User talk:SpartHawg948

I hate the way images look when added to talk pages. They mess with the flow of the page, and generally look just plain unsightly. As such, I ask that editors please not post images on my talk page. If you have an image that supports your point, feel free to provide a link to that image, but please don't add the image itself. From this point on, any such posts will be summarily removed as soon as they are noticed, with no warning or explanation.

Auto-refresh
By any change, do you know why some wikis have an auto-refresh feature on special activity page and some don't? I'm asking this because I would love to enable it on Mass Effect Answers site which unfortunately lacks it. If you have an idea how to do it, or where to look for this information, please tell me. Mitranim 10:03, July 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * If I'm not mistaken, it requires a custom Javascript implementation, hence it depends whether the wiki want to have the feature or not. You could ask Lancer as he was the one who implemented it. — Teugene (Talk) 10:37, July 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I'll wait for Lancer's answer, then. Mitranim 10:49, July 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * If you are awaiting Lancer's answer, please ask him your question on his talk page first. I try to keep conversations that take place on my talk page that don't involve me to a bare minimum. Thanks, SpartHawg948 15:39, July 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I will. Mitranim 16:38, July 11, 2011 (UTC)

Quick Request
As I was just looking around today, I noticed several pages in the Mass Effect Category. One of these pages is User talk:Skypopper with a spoiler template on his talk page. However, the template was left by you in your comment, so could you just remove it to solve the problem? Thanks. I probably will end up doing this for a while to make sure we didn't miss anything. One category a week, that way I can keep track of it. Lancer1289 17:01, July 11, 2011 (UTC)

Opinion needed
Hey there! I wonder if you could head over to the Clusters table redesign project and drop an opinion or two there? Thanks! — Teugene (Talk) 18:07, July 14, 2011 (UTC)

Archiving
Maybe you ought to archive the page now that it's over 100 sub-headings... heh. Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem 22:16, July 14, 2011 (UTC)

Anon vandal
Check out this pages history, there are two different anons vandalising this users page. Sort 'em out. :)  N7  &#91; T &#124; C &#93; 08:56, July 24, 2011 (UTC)


 * It's a vandal from the Answers site who have become obsessed with me. I suggest locking my profile and talk page on this site to prevent the hassle of undoing vandal edits. The user has a dynamic IP (or uses a proxy), so blocking him/her by IP is unfortunately not going to work. Mitranim 09:01, July 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * Both IPs blocked. Sorry for the delay... SpartHawg948 09:16, July 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks.  N7  &#91; T &#124; C &#93; 09:17, July 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * You bet. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'd have noticed eventually, but leaving me a message about it ensured they got blocked faster. Good looking out! :D SpartHawg948 09:18, July 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * No problem bro. Oh and he's back...  N7  &#91; T &#124; C &#93; 09:40, July 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * Ah another one of these people. I had a similar thing a few months ago, and the fallout was pretty bad at times, so hopefully this person won't be a dedicated, and you can find what happened above on this page somewhere, and in my archives. Lancer1289 15:39, July 24, 2011 (UTC)

No, this one is pretty much nothing like the one you're referring to. There's pretty much nothing in common between the two of them. SpartHawg948 18:24, July 24, 2011 (UTC)

Pausing the Language Policy vote
As I jumped the gun a bit on the voting, effectively skipping the Discussion phase, would you mind pausing the vote on my Language Policy proposal, so that the changes could be discussed?
 * I was going to wait till everyone else had answered and then say "No, I don't want to stop it", but... since you're asking so nicely, sure. I woulda figured that overwhelming community support for the policy in not one but two votes would be enough to preclude any further efforts, but I guess not... :P SpartHawg948 21:26, July 26, 2011 (UTC)

Mass Effect Wiki scavenger hunt
Hi! I'd like to let you know that Wikia would like to put a (new and improved) scavenger hunt game up on Mass Effect wiki. To see what it's all about, you can check out this presentation of one done for Avengers. We'd also like to hear your feedback on the feature once it's up and running. The game looks fun, so I hope you're up for it too. :) Ausir(talk) 22:01, July 28, 2011 (UTC)
 * Sounds great! Yeah, it does look like a lot of fun, and it should be great fun for the community. If there's anything you need from me for this, just let me know! Thanks for taking the time to leave me this message, and thanks to you and everyone at Wikia for considering us for this! :D SpartHawg948 23:18, July 28, 2011 (UTC)

Inbox
Spart, if you wouldn't mind checking your email as I've got two questions for you, and one of them has been bugging me for a while. Lancer1289 19:38, August 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm assuming you mean the email I just got done responding to. SpartHawg948 19:40, August 8, 2011 (UTC)

Updating rights to remove unnecessary blog post comments
Hey Spart,

I have an idea that I'm pondering whether or not to put into a forum, but since you're the bureaucrat here, I'd like to ask your input on it first.

I notice that on this wiki, only Admins and B-crats (and I think the blog post creator) have the ability to delete unnecessary or irrelevant comments in blog posts, and no one else. Conversely, on Avatar Wiki, Rollback Users (myself included) have the ability and are in fact mandated to scour the comments sections of each article (and blog) and delete comments which are either unnecessary, irrelevant, inappropriate, and/or inflammatory to the page/blog at hand. Granted, there are many more RUs there than here (obviously, myself included), but I believe that the Senior Editors like myself and Teugene, etc.. should be extended the privileges to remove these types of comments from the above-mentioned blog pages. This is in light of a few recent blogs which strayed very heavily off-course, such as with the blog on James Vega's supposed class which we both contributed to that unnecessary tangent.

I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter, and if acceptable, how I should proceed to write the forum. Thanks in advance. Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem 21:30, August 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * To be quite honest, I'm not entirely cool with the idea, for the sole reason that I don't like the criteria given. I can't speak for the individual admins, but personally, I only delete blogs and blog comments in two cases: If they are pure vandalism, or if the author of the blog requests it. Other than that, I don't mess with them. If the Senior Editors are cool operating within those constraints, I'm fine with it. If it's to be expanded to include subjective labels such as "unnecessary, irrelevant," and "inflammatory", I'm not fine with it. Generally, I'm an opponent of deleting any content from areas that exist to give editors an outlet to speak. After all, whose definition of unnecessary trumps whose here? SpartHawg948 07:00, August 9, 2011 (UTC)
 * Since you can't speak for me, I'll speak for myself then. I also only delete blog comments in those two cases, or mine if I don't like it. I would also have to concur that the criteria given is vague and even if it was laid out, I know I still won't support it. Even if there are long discussions completely off topic, what you can do is just recommend a better place for it. Sometimes it doesn't work, but that is still the best way to go about it. Also Spart makes one, great, excellent point, who's definition of those words do we use? Right now, I have to say that the system currently in place works and if something gets off topic, the blog's author can tell people where the appropriate place for that discussion is, and if it continues, then their posts will be deleted. If it continues, then the author can request the comments be deleted, Commdor did this not too long ago on one of his blogs. That I think is a system that works, and I won't be in favor of expanding it as someone could delete a comment that they may think has nothing to do with the blog, but in reality, might be quite relevant. Lancer1289 17:08, August 9, 2011 (UTC)

Interesting Discovery
Hey Spart, I know when LotSB came out you got all the UD for the Broker and his various reactions to squadmates. Well I discovered something and I'm not willing to declare it an isolated case. I decided to do LotSB before completing Kasumi's Loyalty Mission and the Broker's dialogue changed. Again, I'm sure if this is an isolated case, but I doubt it, and I may test it with others, but I figured I should tell you of this as I found it interesting, and since you did a lot of the work on this end, I figured you would as well. Lancer1289 03:10, August 13, 2011 (UTC)

"Affiliated Wikis"
Hey, Spart -- how you've been, mate? ^^ We are currently going in a revamp on ACWiki's main page and portal system, and the opportunity arose for us to dedicate a section of the main portal to "affiliated wikis" -- kinda a partnership between wikis. Right now the only useful thing so far is that you may increase your reader and editors visits since both our wikis have a lot of movement and some fans of AC may like ME and viceversa, but at least nothing wrong can come of it XD The way its done is pretty simple (example pic here) : We list the logos of partner wikis on a section of our main page, with the intent of increasing flow between wikis and try to bring a overall closer... bond. We already have Prototype and Infamous Wiki on it, and I'm talking with a friend at DAWiki about it too -- you guys want to join? =] -- D. Cello 13:31, August 14, 2011 (UTC)
 * Glad to hear it! =D I also would like to inform you that Dragon Age Wiki is on board with the affiliation thing too (just waiting for their community approval), and somethign came up while talking to them -- since we are all gaming wikis about giant universe games with lots of story in a sci-fi setting, and given the fact that ME and DA are both made by Bioware, we may benefitiate of a partnership between the three wikis. As I said before, altough joint projects or opportunites may appear in the future, the first goal is simply to increase readership between wikis, and given the fact that each of wikis have around 200k readers every month or more, we can heavily increase the traffic and popularity of each site. People who like story usually are interested in RPGs, and AC, DA and ME have a deeper reach and are 3 of the biggest franchises in existence right now =] If a three way (or a group partnership isntead of one-wiki-on-one-wiki) interests you guys, besides contacting me, you can also talk to User:Tierrie on DAWiki if you want to feel them or get now them better or anything -- I've know Tierrie for over a year, and he is the creator of the portal coding in ACWiki, and a very nice person. This involves little effort and can have great gains for all of us. Let's make this happen! ;D -- D. Cello 01:34, August 17, 2011 (UTC)
 * Hahaahaha XD I'm honored ^^ It's already on my user page XD -- D. Cello 03:14, August 17, 2011 (UTC)
 * Nice! SpartHawg948 03:24, August 17, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yo Spart! Since the affiliation grew more than expected, we made some changes to the plan and decided to add it to the main page directly instead of the fourth portal -- that way the idea of promoting the wikis is more efficient. I asked one of our engineers (the same designer in charge of the new portal) to make a render, and altough its just a prototype in size and position (I want bigger logos), it gives a idea of how it will look. Check this, beneath the news section ;D. -- D. Cello 13:55, August 20, 2011 (UTC)

That's about where we're thinking of putting ours too. Right under the Wiki News section on the main page. Very nice! SpartHawg948 19:40, August 20, 2011 (UTC)
 * Hey there! Change of plans XD I was doing a essay about Vesuvio's eruption for colelge and got bored as hell -- as result I went into a revamp rampage of the main page and ended up making a affiliation section prototype go live XD Check it here, center of the page, and tell me what you think, would you kindly? ^^ -- D. Cello 03:39, August 24, 2011 (UTC)
 * Indeed =/ I was plannign on doing dual columns, but that means that both logos would be half the size x.x So what I did is put the logos in order I got answers -- DA answered the request with a more definite yes first, so they came first and stuff -- yours were right after then, so you're second, followed by Uncharted and etc XD It's like a race grid, I think it's fair =P -- D. Cello 03:54, August 24, 2011 (UTC)

You look like you know what your doing.
Hey, I'm new to this site and I think it's a great source of not only helpful tips but some fun info too. I was reading your bio and I live in Los Gatos, close to you. Anyway enough with the meaningless info. I love Mass Effect, played both of them through about 4-5 times. I've finally done everything you can and now I'm focused on making this site as good as possible. Any advice?
 * Thanks! It's always nice to hear people saying good things about the wiki. And yup, we do live pretty close to each other. I actually go to Los Gatos when I need to do anything at the DMV. Your DMV is a lot better than the one in Santa Clara. As for advice... hmmm... well, right now we're in a bit of a quiet spell. The only big things happening in the ME world are new tidbits about ME3. So... the big things are to watch out for vandalism, and undo it whenever you see it, and if you see any errors in articles (factual or spelling or whatever), don't hesitate to fix them. And if there are any tidbits of information that are left out of articles, but that you think would benefit them, feel free to add them. Of course, there will be times when things are touch-and-go, and times when your edits will be undone, and when admins may leave you messages about this or that, but don't get discouraged. It happens to everybody from time to time. Oh, and feel free to contribute in discussions in forums, blogs, talk pages, etc. It can be a good way to get to know the community. We have some pretty awesome "regulars" at this wiki. And that's about it... those are my quick tips to success. SpartHawg948 09:29, August 15, 2011 (UTC)

About the N7Academy...
I don't want you to think that I don't have faith in your negotiating skills or that you won't keep the interests of the wiki foremost. I believe given the opportunity you will strike a good bargain for this partnership, in fact, that is my main fear. It seems like keeping up with rumors, "trivia", and vandalism is hard already at times, but it's a good idea to try and drive more traffic to the site. However, if you drive traffic from a FAN site and that site has an "official partner" label, the referrals from the site will naturally expect to see content that supports the site that referred them. They won't find that information here, of course, but this is a wiki. They can just create the content they want to see. This content can be a catalog of fanfics, top bloggers on N7Academy, gallery tips...etc. Soon, ME3 will be released, and the content in existing articles plus new article will probably double by next June, anyway. Do you really want the extra hassle of weeding, deleting, and arguing that could come out of the situation I described PLUS dealing with all the new stuff from ME3? I think adding this kind of partner in that kind of situation is just more trouble than it's worth. That's my only point.--Captainhu 08:43, August 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * It's definitely a good point. It's got merit, I don't dispute that, and I expect that you're right, I just don't think it would manifest itself on quite the scale you're concerned about. That said, I will certainly keep your concern in mind, and rest assured, if the majority of respondents from the community agree with you, I'll let the folks at N7Academy know the deal is off. It doesn't matter how much I support an idea, I won't go against the will of the community. I hope also that my comments and responses don't seem like I'm brushing you off or anything. I'm pretty tired at the moment, and my comments can sometimes come off sounding a good deal different than they sound in my head. I take your concerns seriously, and will keep them in mind whatever the outcome of the current discussion. Thanks again for taking the time to express your concerns. Community involvement is key to the success of any wiki, and awesome community members like you make this wiki what it is! :D SpartHawg948 09:23, August 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Hey, SpartHawg948. I know nothing said here is formal yet, but I'd like to attempt to reassure Captainhu that we're well aware of his or her concerns as well, and would ask that you give us an opportunity to present our ideas before worrying about things like vandalism or damaging the integrity of your content (things we are not in the habit of allowing on our own site).  Much of what we have in mind will require minimal moderation on MEWiki admins' part, at most, and won't infringe on the Wiki itself.  When you and your team are ready to negotiate, I'd like to welcome you to register on N7A where I've set up a place for us to discuss.  Let me know then and I'll set your access to the specific area asap.  Thanks for your time. N7 Spectre 01:12, August 20, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks! I'm actually about to start up the voting to authorize negotiations. Yeah, you're more than welcome to make statements to the community about the proposal and all that. There's a section reserved solely for you on the forum page, or you can leave them in the general discussion section. Once voting starts, there will be a 7-day period for it and then, pending a successful outcome, we can begin negotiations in earnest. Once a tentative agreement is reached, we'll need to put that up for a vote too, which will take another week. I know it's kind of a long time, but that's our process. The community gets final say and all that good stuff! :D SpartHawg948 07:54, August 20, 2011 (UTC)
 * Hey Spart. I'm excited we now have the opportunity to negotiate and look forward to discussing this with you and whoever else will join in.  Again, if you don't mind registering at N7A, I've set up a place where we can discuss.N7 Spectre 03:52, August 29, 2011 (UTC)
 * If the discussion in question is us working out the details of a partnership, I'd actually prefer to do it in private, via email. No nefarious intent or anything, I just prefer doing things that way. Keeps things more focused and all that. Because I know that, personally, I get distracted pretty easily. If for some reason this doesn't work for you though, just lemme know and we'll figure something out. Thanks! SpartHawg948 07:28, August 29, 2011 (UTC)
 * The forum in question is indeed private and allows you to get a feel for what is available there, but if email is how you'd like to proceed then I am fine with that. My email is admin at N7A dot com. N7 Spectre 16:14, August 29, 2011 (UTC)
 * Ok... I'll take a look then and see what the forum is like. I'm kinda busy today, nut will be free the next three days, so we should hopefully be able to figure something out then. SpartHawg948 19:16, August 29, 2011 (UTC)
 * Hey, SpartHawg948. I've yet to hear from you on this. I know you've been busy (as have I), so I thought it best to give you your time.  I don't want to give the impression that I'm no longer interested in negotiating, however... so consider this a heads-up.  You have my email address. --N7 Spectre 21:24, September 7, 2011 (UTC)

I'm really sorry, man. I've been a total slacker on this one. There's been some added issues I've been dealing with which have been eating up my time. I have the day off tomorrow, aside from one appointment earlier in the day, so you'll definitely be hearing from me tomorrow. I'm really sorry it's taken this long to get back to you. SpartHawg948 06:09, September 8, 2011 (UTC) My turn to apologize now... haven't been here in a bit and just not noticed this message. I haven't received your email yet, but it might be that the address I gave you wasn't clear enough: admin at n7academy dot com. If you register, you can always just send me a PM as well and I'll get in touch with you quickly. Hopefully we can get past this game of tag and start discussing things. :p --N7 Spectre 20:32, September 12, 2011 (UTC)
 * I swear, I totally emailed you yesterday as promised. I must have messed something up in the address though because it got returned, which I didn't notice till I was getting ready to go to sleep. I'm about to head out to an appointment, but it shouldn't take long, and I'll resend the email when I get back. SpartHawg948 16:45, September 9, 2011 (UTC)
 * Fortunately, it appears we have to communications issue worked out now! Sending emails from phones may be darned inconvenient, but sometimes, every now and then, it makes life simpler! :P SpartHawg948 06:58, September 13, 2011 (UTC)

Something You Might Want to Read
User blog:Ser Pouce-a-lot/Too many spoilers for ME3. There is a comment line that you might want to read in that blog. The thread starts with a comment by JediSpectre117 saying "Please go to the Dragon age wiki and see what they do there." Lancer1289 18:05, August 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yup. I've been perusing it. I've seen some really out-there notions, and misinformation (intentional or otherwise) from several sources. As for the Dragon Age Wiki spoiler idea, I'm still tentatively in favor of it, just as I was last time it came up. Though your comment seems to claim otherwise... :P SpartHawg948 22:57, August 16, 2011 (UTC)

Affiliate program
Hey there SpartHawg948! I don't think we've talked before but I am a huge fan of this Wiki. I use it to do all my lookups during my Mass Effect playthroughs. I've worked closely with User:D. Cello and I respect what he has done for Assassin's Creed. I've asked my peers and the community what they think and we've gotten some positive feedback for some cross wiki linking.

We will put up some subtle links and we will cross promote any big giveaways or promotions you are having for the big drives. I like what User:D. Cello has done as far as putting the affiliate program on his front page (albeit buried deep down). I'm going to see the final product looks like before we implement one ourselves. I'll keep you posted. Cheers! -- 20:06, August 18, 2011 (UTC)

Can you please remind me?
I keep forgetting about this place. :P But yeah, I think my infobox idea failed, due to a lack of interest. So I'll have a shot at implementing newer navboxes, if anyone's interested. If not, then I'll patrol around the wiki to see what pages I can work on. The man thing is, can you pop a message on my talk page some time and remind me?--Technobliterator 23:04, August 26, 2011 (UTC)

My Talk Page
Hi SpartHawg,

Thanks for taking the time to explain your take on the situation. I posted a succinct apology to Lancer's talk page after I deleted the content from my own, because I'm trying to put the conversation to bed. I will be removing all future messages from my talk page related to this. Thanks. Brianbreed 19:38, August 28, 2011 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I can respect your desire to put this behind you. I'm also totally willing to chalk this up to a great big misunderstanding, and move on. Water under the bridge and all that. I do sincerely hope that this initial brouhaha hasn't turned you off from editing at this fine wiki, but at the end of the day, that decision is yours and yours alone, and whatever you decide, I'll respect it. Thanks for taking the time to leave me this message and keep me informed of the goings-on. I appreciate it. Thanks again, SpartHawg948 07:24, August 29, 2011 (UTC)

Interwiki vote
The vote on the interwiki partnership proposal is due to close in about an hour and a half. Since the vote is 7-0 in favor, I've already uploaded the DA and AC Wiki wordmarks and set up the "Affiliated Wikis" section on the main page. All I have to do is hit the save button. I had intended to wait out the vote until the full seven days had finally expired, do this by the book and all, but I'm bushed. Seeing as it would take eight editors to oppose the proposal within the next 90 minutes for it fail, and that such an occurrence is unlikely at best, would you mind terribly if I close the vote early and implement it? -- Commdor (Talk) 06:41, September 4, 2011 (UTC)
 * No, go right ahead. It's only 90 minutes or so, and this vote is nowhere near close. So yeah, feel free. SpartHawg948 06:45, September 4, 2011 (UTC)


 * Hooray! FYI, I followed the example of AC Wiki's current main page for the layout. Since we've only agreed to AC Wiki and DA Wiki as affiliates for now, the section should be fine where it is. I'll have to shuffle it around if we take on any more, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. -- Commdor (Talk) 06:53, September 4, 2011 (UTC)
 * Fantastic! I'm so glad we made it happen, it's a honor to be aside such awesome wikis and game series as a partner ^^ May great fortunes come our way, kids. If you need me or ACWiki for anything, just ask ^^ -- D. Cello 03:07, September 5, 2011 (UTC)

MoS
Under the manual of style for adversaries, it mentions that it is for Mass Effect 2. Can this format be used to standardize Mass effect adversaries as well? The Advocate 08:18, September 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it can be. By and large, they're laid out in accordance with those guidelines, though none of the ME adversaries articles (at least none of the ones I just perused) featured a capabilities section. But yeah, as long as it's consistent with the MoS, it should be kosher. If any other changes are desired, there'd need to be some community discussion first. We do like to debate new things here! :P SpartHawg948 08:22, September 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah that needs to be updated with ME related info, along with a few other MoS article with the standard that has fallen in place. I'll see about that later. Lancer1289 12:22, September 6, 2011 (UTC)

Another Award
There's also the Galactic Unit Citation, mentioned in the CDN report for Jan. 31, 2010. And you might be confusing the Palladium Cross for the Palladium Star, which is in the same report. -- Commdor (Talk) 21:28, September 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Probably. I was going off of memory. SpartHawg948 21:39, September 6, 2011 (UTC)

Also, if we're going for all awards, not just military decorations, there's the Hitara Prize (CDN March 14, 2010). I'll keep digging around. -- Commdor (Talk) 23:29, September 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I don't see why we should limit it to just military awards. SpartHawg948 23:35, September 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * I'd have to agree with that. There are plenty of civilian awards that are highly prestigious. Lancer1289 23:44, September 6, 2011 (UTC)

ACWiki Giveaway
Hey there, Spart! The ACWiki is hosting a giveaway of the 3 main games and some microsoft points, and unlike most contests, the game delivery is worldwide! Since we're now parters, I am officialy extending the red carpet to you and your wiki members -- this is a good opportunity for some of you to get to know the series better. And in other matters, I trust all is cool on your end? ^^ Cheers! -- D. Cello 02:21, September 7, 2011 (UTC)
 * Official announcement of main page, partnership, podcast and giveaway
 * Giveaway
 * Oh I'm very interested. I guess I will enter all three, and I'll just have to hope for the lottery since I'm not good with quotes or art. I question whether my art or my handwriting is better, and often it's neither. Lancer1289 12:24, September 7, 2011 (UTC)

Some random stuff
Hey Spart, what's up bud? I just wanted to bring up a few random things. First, I recently found a music from the Bring Down the Sky DLC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdSU-0IhJLk. I don't remember hearing this in-game, and it isn't a remix, since it was uploaded by Sam Hulik himself. I just wanted to show you. Second, have you, by any chance, signed up at the N7 Academy site? Just wondering. I hate the new wiki format. And I'm just going to throw this in, hehe, I hope to be an admin sometime in the future. Obviously not now, but sometime in the future, once I improve my track record. See ya on Xbox LIVE tomorrow! LordDeathRay 05:47, September 8, 2011 (UTC)

Awards Page
Spart, on your user page, you said you'll sandbox a prelim version of the Awards page, and then I saw your last edit on your talk page, and I was wondering if you are going to get around to that today? I'm not saying you won't, but I've found I have more free time on Thursdays recently and I could work up something if you are getting overwhelmed. I know you did the Entertainment page before it was published, and I know you will do good with this one, but I figured I should at least make the offer and throw it out there in case you can't.

PS, I also hate this new edit page, it's a...what's higher on the disaster scale than catastrophe? Lancer1289 12:36, September 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * It works well for other sites I go on (though we're having glitch problems on Avatar Wiki, where the categories option isn't working properly), however this can be turned off at any time by Spart I believe. I think this editor doesn't work efficiently for this site. Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem 13:49, September 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * Really? Please find out how because this isn't a good idea. Lancer1289 14:28, September 8, 2011 (UTC)

in regards to the editor, why is wikia fixing stuff that is not broken? --Paladin cross 14:58, September 8, 2011 (UTC)


 * Not sure how exactly.. but only B-crats can switch it off... I think through the admin dashboard or through wikia central. Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem 17:47, September 8, 2011 (UTC)

I'll take a look and see if I can sort it out, get this nonsense turned off. As for the page, yeah, I was planning on sandboxing it later. I'm far from overwhelmed at the moment. SpartHawg948 21:34, September 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * UPDATE - from what I'm seeing after a cursory look, there is no way to switch it off. Not even for me. It's apparently mandatory, like the new skins and such. Looks like we're stuck with it unless Wikia removes it in response to the overwhelming negative response. And we know how that played out last time... SpartHawg948 21:38, September 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * Ok I thought I should at least offer. As to the edit screen, maybe someone could contact Wikia and ask if this is mandatory, or can we go back to the old edit screen. This new one looks like a new updated version of the Rich Text Editor, and we all know how we felt about that piece of (insert favorite word here). Lancer1289 22:01, September 8, 2011 (UTC)

Well I got an email back from Wikia about the new editor, and it's mandatory. We cannot go back to the old edit screen. If you have feedback on it, then send it to them at a blog about it on Community Central, or via email. Translation: We take a good system and completely turn it upside down. [Sigh] I guess Wikia did it again. Lancer1289 02:49, September 11, 2011 (UTC)


 * In response to your question way above, Lancer, I believe a higher word than catastrophe is... cataclysm? Or... Armageddon? LordDeathRay 12:52, September 13, 2011 (UTC)

Another compliment from a BioWare dev
Manveer Heir, a senior designer working on the ME franchise, thinks we rock. -- Commdor (Talk) 19:35, September 8, 2011 (UTC)


 * Woohoo! We're officially awesome! LordDeathRay 23:34, September 8, 2011 (UTC)

How's America doing?
Hey, not sure if you remember, but you helped me diffuse the Ralok situation on Dead Space Wiki around February or March. Anyway, since the 10th anniversary of 2001/9/11 is coming up, I wanted to know what you thought about the chance of another atrocity occurring to commemorate the day. There's been a lot of unsettling talk about it here, and disturbingly a lot of it has been in support of an attack, as there is a sizable African Muslim traditionalist population here in South Africa. If I recall you are very well versed in world affairs, so I figure you have a very good grip on the situation.

I attended university in Jacksonville, Florida last year and the political situation seemed to be very tense regarding national security. That there would be any hesitation given an opportunity to make the country safer is very foreign to me, as here we are surrounded by violent factions that would love to bring South African civilisation to par with less developed nations in the region, so we protect ourselves accordingly. In some ways this is stronger than the defense standard of America.

So my point is, what do you think of the safety and future of America?

Thanks for your time.

--L B C C C P 16:31, September 9, 2011 (UTC)
 * Wow. First let me apologize for taking so long to get back to you. Things have been kid of hectic lately. I saw your comment the day you left it, but didn't have time to respond right then, and kept meaning to get back to you. Sorry it took so long.


 * First, yes, I totally remember you. You're the admin at the Dead Space Wiki, right? I do recall you being quite considerate and helpful, and having a nice discussion with you. Now, I am speaking with hindsight here (since it's 11:44pm on September 11 out here in California right now), but I honestly didn't think there'd be any trouble today, and there wasn't. Not that I'm aware of, anyways. People always talk about it, but in the end, our security apparatus has improved quite a bit since that terrible day, and honestly, I do feel quite a bit safer.


 * The tension you refer to is not uncommon, especially out here near San Francisco. There's always a lot of debate between people who want increased security, and people concerned about civil liberties. It's a constant give-and-take. We're also a bit more complacent, as America typically is, because our neighbors are either completely peaceful and friendly (Canada), or just generally harmless (Mexico). The biggest problems in our neighborhood are Cuba and Venezuela, and neither of them poses any sort of significant threat.


 * Unfortunately, your fine nation doesn't have friendly neighbors and oceans surrounding it. In all honesty, no flattery or anything intended, I'm a big fan of South Africa. I know there's some troubled history there and all, but you guys are still light years ahead of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, which would naturally lead to some resentment from your neighbors. In my book though, South Africa is A-OK. I know relations between our two countries are good, but I do wish they were a bit closer. I'd like to see America working more closely with other democracies around the world. (For example, our being friendly with Pakistan at the expense of our relations with India always vexes me!)


 * To conclude, I think that, as far as external threats are concerned, America is pretty safe for the foreseeable future, barring a war with China. As far as our future... that one is a trickier issue, and depends on who you talk to, and who wins the next election in 2012. We'll just have to wait and see! SpartHawg948 06:55, September 12, 2011 (UTC)

Senior Editor
Hey SpartHawg948, I was wondering if I wanted to become a senior editor, what steps would I have to take to do so? I await your response,Legionwrex.--Legionwrex 22:53, September 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * Well, we don't really have an established procedure or anything. Basically, the way we've been doing it is that, in order to be considered, an editor has to be nominated for it by an admin. Then all the admins vote on it. SpartHawg948 06:41, September 12, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the information, and good luck with your medical problems.--Legionwrex 07:01, September 12, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks! The doctor says I'm getting better, and if anyone would know, it'd be him. That's why he gets paid the big bucks, after all... :) SpartHawg948 08:16, September 12, 2011 (UTC)

Contribution Offer
Hello and thanks for the welcome, I am planing to play through a full arc of ME 1&2 including all DLC for both (hopefully before the release of ME3) please let me know if there are any specific areas of the wiki that could benefit from more information so I can keep an eye out and update if I find anything useful :) 67.2.174.222 14:57, September 14, 2011 (UTC)RoseLegion


 * Addtional: Oh, one quick thing I forgot to metion. I am unable to edit pages within the Deus Ex wiki via firefox(I've been using IE for my edits). I checked via the Dragon Age wiki on wikia and I can edit there via firefox, I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction to get this resolved. Thanks again :) --RoseLegion 16:19, September 14, 2011 (UTC)
 * The answer to your first question is really just read the MoS and CG, linked on your talk page, and just look around. There are always things that need cleaning up and whatnot. As to your second question, I'd ask the admins a the Deus Ex wiki, and if they don't have the answer, then ask the Wikia Staff at Community Central. Lancer1289 16:40, September 14, 2011 (UTC)
 * Erg, this is what I get for doing more than one thing at once :p the above should say "within the Mass Effect wiki".  I have been hopping between the three wikis this morning and both Dues Ex and Mass Effect aren't letting me do edits within firefox while Dragon Age I still have no troubles at all.  Thanks for the direction regarding contributions I'll keep those pages in mind during the play through. RoseLegion 17:13, September 14, 2011 (UTC)RoseLegion
 * Then I'd suggest that you either switch browsers, or contact the Wikia Staff. Lancer1289 17:15, September 14, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks :) I'll get ahold of the Wikia Saff RoseLegion 18:28, September 14, 2011 (UTC)RoseLegion

my apologies for the incorrect post, i was trying to post somewhere to get help.... thanks for deleting, i realized i posted in the wrong spot after i had posted it.....
 * No problem. Nobody's perfect and all that. It was an honest mistake. Anywho, I know you already got the auto-hello message, but allow me to also take this opportunity to welcome you to the wiki! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to contribute! :D SpartHawg948 10:40, September 25, 2011 (UTC)

Dragon Age giveaway
Hey there SpartHawg948! BioWare's putting out a new DLC for Dragon Age II in two weeks and we have a giveaway to commemorate that event. We're giving away 5 copies of the DLC and anyone can enter. I posted the full details at Dragon Age Wiki:Orlesian Murder Mystery. I'm sure some of your readers will be get an opportunity to win some free stuff. Cheers! -- 20:47, September 26, 2011 (UTC)
 * More contests? Great, maybe I can get lucky. Lancer1289 21:04, September 26, 2011 (UTC)

Picture Format
I just updated the pic for Phoenix but as it is my first ever picture edit I was wondering if you could give it a once over and let me know if I've done it correctly (and if there are any tips I should keep in mind for future edits of this type). Thanks :) RoseLegion 20:48, October 2, 2011 (UTC)
 * I've already done that, uploaded a new image, and put the .jpg file up for deletion. .png files are prefered when possible. Lancer1289 20:55, October 2, 2011 (UTC)
 * I'll keep that in mind, also any other tips would be welcome (I am reading the format pages of course but I'm a more kinesthetic learner so I expect there are aspects I still need to absorb). I plan to be a more active contributor to the wiki but I'm trying to avoid as many mistakes as I can while I get my bearings, all useful feedback is appreciated. In that vein I have a question, should I have just uploaded the new image via the link on the page of the old image?  In addition was the file name too long?  I was attempting to follow the naming conventions described in the templates (i.e. be as specific as possible) but I didn't know if I'd been excessive.  Thanks again for the feedback RoseLegion 21:48, October 2, 2011 (UTC)

Thanks
Thanks for defending me against that off-target ineffective attack on my character. I expected a response to my vote and comment, but somehow I figured a person who ran a website would respond professionally or try to protect the investment in time he'd made toward this deal. To tell the truth, I was mostly amused at first as I consider all internet attacks on my person to be automatically trite and invalid. I'm glad my comment, which I didn't think was insulting, afforded the N7Academy leadership the opportunity to show it's true stripe before we went further. Extrication after the fact often proves messy.--Captainhu 04:10, October 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * Don't mention it. It was a no-brainer for me for several reasons. First and foremost, there's the principle of it. As the Bureaucrat of this site, I'm effectively the patriarch of our little clan. And you don't come onto this wiki and insult my friends and family, which is what you guys are in this context. Second, I respect you. A lot. That makes it super easy to stick up for you. We don't always agree (such as on the Ban Review Panel), but you reach your decisions logically, make your reasons known clearly, and as such, it's incredibly easy to disagree without being disagreeable. And lastly, his behavior was incredibly boorish.


 * Like you, I had suspected that N7 Spectre would respond to any criticisms in a professional manner commensurate with his position. We were both proved wrong. At least there's a silver lining, as you point out. SpartHawg948 06:44, October 11, 2011 (UTC)

HEY, this is really important!

OKAY, I really love Mass Effect and really wanted to make a mass effect wiki but it was already taken ):

SO my question was will you let me be a major apart of this wiki? The reason I can't do it myself by doing a bunch of stuff is I'm just not good at this stuff. So will you help me out and give me some pointers to editing?
 * I can handle this Spart. First thing, please make a headline for your message, ok now onto pointers. 1. Don't add information into an article if it is already there. 2. Don't get into edit wars, if you are having a problem with another user please contact an administrator. 3. Don't go around insulting other users or using vulgar language. 4. If you are not sure about adding something to a article leave a message on its talk page. 5. Talk pages are not forums. I hope I helped!--Legionwrex 01:48, October 14, 2011 (UTC)

Ban Review Panel, and a few other things
Spart, since the results of Forum:Ban Review Panel are now up, and it passed, I took the liberty of setting up a page for it, Mass Effect Wiki:Ban Review Panel, and make a brief outline of how cases should be organized, Mass Effect Wiki:Ban Review Panel/Example. Since this was your idea, and you are the b'crat, if you don't like anything, then please feel free to change it as I tried to do a good job on how things should be organized based on the emails that were initally sent around and my gut. Which may have been flawed. I created the separate page as to not distract from the purpose of the page, and it was getting long. When I set up the names, I did so by seniority and recent activity. Which is why DRY and Tullis are the last on the Admin list, and you are the first on the B'crat list. Change if you feel necessary.

Again I really just went with my gut on how I thought you'd want things to be set up, but I think I did a good job. Fingers crossed. If I created a catastrophe and was so far off target that my arrow landed in Australia, hopefully Jake can find it, then please tell me that as well.

Now to the other things. Since we generally archive things, I think we should archive any Admin requests on Mass Effect Wiki:Requests for Adminship. I know that LDR deleted his own, but I think we should just move it to an archive page and just post a result of what happened. Which is that one or more admins didn't feel he was up for the position. What do you think?

Third item. I know that Wikia has had some things coming out lately, chat, expanded wiki navigation, and other things that are in Special:WikiFeatures, I was thinking that if we want to enable, or disable any of those features, it should be a community vote and should go into the policy forum. Currently Wikia is testing the new Wikia navigation on several wikis, and I was hoping that we could be one of them. I know it was a pain to reduce our menu to a handful of links, and now that we have a chance to expand it, I think we should throw Wikia a bone, and volunteer to test this out and give feedback. Again, what do you think?

Sorry for all the stuff being thrown at you, but I figured I should attempt to do my best and get some questions that have been on my mind for some time now answered. Lancer1289 00:45, October 15, 2011 (UTC)
 * I promise I'll respond soon (Monday at the latest... I'm calling in from work due to a doctor's appointment so I'll have most of the day off), but as you say, it's a lot of stuff and I'm sleepy and have (unfortunately) to do some math homework... boo! I'll take a gander at everything. I saw a few minor tweaks that need made to the review panel thing, but nothing major. All in all, it looks pretty good. The request for admin thing sounds good too. You've got my stamp of approval to proceed. As for the Wikia stuff, that I will get to later, since I seem to have answered everything else in my "I'll reply later" reply! :P SpartHawg948 07:09, October 15, 2011 (UTC)
 * I just took care of the admin thing, and as for the rest, take your time. I know what it's like to be overwhelmed. Do the homework first, as you will probably regret not doing it. Lancer1289 15:09, October 15, 2011 (UTC)

Spart, I know you said you'd get back to me on Monday, but it's not Thursday afternoon and I've heard nothing yet. I'm just dropping this in case you forgot about this. Lancer1289 20:23, October 20, 2011 (UTC)


 * I don't really see a reason to volunteer for something like this. If it doesn't pan out, then what have we got? A bunch of extra work for no reason. Regardless, this doesn't seem like a decision for one or two people. This seems like something the community should have a say in. SpartHawg948 22:26, October 20, 2011 (UTC)

YouTube Channel
SpartHawg,

I run a channel on YouTube for gaming content (http://www.youtube.com/sergeantmerrell) and I've found this entire wiki both entertaining and helpful as I prepare to bring Mass Effect content in front of my audience. I wanted to approach someone here and open up a dialogue on how we might mutually benefit and work together.

I'm looking to bring the Mass Effect demographic toward my channel, and, in turn, I can deliver exclusive video content that would further the appeal of the wiki -- as well as bring a significant amount of traffic. In either case, I thought it would be good to talk, one veteran to another, as I'd love to get involved in the wiki either way. You can reach me over Skype (SergeantMerrell) or however else is convenient.

Respectfully, Sgt. Merrell

SergeantMerrell 00:58, October 15, 2011 (UTC)

Lots o' stuff
Yep, been waiting on The Walking Dead all year. It's going to be awesome on the HD TV I bought back in April! I'm even planning to order some wings. And thanks for wishing me a happy 21st birthday on Facebook, I saw your message but never got around to responding. I can do anything now! But I'll probably just read my new Nook. :P Also, I see you're getting psyched for Skyrim, I jumped on that boat a few weeks back and pre-ordered it. I never really got into Oblivion, but Skyrim looks too good to pass up. There are dragons! And all that other cool stuff, too, I guess. The detailed open-world environment... But Dragons!! -- Commdor (Talk) 17:56, October 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Wings, eh? Not sure what I'll be doing. But that does give me some ideas. As for the b-day message, we both know responding to things in a timely manner isn't really something I'm famous for, so no worries. Being a Kindle man, however, your choice of e-reader does have me a bit skeptical. :P (I kid, I kid. As long as it gets the job done. I LOVE the convenience of my Kindle, I assume a Nook is about the same.)
 * And yeah, I'm super psyched about Skyrim! I pre-ordered it the first day it was available, changed the pre-order to the special edition a while back, and I have the Skyrim release countdown app on my phone, which I consult (usually several times) daily. So yeah, a bit excited. I love the open-endedness of TES games, being able to go (nearly) anywhere you can see, and the souped-up Radiant AI system has me really excited. And yes, DRAGONS!!! :D SpartHawg948 18:28, October 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * I would have gone with the Kindle too, but the Simple Touch Nook has (or had, since Amazon announced their new, cheaper Kindle Touch a couple weeks ago) the advantage of a touch screen. It's also got super-long battery life (officially two months if used 1-2 hours a day with wifi turned off; after a week of reading it 3-4 hours a day, I have 81% of the charge left, so the official blurb may not be that far off the mark), and I can use it to borrow books from libraries. All in all, I'm satisfied with it. I thought I wouldn't like reading a screen instead of actual paper, but now I can't imagine how I lived without it. So you're getting the special edition of Skyrim, with the dragon statue and all? Too rich for my blood. I don't have the deep pockets that I used to, I'm forgoing Modern Warfare 3 and Halo: CE Anniversary to pay for Skyrim. Between that and ME3's N7 CE, my game budget is zeroed out. Skyrim will more than pay for itself if I can get the alleged 300 hours out of it that Bethesda's Todd Howard says I can. -- Commdor (Talk) 19:15, October 16, 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, the Kindle (even a slightly older one like I have now) is pretty nice too. The battery life, as you mention, is pretty good. A charge gets me a week or two of use, and I tend to leave mine on for 12-14 hours a day or so, just putting it into sleep mode when I'm not reading. And yeah, I shelled out for the primo Skyrim. It's the only one I have on my agenda for the rest of the year. And the only game I have on the agenda thus far next year is ME3. But yeah, I can't wait for Skyrim. All I know is that I got all sorts of play time out of Oblivion, so I'm anticipating great things of Skyrim. SpartHawg948 06:34, October 17, 2011 (UTC) not to creep on ur guys convo but the end of the 2 episode sucked so bad i was like o nooooooo to my tv but any way sorry i creeped on ur convo but i just love Walking Dead-armykidbran
 * OMG! This is killing me! I'm 8 minutes into season 2 now, after finishing season one again, and I'm dying to know (no pun intended), what did Dr. Jenner tell Rick??? So frustrating! SpartHawg948 07:56, October 17, 2011 (UTC)

Featured on CC staff blog ; info about scav hunt.
Hi,

Mass Effect wiki has been selected by staffmember Xean to be featured on his blog post and specifically the Scavenger hunt. I am very interested in how you created that hunt and hope you can shed some light on creating such a thing.

Thanks in advance!

WikiPim (available for talk on CC, S&P or WikiXP)
 * I didn't actually create it. It was done at the Wikia level. I was informed after Wikia selected the Mass Effect Wiki for a scavenger hunt. (reference User Talk:SpartHawg948 for more info) As such, I'd recommend talking to the folks at Wikia. Ausir may be a good starting point. SpartHawg948 21:23, October 19, 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the heads up, will follow up with Ausir!
 * WikiPim
 * No probalo! SpartHawg948 09:06, October 20, 2011 (UTC)

One week to go!
Skyrim is almost here! I've caved in and been watching a 3-hour video of leaked footage. Not something to be proud of, I know, but I think it balances out. The people who have playing the game early (or pirated it) aren't very good... Now I just need to decide if should brave the muggers that have infested campus recently to go to the midnight release, or wait until Friday morning. :P -- Commdor (Talk) 22:20, November 4, 2011 (UTC)
 * Indeed! Super psyched! Don't feel bad. Probably the only reason I haven't watched leaked footage is because I've been too busy. Work and school and The Walking Dead and playing Oblivion to get ready is a demanding schedule! Fortunately, I just so happen, for completely unrelated reasons I assure you, to have November 11-13 off from work. Looks like I'll be vacationing in Skyrim! :P
 * As for your dilemma, I'd go to the midnight release. If muggers show up, it'll give you an opportunity to test out your dragon shouts. Midnight releases are always fun. I've only done a few, personally, and the last one I went to was ME2. Personally, since I'm: A) Lazy; B) attending a concert the night before; and C) like to sleep in, I'm getting mine via Amazon.com and their release-day delivery. SpartHawg948 05:53, November 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * Well I hope you get it when you're supposed to get it. I've sworn off online orders (for now). Best Buy recently fouled up my Gears of War 3 order and delivered it three days after release even though I paid extra for release-day delivery. Yes, they gave me a $10 coupon for future online purchases and refunded the shipping fee, but that doesn't make up for the lost days when I could have been curb-stomping Locust. And now I'm a little aggravated. That 3-hour Skyrim video I found was taken down before I could see the last 90 minutes. I was finally getting some insight into why the Stormcloaks were rebelling (provided I wasn't getting a totally one-sided view, choosing between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials may not be so cut and dry as I had thought). -- Commdor (Talk) 16:20, November 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * Sorry to jump in here, but Commdor's story is why I don't do online preorders anymore. I've had way too many bad experiences with online ordering from Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City before it went under, and a few other places not related to games. Issues range from wrong item to a week late on delivery. Now I will only pick up from the store, unless I can't, because I have the time to do so, I know that you two might not, and because of my past experiences with online ordering. While I won't be getting Skyrim until Christmas, I just don't have the funds to do so, I will be picking up SR3 and AC:R on the 15th. Lancer1289 16:29, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

Fair enough. I've never had a bad experience with Amazon getting me stuff on time, so they keep getting my business. I've gotten several games from them on release day, most recently Fallout: New Vegas and Fable 3. Anywho, we'll know within a couple days. As long as I get my email a few days prior saying "it's been sent!", I'll be happy. :D SpartHawg948 19:19, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

Mass Effect Wiki in 2011
Hey there! Wikia is trying out something new this year where we are trying to make a "yearbook" for the biggest wikis, and we want to know what big things happened this year at Runescape Wiki! Can you check out this | blog post and either give some details in the comments, or just write on my wall if it is easier. We're looking for fairly detailed information, such as what the community's favorite character/item/location is or if there was new content that people got excited about, things like that. If you have any questions, shoot me a message! Thanks so much! Soldierscuzzy 02:12, November 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * Woops, sorry! I meant the Mass Effect Wiki. And the correct link is right here.