GamerEscape

All bots must be approved prior to use.  For permission, send an email to [email protected]. When seeking approval, please state the following:

• Whether the bot is manually assisted (run by a human) or automatically scheduled to run
• The period, if any, we should expect it to run
• What language or program it is running
• Its purpose

Answer any questions and await authorization from an Administrator. If conditional approval is received, you may run the bot for a short period so it can be monitored. After the trial the bot will be re-evaluated by the administrators, and you may ask that the user be marked as a bot.

Usernames for new bots should incorporate the word “bot” so that editors realize they are dealing with an automaton. The username for the bot should also incorporate the username of the bot operator or a recognizable fragment of it. The userpage for the bot should describe the same elements identified above.

The burden of proof is on the bot-maker to demonstrate that the bot:

• is harmless
• is useful
• is not a server hog
• has been approved
• abides by all guidelines, policies and common practices

If, despite all efforts and review, a bot is found to have caused unintentional damage, it is the responsibility of the bot operator to repair it. Note that this could require either lots of manual work, or the creation (and perhaps approval) of a new bot. If you are not prepared to clean up after your bot if it misbehaves, you should not run it.  Administrators may require a bot to be suspended at any time and in their sole discretion.

Images should not contain vulgar language or profanity or contain inappropriate words, inappropriate sexual references/imagery or other vulgar statements/imagery in the image or filename. Violation of this rule will result in a temporary or permanent ban from the wiki and the image will be promptly renamed or removed.

Images must be uploaded with a filename that specifically describes what is in the picture. Abbreviations, player names, timestamps, or any other superfluous words that don’t have anything to do with the item, key item, or mob, etc will be immediately moved. Gamer Escape cannot guarantee credit is retained when images are deleted in this manner.

• Images of in-game objects should be uploaded with a filename containing, if possible, only the exact name of the item and nothing else.
• Images should not contain any type of branding, signatures or be altered (i.e. via photoshop or dat swaps) in any fashion, such as a website name or the name of the uploader in the image or the filename.
• Images should be taken to the best of your ability with no other obstructions in the image besides the object.
• Game-related images from outside the game (such as flags, strategy, etc.) are acceptable.

Images should only be replaced if the older version is of low quality or violates one of the above policies. Images should not be replaced due to file size alone.  Images that violate one of the above policies may be altered (i.e. cropped or otherwise edited) or replaced in order to conform with the above policies.

Linking to images not hosted in the wiki is not allowed.  Linking to YouTube videos demonstrating in-game strategies, skills or abilities is permitted.  The videos should not contain any video material that is not from the relevant game (added music and/or titles are acceptable but should not contain unsuitable or offensive material and/or lyrics).

Wiki editors are allowed to upload a personal images for use on their User Page subject to the above general rule about images.  The filename for such images must contain the user name identified on your User Page. Any personal picture uploaded that does not follow this format, or is not in use on the User’s User Page will be subject to deletion.

In an encyclopedic setting such a wiki, naming conventions are necessary to keep everything organized in an easy to read, and easy to find format. By setting these conventions, we hope to create a fast and easy way for users to understand how to create new articles without the need for others to supervise and possibly apply the {{Move}} or {{SMove}} templates.

It should be obvious that the name of an article should reflect the content of the article. Articles about in game objects (items, NPCs, quests, etc.) should be named after the object alone. If the object has both a long display name and shorter inventory name (i.e. “Square of Cotton Cloth” and “Cotton Cloth”), the shorter name should be used.

Ambiguous titles will most likely go through the Requested Move process. Proper spelling and grammar should be observed when naming articles. Articles names should use proper capitalization, like that of a book title, this includes redirects. Example: Arnold The Bear is incorrect; it should be Arnold the Bear. It is not necessary to create redirects with varying case as the search functionality of this wiki is case-insensitive.

The software that forms the structure of the wiki is powered by MediaWiki – which has certain limitations that occasionally get in the way of editing. If you are familiar with editing in Wikipedia, this may help or hinder you somewhat. Wikipedia uses a vast array of MediaWiki extensions that are not used here at the wiki, so make sure to use the Show Preview button before saving your edits, to make sure your edits are working the way you want. Here are a few examples of specific limitations that are commonly encountered when editing in the wiki. Additional limitations may be added as they are encountered.

When naming articles or uploaded files, there are certain characters that cannot be used in the name. These characters have specific purposes within MediaWiki. For example, the “/” informs the software that a subpage is being made and the “#” is used to just to certain sections of a given page. When naming articles and images, please refrain from using the following characters:

/ (substitute “and” or “or”)

% (substitute “Percent”)

# (omit)

User account names do not have to follow normal naming conventions. However, inappropriate account names or account names deliberately meant to deceive or impersonate another user will result in forced account recreation. Subpages to user pages also do not have to follow these conventions. These pages are mostly for the user’s personal use, and aren’t “public” articles in the strictest sense.

Guides should generally be written in 3rd person. Guides titles should be descriptive and contain the word “guide”. For example, “Experience Points: Soloing Guide” or “Sarutabaruta Farming Guide”. Ambiguous names, or names that are too general in nature may be put through the Requested Move process.

If the author of a guide does not wish that the guide be edited by others (typically because it describes a specific strategy), the guides will generally be written in 1st person and the titles will, in addition to the above requirements, reflect the author’s name. For example: “Bard Guide by ArnoldtheBear” or “Sarutabaruta Farming Guide by ArnoldtheBear”. All guides should be made in a Guide namespace if available, or in the main namespace if no such specialized namespace is available.

Articles detailing fake/humorous items that do not exist in the game will be deleted. While the intent may be vandalism or humor, it does not belong in the the wiki. You may, however, post it as humor on your userpage (so long as it isn’t categorized as a real item).

Articles related to the advertisement or sale of any material are prohibited.

To assume good faith is a fundamental principle on Gamer Escape. In allowing anyone to edit, we must assume that most people who work on the project are trying to help it, not hurt it. When you can reasonably assume that a mistake someone made was a well-intentioned attempt to further the goals of the project, correct it without criticizing. When you disagree with people, remember that they probably believe that they are helping the project. Use talk pages to explain yourself, and give others the opportunity to do the same. This can avoid misunderstandings and prevent problems from escalating.

Be patient with newcomers. Newcomers unaware of the wiki’s culture and the mechanics of editing often make mistakes or fail to respect community norms. Many newcomers bring with them experience or expertise for which they expect immediate respect. Behaviors arising from these perspectives are not malicious.

Assuming good faith is about intentions, not actions. Well-meaning people make mistakes, and you should correct them when they do. You should not act like their mistake was deliberate. Correct, but do not scold. There will be people on the wiki with whom you disagree. Even if they are wrong, that does not mean they are trying to wreck the project. There will be some people with whom you find it hard to work. That does not mean they are trying to wreck the project either. It is never necessary that we attribute an editor’s actions to bad faith, even if bad faith seems obvious, as all our countermeasures (i.e. reverting, blocking) can be performed on the basis of behavior rather than intent.

This guideline does not require that editors continue to assume good faith in the presence of evidence to the contrary. Actions inconsistent with good faith include repeated vandalism, confirmed malicious sockpuppetry, and lying. Assuming good faith also does not mean that no action by editors should be criticized, but instead that criticism should not be attributed to malice unless there is specific evidence of malice. Editors should not accuse the other side in a conflict of not assuming good faith in the absence of reasonable supporting evidence.

Civility is a code for the conduct of editing and writing edit summaries, comments, and talk page discussions on all articles. Whereas incivility is roughly defined as personally targeted behavior that causes an atmosphere of greater conflict and stress, our code of civility states plainly that people must act with civility toward one another.

Personal attacks are arguments that focus on attacking another user personally, rather than addressing his arguments regarding the subject matter. Personal attacks are completely inappropriate in all conversations that take place in Gamer Escape (wiki and commenting both). Users who participate in personal attacks are immediately subject to administrative action, including banning. Warnings may be given, but are not guaranteed.

An edit war is the act of two or more parties adding and/or reverting an article’s content to suit their own view of the subject. The content is changed by one user, then changed back by another, effectively “warring” over whose edit is best. Depending on the severity of the edit war, administrators will decide if a ban is warranted, or just a warning. Edit wars that do not stop after a warning may result in being banned from the wiki. In the case of edit wars where vandalism or spam is involved, those adding the offending material will be immediately banned pursuant to policies on vandalism and spam.

Spam is adding material to an article that is superfluous to it’s content, and is most likely unrelated. Some examples of spam are: (i) advertisements; (ii) unnecessary code; and (iii) “fake items” or other false articles. Spam is not tolerated and will be dealt with in the strictest of manners by the administrators. Users who add spam to pages may be warned or banned (anywhere from 2 weeks to a permanent ban).

Vandalism is the act of creating or changing a page to either destroy, alter, or intentionally pervert the information in an article. Users who perform acts of vandalism will be banned. This is usually a permanent ban, but administrators reserve the right to impose a shorter ban at their discretion.

This article is about the control of content, not the ownership of copyright for content, which is addressed elsewhere.

Some contributors feel very possessive about material that they have donated to a wiki. Some go so far as to defend them against all intruders. It is one thing to take an interest in an article that you maintain on your watchlist or originally drafted. But if this watchfulness crosses a certain line, then you are overdoing it. Believing that an article has an owner of this sort is a common mistake people make on the wiki.

You cannot stop everyone in the world from editing “your” stuff, once you have posted it to the wiki.

If you don’t want your material to be edited mercilessly or redistributed by others, do not submit it.

Since no one “owns” any part of any article, if you create or edit an article, you should not sign it. As for credit, the exact contributions of all editors are seen with their names on the “History” pages. On the other hand, when adding comments, questions, or votes to talk pages, it is good to “own” your text, so the best practice is to sign it by suffixing your entry with “~~~~”—no spaces, no brackets, no quotes, no nothing—just the four tildes.

Gamer Escape provides user pages to facilitate communication among participants in its project to build an encyclopedia.

Your userpage is for anything related to Gamer Escape project. Some people add information about themselves as well, including biographical information and information about their areas of expertise and interest. Note that all information added to your user page is public.

You can use your user page to help you to use the wikis more effectively: to list “to do” information, works in progress, reminders, useful links, and so forth. It’s also good for experimenting with markup (that is, as a personal sandbox).

Others may edit your user page, although the practice is discouraged. Comments about a user page are better left for a user on their talk page. Social user pages are not editable by others.

Many users like to insert userboxes into their user pages. Note that some userboxes will also add a category to your userpage.

You are welcome to include a link to your personal home page, although you should not surround it with any promotional language.

User pages should not contain vulgar language, profanity, or inappropriate words, inappropriate sexual references or other vulgar statements. Violation of this rule may result in a temporary or permanent ban from Gamer Escape.

As a tradition, Gamer Escape offers wide latitude to users to manage their user space as they see fit. However, pages in user space still do belong to the community:

• Contributions must be licensed just as articles are.
• Other users may edit pages in your user space, although by convention your user page will usually not be edited by others.
• Community policies apply to your user space just as they do elsewhere.

If you need more pages, you can create subpages. More or less, you can have anything here that you might have on your user or user talk page. To link to a user subpage called “Sandbox” from your main user page, create a link to “/Sandbox” on user page.

The Gamer Escape wikis are online encyclopedias relating to the respective game titles.

The wikis are not paper encyclopedias. This means that there is no practical limit to the number of topics we can cover, or the total amount of content. There is a feasible limit for individual article sizes that depends on page download size. After a point, splitting an article into separate articles or subpages is recommended.

The wikis are not a dictionaries, usage or jargon guides. Do not create an entry merely to define a term. An article may begin with a good definition, but should contain more.

The wikis are not a soapbox, a battleground, or a vehicle for propaganda and advertising. Personal and/or group based accomplishments should be contained solely on user pages. Articles about companies and products are not acceptable.

The wikis are neither a mirror nor a repository of links, images, or media files. Nor are the wikis a blog or webspace provider. Upload only files that are used (or will be used) in encyclopedia articles or project pages; anything else will be deleted.

The wikis are not places to hold grudges, import personal conflicts, or nurture hatred or fear. Every user is expected to interact with others civilly, calmly, and in a spirit of cooperation. Do not insult, harass, or intimidate those with whom you have a disagreement. Rather, approach the matter intelligently and engage in polite discussion. If a user acts uncivilly, uncalmly, uncooperatively, insultingly, harassingly, or intimidatingly toward you, this does not give you an excuse to do the same in retaliation. Either respond solely to the factual points brought forward and ignore its objectionable flavoring, or ignore the relevant message entirely.

The wikis are experiments in democracy. The primary method of determining consensus is discussion, not voting. Polls are not binding. Rules are not the purpose of the community and a perceived procedural error made in posting anything, such as an idea or nomination, is not grounds for invalidating that post. Follow the spirit, not the letter, of any rules, policies and guidelines if you feel they conflict. Disagreements should be resolved through consensus-based discussion, rather than through tightly sticking to rules and procedures.

The wikis are free and open, but restricts both freedom and openness where they interfere with creating an encyclopedia.

Administrators are users who have access to technical features that help with maintenance. Those include protecting and deleting pages, blocking other editors, and undoing these actions as well. Gamer Escape looks to administrators to perform essential housekeeping chores that require the extra access administrators are entrusted with. Administrators appear red on the list of recent changes The following are a list of features that are available to Administrators, depending on the access group.

Administrators can: Block and unblock accounts, check which IPs are used by a given username and which usernames are used by a given IP (subject to our privacy policy), deletion and restore articles, move articles, patrol edits, hide article histories (only done in cases of libelous information, copyright violations, or removing personal information added to an article in a malicious or adverse manner), protect pages from editing, and revert edits.

Administrators can be found at the “Special:ListUsers” on each wiki and may vary by wiki. You can also contact administrators by sending an email to [email protected]. In addition the wikis may create other groups of select users who may have only a few of the above abilities.

Administrators can protect pages to restrict editing. Protection disables editing for everyone except other administrators. Fully protected images cannot be overwritten by new uploads. Full protection is often used for:

• High visibility pages such as the Main Page in order to prevent vandalism.
• Certain “administration” pages, including policy and legal pages.
• Certain “system administration” pages, including many templates, and the entire MediaWiki namespace. These are pages that need rarely be changed, and that because of widespread usage can cause large-scale disruption if vandalized, or modified ill-advisedly. Again, admins should not make significant changes to these pages without prior discussion.
• Pages deleted by consensus that are repeatedly recreated.
• Temporarily to enforce a “cool down” period to stop an edit war.

Deletion of a wiki article removes the current version and all previous versions from view. The deletion process is simple.

All text created in the wiki must relate to the subject matter of the wiki and conform to the Gamer Escape’s policies on copyrights and usage. Articles should be expressed in a neutral point of view unless clearly identified with a guide template. A failure to conform to a neutral point of view is usually remedied through editing for neutrality. Text that does not conform to the above policies is usually removed from the wiki either by removing the offending text or section of an otherwise satisfactory article or by removing an entire article. Before nominating an article for deletion, please check the “what links here” link to see how the article is being used within the wiki.

Anyone can make a nomination. The nomination, however, must be in good faith. Nominations that are clearly vandalism may be discarded. Note: Articles made by administrators in the Project namespace exist for administrative and/or policy purposes and are not subject to deletion.

To request that an article be deleted from the the wiki:

1. Place the {{Delete}} template at the top of the offending article.
2. Click on the link in the template (to go to article’s talk page) and indicate why you think the article should be deleted.

When an article is nominated for deletion, the community may discuss its merits for a period usually no less than 5 days, in order to come to a public consensus about whether the article is acceptable. Following at least five days of discussion, an administrator will determine if a consensus was reached and close the discussion accordingly.

• Begin any comment with one of the following templates:

• {{Support}}
• {{Oppose}}
• {{Neutral}}

• Sign any contribution that you make by adding ~~~~ to the comment. Unsigned contributions may be discounted at the discretion of the administrator who closes the discussion.

• Anyone acting in good faith can contribute to the discussion. The author of the article can make his/her case like everyone else. Relevant facts and evidence are welcome from anyone but the opinions of anonymous and/or suspiciously new users may be discounted by the closing administrator. Please bear in mind that administrators will discount any obviously bad faith contributions to the discussion when closing the discussion. On the other hand, a user who makes a well-argued, fact-based case and does so in a civil manner may well sway the discussion despite being anonymous.

• Always explain your reasoning. This allows others to challenge or support facts, suggest compromises or identify alternative courses of action that might not yet have been considered. It also allows administrators to determine at the end of the discussion, whether your concerns have been addressed and whether your comments still apply if the article was significantly rewritten during the discussion period. “Votes” without rationales may be discounted at the discretion of the closing administrator.

• The purpose of the discussion is to achieve consensus upon a course of action. Individuals will express strong opinions and may even “vote”. To the extent that voting occurs, the votes are merely a means to gauge the degree of consensus reached so far and is not the determining factor in whether a nomination succeeds or not.

• Please do not “spam” the discussion with the same comment multiple times. Make your case clearly and let other users decide for themselves.

• Do not remove or modify other people’s comments even if you believe them to be in bad faith. It is acceptable to correct the formatting in order to retain consistency.

• An deletion decision is either to “keep” or “delete” the article. Deletion discussions which fail to reach rough consensus default to “keep”. The deletion decision may also include a strong recommendation for an additional action such as a “merge” or “redirect”.

Only Administrators may make a final determination regarding a AfD Discussion.