Dwarf Fortress Wiki:Centralized Discussion/Changes to terminology

This topic seemed reasonably critical to wiki updating, yet broad enough to warrant its own discussion page. I recommend following similar guidelines to editing and updating this page, as are covered on the main Centralized Discussion page: Add new topics/issues to the top of a related section, move old or suitably addressed topics to Old notes and discussions. As this page was originally created from a to-do list, it is currently making use of red links to pages that are pertinent to the discussion, and suggested candidates for creation.

Changes to Terminology

Summary and style notes

As the topic of discussion here is not as broad as the main discussion page, at the moment, this page mostly has notes, with links to wiki articles, rather than to talk pages. For the most part, the issues are self-evident in the context of terminology changes. However, if the "note(s)" is getting very long-winded, or there is already a talk page on the subject, it is better to link to that and keep notes here relatively concise. If you are unsure if your note is bleedingly obvious, or think it might be controversial, it would be best if you either link to and comment in this page's discussion, or to another relevant talk page.

On a related "note", this was page was the evolution of a long to-do list: don't forget this is a wiki page, like any other, if you think something is incorrect or can be improved Be Bold! and change it, and don't forget the talk page here.

General notes and recent updates

The wiki currently has quite a bit of ambiguity in terminology as a result of some recent updates, and terminology relating to new features. Most notably (though not exclusively) due to the new menus and tabs introduced with the v50 update.

To-do and specifics

This section was the basis for the creation of this page, so is currently set up a little differently from the main discussion. It might be too free-form a structure for a centralized discussion page; you can discuss these notes on the talk page here.

• Symbol - Mostly completed up to fine level, but needs better linking/references to existing wiki pages, and editing of those pages where relevant to recent changes.

• Custom Symbols - Page created, but probably needs some better page and link structure/reorganisation.

• What to do with "Custom symbols" section of Custom names and symbols? Add to a new Names and symbols page? Make its own page similar to Fortress name? (see "Name" below)

• Object (Objects talk) - New pages and a lot of small, but significant edits to existing pages (such as "Item") needed to avoid confusion or add clarity to different uses of words and features relating to Object and Objects.
• Name - This is can lead down quite a rabbit hole, the following is not an exhaustive list:

• This is complicated by there already being a very comprehensive name page, which only deals with generated character names.
• A Fortress name page (ditto). Now combined with Custom names and symbols (see below)
• The newly created Custom names and symbols page, which contains 90% of the information on Fortress name.
• Lack of documentation or references to any other generated or custom names:

• Seemingly undocumented group names.
• As above, but with symbol names.
• Difference between a custom symbol (descriptive) and a custom symbol (badge of office), both of which can have unique and custom titles.
• Lack of references to all other generated names: e.g. sites, artifacts, historically/world activity generated non-entity related creatures.

• The terminology between all of this: e.g. name/title/description.

Pages and Categories

Pages

• Suggested: Creation of an Objects page (talk) and Object disambiguation page. Updates to item page, accordingly.
• Suggested: Creation of a Group page (or similar title), with reference and inspiration from the armies page. Redirecting from Army, to Group.

Categories and disambiguation

• Suggested: Disambiguation page - category, and topic restructuring for Name and related pages.
• Suggested: Disambiguation page - Groups: used very widely when describing features in the game, but not very explicitly by the game itself.
• Suggested: Disambiguation page - Object. Covering similar terms, e.g. Objects, Item and Items (Items reference probably unnecessary)