Back in 2006 we discussed the idea of implementing a Panzer Dragoon Wiki on TWOTA. I never got around to implementing one, so I’d like to use this topic to find out who would be willing to contribute to it, should I decide to create one now. I personally feel that a Panzer Dragoon Wiki with text that anyone could update and share could be a highly useful resource for fans, but I don’t feel that it’s worth implementing one unless there is a community movement behind it.
I would absolutly contribute, in any way I could. I think a wiki would be great!
Great, well that’s two.
I should note, contributing wouldn’t necessarily require a great deal of time and effort. A few paragraphs or amendments here and there, and the wiki could be gradually built up over time. We could start by ripping some of the text off Wikipedia and perhaps some of the more factual content on TWOTA (e.g. the Products and Tracklists sections) which are more suited to a Wiki format.
Over time, the encyclopedia could become the ultimate collection of Panzer Dragoon facts, with references at the bottom of each article linking to non wiki articles on TWOTA and other sites.
No I wouldn’t contribute. I think the information that is on wikipedia is enough.
I’d draw for it 
Yeah, I’d be up for contributing. Given there’s a finite number of subjects to address in a Panzer Wiki, it strikes me as being something quite achievable in a relatively short period of time, depending on the number of people contributing.
You know, which is good n’ stuff.
I think Wikipedia acts as an excellent general encyclopedia, but isn’t as detailed as dedicated fan wikis such as Wookiepedia and Lostpedia for those specific subjects. You could question why we really need all this information in one place about a fictional universe. My answer to that is it’s useful to have the reference for discussions. Say you’re discussing PDS and need to know who Enkak’s father was, but can’t remember. No problem - just look up the wiki article for Enkak and the information is likely to be there. If not, then after wading through a bunch of script files, the information can easily be added to the wiki for future reference with very little effort.
Perhaps, although I’m not sure how this would fit the structure of the wiki (a collection of facts that anyone can edit). It might be best to stick with official art/screenshots in this case?
Sure, at least while a subject was on my mind anyway I’d write something up. The next time a debate crops up, (getting rare now though) it could definitely come in handy as you say. 
And the great thing about wikis is that you don’t need to dedicate yourself to writing a full article. You can just write what’s on your mind and others can expand it. For example, I created the Dark Savior article on Wikipedia a while back. At the start it only contained minimal information. A few months later I checked the article again and someone had expanded it with lots more information, but that might not have happened if no one had created a basic article in the first place.
To be honest I’d be more interested in getting the existing Wikipedia articles to a “Featured Article” status rather than investing time into a wiki when TWOTA is already somewhat of a PD encyclopedia. I’m not saying I wouldn’t contribute, I’m just not sure if it’s worth investing our time into such a project at this point.
In about as much as any website could claim to be one, sure - but compared to an actual wiki, it’s just a long list of links to articles which may or may not contain the info you’re looking for.
D-Unit makes a good point that TWOTA sort of acts like an encyclopaedia, and a wiki could end up being a duplicated effort in some places. But the existing articles tend to be filled with opinions and ideas mixed in with the facts (which, indecently, makes them quite interesting to read) which is quite different to how an encyclopaedia would be structured. I personally feel that there is a place for both kinds of articles, especially if the wiki links to existing articles and consequently promotes them.
Regarding the information on TWOTA being hard to find, I agree with this. It’s something I’ve been meaning to improve for a while.
I wouldn’t contribute, but mostly because I don’t know much- all the story and fiction discussions really confuse me!
I would read it though- like I never read expanded universe starwars comic books or novels, but I do like seeing how it entwines with the series so I read the wookiepedia.
Like I’d love to know how all the panzer universe connects, via a great hyperlinked site …
I’ll echo the opinion that a Wiki isn’t entirely necessary, but if the information on this site was redesigned for improved access, that would be pretty awesome.
In the same boat. I’ve watched Episodes 1 to 6 and played through the two KOTOR games, but that’s it. I’ve never read an expanded universe novel. Wookiepedia is great for appreciating the sense of scale of the Star War universe, without having to consume all the content first hand. Panzer Dragoon has a similar sense of depth, but on a smaller scale.
When you say, “if the information on this site was redesigned” do you mean literally redesign/rewrite the content of the articles themselves? Or reorganise how the articles are found (e.g. changing the section order in the left hand navigation)? The latter being considerably easier than the former.
I wonder if a Panzer Dragoon wiki would be better spun off into it’s own site? Panzerpedia, anyone? The Wiki of the Ancients? (okay, that last one was a tad silly…)
But seriously, if this goes ahead we have a few options:
- Integrate the wiki as another section on the main The Will of the Ancients site.
- Create a separate, fresh site with it’s own name, “branding”, layout, etc focused solely on being a PD encyclopedia.
- Create a wiki on wikia.com or another fan wiki site.
I’d be hesitant to go with the third option, as it would mean we’d be tied to the Mediawiki software and would have to have ads (eck…). So my vote would be for option 1 or 2.
I was thinking the later. (Otherwise the Wiki would be the way to go.)
Although the more I think about it, the less sure I am about what option would be best. I was thinking that since TWotA already has pretty much all the Panzer info someone could want, a Wiki would be unnecessary. But if people could actually write up a page for every monster in the games (or something like that) then it could end up as an interesting resource.
I make no promises about writing that but there’s a good chance I would try to write a little info for a monster or two if there was a Wiki?
As for the three choices for Wiki, I think having it be it’s own autonomous “Panzer Encyclopedia” would be the best option.
For the less important features of the Panzer Dragoon world, a full blown article might not be justified. So, the articles for monsters, items, etc could just be a couple of sentences or paragraphs. The encyclopaedia wouldn’t ever need to be complete, so long as the content is accurate. A wiki is ever growing.
Here’s what I had in mind for potential wiki article categories:
People/Characters
Places
Factions
Items
Berserk Attacks
Creatures
Dragon Forms
Ships/Machines
Events (page for each major timeline/game event)
And this information could be moved directly from TWOTA or Wikipedia to the wiki:
Websites (links)
Games
Soundtracks
Guidebooks/Novels
Other mechandise
Demos/Promo discs
I think I agree. There’s the danger of putting all your eggs in one basket if the wiki was placed on TWOTA. However, the same goes for option 2, as a separate wiki would probably be hosted on the same server as TWOTA, even if it was a completely different site. Unless of course someone else here wants to host and run the wiki themselves?
I’m actually warming to the idea of a Panzer Dragoon wiki on Wikia. We can always use an ad-blocker to get rid of the ads and MediaWiki isn’t that bad. There’s already a large selection of wikis for other games, so it would have that added publicity. Plus it’s hosted on a site dedicated to fan wikis, which it keeps it separate from this site/forums in case TWOTA ever went down.
Actually, I just checked, and it looks like someone has already set one up, but it has nothing on it yet: panzerdragoon.wikia.com
What does everyone think of using Wikia for the “official Panzer Dragoon community wiki”?
A dedicated and comprehensive wiki, with separate pages for characters and so forth, would be good. For now, Wikipedia and the recently unveiled Sega Retro both have (probably identical) pages on the games, which could probably use more attention. Adding to and tidying those would be a fair start; I’ll try to see if I can do anything soon. I’d quite like to make articles for the OSTs on Sega Retro and perhaps Wikipedia, if I can collate enough information to make them worthwhile.
[size=42]As if I need more excuses to procrastinate for ridiculous durations on the internet . . . :anjou_embarassed:[/size]