Adepts on the wiki

I have whined and moaned and groaned and made quite a few angrier noises over the current state of Adepts on our wiki. I've pointed them out as a perfect example of what not to do. Adept pages currently have enough e-peen power to launch rockets to Mars. And after much QQing on my part (and moreso just being incredibly busy) I've decided to do something about it.

Now, my fans (and the people who can't stand me too) are wondering why I'm saying something here. Normally, I'll put something on the wiki frontpage for 12 hours, then haul ass on a weekend thrill-ride of edits. And on Monday, when the dust settles, wait for the explosive applause or screams from ya'll. But hey, people seem to want to have more 'input' and don't read the frontpage of the wiki every five minutes. Keep in mind, while you're reading this, I'm working on this project. And when I finish, it will go live. But you get a chance to have input. and maybe, just maybe, effect the finish outcome before I seal it into 'format policy.' :dance:

Now, what is wrong with Adept pages?

• The 'strats' provided on them look like someone beat a retard fifth grader over the head for a few hours, left him in a dark room with a crayon and peice of cardboard, and asked him to write out what he did last summer.
  
• They almost never provide links to spells or effects (like normal NPC pages) and any information on those, or special attacks, is hidden in the wall o' text provided by the three or four editors who slapped their 'strats' onto the page.
  
• Signatures, 'Update:', 'Note:' and other graffiti litter these pages, as used to be found all over the wiki before the clean-up efforts spanning '08-'10.
  
• Information is repeated over and over, formatted poorly, inane (no shit, haste rings help melee), and sometimes just flat out wrong.

Now, seeing is believing. You can find links to all of the adepts within the Adept Category.

What Rari be changing.
I'm going to be focusing on one Adept in particular for now, and he's a pretty simple one. His name is Angar the Sand Lord and if you click on his name right there, you can check out how his page looks at the moment.

Here is the version I've worked up based on what was found on the original page.

Yes, I know the strategy is incredibly simple. If you've fought Angar, you'll know that's about as complicated as it gets for him though! The formatting is the important part here, ok?

• Information organized in a highly readable format
• Class added to infobox (also added Respawn, not shown)
• Infobox information removed from the main article
• Simpler strategies and suggested party composition (and strats specific to those suggestions)
• Battle information, formatted in the same way as other NPCs.

As I finish editing more of these pages, you will be able to find them within my user space on a mysteriously named page: User:Rari/Adepts

It has also been pointed out to me that e-peen is a fragile fragile thing, and that if the 'strats' are only available in the page history, there will be some very hurt feelings. Since my job is to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy, they will be instead moved to the articles' discussion pages, where future wiki lovers can read them and add their own experiences and discuss just how awesome stickin'-it to The Fleshflower really is.

Now, if anyone has any super ideas on how to make these pages better, questions or concerns, shout them out. Here and now. Because I've got the editing itch and I can only hold it off for so long. :keke:

tl;dr
Adept pages on the wiki are being cleaned up because they look like poop as-is.

I predict explosive applause. Let the de-poopification process begin.

Rari said:

Now, if anyone has any super ideas on how to make these pages better, questions or concerns, shout them out.

Click to expand...

some random suggestions.

the most important information for me is the stuff in that pink box on the upper right. instead of pushing it to the upper right, what if it was squatter and was the first thing (before Strategy, at least) in the article? If it stretched across the top, it could probably be a lot shorter and take up a lot less space (and not have to share space with the "strategy" text / section).

also about the box, what if the title/heading "Level" was a little more specific, like "Mob Level?" Also, max level to engage says "14 (confirmed 8/14)" - can we add a year onto that?

finally, if there is a /loc coord available, would you want that in Location? Not sure if there is a conscious choice to leave that off or just if no one has it off-hand.

and the suggestions for the strategy section would basically be something to make it less of a "wall of text." maybe bullet points for each entry, or every entry has their own cell or something? it's kind of hard to read.

and also, the "updates" just seems like additional strategies or data points - should they all be called out individually as new updates? maybe... just seemed a bit odd

don't mean to nit pick, this is definitely a very noble effort - and I really do appreciate it!! the adept pages WERE pretty decrepit now that I think of it = )

THANK YOU!

PS - oooh! oooh! any way to add an area for screenshot pics (a small cutup image of one as a portrait)? just thinkin...

Sibro, would probably help if you looked at the version I'm working on, not just the way it looks now. You saying they were pretty decrepit... well yeah, obviously hehehe.

• Anyway, not moving the 'box on the right' as you put it - it's a consistent width and shape between multiple types of articles (adepts, other npcs, items, quests, etc) to make the wiki easier to nav.
  
• Actual /loc is always wanted on any static npc, including adepts (though we generally round the numbers).
  
• As for moving the wall of text and other stuff, yeah, you need to look at the versions I'm working on, that was already being done. :toot:

Overall a better product. Asides;

1. I tanked this on my SK and remember being tapped for 14, which would make the lifetap Lifespike. However, this was a while ago and secondary confirmation should probably be gained first. Unless, you are willing to to include a spell on probability.

2. Consider bulleting the specific Group Suggestions;
- Cleric engage with Spell: Divine Aura.
- Primary tank takes aggro after Divine Aura wears off of Cleric.

If this is to be the example format, bulleting will lead to tighter suggestions.

Changes are now live on the wiki. As stated in the 'plan' the old 'strats' have been moved to discussion pages. You can find all adept pages here. Editors should feel free to edit and expand on any of these pages, just please try to stay to this format.

And, as a note of warning, any signed contributions to the main articles will result in a minimum 24 hour wiki ban.

Great work! I love going to the wiki and finding short, concise info without having to read someone's diary. But having these diaries on the discussion page lets me experience the game when I can't play.

I think this is a much better format/policy.

Very pretty and useful, thanks.

Can I take this opportunity to ask how I can get on the "email confirmed" list for posting to the Wiki? I have an account, but each time I sign in and try to fix something, it says I'm not on the email confirmed list or something. Seems I didn't reply to a confirmation email way back when ... and can't find anything on the Wiki about how to get back confirmed. Would like to keep my current user name, etc. Thanks!

Log into your account and check preferences - you should be able to change the destination email address (if it is not valid) and request another validation email from there. If these options are not available, you may need to select another username.

Ah, thanks. Didn't even notice, but there was no email address at all on my preferences. Thanks very much, haven't tried to edit anything, but it looks like I'm in.

I'm a typo-findin' fool, that I am.

Total good job! I've spent time looking up adepts in the past for previous encounters and I've always found the information at least fairly useful, but with gaps and inconsistencies that needed fixing.

There are still going to be plenty of gaps; almost all of the information on those pages was based on analysis of the writing already found on them (with a few exceptions, where I recognized the strategies provided were no longer viable, as I'd actually done the encounter myself.) So hopefully, since I keep seeing adept groups forming, we'll start seeing more additions now that there is more of a format to the pages.

Also, I know I added at least one piece of adept loot while I was doing this that I noticed was missing. If any other adept loot is missing, well, I am disappoint. Come on ya'll get it together. :dumbsad:

Good job Rari. I have part of the death of many adepts.. though some were so long ago, remembering the strat is tough. I know tidefang almost requires an enc to make the fight do-able. (I have not heard of a win without an enc being there to mana drain him, and prevent ch.)