Forum:Preparing for The Sims 4

With the Gamescom reveal coming up, and with the release of The Sims 4 still tentatively set for early 2014, the clock is ticking and there are a lot of preparations to make for the release of the game. What I'd like to do is start a discussion about the various things that need to be changed, updated or addressed before the TS4 launch (whenever it is).

To me, there are a few issues right off the bat. Among them are:
 * Wiki theme re-design. Obviously a new theme for Into the Future is being discussed, but beyond that we really should look into a major revision to our wiki theme - new logo, new images, new backgrounds, new color scheme, changes to message templates (e.g. retirement of Parthenon). If we want to make a clean sweep of the wiki and modernize, this is a good opportunity.
 * Addressing policy loopholes. This has not been a major issue up to now, but an influx in visitor and editor traffic is guaranteed to occur when the game releases, so we need to have our policies figured out and have them written down and organized.
 * Selecting new administrators/bureaucrats. This is an ongoing process, but new administrators will be especially crucial in and around the release date.
 * Interaction with Wikia staff (and possibly EA). Months back, it was suggested that our wiki might be able to work more closely with EA. It would be great if we could exercise this option, and working with Wikia's staff would help accomplish this. Getting Staff involvement in the wiki in the months leading up to release can help us potentially address one or more of the issues I've raised, can help us promote the wiki alongside the game (think about contests and giveaways and such things), and can ultimately make us ready for TS4.

It's easy to put off these conversations, but TS4 is coming faster than any of us realize. It's not inconceivable that it could release within six months, and as of now we aren't prepared for this. Let's start preparing now. -- 23:21, August 19, 2013 (UTC)

Discussion
I think it would be good if we could organise a giveaway of an Origin code for TS4 and/or a developer Q&A where users (from across Wikia provided we get a Spotlight or something) can comment with their questions, they're fed to EA by Wikia and hopefully we get answers. I know this may sound like I'm trying to rehash the 2010 Late Night blog fiasco but I think if we plan this out carefully, this could work. Obviously it all comes down to both Wikia and EA being open to this but this is one option we can consider.

Oh and a quick point on the admin/bureaucrat appointment, it's worth noting that, believe it or not, we're losing members of the administration at a faster rate than we're gaining. Obviously we are working around this but I'd like to emphasise that there aren't as many admins/bureaucrats as one may think. If you think there's somebody who's up for it, even if it's yourself, then don't be afraid to nominate.

That's all I have for now. 23:42, August 19, 2013 (UTC)
 * This might sound odd, but another thing that might be worth doing would be to look through the wiki's .css and .js pages, to trim out features that aren't working or that aren't used anymore. As far as I know, the .css and .js pages have mostly accumulated bits of code over time, but most of the time old code isn't cleaned out when/if it becomes obsolete. This might make a difference in improving load times for pages (especially for special features on those pages - it can take multiple seconds to load the countdown timer and Facebook widget on the main page, for instance).


 * On the subject of the mainpage, I think any major re-theme of the wiki should involve a redesign of the main page, specifically to trim down what's on the page (to reduce the length or simply to make the page load faster). We could achieve this by cutting stuff from the page (which we'd need to discuss) or possibly by implementing a tab system, similar to some of our other-language affilates (see Les Sims Wiki for example). In any case, the mainpage hasn't been redesigned in years, and it is quite a bit longer than the main pages of other wikis, generally speaking. --  LostInRiverview talk ~ blog 03:34, August 20, 2013 (UTC)


 * I must say, Les Sims Wiki design really looks great and reflects The Sims 4 theme. LiR, are you suggesting a redesign for main page layout or the wiki's theme (the blue / green headers for example)? The current theme has been implemented for about 18 months, and that's not too old to me. But if we want to redesign it to resemble The Sims 4, it's nice too.


 * I realize we're a bit short-staffed here. It's a little hard for me to follow who has been regular contributors lately, since it's mixed up with fanon namespace, and I'm not sure if they're ready to be an admin.  Nikel  Talk  –  Vote!  03:59, August 20, 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm suggesting both a mainpage redesign (as in, re-arranging the things on the page, removing old stuff that isn't useful anymore, etc) and a re-theme (changing the look and feel of the page itself). If we implement this early next year, our current theme will have been with us for about two years. It's worth noting that the main page theme that was implemented prior to our current theme was only used for about a year before it was changed. As for the staffing issue; we're not necessarily understaffed at the present time, but if The Sims 4 were releasing today I believe we would be understaffed for that event. --  LostInRiverview talk ~ blog 10:36, August 20, 2013 (UTC)
 * I think the mainpage could do with some new additions to it, so it would probably be a fairly good idea if it was redesigned completely. I also think it would be a good idea if we got in contact with both Wikia and EA to see if we can create a business relationship with EA (I think it works like that, I don't know...). But yeah... As for the understaffed issue, I personally don't think we are understaffed but it is always nice to introduce new administrators/bureaucrats/rollbacks/whatever. Beds (parlare - da leggere ) 16:59, August 20, 2013 (UTC)
 * I think we should hold a new logo contest as well. It has been several years since we've had a new logo design. While Erry has been great with working with us on the logo, I think it might be worth starting a contest to allow Erry and other users to submit logo designs, for an eventual TS4-themed wiki. --  LostInRiverview talk ~ blog 20:13, August 26, 2013 (UTC)