User blog:LostInRiverview/The Sims 4 is out... now what?

We're a week past the release of The Sims 4. By any estimation, a lot of players have purchased the game by now and are eagerly playing brand new worlds, exploring new features and learning more about the newest addition to the series. As they play, they'll no doubt be encountering problems and questions, and they'll be looking to websites like ours to provide them with the information they need to make the most of their game. It is our job, as wiki editors and members of this community, to ensure that the information we provide is up-to-date, accurate and orderly.

As with all new game releases, especially base game releases, there is a lot of new information that we need to add to database. Right now, the wiki is not doing a great job of presenting this new information. We lack a lot of information about the game, especially features that weren't heavily publicized prior to release. Worse, the information we do have is in many cases months or years out-of-date and not at all accurate. On top of this, the sheer amount of new information and lingering questions about how to best organize it and present it are stalling efforts to bring that information to the larger community.
 * So, what's the problem?

In short, the wiki is not doing an effective job of providing information about The Sims 4.

This post is not meant to place blame on anyone, or to belittle the efforts that this wiki has taken to prepare for the game release. Now that the game has arrived, however, we need to switch strategies. Above all else, we need more information and a more clear and concise way to organize it.

There are a few key issues that, when addressed, will go a long way towards ensuring that the wiki is up-to-date and helpful to all our readers.
 * How can I help?

There are a number of fundamental discussions going on, determining how the wiki should organize and handle all this new information. These discussions are necessary to lay the foundation for new templates, categories and articles devoted to properly covering the game. Without these discussions, there will be no clear direction for editors to follow and the ability of the wiki to collect and combine information will be hindered. Even if you're not a regular editor of this wiki, we need your input on how to solve these organizational problems. In many cases, these discussions have reached an impasse. In all cases, the sooner these issues are solved, the sooner we can begin to implement those changes and work wholeheartedly towards compiling new information about TS4.

Among the important discussions that need input now are:
 * Forum:Organization for TS4 timeline - We need to decide how TS4 timeline information is to be organized on articles about premade Sims. Should this information be separated out by game, or combined onto one page? This is a crucial discussion that will impact how all Sim pages are constructed from now on. Every opinion is valid and no idea will be ignored.
 * Forum:Alternate universe - The Sims 4 introduced an "alternate universe" to the timeline of The Sims series. We need to determine how The Sims Wiki will classify these two universes, and how plot information from TS4 will be organized and displayed relative to plot information from TS, TS2 and TS3.

Discussions aren't the only place where we are falling behind. Articles written about core features of The Sims 4 are woefully short of information, or else unorganized and confusing. Below is a list of articles about TS4 topics that need lots of information and help. If you have played The Sims 4, please share your knowledge with us in these and other topics:
 * Gallery - the in-game content sharing system article consists of three sentences. The article gives no detail about how this feature functions, and only gives a brief overview of the feature itself.
 * Trait (The Sims 4) - this page gives a lot of basic information about the new in-game traits themselves, but is lacking in detail about how the traits function within the game, how they affect a Sim's emotions and mood, or how they interact with each other.
 * Emotion - this article about a core new feature is lacking in a lot of information, including information about emotional death and actions unlocked by certain emotions.
 * Willow Creek and Oasis Springs - our articles about the two TS4 worlds are in need of a lot of new information, especially about the geography of the towns, and the lots and Sims living in them.
 * TS4 career articles - The Sims 4 features different careers from other games in the series. Unfortunately, information about these careers is so far lacking.
 * Create a Sim and build mode are both heavily lacking on information about the new features in The Sims 4. in the case of build mode, the article does not even mention The Sims 4 or the changes it has made to building in the game.

In addition to these articles, there are no doubt a number of articles about The Sims 4 that are yet to be created. The sooner these articles are made, the sooner we can begin to provide a comprehensive amount of information about the game.

Even if you've never edited The Sims Wiki before, we need you! Wiki editing is easy to learn, and we have a group of dedicated administrators willing to provide input and advice. The wiki allows editing of nearly every page, and your edits need not be perfect in order to be published; the wiki is constantly looking to improve and add even more information than before. So, any and all information you can give to the wiki will be appreciated and accepted. Participation in discussions about improving the wiki is also important. You do not need to be an administrator or long-time contributor to give your input and insight. All our discussions are open to everyone and no opinion or idea is dismissed or ignored.
 * What do I need to know before I help?

The Sims 4 is out now, and we were caught unprepared. But the wiki can rise above this setback, provided we all collaborate and build the wiki together. Even if you don't own The Sims 4 right now, your assistance could go a long way towards ensuring that the wiki is the best source of information about this and all other The Sims games. So, whether you're a regular contributor the wiki or a brand-new editor, or whether you're a TS4 early adopter or not, we need you!

Will you help us?

--  LostInRiverview talk ~ blog 02:34, September 9, 2014 (UTC)