User blog:Jasca Ducato/Eraicon revamp

Assassin's Creed is a franchise that has exploded in popularity and size since its creation back in 2007. Following the success of the first numbered sequel –Assassin's Creed II – in 2009 the number of games, comics, books, and movies set in the Assassin's Creed universe has grown exponentially, and so to has the requirement for this wiki to catalogue and record these entries. For eight years now, the preferred method of doing so has been the eraicon.

When the eraicons were first introduced in 2010, the series had a significantly smaller number of entires under its belt, and as a result the inclusion of these icons at the top of an article did not cause much aesthetic disruption, but as the series progressed and more and more articles required an ever increasing number of eraicons be present, it became clear that the current system was no longer fit for purpose and resultantly, after much discussion, it was agreed that a change was needed.

The change
Gone are the days where our in-universe articles openly advertise the real-world series entries from which their information is sourced. Instead, the wikia's articles will now only feature in-universe category icons that aim to improve the look of our articles and promote readership of additional articles to the site's visitors.

The new icons were designed to be broad in scope so as to encompass as many applicable articles as possible, but specific enough to ensure that readers will know what to expect by clicking on the icons. As such, numerous articles will likely require the use of multiple icons. Certain articles covering real world topics, like Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Origins, or Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants will retain use of the existing icons series entry icons.

No longer will Assassins look like this:

But instead, it will look like this:

The new icons
Here's a guide to the new icons:


 * – for use on articles about particular individuals. For example:
 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze
 * Ptolemy XIII


 * – for use on articles about animals and other species. For example:
 * Horses
 * Humans


 * – for use on articles about items that contribute to culture, like books or paintings. For example:
 * Annunciation
 * Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex


 * – for use on articles about specific landmarks, be they man-made or natural. For example:
 * Tower of London
 * Mount Vesuvius


 * – for use on articles about more general locations, be they man-made or natural. For example:
 * Paris
 * Desheret Desert
 * Russia


 * – for use on articles about specific genetic memories (i.e. all in-game missions) Note: This icon will be used in conjunction with the series entry icon for that respective mission's source


 * – for use on articles about jobs or other occupations. For example:
 * Gladiator
 * Mercenaries


 * – for use on articles about organizations of all types, ranging from cults to religious institutions. For example:
 * Abstergo Industries
 * Instruments of the First Will
 * Ghost Club


 * – for use on articles about technology of all kinds. For example:
 * Animus
 * Shrouds of Eden


 * – for use on articles about events that contribute toward the timeline. For example:
 * Great Catastrophe
 * Seven Years' War


 * – for use on articles about methods of transportation, be they man-made or biological in nature. For example:
 * Horse
 * Aquila


 * – for use on articles about weapons. For example:
 * Swords of Eden
 * Pistol

Multiple icons
On occassion an article might meet the criteria for two or more eraicons. In such circumstances more than one icon can be used, alphabetically, to ensure that the article is accurately covered. For example:


 * "Horse" will require
 * "Apples of Eden" will require
 * "Observatory" will require


 * Note: Both "Apples of Eden" and "Observatory" still require their existing Isu eraicon.

Allegiance icons
For individuals or subjects that hold an allegiance to a particular body, such as the Assassins, Templars, Abstergo, Instruments of the First Will, Hidden Ones, Order of the Ancients, Hermeticists, or the Isu, the relevant eraicon should also be displayed at the end of the sequence. For example:


 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze will require
 * Hidden Blade will require
 * The Aerie will require

Memories
On the topic of in-game missions, or genetic memories as they are known in-universe, articles will be required to maintain their existing series entry icon:


 * "Cheaters Never Prosper" will require
 * "How Grand, Master Kenway!" will require 

The old icons
Under the revamp the existing eraicons will be removed from almost all in-universe articles. They will, however, remain on articles covering the relevant realworld media. For example:


 * Assassin's Creed: Origins, The Hidden Ones (DLC), and The Curse of the Pharaohs'' will require

As mentioned in the Memories section, these realworld icons will also remain on mission-specific articles. These article will, invariably, require use of the Realworld icon also.

What happens now?
Over the next few weeks you will notice all of our articles gradually adopting the new format. Any user is welcome to help and can find a complete list of the relevant eraicons here. If at any stage you are confused or unsure as to which icon to use, then leave a comment below and somebody will advise.

Did we miss anything? If there are any articles on the wikia that you feel do not meet the criteria of any of the icons above then please do make a note of it below so that it can be discussed.