User talk:Dammej

Hi, welcome to Mass Effect Wiki! Thanks for your edit to the ET3 page.

Be sure to check out our Style Guide and Community Guidelines to help you get started, and please leave a message on my talk page if I can help with anything! -- SpartHawg948 (Talk) 23:30, May 26, 2010

Geth War/Morning War
Sorry was dealing with someone else. I just created a redirect for the Morning War. You don't have to use the Geth War|Morning War any more. Just put Morning War inside and it will take people to the right page. Just letting you know. Lancer1289 03:14, May 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yup, saw that. Thanks! Dammej 03:16, May 28, 2010 (UTC)

Photo Editing
Hey Dammej, since you are adding photos, and altering them, how good are you at photo editing? Lancer1289 06:10, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hah. That really depends upon what you're asking. I think I'm capable of cropping images down pretty well, but not too much in the way of "Photoshop magic." I couldn't remove a tree from a scene and make it look flawless, for instance. What are you looking for? Dammej 06:14, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * It's just something I saw on the Sentinel Guide (Mass Effect 2) page. See the picture at the top, I was hoping to get the other five class images like that picture. Unfortunatly I contacted the original user who put it up and he hasn't responded back yet. I tried cpoying them from the BioWare site, and they didn't come out how I wanted and unfortuanly I am horrible at photo editing. I can crop images as well, but something like that is beyond my skills at the moment. Curse that photo editing courses are only during the spring semester. If you can't do it, then don't worry about it. Lancer1289 06:19, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah. yes, that does look pretty neat. Since the original images are available from BioWare, I could probably take a crack at it. I'll try it with adept first, then I will probably be done for the night. I'll let you know how it goes. Dammej 06:24, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, just out of curiousity, which time zone do you live in? Because I live in Central Time, so I am probalby going to bed soon. Lancer1289 06:26, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah it's central time. I've finished a first-pass on the image... how close to the sentinel image do you want it to look? Here's the two for comparison:



Do you want that scanline background like the sentinel one, or is it better without it, as in what I have for the adept? Scanline would require more effort, which I won't be doing tonight. Let me know. Dammej 06:38, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * The scanline would be great. I am surpried you did that so fast. Anyway don't worry about it tonight, I completely understand. I am going to use them for the guides which I am in the process of rewriting. I figured why should only the Sentinel guide have it. Me, I prefer the Vanguard, my first playthrough class, so I may be a little bias here. Again a scanline would be great, but again don't worry about it tonight. And of course thanks in advance for helping me with this. Lancer1289 06:42, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, the image I made was pretty easy... I just downloaded the two images from BioWare and stuffed them together. Scanline will require actual effort. :) I can't really give a good timeline on when they'll get done, but I'll give it a shot. Also, as it happens, Vanguard is probably my favorite class too. Charging headlong into enemies on insanity and somehow living is awesome. Out of curiosity, when were you expecting to have the guides finished, so that I have an idea of the time pressure? Dammej 06:49, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * To be honest, to rewrite all 10 remaining guides, it will take me about 2-3 weeks minimum. I'd say 3 to be honest. I rewrote the two adept guides in a day and had just about had it. To fix them requies around 3-4 hours of effort. I won't go though the whole process, but it mainly involves keeping my sandbox window open, and flip-floping between it and the style guide seciton that is also in my sandbox. It is tedious work, and I can only honestly do one about every other day. You can always check my progress on my sandbox index page. I'll have completed next to each one when it is finished, currenlty it is only the adept guides. Again thanks for the help. Lancer1289 07:00, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Haha, yes, I see. Well hopefully I should be able to figure something out before 3 weeks are up. How would you prefer I let you know how it's going? Should I just upload the images and add them to the sandbox or would you rather I let you do the editing, and just upload the images? Also, just so you're aware... I could remake the sentinel image as well, so you wouldn't have to worry about inconsistencies in the images between classes. I think it might look neat if the image were a header to the entire guide, and I feel like the black border makes it look tacky. That's just me though. I'll probably make a bunch of different images of the adept, and we can decide which of those looks best. Dammej 07:07, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Unfortunatly because they are in my sandboxes, they are treated the same as my user page. Because I don't want you to get banned, or get an angry message from Spart, the best thing to do is upload them and then drop me a line on my talk page, and the image as well, when you finish each one. I can let you edit it, however I usually only let the admins modify them, mainly because I have now three sytle guide pages there. So let's just avoid the confusion that would cause.
 * If they come out weird and you can't get the background, then do feel free to remake the sentinel image as well. I like consistency and that is what I am going for. As to the header, maybe you could upload both images, if you get them to look like the sentinel one, and we'll see which looks better. However don't worry about that tonight. As it is now 2:20ish am, I'm sure we could both use some sleep, good night. Lancer1289 07:17, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oops, didn't realize those counted as user pages. Yes that would be a problem. Well, I guess I'll just upload them and show them on some page of my own so that comparisons can be made. I'll try banging one out tomorrow. In the mean time, good night. Dammej 07:19, May 30, 2010 (UTC)

Ok I think we may have something. Is there anyway you can crop the border out of the scanline images? I think that would be the best solution, however I really want to see it first. Lancer1289 20:13, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure what you mean about pushing down the text. I thought the idea was to resize the images down to the correct size in the article? Regardless, I'll see what an image looks like without a border. Dammej 20:17, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * I may have misunderstood you so here is what I though you ment. Put the image, in this case First Pass, at the top of the article before the opening paragraph. Is that what you ment or put it where I have it currently next to the TOC?
 * I was thinking trying them all in that position, yes. I'm of the opinion that the first pass (without any border or scanline) would look best there. Not sure how a scanline without a border is going to look. Everything I'm trying so far looks butt-ugly. Dammej 20:24, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ok so that is my bad. Couldn't you just crop the border out without changing everything or is it necessary for the picture? Lancer1289 20:26, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * I can't just crop out the border, because the scan-line comes out of nowhere. I'm still trying some things to make it look good without the border, though. Dammej 20:29, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Alright then, just don't worry about it. I'll put up both images and then let's switch this discussion to my talk page under the seciton you created, about which looks better. Give me a few mintues to fit both of them in. Lancer1289 20:34, May 30, 2010 (UTC)

In reguards to this picture, I just have a question and I really would like to get some other user's input. I Was thinking of dropping some other users a line and get some more opinions. What do you think? The only reason I am posting this here is in case you don't see it on my talk page. Lancer1289 22:43, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * I have 12 other users lined up which would bring our total to 15. That is more than a lot. So a go or not? Lancer1289 22:49, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry. Life and all that. Yes, more opinions is good. I'm not a graphic designer, so they'll probably eviscerate me, but getting an idea of what people want is good. Dammej 22:52, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Alright then, however I had too many tabs open, we will have 11 in total. Now I jsut have to send the messages and then format my talk page a little. Lancer1289 22:54, May 30, 2010 (UTC)

Ok I made a seciton on my talk page for voting which is better. I plan to let it stew for a few days and then we can see which the community likes bettter. Please leave a comment for which one you like better. Thanks Dammej for helping out. And I'll be sending out the messages shortly. Again thanks. Lancer1289 23:09, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Looks good. Though I think it's worth noting that this need not be a binary decision. If people have ideas on how to improve the logos, I'd be willing to hear them. Dammej 23:36, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * I also wouldn't mind a note saying that I'm the author. :) Dammej 23:42, May 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * (Edit conflict) However I think we need to keep it at two for right now, otherwise we will eventually be up to 5 or more images. So two is good and once the votes are in, I'll open a discussion on them on my sandbox and if any changes can come up, then they can be talked about htere. However I don't think there will be because the image on the Sentinel Guide hasn't been challenged or replaced since it was put up. So vote for which one you prefer. I'll keep the voting open for probably a week or so to get as many opinions as possible. I'll be sure to make a note of that.Lancer1289 23:45, May 30, 2010 (UTC)

Hey Dammaj, I don't know if you have been around for the last few hours, but almost everyone I sent a message to has responded. Currently it is now, 7-0 in favor of style two, which is just the scanline image. I was wondering how long it would take for you to make the rest of the scanline images for the remaining classes. For the explanations, see my talk page and be aware that one user did switch their vote. Just look at my page history for about that. However I won't say no to that last adept image you did. However I think that would be more appropiate on the adept page itself. To be honest, I think it will take people a while to notice the difference, if they do at all, as you pointed out with the codex image yesterday. Again, thanks for helping me with this. Lancer1289 04:23, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Good timing. I was actually just about to upload what I'm going to call the "final" images. I think they look great, but if anyone is vehemently opposed to the changes, then I can undo them. I hope you'll agree that they were all around improvements. Stay tuned... Dammej 04:27, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * ...And they're up. Take a look at let me know what you think. Dammej 04:37, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

New Pic Idea
With reguards to the new pic you just uploaded, I just was struck with an idea where we could put that. If you look at the adept page, currenlty the only thing there is the codex image. With that one, I was thinking that you could add that along side the template for the powers. As to the rest of the classes, fill the background with the item they feature. Sentinel: Tech Armor, Engineer: A Tech Drone. To be honest, for the guide pages, I really just want to keep it simple, and to be honest, I really do like that Sentinel image. However all that new work you are putting in shouldn't go unused. Again another pic on the class pages would be great. What do you think? Lancer1289 00:19, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Try inserting the image just above the template above the powers, above the {{ClassPowers, Adept-With-Backgound.png|right|500px, and hit preview, not save. I think you will see what I mean. Lancer1289 00:22, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah. This was my thinking when I had the idea for a background... something unique to the class. I'm still working through some ideas at the moment, and I have no clue what I'd use for, as an example, Adrenaline Rush, but I'm just checking ideas as I get them. I don't know if it'd be a good idea to use two very similar looking images in different articles, but it's worth entertaining. We could always put that singularity picture there if it doesn't work out. Dammej 00:31, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * As to the original images, it seems that the just the scanline background is preferred. Currenlty it is 6-1 in favor of just the scanline without the background, however I'll leave it up for a week and see what happens. As to similar images on different articles, I really don't see a problem with it, as there are simliar images around, just not that common. The background is unique, and personally, I think the ones on the class pages should be more stylized that the ones on the guide. However that is me. Lancer1289 00:36, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

Amazing work
I just saw them and you said you can't do photoshop magic. Something like that is way beyond what I could do, so maybe magic is a little bias from my opinion. You also managed to avoid getting Shepard's face into the pictures. However I don't think anyone will have a problem beacuase you did a lot of great work. The images look great, and I'll be adding them to the articles within the next few minutes. Both my walkthroughs and the class pages, and make sure to credit your amazing work. Lancer1289 04:37, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well we have some comments already, and people seem to like the new, an IMHO, better images. Great work. Lancer1289 04:57, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks. :) Dammej 04:59, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

On a side note, away from that whole argument, I added your images to the guides and to the aritlces. What do you think? Lancer1289 06:41, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry, just now got around to seeing the articles. I like where it is, minus one tiny thing which I doubt can be fixed. Since the image spans two sections (namely, at least in the case of Vanguard, Weapon Loadout and Powers), the second second section has its edit link shoved waaaay over to the left, before the image. It bugs me for some reason. I kinda doubt that can be fixed though, so I think I'll get used to it. I'm perfectly ok with my image being used in an article. :) Dammej 07:43, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

Really?
I try to offer a compromise based in large part off of what you propose... and you call me a giant troll. Thanks. SpartHawg948 06:43, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Whoa hold on there partner. It was just a playful jab. Also, I hadn't yet seen your edit. Dammej 06:44, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

A playful jab that I honestly find quite insulting. SpartHawg948 06:45, May 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * I apologize. Again, I intended no offense. Dammej 06:46, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

Fair enough, but you have to understand, using an insulting term directed at one particular individual is likely to cause that person to feel insulted regardless of whether 'no offense' is stuck on the end of it. SpartHawg948 06:53, May 31, 2010 (UTC)

Multi-Page Articles
Just wanted to get your input on a new template proposal I made to enhance the usability and standardize the layout and usage of multi-page articles like Timeline and other progressive assignments and missions. The ongoing discussion can be found on the MoS/General talk page.

I would appreciate any input you might have to offer. Thanks :) --silverstrike 17:01, June 4, 2010 (UTC)

Image Catch
Nice catch on the image, and I guess you just beat me to reverting the image. Note that because I probably hit the revert button just a few seconds after you, the image didn't change and it is the same as the original. Again nice catch, as I have been tracking that user since the account was created just a few hours ago. After two links to the style guide I put on his page, you would think that he would read it. Alas, I guess not, nor did he listen to my messages, especially about chaning the character box image. "This template formats the page nicely and provides a character box image, that is specifically formated for that purpose,". Do you think I could have been clearer, becuase I don't? Lancer1289 19:43, June 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm doubting that he's even looking at his talk page, to be honest. No worries about the double-revert. It happens I guess. The best we can do is explain why he's getting reverted. Hopefully he'll see the talk page at some point. Dammej 19:47, June 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * The key word there would be hopefully, judging by the previous actions, and clearly unread messages, I'm not hopeful. Lancer1289 19:49, June 7, 2010 (UTC)

Just a quick note...
I just wanted to say I like what you've been doing with all the uploading and adding of images. It's really sprucing the place up. I especially like all the additions to the Codex pages. So yeah, I'm kind of clumsy when it comes to praising people (more of an insult/dressing-down guy, I guess! :P) but I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks. I really like what you're doing with the pics. SpartHawg948 07:23, June 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Happy to help, and it's no trouble really. I have the capability to quickly capture a bunch of images from the games, so I figured I'd use the tools at my disposal to put them in the wiki. I'm very much a visual person, so being able to put a picture with a wall of text helps me immensely. I figure others might benefit as well. :) Dammej 07:28, June 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Coming here a little late, but I really do appriciate all that you are doing with the images as well. Also thanks again for helping out with the tempates, the class logos, and anything else I forgot. Right now it is 02:43, and I need some sleep. But I just wanted to say thanks as well. Lancer1289 07:43, June 13, 2010 (UTC)

Loyalty Images
Hey Dammej, I noticed you'd changed the ME2 loyalty images for the character pages. Nice job! Just wanna note to you that the Kasumi page is still using the previous image version with the background. Teugene 06:41, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks! I like the image a lot better without the background. I'm aware that Kasumi still has the old image, and there's a good reason for it... I don't have the Kasumi DLC! :( I suppose I should have mentioned something to that effect as I made the change to the other images. I'm considering caving and buying the play-money needed to get the DLC though. You can be sure that as soon as I do, I'll upload that image as well. Dammej 06:45, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah I prefer it without the background too just like the loyalty images in ME. Had been wanting to remove the background but I was just too busy (and lazy! :p ). If you don't have Kasumi DLC yet, maybe you could temporarily use the current loyalty image and remove the background, then once you have a higher-res version, you can update it. Besides, the character pages isn't using a large resolution of the images yet. Oh and I'm in the same boat as you, have not played the new DLC missions, but just for different reasons.. lack of time! :( Teugene 07:34, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I had considered it too, but at the time I was a bit exhausted. Excuses, I know. :) Ah well. I did cave though, and it's downloading right now. Seems shady that BioWare only has a "buy 560 BW points" option on the DragonAge part of the site, whereas the ME2 side only has options for 400, 800, and 1600. That's what annoys me the most about the play money... you usually end up with more of it than you need! Thankfully, I found the hidden DA option, so that's not the case here. I hadn't realized that the DLC was so enormous. Nearly a gigabyte! I still have entire games on my computer that are smaller. Wow! Dammej 07:44, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Those DLCs from Bioware are enormous because of the high res mesh that we have to download to use on their 3D models. I too lamented the size because I use dial up... took me a full 2 days of downloading to have Kasumi in my gameplay. My poor modem. Braveangel 08:01, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * You're using... dial-up? Not trying to sound rude but... which part of the world are you in that still uses dial-up?? Teugene 08:15, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * South east asia, man. I can only use DSL connection at the office, which doesn't allow me to download games. :D So, at home I use dial up connection--all that I can afford. I know. Stone age. But there it goes. Braveangel 08:28, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Wait a minute... I'm also from SEA! Which country? Teugene 09:18, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ouch. I feel your pain Braveangel. Until about 2 years ago I was stuck on Dialup. I couldn't imagine having to download anything to do with games nowadays. I know that I didn't enjoy it back then. Now games are even bigger! That has to be extremely tedious. On a related note: the download has finished and I was able to update the image for Kasumi. I feel like it's complete now. Dammej 08:31, June 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * That's great, now we can see a nice Kasumi image! Teugene 09:18, June 14, 2010 (UTC)

Undoing my edit
Man, the graphical glitches are the information that goes into the trivia. Look into the trivia sections of many weapon pages. All contain info on graphical glitches caused by possession of weapons. Braveangel 03:49, June 17, 2010 (UTC)
 * So they do. My mistake. But it was still far too specific. Perhaps if the trivia were less specific then? Something general like what's seen on the M-8 Avenger page, since it mentions cutscenes in general, not a specific one. Dammej 03:54, June 17, 2010 (UTC)
 * Okay... how about this: "M-12 Locust often replaces the default submachine gun (M-9 Tempest) in cutscenes, such as the gun acquired by the underaged boy in the Omega's Afterlife"?Braveangel 04:01, June 17, 2010 (UTC)

Show/ hide button - collapsible
how can this be achieved on this wiki ? - need code example Peddroelm 06:13, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Now that the javascript code is in place, it's pretty straightfoward. When you make a table, simply add class="collapsible" to the table definition. For example:

Will produce:

I'm assuming that you already know how wiki tables work here. If you don't then my example isn't much help. I can't give a tutorial on that though. Check out the many help resources on the wiki (I believe that SpartHawg probably left some links on your talk page.) Let me know if I need to clear anything up. Dammej 06:25, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

This is for hiding tables. What if i want to hide entire sections ?Peddroelm 06:41, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, unfortunately the code we have right now only works for hiding tables. I haven't found a need for hiding entire sections yet, so I haven't sought the code out that would allow this to happen. I didn't write the javascript code that allows us to hide tables, so I'm really not the person to ask how to change it. If you're curious where I got the original code, just check out this page. From there, you could probably find whoever wrote the original code and inquire about hiding sections. Out of curiosity, why are you asking about this? Dammej 06:46, June 22, 2010 (UTC)


 * It was for the weapon damage formula page. I wanted to rewrite it and hide the more technical details but still have them one click away for the ones intrested. Anyway the page got deleted for beeing to technical so i guess i'm not intrested anymore :) Peddroelm 06:55, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Just to interject, but hopefully not to dredge up old unpleasantness, the page in question wasn't deleted for being too technical, it was deleted because it was inaccurate, was based off of data that was explicitly stated by the author to be opinion, not fact, and because developer comments contradicted the info on the page. Just to set the record straight. SpartHawg948 06:58, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Indeed. If I'm not mistaken, SpartHawg did invite you to put the information in the Forum: namespace, and I encourage you to do so. This sort of information is still very interesting to many people, so by all means, go for it. While it may not be accurate (yet?), having it on a wiki where people could make improvements to the formula would still be very helpful. Dammej 07:04, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * The developer comments did not contradict with the info on the page at any point. The formula is 100% accurate for sniper rifles. For the other weapon types there is a parameter (range to target) that the developer admited they calculate with extreme accuracy - for this parameter i just posted the upper and lower limits. The formula was relevant because it shows exaclty how skills, equipment, weapon upgrades and abilities influence the final weapon damage - giving you a way to choose/compare between one or another ..Btw did you ouright delete it or moved it to some forum ?Peddroelm 07:07, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * The developer comment said that it was fairly accurate, not what she had intended, but close. Saying that the formulas presented there were close but not 100% accurate or consistent with in-game is a contradiction. And a pretty big one, to boot. So yes, it did contradict the info on the page. And she said fairly accurate, not extremely. Also, it was deleted outright. I kind of figure that in these cases, the burden of moving the info to the forum belongs with the person who wants the info to survive, not the person who wants to delete it. SpartHawg948 07:11, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * At this point I lack the motivation to rewrite it all for forums. My affairs with mass effect 2 are just about finished. Looking forward for me 3. Peddroelm 07:23, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

Something to look at if you get a chance...
So, for a couple of articles about some cut planets (Rosh and Arvuna), I resurrected an old template that was deleted a while back due to lack of use, but which is now needed again, the Demo or 'cut content' template. However, it's an old and outdated template that does the pages it's on no justice. As someone who has taken an interest in the templates, I was wondering if you could take a peek and maybe see about improving it both visually and in terms of making it a bit more specific, as atm it's only used for ME2 content, but the text does not reflect this. If you don't want to, that's A-OK too, I just figured I'd ask! :) SpartHawg948 06:50, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh no I'm the template guy now! :) I can take a look at it, though it may not happen tonight. Did you want it to look something like the PicsWanted tag, with a witty quote and nifty image, or something slightly more basic like the cleanup tag? Dammej 07:04, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

Indeed you are the template guy! :P I'd say more basic, as I can't really think of a witty quote/image. Of course, if there are some that would be could I'd love to hear them, I just can't think of anything atm. Just anything that looks less like an ugly white box and more like the rest of the templates would be outstanding. SpartHawg948 07:06, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I can't really think of anything right now either. For now, I'm thinking similar color scheme/layout as the Cleanup tag, but with that filing cabinet thing instead of the broom. I'll play around with the colors to try to find something that works and looks appealing. Probably won't happen until tomorrow though. Dammej 07:21, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

No worries. I'm in no rush. I'm putting off quite a bit of stuff myself atm, so I can't really demand anyone else work faster, lest I be accused of hypocrisy. SpartHawg948 07:25, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * It ended up being a lot simpler than I thought it would be. I made the change to the template: Demo. I didn't end up changing the color, as the current background didn't seem to clash with the file cabinet. Let me know what you think. Anything else that should be added there? Are there "instructions" that could be added, similar to the cleanup tag? Am I missing any possible categories that the take should automatically add to a page that transcludes it? Can I ask any more questions without making my head explode?


 * Also, hope you don't mind if I'm not participating in the Raloi discussion. You seem to have things under control, and I didn't feel like being a parrot. Dammej 09:28, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

Ummm... well, for starters, it looks good! As for categories, there is the Cut Content category. It'd be nice, but not required, if adding the Demo tag could also add the Cut Content category. Other than that, I am 100% satisfied with it! As for the raloi discussion, you know what they say about it being a free country! If you don't want to participate, that's nobody's buisiness but your own! :) SpartHawg948 09:39, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Awesome! My hero! :D SpartHawg948 09:50, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

RE: gallery css
Fixed. I changed the gallery background color to match the dark blue of the table of contents and category boxes. I also changed the link text on the 'Add a photo' button to black. By the way, I use Firebug to find the css needed to change specific things. It's a great tool. JoePlay ( talk ) 17:00, June 23, 2010 (UTC)

Editing Templates
Excuse me Dammej, I think I need some help with editing ME2:Adversaries template. Particularly, I'm interested in adding pictures/screenshots, and some other stuff. Could you help me with it? Is there any manual or something?Harbinger265 02:31, June 25, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, there's no template called ME2:Adversaries, so I'm guessing here, but I assume you're talking about the AdversariesME2 template. Are you just interested in adding pictures to articles that use the template? If that's the case, you don't have to edit the template itself, just change how it's called. If you want to actually change the template itself, the following is going to be completely useless to you. :P


 * Again, this is just a guess, but I assume that the problem you're encountering is that you're going to edit the page, (such as Bounty Hunter, and you can't actually see the template. It just appears as a puzzle piece in the editor, and when you hover over it, it looks like a bunch of garbage. This is because you're using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor to edit pages. In this case, it's not a very accurate description of the editor, since it doesn't seem to display templates very well. Now I'm not sure how to actually edit templates in the WYSIWYG editor, because I don't use it. Instead, to edit the page, click the &lt;&gt; Source button up in the upper-right of the editor window. This reloads the page in actual Wiki code. You need to use Wiki code to change how a template gets called on a page.


 * Now that you've gotten the page displayed in Wiki code, you just need to find where the template code is on the page. Luckily, for enemy pages, it's right near the top. For the Bounty Hunter page, it looks like this:


 * So, to change the image, just change the |image = ... line and insert whatever you like there for the image. Similarly for other options. If an option isn't there and you need it, check out the documentation for the template on the template page itself (I linked it above). Once you're finished editing the page, just click save page as usual to save the page. You might want to hit the "preview" button before doing this though, just to make sure it looks the way you want it to.


 * Those are the basics. Let me know if anything else needs more explaining, or if I'm completely off-base with what it is you want to do. :) Dammej 03:43, June 25, 2010 (UTC)
 * HAHA,I I DID IT! First time! Thanks a lot C.O.)Harbinger265 03:54, June 25, 2010 (UTC)
 * Congrats! :) Glad I could help. Dammej 04:02, June 25, 2010 (UTC)
 * Dammej, I'm also curious about adding this template. Should any enemy encountered in ME2, even only once, have this template in its article?Harbinger265 05:15, June 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * That seems to be the way the wind is blowing. I'm not so sure about it personally, but I doesn't bother me too much. Dammej 05:18, June 27, 2010 (UTC)

ME Enemies Template
Since I on the current thinking that you created an ME2 enemies, template, I am assuming that you are also going to create an ME enemies template. If you are I managed to pull the list of enemies from ME:
 * Husk, Geth Trooper, Geth Destroyer, Geth Recon Drone, Geth Sniper, Geth Shock Trooper, Fist, Assassin, Thug, Krogan, Turret, Geth Armature, Geth Colossus, Krogan Battlemaster, Kaira Starling, ERCS Guard, Rachni Soldier, Rachni Worker, Rachni Brood Warrior, Thorian Creeper, Asari Clone, Geth Rocket Drone, Geth Assault Drone, Indoctrinated, Doctor Droydas, Asari Assistant, Saren, Geth Prime, Pirate, Test Subjects, Julia, Alestia Iallis, Balak, Dahlia Dantius, Elanos Haliat, Helena Blake, Matriarch Benezia, Mercenary, Mercenary Sniper, Mercenary Anti-Tank
 * Now some of those don't have pages yet: ERCS Guard, Asari Assistant, Julia, Assassin, Thug, Rachni Soldier, Rachni Worker, and finally Rachni Brood Warrior.

So I'll work on creating those pages, but I figured this might be of use to you if you are planning on creating an ME enemies tempalte. I hope I am right. Lancer1289 01:13, June 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * Holy cow that's a lot more enemies than I thought. Yeah, I'll be working on the ME enemies template, eventually. I don't remember a lot of those enemies though, so I'm going to have to refresh my memory so I can get them correctly categorized. It was easy for ME2, given the mercenary guys, but not as easy in ME. Might have to do stuff like "humanoid" "creatures" or something of that sort. I'll have to think about it. It'll be a while before I start the template, but I'll work on it, I promise. :) Dammej 01:18, June 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * Indeed take your time, I know templates are annoying so take a break. Overhauls of guides aren't easy either, especially when they were written badly to begin with. Also writing walkthoughs aren't easy either, but I'd imagine that templates are annoying complicated, or even more so. Lancer1289 01:22, June 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * That's not really why I don't want to start it yet. :) I just want to finish going through all the enemies in ME2 to make sure they have pages and good pictures first. I don't think I could split my attention between that and ME enemies and keep everything straight. Once I finish my "screenshots!" playthrough of ME2 I'll make a similar run for ME, and make the ME Enemies template there. I'll probably try to update the Mass Effect article while I'm doing that as well. But right now: ME2 mode. Soon it'll be ME mode. Dammej 01:27, June 27, 2010 (UTC)

Since I just finished creating all the page, save one Turret, anyway I have a final list of all the enemies encountered over the course of Mass Effect, and yes it is a long list.
 * Geth Enemies: Husk, Geth Trooper, Geth Destroyer, Geth Recon Drone, Geth Sniper, Geth Shock Trooper, Geth Armature, Geth Colossus, Geth Rocket Drone, Geth Assault Drone, Geth Repair Drone, Geth Flyer, Geth Turret, Geth Prime


 * Krogan Enemies: Krogan Battlemaster, Krogan Bouncer, Krogan (enemy), Krogan Warlord, Krogan Commander, Krogan Warrior


 * Batarian Enemies: Balak, Batarian War Beast, Batarian Shock Trooper, Batarian Rocket Trooper, Batarian Engineer


 * Drones and Turrets: Advanced Assault Drone, Advanced Rocket Drone, Defense Drone, Alliance Heavy Turret, Turret


 * Mercenary and Terrorist Enemies: Crime Boss, Mercenary Anti-Tank, Mercenary Sniper, Mercenary (enemy), Mercenary Adept, Pirate, Thug, Assassin, ERCS Guard, Biotic Terrorist, Biotic Terrorist Leader


 * Other Enemies: Rachni Soldier, Rachni Worker, Rachni Brood Warrior, Thorian Creeper, Asari Clone, Indoctrinated, Asari Assistant, Darius Retainer


 * Character Enemies: Fist, Kaira Starling, Doctor Droydas, Saren, Test Subjects, Julia, Alestia Iallis, Dahlia Dantius, Elanos Haliat, Helena Blake, Matriarch Benezia

Sorry for not providing links, but my fingers are already twitching near my thorat :). I also provided some category titles, but jsut to warn you, I am very bad with names so I did the best I could. Again I think I got them all, will start replaying ME tomorrow to double check, but I figured I'd provide you with the list. 06:51, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh yeah, forgot to respond to this: That's probably about as good a categorization as it'll get without looking awful. I'll just futz with the naming of them a bit. Probably be able to make the template tomorrow. Thanks for the investigative research! :) Dammej 08:23, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * No problem, just figured that since I was starting an ME walkthough, I should start compliling the list. Again if I missed any, I'll be sure to let you know. Lancer1289 14:12, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ok I guess I forgot the page for Test Subject, but I have since retified that. Also I forgot a named enemy, even if he dies after one hit, Dr. Saleon. If I find anymore I was wondering if I could just mod the template without having to drop you a message every time I do so? Lancer1289 20:56, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * That's fine, go ahead. I have been completely absorbed in other tasks, so I forgot to even mention to you that I'd put it up! Such is life. I think I also recall that Tonn Actus was missing. Feel free to change the one in my sandbox if you wish. :) Dammej 21:02, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, also I noticed that Elanos Haliat is also missing, so I'll add them both and the link for the subject. Lancer1289 21:09, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'll also add any other enemies that I come across while I replay ME starting tomorrow, too much to do today. Lancer1289 21:15, June 30, 2010 (UTC)

About Today
If I really came across as stubborn or rude today, the I would like to appoligize becuase I apparently have that problem when I am conversing over the internet, as my friends have told me several times. As to the discussion on the vindicator page, I didn't see what you second comment said as the page's length was overloading my browser. Which is often why I have to save rather than take a peak at what was said that caused me to conflict. Then I go back and take a look and respond to that. That happens frequently on long talk pages like mine. Lancer1289 02:31, June 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * (shrug), I have no gripes :) I will, in turn, apologize if I came off in any way other than respectfully. I see what you mean about the edit conflict issue though, so I'll keep that in mind for the future. Dammej 02:37, June 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * You didn't come off like that at least from my perspecitve. Anyway take another look at my talk page for the whole morality guide thing. I think I might have been able to explain why, I hope. Lancer1289 02:40, June 28, 2010 (UTC)

Also could I get your opinions on two things on the Talk:Turret page and something on the Talk:Drones page. Thanks. Lancer1289 03:02, June 28, 2010 (UTC)

Request for your help
Hi Mate,

I've been stuck for 2 days in the vulcan station where those lava and the debris meet and we have to play Frogger. I though you could be a little more descriptive on how the hell I'm supposed to jump those pebbles when some are to high for me to jump on and the others seem to sink too fast...

Think you can give me a hand? Either update the page of the wiki or just email me at boy_that_plays at hotmail.com

85.243.158.189 13:03, June 28, 2010 (UTC)GB
 * Sorry to jump in here but since I wrote the section you are asking about I think I can help as well. If I am understanding you correctly then you are not letting the jump jets on the Hammerhead recharge before jumping, which can cause that problem of debris being too high. You don't need to use the booster here to get from rock to rock and if you are using it then you aren't letting the jump jets recharge and that can also cause the problem.
 * As for them sinking too fast, they all sink at the same rate, but they do go very quickly so you need to keep on the move. Basically as soon as you touch a rock it will start to sink so wait just a split second for the Hammerhead's jets to recharge and then move on. The reaons some sink at differrent rates is becuase of their size, smaller ones will sink faster than larger ones.
 * As to an update I thought it was clear enough but I would like to hear if this worked before someone puts this up. Lancer1289 14:30, June 28, 2010 (UTC)

RE: More CSS fixes
Good catch, and yep, that code is exactly what was needed. Fixed. :) JoePlay ( talk ) 15:55, June 28, 2010 (UTC)

Nice pics
Hola! How's things there? I like the new pictures you uploaded. Certainly makes things looks much nicer around here! :D --Teugene 04:21, June 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * Things fair well! And thank ya kindly! I'm no artist, but I certainly try. :) Dammej 05:10, June 29, 2010 (UTC)

Thanks
I don't think I can even express in text as to how grateful I am to you. Your information on the favicon (You taught me that :D) has relieved a great deal of frustration for me and my colleagues. I thank you again, kind sir/ma'am, from the bottom of my heart.--Kamikaz 20:49, July 5, 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for editing the guns, i still don't know how to do it myself :( Shadowhawk27 00:32, August 4, 2010 (UTC)

It's alive!!
Yep, the templates worked like a charm, it's incredibly convenient now to update the news. On top of that, I got a unique news report for the update. Thanks again for going to the trouble, you've saved me and FridgeRaider a bunch. And yes, small world. Spart told me just the other day that he's from Troy, Ohio. -- Commdor (Talk) 04:41, July 8, 2010 (UTC)
 * It's true. Go Trojans! :) SpartHawg948 04:49, July 8, 2010 (UTC)

Jacob Romance pic
What is wrong with it?
 * What is this? Attack of the double posts night? Just to interject, I'd be fine with the image (warning caveat dead ahead!) IF the image was of the default female Shepard, which this one does not appear to be, judging by hair color. SpartHawg948 23:40, July 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Agreed, default I'd still be wary about, but since it isn't, no. Lancer1289 05:04, July 8, 2010 (UTC)

Image help
Woo! I'm up at almost 5 am with insomnia! Anywho, I remembered you have mad image skillz (yes, with a "z"), and wanted to ask for a couple favors. One, can you by any chance obtain a good screenshot of the skull of the Unknown Creature for use on the Races page? And two, could you make a custom placeholder image for use around the wiki (pending admin approval for use). I've got a very specific idea for it. Something like this, but just the "folders" part, laid flat and straight, and colored green (the green seen in the ME character creation sequence where I got the screenshot from). I'm more concerned about the Unknown Creature pic, I've got a plan B if you don't want to trouble yourself with making a fancy placeholder image. -- Commdor (Talk) 09:04, July 9, 2010 (UTC)


 * And fell asleep at some point. But yeah, take your time, I'm a miser myself. The only money I like spending is other people's (hah). It never was a pressing issue, the wiki's gone without a mugshot of Unknowny and official placeholder image for three years, another few weeks or months won't hurt. :) -- Commdor (Talk) 12:39, July 9, 2010 (UTC)

N7 Armor
I have a favor to ask. The N7 Armor's main picture violates the minimize-the-amount-of-Shepard policy since it lacks a helmet. So if you have time and could take a picture of the armor with helmet on that would be awesome. Thanks.Bastian964 19:06, July 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Note: Both Lancer and I prefer the N7 Breather Helmet since it covers more of the face but it's really up to you. Bastian964 19:06, July 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Nice, thanks. Lancer1289 02:06, July 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, man. Bastian964 02:18, July 11, 2010 (UTC)

An ideer
Ask and you shall receive. That's my suggestion, made in like five minutes using MS Paint. I think you'll get the gist of it. If it doesn't inspire, I'll just fall back on what I voted for. -- Commdor (Talk) 01:47, July 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hey that -is- neato. Would require a bit more work (For some reason, the bars in-game go just above the "kink" in the hexagon. So I'd have to make it slightly bigger. I'll try it with a box first, since I can do that with pure wikicode, not needing more images. :P Dammej 01:50, July 12, 2010 (UTC)

Policy Forum
I don't know whether or not you have noticed but there is currently a proposal to establish a new forum where policy for the ME Wiki can be debated and voted on. The forum would allow anyone to bring to a policy question to the attention of the community and we could use some input. Take a look at the proposal on the Forum:Policy Forum page. Thanks in advance. Lancer1289 02:41, July 12, 2010 (UTC)

Jack and Kahje
Reffering to

http://masseffect.wikia.com/index.php?title=Kahje&diff=135423&oldid=135412

True. Jack merely states it was one of "their" moon's, so it could be one of the moons within there territory that they were fond of. If so should the mention of Kajhe on Jack's page be changed? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by.
 * Yes it should be as both of you pointed out, we don't know it was Kahje's moon so it's speculation. I'll change that. Lancer1289 14:04, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yup, good catch there Ironreaper. I didn't even think to check if it was mentioned elsewhere. -- Dammej ( talk ) 17:17, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

Redirect Template
Can I just ask you to clarify what you ment on the Forum:Redirect Template page please. I changed the arrow btw, or were you meaning the background itself? Since we have the first case for this, Blasto, I was going to move the template into the mainspace, but your comment held it up because I wasn't sure what you ment. Thanks in advance. Lancer1289 14:25, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

Better sourcing?
Is there a more acceptable source for the claim that the weapons pictured in the screenshots for Lair of the Shadow Broker will not be in the DLC? This issue hasn't really come up before, but my first reaction is that Twitter is as acceptable for sourcing as MySpace or Facebook would be, which is to say not acceptable at all. Any other sources other than social networking and blogging sites? SpartHawg948 22:08, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * I commented the page itself, so I'll just let that response sit there. I'm really not the person to talk to about it though. JakePT tweeted at Christa Norman asking the question, and she tweeted back at him. Other than that, no, as far as I know, there are no other sources where Christina Norman has said anything about the DLC. -- Dammej ( talk ) 22:12, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I asked though because it wasn't JakePT who added it to the article. It was you, two hours later. This is likely because JakePT and I have had discussions in the past on this very subject, the validity of sourcing using suspect means, such as social networking sites or publications that are known to print false or unproven material. JakePT is intimately familiar with our standards for sourcing, which leads me to conclude this is why he mentioned it on the talk page without adding it to the article. SpartHawg948 22:14, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Just a quick question, when the official ME website not become a valid source? If that is the case, then most of our references are invalid, espeiclally for DLC. Lancer1289 22:20, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Just wanted to point out, announcements on the Official Mass Effect Website, such as the one you just removed from the ME2 article, are still considered valid sources. I can only surmise that you intended to remove the item sourced using Twitter, which appeared later on in the page. SpartHawg948 22:21, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

Sorry. I removed the wrong one. Guess I didn't pay enough attention to which item I was removing. I was attempting to bring the article in line with what SpartHawg was talking about. Honest mistake. My apologies.

Anyway, as it's now apparent, I added the info to the Liara DLC two hours later because JakePT had added it to the Mass Effect 2 article, where it had sat untouched for those two hours. Rather than let the DLC page sit naked, inviting speculation about weapons, I figured we could preemptively stop that by saying that Christina Norman had already disproven it. If twitter isn't an acceptable source though, I'll let it lie.

I'm searching for concrete proof that the twitter account "truffle" does indeed belong to Christina Norman. Would that be acceptable, or is twitter still considered too unreliable? -- Dammej ( talk ) 22:27, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Depends on the 'proof'. Honestly, I don't see why this is a big deal. If it is Christina Norman, it should be a simple matter to have her comment on it here on the wiki. She has an account, and has commented on this site before. SpartHawg948 22:28, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * As posted on my talk page, her signature on the old official forums (no signature on the new ones) identified it as her account. http://meforums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=683748&forum=144 About half way down she posts, BioWare tag and all and identifies it as her account. JakePT 22:30, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Info which was not provided until just now. Info that would have helped greatly had it been provided initially. SpartHawg948 22:31, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

Glad you could resolve this on my talk page. :P -- Dammej ( talk ) 22:32, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * (edit conflict x4) As to my comment, fair enough, I just saw something removed that was a valid source. Anyway I forgot about the twitter source for the other items and failed to remove it. Thank you spotty memory, and playing the StarCraft II Beta. Lancer1289 22:33, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

I'm still not sure it's 100% resolved. It'd still be vastly preferable to get a non-Twitter comment, but whatever. I just wish people wouldn't provide only snippets of the info, then get all worked up when other people can't see the big picture due to a lack of information. SpartHawg948 22:34, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

Just to follow up. My Bad. It didn't occur to me that said Twitter account wouldn't be considered enough, as I had found it via her official account on the forums and had been following it since then and there wasn't ever a moment where I had to even wonder whether it was real or not. Should info come from an alleged developer's account in the future, I will try to find proof that it's their account.JakePT 22:37, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I'm of the opinion that the official forums are 99.9% useless and full of fluff, which is why the only time I ever come into contact with them is when someone links a dev's statement as proof of something. SpartHawg948 22:40, July 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * I agree, now at least. The last couple of months before ME2 was released was great though, developers, writer Patrick Weekes in particular, were posting a lot, with some great info. These days the Mass Effect forums are almost completely absent of developer activity, though whenever there's an announcement (like the DLC) or once a week or so I scan through them looking for the 'BioWare' tag for developer posts. JakePT 22:53, July 22, 2010 (UTC)

Main Page Project
My main page project is finalized and I plan to present it to the rest of the community for discussion later today, barring any last-minute adjustments. If you've got any last words to say about it, I direct you here. -- Commdor (Talk) 19:43, July 25, 2010 (UTC)


 * FYI, I'm going offline for the day (and postponing the debut of the project for now) and will only be back to update the CDN as usual. Since you're more knowledgeable about coding and I've got no fresh ideas on how to improve the look of the CDN on the main page, you've got permission to edit my sandbox accordingly if you need to. -- Commdor  (Talk) 00:59, July 26, 2010 (UTC)


 * Ah, I hope I didn't miss you before you've logged. Thanks. I'll only make changes in regard to the Cerberus Daily News section, promise. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:12, July 26, 2010 (UTC)

Thanks
Thanks for fixing those mistakes I made when I edited those pages. I probably shouldn't have tried to fix grammar after pulling two consecutive all-nighters but, eh, I did it anyway. Arbington 04:17, August 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * No problem. It happens. I've made far more egregious errors than simply using the wrong word. Lectures from SpartHawg are unpleasant. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 04:20, August 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * (edit conflict) About that, can someone actually get the description from the game for Rothla. I'd do it myself, but I currently unable to. Lancer1289 04:21, August 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * And yes lectures aren't fun as I've had a few of them as well. Lancer1289 04:22, August 2, 2010 (UTC)

Tables
Since you are on, I was curious what you think of the new tables. Personally I really don't like them, while they contain the same information and we all like consistency, it looks more crowded than they did before with all the small text and things. Also I really don't like it because it was done without discussion and that is what really yanks my chain. I would have personally liked to have some input on this, and not wake up this morning and see it all changed with absolutly no discussion what so ever on this. Also I wouldn't say more accurate, just presenting the info differently. Lancer1289 16:07, August 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * I have no strong feelings either way. Unless I'm mistaken, they contain all the information that the previous tables did, just in a more compact manner. I don't have a very high resolution monitor, so the smaller text isn't a problem for me. I certainly think you're within your rights reverting the table and asking for discussion, though. -- Dammej ( talk ) 16:13, August 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm really waiting for Spart on that one, but if I don't hear anything soon, I'll revert it becuase of the lack of discussion. I also discovered that this isn't the first time he's done something like this, changing things with little or no discussion what so ever. Both Tullis and Spart asked him not to do this, making big changes with no input from the commuinty, and this is a community project, input is always appriciated, that's what we have the projects forum for now, thank you to Silverstrike for that one. Also while the manufacturer is usually mentioned on the page itself, it was removed from the general pages, which I thought was something that is jsut an intersting tidbit on information that is usually buried in the weapons pages, or sometimes not at all. Lancer1289 16:24, August 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh and appoligies for the edit conflict and if this one causes one as well. Lancer1289 16:24, August 5, 2010 (UTC)

M-5 Phalanx Laser
Regarding your revision of my statement that the laser boot-up occurs when aiming from behind cover, the start-up time in standard combat is nearly negligible. When aiming the Phalanx from behind cover, however, you experience a drastically higher period in which an aiming reticule is absent. That was the delay I was referring to. GiantEnemyCrab 01:31, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Admittedly, I haven't used the M5 often enough to compare the two times very much, but I didn't think they were that different. It's something I'll have to investigate further. Regardless, I think it's better to just note that the laser has a boot-up time. If it's significantly longer while in cover, it'd be better to say that, rather than imply it only happens from cover. -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:46, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I've been using the Phalanx extensively in my Inflitrator game, and I can confirm that, due to the animation used when aiming from cover, the time it takes for the laser to appear is substantially increased. With your permission, I'll add that information to the Phalanx's page. GiantEnemyCrab 02:13, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * You don't really need my permission to add it back. I'm no one special, for one, and like you, I was just explaining why I reverted it. I have little doubt that you have more experience with the weapon than I do, so your information will almost certainly be more accurate. Do as you will. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 03:07, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * To quote Jacob, "Yeah, that was a little tight. Sorry." Some of my more involved corrections have been undone lately for what I see as questionable reasons, so I'm a bit defensive. Thanks for the level-headed response. GiantEnemyCrab 03:13, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * I try. My motivation, shared by most editors on this site, is merely to present the most accurate information in an easy-to-understand manner. My only concern with the edit was the implication that the delay only happened with cover. Beyond that, I'll defer to those with more experience. Good luck in your future edits. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 03:57, August 7, 2010 (UTC)

Illinois
Since I just saw your user page, and you have a degree from U of I, I was curious do you actually live in Illinois and if you don't mind my asking, were? If you don't then which state. Lancer1289 01:35, August 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, still living in Illinois, down around near Bloomington/Normal. Sorry, never lived up in the Chicago area. :) Looking at some job opportunities over in Colorado though. That state is gorgeous. Wouldn't mind being able to take ski trip weekends regularly. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:43, August 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yea lived near Chicago my whole life, but I do have several friends attending ISU, so I have been to the Bloomington/Normal area, and I have to say that is is a beautiful area. Never been to Colorado, but I hear that it is nice. Not a big ski fan, but I have gone on a few trips to Wisconsin in the past, none recently however. You never realize how small the world is do you. Lancer1289 01:49, August 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yup, it's a pretty crazy world. Lots of buddies from school live in Chicago now. Dunno if I could handle it personally. I'm a farm boy, I like being able to see the stars at night. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 02:00, August 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Indeed it is nice to see the stars, which given all the lights up here, is hard sometimes. However there is a forest preserve near my house, and on clear nights, you can see the stars. Me personally I don't know if I could live in the country, I like urban areas, but then everyone is different. Lancer1289 02:04, August 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, most friends from school have similar thinking. But then, lots of people that attend UIUC were/are from Chicago, so I guess they'd be used to it. Dunno, I just like not being so... cramped. To each their own, I guess. -- Dammej ( talk ) 02:11, August 12, 2010 (UTC)

Sooo...
Word on the street is that you've got you some of them rollback powers! How 'bout them apples! Now get out there and abuse you some power! :P SpartHawg948 06:41, August 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, as long as I have permission! Thank ya kindly! -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:45, August 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * All hail the abuse.....I mean rollback powers! :P GrandMoffVixen 07:36, August 19, 2010 (UTC)

Image Deletion
As I was about to go through the Category:Candidates for deletion, I noticed you have a lot of images up for deletion. However the problem I have is they are being used on talk pages, usually in your comments. In order for those images to be deleted, they have to be taken down first, or they have to stay. Thanks. Lancer1289 20:15, August 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * I believe I've removed all links to the images in question. The borders for enemies claim to be linked on the Forum page for that change, but this isn't the case. The template was modified to no longer use them. You should be able to safely delete them. -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:01, August 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks I was going to ask about that, then life decided to rear its head. Anyway also thanks for sorting out that image thing with the IFF article. I played aroud with it and couldn't get the right image to display. Any ideas why that happened because I got nothin. Lancer1289 23:39, August 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Probably just another caching-related issue. Wikia's software automatically generates correctly sized images on pages when you specify a width that's not the same as the native image. It's smart enough to know not to regenerate a new image if the same size is specified, but apparently not smart enough to know that a newer version of the image has been uploaded, and that the cached thumbnail is out of date. That's my thinking anyway. I'll post about it on the community forums if it hasn't already been mentioned. I have to imagine others have experienced the problem. -- Dammej ( talk ) 23:58, August 19, 2010 (UTC)

HUD elements in screenshots
Hey, I have been watching things around here and I get the impression that you are the unofficial authority on how to take good screenshots for use on the wiki. I can take excellent quality pics but have the issue remain of how I remove the HUD. Would you be willing to tutor me on how I would be able to achieve this? Thanks for helping! GrandMoffVixen 07:16, August 23, 2010 (UTC)
 * Apologies for the late response, I've been playing the game for a while-- something for which I don't have lots of time as of late.
 * I'm willing to help, but you'll have to bear with me. There's a lot of work involved (at least using my methods), and it's ill-suited to a simple reply on a talk page. I want to write a blog or article or something which has everything listed step-by-step and such, but I haven't had the time to write it all out. I'll give you the gist of what's involved... Maybe you can figure out some of the steps involved yourself. If not... well, keep reminding me to work on making the blog post so that I can keep motivated about it. :)

Basic things:
 * 1) Coalesced.ini: I'm assuming you've already messed with this in order to be able to take screenshots. If not, check out PC Tweaks (Mass Effect 2) for a run-down of binds that can be added inside of Coalesced.ini. I added the "Useful screenshot commands" section to that article a while back, so I think it lists all the super helpful commands already, HUD-related or otherwise.
 * 2) Texmod download: This program allows one to replace textures in the game with any other texture. The textures that we're interested in (for HUD purposes) are the markers that go around enemies and other objects that can be interacted with. (There are 3 total, if I'm not mistaken). It allows one to "packages" created by other users so that you don't have to find and replace the texture manually. You might try a google search to find one that someone has already made. Something like "Texmod Mass Effect 2 reticle" might be sufficient. I'll see if I can't find a link tomorrow.

Those two areas are where you should look for getting started. Apologies if this has gone over your head or anything... A talk page is quite inadequate to type out a detailed response. As I said, keep bugging me so that I get that blog written. Hope this at least gives you a push in the right direction. -- Dammej ( talk ) 09:07, August 23, 2010 (UTC)

Nice nice. Actually, I take my screenshots via fraps (also how I do my videos) which does not require me to alter the coalesced.ini file. I will definately take a look as to the texmod and play with it. GrandMoffVixen 09:29, August 23, 2010 (UTC)

Screenshots
Nice shots for the Professor Dossier page. I especially like the shots of the Blue Suns trooper in combat, and of Mordin (coincidentally, I had cropped exactly the same picture or Mordin this afternoon for the same page!). And your captions are right after my own sense of humor.

A few questions: I noticed you spoke of a "screenshots guide"; but from the preceding section, it sounds like your guide must be long. Is that so? Also, what resolution (1280x720?) and video card do you use? - ("Last console owned was a Genesis." Nice.) --AnotherRho 00:57, August 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thank you! The shot of the blue suns trooper was actually one of my favorites. I'm glad you liked it. The screenshots you've uploaded have been fantastic as well-- I get the feelig you play at a much much higher resolution than I do.:)
 * I haven't actually written the screenshot guide yet. It's sorta in-process, but it's mostly a mental outline at the moment. I basically want to make it a step-by-step guide to set up all the binds, changing textures, etc. I'm not actually sure how long it'll be, but I certainly don't want to just write it all out on a talk page. Sounds like I should get working on it-- you're the second person to have inquired in a short time. Oh the perils of dividing attention between work and hobbies.
 * To answer your questions: I play at 1280x1024-- I have an old 19inch monitor that's on its last legs. My video card is a pretty old Radeon X1900XT. I haven't had the need to upgrade it in some time, but it's starting to look long in the tooth as well. Most of my screenshots are much higher resolution though. Using the TiledShot command, I take screenshots at 3840x3072, which I then resize down to 1280x1024 (To eliminate jagged edges), then crop to 1280x720 (I'm a sucker for widescreen). I chose 1280x720 mostly at random. I can certainly create screenshots at a higher resolution, but 1280x720 seemed like a nice compromise between having a high quality and small size.
 * Unfortanately, I can't take screenshots of cutscenes or conversations at higher resolutions; for some reason the letterboxing screws up the TiledShot command. It pains me to see the jagged edges there, but I can't do anything to help it, unfortunately.
 * Hope that helps! Let me know if I can help with anything else. Keep up the good work with your own screenshots! -- Dammej ( talk ) 02:18, August 27, 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the response. I asked about your res. partly because your shots show such fine detail. Your final res. is a good ratio (I'm a similar sort of sucker), and besides it's convenient, fitting just about every desktop resolution that one is likely to have. -- Also, it sort of goes without saying but certainly don't neglect work or anything important on my account. Mainly just curious, since I'm always trying to use tricks and photo-editing to avoid HUD lines and such, but having seen your shots I realize that there are techniques of which I'm plainly ignorant.
 * What is this tiledshot command? (I suspect answering this latter would be somewhat annoying. At any rate, after reading that the console was a non-entity in ME2, I stopped reading up on tweaks. Soooo, if you suspect an explanation would be too taxing, then a terse sentence would suffice). Also, do you have an example of these "jagged edges"?  If so, could you post one on my talk page?  I'd like to see what you're talking about.  Thanks again.  --AnotherRho 04:31, August 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh don't worry, I like Mass Effect (and the wiki), but work definitely takes precedence. It helps when work is actually fun. :)
 * Regarding TiledShot: it's a "console" command that automatically renders a scene in tiles (at your native resolution), then stitches them all together into one giant screenshot. I put "console" in quotes, because you correctly noted that there is no console in ME2. But that does not mean that commands in the game cannot be executed. Describing how to get bindings to work would probably take many paragraphs on this page, so I'll just point you in the right direction: PC Tweaks (Mass Effect 2) has some information on how to edit coalesced.ini, which is how you can bind and execute commands in ME2 sans console. It's somewhat vague, so you might actually be better served by searching for something like this on google (or your preferred search engine), as I suspect that more in-depth guides to modding ME2 already exist.
 * Regarding Jaggies: It's a colloquial term for "aliased" edges. Basically, it's what happens when you try to draw a straight line on a finite rectangular grid (like a monitor)... you get jagged edges when the pixels representing said line jump from one column/row to another. It's most noticeable at lower resolutions (big pixels), and with nearly horizontal or vertical lines. Rather than link you an image, I'll just link you the wikipedia article on the matter: Spatial_anti-aliasing. I could probably dig up images of aliased images on the wiki, but it would be harder to describe what I mean (and I lack adequate image editing software on this computer); I hope the wikipedia article will be an adequate substitute.
 * Hope I answered your questions adequately; I've been on the road quite a bit today, so I'm not sure if I'm being coherent anymore. I guess I'll find out tomorrow after morning coffee! As always, please do contact me if you have more questions; though I doubt I'll be able to respond as quickly this time. Sleep is an unfortunate necessity. Cheers! :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:12, August 27, 2010 (UTC)


 * Ah, tiledshot... not just a clever name. You've been very helpful (and coherent). I know a tiny bit about anti-aliasing, but wasn't familiar with the use of that term (now I see that my shots are filled with those sawteeth. Oh well).  I also recall reading somewhere that the Unreal 3 engine doesn't support anti-aliasing  (if I'm not mistaken); do you use CTC to force it?
 * Thanks again, and happy sleeping. - (Confucius say: man who runs behind car gets exhausted). --AnotherRho 05:48, August 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * Glad I was able to be understood. :) I believe you're correct in stating that UE3 does not natively support anti-aliasing. I don't force anti-aliasing through any ATI tools though. I tried it once, but didn't notice any difference in the images in-game. Not sure if I was doing something wrong or not, but I decided that I'd rather not run with anti-aliasing on anyway-- my poor computer already has trouble running the game with all the details turned all the way up... I couldn't imagine how much worse the game would perform if I had antialiasing turned on as well!
 * Rather, my usage of TiledShot is directly responsible. By rendering a screen at 3x normal size, then resizing it down to normal screen resolution, I'm able to effectively implement 3x supersample antialiasing manually. -- Dammej ( talk ) 17:33, August 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * That makes sense.
 * Another question: you always add the Fair Use tag to your uploads. Are game screenshots always "copyrighted" in that they are of a copyrighted game? Should all screenshots have that note? Or what do you think?  AnotherRho 18:30, August 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * My understanding is that we're uploading pictures of the copyrighted work "Mass Effect" by BioWare... As we're only showing a portion of it (I.E. not the entire game), it qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. -- Dammej ( talk ) 18:35, August 27, 2010 (UTC)

Combat HUD
Dammej, I just noticed your edit to the ME2 Combat page (the image caption for the HUD). Thanks for the correction; I didn't realize it, but now it makes sense. Yet I swear that something white flashes near the face-icons sometimes... doesn't a white "pie piece" flash if that squadmate is being hit, while having shields? (I know a red "pie piece" flashes there if they're taking hits to their health - or at least I think it's when their shields are already down). --AnotherRho 00:39, August 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * To be honest, I haven't nailed it down either. :P I think you're right that the pie piece does flash white when hit though. At least, I think I remember that happening when their shields take hits on Haestrom, since that's about the only time I ever look at the HUD to see that information. -- Dammej ( talk ) 00:49, August 29, 2010 (UTC)

Combat Drones
However I have to completely disagree here. There is only a color distinction between the drones, which is trivia and not player notes, which is what the notes section is supposed to be about. Trivia is about things like that, where color distinctions are noted. It is more trivia material than notes based on how the notes section is used on other pages. Lancer1289 15:50, September 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * Acutally the Notes section should be named "Player Notes", as that is really what they are about. Telling players how to use the powers effectivly and their effects. Lancer1289 16:01, September 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * I still think it's an important note for combat usage moreso than trivia. As we're deadlocked with only us two, it would seem that it'd be best to take this issue up on the talk page for the Combat Drone. -- Dammej ( talk ) 16:05, September 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * However what is there to note apart from the colors. The notes section on every other power page is used to provide players on how to use the power, and not note things like a color change, which is the point of trivia sections. However I'll bring it up on the talk page. Lancer1289 16:09, September 2, 2010 (UTC)

Editing Q
D, noticed your editing of Tali's page. Does that clrl code force a 'hard return' on the page? AnotherRho 04:57, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * 'hard return' is probably not a good description of it... It's a little more robust than that. It forces everything after the clear to appear below any "floated" elements, such as images. Most other elements "flow" around floated elements automatically. Using a clear allows you to indicate that this behavior is not desired. It's better illustrated with an example, I think:

Example 1
Here, text will flow around the thumbnail: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean enim lacus, feugiat ac accumsan in, malesuada a elit. Vivamus a ante sit amet odio cursus commodo eget id urna. Etiam tempor gravida tellus, ut elementum nibh auctor a. Vestibulum consequat nisi dignissim nibh congue fermentum. Proin vehicula congue eros et tincidunt. Duis accumsan felis sed sem rhoncus at vehicula sem porttitor. Sed sit amet pretium orci. Donec luctus tortor ac ipsum scelerisque varius cursus risus pretium. Mauris facilisis tempor purus, vel pretium justo ornare eget. Ut orci quam, varius sit amet euismod a, scelerisque pellentesque mi. Cras blandit purus in sapien lobortis dapibus. Mauris vel diam tellus. Donec sit amet eros mi. Sed ornare fringilla sem, vel gravida orci varius nec. In malesuada, ante ut pharetra vestibulum, metus augue vestibulum odio, ac consequat sapien neque eu tellus. Etiam venenatis sodales euismod.

Pellentesque in elit nec nulla egestas feugiat. Phasellus rhoncus suscipit mauris, eget lacinia tortor mollis vel. Pellentesque a lacinia est. Cras mi nibh, imperdiet et tempus ut, pharetra a metus. Integer sit amet lacus sapien. Curabitur ut dui imperdiet diam bibendum dignissim ac volutpat tortor. Ut scelerisque tempus fringilla. Ut ut nisi at tortor consectetur fringilla. Suspendisse tempor tortor vitae lacus scelerisque vitae sagittis elit tempus. Duis sit amet sapien ac magna egestas luctus. Curabitur vitae massa vel est tincidunt hendrerit. Curabitur molestie blandit enim id tincidunt. Vestibulum ut pulvinar tellus. Sed egestas eleifend magna non dapibus. Phasellus consequat accumsan dui id congue. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Curabitur at enim sed lorem vulputate ornare. Nunc hendrerit sodales neque, ac semper felis aliquam non. In pharetra faucibus elit non viverra. Donec pretium vestibulum metus, a sollicitudin augue viverra in.

Example 2
Here, the text is forced below the thumbnail using a clrr Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean enim lacus, feugiat ac accumsan in, malesuada a elit. Vivamus a ante sit amet odio cursus commodo eget id urna. Etiam tempor gravida tellus, ut elementum nibh auctor a. Vestibulum consequat nisi dignissim nibh congue fermentum. Proin vehicula congue eros et tincidunt. Duis accumsan felis sed sem rhoncus at vehicula sem porttitor. Sed sit amet pretium orci. Donec luctus tortor ac ipsum scelerisque varius cursus risus pretium. Mauris facilisis tempor purus, vel pretium justo ornare eget. Ut orci quam, varius sit amet euismod a, scelerisque pellentesque mi. Cras blandit purus in sapien lobortis dapibus. Mauris vel diam tellus. Donec sit amet eros mi. Sed ornare fringilla sem, vel gravida orci varius nec. In malesuada, ante ut pharetra vestibulum, metus augue vestibulum odio, ac consequat sapien neque eu tellus. Etiam venenatis sodales euismod.

Pellentesque in elit nec nulla egestas feugiat. Phasellus rhoncus suscipit mauris, eget lacinia tortor mollis vel. Pellentesque a lacinia est. Cras mi nibh, imperdiet et tempus ut, pharetra a metus. Integer sit amet lacus sapien. Curabitur ut dui imperdiet diam bibendum dignissim ac volutpat tortor. Ut scelerisque tempus fringilla. Ut ut nisi at tortor consectetur fringilla. Suspendisse tempor tortor vitae lacus scelerisque vitae sagittis elit tempus. Duis sit amet sapien ac magna egestas luctus. Curabitur vitae massa vel est tincidunt hendrerit. Curabitur molestie blandit enim id tincidunt. Vestibulum ut pulvinar tellus. Sed egestas eleifend magna non dapibus. Phasellus consequat accumsan dui id congue. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Curabitur at enim sed lorem vulputate ornare. Nunc hendrerit sodales neque, ac semper felis aliquam non. In pharetra faucibus elit non viverra. Donec pretium vestibulum metus, a sollicitudin augue viverra in.

Example 3
Here, the clr appears in the middle of the text, forcing only the text after the clear to appear below the thumb: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean enim lacus, feugiat ac accumsan in, malesuada a elit. Vivamus a ante sit amet odio cursus commodo eget id urna. Etiam tempor gravida tellus, ut elementum nibh auctor a. Vestibulum consequat nisi dignissim nibh congue fermentum. Proin vehicula congue eros et tincidunt. Duis accumsan felis sed sem rhoncus at vehicula sem porttitor. clrr here: Sed sit amet pretium orci. Donec luctus tortor ac ipsum scelerisque varius cursus risus pretium. Mauris facilisis tempor purus, vel pretium justo ornare eget. Ut orci quam, varius sit amet euismod a, scelerisque pellentesque mi. Cras blandit purus in sapien lobortis dapibus. Mauris vel diam tellus. Donec sit amet eros mi. Sed ornare fringilla sem, vel gravida orci varius nec. In malesuada, ante ut pharetra vestibulum, metus augue vestibulum odio, ac consequat sapien neque eu tellus. Etiam venenatis sodales euismod.

Pellentesque in elit nec nulla egestas feugiat. Phasellus rhoncus suscipit mauris, eget lacinia tortor mollis vel. Pellentesque a lacinia est. Cras mi nibh, imperdiet et tempus ut, pharetra a metus. Integer sit amet lacus sapien. Curabitur ut dui imperdiet diam bibendum dignissim ac volutpat tortor. Ut scelerisque tempus fringilla. Ut ut nisi at tortor consectetur fringilla. Suspendisse tempor tortor vitae lacus scelerisque vitae sagittis elit tempus. Duis sit amet sapien ac magna egestas luctus. Curabitur vitae massa vel est tincidunt hendrerit. Curabitur molestie blandit enim id tincidunt. Vestibulum ut pulvinar tellus. Sed egestas eleifend magna non dapibus. Phasellus consequat accumsan dui id congue. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Curabitur at enim sed lorem vulputate ornare. Nunc hendrerit sodales neque, ac semper felis aliquam non. In pharetra faucibus elit non viverra. Donec pretium vestibulum metus, a sollicitudin augue viverra in.

Make sense? -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:07, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, your explanation, and demonstration, each and both sufficed. I've been wishing for code like this since I joined.  You, my friend, are full of insights.
 * P.S. if you don't mind my asking, is your name (here) meant to be a homophone for "damage", or is it a name (or word) in a tongue I know not (or for that matter, is it meant to be a double-entendre)? (If you do mind, then pretend I asked whether you typed all that quasi Cicero up, or you copied it from some convenient place.)  AnotherRho 05:27, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * Glad to be of service. And no, I absolutely don't mind the question. Your first guess was correct; it is indeed a homophone for "damage." It was more obvious when I used the name "Brain Dammej" as a handle in multiplayer games. I get mistaken for being indian or middle-eastern quite often when it's simply Dammej. As for the origin... It's a bit of nonsense that arised from the login system that the computer systems at my High School used (oh so long ago...). They used so many characters from our last names and so many from our first names to come up with the login name. Mine ended up being Dammej, which many friends started to use as a nickname... and so it stuck. :)


 * I'll answer the second question too, because why the heck not. I copied all that gobbledygook from lipsum.com. It's so very handy when a demonstration of layout with text is needed, but you don't want people getting distracted by the meaning of the text. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:38, September 3, 2010 (UTC)


 * As far as computer-handle stories go, that one's pretty good. My first handle came from a declaration in 9th grade, that "pascal [class] sucks", resulting in, pascalsux.  -- Allegedly (or so I just read) the lorem ipsum blablabla is derived from Cicero's "On the Ends of things Good and Bad" (i.e. on the purpose of all our actions); I haven't looked it up myself, but the example of text I found seemed to confirm it (however that may be, I agree, it's very useful for the purpose mentioned, even more so since education in Latin was decimated in the 19th and 20th centuries).  And it's much longer than, "The quick brown fox etc."
 * Well, well, there's a left-side 'clear' command, too. AnotherRho 06:05, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * And there's one for doing both as well! If you're at all interested in the technobabble behind it, you can learn to your hearts content at the wikipedia article for Cascading Style Sheets. -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:24, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * On a serious note, what program (or what means) do you use to edit your ME2 bioxxxx.ini file? AnotherRho 06:12, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * I use a program called Notepad++ to do most any editing, including ini files. You may wish to read up on the many methods available to you in PC Tweaks (Mass Effect 2). Notably, a "fixer" is needed even after editing with Notepad++ to make coalesced usable by the game. Alternatively, you may wish to use a tool such as CED, which will do all of that for you. Neither method is particularly user-friendly, but you work with what you get, I guess. -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:24, September 3, 2010 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I asked because I checked out the page and got CED; after opening an ini up in CED, I realized that coding had far surpassed the days of Pascal and the Quake 2 console/cfg editing. At any rate, I couldn't even figure out how to add a binding.  Then I just glanced at the .ini file raw, and it was sort of like an ancient Greek manuscript (they used no spaces, you see; and that whole different alphabet thing).  These difficulties led me to work with what I already had (fraps, sadly).  I tried out tiledshot in ME1 today, and it was quite nice (except there tend to be darker linear-portions along the 'edges' of each section of the high-res screen. Oh well).  Thanks for answering. AnotherRho 06:34, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * That's part of the reason I'm working on the screenshot guide. CED is pretty obtuse, because it's obviously written by a computer scientist who expects that all users will immediately know what's going on. (they don't!) Notepad++ will alleviate the issue of there being no spaces in the ini file, thankfully. Notepad and Wordpad in windows aren't designed to work with unix-styled newlines, but Notepad++ can handle them just fine.
 * As an aside: try increasing the second parameter of TiledShot to get rid of those dark lines... That increases the amount of overlap between each tile. The dark lines you see are the darkened edges of the screen that you see when normally playing. I believe that I use TiledShot 3 384 to take screenshots in ME2. See if that helps in ME. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:46, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah, I wondered how that could help. Thanks for the tip!

Continuing Q about Tiledshot
So I tried 3 384 (I think running 1280x800, although one shot was the same with 1900x1200 - which took 30 seconds to "take"), and still get the dark lines in ME. (If you wish to see examples, check out the photos on the UNC: Colony of the Dead page). Where did you come up with 384 anyway? Is the goal to have an overlap number that is, or is not a factor of one of your resolution-dimensions? Any thoughts, however brief, would be appreciated. AnotherRho 03:24, September 5, 2010 (UTC) I should add this: in the .ini, I have bound the key thus: blablabla Command="TiledShot 3 384", blablabla. But I don't know if the quotes are ill-used/placed? AnotherRho 03:25, September 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * So, for tiledshot, the first number indicates the multiple of your native resolution you want, no surprise there... the second number is just the amount of overlap you want between tiles, measured in pixels. I chose 384 largely at random, but I like nice 'even' numbers like that (384 = 256+128, both of which are powers of 2. Yes, I'm aware of my nerdiness.) The second parameter can be any number you like, really.


 * The reason you want overlap is to get rid of full-screen effects that get messed up by the tiles. For example, the 'darkening' effect that you normally see on the edges of the screen in Mass Effect. If it were just tiles laid side-by-side with no overlap, you would get this darkened edge in every tile, which looks like crap. By overlapping them, you discard the unwanted edges of the screen, leaving only the 'clean' center of the screen. Obviously 384 is not enough in your case. Try just increasing it until all the dark edges go away. I'd experiment in ME to see what works for me, but I don't currently have it installed (shocking, I know!) You might want to experiment by just typing the command in the console until you find a value that works, then bind the key.


 * And as far as I know, the bind you've written out is correct. If you hit the key and it starts the tiledshot, it should be using the parameters you've typed.


 * P.S. It's clear from the screenshots that 384 is enough to take care of the horizontal edges, so just keep upping the number until the vertical ones disappear. -- Dammej ( talk ) 04:43, September 5, 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks. Do you think lowering the overlap value could help (I mean lower than 384)?
 * You think you're nerdy. Whenever I think of 256 or 128, I recall making Doom levels, and how 128 is the generic length of a wall. AnotherRho 04:59, September 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Re: Lowering the overlap, I doubt it'd help. You could try it though. Just do TiledShot 2 ###. Whatever works for that will work for TiledShot 3 ###.
 * Powers of 2 man! Everywhere! -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:08, September 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks again. I suppose I shall have to go with trial and error.  AnotherRho 05:11, September 5, 2010 (UTC)

Lair
Assuming it's worked for you (got it on my end). I'm somewhere in the middle of the mission now; outstanding. Have fun! AnotherRho 08:04, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Indeed it did! In all my excitement, I forgot to post that I'd finally gotten the DLC downloaded. Instead, I added a few screenshots. It's been harder than I expected to take good ones, though. I will make more attempts tonight! -- Dammej ( talk ) 18:15, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * No problem. (Re: screenshots): nice work, glad you're taking them.  Where did you find some of those? are they on the buildings during the car chase? Have you seen any "product placements" (I found last night in the credits a notice that there may be product placements throughout the game).  I guess I was too focused on keeping up with Vasir. -- Also, between you and me, what do you think of Aethyta looking at the pic of Liara? I haven't watched that vid yet. AnotherRho 19:30, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Re: Where?: I assume you mean File:Illium Skyway Chase.png and File:Illium Skyway Chase Egg.png? Yup, they're from the car chase portion of the game. You actually pass by several of those billboards throughout the chase. I wasn't able to find anything else really neat in the chase, but admittedly I wasn't looking too closely. I was just looking for screenshots that'd look good.


 * Re: Aethyta: I really don't know what to think about it. I can't for the life of me come up with a reason that she'd be looking at a photo of Liara other than that she was remembering her daughter (given the context that she once fathered a pureblood daughter, and that the she and her partner became estranged). I'm not thinking too hard about alternate explanations though: in my mind it's been resolved. I'm sure someone could present a compelling alternate theory though (Aethyta is stalking her?!) -- Dammej ( talk ) 19:56, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry to jump in here but after taking another spin through the car chase, there are quite a few interesting billboards aren't there. I'm actually glad you got some of them, Jack's is especially good. Picks with the car weren't as interesting as the scenery, so again I have to compliment you on those screenshots. Much better than I could do, which would be sloppy beyond belief.
 * Also as to Aethyta, since I'm honestly still up in the air about it. Currently I'm leaning towards that because she was laughed off Thessia, she might be looking out for Liara while she is on Illium. Taking Liara under her wing so to speak
 * Sorry sidetracked, but again I really have to give you props for those screenshots. AnotherRho, the shots you have added as well are also great. We can have no shortages of them. Lancer1289 20:12, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks Lancer, and I agree, Dammej really gets the angles and has the tools to do it well, in my opinion. I'm still not sure how you (D) managed to take shots during the car chase-- did you risk losing her, or can you 'pause' the action (as in Mass Effect the first)?  - Well, now that I brought up Aethyta... Lancer, I have to say that Dammej's suggestion (stalking) is somewhat more plausible than yours, simply because Aethyta does say that, whereas her krogan father thought battle scars were sexy, she herself likes "asses". Of course, the age difference there would be like 500 years or more... eek. (In my former opinion, I thought the view that Aethyta had anything to do with Liara was lame, founded on the most general of coincidences.  Then that darn video was made. Ha! oh well).
 * To repeat, D, I'm curious: can you pause the action, or what do you do? Thanks! AnotherRho 20:46, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yup. I pause the game using the  command, which I listed among the many commands that I use at PC Tweaks (Mass Effect 2). -- Dammej ( talk ) 20:50, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oops, I didn't realize that you wrote that page, and had forgotten about it anyway. AnotherRho 00:48, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh my no, I didn't write that entire page, I just added the section about useful screenshot binds. No worries about forgetting it; I was just trying to provide supplementary information to go along with my answer. -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:04, September 10, 2010 (UTC)

Help
Can you please tell me (if you can) what mod you use and there is absolutely no HUD. I downloaded the "ME2 Clean Movie Mods v03" but that doesnt removes the blue square from objects and people.SoulRipper 08:33, September 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * I use TexMod to remove the reticule highlights from the screen. The link I provided has a download for Texmod... I believe that .tpf files exist on the BW site as well, but I couldn't find them in a brief search. If you can't find them, you could always make them youself (There are lots of tutorials about how to replace textures with TexMod online) -- Dammej ( talk ) 18:18, September 9, 2010 (UTC)

Thank you very much.SoulRipper 20:21, September 9, 2010 (UTC)

A few requests
Any way you can somehow extract the logos for the Blue Suns, Eclipse, Blood Pack, and Shadow Broker organizations for use here (like how Cerberus' logo is used in that article)? The enemies in each group have the logos imprinted on their armor, and I figure if anyone can get them, it's you. Hope it's doable. Second thing, I was wondering if you could email me a specific music track from LotSB as an MP3 file. No idea what it's called, but it plays during the Dracon Trade Center stretch, during combat. I'm wanting to make a ringtone out of it. Any help with either item is appreciated. -- Commdor (Talk) 21:49, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Please say you can! I was actually thinking of doing the last Featured Article on the Blue Suns, and wanted to use the logo as the image, but couldn't find one. And asking wasn't feasible at the time, as I needed the image right then, so I ended up doing it on Cerberus instead. And then I forgot to inquire about getting the image. If you could get logos for the merc groups, that would be AWESOME!!! SpartHawg948 21:53, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Re Logos: I'll do what I can. I'm pretty sure I can get 'em from the textures, but I'm not sure how good they'll look. Hopefully they'll be useable (e.g. good looking). Should have an answer later tonight...


 * Re: Music: The work's already been done, friend! I'll link this post from the Something Awful forums, where a guy has them extracted: here. They're in mp3 format already, so you should be good to go. -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:59, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Will do. Thanks. -- Commdor (Talk) 22:18, September 10, 2010 (UTC)

Follow-up on the logo request: doesn't look like I can do a simple texture-grab to get the logos for the various organizations. If you want, I could try to draw them myself (using the textures as a guide), but this will take longer than simply yanking them from the game. -- Dammej ( talk ) 03:42, September 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hmmm... not sure about that. I'd be reluctant to use anything like that for articles or FAs or anything. If Commdor needed them for something else, cool, but drawing them isn't a viable option for what I was hoping to use the logos for. SpartHawg948 03:50, September 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Nope, I wanted the logos for the articles. I'd be okay with drawn versions if they're good, but if Spart says no to the idea, that defeats the purpose. It's a shame this couldn't be easy. -- Commdor (Talk) 03:59, September 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I mean, I know it may not seem like a big deal, but you both know I'm a big 'slippery slope' kind of guy, and I don't like making exceptions, because then people can point to them and go "well you let it slide that other time..." so I'd rather not start accepting images created by editors, as that's perilously close to (if not actually) allowing fan art into articles. Same basic reason that I opposed the proposal to change the Cerberus image a while back. SpartHawg948 04:03, September 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Glad I brought it up first. For what it's worth, anything I tried to draw myself would probably look like the manufacturer logos on their various pages (see: Images in Category:Manufacturers). But if that's right out, I won't even begin the effort. -- Dammej ( talk ) 04:08, September 11, 2010 (UTC)

M-27 Scimitar
Just a quick note, since I couldn't do an edit summary because someone made another edit. If anything, your edit seemed (to me, anyways) to make it even more confusing. The current bit seems to work well enough, as only two people have objected, and it is also spelled out quite clearly on the talk page for the article. SpartHawg948 01:04, September 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I still think the current wording is confusing though. "In Mass Effect 2, this is likely to be an error..." What is the error? I had to re-read the sentence several times in order to parse that the alleged error being referred to is the manufacturer, Ariake Technologies. Is there another way to make this more clear? -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:07, September 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Check out the latest incarnation. Hopefully it works, if not, feel free to scrap it and rework it. SpartHawg948 01:08, September 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I just saw it after I left the message. I think it works better. Neat-o! -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:09, September 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Now we'll just have to see if anyone wants to object to this version too... SpartHawg948 01:10, September 13, 2010 (UTC)

According to Montaigne...
Friends are good to have because (among other things) it is unseemly to praise oneself. I was just admiring the perfect shot of Vasir beginning her charge. Nicely done. --AnotherRho 22:29, September 16, 2010 (UTC)
 * You are too kind. Thank you! -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:29, September 17, 2010 (UTC)

Hi (completely off-topic)
Hey Dammej! How is it going?

I was looking at your profile and read that you have a BA in computer science, which naturally interests me since I'm a CS major myself. What do you do for a living, may I ask? I know you said you're self-employed, but can you narrow it down a little? And what are some recommendations you might have for me as a CS student (2nd year)?

I hope you don't mind me asking. Thanks! Fiery Phoenix 07:26, September 21, 2010 (UTC)
 * Your question is eerily apropos. Have you been watching me? :P


 * To start, I currently make my living by doing 'freelance' programming work. I hope you understand if I remain pretty vague on this point... I'm one of those 'paranoid about privacy' sorta guys. Lets just say that I help out local businesses if that need a hand with designing or implementing small software systems. Right now it's not the most stable source of income (there are some weeks where I have nothing to do for pay), so I'm hunting for a new/better job. The reason your question is eerily apropos is because I actually went to a career fair at my alma mater today in search of a full-time position at a software company. Strange how that works...


 * Advice? hooo boy. Where to begin? There's a ton of trite things I can say, because for the most part everything you've heard about 'best practices' is true. I think the biggest help to me was: Find research work to do while at university. It depends on the university, I guess, but at mine there was just so much research work available, even for undergrads. Talk to your professors, find out what field they're researching, and if it sounds at all interesting to you, ask if they need any undergrad researchers. The work isn't always for pay, but that's not the main benefit. The main benefit is that you befriend a professor who would (assuming you do a good job on your research) gladly write any letters of recommendation you need, and is easily approachable if you have issues in a class you're taking from him/her. They almost certainly know people in the industry as well, so they can probably be your foot in the door. I went to a lot of companies today based off of old professors' recommendations.


 * Also: join some sort of club where you write software as a hobby with a group of people. (A common example is a game, but it need not be that specific) Members that are upperclassmen can teach you invaluable things about programming and software development long before you learn about them in class. Plus you get to add that you've had experience creating software as part of a team of people. That's how it works in pretty much any large software... almost everything you make will be but one piece of a much bigger whole. Demonstrating that you can both communicate your own expectations and understand the expectations of others will go a long way toward making you a valuable "team player."


 * I also recommend working a retail and/or food service job at least once in your life. Knowing how to interact with customers is a huge plus.


 * Hope those answers are satisfactory. Sorry if it's all stuff you've heard before, but it really is true. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:32, September 21, 2010 (UTC)

I must say you embarrass me with that writeup, but it says something about you and I greatly appreciate it.

I have been looking for opportunities where I can do some research that involves my major. I know I want to participate in activities like that, and I've always enjoyed programming classes where I and a bunch of my classmates think and actually do something. What you said confirms this. And I'm sure my school offers those.

Other than that, I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to ask about your job status; I didn't mean to bring it up. Nevertheless, good luck with everything and I hope you find the perfect job sooner than later.

Thank you again, fine sir. Your advice is taken to heart. :) Fiery Phoenix 10:48, September 22, 2010 (UTC)
 * You're quite welcome. :) And no worries about asking about job status. I don't consider it rude or anything, I just prefer not to answer. I don't think it's rude to ask about someone's job normally (At least in the United States, I'm ignorant about customs elsewhere), so you have nothing to apologize for.


 * Let me know if you have more questions, too! CS is a lot of fun. Not sure what your motivation might be, but for me, CS is super rewarding due to the simple fact that you're solving problems and constantly learning. I've always been a big fan of that. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 02:45, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

I'm certainly enjoying it thus far. It makes me feel as if I'm actually learning something. Just two years ago I wasn't even sure what programming was all about, whereas today I can write my own programs and am totally loving it.

And no problem; I'll be sure to let you know should I have any more questions. Thanks again and I hope you find the best job ASAP. You deserve as much. :) Fiery Phoenix 18:08, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Layout changes
I just saw your changes to the Armor Customization article that deal with Wikia new (future) layout. I believe we should wait for the final version of the layout before altering existing pages - not that I have any specific issue with your recent change. --silverstrike 18:40, September 25, 2010 (UTC)
 * In my defense, the change is related to something that seems pretty much set-in-stone as far as the new skin is concerned. They've said that the content space for the layout will be 660px in their FAQ. (specifically mentioned in the Transition guide), whereas they are specifically not answering questions dealing with other aspects of the skin (see: The new look 3, section entitled "What are the technical specifications, such as logo size, width, or modules?"). That is to say: it looks like the width of the content area has been finalized.


 * That's my reasoning behind making some changes now, at any rate. If this is undesirable, I'd suggest at least making a category for these sorts of pages to be put into, that we can identify potential "problem" articles now, while it's still fresh in our minds. -- Dammej ( talk ) 18:52, September 25, 2010 (UTC)


 * I like your idea of tagging the relevant pages, I think we should bring it into discussion in the projects forum (it can also be a nice place to list all the pages that might need this change).
 * Regardless, I didn't mean to suggest that your edit is uncalled for, rather that we should think for a minute before starting to implement big changes. --silverstrike 19:07, September 25, 2010 (UTC)
 * Of course discretion is needed for making big changes. I simply didn't feel that this change (to the Armor Customization article) was large enough to warrant discussion beforehand. Regardless, your point is well received.
 * I'm drafting up a project proposal that will encompass all of the changes that will be required in order to make the transition to the new skin (including the aforementioned category). Your input would of course be appreciated. -- Dammej ( talk ) 19:25, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

Morale Boost
Do you know what this ability is (or whether it is real)? It's listed as belonging to several enemies. --*AnotherRho 17:25, September 26, 2010 (UTC)

Your CSS
Very useful. Thanks a lot. AnotherRho 22:55, September 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * You're welcome. It makes it quite clear just how small the content area is going to be. It's going to take some getting used to...
 * But on the bright side, there's more room on the main page now, at least for smaller screens (since there's no navigation sidebar, and no "Wikia Rail" on the right).
 * Not that that's much consolation. -- Dammej ( talk ) 23:09, September 28, 2010 (UTC)

Accommodating the new skin
Quick thing: Template:HeadingC, used in the main page's heading bars, works in conjunction with some monaco.css code. Can this code simply be moved to MediaWiki:Wikia.css (I assume that's the code page for the new Wikia skin) for the template to continue functioning on through the skin transition? -- Commdor (Talk) 00:27, October 4, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yup, absolutely. The staff already moved everything from Common.css into Wikia.css. No reason we can't do the same for some things in Monaco.css -- Dammej ( talk ) 00:30, October 4, 2010 (UTC)
 * One less worry. I'll get Lancer or Spart to move the necessary code there sometime before the 6th. -- Commdor (Talk) 00:32, October 4, 2010 (UTC)

Heavy Weapon Ammo Pickup
I asked Lancer and pointed me to you. I will copy-paste whatever I said to him.

Here are the final results for how the H.W.A.Pickup works. Its the last comment by me. I dont know where is the proper place to put that info. I think the general article for the heavy weapons, below the upgrades. I dont know, maybe it needs to get a bit more user-friendly. Maybe some explanatory text and maybe some re-wording (my english ain't much user-friendly :P ). Dont forget, everything I show here is only a draft, nothing is final and evertything can get better.

For the ammo pickup amount of each HW I have 2 ideas. The one is having the table in the article with some notes and a link to the HW general article where the info about how the A.P.A. works or having two links, one to the HW general article and one to the section for the HW to the page where the all the tables for each HW ammo pickup are.

I know this stuff needs voting. Im just trying to find out what are the best ways to represent this stuff. Any help wellcome.

I need some help with the tables and how to put the info (tables and how the ammo pickup works) in the articles. Thanks in advance. SoulRipper 22:42, October 4, 2010 (UTC)
 * It's an awful lot of information to be sure. Lancer was a bit too kind in suggesting I'm a good table organizer, though. JakePT has designed most of the 'pretty' tables on this site (I'm thinking specifically of the table at Armor Customization.) He's from Australia, so he's online about the same time that I'm asleep. If you're looking for a good table, he'd be the guy to go to.
 * I question whether all of this information is needed, though. Is it not sufficient to simply list the Min and Max pickup values, with a note to the formula you've come up with?
 * And along those lines, similar 'original research' has been excluded from articles in the past (See: Forum:Weaponry Comparison), so you should check to see if it would even merit inclusion in the wiki before you start thinking about formatting. -- Dammej ( talk ) 23:41, October 4, 2010 (UTC)
 * I will ask JakePT's help for the tables.
 * I dont know, thats why Im asking. Simply listing the Min-Max pickups I dont think it would be accurate cause you see, there are several Min-Max pickups depending on how many upgrades you have. Which of those Min-Max should be posted? If you post one then a player with different number of upgrades will get different amount of ammo ane he/she may question how valid the info is. Also the 20% thing does not work for Cain.
 * I will not format anything before a voting. Im just trying to get ideas and some help. Thanks for answering. SoulRipper 14:14, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

CSS Code
I just thought of something that may cause an issue. All of the changes that we made to the Monaco.css page, like for thumnails, and the info boxes for enemies and anything else, will that still work after the switch or not, or are you unsure. I can ask one of the staff who could probably know if you don't know.
 * The changes to the thumbnails (and for enemy infoboxes) were added to MediaWiki:Common.css, not to Monaco.css. Those changes have already been ported over...
 * That said, thumbnails now have that stupid image attribution, so it'll have to be updated. I think if we just remove everything related to the thumbnails, they should look pretty good again. But if you want them to have the same style as the old thumbnails, I can whip it up really quick too. -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:09, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah about the image attribution, we can't remove it becuase it is mandatory, for now at least. Lancer1289 21:26, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah, I think you misunderstood. I meant remove all the code related to thumbnails from Wikia.css, not remove it from pages. I kinda like how thumbs look as created by the theme designer thingy you used. If you disagree, though, I can provide updated code to make the thumbs look like they do in monaco. -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:30, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * I guess I did then. However I'm assuming you have the code to do this already in your CSS code to cancel out what is in the main CSS code. I really have to look what it looks like without the modification first before I really make decision. However again we can't remove the image attribution for now as Wikia has it as a mandatory feature. Lancer1289 21:33, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * The latest change to my User:Dammej/wikia.css hides the changes we made to thumbs. -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:38, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah I did like the changes we made under the Monaco Skin. They look better with the modifications than unmodified under the new or old skin. However that's me. So if you could whip up some updated code that would be great. Lancer1289 21:47, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry the reason I liked them under the Monaco skin was because it made the few thumbs pop, while this one doesn't. I usually hate thumb images, but on some pages they are good and having the borders made them come out a bit more than under the current skin, where it sort of blends into the background. Apologies in advance for edit conflict. Lancer1289 21:53, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

New changes made. Not quite finished yet, as the magnifying glass gets cut off a bit. I have a prior engagement, however. I'm sure Teugene or Joeplay could help you figure out the changes that need to be made in my absense. Otherwise, I can finish it up when I return. -- Dammej ( talk ) 21:59, October 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well then enjoy yourself, and I'll wait for your return. Currenlty I'm already annoying JoePlay with the Wordmark. Lancer1289 22:05, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

Adding .sprite.details { height: 20px; } seems to fix the icon being cut-off a little at the bottom. — Teugene (Talk) 06:01, October 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Holy timing batman. Actually, that doesn't completely solve the problem. If you'll notice, thumbnails with absolutely no text caption still don't show the magnifying glass. I've identified the problem though... the usage of position:relative causes the background of the image attribution div to draw over top of the sprite. I should have some css in a sec... -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:09, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

Anyway, I think that last change I made solved the problem. Assuming Teugene agrees, here's the delete, copy, and paste job you'll have to do: /* Image frame fix */ div.thumb { border: none; color: inherit; }
 * In MediaWiki:Wikia.css delete

div.thumbinner { background: #1e1e2e; border: 1px solid #333344; }

img.thumbimage { border: none; } div.thumbcaption { background: #333344; }

div.magnify { display:none; } /* Re-skin the thumbnails */ .WikiaArticle .thumbinner { background-color: #1E1E2E; background-image: none; border: 1px solid #334; }
 * In it's place, use this code

.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 */

Should be it. -- Dammej ( talk ) 07:31, October 7, 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure if I did anything wrong as I'm not seeing the thumbnail anymore. I supposed the CSS codes at the top box needs to be deleted first for the codes in the second box to work. Anyhow, I'll safely assume you got it right :) — Teugene (Talk) 08:25, October 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well thanks again as always Dammej for getting this fixed up. I'll put up the copy paste right now. Had to catch up from last night first. Lancer1289 13:25, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

Question about Pages "needing adjustment" for Wikia update
What's wrong with some of the Planet articles? E.g. Ontarom? Did you add it to that category because the planet template is too large, relative to the rest of the article? --AnotherRho 04:02, October 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Whoa, didn't really realize that there was a new section on my talk page. Apologies.
 * I made note of the problem at Forum:Wikia skin update. The problem with the page is basically involving both the big planet template and the picture of the surface of the planet next to each other, causing the intro text to be constricted. This can be solved by either 1.) Moving or removing the surface picture, or 2.) Resizing the planet template so that the text is not as constrained. You may wish to note your ideas at that forum page. -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:38, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

RE: Wiki-background size limits
Hi Dammej. I'm afraid that the Special:ThemeDesigner has a strict limit of 100 KB, meaning, it won't let you upload a background image unless it is under 100 KB. So your best bet is probably scaling down the dimensions of the image. If you have Photoshop, use File > Save for Web. Check the box next to Optimized and move the Quality slider until the filesize (displayed in lower left corner) is under 100 KB. If you have GIMP, I assume the Save for Web plugin works similarly. Another option is using this image optimizer which gives you multiple images to choose from using different quality levels. NOTE: The filesize of the resulting images are listed in bytes, so pick the best one that's under 100,000. JoePlay ( talk ) 20:18, October 7, 2010 (UTC)


 * The 100 KB is a built-in limit when using the theme designer. You should be able to directly upload a new version of Wiki-background with an image of any filesize. And no, the wrath of the wiki gods will not rain down. :) JoePlay ( talk ) 01:11, October 12, 2010 (UTC)

Wikia overhaul
Hi there! I'm an admin over at the Dragon Age Wiki and just wanted to let you know that I borrowed some of your ideas for the Wikia overhaul. Thanks for your great work! Cheers! -- 20:20, October 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * Looks like I have to tap your mind for some info - our editor community seems to be less active in the overhaul discussion than the ones here. What's the width of the black space you need for the background? And how far offset does it have to be from the left? -- 20:49, October 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks :) That totally helps. -- 21:54, October 12, 2010 (UTC)

Image Request
Hey Dammej since you are good at capturing images, I was wondering if I could get a hand with something. Currenlty in line with the new skin change, there is an overhaul going on of the Powers page and there has been some calls for a new page for the Research Projects. Right now Research redirects to the upgrade guide, and I'm already working on a page to correct that, which you may or may not have seen, Research Proposal Page. Anyway back to the matter I wanted to ask, when looking over the various images and comparing them to the images on the research terminal, I noticed that we don't have images for Mordin's Omni-tool upgrade and Jack's L5x upgrade. Is there anyway you can get these images because either way, they would be good additions.

Also it appears that we are missing some of the images for the Normandy's upgrades. Mainly the Advanced Mineral Scanner, Probe Bay, and the Helios Thruster Module. Since the Medical Bay upgrade is the basic Terminal View I'm not as worried about it. Again is there any way you can get those images, because even if the research page doesn't go through, I'm sure we can find some place to put them. Lancer1289 04:06, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry to butt in, but we're also missing icons for Flashbang Grenade, Stasis and, I think, Shadow Strike (unless it does share the cloak icon). Assuming you have the DLC it would be very helpful if you could get those too. Cheers.JakePT 04:13, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Lancer: Duly noted. I'll see if I can grab them tomorrow.
 * JakePT: Is it different on 360? All the icons you mentioned are the same as others on PC (Flashbang is the same as Neural Shock, Stasis is the same as Barrier, and Shadow Strike is the same as Cloak). I remember being disappointed about that. -- Dammej ( talk ) 06:01, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh, that would explain that then. xP JakePT 07:25, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Images are uploaded now. -- Dammej ( talk ) 03:07, October 10, 2010 (UTC)

Some random stuffs
Hey, about the background image, you know when backgrounds scrolls along with the page.. I was just thinking how a good background can look pretty wasteful if there's a long article as the page has to be scrolled to the down? I had in mind of using CSS to keep that background static so we see it at all times no matter how long the article is. Shouldn't waste a beautiful image, should we?

Also on a different topic, some thing stuck my mind about your user name and I was wondering if it was "Jammed" with the front and back letters reversed. Yea, what a random thought. :) — Teugene (Talk) 23:00, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * I personally can't stand static backgrounds. I'm not sure what it is about them... just don't like when it's just sitting there while the rest of the page scrolls by.


 * Fun trivia: My name is composed of letters taken from both my last and first name, and is pronounced like "Damage"... Oh the wonders that high school login names can produce... :P -- Dammej ( talk ) 23:15, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * Is it like some one stalking you around? :P


 * That's an interesting trivia! Come to think of it, it never occur to me that your username sounds likes "damage".. :) — Teugene (Talk) 23:36, October 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * That might be it! There's something unsettling about an unmoving object... -- Dammej ( talk ) 23:42, October 9, 2010 (UTC)

Table CSS - Weapons
EDIT: nevermind, now that I actually have looked, I see what you've done. Nice tables; just checked out particularly the Assault Rifle table with your .CSS. I'm really pretty ignorant about Wikia "coding," so I'm not sure why they require the special .CSS; the ones I have proposed didn't need any, but, do they require it so as to render the different background colors? Also, do you prefer tables which lack the divisions between the column heads? In any event, anything which makes the code legible is a massive improvement. --AnotherRho 23:16, October 17, 2010 (UTC)
 * "Need" is a strong term here. None of the tables really need site-wide CSS to skin them (as with wikia.css) because they're already written to work (with a caveat, more below). The main benefit of making site-wide CSS is to make it incredibly simple to add a new table to any page on the wiki, and have it look the same as all the other tables on the wiki.


 * Consistency is the whole goal of site-wide CSS. Right now if you want to make a new table, you have to look at what colors other tables use for backgrounds, borders, etc, and it's generally a labor-intensive process. With the CSS, you have to remember one thing: class="MEWtable" (or something similar), and the whole table will look just like every other table on the wiki. That's a huge time saver, as well as being a boon to accessibility for new editors. Code, in general, is scary. Even if it's something simple, people are going to shy away from trying it for fear of doing it absolutely wrong. By minimizing the amount of code needed (that an editor has to add), we make it less likely that an editor will run screaming from that awesome table they were going to put in an article.


 * There's another sort of consistency as a goal too, but this time it's related to consistent rendering of a table on different browsers. I alluded to this above. Did you know that all of the current weapon tables look different on each of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome? Internet Explorer is the worst, but even Chrome and Firefox render them slightly differently. So the tables 'work', yes, but they're in no way consistent. Site-wide CSS takes care of that too, since I've tested it for correct rendering on all of those browsers (something that just one editor adding a table might not do).


 * Your tables are vastly simplified too, but there's still the issue of having to remember "oh yeah, that border is color #334... and the background is #1E1E2E." But that's an admittedly weaker argument. For what it's worth, I doubt I would have suggested or undertaken this project if all the tables were already as simple as yours, code-wise.


 * Re: Column head divisions: I was trying to emulate how the tables look on chrome when I created the CSS selectors, so that's what I made them look like (sans divisions). I've since come to think that could be an error though, since both IE and FF have divisions for the headers. Something to think about. I think I prefer divisions between the headers though.


 * Sorry about the wall of text. I imagine that's for more information than you were bargaining for. :P -- Dammej ( talk ) 05:18, October 18, 2010 (UTC)

No man, don't be silly; thank you for the informative reply. Consistency makes sense. In fact, I got the idea from the Heavy Weapons table. And above all, your arguments from simplicity (time) and "memory", although you suspected the one was weaker. (I for one didn't "remember" the color codes, since I didn't know them, and had to run around to figure them out! which testifies to your point). As for the different browsers, if the site's .css could deal with that issue, then I think that's a very good reason (accessibility) to promote it. The content of the (weapons) tables needs tweaking, but that's secondary to your immediate project. Which is another reason to promote it: thus, it would be vastly easier to perform minor edits or improvements (such as a column's heading) without having to risk a swim in an abyss of foreign or messy code.

Frankly, the extant tables have got to go; but no one seems to have taken notice. Since I didn't notice they were annoying until I opted for the New Look, perhaps most people are still using Monaco?

I think I prefer the divisions, too, if to further improve clarity; but perhaps it's more elegant without them? --AnotherRho 05:57, October 18, 2010 (UTC)

ME Commercial
Hey Dammej, you probably already know this, but I just found that old commercial for ME (on your main page) among the game files on PC. So if unaware, it's ...mass effect\BioGame\Cooked\Movies\attractmovie.bik. -AnotherRho 21:36, October 30, 2010 (UTC)

"Assuming good faith"
Years of jaded cynicism is what happened! :P But seriously, this is a rather important detail to confirm. Too important, I believe, to rely on the word of a lone unregistered user. Also, at the time, that info had been up and undisputed for a good while, so one has to wonder why it was removed now and not soon after it was added if it was actually wrong. Anyway, in the end, it's not like it hurts anything to get a second opinion, right? -- Commdor (Talk) 22:02, November 1, 2010 (UTC)
 * I agree that a second (or third, fourth, etc) opinion is good. But I think that, in the spirit of not wanting to drive away new contributors, we shouldn't automatically revert what looks like a genuine attempt at making the article better. If there had been no edit summary associated with it, I'd agree that it should be undone first and investigated further. But in light of the informative summary, I would have asked for confirmation on a talk page first, then undone if nothing can be found. Might just be a difference of opinion though. Regardless, I don't really disagree with your intentions (getting something pretty important confirmed by another party), just wishing that people, in general, were more willing to accept contributions from unregistered users without automatic suspicion. I dunno. I think I was just being snippy. :P -- Dammej ( talk ) 22:51, November 1, 2010 (UTC)

Coding Request
Like the headlines states, and since I know you are good at coding, perhaps you can do what I failed to.

Ok let me give you the situation, basically there is a problem with one of the Cluster templates. Currently it displays moons as bolded and italized, even if they aren't landable. The policy is that relays and fuel depots are to be italized, while landable planets/moons are supposed to be bolded and italized. I thought I solved the problem with a recent discussion on the Talk:Systems page, but apparently not. The main problem is that the Template:ClusterDescription:Moon displays moons as bolded and italized, but the problem is that Caleston and Lethe, which are moons that doesn't have assignments and as such can't be italized or bolded per the policy. After trying for a while to see what I could do, I only discovered that I'm out of my league with the code. Is there any way you can look at the code to get moons to display normally, preferably with the land feature that is used for planets. My modification just turned the entire thing bolded and italized, planet and moon, and like I said, I'm out of league. You may have to modify something else, but hopefully you can solve what I couldn't. Thanks. Lancer1289 06:40, December 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * I'll look into it, but it may take a several days. I'm just about to move and start up a new job, so I've got a lot on my plate. Once things settle down more, I should hopefully be able to give it a more thorough look. -- Dammej ( talk ) 19:43, December 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * I could have sworn I put "at your convenience" in my message, but apparently not. Obviously your job takes priority so again get around to it when you can. Lancer1289 19:47, December 11, 2010 (UTC)

RE: RE: Cut Content Improvements
Hey, I can't really supply a screenshot, but I can tell you that the problem arises when I use my old Mac laptop. My system is OS X version 10.3.9 using Safari 1.3.2 (v312.6). Both of these are pretty old, or at least the OS is, so it's fine if you can't fix it. It's more of a minor nuisance. I only really brought it up because I thought that what I was seeing was universal, and that the page hadn't been "nurtured" like it should be. :) --Effectofthemassvariety 19:35, January 5, 2011 (UTC)

Parlia-who-now?
Thanks. I suppose I've got a rudimentary system, I've never really thought about it before. I just have the five "categories of candidates" on my followed pages list (Category:Candidates for deletion, and the other categories for splits, merges, moves, and redirects); every couple days or when I know there's a discussion going on, I check those categories to see what's there. If it's been a week since the discussion on a given article started, I tally the votes and carry out the appropriate action (except for deletions, which we have Lancer and Spart for). It's sort of a habit now. Still nice to get a pat on the back for it. :) -- Commdor (Talk) 01:56, January 13, 2011 (UTC)

Firefox 4 issues
Maybe you can help me. I've been using Firefox 4 ever since I received my new laptop, and have run into several problems which seem to occur only with Firefox 4. I can't edit the category bar on articles, I can't use the Reply button on blogs, and Recent Changes doesn't use those teal-colored arrows which condense edits made to the same article (although on three occasions, those arrows did appear and function correctly until I refreshed the RC page). Do you think there are ways to resolve these issues, or will I have to buckle down and get used to them if I want to continue using Firefox 4? -- Commdor (Talk) 20:52, January 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * What you describe are issues with javascript: either you have javascript disabled in the browser or some extension is blocking/messing up the page javascript. Try lunching FF in safe mode. --silverstrike
 * Same issues appear while in safe mode. Also, under Options, it says Javascript is enabled. -- Commdor (Talk) 21:30, January 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Then the reason is most likely the browser itself (which is still a beta release). You can also try checking if there is a javascript issue on other sites. --silverstrike 21:39, January 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah. Seems likely that Firefox is the problem here. I get 'function not defined' javascript errors randomly, depending on the page. The errors it's balking at are typically jQuery functions (appendCSS, and $). So it's almost as if the jQuery js file isn't being loaded. And yet, firefox does show the file containing jQuery as having been downloaded, and other features which make use of jQuery are unaffected. (The login box at the top, the sliding footer toolbar thing, etc). Super weird. I'm guessing that something they changed in FF4's javascript behavior has done something wonky. Don't think there's too much we can do about it. -- Dammej ( talk ) 22:05, January 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * One of the reasons I dislike JS libraries - you can't debug them. It could be worthwhile checking the JS results, bugs, and other issues with the FireBug extension, but those issues will resolve themselves when FF4 will finish it's beta testing (or so I hope). --silverstrike 22:13, January 16, 2011 (UTC)

Update: Don't know if it's a fluke or even the feedback submission I made to Mozilla yesterday, but all the Javascript stuff is working now. I'm glad I was patient. -- Commdor (Talk) 19:03, January 25, 2011 (UTC)

Headquote Changes
Since you might or might not have been aware, but a change to a headquote must be discussed first before it is changed given the nature of it. Headquotes are extremely visible and because changing them is a major change, usually the first thing people see in an article that has it, that does require some discussion first. Again I'm not sure if you were aware of it or not. Lancer1289 18:10, March 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * I disagree. This is not how a wiki works. Changes can be made by anyone at any time. If said change is against a policy or is disputed by another editor, it should be reverted to the previous state of the article, reflecting the previous consensus on a topic. Discussing such changes before they can be made is needlessly bureaucratic.
 * Now if there is disagreement in a change to a headquote, that's another thing. But if the only objection to the change is that it hasn't been discussed before, then I feel that the revert is in error. I don't want to speak for SpartHawg, but he spoke previously to me on this very topic, and he seemed to share this feeling (that a change to a headquote is not so major as to require a pre-change discussion), as can be seen in his archive here: User_talk:SpartHawg948/archive4. It's possible that his feeling have changed on the matter, but this is why I did not myself revert the change to the headquote. I happened to agree with the change, so I amended the grammar. If you feel that the policy should change here, then I think that it needs to be fleshed out, because it appears that you and SpartHawg have conflicting philosophies about it. -- Dammej ( talk )
 * I just want to point out that, as was made clear (at least it seems clear to me) in my edit summary, the revert was not done solely due to lack of discussion. It was, in fact, disputed by another editor (me), who then reverted the article to the previous state, reflecting the previous consensus. The quote that was removed seems far more suitable to the character of Sovereign, though it may not be as melodramatic.


 * Actually, scratch the above... I just checked the history and noticed that the bane of my editing existence has occurred yet again. While I was drafting a long and detailed edit summary explaining why I was undoing the edits, another editor came along and undid it with a much shorter, less descriptive summary that misinterpreted site policy. I sooo very much hate it when that happens. We also have to factor in spoilers. The quote that was added was kind of a big one, was it not, seeing as Sovereign explicitly refers to itself in the first person? Anywho, I completely support the revert, for reasons that differ from the reason given. SpartHawg948 01:44, March 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Glad to see that I'm still remembering things correctly. :) It's unfortunate that your edit summary got lost in the dash to revert, since it would have made this discussion unnecessary. I'm not so attached to the quote as to want to start up a discussion to see it changed, I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't being reverted for inappropriate reasons. Having said that, your reasons are quite good, so I'm glad you were able to make them known. :) -- Dammej ( talk ) 01:58, March 6, 2011 (UTC)

CDN Code-tastrophe!
...Not really. What's happened is that Template:CDNLatestStory isn't working right. It's displaying all stories of the month instead of only the latest one on Cerberus Daily News. Not that big a deal right now since there's only two reports for March at present, but obviously the sooner you can work your magic the better. Thanks. -- Commdor (Talk) 00:05, March 23, 2011 (UTC)
 * Oh boo. I walk in after work and check my email for this? Why are you so darn demanding?!? :)
 * Blah. Sucks that the template doesn't work. I'll give it a look-see! Hopefully all will be well later tonight. -- Dammej ( talk ) 00:14, March 23, 2011 (UTC)


 * It's your own fault you know, coming here and doing awesome stuff with your knowledge of coding. We've been spoiled. On the bright side, you were very quick to respond. Not really a good thing for you, I suppose, but think of all of the happiness you'll bring to the wiki once you've got this little bug fixed. Right? -- Commdor (Talk) 00:18, March 23, 2011 (UTC)
 * Indeed. It's interesting that the timing was that close. I didn't even notice that the timestamp on your message was so recent! Funny how those things work.
 * Coding-related update: I've identified the problem and have come up with a planned fix. It will put a little more work on you when updating the CDN section, but will hopefully fix the problem. I'll update when the fix is in place. -- Dammej ( talk ) 00:28, March 23, 2011 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Update: I think it should be functioning as intended now. As you may have noticed, the extra bit of work on your end is that you now need to add the extra flag |latest=anything here to any new story you add, and simultaneously delete it from a previous story. It's not ideal, but it's a quick dirty fix that does the job. Given that there are < 3 weeks of CDN updates to go, I'm unwilling to invest the time required to come up with a more robust solution. Hope this is adequate. :)

As a side-effect, CDN stories can now appear on the front page again, if so desired. I noticed that you messaged SpartHawg about an alternative layout because LatestStory wasn't behaving properly. This fix has made it available to use again. I'm all for it being on the front page, so I'd advocate changing it back. Perhaps SpartHawg and others wish to comment on the possibility? -- Dammej ( talk ) 00:45, March 23, 2011 (UTC)