Ghyll:Lexicon discussion - Revision history

Jcowan: Redirecting to more appropriately titled page

2005-05-02T15:54:38Z

Redirecting to more appropriately titled page

Jcowan: Adding questions from Talk:Main Page

2005-05-02T15:53:07Z

Adding questions from Talk:Main Page

Show changes

Jcowan: Global restructuring.

2005-04-27T15:30:27Z

Global restructuring.

Jcowan: /* Correction of spelling and typos */ Summarizing discussion

2005-04-27T15:27:24Z

Correction of spelling and typos: Summarizing discussion

Jcowan: /* Comments, Questions, Complaints? */ Restructuring

2005-04-27T15:26:15Z

Comments, Questions, Complaints?: Restructuring

Jcowan: /* Spam Problem */ Removing entire section as obsolete.

2005-04-27T15:24:13Z

Spam Problem: Removing entire section as obsolete.

Jcowan: /* Gameplay Change Voting */ Removing entire section as obsolete.

2005-04-27T15:23:39Z

Gameplay Change Voting: Removing entire section as obsolete.

Jcowan: /* Multiple links to the same place */ Summarizing discussion, adding exceptions

2005-04-27T15:22:20Z

Multiple links to the same place: Summarizing discussion, adding exceptions

Jcowan: /* Can I cite more than I'm required to cite? (cf. Rule 2) */ Summarizing discussion.

2005-04-27T15:19:55Z

Can I cite more than I'm required to cite? (cf. Rule 2): Summarizing discussion.

Jcowan: /* Alternate Reality vs. Fictional World */ Removing obsolete discussion, keeping final section, adding my own comment.

2005-04-27T15:12:51Z

Alternate Reality vs. Fictional World: Removing obsolete discussion, keeping final section, adding my own comment.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:54, 2 May 2005
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−	~~__TOC__~~	+	#REDIRECT: [[Frequently Asked Questions]]
−
−	If you've any questions or suggestions about the wiki and its syntax, the Lexicon rules, Ghyll continuity errors, letting us know you're gonna miss a turn, etc., use this page to wax poetic. Be sure to sign your name (using either the second - from - the - right toolbar icon, or typing two hyphens and four tildes), which also includes the timestamp. --[[~~User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 11:32, 20 Aug 2004 (EDT)~~
−
−	==Frequently Asked Questions==
−
−	~~===How do I dib an entry (cf. Rule 1)?===~~
−	If there is a specific phantom you'd like to write, wait until the proper turn occurs (ie. waiting for the "R" turn to dib phantom "Rancor") and then edit the phantom to just include a statement of dibbing ("MIIine! ALlL MiIInnE!") and your name/signature. Naturally, the intent of dibbing an entry is so that you actually write it - if you don't during that turn, your dib expires. --[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 15:53, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	~~===Can I cite more than I'm required to cite? (cf. Rule 2)===~~
−	Each turn after the first, you're required to cite two phantom entries (which may be existing phantoms, brand new phantoms, or a mixture of both) and one existing entry. None of these three citations can be terms you've created or written. However, if you've properly met these requirements, your entry can certainly refer to other terms in the Ghyll encyclopedia, including those you've personally written. These "other terms", however, MUST have been previously defined or created. See the [[Ghyll Index]] and the [[Ghyll Phantom Index]], which jointly constitute a complete list of in-play terms.
−
−	However, this rule applies forward only. It isn't retroactively enforced. Meaning: if you cite a phantom that someone else created then -- later on down the alphabet -- define that term, you have not violated the self-citation rule. Citing another entry or phantom NOT created by you does not count towards Rule 3, which states "Scholars shall neither cite themselves ('''in their required per-turn citations'''), nor write phantoms they were the '''first''' to cite." (emphasis and clarification added).
−
−	~~===What happens about linking to widely-used terms?===~~
−	It may often be the case that terms are used throughout the dictionary that are not cited initially: you're allowed to invent people, places, etc. that you don't actually cite a reference for. That means that later in the game, people can write about these people, and references can be strewn across the wiki that don't actively ''link'' to the phantom. How is the person to be able to research the references? The general rule of thumb is that when you create a term that you know has been mentioned elsewhere, either you go about looking for existing references and link them, or the admins do it for you. [[User:Sbp\|Sean B. Palmer]] 22:33, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	~~===What is this "Alternate Reality vs. Fictional World" business?===~~
−	It was our intent for Ghyll to be a "fictional world", one that has little semblance to the "real" world, namely Earth. While we realize this can be an impossibility, as creativity is emboldened in what we know, we wanted to stay away from what we call an "Earth parody" - a world that has direct, obvious, and blatant parallels to our own - more of an "alternate reality" as opposed to "fictional world". LORD OF THE RINGS is a "fictional world", whereas the Sci-Fi show SLIDERS is an alternate reality, as are the TWILIGHT ZONE, THE OUTER LIMITS, and so forth. Which isn't to say that I'm against equivalency - in the early game, newspaper, magnetism, war, research organizations, basements, "flash lights/beacons", etc. already exist. But they're described in an environment of "fictional world" not "alternate reality". As for judging text or entry quality, honestly, I'd like to stay as far away from that as possible. --[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 19:20, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−	:In practice, entries can be Earth-parodies (see [[Doc Rockett]] or [[Paramount Queen]]), and "Easter eggs" that refer to specific Earth things, transmogrified into the Ghyll context, are fine too. Just keep it fairly subtle. --[[User:Jcowan\|John Cowan]] 11:12, 27 Apr 2005 (EDT)
−
−	~~===Is it correct to make multiple links to the same place?===~~
−	It's fine to have multiple links within one article to the same place, as long as you don't overdo it. One per paragraph is probably plenty. Exception: "EC" should be linked each and every time it is used. Linking different units to [[Chesix System Of Measures]] is also desirable.
−
−	~~===Should we correct other people's articles?===~~
−	The general etiquette on the correction of spelling and typos in entries other your own is to please go ahead and correct it! Furthermore, as long as you don't change the semantics of someone's entry, you can certainly change the syntax to make it easier to read, clearer, etc. Imagine you're correcting someone's English paper: you're not going to do their work for them, but you want to let them know that it's "i before e except after c and except in wierd words such as weird".
−
−	~~===Should existing terms be favored when a new phantom is being created?===~~
−	Doing this is certainly encouraged, as it helps help the interweaving and encourages things that are being mentioned to be solidified around an article. However, it's not against the rules to just make a "fresh" entry, with no immediate connection to any other defined, but not yet linked, term. Sometimes, freshness is just plain old needed.
−
−	~~===Why aren't both written entries and phantoms listed in the index?===~~
−	Quite simply, the page got too long. They were both merged into one back in the early game, but a few folks felt it just wasn't scaling, and thus, they were split up into two pages (the [[Ghyll Index]] and the [[Ghyll Phantom Index]]). You can see the last merged page at this [http://gamegrene.com/wiki/?title=Ghyll_Index&oldid=2171 archived URL].
−
−	~~===What's the procedure for joining in late?===~~
−	You must join in at the current letter and then proceed at the normal pace without going back to earlier letters, Allowing new players filling in entries on earlier letters would probably create a situation where only one or two folks would have time to read the "out of turn" entries (which isn't to say that you'll never be able to define an A entry -- Ghyll is planned indefinitely, with rounds starting over once Z is reached).
−
−	Starting at A and remaining X entries behind the rest of the players would unnaturally unbalance the game - if you and I were conspiring to make Ghyll solely about balloon animals, for instance, I could define phantoms for letters that you'll be defining soon (which everyone else has already finished - 'ha! everyone else has finished C so I'll phantom Choking Hazard and Shataina wi... muHAHHAHAHhHAH!'), and we'd be able to exert heavier "control" of Ghyll's direction.
−
−	~~===What are the house rules for signatures?===~~
−	Always two hyphens (--) followed by <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>, which'll automatically link your username, timestamp, and timezone. If you don't set an alternate name, then the default is to just link to your username. To set your "use for signatures" name, go to [[Special:Preferences]], and the third white box should be "Your name (for signatures)". Set that, and make sure "Raw signatures" is unchecked.
−
−	~~===Should the contributors update the WhoisWho and Ghyll Index after their creations are completed?===~~
−	~~It's up to the player, but it'd help us out if you updated them too. We'd still "catch your back" for integrity, etc.~~
−
−	~~===Are the scholars (player roles) a canonical part of Ghyll?===~~
−	Sort of yes, sort of no. You can refer to scholars in articles as well as link to their user pages in this style: <nowiki>[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]]</nowiki>. You ''may'' assume that what scholars write about themselves is true, but you are not ''compelled'' to assume it factual, as you are with the facts in regular articles, for two reasons. Within the game, scholar pages are obviously self-serving; outside the game, scholar pages can be changed at any time, so building in dependencies on them is unsafe. That said, most scholars don't in fact make inconsistent changes to their pages, and are in fact discouraged from doing so.
−
−	~~In any case, it certainly does no harm to maintain professional courtesy by verifying anything said about another scholar with the player before putting it down.~~
−
−	~~==What useful resources are available?==~~
−
−	~~You can use this [http://www.fourteenminutes.com/fun/words/ random word generator] to generate entry names that begin with a specified pair of letters. --[[User:Jcowan\|Jcowan]] 17:07, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)~~
−
−	You may also make use of generators found here [http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~pound/ Chris Pound's Name Generation Page], particularly, [http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~pound/#werd werd], for names. (Look for the examples of Victorian English names.) --[[User:PhineasCrank\|Doctor Phineas Crank]] 14:01, 13 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	Not to toot my own horn, but, well, I'm tooting my own horn. Need a "good" name for someone in the Encyclopedia? Try [http://www.fantasist.net/funnynames.shtml The Funny Name Generator], by yours truly.
−	~~--[[User:PhineasCrank\|Doctor Phineas Crank]] 17:31, 14 Sep 2004 (EDT)~~
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−	~~[[Category:Lexicon~~]]

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 It may often be the case that terms are used throughout the dictionary that are not cited initially: you're allowed to invent people, places, etc. that you don't actually cite a reference for. That means that later in the game, people can write about these people, and references can be strewn across the wiki that don't actively ''link'' to the phantom. How is the person to be able to research the references? The general rule of thumb is that when you create a term that you know has been mentioned elsewhere, either you go about looking for existing references and link them, or the admins do it for you. [[User:Sbp|Sean B. Palmer]] 22:33, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
-==Comments, Questions, Complaints?==
+===What is this "Alternate Reality vs. Fictional World" business?===
 It was our intent for Ghyll to be a "fictional world", one that has little semblance to the "real" world, namely Earth. While we realize this can be an impossibility, as creativity is emboldened in what we know, we wanted to stay away from what we call an "Earth parody" - a world that has direct, obvious, and blatant parallels to our own - more of an "alternate reality" as opposed to "fictional world". LORD OF THE RINGS is a "fictional world", whereas the Sci-Fi show SLIDERS is an alternate reality, as are the TWILIGHT ZONE, THE OUTER LIMITS, and so forth. Which isn't to say that I'm against equivalency - in the early game, newspaper, magnetism, war, research organizations, basements, "flash lights/beacons", etc. already exist. But they're described in an environment of "fictional world" not "alternate reality". As for judging text or entry quality, honestly, I'd like to stay as far away from that as possible. --[[User:Morbus Iff|Morbus Iff]] 19:20, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
 :In practice, entries can be Earth-parodies (see [[Doc Rockett]] or [[Paramount Queen]]), and "Easter eggs" that refer to specific Earth things, transmogrified into the Ghyll context, are fine too.  Just keep it fairly subtle. --[[User:Jcowan|John Cowan]] 11:12, 27 Apr 2005 (EDT)
 ===Non-turn Activities===
@@ Line 56: / Line 65: @@
 I recommend that we maintain professional courtesy by verifying anything said about another scholar before putting it down. If you don't wish to make this policy, that is fine, but I myself shall probably put such an notion into practice. --[[User:Theophenes|Theophenes]] 10:47 $ March 2005 (PST)
 ==Useful Resources==

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 ===Correction of spelling and typos===
-What is general etiquette on the correction of spelling and typos in entries other than mine? (not that either my spelling or typing is perfect, but I assume nobody objects if I correct myself)?
+The general etiquette on the correction of spelling and typos in entries other your own is to please go ahead and correct it!  Furthermore, as long as you don't change the semantics of someone's entry, you can certainly change the syntax to make it easier to read, clearer, etc. Imagine you're correcting someone's English paper: you're not going to do their work for them, but you want to let them know that it's "i before e except after c and except in wierd words such as weird".
 ==Useful Resources==

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 As for a scholarly F2F, I like that idea, and I think the best way to approximate that would be a sort of "in-game" Lexicon discussion. The Encyclopedants could release a Progress Report detailing worries they're having, and other scholars could log their own complaints and concerns on the Progress Report page itself. This would keep everything centralized, and would be a more vocal, less-controlled [[Current events]] (a "current in-game events") page. I think it'd also be handy, upon reaching Z, for scholars and the Encyclopedants to prepare a personal "Final Report", discussing how they felt things went, what could be done better for the next Round, and so on and so forth. --[[User:Morbus Iff|Morbus Iff]] 19:36, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
 ===Players and Scholars as Canon===
 Er, okay, so can we refer to our own characters as the inventors of something?  By that I mean, if my character invented a new sight for the smooth-bore musket, could I make an entry based on that? --[[User:PhineasCrank|Doctor Phineas Crank]] 14:13, 13 Sep 2004 (EDT)
@@ Line 63: / Line 57: @@
 I recommend that we maintain professional courtesy by verifying anything said about another scholar before putting it down. If you don't wish to make this policy, that is fine, but I myself shall probably put such an notion into practice. --[[User:Theophenes|Theophenes]] 10:47 $ March 2005 (PST)
-====Multiple links to the same place====
+===Multiple links to the same place===
 It's fine to have multiple links within one article to the same place, as long as you don't overdo it.  One per paragraph is probably plenty.  Exception:  "EC" should be linked each and every time it is used.  Linking different units to [[Chesix System Of Measures]] is also desirable.
-====Correction of spelling and typos====
+===Correction of spelling and typos===
 What is general etiquette on the correction of spelling and typos in entries other than mine? (not that either my spelling or typing is perfect, but I assume nobody objects if I correct myself)?

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:24, 27 April 2005
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−	~~==Spam Problem==~~

−	Is it possible to block submissions based on content? Most of these links being posted would be easy to check for, and you could display a nice message to go along with it. --[[User:Sbp\|Sean B. Palmer]] 06:18, 13 Oct 2004 (EDT)
−
−	How about just requiring someone to be logged in before they submit content. While presumably our spammerific visitors could quite happily create accounts, it would seem that they are unlikely to do so. Also, once they create an account, we can force them to submit encyclopedia entries. :-) --[[User:DrBacchus\|DrBacchus]] 08:46, 22 Oct 2004 (EDT)
−
−	My apologies - the "must be logged in" change happened either early this week or late last week, can't exactly remember. Shortly after doing so, we banned our first user <g>. It ''is'' a better solution, however. --[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 09:57, 22 Oct 2004 (EDT)

	[[Category:Lexicon]]		[[Category:Lexicon]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:23, 27 April 2005
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−	~~==Gameplay Change Voting==~~

−	~~===Time For Turn Changes===~~
−	~~What time should the deadline occur?~~
−
−	~~24:00 GMT --[[User:D8uv\|Melik Fizzuo]] 19:47, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT) (available from 23:00-5:00 GMT)~~
−
−	I'm against asking for suggestions BESIDES a simple conversion to GMT. Getting 10 to 15 opinions on the best time for them will merely create a secondary vote of "here are the favored three, pick your best", and then people feeling annoyed that their time wasn't chosen. '''Please merely vote on a midnight-EST-to-GMT-instead only (ie. 7pm EST).''' --[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 19:25, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	The preferred value is the only one that really counts, the other values are just there so the talliers can see if the final decision is going to exclude too many people. I guess I should have made that more clear. (Which is what I'm attempting now.) --[[User:D8uv\|Melik Fizzuo]] 19:47, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	~~Since we are appearing to use EDT, would someone please tell me what time zone that is? thanks. --[[User:Theophenes\|Theophenes]] 04:50, 21 Apr 2005 (EDT)~~
−
−	: You can change your timezone under [[Special:Preferences]]. EDT is -4 off Greenwich Mean Time and EST (what we're currently in right now) is -5. There has been previous discussion about changing the turns to GMT, but the people who were MOST adamant about it are no longer playing. So screw 'em. Ha! --[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 11:20, 21 Apr 2005 (EDT)
−
−	~~===Length Of Turns===~~
−	~~A week, 9 days if Morbus would let me. --[[User:D8uv\|Melik Fizzuo]] 19:47, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT) 19:06, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)~~
−
−	I'm against any sort of non-anniversary date (ie. an odd date like 9 days compared to "every second Friday" or "two weeks"). It's too much effort for people, myself included, to remember, and it'll just cause too many "arrgh, I thought this week was... " lamenting, and eventual maintenance headaches ("I thought this week was Thursday, so I was gonna write it then, but it was Wednesday, here's my entry, I know its late, please accept it, la la la!") --[[User:Morbus Iff\|Morbus Iff]] 19:25, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	Anniversary dates have the gigantic advantage of being easy to remember, but I find that a week is just a little too short, and the first turn (week and a half) was just a little too long. I'll live with the anniversary date of a week, but I still feel that 9 days is just right. --[[User:D8uv\|Melik Fizzuo]] 19:47, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	I'm for the week. I find it a little short, but the pressure keeps me focused. If it were longer, I'd procrastinate too much and lose track of when I neede to complete my entry. --[[User:Dok\|Dok]] 21:31, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)
−
−	Yep, I'm for the one-week turn, too. The odd numbers would throw me off. Also, a week is enough time if I'm paying attention, which I should be if I'm playing. Perhaps we should lengthen to two weeks during the holidays, though. --[[User:PhineasCrank\|Doctor Phineas Crank]] 22:44, 29 Sep 2004 (EDT)

	==Spam Problem==		==Spam Problem==

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ===Can I cite more than I'm required to cite? (cf. Rule 2)===
-Each turn after the first, you're required to cite two phantom entries and one existing entry. Neither of these three citations can be terms you've created or written. However, if you've properly met these requirements, your entry can certainly refer to other terms in the Ghyll encyclopedia, including those you've personally written. These "other terms", however, MUST have been previously defined or created. See the [[Ghyll Index]] for a complete list of in-play terms. --[[User:Morbus Iff|Morbus Iff]] 15:53, 1 Sep 2004 (EDT)
+Each turn after the first, you're required to cite two phantom entries (which may be existing phantoms, brand new phantoms, or a mixture of both) and one existing entry. None of these three citations can be terms you've created or written. However, if you've properly met these requirements, your entry can certainly refer to other terms in the Ghyll encyclopedia, including those you've personally written. These "other terms", however, MUST have been previously defined or created. See the [[Ghyll Index]] and the [[Ghyll Phantom Index]], which jointly constitute a complete list of in-play terms.
-: I had been reading this as "You must cite two ''novel'' phantoms", but Doctor Phineas Crank pointed out that Rule 2 doesn't actually say that.  What's the intention here?  Is it all right to cite phantoms that have already been created (but not defined)?  --[[User:Jcowan|Jcowan]] 17:51, 27 Sep 2004 (EDT)
+However, this rule applies forward only.  It isn't retroactively enforced.  Meaning: if you cite a phantom that someone else created then -- later on down the alphabet -- define that term, you have not violated the self-citation rule.  Citing another entry or phantom NOT created by you does not count towards Rule 3, which states "Scholars shall neither cite themselves ('''in their required per-turn citations'''), nor write phantoms they were the '''first''' to cite." (emphasis and clarification added).
 ===What happens about linking to widely-used terms?===