The SRB2 Wiki Linedef Executor Information Conflict

[Fawfulfan]

Currently, Inuyasha and I are in a bit of a disagreement on how the SRB2 Wiki should be set up, and I would personally like to hear your opinions on this conflict.

Basically, I believe that any page about a linedef executor special should contain a brief few sentences at the beginning of the "setup" section which runs through the general way in which linedef executors are set up. Inuyasha disagrees.

To illustrate our opposing viewpoints, here is my version of the Linedef Type 412 Setup section:

To use this effect, create a control sector outside of the map, set the desired linedef executor trigger property to a linedef tagged to the desired calling sector, and set one of the other linedefs on the control sector to Linedef Type 412. This linedef should be tagged to the desired destination sector within the map. A Teleport Destination thing should also be placed in the destination sector.

Here is Inuyasha's version of the same section:

This linedef should be tagged to the desired destination sector within the map. A Teleport Destination thing should also be placed in the destination sector.

Additionally, he is opposed to my placing this section at the end of the setup description of all linedef executors:

If the "Upper Unpegged" flag (8) is checked, the linedef executor will run after an amount of time specified by the ceiling height of the linedef's back sector. For more information, see the Timed Linedef Executor - Upper Unpegged tutorial.

Now, here's my reasoning for why I want to put all this information in every linedef executor page:

The SRB2 Wiki is meant to help all new wadders understand how the editing process works, but about 90% of new level designers seem to take their questions to the SRB2 message board, complaining that "the Wiki didn't help" or "the Wiki explanation was too confusing". I believe that the reason for this is that many of the articles, including all the linedef executor articles, assume that the person reading them knows all about the general mechanics behind these things. In fact, many do not...they go to the page that tells you how to make a teleporter, but they also don't know how to make a proper linedef executor setup or a control sector. Because of this, I think that these pages should provide that basic information too, through a combination of quick summaries and links to other pages.

As for that last paragraph, I think that very, very few level designers know how to make a Timed Linedef Executor. If that information is linked wherever it might be applicable, then it'll be much easier to find out how to do it.

Basically, I feel like I'm working as hard as I can to make sure that all the pages contain as much background information as possible, and Inuyasha is working to make sure that these same pages are as concise as possible. Those goals are, quite frankly, incompatible, and I happen to think that it's more important to make articles informative than to make them short.

Your thoughts on this matter?

 

[Chabo]

I like what you're thinking. Having more detail on the pages would help new wadders alot. The only problem I can think of is the way the "guide" is worded and it could simply just dumb the topic down or make it more confusing than it already is.

Why not just have both on the page, I don't see the harm in that. A basic reference of the Linedef by Inuyasha and a quick guide how to use it properly.

Tbh you need to think about what the users want, generally new wadders.

 

[Fawfulfan]

Why not just have both on the page, I don't see the harm in that. A basic reference of the Linedef by Inuyasha and a quick guide how to use it properly.

Actually, it's not that I want to put something on the pages and he wants to put something else on the pages. It's that I want to put two things on the pages and he only wants one of them.

Also, I do admit that my version also contains a lot of technical stuff...but at least it makes an attempt to provide background. Inuyasha's does not.

 

[K.S.]

One word: Redundancy. Redundancy is something we try to _avoid_ on this wiki. Just ask Rob and Spazzo, the two people I discussed this with prior to doing what I did. Both of them agreed that listing general information on every page is extremely redundant and should _not_ be done.

If someone wants to look up general info on Linedef Executors, I'm 99% sure the first place they'll look is Linedef Executor, not Linedef Type 424 or something. Note how I put the info related to Upper Unpegged linedefs that you added on that specific page. This is where it should be -- a general page for all Linedef Executors, not every single specific one. Note how I also took the time to fix up the wikilinks on each Linedef Executor page to point to Linedef Executor, just to help. 犬夜叉(Inuyasha) 15:43, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

I believe the lot of you need to realize how a wiki works.

We do not put basic information on a topic in every page related to it. For example, you do not see basic information on Anime on pages for InuYasha, Death Note, or Bleach. It's common sense. If you're looking on information on Anime, you go to the Anime page, not an example of Anime. Why should we be doing anything different?


Oh, and by the way:

As for that last paragraph, I think that very, very few level designers know how to make a Timed Linedef Executor. If that information is linked wherever it might be applicable, then it'll be much easier to find out how to do it.

Which is exactly why I added it here, where it should be.

 

[Spazzo]

Isn't this a bit overblown?

For all intents and purposes, Inuyasha has the final call here.


You two have to work together on this, rather than bringing this issue to the boards and looking for support. If you have any further disagreements, simply bring it up in query instead, instead of to a public forum.