User talk:ZS: Difference between revisions

Latest comment: 20 November 2011 by ZS in topic Game logos
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==Game logos==
==Game logos==
I've just seen your edit on Ultorultor's talk page and wasn't sure if you'd noticed that Spaceeinstein has [[:File:GTAChinatownWars-logo.png|uploaded]] a logo for the game earlier on this morning. I've also responded to the Protagonists in GTA 1 talk page. A-Dust 11:32, 20 November 2011 (UTC)
I've just seen your edit on Ultorultor's talk page and wasn't sure if you'd noticed that Spaceeinstein has [[:File:GTAChinatownWars-logo.png|uploaded]] a logo for the game earlier on this morning. I've also responded to the Protagonists in GTA 1 talk page. A-Dust 11:32, 20 November 2011 (UTC)
:Thanks for talk page reply and the heads up on the logo. As for the logo, the help is appreciated but Ultorultor's logos for GTA games from GTA III onwards lack the "Grand Theft Auto" text, so Spaceeinstein's GTACW logo doesn't quiet cut it. While I wait for Ultorultor's reply, I'll also attempt to separate the "Chinatown Wars" text from an image of the logo myself. - [[User:ZS|ZS]] ([[User talk:ZS|talk]]) 11:58, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

Revision as of 11:58, 20 November 2011

You can discuss about changes in articles and other related odds and ends here. Any messages posted here will be replied in this page. Response time to incoming messages varies from time to time.

A Quick Question About the Discussion Tabs

Hey ZS I have a quick question for you re: Discussion Tabs here on Grand Theft Wiki. Is the space left under the discussion tabs a place where we can bring up our opinions about whatever subject matter that a particular entry is all about? Or is it space strictly to be used for the discussion about the entry itself or the edits made to it? For example, take the vehicle entry on forklifts, would it be kosher if I used the discussion area to say something like, "I wish that the actual lift on the forklifts in GTA IV still worked like they did in the older games yadda yadda yadda."? Or is it only to be used to discuss what we think needs to be changed, edited or omitted for a particular entry? Thanks for your time ZS! JJPasadena 20:59, April 30, 2010 (UTC)

That's right, talk pages are mostly used to discuss changes on an article and the accuracy of official information. Opinions like the one mentioned above are otherwise reserved for Forum:GTA (or external forums). - ZS 08:23, May 1, 2010 (UTC)
I gotcha...just thought I'd ask first. Many thanks ZS! Have a good one. JJPasadena 17:39, May 2, 2010 (UTC)

Reply by Gunrunner15

i just find them images all over the web

Have you been able to check if they are modded or not? I'm having a hard time finding the fire chief on the streets. - ZS 08:57, May 4, 2010 (UTC)

thanks

for editing the bullet gt you make it more brighter i had heard it in the police radio while driving it

Thanks. It's basically what needs to be done here. - ZS 13:11, May 6, 2010 (UTC)

Other question

Hello ZS, I'm Niko Bellic.2810, not if I remember, but a few days ago I made an inquiry. Well, here's another question. In Grand Theft Encyclopedia was taking pictures of vehicles in GTA: San Andreas. Well, when not finding the vehicle (not with tricks or anything) came here and took the image. Well, AbbeySP, manager of GTE, asked me to ask if he could get the images as they are quite good. Remove from Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, for your attention, thank you. --{{SUBST:Usuario:Niko bellic.2810/Firma2}}. 16:02, May 11, 2010 (UTC)

Sure, just make sure to credit the images to GTW. I didn't catch your last message though. What is it about? - ZS 16:23, May 13, 2010 (UTC)

La otra pregunta era la del Virgo. --{{SUBST:Usuario:Niko bellic.2810/Firma2}}. 19:49, May 13, 2010 (UTC)

What about the car? - ZS 19:51, May 13, 2010 (UTC)

Image Reply

I scanned that image from one of GTA IV's hidden files. I do agree that the image is not on its best quality but the original file had a worse quality. GTA4LIFE 20:59, August 5, 2010 (UTC)

GTACW Images

All of those images came from the Spanish GTA Wikia, I just forgot to source them. They were PNG, so I edited the shading and saved them as JPEG so that may be why they look like that. Also I resized some of them too.--Gta-mysteries 19:19, May 13, 2010 (UTC)
Doesn't look like a mere image conversion ruined it; it's already ruined when they decided to go ahead screencaping wireframe lights. Anyway, we shouldn't be procuring images with glitchy graphics. The ones without nightlights look acceptable though. - ZS 19:27, May 13, 2010 (UTC)

GTW Forum

Hey. I have created a GTW Staff Discussion Forum here. You will need to Register on TGTAP, and leave me a message on my talk page with your TGTAP username to gain access to the GTW forum. Gboyers talk 13:06, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

Caddy

Hi,

I have recently mod my golf cart in "GTA IV The Ballad of Gay Tony" and the game won't start unless I have the WFT. and WTD. file.

Since you uploaded the picture of the golf cart, is there a way you can email me those files.


Thank You,

Jerry

web-tech@live.com

I'm unable to do this at the moment. The recent patch rendered my data viewer unusable. And thinking about it, isn't it illegal to share game data, let alone ask about it in public? - ZS 10:10, June 5, 2010 (UTC)

Test template deletion request

Hello,

I don't know where the central hub is for asking admins for page deletion and protection, so I thought I'd pick an admin at random and ask.

I developed a little system of templates, through which one can easily insert an Xbox 360 Gamerscore icon in three different sizes. (E.g., {{G}} yields this: Gamerscore.) By the time I finished it, I left over some unneeded templates.

Could you please delete these:

Thanks very much.

--Mondotta 17:57, June 7, 2010 (UTC)

Done. - ZS 10:55, June 8, 2010 (UTC)

what is wrong with my user page???

i went to my user page and there was nothing there, PLEASE HELP!!!

There is an "Edit this page" link in nearly all pages here. Type something there. - ZS 13:08, June 9, 2010 (UTC)

oops

looks like a screwed up but can we keep the image until we find a real one?

paramedics

i just looked over the page you edited and it looks good i was just focusing on the MS paramedics in GTA IV but no big deal thanks it looks good

where is my picture in gta 5 wishlist user gta4bigfan

ijust put a picture about my idea and its gone

I removed that picture, I done so because pictures are not ment to be in the wishlist. Chimpso (Talk) 09:12, June 19, 2010 (UTC)

Emulator Bios

Hey ZS can I ask you another question about the emulators? To get the bios do you have to connect the PS2 to the computer with a USB cable or similar item? I just now got a PS2, and was wondering this. And after you get the bios you won't need the PS2 any longer will you?--Gta-mysteries 10:59, June 21, 2010 (UTC)

You're going to have to extract or "dump" the BIOS from the PS2 using a specialized program. Refer to it here. Once you've dumped it to your PC and have it working with the emulator, there will be no more need for the PS2. And USB transfer is supported, but I used a USB flashdrive to do it, as instructed here; and it's a wee bit complicated. - ZS 11:04, June 21, 2010 (UTC)

Vercetti Gang, a Mafia family

I just looked into the Mafia section of GTA and I'll have to debate if the Vercetti Gang should really be considered a Mafia family or not. In most Mafia societies, they require Italians only. Former WikiPedia editor, Agtax 20:12, June 21, 2010 (UTC).

Go ahead and change it, but expect some opposition, because there are people who have different interpretations of what constitutes a "Mafia family". - ZS 20:17, June 21, 2010 (UTC)
I've noticed that there's not a whole lot of edit warring here like there was on liberal WikiPedia. And I thought I'd let you know what they deleted the List of Gangs section. Agtax 05:16, June 24, 2010 (UTC)

Navbox

How did you get the wikipedia's Template:Navbox --Zibran 1998 08:40, June 29, 2010 (UTC)

We had to duplicate the navbox into this wiki by copying the codes. It's not exactly possible to directly use a navbox across different wikis.
If you are actually inquiring about how to include Template:Navbox into an article, just use {{navbox}}. - ZS 08:43, June 29, 2010 (UTC)

How can i be a part of your community as an admin or anything else?

ZS, Chimpso, and even masterpogihaha a Filipino has a place in this wiki. How can i be like you iam good in wikis. I previously edited Pixar wiki, Harry Potter wiki, Farmville wiki, wikiNation and Singapore wiki and even Wikipedia. I also created a wiki on wikia, Creativity and Arts Wiki which i have no time to edit. I have other accounts on wikia which i have forgot my password. I have an account on Wikipedia. Which is now i want to move on to GTA Wiki or Grand theft Wiki. I have gta games such as GTA2 for PC, GTA Vice City for PC, GTA VCS for PSP, GTA LCS for PSP, GTA III for PC, GTA Chinatown Wars (GTA CW Lite- iPhone) for PSP and iPhone and GTA San Andreas for PC. User:Gta4bigfan Gta4bigfan 14:14, July 1, 2010 (UTC)

Contribute. If you do a good job improving articles for a sustained period of time, you'll be noticed by any of the admins here. We need people with good judgment and some standards on editing. - ZS 20:27, July 3, 2010 (UTC)
I contributed to Grand Theft Auto 5 from my other new wiki giopiagian.wikia.com and maybe i can contribute more. tnx for tthe reminder ZS.
P.S. Have a nice Day! im filipinoGta4bigfan 11:17, July 8, 2010 (UTC) user: gta4bigfan

HELP

The user Ymcfadden is ruining every page he comes to with gramatically incorrect edits and mispellings. Please help, because no one else is helping me correct all of his edits!

Apparently someone else has revert most of them, but they might be unhelpful. Some of the additions he made are legit, but he's probably new to the wiki thing and a poor writer, which explains the quality of his revision. Denying his edit may agitate him and is counterproductive to providing needed growth in these article. The best course of action is to simply copyedit his writing by formatting and spell-checking it. - ZS 13:53, July 11, 2010 (UTC)

RE:

Yeah, I've noticed it. There's no border on the pictures and it looks messy. I'd help with it. It would give me something to do. Although my internet might slow me down a little bit. --Gta-mysteries Talk 19:20, July 18, 2010 (UTC)

And should it be like this? I haven't really used the enhanced galleries since they were made.--Gta-mysteries Talk 19:29, July 18, 2010 (UTC)

That should do. I've also noticed this layout's smaller thumbnail spacing gives captions less room, but it should suffice until we figure out a workaround. - ZS 19:32, July 18, 2010 (UTC)

The galleries we were meant to edit, were those just for the vehicles, or for ALL galleries? The vehicles are done. --Gta-mysteries Talk 22:10, July 19, 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for your effort. If I recall, some galleries on weapons and locations appear to follow the same format, but we can go slow on the rest, because most of them default to four images a row, which wouldn't be a problem. - ZS 12:19, July 20, 2010 (UTC)

Talk:Bellissime

Look at this. Krzysiu8020 Dyskusja Wkład 22:20, July 23, 2010 (UTC)

Vehicles Types Categories

Just a quick question, since you seem the active on the vehicles categories. I've been working on the beta category and was wondering. Vehicles that are beta, should they still be categorized by type? --Gta-mysteries Talk 16:23, July 29, 2010 (UTC)

Seems like the logical thing to do. Go for it. - ZS 16:56, July 29, 2010 (UTC)
And for something like the Brickade, if it was put in the Vehicles in The Ballad of Gay Tony category, could that mislead leaders to think it's in the game? --Gta-mysteries Talk 17:01, July 29, 2010 (UTC)
This is where the "Beta vehicles" category comes in. It should be enough to note that it is unused in the final game. Besides, we can't deny that the vehicle is still related to the game. - ZS 17:06, July 29, 2010 (UTC)
To sum it up, keep existing categories while including "beta"-related categories (see ElectroBaton). Dissociating a topic related to a game to said game is not really helpful to readers either. - ZS 17:37, July 29, 2010 (UTC)

Richman Country Club

Hey ZS thanks for helping me edit that page, im sorry if my writing was poor, im playing GTA SA and IV alot, so i barely get any sleep, so im sorry if that page was poorly written, although i do have a question that picture i posted with the Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Sticker was that an ok picture to have, i know everyone here hates pictures with watermarks, so to avoid trouble i want to know if that's ok?, and once again Thanks, Gboyers made a good decision making you one of the admins XD--Claude CJ Vercetti 17:42, July 29, 2010 (UTC)

Official screenshots (with GTA or R* logos) are fine. It's images watermarked by fansites and individual users that we don't usually accept. - ZS 17:37, July 29, 2010 (UTC)

o ok thank you for your help--Claude CJ Vercetti 17:42, July 29, 2010 (UTC)

RE:

I never thought about putting the beta template in with the other navboxes. Perhaps with the vehicles in categories, it would should that they were going to be included in the game. I would like to know how some of the creators came to the names of the beta in GTA LCS, and GTA VCS. Which pages should be merged? --Gta-mysteries Talk 18:12, July 29, 2010 (UTC)

It would help to keep the topic interesting if they were listed in the navboxes, and we got plenty of room to begin with. As for the pages themselves, perhaps we should ask User:Camboisthebest008; he seems to have authored various pages on the lesser known cut vehicles but has been inactive for more than 2 weeks. We can put off the merge until we know whether or not his edits are legit; I must had confused him with someone else of better credibility to suggest a merge earlier. - ZS 18:26, July 29, 2010 (UTC)
I doubt we'd find an answer, since some users making a few contributions, and never return. There was one person that added in real-life photographs, and that really didn't help with the in-game look. It may have been the same user, I'm not really sure about it though. If we doesn't return what about User:Loadingue? He seems to work on beta a lot. --Gta-mysteries Talk 18:34, July 29, 2010 (UTC)
Loadingue is cool. He seems to be pretty knowledgeable when it comes to hidden gems in game data, but I'm not sure if he covers GTALCS/GTAVCS, because these games sure hell aren't PC based and thus are more difficult to take apart. Wouldn't hurt to ask him though. - ZS 18:42, July 29, 2010 (UTC)
Thank you for soliciting me. By checking the history of the Beta Vehicles page, I've found out that User:Amd64 is the one who first wrote about the Bullion, Tommy, Skoiloine, etc. Perhaps a few questions should be asked to him. To get back to your enquiry, I only cover the PC version, as ZS explained. However sometimes I get my hands on some PS or Xbox files. But that occurs very rarely. If you need some pieces of information about something in particular, I'll do everything I can in order to obtain them.--Loadingue 11:11, July 30, 2010 (UTC)
Interesting. I thought it be near impossible to look at PS2, and Xbox files? I haven't found out what to use for the stories games. Although the PS2 TXD Viewer, and TXD Workshop works for GTA III, GTA VC, and GTA SA. --Gta-mysteries Talk 11:17, July 30, 2010 (UTC)
You know, you can always open any file with the Notepad, sometimes it helps, in most cases it doesn't. By the way, I just found the GTALCS "american.gxt" and so, no need to ask Amd64 anymore. His cars were real.--Loadingue 13:46, July 30, 2010 (UTC

Girlfriends in Gta IV page

When I checked the Girlfriends in GTA IV page I saw that there was a note missing from Kate McReary and I put that "...she wasn't dateable after the mission Mr. and Mrs. Bellic(revenge)...". --roaringjohn Talk 16:43, August 8, 2010 (UTC)

JOIN THIS from Gta4bigfan

i have sucessfully created a new wiki gta fan fiction wiki. tell them to others url: http://gta-fan-fiction.wikia.com/wiki/GTA_Fan_Fiction_Wiki

HarveyH92's unsectioned comment regarding forum page

Hey, ZS.....about 2 days ago I posted a new topic on the forums page entitled 'the next game', outlining my ideas for GTA5.....it hasn't appeared and I was logged in. Any explanation for this?HarveyH92 23:29, August 11, 2010 (UTC)

Could you show me the page you created and the forum that you were supposed to put it in? - ZS 02:07, August 12, 2010 (UTC)

thats the thing I don't know to post a link to you

HarveyH92 18:08, August 12, 2010 (UTC)

I see the problem (checked your "Contributions" page). The topic is missing the "{{forumheader|GTA}}" line, which automatically lists your topic in the forum. Seems like a minor slipup though, because another thread made by you was listed into the forums without a problem. Anyway, I added the required line for you. - ZS 18:18, August 12, 2010 (UTC)

thanks man, appreciate itHarveyH92 02:01, August 13, 2010 (UTC)

New Vehicles in GTA San Andreas

Do you know? I have a new vehicles in GTA San Andreas but it's just a modifications.

These are new vehicles I've found but I type a vehicle name myself:

  • Supernova - based on AH-1 Cobra combat helicopter - replaces Hunter
  • Skymaster - based on TU-154 passenger plane - replaces AT400
  • Tsunami - based on Russian Antonov AN-224 Mriya cargo plane - replaces Andromada
  • Apocalypse - based on A-10 Warthog combat plane - replaces Rustler
  • Gatherer - based on CH-47 Chinook - replaces Leviathan
  • Crusader - based on AH-6C Littlebird (similar to Buzzard in GTA IV) - replaces Sparrow
  • Sovereign - based on Boeing 747-400 passenger jumbo jet - replaces AT400
  • Cydonia - based on Concorde supersonic jet - replaces AT400 or Shamal
  • Hurricane - based on Lockheed C-130 Hercules - replaces Beagle
  • Diamondus - based on Boeing B-52 heavy bomber - replaces Andromada or Shamal

These are my new vehicle (planes and helicopters) mod. First I install the CLEO and GXT Hook plugins, then I use FXT Editor and type on the following text.

Open the FXT Editor.

For example: - GXT-Name:GATHERR - Text:Gatherer, then open vehicles.ide file in GTA San Andreas Data folder, and type the word following GXT-Name on the 'Game name'.

Id, Model name, Txd name, Type HandlingId Game name, Anims Class

417, leviathn, leviathn, heli, LEVIATHN, GATHERR, null, ignore. ----Videogamer13(talk). August 13, 2010.

How did you get a picture from Liberty City Stories?

I just want to ask how you got a clear image of the Ballot Van, because I'm not sure how people get these clear images. Fluffy Clouds 03:00, September 4, 2010 (UTC)

Using an emulator or a screencap card. - ZS 07:16, September 4, 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Fluffy Clouds 18:04, September 4, 2010 (UTC)

There is a Official Confirmation

There is already an official confirmation of Claude being Claude Speed.


Proof: "GTA Which Character Are You" and http://gta.wikia.com/File:Claude-Artwork.jpg

Gta4bigfan 15:19, September 4, 2010 (UTC)

There is a Official Confirmation

There is already an official confirmation of Claude being Claude Speed.


Proof: "GTA Which Character Are You" and http://gta.wikia.com/File:Claude-Artwork.jpg

Gta4bigfan 15:19, September 4, 2010 (UTC)

Ghost town figure

Hi. I have found the ghost at El Castillo del Diablo on Bone County. Did you found them? --Videogamer13 14:43, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

Do you have evidence? Got a screencap? - ZS 14:47, September 22, 2010 (UTC)
Sorry, I forgot to get a camera to take a picture of a ghost. Many users uploaded a video on YouTube that they have claimed to see the ghost on Bone County. --Videogamer13 15:27, September 22, 2010 (UTC)
Provide me the Youtube links in question. - ZS 15:32, September 22, 2010 (UTC)
Here is a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0SCHkDWPos. You also need to watch a related videos of the ghosts in GTA San Andreas. --Videogamer13 16:24, September 22, 2010 (UTC)
Well, they did specify that it's a myth. If I wanted to verify something like that, I'll rather dig up game data that proves that such a "myth" was intentionally inserted into the game rather than only relying on gameplay, when in-game elements and one's perception can muddle the reality of it. And since I can't be bothered with myth hunting, I haven't seen anything like this. - ZS 19:03, September 22, 2010 (UTC)
File:Ghost town figure.jpg
Ghost on Las Brujas. This is real.
Here I have a picture of the ghost town figure. This is real truth. So creepy, they always appear between 23:00 midnight to 5:00 morning. --Videogamer13 09:17, September 25, 2010 (UTC)
Its possible to recruit the ghost by first type 'SJMAHPE' cheat code then recruit her. Its too difficult to recruit, but she's disappear before the player recruits her. --Videogamer13 08:03, September 26, 2010 (UTC)

Hearse and Romero

Thanks for cleaning up and splitting Hearse and Romero as I was short on time Homerjs 04:02, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Well, that explains the simplicity of the initial revision. Sorry about that. - ZS 04:05, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

GTA SA mods

I have downloaded and installed a vehicle mods for GTA SA but why the game is still always works perfectly? --Videogamer13 06:53, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Re: GTA Wikia

  • Galleries should always have the File/Image prefix. Wikia had a modification that didn't require it, so all the galleries on this site have been created the wikia way instead of the correct mediawiki way. There's no easy way to fix it, I will try and create a modification that will allow it to work, but it's more likely to be a manual job.
  • There should be no missing edits - could you let me know where this is happening? Anything that's missing can be exported and imported by an admin easily.
  • Missing images is an unfortunate effect. I had a script to copy all images found in the dump file, but wikia's strange file location and structure has stopped this from downloading every image. I will give this another go, but the guys have been downloading and re-uploading images manually, which is a safer plan at the moment. I will try and get MultiUpload and Upload by URL working, which would make things even easier. The gallery problem also makes it look like more images are missing than actually are.
  • I can stop the interwiki links from working, but my concern would be more about linking to gta.wikia than other wikias. Removing them would be possible with a bot, but could be messy. I can probably remove all direct links to wikia though.
  • One of our staff members decided to stay behind at Wikia and run it as a modding wiki, in partnership with GTW. So they started to remove the irrelevant articles (businesses, stores etc). Wikia saw this as mass deletion and a threat to their advertising revenue, so have hijacked the wiki for a second time, and demoted all staff.

I hope to see you around here :) Gboyers 10:53, 18 October 2010 (BST)

Staff Roles

Hi, could you please fill out your section of the table at Grand Theft Wiki:Staff/Roles? That page explains the reasons, but we're just trying to assign staff some responsibility and ownership of their own sections, and give you a bit more room to do what you want to do. Thanks - Gboyers 00:37, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Images

Sorry for uploading the smaller images, I just wanted to get as many of the images back on here as quick as possible. I'll make sure to get the full sized image next time. And I am aware of the URL upload option. A-Dust 10:21, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Disabling WikiEd

Hi, how has disabling WikiEd using the logo worked for you? For me, it randomly decides to re-enable itself, which is very annoying. So a little tip, you can add this code to your personal JavaScript page (so, if you use the Vector skin (default), User:ZS/vector.js). This is the same code utilised by pressing the logo, but this way, you're forcing it to read that code. JFletcherTalk (formerly User:Biggest gta fan ever) 11:01, 25 November 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll give this code a go. - ZS 17:54, 25 November 2010 (UTC)

engine sound

What is the name of the engine sound of the Sentinel XS in GTA Vice City? PK2PK2 22:52, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

I have no idea. Never had the time to check sound files. - ZS 03:02, 12 January 2011 (UTC)
Okay, and is the engine sound available in GTA San Andreas and if it is, which vehicles use it? PK2PK2 02:35, 1 February 2011 (UTC)
Em, as I wrote before, I simply don't know what file it is, and I didn't inspect sound data for GTA San Andreas. Or any other GTA game for that matter. - ZS 17:43, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

GTA IV: HQ Screenshot

Hi. I just wonder how to take a HQ screenshot of GTA IV? There's no in-game camera(like GTA:SA) and my screenshot quality (by using program like Paint) isn't good enough, in my opinion. --St42nwpt 08:32, 1 April 2011 (BST)

Use the Video Editor; it has a free aim camera. And you're going to need a proper image editor that can save high quality JPGs to save space while avoiding image degradation; not sure what I can recommend though, because I use Adobe Photoshop. It also helps to have a good computer so you can save in the best graphics possible. I've seen a lot of GTA4 screenshot taken with ugly graphics because people couldn't max out their graphics settings without setting their computer on fire. Some knowledge in camera work (that is picking good camera angles to take pictures) would also be an added plus. - ZS 10:58, 1 April 2011 (BST)
My graphics settings are all pushed to the max and ,luckily, I have Adobe Photoshop in my PC. I'll figure out later. Thanks a lot!!! --St42nwpt 12:10, 1 April 2011 (BST)
I just test with Cluck Norris image and it works. Thanks a lot for your help!!!--St42nwpt 12:29, 2 April 2011 (BST)
Not bad. Keep it up. :) - ZS 05:09, 4 April 2011 (BST)

Interwiki

Glad you spotted that interwiki problem. It's because I removed the interwiki shortcuts to all the wikia sites, so now it doesn't recognise them as nice interwiki links, but as normal red links. I'll add the interwiki links back in, but not sure whether to make them point to Wikia or another page.. Gboyers 09:48, 21 April 2011 (BST)

Schafter TBOGT

How did you get the TBOGT Schafter?--Buoys Ahoy 23:51, 28 April 2011 (BST)

The regular version isn't actually available in normal gameplay, thus being far rarer than the modified version; I had to use a third party spawner to get it. - ZS 04:10, 29 April 2011 (BST)

Thanks--Buoys Ahoy 17:29, 30 April 2011 (BST)

Renaming the Vice City Police Stations

Hey ZS, thanks for cleaning up my Vice City Police Station articles and making them look more appealing. However, I would like to ask, is it actually necessary to rename all of the Vice City Police Station articles from "Police Station" to "Police Department"? There is no proof that the police stations are the headquarters, or part of, different police departments. --MrLanceVanceDance 07:11, 2 June 2011 (BST)

I'm not very well versed in American police terminology, but aren't individual police stations also referred as police departments? What about sheriff's offices/sheriff departments? - ZS 11:04, 2 June 2011 (BST)

I'm not American so I wouldn't (and I don't) know much about American police terminology, but maybe we should do this: we rename the Vice City Police Station articles back from "Police Department" to "Police Station" until either one of us finds proof that the stations should be called "Department" rather than "Station" because so far, there is no evidence that Vice City has seperate sub-divisions of the VCPD unlike San Andreas, which have seperate police departments for each of the main cities.--MrLanceVanceDance 11:19, 2 June 2011 (BST)

I think "station" should refer to the structure and "department" should refer to the entity. Like the VC police department has four police stations around the city. Or the sheriff department has only one office in this small town.--spaceeinstein 22:21, 2 June 2011 (BST)

A police department is a police force/agency in its own right, a whole organisation rather than just part of a bigger organisation. So VCPD is a police force on its own, not a department of the Vice State police or any bigger police force, but it is still called a department because they are departments of the city's government (as in Vice City, Department of: Police). In the US, the city is in charge of whatever level of policing they decide to pay for, unlike in the UK where it is much more standardised and separate from local government. In San Andreas, each city has its own police department (LSPD, SFPD, LVPD) reporting to that city's government, the state also has a Sheriff's department, and there could theoretically be county police departments too.
A police department is split up into boroughs, precincts, squads, bureaus, sections, divisions, units etc. The guys above are correct that VCPD will have several stations, and apart from the headquarters, each will probably be the police station for a certain borough/precinct (but we can't invent what those might be). So the overall organisation (VCPD) is called a department, the buildings are just police stations, and one of the buildings is probably the VCPD Headquarters. Also, is this logo legit or has someone made it themselves, because it's better quality than ours? Gboyers 00:33, 3 June 2011 (BST)

That image isn't legit. His album also has a lot of custom police badges and logos--spaceeinstein 04:52, 3 June 2011 (BST)
Can't argue about that then. I'll start renaming urban stations to "police stations" and county stations to "sheriff offices" later today when I'm done with Pay 'n' Spray. Well, except the Dillimore Police Department; it's got signs that specifically say it's one. - ZS 04:57, 3 June 2011 (BST)

Hey

Hello!

I've had my account since last December, but I've just started editing.

I don't mean to pester you, but I was wondering if there was anything I could edit, or help out with. I would love to assist the wiki in anyway!

Cheers,

Bacon777

Bacon777 03:49, 21 July 2011 (BST)

Welcome. :) I guess you can start by checking out the first section of this page. It has listings of articles that may need some work, like missing categories or broken links. If in doubt, you can ask a higher-up like User:A-Dust or User:Spaceeinstein, two other contributors who have been active lately. - ZS 16:22, 21 July 2011 (BST)

Ammu-nation

Hi just wondering something. I was looking for at the Ammu-Nation article and saw it was lacking a Shoreside Vale section in GTA III. Should the small garage behind the LCPD station be mentioned in this? --Gta-mysteries 22:51, 24 July 2011 (BST)

It's not related to Ammu-nation in any way (the same way Phil's Army Surplus is unattached to the gun store chain), being more of a backdoor dealer operating out of a police station. We could note this in brief or in the "See also" section at the Ammu-Nation article, but that bit of trivia should be included in full at the Shoreside Vale Police Station article instead. - ZS 05:12, 25 July 2011 (BST)

Problems on GTW

Hey, I thought I would address your list of present problems on GTW.

  • Galleries not displaying properly - random width limit & left-aligning
    • I'll look into this, could be an easy central CSS fix, or it could mean we have to add CSS to every use of the <gallery> tags
  • Title case
    • It's not "plain aesthetics", it's because we regard titles as titles, not sentences; so we use title case, not sentence case. It also makes consistently a lot easier, as we don't have to check whether every single word is a Proper Noun.
  • Aversion of disambiguated titles that employ parenthesis, being justified as being unwieldy.
    • I absolutely believe that parenthesised titles are unwieldy. Yes, I'm sure that expert users such as yourself don't have a problem typing [[Police (car) (GTA IV)|police car]] wherever you go, this would make the code horrible (compared with [[Police Car]] and would make it a LOT harder for less-experienced users.
    • Take a look at Muse Wiki, where EVERY page has brackets, and everything that anyone types in will always lead to a disambig page. Imagine how annoying it is to link on that wiki, having to make sure every link is correctly formatted with the brackets, space, capitalisation and spelling, and is masked with text different to that in the link. We could end up being the same.
    • I am keen that GTW remain a nice place for users of all types. I understand that yourself and A-Dust are very much in favour of a technically-correct completely-factual wiki with everything perfect, but I prefer to be realistic and open to anyone. We still get compliments from people who have left Wikipedia because of the draconian policies and how intimidating it is to new users. Hopefully we can reach a compromise that is the best of both worlds.
    • One specific issue I have with parentheses is the amount of punctuation, grammar and thinking you have to do. You need the common name, space, open bracket, group name (with or without a capital), closed bracket. If you miss the space or mis-type the capital, the link simply won't work, and it can be very frustating for a new or even somewhat experienced editor to figure out exactly what is missing. If you use a normal sentence like "Police Car in GTA IV", it's a lot more simple, even if it's slightly longer.
  • Other Gaming Wikis do it this way
    • I don't agree that just because other gaming wikis and Wikipedia do something, that we have to do exactly the same thing. I pick and choose the things I think suit this wiki, and ignore the things that I don't. I am always open to discussing better ways of doing things, and to justify my decisions so far. Of course I want this wiki to be the best it can be, and for everyone to like it here; but sometimes I do have to make decisions where some people agree and some people don't. Thankfully it hasn't divided the community yet, and by listening to people and explaining the reason for the final decision, we can hopefully avoid that ever happening.
  • Lack of "suggested link" plugin
    • I've been working on this, but have met with some issues. Likewise with category suggestion.
  • Use of "GTA eras"
    • I believe eras to be a very logical and clear way of distinguishing the different sets of games. Everyone understand that something being the case in the GTA III Era applies to all those games and not to others. Saying that something applies to "the series of games after GTA III but before GTA IV" simply is not appropriate for us. It works well for Wikipedia, since they have a LOT less detail than us, but I think eras work very well for us.
  • Many images which failed to be transferred from the GTA Wikia still unattended after more than half a year.
    • I agree this is an issue. I admit I was expecting the staff members who generally tend to images to deal with this. I have no way of fixing this automatically. I suggest we just delete most UnusedImages, then look at WantedFiles and manually import whichever ones we want.
  • Double standards with regards to different vehicles in different games that use the same name
    • This is something we also need to make a decision on. My view is that, where it's roughly the same vehicle AND the same name, it should be on the same page. But if it's different, then they might as well be on separate pages, now that we are big enough to handle it. For situations like Police Car, I think they could be split off into Police Car in GTA Vice City or Police Car in GTA III Era - using the main Police Car article as a collective article. Again, I'd like to hear your opinion on this.
    • So long as everyone can find what they want, AND linking/titling is not very complicated (i.e. parentheses), AND it's clear what everything is for, AND information is not unnecessarily duplicated, I'm happy. If we have a separate article for everything in every individual game (like "Rocket Launcher in GTA III"), that would start getting silly.

If you genuinely believe another way is better, then I invite you to submit a proposal. Let me know what you would do differently, how it should be implemented, and how it will affect users. We'll discuss these amongst other staff to reach a compromise, and invite other users to comment too. I'd rather do that than have unhappy editors or staff complaining on their user pages. gboyers talk 07:16, 8 August 2011 (BST)

Sorry for any misunderstanding, but the list is more of a bunch of notes to self on what could be done (emphasis on "could"), rather than an open rant; as for the more contentious issues (capitalization, use of terminologies and split articles), I'm in no rush to address them, as previous attempts to bring some of these up have been pretty difficult. That said, I'm pondering moving this list away from the main userpage. - ZS 09:02, 8 August 2011 (BST)

Rhino artwork source found

Hi. I have found where User:Nodnarb24 got File:Rhino-GTALCS-artwork.jpg and many of his uploaded LCS screenshots, from GTA-Series.com. I incorrectly guessed that it came from internal files. It seems to be a rare artwork that was meant to be for LCS's multiplayer mode "Tanks for your Memories". All other MP modes have an associated artwork except that one.--spaceeinstein 17:05, 11 August 2011 (BST)

Thanks for the clarification. Good to know this is official art. - ZS 19:43, 11 August 2011 (BST)

Changes to Faggio Article

Hey ZS, if the Faggio isn't the only scooter in the game, not including its delivery variants, what other scooters are there?--MrLanceVanceDance 09:59, 14 August 2011 (BST)

The Mod Scooter. - ZS 10:42, 14 August 2011 (BST)

Re: Navbox

I noticed something was broken a few minutes ago, so I've just updated it. Should be fixed now. gboyers talk 04:56, 15 August 2011 (BST)

oops, that was actually Template:Navboxes (not Template:Navbox), which I forgot to update. Fixed now. gboyers talk 06:22, 15 August 2011 (BST)

Grand Theft Mods

Hey, could I have your feedback on the status of our upcoming Grand Theft Mods site? If you can't access our forum, let me know. Thanks - gboyers talk 07:34, 15 August 2011 (BST)

Screenshots

Hi, I'm just wondering how it's possible for you to get such perfect screenshots of buildings and vehicles in games, like this one: File:LibertyTreeBuilding-GTA3-exterior.jpg

I've tried myself but since the protagonist is always in the way I have to get the screenshot from the edges of the screen which skews them in different ways, and I could never for my life be able to fit a building that big into one screenshot, but yours are just perfect, how is that possible? Please tell me as this is one of the great mysteries of life to me. --Andreaz1 00:20, 16 August 2011 (BST)

  1. Aim in a first-person view using an M-16.
  2. Using the replay, screencap the same view, which is shown without the HUD.
- ZS 04:58, 16 August 2011 (BST)

Thanks a lot for the answer. --Andreaz1 12:55, 16 August 2011 (BST)


Just coming back for an unrelated comment. You said that my screenshots looked a bit squashed, I tried using the Widescreen option but that chopped off bits at the top and bottom. I did some reading and found that VC apparently has some sort of problem with 16:10 resolutions. There are many fixes around for it, so now it works normally. :) --Andreaz1 15:03, 17 August 2011 (BST)

Thanks mate

Thanks for your advice about infoboxes. I really apreciated it.--MrLanceVanceDance 11:39, 17 August 2011 (BST)

However, I need you to clear this up: How do you know what image to put in a vehicle's infobox if the vehicle appears in multiple games?--MrLanceVanceDance 11:48, 17 August 2011 (BST)

This is going to be tricky. The reason more than one lead image is used is to be balanced for both the early renditions that can be radically different from later renditions, and later ones. We could in fact avoid the trouble by having no lead image for the infobox at all, but certain editors insist that an article must have lead images (which isn't fair because it's open to bias towards newer GTA games). My advice is to leave those double image thumbnails untouched until I figure out how to properly allow the infobox to support more than one image. - ZS 18:08, 17 August 2011 (BST)

RE: Article rename and split

Regarding your discussion about the article split between Express Car Service and its depot, yes, I think it is necessary. One article talks about the taxi company while the other one talks about the taxi company's depot. I had to make the split, as the article name was misleading, as it claims to talk about the taxi company when it actually talks about the depot. Splitting the article eliminates the problem. Also, with help from the GTW community, the newer of the two articles will be expanded and fixed up.

Also, about the Washington Beach Police Station being the headquarters of the VCPD, yes, I reckon the police station is the VCPD Headquarters. It is the only police station accessable to the player, and has clothing (Cop Uniform), weapon (nightstick) and hidden package spawns, which implies that this police station has to be very important and is thus, the VCPD headquarters. The interior also looks like the interior of an important office, being tidy and clear. Also, it is considered by some GTA fans to be the VCPD headquarters. Also, if the Downtown Police Station was the police headquarters, then there would be missions held there, just like No Escape?. The only association is has to a mission is the Taxi Driver mission, where it is a destination. Also, it is best not to judge a book by its cover.--MrLanceVanceDance 13:08, 1 October 2011 (BST)

Here's the thing. Express Car Service could be used to discuss both the depot in Hove Beach and that other depot that is never actually seen in game. In fact, the page can still discuss the topic as a business that Roman owns while a section can be dedicated to the Hove Beach depot, without having to force readers to needlessly navigate out of that page. I believe that pages have to be comprehensive about the topic rather than being fragmanted and watered down simply because very minor distinctions exist. I only consider a split when an article is too long to be readable.
But you can disregard the one about the VCPD station. I just messaged you about it on your talk page. - ZS 14:07, 1 October 2011 (BST)

However, here's the thing: Roman's unseen taxi depot already has an article-Roman's Taxi Depot, Algonquin. But I still stick to my descision to split the two pages. There is a very obvious difference between a depot and a depot's tenant/parent company.--MrLanceVanceDance 01:09, 2 October 2011 (BST)

The contents of that page can be summarized in a paragraph or two in a section about the physical presence of the depot in the Express Car Service page. We don't need separate pages for the same reason mentioned above; it forces readers to navigate across multiple pages to read about a subject matter, and adds extra workload to the editors when links need to be added or information needs to be corrected. It's like creating a page for every Pay 'n' Spray outlet, despite each varying only by location. - ZS 12:34, 2 October 2011 (BST)

Interesting discussion. You're right that there is a difference between the company and its outlets. However, in this situation they are so closely tied together that anyone who looks at one would expect to find information about the other. With SAPD etc there are many police stations, but there can be quite a lot of information about some of them, so individual pages are useful. Whilst for 24/7 there are lots of outlets but they are almost identical, so having 13 identical articles for all the different 24/7 shops in San Andreas would be silly - a list/table is much better (and you can add a bullet point for every difference in each store, if any).

With Romans Taxis, I don't think there is much information that would belong on the individual outlet pages. Most of the info on both Express Car Service Depot and Roman's Taxi Depot, Algonquin is about the storyline, not the building, which all should be on the company's Express Car Service page. Unless the articles have useful detailed descriptions of the buildings (like this), then we don't need articles about the buildings. With the information that exists at the moment, it all belongs on one page. Make sense? gboyers talk 15:58, 2 October 2011 (BST)

Thanks for joining in the discussion. I can understand where you're going with this; the structure of each page has to be determined on a case-to-case basis. Single guidelines doesn't apply in every field, simply because the importance of each subject matter varies greatly. - ZS 17:12, 2 October 2011 (BST)

Eras

Hey. I know you disagree with the Era terminology/groupings, but consistency is important. I don't think half the pages should use one system and half another, and I don't think staff should be reverting each others edits!

I've started a community discussion about the era terminology, so that we can explain our points fully and allow users to comment. Please fill in the "why should we not use eras" section. You can then add your opinion on the talk page. Hopefully we can reach a consensus and make a final decision on this. gboyers talk 22:08, 30 October 2011 (GMT)

Re:Protagonists in GTA 1

In reply to Re:Protagonists in GTA 1

Do whatever you want, I can no longer be bothered to argue my point on the issue anymore. A-Dust 18:26, 11 November 2011 (UTC)

GTA VC: Screenshot?

Do you know how to take screenshots from GTA: Vice City? Because I like to take photos like InterGlobal Studios page that you contribute. - unsigned comment by User:St42nwpt

There are several ways to screencap, depending on the subject matter:
  • First person aim using a M4 or Ruger, then screencap them in a replay, or screencap while looking around in first-person by enabling classic controls (with the HUD and radar disabled). Both methods are best suited when taking smaller subject matters on street level.
  • Switch to first person view on a helicopter (with the HUD and radar disabled). Works best when taking pictures of large objects (large buildings) or entire districts. - ZS (talk) 11:53, 18 November 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks a lot. I'll figure out later. :) --St42nwpt

Game logos

I've just seen your edit on Ultorultor's talk page and wasn't sure if you'd noticed that Spaceeinstein has uploaded a logo for the game earlier on this morning. I've also responded to the Protagonists in GTA 1 talk page. A-Dust 11:32, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for talk page reply and the heads up on the logo. As for the logo, the help is appreciated but Ultorultor's logos for GTA games from GTA III onwards lack the "Grand Theft Auto" text, so Spaceeinstein's GTACW logo doesn't quiet cut it. While I wait for Ultorultor's reply, I'll also attempt to separate the "Chinatown Wars" text from an image of the logo myself. - ZS (talk) 11:58, 20 November 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply]