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Sqwall -> The MQ Encyclopedia. (5/14/2011 14:09:14)

Hey everyone for some time i wanted to rise this discussion - are you satisfied with the MQ encyclopedia as it is now?
As for me - no.More and more stuff turn out not to be there.It is not as informative as it should be.It is not complete and at least i don't think it fulfills it's designated function.

Discuss please.

Edited in "MQ" to prevent confusion, as this thread was moved. ~TF



ArchMagus Orodalf -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/14/2011 14:25:58)

That would be because very few people actually work on the Pedia when it's meant to be a COMMUNITY effort.



fhiz -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/14/2011 14:27:35)

it's incomplete, its outdated, its all we got.



ZanpakuTô -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/14/2011 14:51:05)

As a former member of the 'pedia, we discussed its changes long ago. There was a system I proposed, and even got to start, but well...it died. Considering that there is free posting though, there should be players that are contributing with the right format, making the job easier



Balu -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/14/2011 15:06:14)

I do find the pedia to be lacking but recently a great amount of info has been added to it. So things are definitely looking better and better. The thing that doesn`t sit right with me, but I don`t think is that big of a deal in general, is that the images related to the items/NPC's/enemies are hidden, and not visible in the entry. I get a feeling of bareness and emptines regarding this. I also get "bad vibes" when I look at the "Collaboration and Encyclopedia Discussion" threads.
And by that I mean that they look untouched in years and I don`t think that is a good thing.

To elaborate: I think the normal strategy is to delete the posts that have been submitted by a forumite once the info is in the pedia. I don`t think that this is really the best approach to it.
I would rather see the posts there and just taken care of with a quote from the people in charge. Why? Well I think this would attract more people and make them contribute to the Encyclopedia, if they saw that others are adding information, instead of just seeing these threads empty or with posts 1 or 2 years old.



Sqwall -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 9:11:58)

The thing that doesn't sit right whit me is that practically everyone can do it.I know full well that MQ team does not have time for stuff like this but at least someone authorized by them, someone they decided is trustworthy.Because as it is everyone can get in any info - wrong info included and although not intentional(most likely) the effect of a wrong info remains...



EinhanderX01 -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 19:35:04)

My issues with the 'Pedia are:
  • The fact that about 50 to 70% of the equipment tend to be listed individually instead of by series (with sub posts just adding info for the higher level versions)
  • The lack of a functioning "Search" function
  • The lack of a proper Index
  • The lack of a fully unified post setup

    I never use it for info, since it takes longer to look for the info there than just asking in Q&A or just buying and testing it out myself.



    • tflo -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 19:44:18)

    Sqwall the problem is exactly what Orodalf said. You wouldn't believe how much time goes into a proper post there, not to mention there lacks consistent help from the community aside from those who work there. Maybe that's because it's easier to do things in the AQ/DF Encyclopedias due to an info. submissions forum. For some reason people like things when they're easier to do...



    Icy -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 20:17:12)

    I appreciate your thoughts on this. The Pedia is currently being worked on to get it up to date. Obviously since it's pretty outdated, it's going to take a lot of work.
    There are some changes in effect: Default items are now to be listed with the mecha since it makes no sense to have them in there own thread. Items in a series are listed together in a thread just in different posts, and old posts are being redone because many are incomplete.
    Indexes will be worked on once it's more up to date. Images are linked in posts but not embedded - this was implemented years ago to help people with slow internet connections.

    Community help would definitely speed up the work, but time and effort needs to be put into making the entries correct, otherwise the pedia team ends up having to redo it anyway.

    I do appreciate you concerns and I welcome you to help out with the entries! :)




    ArchMagus Orodalf -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 20:35:17)

    tflo! Long time no discussion.

    It isn't actually any easier with an Info Submission forum. see my last comment down there somewhere. Er, second-to-last.

    quote:

    The lack of a functioning "Search" function and the lack of a proper Index


    The forum Search function works well. The Indices, however, are appalling.

    quote:

    The fact that about 50 to 70% of the equipment tend to be listed individually instead of by series (with sub posts just adding info for the higher level versions)


    This policy was changed. Default sets are being added to the Mechs they come with and weapons are in "series" rather than separate posts now. (Oh, I see that srinivas just said that. >>) It's not just MQ that has this problem; DF does, too, but we have better indices there due to more community participation.

    quote:

    The lack of a fully unified post setup


    There is one. The trouble is that this was changed several times and there are too few people to actually change the old entries.

    As I said in the Forum Suggestions post made by Peachii (now an MQPedia ArchKnight) about this... it's mainly because very few people play MQ anymore.

    What I dislike most is the number of Rare Quests/Events in-game. Because few people did these entries... there are things that aren't in the Pedia that I would like to read.



    nosey123 -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 21:16:21)

    Can't really be annoyed considering how much time is needed to post about all the missing items, poor Peachii, i see her updating day after day without end. [&:]



    Ace Woodlink -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/15/2011 21:40:59)

    Something that could be changed: In the NPC's section of the encyclopedia, the quests that the NPC is in (along with the links for such quests), would be included below the bio.



    Everest -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/16/2011 11:30:13)

    I'm happy to see this kind of thread, and the forum staff will most definitely be paying attention to any suggestions members may have. But because this thread is inherently a forum suggestion rather than a topic directly related to the game of MechQuest, a better place for it to belong is the Forum Suggestions board. I encourage everyone with an opinion to post here; we would very much like your feedback.



    Sqwall -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/16/2011 11:39:11)

    @Icy well i don't like the situation but i'm also not someone who would say "i don't like this so someone(else) fix it" so i would offer my help.How much i can do depends since i do work and don't have all the time in the world but yes - if help is needed i would offer as much as i can.So if you want me to help please PM (or someone who oversees this matter) me with the details like where to get the info from, how to make correct and informative posts etc.



    NaturallyMaria -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/16/2011 20:38:01)

    I had the following little exchange with Korin on Formspring:

    quote:

    Hey there! I was wondering... Would there be any interest/support for creating a SQL-powered searchable database for all the mechs/weapons in MQ, to replace the current Encyclopedia? I'd be up for the challenge.

    On one hand it would be great. On the other, I'm not sure how much support it would get.


    I'm inclined to agree; there just aren't enough MQ players right now to really make such an effort worthwhile. However, you could argue it's less about practicality and more about making a statement at this point. If MQ is getting ready to come back in a big way, then why not go all out? No offense to the hard working forum staffers, but I really do think that hosting a database across a series of forum posts is just too old-fashioned, and that reflects on the overall image of the game itself.

    Also, while setting up the initial framework would be much more difficult, adding new entries to a database would be much quicker than setting up a whole network of linked forum posts.

    Edit: Huh, just noticed that this was moved from MQ general to AE suggestions. Since I don't play any of AE's other games, I have no idea what sort of systems they have set up for looking up equipment and stuff like that. Anyone from another game have any input on what works and what doesn't?



    #13 -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/17/2011 1:24:12)

    MQ Pedia has gone through several stuffs since it was created. Now, its a little outdated, yes.

    I'm currently incharge of the "Index of Mecha Shoulders" and the "Index of Enemies".
    Yes, indices aren't updated. There are a couple of major reasons:
  • Default items are being added to their corresponding mech entries, which is actually a good idea. So, the default entries gotta be removed from the index.
  • The outdated/not-in-format entries are being redone by the staffs. So, it'd take lot of works to replace the links.

    Community participation is very essential. I try something for updating some outdated entries, but I've a busy life currently. Calculating specials and taking attack images take considerable amount of time, so people find it not easy to post an entry.

    Another suggestion is that, when people post informations in the Collaboration/Discussion thread, they shall not be deleted, but edited by staffs to say that it's been done instead of PMing.

    quote:

    Sqwall:
    So if you want me to help please PM (or someone who oversees this matter) me with the details like where to get the info from, how to make correct and informative posts etc.

    A detailed MQ Pedia guide might be a good idea, that will encourage people contributing to Pedia. (Actually me and Azami planned for a guide. We started workin' on it but soon the idea died - it was long ago)



    • deathkiller -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/17/2011 11:28:57)

    if someone could make a complete list of the bases that still need their weapons added I am willing to do a part of them, I already did some, but it is a bit of a mess to find all the bases that still need their defaults added



    golden1231 -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/17/2011 17:26:47)

    @deathkiller

    Just to name some off the top of my head, the Jameson Series (all versions) and the Rockin' Werewolf Series (all versions) lack default info. The Rockin's Werewolf Series remains unposted.



    deathkiller -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/18/2011 2:58:20)

    we can do this, we will show the others there still is love for MQ



    #13 -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/18/2011 3:41:23)

    Just to add a note, deathkiller & golden1231, if you notice missing informations, you can post 'em on the "Incomplete Post List" thread. There other people will see and try to give infos. :)



    deathkiller -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/18/2011 4:13:12)

    my strategy is, I sort by last post and then I add the info, the oldest come first, from a certain moment on they will all be edited or almost all



    golden1231 -> RE: The Encyclopedia. (5/18/2011 22:48:29)

    @#13 hehe, I'd already posted there before posting here :P



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