Nookipedia talk:The Roost

Example topic
Post new topics below! Drago  (talk)      11:03, January 1, 2019 (EST)

Error
I have a question.On my phone when I look at a article, it doesn't load correctly and leaves it blank. Does anyone know why this is happening and how to fix it? - unsigned comment from 73.123.12.116 (talk • contribs) 
 * Hi there - can you list the articles you're seeing this issue, or is it all articles? What phone + version of mobile OS are you using? ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 18:28, June 8, 2020 (EDT)

It is every article that has a picture. But if it is a villager or special character It shows the first picture but everything else is a blank white box and doesn't fix when I refresh the page And I'm using a lg. It seems to be just this website. I'm not sure what's going on.
 * What browser do you use? Do you have anything on your phone that could filter web pages (e.g. ad blocking)? --Shark HHD Icon.png Dorsal Axe  (talk) 14:25, June 14, 2020 (EDT)

I use Google and I'm not sure... This doesn't happen with other wikis like super Mario wiki
 * Happened to me too, using Chrome on Android. Enabling desktop view fixed it though. PinkYoshiFan (talk) 11:46, July 26, 2020 (EDT)

Links to the talk page on notice templates
Hey, I noticed that on notice templates, such as Template:Update, it links to the talk page like this:. However, this is formatted as an internal link, so it creates a red link if the talk page doesn't exist. On WiKirby, this is dealt with by formatting it as an external link (see here). Should that be done with the notice templates? 216.30.159.93 08:49, July 26, 2020 (EDT)
 * Sounds like good idea, thanks for suggesting it. I'd certainly be all for implementing it into the notice templates. --Shark HHD Icon.png Dorsal Axe  (talk) 18:22, July 26, 2020 (EDT)

Resident services
I noticed that this page was going to be deleted but never happened. This page had 3 of those little reminders with character icons like isabelle, blanka, etc. But those were removed. Can someone explain why it was marked for deletion? (Also sorry if there are spelling errors typing on a phone is hard) Koopadude99 (talk) 23:37, July 29, 2020 (EDT)
 * Looking at the page history, it never was marked with any notice tags, including the delete one... 08:12, July 30, 2020 (EDT)

Oh yeah the tune one. The regular one was deemed to be fine but the tune had multiple tags, it was a stub and the talk page didn't exist.Koopadude99 (talk) 10:33, July 30, 2020 (EDT)

Proposing deletion, redirection or recategorisation for numerous deprecated templates
In the past few months we've overhauled a number of templates, and marked many older ones as deprecated. I think it's time to go through and decide what to do with these. Personally I think we're in a position where many of them can be safely deleted or redirected now (a few need the last remaining uses swapped out for replacements, but that should be trivial to resolve), however some of them might be more suited to being moved to Category:Personal templates if users still wish to make use of them for their own user pages. As there's so many of these templates, I figure it would be best to centralise discussion here. The deprecated templates I'm putting forward here are as follows: • Region tooltips (all superseded by Template:Flag)

• * Template:AUS

• * Template:CAN

• * Template:EU

• * Template:JP

• * Template:KO

• * Template:NA

• * Template:PAL

• * Template:SK

• * Template:UK

• * Template:Worldwide

• Furniture size (all superseded by Template:Size)

• * Template:Small

• * Template:Medium

• * Template:Large

• * Template:Huge

• Villager table cell formatting (all superseded by Template:Table cell)

• * Template:Amiibo

• * Template:Ya

• * Template:Na

• * Template:Ca

• * Template:FCa

• * Template:Ft

• * Template:Ha

• * Template:Ia

• * Template:e+

• Navbox templates

• * Template:NavGroup (superseded by Template:Navbox)

• * Template:NavHeader (superseded by Template:Navbox)

• * Template:VillagerNavList (superseded by Template:Navbox Character)

• Infoboxes

• * Template:Infobox Building (superseded by Template:Infobox Location)

• * Template:Infobox Developer (superseded by Template:Infobox Personnel)

• * Template:Infobox nookstore (superseded by Template:Infobox Location)

• * Template:Infobox Person (superseded by Template:Infobox Personnel)

• * Template:Infobox PWP (superseded by Template:Infobox Location)

• Miscellaneous

• * Template:Tab (this one is both obsolete and non-functional)

• * Template:SpHdr (not sure what this was for but it's definitely not needed anymore)

• * Template:Spoiler (completely unused as we don't have spoiler warnings)

There's also some deprecated templates which are being phased out, but are still too heavily used to consider their removal at the present time. I'm not proposing we delete or the following templates yet: • Template:BugInfoCF

• Template:BugInfoNL

• Template:BugInfoWW

• Template:Tt

Let me know your thoughts below. -- Dorsal Axe  (talk) 07:28, August 9, 2020 (EDT)


 * If every template were to be deleted, then the Template:Deprecated would be pointless, the template could just be marked for deletion or deleted. It would be a notice of discontinuation, not deprecation, to use Template:Deprecated for these reasons. For what reason should these templates be deleted? It doesn't save any space to delete them since deleted revisions are still stored, and it doesn't clutter up maintained categories since the templates should be removed to discourage use. The reasons seem to stem purely from personal preference ("It seems disorganized to me for these pages to exist", etc.). However, there are some reasons why I am against it:
 * It would make history accessible only to admins, and inaccessible to the public.
 * Also, old code might still be useful to reference.
 * Old page revisions of pages that used the template would still work or work better than if the templates were deleted.
 * A point you also mentioned, it would break user pages that use these. If you wanted to edit someone's page to replace the broken template and the deprecated template and its replacement differ non-trivially we would be changing another person's user page.
 * It also wouldn't be harmful to keep them around since in the case that anyone that lands on the page, they know that the template is deprecated because of the notice and won't try to use it. On the contrary, its existence is actually helpful. If the deprecation notice specifies a replacement template, it helps people find what they're looking for even more easily, especially if it is not straightforward to them that the replacement can be used like that (for an HTML example  is deprecated, but for a new person looking to center text it is easier to find and more immediately obvious than , and they might not even know you could use div for that). Now there is an additional path someone can take to find what they want. At the very least the template would be more useful to someone visiting it than a "This page has been deleted." message. ShadeTempest (talk) 00:54, August 10, 2020 (EDT)
 * You make some good points. As I said, some of these might be more suited to be marked as Personal Templates, or even redirected to others. I'm going to alter the title to reflect that, since it's not strictly meant to be a discussion about deletion and I shouldn't have lead with that.
 * We don't have to delete all or (any) of them, but I don't think there's any value left in, say, keeping the numerous table cell templates around for example since they've all been merged into one. I think there is a benefit to keeping others for personal use, e.g. the Navbox templates, so that's why I want to open the discussion to decide what to do with each one.
 * Some of these templates use names that would be good to repurpose in future (e.g. Tab, e+), so moving them to a different page title is another consideration to make as well. --Shark HHD Icon.png Dorsal Axe  (talk) 02:08, August 10, 2020 (EDT)


 * I agree that the decision to keep or delete unused pages of any kind is fairly arbitrary, given that they are never truly deleted and can be recovered if necessary. But while true, I don't find your arguments particularly convincing with the exception of "Old page revisions of pages that used the template would still work or work better than if the templates were deleted."


 * The templates in question here are not particularly novel or complex. Furthermore the fact that they have been superseded would imply that a more suitable coding solution has been found for a given application. While it's true that their page history would no longer be accessible to the public, records of all page deletions can be found at Special:Log/delete and Nookipedia staff would be happy to restore or provide access to a page's history upon request, as appropriate.


 * I think the biggest argument in favor of deletion is that the Visual Editor will still suggest these templates when users begin to type them, even though they shouldn't be used.


 * That said, I think it would be good to discuss whether it makes sense to archive templates that meet both of the following conditions:
 * Are used on a large amount of pages (25+) AND
 * Their removal would make a significant portion of a page's edit history illegible Sunmarshsignature.png  ( talk )  20:50, August 20, 2020 (EDT)

Establishing goals and priorities for Nookipedia
Given the increased interest and activity on the wiki I thought it might be helpful to start a discussion about Nookipedia's current goals and priorities. The intention here is to develop a current list of projects and/or priorities that the wiki can actively work towards as a collective group, and that are in the best interest of its editors and the wiki as a whole. The outcomes of this discussion could inform things like: the prioritization or implementation of Nookipedia:Projects, a revamp of the 'Things to Do' list here on the Community Fountain, establishing new categories at Nookipedia:Maintenance, setting new tasks on the Nookipedia Task Board, or the creation of new channels on Discord for the discussion and coordination of wiki projects and initiatives.

I've identified the following areas of interest for Nookipedia, and would love to hear the community's thoughts on them, as well as hear your own ideas on what Nookipedia should focus on in the coming months:
 * Nookipedia x data: Establishing the wiki as the primary source of queryable data on the not only distinguishes it from other AC wikis, but exposes the wiki to a larger audience through different creative applications.
 * Proposed goals : Continuing to add data via Cargo as outlined in Project Database, updating and expanding our API to make this data accessible to developers, and encouraging the end-users of these applications to become editors through link-backs to the wiki.


 * Nookipedia x search: Traffic and exposure is largely based on how well we rank in search. Focusing on topics that users are looking for will help us rank better and will ensure that our most popular topics are also our most well-developed topics.
 * Proposed goals : Identify current topic trends and work on improving relevant pages, make sure that these pages also link to other relevant pages to encourage readers to visit other parts of the wiki, and consider utilizing the Guide namespace for more 'how-to' information outside of the scope of general article pages.


 * Nookipedia x social: A social media presence and partnerships with key members of the AC community allow us expand our reach independent of our rank in search.
 * Proposed goals : Partner with members of the AC community outside of the wikisphere (YouTubers, streamers, bloggers etc.), encourage link-backs to the wiki, and explore new opportunities for the the Community namespace including hosting documentation from our API partners.

These are just the things I've been thinking about and would love to hear your thoughts on this, as well as hear more specific ideas or proposals as I understand these are very broad topics at this stage.  ( talk )  13:58, August 22, 2020 (EDT)


 * I agree that it is a good time for the Nookipedia community to come to a general consensus on what the wiki should aim to achieve. Regarding partnering with other members of the Animal Crossing community, we have done that before, I believe. We had a partnership with Chuggaaconroy, a YouTuber, when he did a Let's Play of a few years ago, but it was limited. I will see if I can compile a list of prominent members of the Animal Crossing community sometime this week. BladeofEvilsBane (talk) 01:22, August 24, 2020 (EDT)

Project stub
This is a project I'm working on to expand stubs. Not sure if anyone noticed but I have been working on expanding stubs lately. But I'm not sure if this is a thing yet,(you may end it if it there is one.) But I'm creating a stub fixing project. This can be anything, from fish bugs, etc. This does not have a section, just in general. What do you guys think?Koopadude99 00:00, August 23, 2020 (EDT)
 * Clearly we have too many stubs, but I don't think a project stub is needed. Stubs are neatly categorized so it isn't difficult to keep track of them all. Maybe stubs could be incorporated into Project Cleanup if Trig agrees, though. Drago   (talk)     Drago PC Villager Icon.png 13:03, August 23, 2020 (EDT)

Ok. Thanks for your input, Drago!Koopadude99 16:35, August 23, 2020 (EDT)


 * I can start integrating stubs into Clean-Up. I will progressively add them when I can. Trig - 08:24, August 31, 2020 (EDT)

A New Page for Villagers' Pings
I was thinking... since villagers pinging players has been mentioned many times on this wiki, do you think we should make a page about it to specify to readers what "pinging" actually is?

I think that is a good idea, but don't we have a page for that already?Koopadude99 18:34, August 23, 2020 (EDT)


 * I don't think we have such a page. But it's not a notable enough subject to have one, in my opinion. Drago   (talk)     Drago PC Villager Icon.png 05:34, August 24, 2020 (EDT)
 * Well, I'll wait a bit and see if anyone else replies. BonesAMFIcon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 09:27, August 24, 2020 (EDT)
 * I think we can do a kind of page that lists all the reasons a Villager can try to get your attention. It can range from asking to move out, asking a few random questions like how spicy you like food, showing you the letter you sent, asking for a Public Works Project, and so on. 19:31, August 30, 2020 (EDT)
 * Yeah, that could work. How could we do that? BonesAMFIcon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 19:37, August 30, 2020 (EDT)
 * Well, first we have to document what kind of interactions take place, and then we'll see how a hypothetical article turns out. 19:40, August 30, 2020 (EDT)

We could also make separate pages for each personality, OR we group them together. I think personality makes sense because they act different depending on what personality that are. Also we can do by game. Like this: Animal Crossing Wild World Pings That page can lead to the personalities in wild world. Example: "Animal Crossing Wild World Pings" This is a list of all the villager pings in wild world. Animal Crossing Wild World Normal Villager Pings Animal Crossing Wild World Snooty Villager Pings Then it would list the rest. So that's my idea. If it helps I can even create the page for real so we can work on it. Koopadude99 00:44, August 31, 2020 (EDT)
 * Well, first, is there a good way to see all ping scenarios? 02:18, August 31, 2020 (EDT)
 * I think I know most of them. I could probably write down a list of them all at some point. BonesAMFIcon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 10:01, August 31, 2020 (EDT)

Forgot to note: pings vary on friendship levels. I can work on new leaf because it's the one I played the most. Here is the page that I'm working on: Animal Crossing New Leaf Villager pings So it would start explaining what pings are, and a list of all of them. I'll organize them so it will be easier to add on to them while I work on the new leaf ones. Koopadude99 17:09, August 31, 2020 (EDT)


 * Just want to point out that we have various dialog pages that need expanding, and ping conversations would fit well into there. I think that would be better than the ping pages you're proposing above. Drago   (talk)     Drago PC Villager Icon.png 12:19, September 1, 2020 (EDT)
 * Ah, alright then. I'll see what I can do with that. Bones aF Villager Icon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 17:12, September 1, 2020 (EDT)

Proposal for an expanded image use policy
As our site continues to grow with new users, I feel an image policy should be put in place in order for consistency between images and consensus on how we should handle images moving forward. Our upload policy outlines a few practices, but mainly focuses on the upload process. Below is a drafted image policy, somewhat based on Super Mario Wiki's image use policy. It currently covers proposed policies for image formats, screenshots, and artwork. Note that this is a proposed policy and depending on user consensus, not everything here may make it in the finalized policy; the ultimate goal here to come up with a standardized policy, with the one below being just one possible direction to go in. Please leave feedback or suggestions below. After learning the general opinions on whether or not we should have an image policy in the first place, I will hold a vote on whether or not we should adopt this policy.

Proposed image use policy (separate page due to its length) ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 18:54, August 30, 2020 (EDT)
 * I think an image use policy can work. Did we have any problems with users uploading low-quality images? 19:24, August 30, 2020 (EDT)
 * No specific problems, but there's always cases of new users not knowing specifically how we want our images, and it's good to have a policy to point them to so they can learn from it. While I doubt most casual editors would go out of their way to read this policy (or any policy for that matter), it's good to have so the staff and other experienced users can follow a standard and enforce it, too. ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 01:16, August 31, 2020 (EDT)


 * I like the idea of it, but would prefer to both expand it to all media and would really suggest expanding the 'why' use of images and native image types per console. For example, while the switch natively takes JPG images, most emulation or pre-Wii console captures are PNG. I too would emphasize NOT converting between the file types, especially for the sake of the other. See the following DIV for some suggested changes.

Image formats
The following three image formats are used on Nookipedia:
 * PNG – This lossless file type supports transparency, and does not lose quality when generated. This file should be used for artwork, screenshots, sprites, and models.
 * JPG – This lossy and compressed format is only preferred for photographic material and some types of artwork. It is also to be used for 3DS and Switch screenshots.
 * GIF – A lossy format, only preferred for animated images and should not be used for static images as it has a low color-depth.
 * SVG – This vector-based type of artwork should only be used for simple line art, such as official Nintendo artwork.

--

audio:
 * MP3 is a lossy...
 * FLAC is a lossless...
 * OGG/OGA is a lossy...

--

video, if supported:
 * MP4 is a lossy...
 * OGG/OGV is a lossy...


 * Furthermore, feel free to canibalize anything from my FAQ page as they may be useful for the writing as well. Suggested sections include:
 * Why do we have different types of files?
 * Is there a difference between JPG and JPEG?
 * Why isn't this gif moving?
 * I thought PNGs were supposed to be transparent
 * Why do I keep seeing "Optimized" on files? What's PNG Monstrous?
 * What's Gamma Brightening?
 * Why should we use OGA and OGV instead of OGG?
 * Why can't I play this OGA/OGV file?
 * I thought we weren't allowed to use MP3


 * Hope this helps. I think this is a good start but would just like a few more details added along the way. Thank you very much! Trig - 08:48, August 31, 2020 (EDT)


 * Good stuff and a great start to an image policy. The one thing I'd probably add to the screenshots section is a note that an image is better than no image. If a user comes to the wiki, sees an article lacking a photo, and has a small image they wish to upload, I just want to make sure they're not discouraged just because it's not native resolution. Other than that, perfect. ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 01:19, October 2, 2020 (EDT)


 * Definitely agree with SH re: making sure people aren't discouraged from uploading, even if what they are uploading isn't ideal. One thing I didn't see mention of which I was curious about was the use of .apng. Will the updated Mediawiki build support this format for upload? Sunmarshsignature.png  ( talk )  12:01, October 6, 2020 (EDT)
 * So we actually already support apng (e.g. File:Underwater Wall NH Screen Capture.png), but it has limitations we need to consider, including large filesize and the thumbnailing limit...MediaWiki will only animate thumbnails where (length * width * frames) is below a certain value that I forget. You can see a note beneath the linked image that says "Note: Due to technical limitations, thumbnails of this file will not be animated". So GIFs and APNGs are really only ideal for game sprites and other small animations. APNG also has poor embed support in other apps (e.g. Discord won't animate APNGs), though that's not as big of a concern for us.
 * We could add a section for animations with the following bullets, assuming we agree on them:
 * Clips from the game should be uploaded as MP4. This is preferred due to its small file size and widespread support. If needed, MP4s can be auto-played within articles by adding the  class (e.g.  ), which will automatically mute, play, and loop the video.
 * Very short and/or small animations (such as animated sprites) may be uploaded as either GIF or APNG. GIF should only be used if the original file is a GIF; otherwise, APNG is preferred as it preserves quality and color.
 * Note that MediaWiki will not produce animated thumbnails of GIFs and APNGs that have a high resolution and/or many frames (if length * width * frames exceeds ???). If an animated thumbnail is required for a GIF or APNG that is too large, it may either be downscaled or converted to MP4.
 * ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 13:04, October 6, 2020 (EDT)
 * I've added information for APNG and MP4 as well as a note so as not to discourage uploaders. Thank you both for your input! ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 14:01, October 6, 2020 (EDT)

Page for Blathers' Treasure Trek
Since Blathers' Treasure Trek is a pretty big part of, why isn't there a page for it yet? It's even redlinked on the blathers page itself... 15:45, August 31, 2020 (EDT)
 * The simple answer is because no one has created it yet (we've got a pretty big gap of Pocket Camp coverage). A red link in an article usually means an article should exist, but just hasn't been made yet. If you're interested in giving it a start, you're welcome to! ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 16:04, August 31, 2020 (EDT)
 * Okay. I don't play Pocket Camp that much but I'll see what I can find. BonesAMFIcon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 18:46, August 31, 2020 (EDT)
 * Page Created! It took me way longer than I want to admit, but you can find it at Blathers' Treasure Trek. Enjoy! Bones aF Villager Icon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 20:54, August 31, 2020 (EDT)
 * Nice job, thank you! ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 17:41, September 1, 2020 (EDT)

Featured Fanart question
Why are there bye weeks and bye years? 17:10, September 1, 2020 (EDT)
 * For questions about specific topics, please use the page's talk page (e.g. Nookipedia_talk:Featured_Fanart). But to answer your question: it's because featured fanart takes time and effort, which we don't always have the capacity for. ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 17:45, September 1, 2020 (EDT)
 * Thanks, I just wasn't sure where to post this. I'm a pretty big noob at this... Bones aF Villager Icon.png TDCbox.png TDCtalk.png 19:02, September 1, 2020 (EDT)

Separating gallery categories
We need to separate galleries for topics. The galleries are like: If you have any other suggestions, I'm glad to take it. v mario 97 (talk) 03:20, September 2, 2020 (EDT)
 * Category:Character galleries
 * Category:Bug galleries
 * Category:Fish galleries
 * Category:Sea creature galleries
 * I think that will be good—we definitely have enough gallery pages to warrant the sub-categories. One suggestion I have is to split Category:Character galleries into Category:Villager galleries and Category:Special character galleries. ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 17:54, September 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * Maybe we could also create sub-cats for the different species (e.g. Alligator galleries, Duck galleries etc.) seeing as all of the villagers have a gallery page? Sunmarshsignature.png  ( talk )  21:29, September 7, 2020 (EDT)

Regarding non-K.K. music pages
In addition to K.K. Slider songs, we have pages for location themes (i.e. Night in City Square, Tom Nook's Chain Jingles, etc.); however, are these pages really needed? Most of them are no more than a sentence long and could easily be merged with their respective location articles. Additionally, most of these songs don't even have official names and are really not noteworthy enough to warrant their own articles. ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 17:28, September 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * KK Songs that can't be played in a stereo aren't notable enough to have their own page, nor do they have an official title. I would suggest deleting the page and then if and when we can get song rips from older games we can insert the songs in the relevant infobox? That might not work though for locations or characters that have a lot of song variants or have special songs in multiple games. So maybe we include one song (most recent) in the infobox and then create some sort of section in the article with a template that allows you to play music from different games in the series? Anyway, cross that that bridge when we come to it. Sunmarshsignature.png  ( talk )  21:34, September 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * You've taken the words right out of my mouth Alex...music other than K.K. Slider's songs is just background music, it's not notable and the tracks have no official names. And they sometimes vary between games, making matters even more confusing. I don't think any other wiki writes about background music in this way. Drago   (talk)     Drago PC Villager Icon.png 12:07, September 8, 2020 (EDT)

New skin
Wow. Did someone make a new skin? Because it looks great!Koopadude99 23:15, September 10, 2020 (EDT)
 * Not actually new, it's from 2018, but with new logo in it. v mario 97  (talk) 23:56, September 10, 2020 (EDT)

GCN Islander houses
does anyone have images of the animal crossing gamecube islander's complete interior. - unsigned comment from KKMichael (talk • contribs) 

Relevance of non-Animal Crossing Super Smash Bros. content
I brought this up last year and it was brought up again earlier this year, but I don't think there was ever much of a consensus around the topic. While we should continue to expand our coverage of Animal Crossing content within the SSB series, I think the inclusion of the full rosters and series symbols is a bit excessive, especially when this information ends up taking up most of the page. It would be like the SmashWiki listing all of the villagers in each AC game and their star signs, even though they never make an appearance in Smash. My proposal then, would be to remove the roster images and symbols from their pages here on the wiki (for SSBM and SSBB at the very least, as they feature no playable AC-related characters), and feature simple text lists of the names with links to their relevant pages on the SmashWiki. Would love to hear your thoughts on this and whether you think we should include full rosters for SSB on 3DS/Wii U and SSB Ultimate.  ( talk )  14:09, October 17, 2020 (EDT)
 * . Our coverage of Animal Crossing within the Super Smash Bros. series is already somewhat lacking, so I don't think expanding out to non-AC content is necessary, though I think at least gameplay should be covered in the games with playable Animal Crossing characters. As for the rosters, it could go either way for SSBM and SSBB, but I think they should definitely stay for SSB4 and SSBU (as a simple text list). ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 19:09, October 27, 2020 (EDT)

NH Villager house exterior screenshots
Seems most of the screenshots are not being used outside galleries or this list. We should delete, cause house info is now using Spazzy's models, instead of exterior screenshots. v mario 97 (talk) 03:32, November 9, 2020 (EST)
 * I think we should keep and have them in villager galleries. And even if not in galleries, I don't think it hurts to keep them - it's good to have their in-game appearances since the renders will never be exact. ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 04:09, November 9, 2020 (EST)
 * I see your point. The lighting is not perfect in models. I guess exterior screenshots will be in villager galleries then. v mario 97  (talk) 02:53, November 11, 2020 (EST)

Regarding the capitalization of item names
Per our Manual of Style, all item names, as well as furniture series, sets, and themes, should use title case regardless of how they are capitalized in-game. This was decided by a public poll six years ago, with the option with the most votes becoming the policy. While there was no doubt some discussion and consensus among the staff, I cannot find anything in any talk page regarding it; also, I believe leaving wiki proposals up to a popular vote is not the best method of gathering consensus, as users cannot state why they wanted something that way. All this to say, I propose we change this policy to having the capitalization of item names match the in-game capitalization. Not only is this true to the developer's intent and the most official name (and it's what we do for all other in-game subjects), but not all items are all lowercase in-game, so having everything be title case creates ambiguity as to what is actually a proper noun. Additionally, there are some items with quirks, such as the Arc De Triomphe in, which has "De" capitalized in-game, while our title case policy would have it spelled "Arc de Triomphe." On the other side, the asian shirt[sic] in erroneously does not capitalize "Asian," a mistake that would go unnoticed by readers with our current policy.

Since I cannot find any discussion of it, I do not know why the current policy was enacted. Maybe it was to make the names stand out, or maybe it was just because it looked better? I know some guides use title case for item names, but, even if published or approved by Nintendo, they were not written by Nintendo, and the games themselves should be what we base our capitalization on anyway, being primary sources. Obviously this would be a huge change, with item names being on thousands of pages, but it's better to change it now rather than later when it's even more of a problem, and tradition/longevity shouldn't be the only reason to keep a long-standing thing around. Plus, if we were able to update pages in 2014, I'm sure it can be done now, even if we have a lot more pages. Most instances of item names, such as in templates and on item pages, could likely be replaced by a bot; it's really only item names in the prose of articles that would have to be done manually. Please let me know your thoughts on this below. ~ AlexBot2004  ( Talk ) 18:36, November 10, 2020 (EST)


 * Alright, so the original discussion was had on the Bulletin Board forums in July of 2014 in a thread titled 'Project Furniture Reboot'. Although the forums were officially closed and archived in mid-2018, they are still viewable to anyone with an account there who is able to login to the archive site. I believe it may be possible for current staff members without an account to have Jake manually create an account there for viewing purposes, although I'm not certain of this.


 * To summarize the discussion there, the three main participants were, , and I. I started the discussion (the thread was about Project Furniture generally, capitalization was just one of the topics being discussed), and all three of us had slightly differing ideas about what should done, but none of us felt particularly strongly about it (other than that it should be consistent, although I believe I was the only one who favored a capitalization system that did not directly mirror in-game capitalization). Given the limited number of users who had participated in the discussion, and given that it would affect a large amount of pages, we decided to hold a public vote, which resulted in the policy we are using today. You can read a bit about this in the Community Fountain archive from 2014.


 * Even after that decision, however, there was still further discussion regarding the policy at Nookipedia talk:Policy raised by in 2015. I summarized the situation that lead to the decision there again, and my feelings on the issue have not really changed since then. That is, I don't really care what capitalization system we use, but I have spent a lot of time and energy developing consensus for the current policy and then enforcing it, so if someone else wants to propose (and implement) an alternate system, I do not mind, however I will not spend anymore of my time making spelling changes related to AC items. I will enforce whatever policy we arrive at, but I will not actively participate in organizing or making large-scale edits to transition to the new naming policy. I make these remarks not to discourage you or other editors from proposing a new policy or for making the changes yourselves (nor will I actively attempt to undermine such an attempt), but given how much time I have spent manually changing these item names since 2014 my head might explode if I were to do it all over again. Sunmarshsignature.png  ( talk )  10:52, November 11, 2020 (EST)


 * Heh, I knew it was only a matter of time until this came back up (and thanks for the historical summary Sunmarsh). I agree that determining policy via a simple public poll wasn't the best idea, unfortunately it was just the result of a few of us editors not being able to come to consensus between ourselves. There's obvious sense in using in-game capitalization, given we're here to document the games. At the same time I think there are some stylistic benefits to having items title cased. One is that it makes it more clear in-prose whether we're referring to an explicit in-game item vs. a generic term. Another is that it provides a sort of consistency and predictability; there are some perhaps unexpectedly capitalized items (Mama/Papa/Baby bear come to mind), and in the cases of "Arc De Triomphe" or "asian shirt", these actually make me prefer our own capitalization standard as I think it reflects poorly if we were to keep the erroneous capitalizations (and for the sake of recording these odd cases, it could perhaps go in the notes/trivia section of an item's article). I'm neutral on this for now, as I think I'd be fine with either system, but I'll sleep on it. ~ Super  Hamster  Talk 01:26, November 12, 2020 (EST)


 * Regarding SuperHamster's point on making it clear whether we're referring to explicit in-game items, the game dialogs get around it by highlighting item names in blue, avoiding the need for capitalization. However, I don't think using colors like this would look good in an encyclopedia, and it would also be a pain to format every time. Drago   (talk)     Drago PC Villager Icon.png 12:28, November 18, 2020 (EST)