WCPedia: Summer Projects

[Dundradal]

With the spring semester now over and the summer sessions yet to begin, I've been thinking about my need to return to this project.

This summer I've got a lot more free time so I'm going to concentrate on WC1-SM2 mission entries as well as some format/layout improvements to some key WCPedia pages and categories.

I'm creating a list of small projects that anyone can help with some don't even involve content creation, but instead organizational work like reformatting categories. I also need some graphics help (things like image navigation maps for certain areas) as well as traditional content upload. There is something for everybody. Please don't be shy! Do your part for the Confederation war effort!

If you are interested respond to this thread or drop me a PM.

Currently, Aeronautico continues to work on adding basic article information. Wedge is working on article review and at this point I'm just doing the heavy looking on, but that will change after I return next weekend.

A small number of projects I've got planned can be found here. I'll be adding to it in the coming weeks.

Here's to a productive summer season! I'd love to have a lot of new content to show off for the CIC's birthday in August.

 

[Highball]

I can get screen caps for you of the nav maps if you want, since I am going through everything for the Wing Commander project anyways.

 

[Iceblade]

Hmm....I could add in some additional fighter entries....the action stations ones and whatever ships remain missing.

 

[Dundradal]

I can get screen caps for you of the nav maps if you want, since I am going through everything for the Wing Commander project anyways.

I'm currently taking the nav maps from the games guide section, but I definitely need someone to help grab assorted images.

Hmm....I could add in some additional fighter entries....the action stations ones and whatever ships remain missing.

I'm actually in the process of trying to redesign ship entries like the Broadsword talk page

I'm still working on it, but if you (or anybody) has some ideas, please put them forward!

 

[Dundradal]

When it comes to the updated ship pages, I'm still looking for user feedback. The above link is still very temporary.

What does everybody think works best? Do they like where the "prototype" article is going? Anything that must go or must be included?

 

[Prometheus]

Maybe WCPedia need a "canon guideline" or something... Not just about ships, I think it's rather odd to read how the Tiger's Claw is both in the Venice system, driving the Kilrathi out of the Vega System, and also in Hell's Kitchen, being driven out, at the same time... Maybe it's just me, but I think this is really awkward.

Well, I don't even know where that "prototype" is from, but I think it should be a seperate article. I'd not even call it a prototype, but a namesake.

So, seperate articles for CF-131 and A-17.

Just my two cents.


Oh, and maybe there are better pictures for the ships from Arena? The perspective they're shown makes it hard to really make out the shape of the ship.

 

[Iceblade]

Well actually, somebody already seems to have set out a canonish path for Blair anyhow. Check the timeline.

 

[Dundradal]

Maybe WCPedia need a "canon guideline" or something... Not just about ships, I think it's rather odd to read how the Tiger's Claw is both in the Venice system, driving the Kilrathi out of the Vega System, and also in Hell's Kitchen, being driven out, at the same time... Maybe it's just me, but I think this is really awkward.

This is a good idea. Perhaps LOAF could write up a simple set of guidelines?

Well, I don't even know where that "prototype" is from, but I think it should be a seperate article. I'd not even call it a prototype, but a namesake.

So, seperate articles for CF-131 and A-17.

I'm not sure if it is you or I who is confused. By prototype I meant the article layout and its differences from the current article, not the Broadsword models. The current one there is still only 70% complete how I want it. It's just the direction I'd like to go in.

Oh, and maybe there are better pictures for the ships from Arena? The perspective they're shown makes it hard to really make out the shape of the ship.

I'm sure we can find some.

 

[Quarto]

That depends - do you want to create a WC Encyclopedia - or just an encyclopedia of the WC universe?

Personally, I think it's a terrible idea. I think there's so many sources out there dealing with canon, that another such source is totally unnecessary. I would much rather see a proper WC Encyclopedia, that gives us full information from and about all the different products. So, in the Hell's Kitchen missions, it would have to explain that these missions are played on the losing path of WC1 - but that according to the canon story, they're actually played out by the Eagle's Talon.

 

[Dundradal]

Q,

That's actually what I had in mind (a proper WC encyclopedia) that has sections explaining the information provided. I was unclear in my first post about it. By guidelines I was thinking of an article showing how to organize the information into the manner you are proposing. We already have a few that are partially constructed this way. I guess I was thinking more of a standardization than a guide.

 

[Prometheus]

Well, I don't even know where that "prototype" is from, but I think it should be a seperate article. I'd not even call it a prototype, but a namesake.

So, seperate articles for CF-131 and A-17.

I'm not sure if it is you or I who is confused. By prototype I meant the article layout and its differences from the current article, not the Broadsword models. The current one there is still only 70% complete how I want it. It's just the direction I'd like to go in.

Oh, yes I guessed I was confused then. I thought you meant the CF-131 is a prototype for the A-17.

I'd still be in favor of seperate articels for the CF-131 and A-17. They're both bombers, and both carry the name Broadsword, but are blatantly different in every other way, even have different "model numbers".

However, that of course would also mean seperate articles for the Dralthi Mk.1/2 and Dralthi Mk.3... or maybe not, as they're - at least from their designations, even if its hard to believe from how they look - just future iterations of the same ship type.

 

[Dundradal]

No I meant that the page was a prototype for other fighter articles.

When it comes to something like the Dralthi, I'm not sure what would work best, although I think a giant article (similar to the one seen in S*S) wouldn't be a bad idea. We just have to make sure to organize it effectively.

If other users have ideas for how to organize the articles, by all means create a blank article labeled something like "A-17 Broadsword - Prototype" that way I know what it is and in the future we can delete it when we no longer need it.

 

[t.c.cgi]

My suggestion would be to stick to the major revisions of each ship (in this example that'd be the movie, WC2, and Arena Broadswords). Or alternatively you could segregate the stats sheets from the article completely. The template you have feels very cluttered with all the sub-variations laid out and then the sidebar of pictures running down.

 

[Dundradal]

My suggestion would be to stick to the major revisions of each ship (in this example that'd be the movie, WC2, and Arena Broadswords). Or alternatively you could segregate the stats sheets from the article completely. The template you have feels very cluttered with all the sub-variations laid out and then the sidebar of pictures running down.

Organizing the ship variants is my biggest concern. We we are going to run into the same problem with the CIC Ship's database variant. Some ships just a ton of different configurations and we have to live with pages that are cluttered to a degree. However there could be a formating variant I simply haven't thought of or tried. My wiki code is terrible and not that extensive. I'm going to have to spend some time just rejogging my memory on that.

Even if the stats are moved to a separate page that page will remain cluttered. I'm not sure if I like the idea of having to click twice to see stat information. I'd rather have a long article. I'll have to see if I can shrink the table size and see if that helps the aesthetic.

The images in the sidebar at the bottom are just tossed there so that I can move them around later. That's by no way their final location in my mind.

 

[t.c.cgi]

Try swapping the columns and rows. What I mean is have the names run down the side instead of across the top, and put the stats up there. Maybe take the pictures out of the spreadsheet, too. Maybe merge the guns and turrets into one column also. I think if the spreadsheet format could be improved (namely so it expands vertically with more entries rather than horizontally) it would work out better. Definitely something to play with.

 

[Dundradal]

Try swapping the columns and rows. What I mean is have the names run down the side instead of across the top, and put the stats up there. Maybe take the pictures out of the spreadsheet, too. Maybe merge the guns and turrets into one column also. I think if the spreadsheet format could be improved (namely so it expands vertically with more entries rather than horizontally) it would work out better. Definitely something to play with.

I'll certainly try that and by all means if you'd like to give it a whirl and play with the table please do!

I kind of like having the images near the variants to showcase the different looks. We could reduce their size if they start messing with the formating and look to much.

 

[Dundradal]

I've finally updated the fighter entry template that explains the new infobox I created last year for ships. I think it's a bit more functional than the previous version.

If someone is interested in a small but rewarding project, we need someone to go through all the current ship articles and port their old infoboxes to the new version. I've done a few of them (it's easy to check an article, just go to edit and see if it says infobox fighter new) already but there are still a few to do. If you are interested let me know.

On a side note, I'm sending out a request to wingnuts located in the US.

If you have a scanner you'd be willing to lend me for the summer it would greatly increase my ability to enter in USG text for the remaining WC1-SM1-SM2-WC2 missions. I'm looking for a scanner that includes text recognition software so that it can be quickly imported into the project.

If you are willing send me a PM.

Thanks.

 

[t.c.cgi]

Using all the information on the 'sword talk page as a base, I worked out my suggestions here.

 

[Dundradal]

That certainly looks better than my disaster!

Like I said on that page, I don't think we need an image for every variant. We should only use them for variants that are visually different from the one listed above.

On a side note, I managed to transfer a few fighters over to the new infobox last night, but our discussion about the Morningstar entry date (see Academy Manual Discussion on IRC engrossed us for quite a while.

There aren't many Confed fighters left to convert to the new infobox. I'm pretty sure the other categories are all at 0% conversion however.

 

[Dundradal]

All Confederation Fighters are converted to the new infobox. All other Confed capships/bases need to be converted to the new infobox.

I'm going to spend some time tomorrow finishing uploading WC1 mission text then move on to converting Confed capship type entries into the new infobox.