User talk:Gta-mysteries/Archive

Welcome

Hi, welcome to Grand Theft Wiki! Thanks for your edit to the User:Gta-mysteries page.

Please leave a message on my talk page if I can help with anything! -- GuildKnight (Talk) 20:04, 27 April 2009

Shopfront articles

I must ask, do these shopfronts articles really need their own article? How many sentences can completely detail the shops, and how important are they as far as gameplay is concerned? Would a list of businesses be more efficient instead of a huge mess of very short articles? - ZS 09:38, September 16, 2009 (UTC)

Would it help if the articles had more images? And how much space does an article take up?--Gta-mysteries 03:42, September 17, 2009 (UTC)

Images can be provided and most solid articles must have at least 1,500 KB (roughly 3 paragraphs, each with at least two or three sentences, including, images, categories and formatting). By the looks of the topic you're covering, there simply isn't much to talk about aside their appearances in games and their address, because these businesses are otherwise useless as far as gameplay is concerned and are only there for show.

Managing these articles will be an unnecessary nightmare if every one of them has their own articles. Would it be more practical to sort them in alphabetical lists instead of crowding out the business categories and hampering maintenance? - ZS 09:10, September 17, 2009 (UTC)

Other than the businesses what about the businesses I made for the empire building feature. Do those look ok?--Gta-mysteries 22:55, September 21, 2009 (UTC)

Businesses involved in Empire Building can be listed under a specialized list because they have specialized roles (where they can be summed up in a description field on exactly what sort of business they are), but not individual articles, because they are only just that: An otherwise unusable shop with only a destructible interior to show. Start with a list; I'll like to see if the list works first before coming to a definite conclusion. - ZS 08:52, September 22, 2009 (UTC)

When you say start a list do you mean a list on the empire building page of on a separate page?--Gta-mysteries 02:42, September 24, 2009 (UTC)

You can put it in a separate page titled "List of businesses involved in Empire Building" or something. You can link it from the main Empire Building page, probably in the "See also" section. - ZS 14:03, September 24, 2009 (UTC)

I agree entirely that un-enterable unimportant shopfronts should not have their own articles. Nobody is ever going to want to look at those articles - why would anyone do that? And as ZS says, it's creating unnecessary content which will be difficult to manage. The content you've made is good, and should be put into a list or table, like Businesses in Los Santos and perhaps Shops in Los Santos - if it's a table you could have an image next to each one. If the shop is enterable, then sure, have a page if you think it needs one (as well as being in the list/table), and shove in a couple of screenshots - that's manageable. If it has a special function (like Empire Building), then put it in a special list for that. Gboyers ^talk 10:18, October 13, 2009 (UTC)

Redirects

Hello. May I ask you to please not create so many redirect pages. I mean L.C.P.D Directed to the LCPD page is fine. But redirects like Cop (clothing), The Exchange (III) and Benson (car) are completely unneeded. They clog up space and no one would search for these. So I wish for you not to make these pages. Good luck! --Chimpso 02:37, October 7, 2009 (UTC)

Instead of the redirects would it be better to just edit the pages where the link is and put the right one in?--Gta-mysteries 03:16, October 7, 2009 (UTC)

Obviously, it would make more sense to correct the links themselves, than to create dozens of unnecessary redirects - especially given the fact that the vast majority of the redirects that you created were only linked to from - now redundant - talk page discussions. In future please just make sure that you know why the red links are there, as they may have only been suggestions for article names. Also, unlike Wikipedia, most of the time we try to avoid using article names with brackets in them - for example "Tug (GTA IV)" - the main reason being that nobody would willingly type that into the search box, that's why we use names like Tug Boat and Police Car. - Hardrock182 08:53, October 7, 2009 (UTC)

Sorry about that, I will pay attention next time.--Gta-mysteries 04:07, February 11, 2010 (UTC)

Galleries

Just a quick reminder. When you add a "Gallery" section to an article, the last line of code should be "</gallery>", not "<gallery/>" - (notice the minor difference?) while the positioning of the "/" may seem irrelevant, it actually causes the categories on the article to disappear for some reason. So in future just make sure you use the correct code for galleries. Thanks. - Hardrock182 18:41, November 2, 2009 (UTC)

Images

I deleted the images because there is no need for them. A-Dust 00:51, December 22, 2009 (UTC)

Wrong Editings

I was in my homepage and I noticed that ZS is creating new images in some vehicle articles. I checked one of it and see the history. I saw your edit and this happens. You make some wrong edits. Please don't do that again next time. If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T do it.

It's just an advice/warning, I won't scold you. :P

|0ComeKillLah, Meh|Talk to me!| 13:15, January 22, 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what you mean.--Gta-mysteries 01:06, January 23, 2010 (UTC)

Images

Just a request that, when you upload images, please place them into an appropriate category. For example, images regarding missions should go into the mission category for that game. Just makes it easier to keep track of images and helps in the current task of re-naming images to a consistent format. Thank you. A-Dust 02:19, January 24, 2010 (UTC)

FBI Washington

Please note that only admins and managers can rename images, so it's necessary that an admin must have the image name changed before the image syntax can be changed in the article. Thanks. - ZS 10:59, January 26, 2010 (UTC)

Images

Imported from User talk:ZS/Archive.

How do you get your images of vehicles. I see how you could in GTA San Andreas, but not in the other GTA Era games.--Gta-mysteries 05:52, October 26, 2009 (UTC)

Made use of hidden features in the games. Angle and picture quality are also important. - ZS 09:51, October 26, 2009 (UTC)

What do you mean by hidden features in the games? And did those two Mesa images, and the wrecked Idaho look better than what they would have on the TV monitor?--Gta-mysteries 19:24, October 26, 2009 (UTC)

One word: Replays. And unless you have hardware to screencap console games, you're always going to end up using a camcorder or a camera to take pictures, which almost certainly results in piss poor quality. That's the downside of using console games to take pictures.

Don't forget to optimize your graphic settings in the PC version GTASA. Use a "1280x1024x32" resolution. - ZS 09:56, October 27, 2009 (UTC)

Could you take a look at these two images for me, and tell which one looks better in quality? --Gta-mysteries 00:16, October 28, 2009 (UTC)

Image:Idaho (San Andreas) (Wreck).jpg. And remember to turn on anti-aliasing as well. JPG pictures made from the game are blurry, and AA helps smooth that out a bit. - ZS 08:34, October 28, 2009 (UTC)

I tried to turn on anti-aliasing but it won't do it. Do I have to do something else with the display to get it to work?

It might be a graphics card thing. Either your graphics card doesn't support AA (because it's old), or you need to find the newest driver for the graphics card. - ZS 19:18, October 28, 2009 (UTC)

I think he's trying to change the setting by clicking. You use the mouse wheel then click to set it. Sorry if this wasn't the problem--Thescarydude 19:22, October 28, 2009 (UTC)

Where would I find the newest driver?

If you know the model and make of your graphics card, you have no trouble Googling it. Just search for "driver (insert graphics card name)". You can find out the GC's name by accessing the System's properties in the Control Panel. Or ask around in GTAForums. - ZS 10:52, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

OK I got the anti-aliasing to work, what number do I set it to? 1, 2, or 3? Also does the higher number make it clearer. Also it slows down gameplay, is there anything to make it to where it doesn't do this?--Gta-mysteries 18:53, November 15, 2009 (UTC)

The higher the number, the better the AA. And it does slow down gameplay a bit, but only if you're running it on a computer that's around 3 years old or more. If it does reduce framerates, just turn on AA only when you want to take a picture; turn it off when you don't need it. - ZS 19:00, November 15, 2009 (UTC)

Thanks--Gta-mysteries 19:29, November 15, 2009 (UTC) One more thing, would it be wise to use widescreen, and do you need high visual fx quality?

Avoid widescreen. From what I've seen, the widescreen setting is usually meant for widescreen monitors (i.e. those that don't use 4:3 as opposed to 16:9); in reality, the actual number of pixels displayed is still the same, so screencapped images of a widescreen GTA game usually results in the images appearing thinner than usual. As for visual FX, usually you might want to make the most out of the game's graphical capabilities, although lower settings also means that you don't have to deal with blades of grass obstructing the tires of certain vehicles parked on an empty plain; also, vehicle shadows in lower visual FX do look better because it's darker than those in higher visual FX. It still depends on you though. Do you want better graphics (as intended by the developers), or better presentation? - ZS 19:56, November 15, 2009 (UTC)

Well I finally got the hardware, I'm using Fraps, and I'm using a 1400x900 screen resolution. But for some reason blips on the Radar appear smaller but just the square ones. Why is that?

Not sure about that, I suppose it's the resolution. If you can go up to 1600x1200, it might work. Otherwise, scale down to 1280x1024. And 1400x900 is a widescreen resolution; it's not 4:3. - ZS 10:02, December 7, 2009 (UTC)

I don't think that my laptop supports anti-aliasing. Does it only work on desktop computers?--Gta-mysteries 22:05, January 5, 2010 (UTC)

Graphics card-related issue. Depends on which GC you're using. - ZS 09:24, January 6, 2010 (UTC)

Are video cards things can come with your computer? Because I can't get any updates for mine, Intel (R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile. So I'm going to try to switch to an Nvidia driver. --Gta-mysteries 23:01, January 23, 2010 (UTC)

And could you tell me what this is? It's those little lines or something. Is that the MIP mapping?--Gta-mysteries 20:52, February 7, 2010 (UTC)

Patrol Invest Group Image

This images of the security guards seems impossible to attain under normal mean, and it will mislead people into believing it functions in-game like a gang, because security guards never congregate in groups in the game but rather wander alone alongside conventional pedestrians. The reason Vice City Bikers isn't related is simply because its member can in fact appear in a rampage behaving like gangs, within the confines of the game's rules. Mods and cheats are only acceptable if they can portray scenes exactly as it is as if no cheats are used.

The same can be said for the pedestrian images. Most of them have Tommy Vercetti's standing poses, which is unnatural. Why not have them appear in their normal environment? - ZS 11:56, February 9, 2010 (UTC)

On second thought, I'll take back what I said about the standing pose. It's the same for both Tommy Vercetti and everyone else, so some of these images are acceptable. - ZS 18:05, February 9, 2010 (UTC)

Image:SEMIMule.jpg

Please be advised that the PC version of GTA San Andreas has a lighting glitch on vehicles that occurs after persistent alt+tabs between applications, appearing to unrealistically shine upside down. There is no definite solution to this glitch, although the 1.1 patch does mitigate the problem. Try to avoid images like that next time around. On a side note, try to include anti-aliasing in the game when possible. - ZS 05:42, February 8, 2010 (UTC)

Image:San Andreas HUD.jpg

Would it be possible to avoid a money counter that is nearly maxed out? It's very indicative of trainer being used, which is unnatural in the game. Several million dollars should be enough. - ZS 20:32, February 1, 2010 (UTC)

ZS, it's better on yours. |0ComeKillLah, Meh|Talk to me!| 13:01, February 3, 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, I used a video on youtube to get that version.--Gta-mysteries 04:07, February 11, 2010 (UTC)

Sanchez-GTAVC-TrialByDirt-front.png

Mind reuploading this image? Some recent server update deleted the full image for some reason. - ZS 10:53, January 13, 2010 (UTC)

I just reuploaded it, and am doing the same for other images that got deleted too. --Gta-mysteries 04:07, February 11, 2010 (UTC)

Metallic Red Bobcat.jpg

Could you provide the name of the mission where this Bobcat appears? And is this a reproduction Bobcat or one taken from the mission? - ZS 12:51, January 22, 2010 (UTC)

It was obtained from the mission Autocide.

License Templates & Categories

Artworks aren't really screenshots but I think that there should be a copyright template for artworks, as they are still copyrighted images to Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive. I'll get to making a new template for them. As for businesses and weapons, I've think they should be in both the general and game specific categories, as both can appear in multiple games. A-Dust 00:07, February 25, 2010 (UTC)

Just to say that I think that images/files should be kept to the game specific categories, as they only represent the business as it appears in that game. This also keeps the images/files from each game separate, making it easier to sort through by game if, for example, there were to be an overhaul of one of the Business in GTA... articles. A-Dust 01:29, February 25, 2010 (UTC)

For images/files yes, but not for the articles themselves. A-Dust 01:38, February 25, 2010 (UTC)

For image names each time, much like they are for the images on the Burger Shot page. Example: File:BurgerShot-GTASA-Temple.jpg. A-Dust 22:53, February 27, 2010 (UTC)

The district name only needs to be used when, for example, businesses have shops in more than the one area. For example, Burger Shot has shops across San Andreas, so there needs to be a way do differentiate between the stores. A-Dust 23:19, February 27, 2010 (UTC)

Yes it should. A-Dust 23:26, February 27, 2010 (UTC)

For music stores (such as Blob Music) use the Category:Music Stores category, with Category:Music being used for actual in-game music (such as Still Madd). Same for clothing. As for nightclubs and clubs, use Category:Nightclubs for nightclubs (such as Bahama Mamas) and Category:Clubs for clubs that aren't nightclubs (such as Salvatore's Gentlemen's Club). The radio stations and programs should be kept in the game categories (such as Category:Radio Stations in GTA III), as the Radio category should be for more general radio things (a category for the game specific categories as well as, for example, police radio). A-Dust 13:27, March 2, 2010 (UTC)

The copyright templates for the game, not the general one, should be used for all images. Many are from new users who are unaware of the game-specific copyright templates as they aren't an option when uploading an image, and there are some from before we introduced the new templates. And screenshots with copyrights shouldn't be used, whether they are from a video or not. You could try a different video without watermarks to see if you can get an image. A-Dust 22:39, March 2, 2010 (UTC)

Great job with getting the images sorted there. The images left can be left there. A-Dust 15:29, March 3, 2010 (UTC)

The modification template should be used for all modification images with something added to the template to say that some of the images may have copyrights to Rockstar Games and the modder. The Carcer City image should be use the main screenshot template for now as there aren't enough images to justify creating either a Manhunt template or a non-GTA template. A-Dust 01:23, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

I'd leave the middle section of the copyright templates as they are and the one modification template will do, no need to make any others. I see the credit for Rockstar Games and it would nice to credit the individual modder for the images on the file page, but it's not necessary and there's no need to add it to the template. A-Dust 01:57, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah. A-Dust 02:00, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

They all look fine and thanks for doing all that. A-Dust 02:45, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

Nice page:)

Hi mysteries i think your special cars page is going well and i want to thank you for the info,Im tommygunner32,SORT OF NEW I GUESS, i have not made to many edits on the GTW but i will don't worry :)

I THINK RATMAN IS GREAT and i WILL try to make him real,If you don't understand what i mean,then i will say,

I am ratman on the xbox360 and i hope to make the myth come true.Please don't think of me as a weirdo but i love these myths and i do doubt they are real but with a little imagination we can make them real,See you around the wiki :).Tommygunner32 22:54, February 27, 2010 (UTC)

Mission articles

The layout for a mission articles should be like the ones used for the GTA Liberty City Stories ones, such as More Deadly Than the Male. Start with the mission template displaying all the information with an image if possible (at 300px). Then a brief description stating what game the mission is in, who it is for (protagonist) and who the mission is given by and where. Then a description of what happens under the heading Mission followed by the script and a reward section. A gallery should come next, if there are enough images, and then finally an external links section linking to a video of the mission. I have in the past mainly stuck with GTAmissions on YouTube for GTA III Era games. The walkthrough should be put onto a separate page, such as Key to Her Heart/Walkthrough. The mission page is designed to be a formal explanation of what happens during the mission, whilst the walkthrough can be more informal to help the player pass it. A-Dust 03:17, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

Sort of. The part under 'The Mission' heading needs to be taken out of the article and moved to the walkthrough page as that is what it is. The names in the script need to be full. So Tommy Vercetti and Phil Cassidy, rather than just Tommy and Phil. And the headings need to have lower cases for the second words (example: External links instead of External Links). The main missions category should also not be used for missions. Missions are specific to one game and should be categorised into the game specific one, so in this instance Category:Missions in GTA Vice City. A-Dust 03:44, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

All heading titles should be in lower case. A-Dust 15:07, March 4, 2010 (UTC)

Yes they should. A-Dust 23:21, March 8, 2010 (UTC)

RE: Categories

First off, once you have read this, please remove the categories on my talk page. My talk page would fall under those categories. Next time, when you want to type a category, place a colon before the word "category"; that way, the article where you want to type it on would not fall on those categories. For example, " :Category:Vehicles". Look at A-Dust's reply above for a better example. Now, for the difference between the three categories. Law Enforcement includes Military, FBI, and other groups which enforce the law. Police only refers to anything related to cops, like their vehicles, police groups (e.g. C.R.A.S.H.) and other stuff. Police Departments are specifically the departments working for a specific area (like San Fierro Police Department); so there is a difference. Masterpogihaha 05:53, March 5, 2010 (UTC)

Oh, and one more thing you need to know about emulated games...

If you haven't noticed already, the emulator doesn't render the radar and pop-up text right. This is one of the reasons I've avoided taking actual in-game screenshots, because PCSX2 is not perfect rendering everything in the game. The same applies for GTAVCS. Of course, the PSP emulator option is there, if you have the PSP version. - ZS 11:26, March 8, 2010 (UTC)

English spelling

Hi. American English is not any more "correct" than British English, so please do not go around changing text from one to the other. Especially talk pages, since those are a record of the words of the person who wrote them, not what should have been said. You can read more in the style guide. Gboyers ^talk 23:08, March 8, 2010 (UTC)

Observatory image

The file has been restored. A-Dust 23:49, March 9, 2010 (UTC)

Businesses

I've always thought that each business should have their own article, but I know that others, including Gboyers, have in the past disagreed with this. However, the idea for the wiki is to be inclusionist and there should be no reason for this not to extend to businesses. There should, however, also be the lists included on the main pages (Businesses in GTA III), similar to Characters in GTA San Andreas, giving information and links to the main article. A-Dust 02:45, March 10, 2010 (UTC)

Yes but without the businesses with articles section. If all businesses have an article there is no need for that section. There is also the option of a table format, such as Characters in GTA San Andreas. A-Dust 03:06, March 10, 2010 (UTC)

Sorry for the late reply. Yes that's fine, although another column stating the locations of each store could be a useful addition to a table. A-Dust 02:27, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

Yes they should. A-Dust 02:38, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

That's fine, but the first column seems rather empty with the addition of the image. The two could always be combined, by adding <br>'''Businesses name here''' after the image. And yes, eventually there would be no need for the categories as that could be added into the location section. A-Dust 03:33, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

Preferrably alphabetised. I've had a look at your sandbox and you could condense the information into two columns. One with the image and name of the company and the other for information (for example, location, what type of business, owners (if known), etc.). A-Dust 02:08, March 12, 2010 (UTC)

Brotherhood of the PS3

You play on the PS3?--Black Artist 01:16, March 12, 2010 (UTC)

Nomination for Promotion

This user has been nominated to become Staff on Grand Theft Wiki. Please discuss at: Grand Theft Wiki:Promotion/Gta-mysteries

Hi. You have been nominated by User:A-Dust to become Staff on Grand Theft Wiki. Please visit your promotion page to accept/reject the nomination and answer the provided questions. A decision will be made once users have had a chance to ask further questions and issue their opinion. Thanks - Gboyers ^talk 15:32, March 14, 2010 (UTC)