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.

We have been acknowledged.... by the ME lead writer!
Hey Spart,

This is a brand new interview with Mac Walters:

http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/comics/article/nycc-2010-mac-walters-talks-mass-effect-114245

There is something... interesting that is waiting to be read on the second page of the interview. ;) Fiery Phoenix 20:09, October 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Darn! I'm just about to step out for a few minutes too! And now I'm so tantalized! Well, I'll have to wait till I get back... SpartHawg948 20:14, October 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Interesting. I wonder how heavily they rely on us. Hopefully not too much. I'd hate to think an error here could snowball into a continuity break in an actual branch of the franchise. Also, I wonder if we can deduce the main character in that upcoming 8-page comic Walters mentioned (what I assume to be Mass Effect: Inquisition). -- Commdor (Talk) 20:29, October 13, 2010 (UTC)

Well that is just plain awesome! Thanks User:Fiery Phoenix for bringing this to my attention! You, sir, are the man! :) SpartHawg948 20:42, October 13, 2010 (UTC)

No problem. The interview was posted on the official BioWare forums literally an hour ago, so not many know about it just yet. Walters' acknowledgment makes me proud of myself and all of you who have contributed to the Wiki. Fiery Phoenix 20:47, October 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Indeed! This is pretty epic. Finding out that they use us as a source from time to time! And that, in the opinion of the Lead Writer of ME2, we are one of the best sources of ME info out there! Talk about awesome! SpartHawg948 20:50, October 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Wow I step out for all afternoon and look what I miss. Great interview and to know that they even come here more often than I thought is something great. Nice find. Lancer1289 23:02, October 13, 2010 (UTC)

When Dragon Age 2 was announced, the Dragon Age wiki got interviews with a couple of the head guys on the DA2 team. Since we know that Walters has read us and Christina Norman (lead gameplay) apparently has an account here, perhaps when Mass Effect 3 is officially announced or revealed in some way it would be worth asking BioWare/EA to let us ask some of the leads some questions sourced from the wiki's users. I'd already planned on bringing up this possibility later on, but hearing that the lead writer has looked us up I suspect our chances of getting their attention are considerably higher than I originally thought. JakePT 07:16, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * That would be pretty cool! SpartHawg948 07:21, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Lancer1289 12:38, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Apologies for invading your Talk Page, but this reference is pretty cool, and Jake's idea above for closer contact with some Bioware people is awesome. As for the character Walters mentioned, given the name (Inquisition) and the fact that the character was thought to be dead (but is still alive), can I suggest Executor Pallin? I know Walters said 'assassinated' instead of 'killed by the geth', but I'm having trouble recalling other notable characters that would fit an action comic and have a slightly ambiguous status (given that Pallin was meant to be 'killed' in cut ME2 content and then was included in Retribution). Bronzey 13:48, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I'm trying to puzzle through this one too. Pallin isn't a bad idea, but I'm leaning more towards Barla Von at the moment. SpartHawg948 18:28, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Barla Von was my first thought too. It's conceivable that they knew he was alive (I doubt their 'bible' includes cut content), wrote a comic about him, someone remember the VO they recorded about him dying and a quick look at the wiki simply served as a reminder that the content was cut. However, Barla Von being the star of a comic seems a bit odd, though maybe he's not the 'star'. On the other hand it could be a character who had a news report recorded about their death but was cut earlier and wasn't even on the disk.JakePT 02:27, October 16, 2010 (UTC)
 * Walters doesn't specify in what role this character will be appearing though, whether it's the star of the comic or a supporting character He just mentions that it's a "specific character". I can't really think of anyone else that fits the bill, but that's just going off the top of my head... I haven't really done any research or anything. SpartHawg948 02:35, October 16, 2010 (UTC)

Confirming voice with VA themselves
In trying to figure out who voiced the Shadow Broker I looked at the credits and noticed Steve Blum. I suspected he might have voiced the Shadow Broker so I sent him an email (address is on his website) asking who he voiced, since we like to note who voices who here and the actors aren't credited for their roles in the DLC.

I got a response back today, he said he couldn't remember, and that he checked his booking sheets because he usually writes the character names on them, but for some reason he didn't this time. He's graciously offered to look at some videos for me to see if he recognises the character. So I've sent him videos of each of LotSB's male characters.

What I want to know is how to make this an acceptable source for the information. I wouldn't necessarily be comfortable publishing the email chain on the wiki as a reference, and I doubt he'd like that either, so I was wondering if it would be enough to just forward you the reply I get (I asked permission to do this if need be).JakePT 07:06, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with that. After all, it's still not what I'd call independently verifiable. Anyone should be able to determine for themselves whether he provides the voice, which can be best accomplished by using a verifiable website or something similar as a post. I'd be no more comfortable accepting an email that only you and I can verify than I would be using an email that only I had (as I made clear when discussing my email correspondence with Drew Karpyshyn, seen here). SpartHawg948 07:19, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Why does all the intersting things in the last few days seem to happen when I sleep. Anyway I'd have to agree and I think I stated it myself somewhere as well, but we do need something that is independently verifiable. Lancer1289 12:41, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Writing
Hey, Spart. I know this may be kind of an odd request, but I need you to read something. I'm kind of getting into writing a sci-fi story, and I need some feedback on it. The only people who have read it are my family, and I need someone who will give their honest opinion. I respect your opinion a lot, so I figured I'd give it a shot. If you have the time, the story is located here. If you can, just leave a comment on the site, or on my talk page here, whichever one is easier. Anyone else who sees this and wants to read it, I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thanks. :) --Effectofthemassvariety 08:42, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Here's the deal: I will be more than happy to read and comment, but it's not going to be tonight. I can more than likely manage it this weekend though. So yeah, if you don't mind possibly having to wait a few days (though not more than a week) to hear back from me, I'll be more than happy to take a looksee! :) SpartHawg948 08:48, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Really, that would be great. I didn't expect it to be tonight anyways. It's just that I'm going to be getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow morning, and I guess I'm gonna be loopy for a couple days, so I thought I'd put the requests out now before I forget. :P Whenever you get the chance, that's fine. --Effectofthemassvariety 09:00, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh! Fun fun, that'll be! I had mine out... I guess it was about ten years ago or so now. (Wow... now I feel old!) Good times, that was. I had all four removed, so my mouth was all kinds of bloody and sore and stuffed full of cotton and all that good stuff. And then the swishing with salt water, which is horrible for me since I have a super-aversion to the taste of salt water, and no food but broth for the first day or so, and then cold mashed potatoes for the next few days... good times. I don't envy you, but I hope it goes well! SpartHawg948 09:32, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm not lovin life right now. It's painful, and I hate having gauze in my mouth. Having my entire lower jaw and tongue entirely numb was not a very fun experience either. I guess it went better than I thought it would. In fact, I got the first season of the awesome Lie to Me on DVD as a pity gift, so I guess it's not all bad. :) --Effectofthemassvariety 22:16, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Huzzah! So at least you get some entertainment for your recuperation. Pity gifts are always nice! Well, here's wishing you a speedy recovery! :) SpartHawg948 22:18, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm healing up fine now. Though there is still some minor bruising, it's getting better. Anyways, I just thought that I'd thank you again for your input, and suggestions on my story. After correcting the few grammatical errors I had, I took the advice of both you and Lancer about adding more character development and dialogue. I just finished an updated version of the chapter which included a bunch more of each suggested addition. I also clarified some minor parts that may have been confusing. All in all I think it's a lot better now than it was yesterday. Thanks for taking the time to read it, and I'm glad that you think it has potential! :)--Effectofthemassvariety 22:37, October 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Not a problem! Always happy to help out! And the best part is, you know me... I'll call a spade a spade. Or, to borrow a line from one of my favorite radio hosts, I'll be the one who calls the baby ugly. If I say something has potential, it's not because I'm trying to be nice or anything, it's because I mean it. And your story has potential. SpartHawg948 04:30, October 20, 2010 (UTC)

Exactly! That's one of the reasons I came to you, aside from the fact that you know the genre. I wanted honest criticism from someone who knew what he was talking about. All I kept getting were comments by my family, and then there was this one girl who commented on the story who said it wasn't good, but she wasn't a fan of the genre, and she didn't even bother reading the whole thing. Needless to say, her comment didn't carry much weight with me. Now I know, and I've even made it better. --Effectofthemassvariety 20:28, October 20, 2010 (UTC)

FAs
Since I know I missed something here, but I have a quick question and I hope you can indulge me in my curiousity. On the talk page where the FAs are kept, you said that the templates for FA 28 and FA 29 were created by non admin types, but even then I can't seem to find them. So I have to ask, what where those articles since they were deleted? Lancer1289 12:46, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * FA 28 was first created as an FA on the Normandy SR-2 (which later became FA# 39). Since proper procedure had not been followed during its creation and since the article itself did not meet the standards at the time (still being rather heavily edited and in need of some cleanup), it was deleted. Several days later, another editor, again circumventing the process, used the template to create an FA on the Cerberus Network, which in addition to the issues surrounding its creation, isn't really that visually appealing. It does meet the bare minimum image requirement, but I tend to go for articles that meet and exceed the bare minimum. So it was deleted a second time.
 * Now, as for FA 29. The same user who made the Cerberus Network FA created this one using the Collectors article (which later became FA# 36). In addition to circumventing proper procedure, this article at the time was being heavily edited, and as such had issues with spelling, grammar, and tidiness. As such, it was also deleted. Now, the cool thing is that, after deleting the second FA 28 and FA 29, I had a nice and extremely constructive conversation with the guy who created them that actually led to the establishment of the new FA policy. So some good definitely came out of all that. SpartHawg948 18:27, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * So it did. Thanks for indulging me an interesting story to say the least. Lancer1289 18:36, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Happy to oblige! :) SpartHawg948 18:38, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Timeline event
Okay, keyboard-coordination problems aside... I wanted to add this event recently explained by the Cerberus Daily News to the Timeline, but I'm unable to improve upon the wording. I think this is an important event because it almost prevented the Alliance from getting an embassy, but however I write it, the only anchor for the date of the event is how long Johnstagg was incarcerated. The assassination attempt itself, the event I want in the Timeline, really could have happened at any time between 2157 and 2164. So, would it be too much to assume that Johnstagg had a speedy trial after the attempt and we could reasonably say that the attempt happened in 2164?

This is the current version of what I'd add. If you're fine with adding this, let me know if you'd word anything differently. Otherwise, I'll scrap the whole scheme.

2164 CE


 * Ivor Johnstagg is sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempting to assassinate the volus ambassador to the Citadel, Venta Tox. Although Johnstagg claims to be acting on behalf of the radical human political party Eternal Earth, no connection is found and Johnstagg is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Backlash from the assassination attempt jeopardizes the Systems Alliance's bid for an embassy on the Citadel.

-- Commdor (Talk) 21:25, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't know about Spart, but I have to say that this should go into the timeline. I also can't see on how the wording can be improved, but given the nature of the event, even though the Alliance did get an embassy, I fell that it is worth noting. Lancer1289 21:33, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * (edit conflict - You'd know what I felt if I had the ability to post it) You had me right up until "assume". At that point, the alarms started going off. Let me ask you this... how often do trials for crimes of this magnitude and import reach a speedy verdict? Example: John Hinckley, Jr shot President Reagan on 20 March, 1981. He was immediately taken into custody. His trial was not concluded until June 21, 1982, over one year later. The guy who tried to kill President Bush in 2005? Not sentenced until 2006. And that was in Georgia. He is still awaiting trial in the United States, pending extradition should he be released from prison in Georgia. Two guys tried to kill President Truman in 1950. They weren't sentenced till 1952. So yes, it would be too much to assume a speedy trial, and therefor to also assume the attempt happened in 2164. I'm cool with pointing out when he was sentenced, but not with making assumptions about when the attempt actually occurred. SpartHawg948 21:36, October 15, 2010 (UTC)


 * So it's acceptable to add this event as I've written it above? I was worried someone might object because the date is about Johnstagg more than the actual assassination. -- Commdor (Talk) 21:47, October 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * So what if they object? F 'em. If we had a date for the attempt, we'd include it. We don't though. SpartHawg948 21:50, October 15, 2010 (UTC)


 * Gotcha. Adding now. -- Commdor (Talk) 21:54, October 15, 2010 (UTC)

Morality Points in Walkthoughs
I feel that should say that there are morality points listed in other walkthoughs. As they can be gained in the walkthroughs, listing them in the walkthroughs seems relevent. Granted they are scattered around, and not listed everywhere, but I figured I should provide a few examples. There is a listing in As you can see there are quite a few missions where morality points from decisions are listed and I do feel that listing them in walkthoughs are ok becuase people may want to know that information for a decision. The moralty guides are a full collaberation of all of the morality points in the game, but searching through that text, IMO, is sometimes hard. While using CTRL-F is a good way around that, there are other things there are also not in walkthoughs. Personally I do think that morality points in walkthroughs are ok, but I just felt that I should point out that there are plenty of places where it is already listed. Lancer1289 02:59, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * 1) Dossier: The Professor: Second paragraph of "The Slums of Omega" section
 * 2) Dossier: The Justicar: Third Paragraph of the "Starport" section
 * 3) Miranda: The Prodigal: Second paragraph of the "Dock 94" section
 * 4) Tali: Treason: 3 places
 * 5) Second Paragraph of "The Rayya" Section
 * 6) Second paragraph of "The Alarei
 * 7) The results of the Trial under the "Return to the Rayya" section)
 * 8) Samara: The Ardat-Yakshi: Second to last paragraph of the walkthrough
 * 9) Thane: Sins of the Father: 3 places.
 * 10) Bullets in the "Finding out the Target" section
 * 11) Second Paragraph of the "Following Talid" section
 * 12) In the paragraph under "The Reunion" section)
 * 13) Legion: A House Divided: Under the Mission Summary Section
 * 14) Reaper IFF: In the Paragraph of the Normandy section
 * When doing my research, I employed a simpler approach. I merely went to the bottom of the page, clicked the link to the next assignment in the series (Noveria: Peak 15, an assignment with substantial morality points), and looked. No morality points were listed anywhere. As such, for the sake of consistency, I removed the ones that were added. Why have them for one of the assignments in a chain but not the others? I disagree that we need morality points in the walkthroughs, as this (to me) seems to be getting too technical and bogged down with details. When I read a walkthrough, I don't want numbers scattered around all over the place, and some assignments have quite a few morality choices. That's my thinking, but again, my reason for removal was based simply on consistency. SpartHawg948 03:08, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hmm, fair point, neither do have points to they. One thing I noticed about when morality points is they get added in bursts or, like this one, one part at a time as usually the big ones get listed first, and as that is the biggest one in Noveria: Geth Interest, it was added first. Some missions and assignments don't have any at all, and some do, but I have never removed moralty points becuase, while yes I also hate getting bogged down in techinal stuff, I it as listing relevent information. Some people may want to know what they will get from a decision as they are reading it, but again that's me. There is a great inconsistency on when points are added and where they are listed, but I don't remove them. I don't see it as a problem with listing the points for the reasons I stated above, and I don't remove them when they are added as I see it as relevent information. I can see why you removed it, consistency is nice isn't it, but it appears that we disagree on this. Lancer1289 03:20, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * I just don't see the reason to list the morality points in the articles and have the Mass Effect Morality Guide and Morality Guide (Mass Effect 2) pages. Nor do I see the need to add morality points piecemeal to walkthroughs. If all the morality points for that particular assignment had been listed, I may have been more reluctant to remove them. This is not the case. As walkthroughs tend to deal with the bare bones of the assignment, it isn't possible to list all the points without a substantial re-write. (Quick example - the Noveria: Geth Interest article makes no mention of Rafael Vargas or his associated morality options, while the Mass Effect Morality Guide does). As such, I'd rather list them all in one location than break them up and only list some of the totals in each walkthrough page. SpartHawg948 03:30, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hmm fair point, so how do you think we should proceed on this issue. Should we just undo any futher edits of adding morality points and grandfather in all current ones. Or do you have another idea because that's the best I got right now. Lancer1289 03:37, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * That'll work for now. Ultimately something more long-term will need to be devised, and as of now I'm leaning towards removing all the morality points from the walkthroughs altogether, but for now this will do. SpartHawg948 03:48, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Alright then, I guess we'll come back to this at another point. Lancer1289 03:54, October 18, 2010 (UTC)

Hey, question/top tip
Since you helped me recently, and are one of the more active people around here, I have a question/suggestion. I recently bought Mass Effect 2, and I activated my Cerberus Network card in-game, after installing. That should give me the right to a few free DLC packs. But where do I get them? I registerd my MF2 game with my EA online account, and logged on to the Biowere site. I couldn't find a link to a downloading location, exept a place to activate your cerberus network code. Tried that, but it said: "code used" wich would seem positive. But I still dont have the free DLC packs, and I find that frustrating.

^that was the question part. Where do I find the free DLC packs? And now for the tip part: If I can't find it, there is a good chance that others can't either. Is it an idea to add a section of the DLC page, with how to obtain these free items?

I hope you can help me,

Arnout aka The Emperors Angel 07:47, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hmmm... are you perchance using the PC version of the game? Because I have absolutely no experience whatsoever with it. I'm strictly an X-Box 360 gamer, and the DLCs are pretty darn easy to find on a 360.
 * Actually, after a little bit of research, I may, repeat may, have an answer. It appears you can download DLC here, and download the free Cerberus Network DLC here. Again though, having no experience with this, it's just a guess. I do sincerely hope it helps though. As to the tip, if you can't find it, it may indeed be worth it to add a section to the page, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. SpartHawg948 07:55, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes I am using the PC version of ME2. And the second link you provided forces you to redeem your Cerberus network code to gain acces to the DLC. And I'll give that a try when I get home today, but I tried that already yesterday. We'll see how it goes. Arnout aka The Emperors Angel 08:06, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I'm clueless when it comes to the PC version. I would recommend asking User:Lancer1289. I'm pretty sure he uses the PC version and the X-Box 360 version, so he should know. SpartHawg948 08:11, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * On ME2 for the Xbox and Dragon Age for PC there's a downloadable content link in the main menu. ME2's is something along the lines of 'New Content Available' if there's stuff you haven't downloaded yet. It should all be in there, with the Cerberus Network stuff showing up as free.JakePT 11:44, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * I found it. If you try to activate the code at link 2, given by SpartHawg, I can't anymore, as I activated it in-game. But at that site you can vieuw your profile. There is a button there that says your registered game promotions. If you click that, you get to a download screen where you can download the freebies. And I'm downloading now. It will take a while, but I got them. Thanks! I'll leave it to you if you want to add it to the DLC page. Arnout aka The Emperors Angel 15:18, October 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * Just me saying that I don't think we should add it to the DLC page as we don't have a link for Xbox 360 users. I do use PC and 360 and frankly I have never had a problem getting the free or paid DLC for either. I question the need for either link, but that's me. Lancer1289 16:06, October 18, 2010 (UTC)

All's quiet
Since I know you have school during the evenings tomorrow, and while I do as well, I'll have my laptop so I'll be around. I'm thinking that I'll regret giving him the definition of edit warring, but as you also stated somewhere, if someone edits after the one day period passes, and does the exact same thing, you'd still classify that as edit warring. Persoanlly I think Sentenal01 is on extrememly thin ice as it is, given violations of the communigy guidelines on muliple ocasions, and repeated counts on some of them. Personally I think he's been given enough warnings, but I figure that I should get our opinion on how to proceed from here. Lancer1289 05:52, October 19, 2010 (UTC)

Also I'm about to log off for the night, as it is 1 am and I need to be up for class in the morning. So enjoy your night Spart, and I'll probably read your response in the morning. Lancer1289 06:06, October 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * (sigh... edit conflict) Yup. For most of the day tomorrow, I'll be in either Environmental Health and Justice or Introduction to Environmental Law. And then when I get out of class, it's on to Fallout: New Vegas! :D What I'm thinking is just see what happens for now. If the edit warring continues on another day, we can go from there. Maybe one last warning, but then again, maybe not. This guy does like to use some nasty language from time to time. So we'll see what happens. It was odd too because, while this whole thing was going on, I was also having a rather heated discussion with someone on my talk page on another wiki. It was equally frustrating, but for a different reason, and oddly enough, both Sentenal01 and the other user have up at around the same time. SpartHawg948 06:20, October 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry for the edit conflict but I figured I should tell you that I'd be off. Anyway I saw something about that other user on the Stargate wiki, and if there's more, then please do provide a link. That is no way for someone to behave and personally I think he's acting like a three-year-old. I haven’t seem most of his edits, but given that he has over 6,000, he should know better. I really can't see what grounds he has for a lawsuit, but then that's his money and time to waste.
 * Anyway because I'm in class all day, I won't get New Vegas until tomorrow, :(, so maybe you can provide a quick review. Anyway I hope you enjoy your classes as those sound interesting, however today I have Aural Skills, Game Development II, and Serious, Simulation, and Game Design today. Also today's topic in the last one is Military Games, just thought you'd find that interesting.
 * As to him, I'll just have to see if he comes around today and then I'll just have to see what he does. Also I don't think they are the same person, if that is what you were implying, considering Sentenal can actually use proper grammar, I just think that people like this usually show up later at night because they think that no one is on so they can do what they want. But that's me. Lancer1289 12:50, October 19, 2010 (UTC)

As you can probably tell from my talk page, I had a long day. So many things it was driving me crazy at a point. Needless to say that he is now on extremely thin ice. If you want to sort through that, then I wish you luck as even I had problems following it at times. I don't know what you would have done, but I think I did my best. Lancer1289 04:55, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * I tried looking at it, but got lost partway through. I did notice that charming WikiClams guy, though. SpartHawg948 04:57, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes I did notice him as well, kind of hard to miss those comments, and left him a note on his talk page about it. Personally I think it blew way out of proportion and those two who came in at the end didn't help matters. Lancer1289 05:00, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I was glad to see that Arbington popped in a time or two. He can really be a calming influence in situations like that. May I ask one thing, though? Again, I only got part-way through the morass that the thread turned into, but did I see something about you calling an abbreviation (I think it was JFC) crude or offensive language in violation of site policy? If so... well, suffice to say that I have to totally disagree. Abbreviations like that are innocuous and harmless. I can maybe see saying that about something like "STFU" or something, but not anything like JFC. If, however, that isn't what happened at all, and I am totally misinterpreting the situation, I apologize in advance. SpartHawg948 05:05, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes it was nice that he popped in. As to the abbreviation, it was FSC, and he stated clearly what it meant, multiple times, "for Christs sake". It's hard to find in that mountain of text. That is what he continutally referred to that as and given what it stood for, crude language, it was inappropiate, well to me, maybe not to you. I believe the term I kept using was something you stated about keeping things "G" rated, nad that is clearly over the "G" rated category. Lancer1289 05:11, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ok... I went back and re-read the relevant parts, and he never actually did say "FCS means for Christ's sake" or anything. The one time he did say what it meant, he actually gave numerous meanings, the first one having to do with fried clams. As such, I'd still have to say I agree that FCS is not in and of itself offensive, and FCS would almost certainly be allowed in a G-rated movie. But whatev... tempers were flaring and it was just one of those threads... so no harm done. SpartHawg948 05:16, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * It was more of those things that you have to be there to really get what happened. However, maybe I can shed a little more light. I kept calling him on crude language, and then he said this, "FCS (there, are you happy now?) is not a offensive term, and you haven't provided proof that it is." You really have to read what was in the previous posts, this one is time stamped "Sentenal01 22:22, October 19, 2010 (UTC)", to see what it meant, and given how he used it in subsequent posts, it really only could mean one thing. Maybe not to you, but to me I knew what it meant. Lancer1289 05:22, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, no, I read that too. Again though, it's an abbreviation. Three letters. You know what it was likely intended to mean. But the abbreviation itself was in no way a violation of site policy, nor did he ever state clearly what it meant, not even once, much less multiple times. I'm not trying to make an issue of this, which is why I tried to say "no worries, it was one of those days" before. But if you do want to keep this going, then whatever. That works too, I guess, though it really isn't what I want. FCS is not crude or offensive, not per the policies this site has operated under for the entirety of its existence. One person being offended by an otherwise innocuous statement or comment doesn't count, as then anyone could call anything they wanted offensive. I could say that you saying "You really have to read what was in the previous posts" is offensive to me, and who would be able to question it? That is why a blanket standard was adopted, the easiest and most readily available standard for everyday usage being the MPAA rating system. And again, FCS would be fine in a G-rated film. SpartHawg948 05:31, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Fair point and I also don't want to make an issue of this either. I do have to admit that an abbreviation could mean something to someone, while it means something completely different to someone else. Anyway I'll let this go with what you said before, it was one of those days. Lancer1289 05:37, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Which is why I'm leery about calling abbreviations offensive. They're so open to interpretation. Again, if it was one where the general consensus (on and off the wiki) is that it is offensive (see my earlier example), that's another matter entirely. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. I mean, Arbington (who was pretty much a textbook "neutral party" there) seemed hesitant to consider it in any way offensive. Don't get me wrong, all in all, I agree with your position in all that mess for about 95% of the discussion. The "FCS" bit is the 5% I didn't agree with. But again, no real harm done. Now, onto the humorous comment I had originally intended to use a few posts ago:
 * I don't mean to alarm you, but I think there may be a cheap knock-off version of you roaming Wikia. I was perusing the Stargate wiki and noticed a user by the name of Lance0214. Better watch your back... :P SpartHawg948 05:44, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * That's what I needed after this day and before I turn in for the night. I hope I don't have to start explaining myself anytime soon for any of his actions. :) Lancer1289 05:51, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Glad I could be of comical assistance! :D SpartHawg948 06:10, October 20, 2010 (UTC)

Something you might find interesting...
I stumbled upon a video that I think you might enjoy. Seems like it's from a game, which simulates several military aircraft... the A-10C among them. From a completely clueless civilian point of view, the simulation looks hardcore accurate, down to all the buttons and doodads in the cockpit. As a nerd for details, I think the fact that they even attempted is pretty awesome. Check it out! -- Dammej ( talk ) 02:09, October 21, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I can in fact verify that the process of starting up an A-10 is accurately depicted in that video. Now, does that mean that this is how A-10s are really started up when they're taken out on sorties? Or even when they're being run for maintenance? No. That process (i.e. the real-world process of starting up an A-10) is much longer and more involved. But, this is a sim game, where they aren't worried about real-world procedure, just getting the technical details right, and they have certainly done that. SpartHawg948 04:03, October 21, 2010 (UTC)
 * That sort of stuff is pretty fascinating. I have to imagine it's possible to do the whole checklist as it would be done in a real A-10 as well. I mean, if you go to all that trouble...
 * The game is DCS A-10C Warthog, by the way. Apparently I muffed the details before. There are only 2 games in the series so far, and each game seems to focus on just one piece of military hardware. The A-10 is just badass enough to be the second one to get the sim treatment, apparently. Really considering digging through all my junk to get a flightstick and try it out. Anyway, hope you got as much entertainment out of the video as I did. -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:39, October 21, 2010 (UTC)

Something Interesting
I'm not sure if you have been looking around, but I've noticed something that you might find interesting. Apparently WoWWiki, which has already established another site using the current Wikipedia skin, apparently got concessions from the staff for a wider content space! To me this is just a slap in the face as the staff now seems to be catering to large wikis for whatever reason. You can find that here. Personally I think that is unreasonable that one wiki, and a very large wiki at that, gets special treatment, while the rest get [error record deleted] over by the staff. I say we ask Sannse if the number is under 20% for ridiculously small monitors, then we should get that upgrade as well.

Also I've noticed that ever since the new skin went live, edits have been...lax. Lancer1289 04:07, October 23, 2010 (UTC)
 * Spart I just wanted to ask you if you think that asking Wikia about changing the width of our wiki might be a good idea?
 * Also sorry for the frusteration in the above message. When I read somehting like that, I sometimes have a tendency to overract when telling others about it. Lancer1289 20:01, October 23, 2010 (UTC)
 * I have no real opinion one way or the other. All I can say is that it couldn't hurt to ask. Other than that, no strong feelings one way or the other. SpartHawg948 20:03, October 23, 2010 (UTC)

Patch for thumbnail display on 'new skin' is needed
Hey, I think Wikia changed something dealing with thumbnails on the new skin over the past week or so. They're not quite displaying correctly for what we have. If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could apply the fix?

This section in MediaWiki:Wikia.css /* Re-skin the thumbnails */ .WikiaArticle .thumbinner { background-color: #1E1E2E; background-image: none; border: 1px solid #334; }

.WikiaArticle .thumbcaption { background: #334; padding: 2px 1px 0px; }

.WikiaArticle .picture-attribution { background: #334; position:static; /* don't cut off any magnifying glasses... */ } /* END thumbnail skin */

needs to be changed to /* Re-skin the thumbnails */ .WikiaArticle .thumbinner { background-color: #1E1E2E; background-image: none; border: 1px solid #334; }

.WikiaArticle .thumbcaption { background: #334; padding: 2px 1px 0px; }

.WikiaArticle .picture-attribution { margin-right: 0px; background: #334; position:static; /* don't cut off any magnifying glasses... */ } /* END thumbnail skin */

Note the addition of "margin-right" for the picture attribution section. Thanks in advance. -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:01, October 24, 2010 (UTC)
 * Looks like it worked. Thanks! -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:32, October 24, 2010 (UTC)
 * You betcha! :) SpartHawg948 06:34, October 24, 2010 (UTC)

Hi
Hi there, I'm new to the wiki and I'd like to know what there is to do :3 If you look at my user page maybe you could have some idea?--Technobliterator Techno's Talk 11:34, October 27, 2010 (UTC)

Mass Effect Spoiler Tag Quote
I noticed that we needed a quote on our Mass Effect spoiler tag, so I thought that I would try and save some work for someone else and add a quote to it myself. I have six selections up. Check them out on my Sandbox, and see if you like any of them. If you have any other quotes, then just say them. I'd like to see this tag up to par with the rest of them. --Effectofthemassvariety 17:04, October 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * Seems like a bit of a moot point now though, doesn't it? What with another user picking one and going with it? SpartHawg948 20:14, October 27, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I was confused earlier. I sincerely apologize. I initially thought that we would simply pick one, then later thought that we might want input, and that's when I messaged you. I would have picked number 9 in the first place, and I feel that most people would have, so maybe we should just let it be(?) I don't know. I feel really bad about adding to the confusion. --Effectofthemassvariety 21:20, October 27, 2010 (UTC) I guess it's just a formality now, but I began a discussion on Template talk: Spoilers (Mass Effect). I'll inform other users about it. I doubt it will change though, cause it's the best one on the list. --Effectofthemassvariety 21:54, October 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * It is the best one, but things like this, per the site policies, really should be discussed (see the recent discussion on the wordmark for an example), and it's (IMO) pointless to ask someone for their opinion/input if the matter at hand is already going to have been decided (without the appropriate discussion) by one or two users acting unilaterally. SpartHawg948 03:39, October 28, 2010 (UTC)

Alright, since I keep screwing up on this matter, I'm gonna ask that you, or someone more capable than I, take the reins. The location for the discussion area was givent to me by someone else, and I just clicked on the link, and started the discussion. I didn't realize that it was inappropriate. I know I should've known, but I didn't. Sorry. I think I'm in some sort of weird funk this week.--Effectofthemassvariety 18:11, October 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm actually about to run out the door and head to my last class of the week (hooray!) so I can't do it right now. If it still needs taken care of when I get back, I'll take care of it. SpartHawg948 18:31, October 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * Enjoy it. I'll get a projects forum page up in a minute. I'll probably also put Galaxy on there as well considering we don't have a quote for that one either. Lancer1289 18:34, October 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * Got it up, Forum:Spoiler Tag Quotes. Enjoy. I left a comment about also needing a Galaxy quote, and also asked about hte other quotes. Personally I like the current ones, but I thought it needed to be said. Lancer1289 18:45, October 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, you're lucky. I have to go to International Relations class in like 2 minutes, Then Public Opinion & Political Thought after that. Ugh! Also, thanks Lancer! Oh, and I think that Commdor did add a quote to the Galaxy tag. So maybe put the current one's quote up so everyone knows what it is. Whatever you decide. --Effectofthemassvariety 19:02, October 28, 2010 (UTC)

Those actually sound like pretty interesting classes. I'd gladly trade you Environmental Health and Justice for them! I'm tired of talking about endocrine disruptors and methylmercury and organochlorides and nonsense like that... I actually do need to take a PoliSci course though... thinking about that one for next quarter, along with another environmental law class I already know I'll have to take... ugh... SpartHawg948 21:50, October 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * If you don't mind my asking, why is it required of you (Spart) to take so many environmental classes? --AnotherRho 00:49, October 29, 2010 (UTC)

Funny thing about an Environmental Studies degree... they make you take all kinds of environmental classes! :P (Specifically, I'm going for a degree in Environmental Compliance and Pollution Prevention.) SpartHawg948 00:53, October 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, it is funny that they do that! ;) I didn't know you were interested in environmental (law?) compliance and the prevention of pollution.  Of course, we don't really know one another, so no surprise there, eh? -- AnotherRho 03:38, October 29, 2010 (UTC)

Indeed. And yeah, the compliance bit does focus mostly on compliance with the law, mostly with federal laws. The CAA, CWA, CDWPA, RCRA, TSCA, and all sorts of other fun acronyms... SpartHawg948 03:46, October 29, 2010 (UTC)

Thought of the [moment]
Just reading through your "thoughts" on your main page, and had a gander at some of the (mid-October) links. Well. Now, obviously we're no enemies of discussion, and sometimes even spirited discussions; but charity bids me to say that there is no comparison between these and those. You really have suffered through some crappers. In another note, I'd just like to offer my humble encouragement to continue supplying nice UNDO summaries, since they are very instructive (I assume you were jesting, but encouragement and praise suits nigh any occasion). Anyway, nice to read your page updates. --AnotherRho 00:38, October 31, 2010 (UTC) [EDIT]: You might add to this business about "new looks" IMDB, which also changed somewhat recently (in my opinion, to a much "fatter" look). --AnotherRho

Ralok
I understand Ralok got banned from this wiki. He's now moved to Encyclopedia Barsoomia, where I am the administrator, and has been attempting to get administrative privileges. He even deployed another user here to send me a message saying that I should give Ralok admin privileges so that he can stop some imaginary horde of irate ERB fans from vandalizing the wiki. What exactly was his reputation when he was here? -- Gnostic 18:57, November 4, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hmmm... I actually saw that request, but didn't feel it my place to butt in with my opinion. But since you asked, that's another matter entirely... Also, and this is no fault of your own, you were simply the first person to leave me a message since the "New Look" became mandatory, let me just say: I HATE THE NEW MESSAGE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM!!! ARGH!!!
 * Ok. Now on to your query. First, let me apologize for the delay in my response. As of today, my Thursdays have become a bit busier, or I would have gotten back to you sooner. Now, you may want to sound out some of the other regular users as well (I'd maybe recommend Lancer1289, Commdor, maybe Arbington... basically any long-term editors who may have had run-ins with him), but from everything I saw, his reputation was not good. He started out pretty poorly, saying some horrible things about autistic people that nearly got him banned by another admin, Tullis, who is known to be fairly easygoing. When pressed, he did remove them, but the vast majority of his comments were similarly unproductive. His edits were generally reverted as not relevant or chock full of mistakes, both factual and grammatical; he had a reputation for starting major arguments and "flame wars" on talk pages, and then there were the bans.
 * He was banned some time ago, by the aforementioned Tullis, for "Repeated combative language and unbecoming conduct to other users, despite repeated warnings from administrators." (Her reasoning) Now, once he was blocked, he kept arguing with the admins on his talk page, resulting in a new block removing his ability to do so. He responded by spamming rude and harassing emails to admins, to the point that I had to block his email address through my email provider. When these bans on his account were up, he came back and seemed to be making an effort to change, but soon fell back into his old ways. As such, after a particularly egregious incident, he was permanently banned from the wiki. In short, I would strongly recommend not making Ralok an admin. But that's just me, and I admit, I may not be the most impartial observer. I hope that this helps you in some way, shape, or form.
 * In an aside, might I ask what this "Barsoom" is? I can't say that I'm familiar with it. SpartHawg948 00:10, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Addendum to an already too-long response: You may consider checking out this blog. While doing some research on the matter, I stumbled across it. In the blog, Ralok describes you as "that guy that i am trying to steal a wiki from". Not the most flattering description of you I've ever heard, nor does an attempt to "steal a wiki" sound that great... SpartHawg948 04:36, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * I might also recommend checking the actual Request for adoption made by Ralok. I was perusing Wikia Central looking for who I need to contact to complain about the new message notification system (mentioned in my original response) and noticed this page in the recent changes. I saw Ralok's inaccurate description of his bans (past and present) from the Mass Effect Wiki, responded with my version of events, to hopefully allow the proper authorities to develop a fuller picture of what happened, and was promptly attacked by Ralok. Regardless of your decision, I would recommend that you inform the Wikia staffers via that blog. My apologies for this outlandishly long response, but I do try to be thorough when admins or bureaucrats of other wikis ask me for info. Better too much info than not enough, eh? :) SpartHawg948 08:34, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry to jump in here, but I also wouldn't recommend Ralok for an admin position. Everything Spart has said matches my interactions with him, especially the long flame wars on talk pages. A few examples, Talk:SSV Normandy, Talk:Urz, and Talk:Turian see the section linked and the two below that. His edits and everything else speak for themselves. Also look at this history of his talk page, see here for that and his contributions for some of his edits to blogs and things like that. Again I think his edits speak for themselves and given that he has a habit of causing flame wars and breaking rules, I'd again have to say that I also wouldn't recommend him for adminship. Lancer1289 15:41, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Good lord, SpartHawg, you're really... thorough. Thank you for finding the blog posts, and for intervening in Ralok's attempts to steal the wiki. I'm beginning to wonder if it wouldn't be more prudent to just ban Ralok now rather than wait for him to act out. -- Gnostic 01:11, November 6, 2010 (UTC)

Thorough indeed! :) You asked for info, and I wasn't going to half-@$$ my response. Whether you ban him or not is, of course, entirely up to you, but it's always better to go into these things informed. He may attempt to lash out on the Barsoom Wiki after this, but then again, he may not. I leave all decisions regarding that site in your capable hands. So yeah, sorry again for A) The tardy response to your question, and B) the ridiculous length of my response, but I do hope it helped you some, and if you have questions about anything else, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to help. SpartHawg948 01:24, November 6, 2010 (UTC)

Avatar
Well I took a look at it and given what I know, it looks like one of the images from the movie We Were Soldiers or it is something from the Vietnam War. I really can't get more specific without more detail, nor can I get a larger image. However that's my guess, which is probably wrong, but you can't fault someone for trying. Lancer1289 14:31, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah... I hate to say... not even close. SpartHawg948 20:15, November 5, 2010 (UTC)

Spotlight Image
Sorry for the second message Spart. Now that's out of the way, down to business.

I got a response from JoePlay and you can read his response on my talk page. He also agreed that the images look like nothing that is seen in ME what so ever. So he asked if there is an image we'd like to use, and I'm thinking that we could have an image with the SSV Normandy in it and a planet much like the original logo before this new skin. No I'm not a fan either. That's really what I've got, but I wanted to get your opinion first. Lancer1289 17:10, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Why not a shot of the default male Shepard? It's literally the single most recognizable image from Mass Effect. Or maybe the First Contact War codex pic? SpartHawg948 20:18, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hmm also good ideas. I'd really be somewhat hesitant to use the default Male Shepard, but the First Contact War pic does sound like a much better idea. Given the options I'd say the First Contact War pic would probably be the best thing, at least from my perspective. Lancer1289 20:21, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that was really an iconic image early on, and it's still a pretty good looking pic. That does sound like it might be our best bet. Better than the robots from Terminator, anyways! :P SpartHawg948 20:25, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * The only other thing I had was a shot of the Illusive Man's office from the Cinematic trailer, but when put next to the First Contact War pic, I think the latter wins. Also I couldn't really find a good image of the former. So if you have no objections, then I'll forward that to JoePlay. Lancer1289 20:41, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Nope. No objections. But then, what do I know? Apparently I'm just an idiot who doesn't realize that the definitions of words clearly supersede canon info! :P SpartHawg948 20:44, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'll pass that along then. And I'm still trying to figure out what you said. I get that it was in jest, but I'm still trying to figure it out. Lancer1289 20:47, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * A recent blog entry where... well, you can find that out for yourself. Look for the part regarding the Leviathan of Dis on RayShepp645's "How to defeat the Reapers Theories" blog. Makes for some good reading. :) SpartHawg948 20:49, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well I get it now. I really don't know what else to say but that was some good reading. I needed a bit of humor. So thanks again for providing it. Lancer1289 20:56, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hey, completely random request that has nothing to do with the above info (or anything on the wiki): Pick a number between 1 and 10. (Also, I can now say that, if this is possible, I hate the new edit conflict notification even more than the old one.) SpartHawg948 20:57, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ok then...9. That was probably the most random thing today for me btw. What do you need a number for anyway if you don't mind me asking?
 * Also I haven't gotten edit conflicted yet, so I guess I'll have to wait until that happens so what this new edit conflict notification is. Lancer1289 21:07, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Niklas Bäckström it is then. All three of my NHL fantasy team goalies are playing today, and I was torn on which two to play. Cam Ward (Carolina) has been doing great lately, and the 'Canes are playing Florida, so he's a no-brainer. But the other spot is giving me some trouble. Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers) has been extremely inconsistent lately, going from a shutout one game to allowing four goals in 19 shots the next. And he's playing New Jersey, and they're not doing too bad right now, even though Brodeur is playing like crap. On the other hand, Niklas Bäckström (Minnesota) has been doing really good, but is playing Calgary, which gives me some concern. So, 1-5 was Lundqvist, 6-10 was Bäckström. Honestly, I'd been leaning toward Bäckström anyways, and now the old "pick a number" method (which can't possibly fail!) backs it up! :P SpartHawg948 21:13, November 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Indeed it never fails. Well, good luck with your game then. :) Lancer1289 21:15, November 5, 2010 (UTC)

The Slave Ship
Your new avatar is a portion of British seascape painter J. M. W. Turner's The Slave Ship. I can't attribute this to any preexisting knowledge of art, unfortunately. Rather, Google and the use of four choice search terms blazed a trail to the answer. -- Commdor (Talk) 04:44, November 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * It is indeed The Slave Ship, by the British Romantic landscape painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner is considered to be the master of landscape painting, and The Slave Ship is one of his best. (I'd also recommend The Fighting Temeraire) It's a striking piece that depicts a truly horrid event in British history (the Zong Massacre), and you can see this if you look closely at the bottom portion of the painting, but the artist depicts it in a manner that can only be described as sublime (used in its artistic definition). The painting also helped call increased attention to the massacre, greatly aiding the abolitionist movement in Great Britain. SpartHawg948 04:54, November 7, 2010 (UTC)