A wiki is one of the most important resources of learning the game. It eliminates the need to code dive for new players and allows them to make more informed choices, tells them how to play the game and more.
It is unfortunately in a very bad state right now. Much of the information on the wiki does not keep up with the updates pushed out by maintainers, basically turning most of the new changes into esoteric knowledge.
An example can be seen in places like the Guide to Chemistry where the chemical Multiver is one of the components of mindbreaker toxin (we don’t have multiver as a reagent and charcoal is used for the recipe instead of multiver). This discrepancy has been here since TG’s Cobbychems and that has been over a year.
How can we designate the server as one for new players if our wiki is in such a sad state?
I believe this needs to be addressed, and the benefit to the community will be great and intangible.
There would be lesss Ahelps and Mhelps if the wiki is updated as the discrepancies will be answered.
It would also make the server more player friendly.
With so much at stake why does no one work on the wiki? Because there is no incentive or obligation to. Even i certainly do not wish to spend my time editing a wiki when i can spend it playing ss13…But someones gotta do it.
Possible Resolution Ideas
Assign a role to maintaining the wiki
Editing the wiki is a thankless job. At least give people who work for free a special title.
Reward the work.
Antag rep/tokens for making good page edits? Assign a headmin to give the editors rep to incentivise the work and people will be more willing to do the work needed
Make editing the wiki more active.
We have a PR discussion channel, why not a wiki discussion channel? There are issues, no doubt, but there isnt any avenues to address them besides the wiki itself and not everyone spends their time there. Especially the ones who don’t use the wiki.
Make it a Obligation
PRs have to update the changelog before it commits. It ends there. Making our code contributors isn’t the best choice since we don’t have enough of them. But it is one way making sure things are documented.
Hope this brings to light a issue we all have been ignoring. But then it could be a non-issue in everyone else’s mind.
the wiki also had(and probably still has) the wrong rules on some pages, leading to some really “fun” conflict between a player with the wiki open and a n admin. Saw this happen once when the wizard page used to suggest people play a friendly antag
I also periodically will ask admemes to put me in thunderdome and give me items I think may be due for wiki updates(last I did this was Uplink Items as many had separate costs, and a few weren’t even listed there).
Bytecode is a crutch for people who can’t use their imagination to enjoy funny spaceman daydream.
I think at least having a discord channel or two for wiki stuff is important.
As I see it: Optional Role similar to code/sprite/map/etc.
Channel reading out any updates to pages
A filtered channel for pages being flagged as revision needed, etc.
A channel for discussion/reporting pages.
Additionally I need to eventually figure out how to make a new page on the wiki cause I am doing some stuff eventually.
