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 Cappellan 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 (not 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.

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
• {{InfoBoxSystem}}
• 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.
• __TOC__
• 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 Affilation sub-section: since it's usually systems that change hands rather than just planets, it seems appropriate to have this here

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• Planet section: repeated as appropriate
• {{InfoBoxPlanetStandard}}
• {{InfoBoxPlanetUpdate}}: 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.
    • Deployments sub-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)
  • 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 here.