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Difference between revisions of "PidgiWiki:FAQ"

on PidgiWiki, the video game media repository

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Frequently Asked Questions}}  
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Frequently Asked Questions}}
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<div class="Q">
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==What is PidgiWiki?==
<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. Why is there an FAQ?</font><br>
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PidgiWiki is a community-driven video game media database, including artwork, promotional materials, logos, and more.
A. To answer questions like that one.
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</span>
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===What *isn't* PidgiWiki?===
</div>
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* PidgiWiki is not a wallpaper database. While wallpapers are welcome to be uploaded, they must be both completely official and, if the artwork included in the wallpaper already exists on the site, have a better or alternate representation of said artwork.
<div class="Q">
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* PidgiWiki is not a sprite database. Some game sprites may be relevant if utilized as game artwork (as is often the case with retro-themed games), but this is an exception rather than the rule.
<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. Isn't this site illegal?</font><br>
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* PidgiWiki is not a repository of otherwise paid material. This means that full scans of guidebooks, art books, etc. are not accepted. Freely available samples (such as [[:File:Sampler - Pokemon Handbook.pdf]]) are acceptable.
A. No more than any other fan site. The vast majority of the content on PidgiWiki was sent to us by Nintendo themselves, and as such, PidgiWiki is almost as legal as fan sites can get.
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</span>
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==How can I help?==
</div>
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There's lots you can do! [[PidgiWiki:How can I help?|Click here]] to find some suggestions of how to help.
<div class="Q">
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<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. Can I be an admin?</font><br>
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==Is all of the art on PidgiWiki official?==
A. If you help out a lot around here, we'll see if you should be an admin.
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The goal of PidgiWiki is to catalog official video game media, and as such, the vast majority of files on this site are official. However, as it is a wiki, anyone can upload to the site; some fan-made images have snuck their way in over the years. Once detected, these have been promptly deleted. If you suspect an image is fan-made, please either mark it for deletion or contact an administrator.
</span>
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</div>
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==My favorite game is missing some artwork. Why don't you have it?==
<div class="Q">
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There are many reasons why we might not yet have artwork from a game on the website, but the most common reason is simply that no one has uploaded it yet! PidgiWiki is a community-driven site, meaning anyone can contribute and upload images. If you find something that's not yet on the site, by all means, upload it!
<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. How can I help?</font><br>
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A. [[PidgiWiki:How can I help?|<span style="color:#FFF">Click here.</span>]]
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==Can I upload edited images?==
</span>
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The definition of what constitutes an edit is vague, but in general, edited images are not permitted. Modifications to images done during the editing process can degrade the quality of the image, or accidentally remove pieces that should be part of the original image (e.g. an edit to remove the background of character art may accidentally remove part of the character).
</div>
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<div class="Q">
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Note: Many images uploaded to other sites are edited for the purposes of that site (e.g. wikis, wallpaper sites, etc.), so please don't upload something a user uploaded to another site unless you are sure it has not been edited (in which case, a better source is usually possible anyways).
<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. How are spoilers handled?</font><br>
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A. As per an executive board decision on 25 March 2013, characters should be called by their promotional names. If no promotional name appears to be available, use the name known prior to a revelation in the storyline.
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== I uploaded a new version of an existing image. Why am I still seeing the old version? ==
</span>
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PidgiWiki uses [https://www.cloudflare.com/ Cloudflare], a service that caches images so that our server doesn't have to keep serving the same image over and over - it helps a *lot* with keeping our costs down. The drawback is that images can take up to 8 hours to refresh, so check back later!
</div>
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<div class="Q">
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==How are spoilers handled?==
<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. I'm uploading files according to the guidelines pages, but someone edits the files to a different naming style. Why?</font><br>
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As per an executive board decision on 25 March 2013, characters should be called by their promotional names. If no promotional name appears to be available, use the name known prior to a major revelation in the game's storyline (usually the name the character is first introduced with).
A. Our documentation is unfortunately a bit outdated. We're working on updating them, but some parts still have old information. For the time being, just go with the flow, I suppose. Sorry!
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</span>
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==I'm uploading files according to the guidelines pages, but someone edits the files to a different naming style. Why?==
</div>
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Our documentation is unfortunately a bit outdated, so it's possible that the naming conventions have changed and the documentation hasn't been updated yet. We're working on updating them, but some parts still have old information. If this situation occurs, please [[PidgiWiki:Administrators|contact an admin]] and let them know what happened.
<div class="Q">
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<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. This piece of artwork was released with two different games at different times, which should it be categorized under?</font><br>
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==This piece of artwork was released with two different games at different times, which should it be categorized under?==
A. In such a case, the artwork should be categorized under the first game it was released with.
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In such a case, the artwork should be categorized under the first game it was released with.
</span>
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</div>
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==What do I do when I think something should be deleted?==
<div class="Q">
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Please add <nowiki>{{delete|reason here}}</nowiki> at the top of a page that you think should be deleted, putting the rationale for deletion where the example says "reason here".
<span style="color:#FFF"><font size="5">Q. What does "Error creating thumbnail:" mean, and how do I fix it? It showed up when I tried to load this image.</font><br>
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A. We're not exactly sure <em>what</em> it means; we think it's some sort of memory issue. However, this can usually be remedied by refreshing the requested page. If that doesn't work, [mailto:sysop@pidgi.net contact the webmaster].
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==Why did somebody delete a file I uploaded just to replace it with one with another file extension?==
</span>
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Generally when this happens, it's from a previously uploaded JPG to a new PNG. The PNG format uses lossless compression, as opposed to JPEG which is lossy, meaning saving a file as a JPG loses some of its original quality. If a user is able to find a more original source, they might re-upload the file as a PNG to avoid that quality loss. Additionally, PNG files allow for transparent backgrounds, where as JPG files do not.
</div>
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==Have a question not answered here? Ask here!==
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On the offchance that it's from a PNG to a JPG, the usual cause is because the PNG was simply too large and the file quality wouldn't suffer much as a JPG. For example, [[:File:Unova - Pokemon Black and White.jpg]] is about 8.52MB. If it were a PNG, it'd be around 40MB - a huge size difference!
Alternatively, you can contact an [[PidgiWiki:Administrators|admin]] about your question.
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<comments />
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==How do I change my avatar at the top right?==
 +
PidgiWiki uses Gravatar for user avatars. If you would like to set an avatar or change your avatar, visit [https://www.gravatar.com/ Gravatar.com].
 +
 
 +
== I have a question that wasn't answered here ==
 +
Contact an [[PidgiWiki:Administrators|admin]] with your question.

Latest revision as of 22:06, 15 November 2023


What is PidgiWiki?

PidgiWiki is a community-driven video game media database, including artwork, promotional materials, logos, and more.

What *isn't* PidgiWiki?

  • PidgiWiki is not a wallpaper database. While wallpapers are welcome to be uploaded, they must be both completely official and, if the artwork included in the wallpaper already exists on the site, have a better or alternate representation of said artwork.
  • PidgiWiki is not a sprite database. Some game sprites may be relevant if utilized as game artwork (as is often the case with retro-themed games), but this is an exception rather than the rule.
  • PidgiWiki is not a repository of otherwise paid material. This means that full scans of guidebooks, art books, etc. are not accepted. Freely available samples (such as File:Sampler - Pokemon Handbook.pdf) are acceptable.

How can I help?

There's lots you can do! Click here to find some suggestions of how to help.

Is all of the art on PidgiWiki official?

The goal of PidgiWiki is to catalog official video game media, and as such, the vast majority of files on this site are official. However, as it is a wiki, anyone can upload to the site; some fan-made images have snuck their way in over the years. Once detected, these have been promptly deleted. If you suspect an image is fan-made, please either mark it for deletion or contact an administrator.

My favorite game is missing some artwork. Why don't you have it?

There are many reasons why we might not yet have artwork from a game on the website, but the most common reason is simply that no one has uploaded it yet! PidgiWiki is a community-driven site, meaning anyone can contribute and upload images. If you find something that's not yet on the site, by all means, upload it!

Can I upload edited images?

The definition of what constitutes an edit is vague, but in general, edited images are not permitted. Modifications to images done during the editing process can degrade the quality of the image, or accidentally remove pieces that should be part of the original image (e.g. an edit to remove the background of character art may accidentally remove part of the character).

Note: Many images uploaded to other sites are edited for the purposes of that site (e.g. wikis, wallpaper sites, etc.), so please don't upload something a user uploaded to another site unless you are sure it has not been edited (in which case, a better source is usually possible anyways).

I uploaded a new version of an existing image. Why am I still seeing the old version?

PidgiWiki uses Cloudflare, a service that caches images so that our server doesn't have to keep serving the same image over and over - it helps a *lot* with keeping our costs down. The drawback is that images can take up to 8 hours to refresh, so check back later!

How are spoilers handled?

As per an executive board decision on 25 March 2013, characters should be called by their promotional names. If no promotional name appears to be available, use the name known prior to a major revelation in the game's storyline (usually the name the character is first introduced with).

I'm uploading files according to the guidelines pages, but someone edits the files to a different naming style. Why?

Our documentation is unfortunately a bit outdated, so it's possible that the naming conventions have changed and the documentation hasn't been updated yet. We're working on updating them, but some parts still have old information. If this situation occurs, please contact an admin and let them know what happened.

This piece of artwork was released with two different games at different times, which should it be categorized under?

In such a case, the artwork should be categorized under the first game it was released with.

What do I do when I think something should be deleted?

Please add {{delete|reason here}} at the top of a page that you think should be deleted, putting the rationale for deletion where the example says "reason here".

Why did somebody delete a file I uploaded just to replace it with one with another file extension?

Generally when this happens, it's from a previously uploaded JPG to a new PNG. The PNG format uses lossless compression, as opposed to JPEG which is lossy, meaning saving a file as a JPG loses some of its original quality. If a user is able to find a more original source, they might re-upload the file as a PNG to avoid that quality loss. Additionally, PNG files allow for transparent backgrounds, where as JPG files do not.

On the offchance that it's from a PNG to a JPG, the usual cause is because the PNG was simply too large and the file quality wouldn't suffer much as a JPG. For example, File:Unova - Pokemon Black and White.jpg is about 8.52MB. If it were a PNG, it'd be around 40MB - a huge size difference!

How do I change my avatar at the top right?

PidgiWiki uses Gravatar for user avatars. If you would like to set an avatar or change your avatar, visit Gravatar.com.

I have a question that wasn't answered here

Contact an admin with your question.

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