User talk:MarphyBlack

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Welcome!

Hello, MarphyBlack, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome!  DS 23:51, 26 March 2006 (UTC)


Contents

[edit] Re: About the headcrab article

Thanks for notifying. I've just made some additional modifications on the sandbox version to include a few justified edits (the images of the fast and poison headcrabs, and the claim of "taming" a headcrab in the Lamarr section). Feel free to include this revision as you see fit. Thanks again for helping. :) ╫ ２５ ◀RingADing▶ 16:21, 3 July 2006 (UTC) ╫

[edit] HL2 Character Headshots

I am posting this here so there can be a common place for this discussion.

User GaMeRuInEr has recently gone through every single HL2 character article and added, or replaced, the main character headshot screenshot with his own. Hoeever, I don't think his screenshots are an improvement over the original for reasons I am listing here:

  • All of his pictures appear to be taken in a model viewer with a black background (It might be just spawned models in Garry's Mod's black room, but the results are the same), while the original screenshots of these characters were taken in-game in environments they were actually encountered in (moody lighting and all). I feel that these black void pictures don't do the characters justice, as these are supposed to be, although fictional, people deeply involved in an expanding plotline that's quite indepth compared to other games. Putting them in front of a black background makes them feel very far removed from the games' reality, and somewhat akward if you ask me. I have no problem with model viewer screenshots for generic enemies (Such as Combine soldiers, Xen creatures, etc.), but these are unique characters in the game, so I believe that the ingame shots were very suitable for their articles.
  • Also, the black color tend to make certain models blend into the background, which is especially true for any character with black hair (However, I'm not implying that all these pictures should be redone with a different color background).
  • As another side effect of taking a screenshot from a model viewer (Or spawned models in Garry's Mod), none of the characters have facial expressions. They just use the default blank expression, which looks kind of creepy and doesn't really occur as such in-game. Since realistic facial expressions are one of the most significant features of the Source engine, and what makes these character seem more lifelife and believable, I think the in-game shots are far more appropriate in this regard.
  • All of his pictures have been uploaded as png's. Now, I have nothing against the image format, but it's just not necessary for these types of pictures. These aren't simple 256-color, low-resolution game screenshots that the png format works so well with; these are fancy high-poly character models with the works. Png files in this case just make images needlessly large (One of his uploaded pictures in png format is 1mb). A jpeg can have twice the resolution at half the size with a more than acceptable quality level.
  • Just a nitpick here, but he neglected to add an image license to all of his uploaded pictures. It wouldn't be terribly difficult to go through all 25 or so pictures he uploaded and add a license, but since I'm arguing to remove some of them, I don't think the effort would be put to good use.

Now, I'm not saying that all of his uploaded pictures or all of his edits are bad, but I disagree with the headshots he has added (And in some cases, replaced entirely). I don't mean to offend this person as he seems to be new, but I think he was just a bit overzealous with his first actions. I would like to revert his headshot pictures the originals, but I don't want to act without some sort of discussion consensus first. Please discuss or comment on the matter here. Thank you. MarphyBlack 14:53, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your concern. Not to sound like I'm protecting my images or something, but I do support at least some of your arguments, mostly because I'm usually more supportive of natural and aesthetic portrayals of characters (especially headshots) in screenshots, something that is not easy to replicate in, say, an environment similar to the HL2 Model Viewer, and there is no way to alter facial movements in it, producing something more of a mug shot than an photo-op. Secondly, all screenshots are not anti-aliased, which should be standard issue in Source engine screenshots. Replacing them with graphically inferior versions may send the wrong message to viewers of the graphics in game. I would like to hear what the uploader has to say about the images though.
On a minor note, GaMeRuInEr had included a {{don't know}} tag in one uploaded image [1], which either indicates that the user is currently unsure of what tag should be included, or has no idea where the image comes from. However, adding {{game-screenshot}} is OK for now, but it's also better if the author is willing to include rationale for image use, which seems to be a requirement for fair use images. The licensing status of the images is the responsibility of the user who uploaded it, so it's best to inform the user of how to copyright-tag images. ╫ ２５ ◀RingADing▶ 18:59, 9 July 2006 (UTC) ╫
Hi again. I've invited GaMeRuInEr to participate in this discussions, if you don't mind. :) ╫ ２５ ◀RingADing▶ 18:59, 9 July 2006 (UTC) ╫
I don't mind at all. I hope he actually sees the message, though, since I'm not certain if he's aware of the other image license messages either. MarphyBlack 00:27, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] HL2 headshots issue

Guys, it's me, GaMeRuInEr. I don't know if I'm in the right place, but oh well. I really do apologize if I've done any destruction to any of the articles. But if you wish, you can delete any and all of my pictures if you like. I hope you understand that I'm quite new at this and have a hard time deciding what and what not to touch. Again, I'm sorry for any destruction I've done to any of the HL series pages.

Hello, GaMeRuInEr. I just wanted to make clear: No one is of the opinion that you've caused any destruction to any of the articles. Wikipedia is a place where anyone is free to contribute. The only concern here is whether the new pictures you added were actually improvements over the originals. There were no previously voiced complaints about the pictures we originally had, and going through the trouble to replace every single HL2 character image is certainly a large undertaking. I have listed my reasons above as to why I believe the original screenshots were better for the articles. Again, I do not wish to imply that all of your edits were bad in some way. My main regard was simply over the HL2 headshots. My last intention would be to scare you away from editing here, and I certainly wouldn't feel good about it if I had. You're very welcome here at Wikipedia, I just suggest that in the future, should you want to take part in a large overhaul of several articles (In this case, the character headshots), you should probably check beforehand to see if there's any real consensus that people want new images. Of course, you should always be bold when editing, and I am not criticizing you at all for your actions. You should not be worried as to if you should be allowed to touch an article, because by all means you certainly are. I, along with everyone here, appreciate the edits of all contributors, and if something comes into conflict, we can always discuss the best way to handle the situation like here.
Since you have read the issues brought up against your HL2 character headshots, and you've given permission now, I will go through some of your image edits and replace them with the previous image versions now. MarphyBlack 12:12, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Re:The Gauss Cannon

Regarding the naming of the Tau cannon, the weapon is also known as the "Gauss gun" (not to be confused with "Gauss cannon"), so there may be a bit on confusion because "Gauss gun" is also used frequently to refer to the Tau cannon (see entries in Everything2 on "Tau Cannon" and "Gauss gun" for examples).

Also, the characteristic of the ammunition fired from the chopper gun is similar to that of the mounted Combine turrets and the Combine standard issue rifles (blue, yellow and white in color), which may confuse readers on the nature of the weapon's ammunition if a term occasionally associated with the Tau cannon is used instead. I'll return the "Gauss cannon" naming, but will be including a bit of detail to clear things up, per justifications above. ╫ ２５ ◀RingADing▶ 19:43, 12 July 2006 (UTC) ╫

I know it's somewhat confusing, but that appears to be the official name given to the gun by Valve and co. Kind of like how also in HL2 they named something the "Suppression field" and another thing the "Supression device" (Perhaps with the sole itention of confusing the player!), despite both devices having radically different uses. MarphyBlack 02:00, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] MK image feedback requested

I've submitted a logo for the Mortal Kombat WikiProject. As an active member of the project, I just wanted to drop you a line so I can get your feedback over at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Mortal Kombat#WikiProject Mortal Kombat Logo. Thanks! :) EVula 04:55, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Female Assassin : Redemption

If you have play the actual game, you will find the grunts fighting those female assassins in the assassin temple.

Nope, female assassins do not fight or attack human grunts, either in the regular version of Half-Life or in the mod Redemption. They are coded to fight on the same side, so they will never harm each other. Everything you saw in Redemption was just the work of some scripted sequences. You can spawn human grunts right next to female assassins and they won't actually do anything. MarphyBlack 22:51, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The Exocutioner

you removed the exocutioner, because he don't have a name & what not, but then theres the Keepers, like thats a name, so your reason for removing him, doesn't make any sence.~~Lil'Layzie-One

I did not remove him; I alphabetized his name. Even though it begins with "The", making the first letter "T", the actual first letter of his name is "E", for Executioner. "The" is just a title. That's why "The Keepers" are placed with the K names.
Incidentally, "The Keepers" are named during one of the cut scenes in Mythologies. MarphyBlack 20:30, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

naw that was my fault man, my appologies.~~Lil'Layzie-One

[edit] Fair use images on your userpage

Hi MarphyBlack, I noticed all the screenshots from games on your userpage a couple of seconds ago and decided to point something out to you. We should only rarely use copyrighted or fairuse images and not on userpages see WP:USERPAGE#Images_on_user_pages, sorry, DVD+ R/W 03:45, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for telling me. I've been meaning to turn them into links rather than using thumbnails, actually. For now I've commented out the galleries on my userpage. MarphyBlack 12:13, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sin steam edits

Is it possible to port the pre-steam content to the steam version or do they use different formats? Also, you missed the removal of the Elexis nude skin in your page. --Superslash 04:53, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the pre-Steam content can be converted to the format that the Steam version uses (I think that would only need to be done with model textures, as both versions use the "swl" format for wall textures). However, I never actually tested this myself, so I'm not certain if the Steam version will even accept custom content (It may simply keep loading the regular content from the gcf file and ignore all external stuff, which is a known issue with some Steam games). Also, I am aware of the nude Elexis skin being cut. In fact, many files were cut from the Steam version, including some deathmatch music tracks (Possibly also due to copyright issues). I never got around to mentioning this on my page, although many of these files did appear to be unused originally. MarphyBlack 09:00, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
Hmmm... time to make a dummy GCF and do a full extraction. >)--Superslash 02:43, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Black Mesa

Hi there Marphy, I see you have a similar opinion to myself regarding Geni and his "editing" of the Black Mesa articles. If this continues to drag on, I wonder if you would be prepared to join me in an official Request for Comment regarding his actions? You and me are not the first people to complain about his actions, and we will not be the last. Rusty2005 00:55, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

I do not wish to have this situation escalate further, but I do believe that Geni's actions need review. His views are well-intentioned, but far too overzealous and they takes quite a narrow perspective of the policies here. If it comes to an RfC, I will support you. MarphyBlack 20:39, 15 November 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Sven Co-op

Yes, just highlight it as withdrawn at the top. If you want me to copy the old article into your userspace (so you can use any relevant material) I can do that. Yomanganitalk 23:39, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

User:MarphyBlack/Sven Co-op (I disabled the category inclusion but left them in the article). Cheers, Yomanganitalk 01:57, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Jarek

I actually moved his Armageddon ending info up a little. The link is still there and can be moved down if you desire. The other link went to YouTube, and that site should not be used as a reference. -SaturnYoshi THE VOICES 02:17, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, what I was actually doing was adding a link to all character pages. Most of them didn't even have a reference section, and I was only trying to uniform them. I'm sorry to admit that I'm not all that up on adding referencing sections. However, if we can work together, then I believe that we can make the character pages a lot better. -SaturnYoshi THE VOICES 02:33, 22 November 2006 (UTC)
I restored the reference sections on the pages I changed with slight alterations to the "Warehouse" links. I'm still adding the links to the rest of the characters and they can be used for actual reference sections when they are created. All the links can be found at the end of the story section, and the YouTube references are still in tact on the three pages I took them off. I believe that Jarek, Mokap and Motaro were the only ones. -SaturnYoshi THE VOICES 03:02, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sektor

Look, I don't think "Secret" is a derogatory (sp?) term, nor do I belive they are not secret. I just think the paragraph seems awkward, and that it's fine to just mention them in the secret characters section. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.63.86.156 (talk • contribs) 21:57, 3 December 2006 (UTC).


[edit] For a job well done...

The Kombatant's Barnstar
The Kombatant's Barnstar
I, RobWill80, hereby award MarphyBlack the Mortal Kombat WikiProject's Kombatant's Barnstar, in recognition of your valued and exceptional contributions to Wikipedia's Mortal Kombat articles.
Awarded 21:38, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Okay. .

Eh, just thought it was interesting that both Hotaru's name and Hotaru's weapon are associated with females. Didn't mean to offend. I mean, it really doesn't have to do with the character that his name is normally a female name, either, so why not just take that down, too? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by CaTigeReptile (talk • contribs) 02:49, 12 December 2006 (UTC).

It has yet to be revealed if the normally female use of the name has any significance to Hotaru's character or whether this was just an oversight by the developers due to ignorance of the name's true meaning (Same goes with Reiko). While the name "Hotaru" was specifically chosen because it means firefly, in reference to his costume design (And thereby meaning that the developers could have known about the word normally being a female name since they knew the word's meaning), there is no indication whether the choice of the naginata is of any specific importance (Indeed, many of the characters' weapons seem to be quite haphazardly chosen at times). Your reasoning is valid, but it's a bit more far reaching than pointing out that Hotaru's name is normally associated with females, as it is known that the developers had a specific reasoning behind the name. The naginata, in contrast, may be completely negligible to his character. MarphyBlack 03:00, 12 December 2006 (UTC)


Hey, that works for me. You're the one with the award for the MK section. I suppose my trivia was, in fact, trivial. And I suppose it could have been, just like the firefly part was for his name, the samurai part for the weapon, as it was at one point a traditional samurai weapon. Both just had the coincidence of being associated with females. Cheers. CaTigeReptile 02:02, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
I don't know why you're acting so offended over this. If you're implying that I am condoning the original trivia point and condemning yours, that would be incorrect. All trivia sections as a whole are frowned upon here. Not that I am entirely opposed to all trivia sections of any kind, but often they encourage unsourced and non-notable speculation and/or original research to be added to articles, all of which the original trivia point is fairly guilty of. I would have removed it myself had I been monitoring the article at the time of its inclusion (It seems it was added by an anonymous ip back in September). While I plan to remove such unsourced and non-notable information like this at some point in the future, there are over 60 character articles to go through, not to mention the dozens of other MK-related ones to consider. In order to make this process slightly less painful when I finally do get around to doing it, I am preventing any more such info from being added in the mean time. However, since you have brought up this specific case, I will remove the trivia point right now. MarphyBlack 02:39, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
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