Mod monsters on the Keenwiki

You can discuss anything about fan-made Commander Keen games here.
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

Agreed, there should be tables for most fanstuff.
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tulip
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Post by tulip »

So this is forgotten already?

Anyone willing to create a nice template? We could start with a template for items, since there's little to discuss I guess.

Should just have three columns I think:

Picture Name Effect (e.g. 100 points, 5 ammo etc.)
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troublesomekeen
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Post by troublesomekeen »

No, not forgotten. I think of it every time I visit the wiki, which has been nearly everyday this November. I just don't have any knowhow to make a template. Levellass is the wiki-wiz, isn't she? :slug
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

No, I just maintain the patch wiki I'm afraid. I barely even know how to use wikitables.
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Malvineous
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Post by Malvineous »

I can do the templates once everyone is happy on a design, so I guess pick a page (ideally the most complex one) and set it up the way you think it will work best, then when we're happy I can create templates for that design.
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Post by Benvolio »

Hey, I dunno if this is any help but I made a little table on the page for my new mod, have a look!

http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Gestran ... de_Planeet
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Post by szemi »

Benvolio wrote:Hey, I dunno if this is any help but I made a little table on the page for my new mod, have a look!

http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Gestran ... de_Planeet
This method should happen to Keen 10: Mirror Menace.
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Post by Keening_Product »

Benvolio wrote:Hey, I dunno if this is any help but I made a little table on the page for my new mod, have a look!

http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Gestran ... de_Planeet
That's a neat way of doing it. Literally.
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Malvineous
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Post by Malvineous »

That does look good. Do you need separate columns for description, notes and effect though? Or would they all fit in one column?

Do you think it is worth dropping the columns on the previous example like the number of shots to kill, then?
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Post by Benvolio »

I would imagine that the format would have to be a little bit versatile. For instance, in my Dutch mod, I take pleasure in explaining the items to readers. But someone else might be happy with 'cola' and 'burger', thus requiring fewer columns.

As for 'shots to kill', it didn't occur to me to include that info, as i did not alter those in my mod. But, by all means, that would be useful info. I would find the "Death to the Vorticons 3" example (which I hadn't seen when I made mine) to be a little too detailed for leisurely perusal. But maybe that is not its purpose.

Finally, I am not sure if re-order-able columns are useful. The wiki system tends to mix things up irreversibly when you start clicking on column headers, and it doesn't help. (Whereas on, say, the Vorticons Mods page, it is very helpful to sort by author or release date). Maybe it's not a problem!
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Malvineous
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Post by Malvineous »

That's fine to explain things as much as you want, I was just thinking that you probably don't need three columns for that - all the explanation can go in the same column. It would break the sort but as you say, the sorting is probably not terribly useful with such a short list. Who's gonna sort by description anyway??

If not all mods alter the hitpoints, would it be better to create a template for each original episode, so that the standard hitpoints can be shown if none are specified? Then those mods that change the hitpoints can override the values in the template, but if you leave the values out you'll just see the standard ones?
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tulip
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Post by tulip »

yeah, I like the idea with the standard hitpoints. I might be in the minority, but I'd really like to see the sprite speed too. While Benvolio's example looks nice, it's not technical enough for my taste. If I look for a wiki page about certain monsters I usually don't want to find some fanfiction about it but some hard facts about the working of that monster (i.e. HP, Speed, Harmfulness etc.) One could still have a description field for some fun info, but imo we shouldn't drop the technical stuff.

Oh and also the picture column should be centered like the other columns.
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Post by Nospike »

As for the "fanfiction" issue... I dunno man, it seems logical to me that there should be a little backstory to the monsters to introduce them to the player instead of just "it has 3 HP, its speed is +50, it kills you." That's how the original games worked as well. Finding out what the monsters do for yourself is part of the fun.
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Post by Roobar »

Wow! You are using Paint Shop Pro 8? Hah:). Btw this program has come a long way since version 8 which I've known. Now when I look through the evolution of Paint Shop Pro to the current version (X6), the latest one looks exactly the same as Photoshop, but at much more affordable price! It can even run the Photoshop plug-ins! Way to go Corel!
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Post by Benvolio »

Hahah that article is actually erroneous.... I use Paint Shop Pro 7 in fact!

I swear by it and will use it until it is no longer supported by a current OS. So far, it works like a dream on Windows 7. I don't work in graphical design so I don't need the cutting edge. But PSP7 does everything I want, I know it back to front, and the 'photoshops' I do on FB look way better than all my friends' ones!
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