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Howdy, all. I want to being up a few things for discussion, both kinda related. First off, we've got a page full of Fallout: New Vegas loading screen hints that would make some very nice content on pages, either as notes or quotes. There's a few issues I think we have about adding them onto pages I will go over in detail. The second is a possible solution to the problems created by the first issue, the use of the {{Rotating content}} template I've made.
Loading screen hints
The issue, I feel, is not whether the content we have in the loading screen hints is viable for use in articles, but where it is best used. We could put that content as a {{Quotation}} template at the top of the page, or at the beginning of some other section, but then the hints would be bumping real person quotes off the page. We could put the hints in the "Notes" sections, but a lot of the hints are just that, hints, and they smack a little too much of gameplay strategy, something that is not in our remiss.
Also, I believe we should include the Fallout 3 loading screen hints as both a page (we have none now) and possibly in articles.
The questions is begged, then: Where are the loading screen hints best employed on pages?
- If there's absolutely nothing better to use for a page other than a loading screen hint, I'm sure the exception can be made. But if you can include actual in-game dialogue or notes instead, then by all means. Loading screen hints should be last priority for pages that need a quote but don't have anything said about them in-game.
23:02, August 24, 2012 (UTC)
- Loading screen hints should only be used in a last resort scenario if they are of adequate quality. By quality I refer to how well the hint fits in with what it describes, a hint could be a useful tip or description of an area/item/object but it could also be rather vague (bearing in mind some need to be vague so they don't include spoilers for later on in-game). A simply check-list could be given, "Does it describe the area/item/object?", "Is it to the point and not vague?" and "Does it include strategy or just a simply overview?" as examples of this just so we aren't bombarded with useless quotes with vague connotations.
Gothic NekoNeko's Haunt 14:29, August 26, 2012 (UTC)
Rotating content
One possible solution would be the use of the rotating content template. I designed this template to rotate content, quotes, lists, basically anything, on a daily basis off a list of available items. The primary usage of this template, as envisioned, would be to place a list of quotes for the page-top quotes that would rotate to a new quote every day. You can see it in use on Rose of Sharon Cassidy. Were we to implement this, we could keep those nice character quotes, but rotate as many (up to 31) of them as we felt warranted. We could also add the loading screen hints to the list of quotes and they would rotate with the others.
You could also use the rotating content template to rotate groups of 5 quotes (the current page limit) in the "Notable quotes section", allowing us to add more quotes and possibly the loading screen hints rather than limit ourselves to 5, while still keeping the pages clutter-free.
Let me know what you think of using the rotating content template on page top quotes and/or the Notable quotes section.
- Hm, the theing we could use is to properly make sections of loading screens (on for factions, one for characters etc.) to rotate the content and yet, one does not have to wait a month to see a particular loading screen. Energy X ∞ 21:59, August 24, 2012 (UTC)
- The content rotates in order. If there are only 5 pieces of content in the template, it will rotate every 5 days. The Gunny 00:08, August 25, 2012 (UTC)
- The content rotates in order. If there are only 5 pieces of content in the template, it will rotate every 5 days. The Gunny
- Could it instead rotate every page refresh? Even if it's only a few quotes a new quote, or at least a different quote from what was previously seen, on articles could make them seem more active or interesting to a reader. Gothic NekoNeko's Haunt 14:31, August 26, 2012 (UTC)
- Could it instead rotate every page refresh? Even if it's only a few quotes a new quote, or at least a different quote from what was previously seen, on articles could make them seem more active or interesting to a reader.
- Making it refresh every page load is beyond my capabilities. I believe you would need to javascript the browser to create a cookie that tracks which quote was last used and then have the script check that cookie on each load. I have no idea how to do that. The Gunny 14:40, August 26, 2012 (UTC)
- Making it refresh every page load is beyond my capabilities. I believe you would need to javascript the browser to create a cookie that tracks which quote was last used and then have the script check that cookie on each load. I have no idea how to do that. The Gunny
Alternative ideas
One other alternative is that with the new mediawiki software, we could make the "Notable quotes" section collapsible, with the top 5 quotes showing on the page when collapsed, and any number of other quotes hidden until the reader clicks the "show more" link. This could also be done to other sections, e.g. the "Notes" section, were it deemed the proper place for the loading screen hints, but there were concerns over the length of the section.
Tell me what you think of adding a collapsible content template to the Notable quotes or Notes sections to add more, but clutter-free content.
- Well the information those loading screen quotes contain can also be successfully merged into their respective article sections. It just has to be clear and accurate. Eddo36 (talk) 21:40, August 24, 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for your time and please comment on these ideas in the appropriate section above. The Gunny 
21:08, August 24, 2012 (UTC)
I like the rotating thing for quotes, but I don't think its appropriate for "facts" and to me a loading screen hint is more of the later, rather than the former - if we include those, they should always be visible where included rather than just occasionally included. That said, I think we treat these as they are correctly now - they're all listed on the loading screen hint pages, and where relevant that information is included much in the same way a developer quote or VB design doc is used - as a source document that is then included in the article in normal prose style. Agent c (talk) 22:26, August 24, 2012 (UTC)
In my opinion again, the most important is that the information from those loading screen hints to be revealed in their respective articles accurately (very loose example, in Lakelurk page, in the background section, state in there that Lakelurks have sonic attack, because it's mentioned in a loading screen, which it probably is already, but just an example). Eddo36 (talk) 01:41, August 25, 2012 (UTC)