IFWiki:To-do list

This page is for documenting future/current ideas/projects for the IFWiki.

This page will probably change frequently and may not always look very pretty. It's like both a scratchpad and a to-do list. As we get more ideas, add them. As projects get completed, we'll remove them.

Someone named User:Vasa26 has been spamming the ifwiki. It's very annoying. This user has spammed us on Oct 3 and Oct 22, 2005 (so far). All pages linked from the Main Page are altered unless they are protected. This user is not benign; he or she deletes content.

Here's some of the ideas/projects I'd like to pursue:

Creating pages for the individual IF games, at least the best or better known ones. The page for Photopia is the current testing ground; when it looks acceptable, we can start creating more like it.
- One of the subgoals is to have genre icons created. I've begun some of them; see Games Page (Style Guide). I want two types of genres: traditional and setting. Traditional genres are things like Drama, Mystery, Comedy, Science Fiction, Horror, etc. Setting genres is a new idea that I think is very applicable to IF; they will include things like One-Room, Home, School, Office, Underground, Spaceship, Farm, Great Outdoors, Fortress, City, etc.
- Another subgoal to figure out is what sort of tables of standard info might be useful. For example, I've yet to see many games classified by Zarf's cruelty scale.
  - IFMES should be the starting point for these tables. And I'm not just saying that because I invented it. In the process of formulating that standard, I've done a lot of research into what data was already being used by various sites and software to describe IF games, and I am continuing to do such research as the standard evolves. There's no sense in ifWiki maintainers doing the same work all over again. Of course ifWiki doesn't need to use every IFMES element, just the ones that make sense in ifWiki's scope. The next draft (due sometime late Nov or early Dec) will include English labels that can be used instead of the URL IDs. --Ryukage 00:43, 18 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)
Creating a template table for documenting and comparing interpreter features. Again, what features do interpreters have or not have? Which ones let the user change the fonts or the colors? Which offer a scrollback or transcription feature? etc.
- This sounds like a project that could result in another IFMI standard. I'll be working on metadata standards for platforms and interpreters as soon as I get IFMES locked down. As soon as I can get some real webspace, I'll start setting up forums, mailing lists, and maybe a wiki, so that IFMI can become a collaborative community project instead of just my own thing. --Ryukage 00:43, 18 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)
Creating pages for documenting TADS 3 classes. The page for Room (TADS 3 class) is the current testing ground; when it looks acceptable, we can start creating more like it. Similar pages for other features of TADS 3 and other authoring systems should also be contemplated.
A general wish for more images in the wiki. I'm hoping the genre icons will partial fit this wish. I doubt many people want their pictures in the wiki, but it's not like I've asked yet.
Creating more example code pages.
More info and pages for Category:Infocom would be welcome.
The pages for Category:Sierra are almost non-existant. We must research the info and document it.
Filling out the Games Released pages, of course. Only 2004 and 2005 look anywhere close to complete.
Most pages should belong to a category. We'll probably want a root category called Basics and somehow create a hierarchy of categories. Otherwise some pages are just going to be lost or disconnected.
- Take a look at developer.mozilla.org. They've done a great job of organizing their wiki and making it navigable like an ordinary website. Of course, ifWiki is not as big or varied, so we won't need to get quite that complex. --Ryukage 00:43, 18 Oct 2005 (Central Daylight Time)
Some topics that we probably want pages for: Advent, Alan 3, Stephen Bishop, Deform, Dimwit Flathead, Galatea, Infix, Informese, Level 7, Mindwheel, Newsgroups, Reform, Rexx-Adventure, TXD.
I've begun a new category called Game help. The concept is that of an adventurer's handbook, where the player could look up a topic such as "monkeys", "mirrors", or "money" and get tips on the typical sorts of puzzles and in-game handling associated with that topic. Such a page should be careful not to spoil any particular game by name, but just present the possiblities and what's been done before. Pages for things that aren't strictly 'objects' would be permissible.
- The page for Money now exists. Links to code examples or discussion about money would be at the bottom, if I knew of any. Pages of games that use money would be on another page, eg: "Money (game list)".