Battlestar Wiki talk:Think Tank/TOS Article Pips

I would have to agree with this proposal, given that the RDM content has pretty much dwarfed the original series (and 1980) stuff.

As for constructive criticism: The badge in use right now needs to have a better contrast against the black background of the page, and the badge should be nearly flush with the right margin. (As I believe Shane noted, the alignment of this pip would be an issue if other pips are used as well.) -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 11:08, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Well, that's the trick, too. It should have good contrast in general, as who knows what color scheme or skin we might have in the future. (It looks OK on monobook, but bsgbook is the default). --Steelviper 11:35, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Well, what if there was an effect around the pip? For instance, how about a cloud effect similar to those seen in the promos for the new BSG series? -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 11:43, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

I like the idea of a luminous cloud, a tiny effect that brightens it. My wiki skillz are insufficient to move the icon to the far right as it should, something I did note. Should we break down a version for 1980 stuff as well? --Spencerian 11:59, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

The locx parameter specifies the number of pixels the image is displaced from the right side of the screen, while the locy parameter specifies the number of pixels the image is displaced from the top, I believe. The reason for its current placement was to avoid overlapping with any of the MANY possible icons. However, if it had to be far right either we could adjust all the other icons more to the left, or displace it off of the "top" row by adding a higher "locy" value.

I tried adding a white "outer glow" effect via photoshop, but it looked pretty ugly. That might be a job for Merc or somebody else with artistic skillz. --Steelviper 12:03, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Thanks for the clarification on the locx. I think this pip should always be dead last (closest to right edge). That way, collision with others will be less and we form some consistency. Yeah, the effect shouldn't be more than a few pixels, but has to be very very gradual. Definitely a job for Merc. I can see it in my minds eye... One critical side-effect of the use of these is that series-common articles (like Earth and Kobol) should be split. A lot of contributors argue for that anyway, and with the direction that RDM is going, it's a near-necessity now. --Spencerian 12:55, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Agreed. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 13:28, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

The LocX is always an issue. Since we have "High Traffic", "Sound", "QA", and "FA" (in that order) or them all contained within {{POV Real}} template. Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 15:52, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Crazy thought... What if the logo changed whenever you entered a page dedicated to TOS? -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 16:11, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

I don't think that can happen. A template can't set a PHP var what would be needed to change the logo information. Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 16:16, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

I've tried another approach, my friend. Check out Adama (TOS). -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 17:37, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Addendum: Obviously, the image might need to be revised for it to lock over the winged icon. Or we could just overlap an entirely new TOS-based logo over the existing logo, so as to signify a TOS article vs. an RDM one. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 17:46, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Hm. I don't see the change. Where it at? --Spencerian 18:34, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

You'll see the TOS image above the logo. You may have to do a hard refresh. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 18:43, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Got it. I like the implementation, but it's not as visible mostly because of the busyness around the logo and it being to the left. Maybe we should try a full logo as you noted, with the diamond filling the center. --Spencerian 19:31, 13 April 2007 (CDT)

Looks great, but as said it's not very obvious and easily missed if you don't know about the feature. --Serenity 06:55, 14 April 2007 (CDT)

It could also be offset so that its on the bottom right hand corner of the logo, "in orbit" as it were. Something similar in appearance to Image:BSG WIKI Project.png. However, the more I think about it, the more I rather covering up the logo with a TOS-themed one. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 16:56, 14 April 2007 (CDT)

We also have to consider that load order can be odd. When I do a hard refresh I see the TOS logo load first, then the wiki logo loads over it (covering it up completely). --Steelviper 11:47, 17 April 2007 (CDT)

Yes, can we make a good retro TOS logo for those pages? I'm rather jazzed for it myself. --Spencerian 01:54, 15 April 2007 (CDT)

The logo seems quite harmless, but I want to be wary of giving the RDM continuity "first among equals" status. Speaking as an avowed RDM fan who has never watched TOS, there are still TOS-only fans out there and we gain nothing by alienating them. --Peter Farago 11:14, 17 April 2007 (CDT)

Some articles are more equal than others? I don't think the intention was to in any way disparage or marginalize TOS-only fans so much as provide a distinctive visual cue that can help establish which series a particular article belongs to. While one can easily tell by the category, I'm not sure how intuitive that is for most people, and it is at the bottom of the page (at least in the current skin implementations). While the images are usually a give-away (and the TOS articles are generally rife with them), there are situations where that might lead you astray (like perhaps with the Centurion Model 0005).

What would be ideal would be a subtle (but distinctive) visual cue that was somehow "automagically" tied to the category of the article, visually distinguishing the TOS, 1980, RDM, Caprica (if that ever happens), and "other" continuities. I just don't know if that is technically feasible. --Steelviper 11:39, 17 April 2007 (CDT)

A change in the background and a pip would do that, but may be more complicated. I'm for the simpliest idea. The spirit of this plan is to enhance the visibility of TOS articles, not diminish them, so while pips are easy to enter in with a bot and category, advanced options may increase these article's visibility more as well. For now, I'm just focusing on TOS. As things grow, it may be practical to mark other continuities. --Spencerian 11:52, 17 April 2007 (CDT)

Re-imagined Series definition: Battlestar Group ^{(TRS: "Water")}. It also doubles as an acronym for the television series itself.