Fan-made civ-pedia?

[Trifna]

I don't know for you, but I know I rarely found the picky information I was searching for in the Civ-pedia, rendering it half-useless. It had lots of info I had no need of anyone to tell me though...

So how could it be if it was a civ-pedia made for players BY players? We're already making the List so... I guess that the people well-placed to do that would be the beta testers. I am not sure of which way is the most efficient, but it looks like a wiki (as www.wikipedia.org) could potentially get somewhere. Firaxis would of course have the final word on the product.

If the Wikipedia is that good, maybe it would be well adapted here too.

It would have two advantages:
1- A GOOD Civ-pedia built for players
2- Less on Firaxis' shoulders, thus energy to orient elsewhere


Of course, I know that players are rarely invited to participate in the process of creation, but it just looks like so easy and advantageous for everyone... What do you think?

[VetLegion]

Not a bad idea. In fact - a very good idea

Existing knowledge base about previous civ titles could also eventually be converted to the wiki format.

[Modo44]

Do you mean simply linking to Wikipedia directly from the Civilopedia, or making another "Wiki" just for CIV? I don't know about copy rights for the first version. And I don't believe there are enough players interested in doing good research for the second version.

[Nikolai]

It would be a good idea.
Problem is for Firaxis getting beta testers that writes good enough both regarding quality of language and knowledge, and at the same time are good to test the game, find bugs etc.. I don't know, but I somehow doubt those two qualities are neccessarily very often combined? Having beta testers is resource extensive, so I guess Firaxis can't have too many of them?

[lajzar]

Yes, let's give them permission to ship the game without a help file. Great idea. Not.

[Dauphin]

Replace the civpedia with a link to Poly.

[Vince278]

Same effort was tried a while ago. Not sure what happened to it.

[Trifna]

Well... FIRAXIS HAS THE LAST WORD. They can ask that the wiki be made in a given way with (reviewing at the end, but also: cost, this, that... then a part for "other comments". And no this or that).

This mean that they can take the product at the end of beta testing and change every single word that is not written correctly, trim it down if some things are judged useless, write new parts if it is useful.

So I see no worry about getting a bad product at the end. It's simply to help them, not replace them! If 60% of the work is already done (and done better), then they do the rest of the 40% by deciding what's in, what's out, etc.

If they wish, they could even make a "conform help part" where you find the usual civ3 info, and a part that follows it which is "supplementary information" or somwthing like that, which would have what players put in the wiki (and put in way judged proper by Firaxis).


And about getting dedicated beta testers, well 2 things:

1- Hear me, Hear me: ME ME ME
2- I'm sure than other than me there are lots of others here who could promise to help with such a Firaxian wiki... and that, unlike me, actually have a computer

[Modo44]

The problem here is, if you don't get professionals to do the job, you will need professionals to verify the job. And this can be more difficult and time consuming that actually writing the whole thing without help from outside.

[Trifna]

The wikipedia proved to possibility to not use professionals, but it got more time and was not under the wishes of a head. In think they could only test this and take what they want at the end, which doesn't seem to ask more than looking at the end and cut/paste. It looks shorter than writing it.