Virtual Skipper

[najevi]

For those people following the development of the Virtual Skipper Wiki at http://vsk.wikia.com you should be pleased to know that the heavy lifting development work is 90% done and so now community members can quite freely and easily add articles describing any Boat Models or Skins that you wish to share with others. (.zip file and .exe file hosting is not an option (yet!) but someday I think it may be)
Within the next couple of days you'll be able to do the same for Tracks

The interface is form-based and not very demanding on the initial creator. (Wiki's tend to thrive on subsequent contributors filling in any missing detail.)

I am more than just a little bit proud of a so-called Manage your Favorites facility (currently in place for pages within the Boats and Skins categories but also planned for Tracks, Clubs, Hosts, etc. ... Indeed there is no technical reason why any page at the wiki should not be added/removed from your list of favorites using this facility. It will simply depend on community interest/demand. That list of favorites is automatically generated and updated at each user's user-page.

So the reason for THIS post is first and foremost to invite skippers to begin populating the wiki with pages for various boat models and boat skins.
Look for the off-white colored boxes on the main page.

A second reason for this post is to learn what information you might want to see displayed at wiki articles about VSK Clubs and, if you are a regular host for online races, what information would you like to publish about your "Race Server"

Hosts

I imagine wiki pages within the Hosts category will feature an "InfoBox" populated by each host using a form-based approach much like that currently in place for Boats and Skins. Wiki visitors who choose to register a username will be able to add a Host page to their favorites. A non-judgmental Popularity metric is visible within the InfoBox on each Host page. It will behave just as it does for the handful of demo Boat and Skin pages today ... so ... why not go test drive:
(a) page create/edit here and
(b) favorites add/remove here.

Then let me know if you think it might fill a need.

Beyond that standard feature, a free-text field allowing unlimited free-form page editing (including images and layout customization) for any host motivated to embellish or customize their Host page.

The idea being that Host pages be written with positive "spin" rather than using negative or defamatory tones.
• Once a host is satisfied with their wiki page they may request that it be write protected. This should be sufficient to avoid emotion-charged acts of vandalism.
• It will not prevent a wiki visitor from using a companion "Discussion" page (something associated with every wiki page on every wiki.) to leave messages, comment, feedback - both positive and negative. I think that to be a fair "middle-ground".

I imagine a host might like to publish the following type of information about your habits/traditions for hosting races:

• Your typical schedule (in UTC/Zulu times) for hosting
  Perhaps a "Week-at-once" table style view
  
• Your custom "Sailing Instructions" or so-called House Rules
  So that you don't have to keep explaining them in game.
  You paste into chat the URL of your wiki page or bind it to a key sequence using AutoHotkey!
  
• An "application form" for skippers who want you to add them to your "Guest" list.
  
• Maybe you want to publish your "ban list" so other players know where they stand with you.
  I am not a fan of this idea but mention it to be thorough.
  
• If english is not your first language then maybe you could fill in a table of frequently used vocabulary in your mother tongue.
  Basic things like: hello, goodbye, well done, restart, unfair, go to spectator mode, etc.
  Being a student of a few languages, I find this idea appealing but I wonder if others feel the same way.
  
• What other suggestions do you have?
  

Clubs

As for wiki pages describing Clubs, I haven't engaged with any one club yet to properly understand what information you might want to share at an english language Virtual Skipper Wiki. I am very much open to suggestions.

I am confident that Wikia will have no objection to your using that page to shamelessly promote your club's web site. It should make a much better impact than the existing Useful links page! I can give you tips on how to obfuscate the revenue-generating ads which Wikia requires to be injected into Wikia-hosted articles. So that need not be a deterrent.

Timeline

I plan to start design work on standard forms for creating/editing Host and Club wiki pages in the second half of August so your input in the next two weeks would be very good timing.

Do you have influence with Nadeo?

• I am waiting with baited breath to learn whether or not the Nadeo team has plans to increase the data dumped to the Result.csv file after each race.

I have submitted a request for various race conditions and track data to supplement the existing comprehensive race results data. Nadeo representatives are understandably guarded about making any commitments in this regard.

So if you are able to imagine the powerful possibilities that might arise from a query-ready database of track data and race results/conditions then please apply what influence you have to encourage Nadeo team members in this matter. (If you can't imagine the possibilities then please read this, sleep on it and share any ideas it might inspire.)

[CANKnot]

Good work with the Wiki. It should prove to be a great resource for the community!
_________________
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.

[Hylis]

najevi, we would like too but have not yet decided

nice wiki

[najevi]

Hylis, I am simply grateful for the interest you have shown. ( I plan to remain cautiously optimistic ! )

Great news!

Community members are now able to upload .ZIP and .GBX files to The Virtual Skipper Wiki. A 10MB file size limit must continue to apply. (Therefore some .ZIP files I know of will require special handling.) Even so, keeping in mind the inherent revision history that all wiki's enjoy, this allows the wiki to become a proper repository of boat models, skins and tracks. (This should also mean that a vsk.wikia.com URL may be used in a locator file.)

Appropriate changes to the forms-UI for page creating/editing will happen in the next few days.

Poll results

Please keep those responses coming. I am using it to guide me as to how much energy to invest in the user friendly, form-based interface versus the traditional plain text WML editor (Wiki Markup Language) and the (still-in-beta) Rich Text Editor.

[Hylis]

to avoid any doubt, I give the Nadeo permission to use screenshots from the VSK game client and images derived from screenshots to be used as illustrations at the VirtualSkipper Wiki

[najevi]

Merci beaucoup!

Wiki contributors can refer to this Licensing guide

See http://vsk.wikia.com/wiki/Farr_40 for an example of an uploaded boat model.
** There is still a problem with the upload of .ZIP and .GBX files - I am waiting on Wikia staff help to sort this out.

• 10MB file limit in ZIP file **
  
• Multiple images in Infobox gallery
  
• input field for polar diagrams
  
• input field for wind shadow images
  
• input field for helm characteristics
  
• Skins (source of .exe file size bloat) omitted - use separate wiki page for each skin
  
• Author's notes reproduced (with attribution via tooltip) in main body of article
  

Logan's documentation of this boat model was impeccable and therefore made it very easy to populate the form to create the above page.

[najevi]

Well the anniversary of the VSK Wiki has come and gone and soon it will be the anniversary of Ubisoft's acquisition of Nadeo.

So as our friends in France enjoy the summer holiday period I wonder if Hylis et al might be giving thought to plans to enhance the Results.csv file or Track.gbx file along the lines previously discussed at http://vsk.wikia.com/wiki/Race ?

I don't mean to nag ... just a semi-annual prompt to see what's up.
_________________
it's better to spin and fin' than to fit and quit!

[Hylis]

we will evaluate this soon

I really can't tell if we can make something or not (it implies to open the projects) Anyway, we will look at it and tell you if we can do it or not.

[najevi]

lol ... another anniversary! - just 61 minutes off. ... compare time/date of Hylis' first post in this thread.

Thank you for your prompt reply.
_________________
it's better to spin and fin' than to fit and quit!

[Hylis]

hey, I came back in less than one year

now, I am waiting for one dev to come back from holiday but he will be back when I leave for holidays

so, I can only answer in September :/

[Aquabat]

Going to risk a stream of abuse from the forum... but

Maybe Florent ... you could update VSK as per the wiki request and roll in 2009-2012 rules update and maybe one or two little rule bug fixes.

For this I would be really very very happy to pay a fee (€30?). Hosts with this patch / update should only allow players with this update to be able to join as well ... just like previous patches from Nadeo. This will help keep the game consistent and help Nadeo income too ..

Hope all is well in the Nadeo House ...

Regards

Rob
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Rob

[diades]

[najevi]

Yes indeed. There should be no problem uploading a boat skin template to the wiki. I haven't looked at one of these very closely but I imagine it can be treated just like any other boat skin and uploaded as a .zip file using the form provided here: http://vsk.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Skins

The possible content of a boat skin ZIP archive is: Hull.dds, Icon.dds, Sails.dds, Sails1.dds, Sails2.dds, Spi.dds, Spi2.dds, TeamMate.dds
If you can think of any additional files required for a skin template then please add a comment at the Discussion tab available at the above link.

Regards,
_________________
it's better to spin and fin' than to fit and quit!

[diades]

[Hylis]

we can not change the rules, to much impact