Talk:IF Cliches

I think that this probably needs to be combined with Elements of Interactive Fiction, or rationalised in a way such that they don't overlap and refer to each other more. -- Maga 06:05, 25 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)

• In my opinion, the content of Elements of Interactive Fiction page (such as it is) ought to go elsewhere, and then be deleted. As it currently stands, it's incomplete, uncategorized, and uninspired. The very title of the page isn't very specific either. (I would also welcome any change that reduces the number of pages that say 'mazes are dumb' and similar rants. Maybe mazes are a cliché, but complaining about them is also, unfortunately, a recurring theme.) -- David Welbourn 15:46, 25 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)
  • Hmm. Yeah, on closer inspection it rather looks as if Elements doesn't have much that isn't already dealt with already in better places, and that it's rather overambitious in scope. I've got no problem with strip-mining and abandoning it, if Dave's fine with the prospect.

Some of these things aren't cliches, but problems to avoid or common errors. Is there a page to move these to? -GregoryWeir 23:23, 25 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)

• Perhaps, in keeping with Nate's suggestion below, we need a new category, maybe Category:Design errors?, and create one page per common error. I've wanted to write pages for duh-scription and pointless porch for months, but I didn't know where to put them. Since the design errors are considered commonplace, the Design errors category should itself be filed under Category:Tropes. -- David Welbourn 02:24, 27 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)

• • Category:Tropes sounds great. I'll start playing with moving entries from here into their own Tropes pages.

I think we should perhaps have a page which is an index of tropes/cliches/patterns/antipatterns/elements, and then have each element be its own page entry. Like the TV Tropes Wiki (which seems to be down at the moment) Catalogue. --Nate 22:37, 26 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)

• I have no objection if each trope/cliché/etc gets its own page. The IF Cliches page, new as it is, already looks too long and unwieldy to work with. I suggest using a new Category:Clichés as a subcategory of Category:Tropes. -- David Welbourn 02:24, 27 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)

I see we already have the 'Category:Glossary' page, which might be a place to start. Can we unify or expand Glossary entries, or are they sacrosanct as imports from the Theory Book? --Nate 22:54, 26 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)

• Because of its connection to the IF Theory Book, the Glossary category itself should not be removed. However, it is permissible to add new entries, or edit/expand existing ones. I think in time, the Glossary category, as it stands will become obsolete, but that time isn't now. In the meantime, I do want to see every article that is in the Glossary category be added to at least one other category so that if the Glossary category were, oh, I dunno, to mysteriously vanish someday, none of those articles will be orphaned. -- David Welbourn 02:29, 27 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)