Docs / wiki

[ssilk]

I'm not sure if this is the right time to discuss this, and not, if its the right way.
And even if its really needed.

The question is, which I asked me some times since march, when I discovered this game, if there should be some day an "official doc", in which the player can look into, see how something is working and can dig even deeper to see do's or dont's. I know there are different opinions, from "the player should find it out all himself" to "I want to know what's in inserters, how they work and why are they called inserters, even when they obviously put out items? And what is with the fishes?".

My opinion is: if the game will be a success (and I hope it will and everything till now says, it will) then there are many websites, which offer some kind of "documentation", tips&tricks and so on. So in the end, they get the infos from "somewhere". By experience I can say, that I really, really recommend to have that more or less in a controlled order, because otherwise everybody says "hey, look, we have the best informations about the game!" And then everyone is doing its own stuff, no one is really contributing back to the community. Should be avoided.

That's the problem with having no "official documentation" and the only way to avoid that is to have one.

That was point 1.

For point 2 I thought, that some now think "this ssilk is funny, wants to have documenation for an unfinished game..."
I made a mind-map, which is an overview of my current thoughts about the docs. If someone wants I can send him the simple-mind mind-map, but because this is an proprietary format I prefer just pure text. Here are the current results:

Code: Select all

Factorio Docs
	Where
		Forum
		In game
		Wiki
	For whom
		Player
		Modder
		Developers
	Installation
	Main-menu
		Auto update
		User login
		Setup
			Key bindings
		Load/save Autosave
	Map editor
	Mods
		Handle/install mods How to use mods
		List of mods
			Official
			Inofficial
		Docs Modding and scripting
	Core Game
		Basic concepts
			Time
				Day/night
				Game time, ticks
			Screen/windows
				Main view
				Map
				Electric network
				Crafting
				Quick bar
				Research
				Inventory
			Tiles
				Sizes
				Types
			Items
				Types
				Select/place
			Build
				Build while running
			Craft
				Queue
					Add/remove
			Stacks
				Selecting
				Sizes
			Control
				Good mode
				Player mode
		Resources
			Trees
				Types
			Mining fields
				Iron/copper/stone/coal
			Food
				Fish
			Alien eggs
		Networks
			Electric
			Circuit
		Production
			Mining drills
			Conveyor Belts
			Inserters
			Furnaces
			Crafting
			Automated production
			Modules
		Research
			Research tree
		Weapons
			Defending
				Active
				Passive (Walls)
		Creepers
			Types of creepers
			Buildings
			Weapons
		Vehicles
			Car
			Train
	Appendix
		List of all items
			For belts: speed, items/min, tightness
			Needed resources, crafting time...
			For inserters: actions/min
			For poles: area, cable length
		Research tree
			Dependencies
			Useful combinations
		Modules
			Tables to compare combinations of modules with their resource need
		Useful layouts
			Mines
			Storages
			Belts
			Furnaces
			Assemblies
			Research
			Factory lines
			Factory
			Defending
			Trains, train stations
			Cars
			Logistic robots
			Electric network
			Circuit network
		Phases of game

I'm posting it to invite adding new points or discussing, if this or that is needed, or too much.
For example: I excluded the mods from the official docs, because I mean, it's not part of this docs.

And point 3 is, that I mean, that the current wiki is good enough for that job. I would like to contribute here, mainly it is only hard work, but for example for the list of all items or research I think programs should be used to generate the pages. ... Ok, getting too concrete now.

[n9103]

Perhaps putting some emphasis on the Community Portal wiki page, and using it for this kind of purpose would work for you?
(I'm not on the editor list, and don't have the interest in content creation enough to ask for it.)

I might also suggest someplace like WorkFlowy as a collaborative simple checklist/notepad.
I'm sure there are other options. I just happen to use WorkFlowy personally, and it's intentionally designed as a collaborative tool.

[ssilk]

Perhaps putting some emphasis on the Community Portal wiki page, and using it for this kind of purpose would work for you?

I put it here, because no one reads the wiki currently and because more brains have more ideas.
And using tools: no I use mainly my iPad and it is hard enough to write so much with it on web pages.

[n9103]

WorkFlowy has a free Android app, I'd be surprised if one wasn't available for iPad (free or not)
Writing in it is no harder than writing on any other note-taking app.

[ssilk]

Ok, I give it a try. installed it. Seems, that I need to create some cooperative login now. May take a while... I'm here southeast of Greece islands, in the middle of nowhere with not the best Internet and the beach is much more tempting, than this... but I have a look tonight.

[ssilk]

Some ideas since then:

1. Workflowy isn't what is needed.

2. What's needed is a "wiki" on a server/cloud:
2.1 need for pure text, but also needs much pictures to explain the stuff better, eventually also videos.
2.2 some simple control about rights management of the users. The API doc needs other rights than the part of useful layouts.
2.3 possibly discuss is free for everybody, but content only writeable for registered users.
2.4 insert auto generated content (entities, receipts etc. shouldn't be handwritten!)

3. Possibilities:
3.1 something like a free wiki, e. g. WIKIA ( e. g. http://supcom.wikia.com/wiki/UEF_T2_Engineering_Station )
3.2 sharing some docs, e. g. via google docs or other cloud services
3.3 using some simpler wiki than media wiki. See this: http://www.wikimatrix.org/ (for me it's not a question which programming language or what server etc. it's a question of how the stuff is installed and (!) maintained!)
3.4 using this forum as a BTN wiki replacement (possible, I used that for some simple stuff, IMHO very bad idea )

Again: I think installing a wiki and make it sure for bots/spam isn't that difficult. The problem is, that such a server needs administrative service; depends on traffic but here I think currently once a week or minimum every month. Installing patches, looking for backdoors... And also a webmaster, which looks into the contents for illegal stuff, set rights for users, creates content, installing new services (together with admin) and many things more. Could be one person but should have some experience with that stuff. Some parts of this packet can be bought, some others needs creativity...

[ssilk]

Adding: I put the above pre-docs into my google drive. If someone wants to participate: mail. I won't answer before Tuesday.
@kovarex: it would help, if the old wiki-pages could be made permanent.

[RawCode]

wiki wont help as long as there is nothing to do in game

[n9103]

Dude, take your negativity/trolling somewhere else.

[Novakat77]

I recently joined the Factorio community and only got to see the original wiki for 20 minutes before it was taken down. So I dug around and found that there were 2 other attempts at a wiki but nothing was ever put on them, so I filled out what I know about Factorio on the wikia site since I've used them before and trust that site. So if any of you would like to help contribute to the non official wiki please help make what I've done better.

[kovarex]

The plan is to revive the wiki (read only) and we will manually copy paste the non-spammed content to fresh new wiki and let only approved users edit.

[Nirahiel]

@kovarex :
I can contribute to the wiki if you want