxing (talk) 02:20, 28 April 2026 (EDT))
No, Im fine with Nexus. But yeah, whatever I saw was from illegitimate material floating around, and I probably just...didnt notice people had gotten over it (TvTropes and Emgo mentioning it probably further made me think so despute said sources being as reliable as Sideways. Now I feel like I raised this topic that I had no idea how to phrase and now have to live with it...Poliwag06 (talk) 02:28, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
We are absolutely not mentioning every time some people somewhere bitch about a new toy that's months away. --M Sipher (talk) 01:18, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
Undeestood.(Sorry I brought it up)Poliwag06 (talk) 01:22, 28 April 2026 (EDT)
Unless something is a big enough deal that it leads to toys being recalled, it's probably not worth mentioning on the wiki. (Also, that Nexus "controversy" is based on leaks, and you've been here long enough that you should know our stance on leaks.) -- Cyberlink420 (talk) 01:26, 28 April 2026 (EDT)

Toy entry idea: links to Hasbro Pulse and TakaraTomy Mall entries for modern new releases

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We have long linked to tfu.info pages at the bottom of toy entries, such as on "Shockwave (G1)/toys". How about we link to Hasbro Pulse and TakaraTomy Mall listings for modern toys when said listings go up? It may incite more contributors to remember to save snapshots of those relevant webpages on the Internet Archive when the official listings eventually get removed in due course. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47 (talk) 02:56, 7 May 2026 (EDT)

I can get behind this, I'm usually first to add those individual websites from Takara Tomy when available, if that's a new mandate I can help. –MahXyme/MahXymal (talk) 16:56, 9 May 2026 (EDT)


"Canceled media" template

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With the recent creation of the "Canceled video games" category, I can't help but wonder: in the same way that we have a little template for canceled toys, shouldn't we also have one to add to the top of the page of media that was canceled and never saw an official release? Seems like it could come in handy! (FortressMaxxing (talk) 12:30, 12 May 2026 (EDT))

I'm in favor. Plenty of canned comics and an entire dumped franchise in Transtech to justify it. MCRG (talk) 13:00, 12 May 2026 (EDT)
Agreed. Definitely something that would be pretty useful for a lot of articles! - IGEBM13 (talk) 22:04, 12 May 2026 (EDT)

Digging into the Beast Machines/Transtech Era

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Just throwing a note in here that I'm getting in contact with some folks who were on the Transformers team during the Beast Machines/Transtech era, so I'll be adding notes, fleshing out some things, and adding design credits where I can. Like with the G2 ad creators, I'll post up the full emails on the relevant discussion pages as I get permission. MCRG (talk) 13:04, 12 May 2026 (EDT)

Nice, I'm excited to see where this goes! (FortressMaxxing (talk) 15:32, 12 May 2026 (EDT))