Editing BattleTechWiki:Project Planets/Planet Overhaul

This project is an extensive, long-term effort to overhaul the planet articles as they were initially created at BattleTechWiki's founding in September 2006. For details will be provided here, as the overhaul approaches its kick-off (at a date to be established).

==Collaboration & Coordination==
===Phases===
As the planet articles will be almost completely redone and, due to the sheer numbers of such an extensive program, extensive collaboration and management will be required, with reviews where necessary.

At this moment in time, it is the intention to conduct the Overhaul in stages, with regions being the primary means of breaking up the project. For example, the project might focus on Terran Hegemony worlds, or the Tikonov Commonality of the Capellan Confederation. The reason for choosing a political state as a basis is solely to establish controllable limits of the scope of each 'mission' (defined as the focus on a specific targeted region), in order to ensure each planet/system article on BTW is addressed. Ideally, any planets that are not within the scope of the larger states, when they are completed, will be identified by the Phase 0 banner tags and small enough in numbers to handle individually.

Again, the Overhaul will be accomplished by missions, but each mission will be broken down by 'phase', where 'phase' is defined as a specific action taken with each article. Phases allow a team of editors to address multiple articles at nearly the same time, with one (or more) mission member conducting one phase while others work in follow-on phases on the same articles.

Each phases can be defined by its assigned action, with all similarly-numbered phases being the same across missions. Phases are marked as complete by their being marked with that Phase (<u>not</u> the next one). Phases as they are now conceived are:

* Phase 1: The article is categorized according to the precepts set for the system; mark the Phase tag as Phase 1.
* Phase 2: Coordinates based on the established extrapolation database (along with the extrapolation template) are inserted in the System infobox; if unknown, the coord field is to be left blank. Mark the Phase tag as Phase 2.
* Phase 3: Any existing planet or system infoboxes are replaced with the new InfoBoxSystem and InfoBoxPlanetStandard infboxes; mark the Phase tag as Phase 3.
* Phase 4: The article layout is updated into the new article format; mark the Phase tag as Phase 4.
* Phase 5: The new Nearby Systems table is embodied into the article, replacing the old format; mark the Phase tag as Phase 5.
* Phase 6: Auto-generated maps are replaced by regional maps; mark the Phase tag as Phase 6.
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Once a mission has had all articles reach Phase 6, a final review of each planet is made by the team lead. As each article is 'signed off', the Phase tag is marked as Phase 7, indicating completion by that mission. The articles will remain in Phase 7, until the (complete) Overhaul is completed (as a check to ensure all articles have been addressed).

===Stages===
The Overhaul has additional stages that exist outside of the six phases taking place within missions. These stages are:
*Phase 0: tag every planet article with the Planet Overhaul banner.('''done''')
*Mock-up: Test articles [[Sarna]], [[Rollis]] and [[Grossbach]] are 'Overhaul'-ed, to test new article format & procedures.('''done''')
*Test Mission: one (small) region is chosen as a test of the Mission Phase procedures. ('''underway''')
*Mission Prep Stage 1: a new mission page is created (as a sub-page to the Overhaul effort).
*Mission Decision Point: the mission team decides what region they collectively want to next undertake.
*Mission Prep Stage 2: a gallery of maps are prepared and/or identified for mission use, each planet is linked to within the mission page, Phase assignments are made. 
*(''Mission'')
*(''Mission Team returns to Mission Prep Stage 1 above'')
*Check Stage: ensure all system articles are in Phase 6 and that no articles remain in an untagged or earlier phase.
*Discuss possible Phase 7: datamining of all source material to add to articles.
*Final Stage: remove planet tags

==Working Template==
*'''System Name Title''' 
*'''<nowiki>{{InfoBoxSystem}}</nowiki>''' 
*Opening Statement: "The '''System Name Title''' system is the location of the inhabited planets '''Planet1''', '''Planet2''', the inhabited moon '''Moon3''' and the '''Industrial Satellite4''' orbital facility. The system is located in the '''Region5''' district of the '''FactionName6'''.
*<nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki>
**'''Description''' section: details general facts about the system, such as the objects mentioned in the opening statement (with additional information), other uninhabited structures, recharging stations, others charted sytems (not in list form) that are within one jump, etc.
**'''System History''' section: this provides the political climate of the system, especially that which is not planet-dependent, such as when the system changed hands, space battles, etc, all in text form.
**'''Political Affiliation''' sub-section: See below; only to be used when control of the system and control of the planets or inhabited constructs within the system differs.
----
*'''Planet''' section: repeated as appropriate
* '''Planet Name''': This can (and should) differ from the name given in the Infobox if the common name for the planet differs from that of the system or infobox standard. Ex: For Terra, the InfoboxPlanetStandard planet name would be Sol III, but the Planet Name at this point in the article would be Terra.
*<nowiki>{{InfoBoxPlanetStandard}}</nowiki>
*<nowiki>{{InfoBoxPlanetUpdate}}</nowiki>: all entries dated; entries conditional (i.e. optional hiddens)
**Opening Statement: "'''Planet1''' is the [orbital number] planet in the '''SystemName''' system [and is the regional capital of the '''FactionName6''''s '''Region5''' district]. On the surface, the planet hosts '''CompanyName7''''s '''FactoryName8''' industrial facility [and the summer palace of '''ImportantPerson9'''], while the '''Industrial Satellite4''' facility orbits its moon, '''Moon10'''.
**'''Planetary History''' section: Provides more details (supposedly) of major events, detailing changes in ownership, battles, major events, etc. Where planets have a detailed history, this section should be sub-divided into sub-sections with clear titles, such as Reunification War, Star League Era, Fourth Succession War, Jihad, etc. 
**'''Political Affiliation''' section: This replaces the earlier Owner History entry but stays in list format, reflecting those available data points that show which nation or faction the planet was affiliated with at any given point. This is included here as although it is generally the entire system that changes hands, the fate of that system is usually dependent on battles on the planet; where there are two or more planets within a system, this also allows the affiliation of each to be tracked separately. In instances where the system is controlled by one faction and inhabited planets are controlled by another, the political affiliation of the system should be recorded separately within the system area of the article. If a precise date is not available for an event such as a dispute in ownership or a planetary conquest/annexation, it is entirely acceptable to add an entry indicating the range of years within which the planet was disputed/conquered, but this should be expanded on in the history section. Ex: "2351-2352 disputed world (Sarna Supremacy/Chesterton Trade Federation)" or "Ca. 2351-2357 - Sarna Supremacy (annexed during this period)". If a planet's absence from a map of the region in which that planet lies is being recorded here, the affiliation should be given as "No record", to prevent absence of proof being presented as proof of absence. Ex: "2217 - No record" or "3130 - No record". If a planet or system is visible on a map but the owner is undefined, it should be listed as "Independent."
**'''Planetary Rulers''' section: Lists known planetary rulers in date order, with the appropriate titles and dates.
**'''Military Deployment''' section: Lists semi-lists of military units, broken down into smaller sub-sections by years of recorded note.
**'''Geography''' section: A general description of the planet, but in text form (no lists). This should include such details as number and name of continents as well as details of named geological features, but not man-made features such as cities and industrial plants.
**'''Planetary Locations''' section: a hierarchical list, as seen in the [[Luthien]] article. Short descriptions of each entry, unless a link is provided.
**'''Industrial Centers''' sub-section: should ''list'' all known factories, included this destroyed. Construction and destruction can be indicated by year notes (similar to dates of life for a character).
**'''Image gallery''': banner image (if not displayed in infobox), additional planetary images, surface maps, etc.
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*'''References''': as expected
*'''Bibliography''': as expected

==Active Template==
For a 'template' to use for starting an article's overhaul, go [[BattleTechWiki:Project Planets/Planet Overhaul/C&P Template|here]].