OK, this is definitely where your problem lies. Let’s start by again looking at the snippet of boilerplate WikiText that you are meant to copy and paste into a new wiki page you create for a module:
I’ve underlined in purple the keywords that the template assumes will exist. Red arrows point at the places where you supply (i.e, type in) the information that is correct for your game.
Now look at any other currently published module page where the template displays correctly. Edit the page so you can look at the WikiText. Here for example is the Paths of Glory module page. The template keywords are again underlined in purple. The user-supplied data is underlined in green:
It’s important to note that pogbc.jpg corresponds to the filename of an image that has already been uploaded to the wiki.
Here’s what you showed that you currently have entered:
{{GameInfo|image=|Gibson Games=|2023=|Mediaeval=|Wars of the Roses=|series=|scale=|2 - 5=|length=}}
Without knowing if you have an image uploaded or mean to do so in the future, here’s what your line should look like based on the info I can see:
{{GameInfo|image=|publisher=Gibson Games|year=2023|era=Mediaeval|topic=Wars of the Roses|series=|scale=|players=2 - 5|length=}}
This would leave series, scale, and length blank at present, and there would be no image. The understandable preference for British English spelling notwithstanding, in order to get this categorized with other games of the same era, it should be Medieval.
Thanks for that, Joel, (and on a Sunday too!!). I see now exactly what I did wrong. The equals sign means exactly that. What I type goes next. That’s my lack of knowledge regarding wiki - I was reading into it the skeleton of a programming language - I always over-complicate ; sorry to give you so much hassle.
As a punishment, you tell me I have to learn American! It took most of my childhood to learn proper English and I’ve only been partially successful at that . I’ll go back to setting up the wiki tomorrow and see if I can leave you in peace for a while.
I made most of the changes to the wiki and saved the work but I have to trouble you again: I was immediately told the module had been submitted but I hadn’t uploaded the .vmod file - just the box image; should I do this the same way or is that only for image files? I also need to include two player guide documents with the module. Do I do this from within the module (which will mean a re-working of the pre-defined setups) or can they be uploaded to the wiki for players to download?
The file upload process works the same regardless of file type–images, module files, supplemental documents like you’re describing. The Files and Module Information subsection of the page creation guide shows what things look like when the files table portion of your page’s WikiText contains a link to a filename that has not yet been uploaded (the red “this file doesn’t exist” bits). It is those links you are meant to follow (strongly suggest opening in a new tab) to get to the file upload page for that specific filename–whether it’s an image, module, document, etc.
It’s restated in a different way in the final subsection of the help page. I normally submit a page edit and the separate file upload within minutes of each other so the moderator will know they go together.
This has confused me greatly - as you are aware, my understanding of the technical stuff is not great. I have stated on BGG that the module will be called “Kingmaker II” It is so designated on several BGG postings and the board game developer has given his approval for this. I am now uploading the .vmod file and would like the module name returned to Kingmaker II if possible to save confusion with potential users from BGG.
Please note, first bullet point in the guideline section…
" * Game pages for modules shall be named according to the game title as listed on Boardgamegeek - Page deviations will be merged and/or removed/rejected if duplicate and a page already exists with a correct title"
3rd bullet point: " * In order to expedite approval of new module pages, it is advisable/helpful to provide a link in the new page to Boardgamegeek for the game in question"
You have created a 2nd edition game that BGG has titled Kingmaker (2023).
Here is the link:
Nowhere is the title “Kingmaker II” found on BGG
If this is a problem - take it up with them and we will address accordingly when they address your title problem
The problem here is that this “policy” is completely daft in the best of times. A game should be referred to as its community of players commonly know it. A quick read of this thread on BGG about unilateral game renaming ought to put paid to any notion that this VASSAL wiki policy is even remotely useful.
In short, a bunch of moderators have seen fit to decide when/where they think a game’s subtitle–often stuff on the box for marketing purposes–ought to be appended to its actual title, then did a bulk edit to the DB (almost exclusively to wargames, VASSAL’s primary area–more popular games where the same concept could be applied were untouched). They persisted with this even when confronted with many examples of game players, companies, and even game designers themselves (!!) confirming that BGG has erred and that a subtitle should not be considered part of the game title. From there, they’ve just ignored all pleas to fix things and left users having to submit corrections which are routinely denied for no reason.
We already have scores of existing module pages whose title now departs from the BGG listing because of the futzing with the database over there. Let’s be honest–no one is going back through the wiki or upcoming new game library to sync up game names with what BGG has now changed them to, and it would be a terrible waste of time to do it. We’re doing just fine currently with all sorts of games having their colloquial names here. BGG is all over the shop on the subject of what it thinks should be considered a game’s true name, so relying on them is madness.
Let the anoraks at BGG do their own thing. Give users here the latitude to know what is best when it’s a game community they’re part of or know particularly well. There is no higher purpose being served by adhering to this policy, especially when the allegedly gold-standard data source is a hot mess.
Hi Tim: I’ve no wish to become involved in a dispute over the title of my module. I really don’t have a personal preference but it seemed to me that, given it is referred to as “Kingmaker II” (or sometimes “Kingmaker the 2nd”) on BGG specifically to separate it from the original classic “Kingmaker”, it would cause less confusion to retain one of those names. But if you feel strongly that you need to use the BGG search engine’s name, I guess Gibson’s will accept that. I can go back into BGG and change my announcement but please can you keep me in the loop on any other changes you decide to make after Joel’s comments?
Your comments on BGG fit closely with my experience over the past decade but, like you, they perform a great service to the board game hobby.
You will see from my reply to Tim that I don’t have any personal preferences over the title and will fit in with whatever you decide - as long as I know wh at that is.
BGG is first and foremost in the business of being BGG and retaining their mindshare in the hobby. They’re completely wrapped around the axle of the database, categorization, measures, and minutia.
The rights holders (Gibsons in this case?) should be the ones to defer to, not moderators in obscure corners of BGG causing problems for the sake of justifying their own role. And if a community of players has organically come to refer the game in a certain way, that’s how it should be listed–that’s how they’ll be searching for it or picking it out when browsing (distinguishing it from the predecessor game).
EDIT: One more thought–if we’re not enforcing that the game name/title actually saved in a module matches the wiki page’s title (and I know that isn’t happening), then insisting on conformity to BGG’s database makes even less sense. Users could see a module in use online, come looking for it in the game library on the basis of the name they saw, and then have to figure out which is the right one because none of the options match.
Note that BGG allows for a game to have multiple names or “aliases”. That feature is probably mainly intended for translations of titles and such.
If the new Game Library Service will link to BGG through the BGG identifier, then the front- or back-end could use these names for searches and the like. In a sense, that will free VASSAL from adhering strictly to the naming scheme of BGG, since the link will be explicitly through a unique identifier.
VASSAL could still, if game pages will become a thing, have KingmakerIandII on the same game page, but as different packages or even projects. E.g.,
Kingmaker
Project A by Foo
Package of version I
Package of version II
Project B by Bar, contributions by Baz
Package of version II
Package of version III
Ideally, a new module page is made by entering the BGG identifier in a web-form, which then goes and fetches information about the game from BGG and ask the user to fill in missing or auxiliary information.
; sorry to give you so much hassle.
. I’ll go back to setting up the wiki tomorrow and see if I can leave you in peace for a while.
at that is.