User talk:Crookandcharlatan

Feel free to ask me anything regarding the Wiki and I'll try to answer as best I can.

Archive 1 - Archive 2

Stay safe
Hope you and your close ones weren't caught up in what happened today. --Alientraveller (talk) 14:32, March 22, 2016 (UTC)


 * As far as I know, we're all fine. Thanks, man :) 16:49, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

De la Serre residences
Hi Crook, Wondering if you could clear this up, or point me towards someone who can: In the ACU novel, Élise says her family has 2 estates - one in Versailles (where the game starts), and one in Paris, specifically in the Île Saint-Louis subdistrict of Île de la Cité. The Paris villa is sacked after the Bastille is stormed, resulting in Élise guarding the house for 11 days to stop anymore ransackers. However, when Arno briefly visits the estate in the Imprisoned and Templar Ambush cutscenes (end & beginning parts, respectively), the map reveals it actually is in the Temple subdistrict of Le Marais. Is this a canon screw-up, or do the La Serres have three estates? Confused... --Darman (talk) 00:51, April 1, 2016 (UTC)


 * Sounds like an inconsistency to me - is the Paris villa described in the novel explicitly identified as the place where Arno and Elise meet after the former escapes from the Bastille? If it is, we can consider an inconsistency and ignore the novel (since game canon trumps novel canon). 10:05, April 1, 2016 (UTC)


 * Yep, and I quote: "Christian was located [...] far away from our villa on the Île Saint-Louis." (p 33); "I was running [away from the Bastille] by now, [...] ready to face anyone who stood between me and my chateau." (p 281), leading to"It was daylight when they came [...] I reached for the pistol, pulled back the hammer and raised it. [A] figure crossed the threshold and came into the gloom of my home 'Élise,' he said [...] 'That's some welcome.' – p 297"
 * --Darman (talk) 16:35, April 1, 2016 (UTC)

Trade Table
Hi Crook, Darman. I'm working on Trade objects & I see it needs a Revamp. I think I made a better chart in my Sandbox, styled after the Weapons charts. If I were to put it in the page, would it be enough to remove the Revamp? I can't seem to add the descriptions in the chart without it looking messy. --Darman (talk) 02:30, April 30, 2016 (UTC)


 * * hella late reply*


 * The chart is certainly an improvement, but something needs to be done about those descriptions. If there was a better way of incorporating those into the article, I think the revamp template could be removed. There aren't trade objects in any of the other games, are there? 15:26, May 15, 2016 (UTC)

Hmm, adding descriptions....Have to mull over; currently working on Weapons pgs. Oh, almost done the AC4 transcripts (Got sidetracked...for 2 months. Oops?) --Darman (talk) 02:04, May 20, 2016 (UTC)
 * * late reply myself*

IRC
Is the IRC still popular/active? I'm asking for a friend. No suspicious reason. -- 23:03, June 5, 2016 (UTC)


 * My own attendance at the IRC has been spotty, so I'm not the best person to ask (also not the best person to reply apparently, sorry this is so late). There are days when it's quiet, there are days when it's not, I guess? :p 09:13, June 21, 2016 (UTC)


 * Oh, I see. Was thinking about making a brief comeback, but now I'm not so sure. -- 20:35, June 25, 2016 (UTC)


 * If you want to make sure it's not quiet, staying away isn't the best idea. -- 21:05, June 26, 2016 (UTC)


 * Holidays start tomorrow, so I'll probably pop 'round then. -- 23:01, June 30, 2016 (UTC)

Where Are You M8
Haven't seen on the AC Wiki in a while. How are things and are you excited for any games this year? Abelzorus Prime (talk) 00:06, June 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * I am alright, but I got kinda tired of Assassin's Creed, hence my "disappearance" from this place ^^; As for games, not really? I'm currently playing a lot of Overwatch, but beyond that the only game I'm really looking forward is Horizon: Zero Dawn, which is still a ways off (I think that's a 2017 release, actually). How about you? 09:06, June 21, 2016 (UTC)


 * RIP Crook -- Fragment -Animus- 03:43, June 30, 2016 (UTC)


 * I've hired Ubisoft to organize my funeral and lower my coffin into the ground, so they can let me down one last time :') 16:33, June 30, 2016 (UTC)


 * Watch Dogs 2 looks good! I think Watch Dogs 2 to Watch Dogs 1 will be what Assassin's Creed II was to the first Assassin's Creed. Same engine and similar mechanics but with a better story, a greater variation in different missions. I'm also interested in what For Honor has to offer but the game I am most excited about is MAFIA 3! I'm a big fan of gangster/organized crime fiction! Abelzorus Prime (talk) 17:13, June 30, 2016 (UTC)

Interwiki links - Flag icons
Hello, Crook!

I would like to know your opinion about it: Thread:206794 (I'm talking to all Assassin's Creed wikis about it).

Best Regards! :) TheCreedX (talk) 17:47, July 28, 2016 (UTC)

Edit Spam?
Hi Crook, Darman here. Thought I'd pop back in after my summer hiatus & say "Hello". Sadly I may have bad news: scrolling through "Random Page", I came across the newly-created Confederate States. Curious, I checked the page history & saw it had 10 edits in almost as many minutes by the same user on Sep. 12, and that all edits were very minor word rearrangements. Now: I know the actions are 1 week old and that any action now could prove meaningless, and that perhaps I shouldn't be bringing this up seeing as I haven't been here since Aug. 31, but I believe the MoS prohibits making constant small edits, to the best of one's ability. Because of the gap between the actions & this complaint, I don't think it warrants the third warning, but I also don't think it should be let off either. Perhaps just a general reminder, again? I apologize if I'm overstepping my bounds, and if I'm in the wrong for doing this, tell me and I'll make an effort on being less uncompromising about such matters. I should be here off & on, as life is busier than last year, but you can still reach me on my talk pg. Cheers, --Darman (talk) 18:15, September 20, 2016 (UTC)

I made an edit to the page about Ezio, adding a section talking about Basic Arms, but it was struck down by an admin. How might I reverse the change?Muhtadi Choudhury (talk) 21:48, September 25, 2016 (UTC)

Made in Masyaf
Hello,

My name is Sarah, I run the Made in Masyaf tumblr/Flickr page. I'm not overly familiar on how wikias function so apologies if this isn't going to the right place. I wanted firstly to thank you and other contributors for using my images on the wiki, it's a great honour. I use the wiki for reference constantly, so it's nice to be able to contribute to this great resource.

I've come to ask if there are more or better ways I can contribute images or other services. In particular I understand that my use of dyes on character's outfits can be a problem for images used here sometimes, so that's something I'd be happy to work on caps for if needed. I'd love to have a discussion with yourself or any other contributors to see if there's anything I can help out with. I can be reached at madeinmasyaf@gmail.com if this is easier

Thank you!

Madeinmasyaf (talk) 15:08, September 27, 2016 (UTC)


 * Hi!


 * This is a surprise. And I extend my thanks in return, of course - one of our users that provided us with a lot of screenshots left the community sometime ago, so you have been a real lifesaver in that regard.


 * That's awfully nice of you to offer by the way. If you are fine sticking to the default appearance of a character for your screenshots, that would be helpful to us, because we do prefer to avoid the custom outfits when screencapping like main missions and stuff. Umm, I might need to consult with other Wiki admins on what else we need screenshots of. Thanks for reaching out btw, I've been following you on Tumblr for some time :p


 * 20:10, September 28, 2016 (UTC)

Re:Antoninus Pius
The Database entry for the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. The Wikia Editor (talk) 22:32, November 13, 2016 (UTC)


 * Cool, thanks for the swift response! 21:39, November 13, 2016 (UTC)

"Vatican City"
Well, on that matter, the so-called Vaticano District simply is something different from Vatican City, which of course is the current state founded in 1929. So, why removing the flag and keeping the name? --Piero.schiavone1994 (talk) 21:54, December 6, 2016 (UTC)


 * Myeah, that is kind of my problem with the article - I don't think any of its content is in any way relevant to the real life Vatican City, so I'm not sure if it should ever have been renamed from "Vatican" to "Vatican City" in the first place. Regardless, I removed the flag because it classifies as "original research", content that does not appear in any of the AC media, which isn't allowed. The user who added all of the flags to the wiki did so of his own accord. 21:59, December 6, 2016 (UTC)


 * My very personal choice would be for Vatican. Much more sense, no? Oh well, if it gets endorsement it could be renamed back to it then?
 * As for flags. So do they have to be removed from all countries articles? And should their files be deleted, too? --Piero.schiavone1994 (talk) 22:26, December 6, 2016 (UTC)


 * I've been discussing it with one of my fellow mods and at this point, it looks like we'll be changing the article's name to "Vaticano district", which is what it's actually called in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (it would also make it more in line with the other three Rome district articles).


 * Flag-wise, I want to say "yes, probably". Just to be 100% sure, ask Sima if you can remove the flag images from the articles (I cannot guarantee he will answer immediately though, but he's one our most senior editors). 22:34, December 6, 2016 (UTC)


 * I will ask. Thanks. --Piero.schiavone1994 (talk) 22:37, December 6, 2016 (UTC)

Nathan being an Assassin
I'm looking at Callum's family tree at this very moment and Callum himself does not have an Assassin insignia next to his name, but Moussa, Lin, Emir and Nathan do. You can see for yourself either on the site or on Aguilar's page. The Wikia Editor (talk) 12:18, December 11, 2016 (UTC)


 * Oh, my bad. I thought he did have the insignia - I will change it back in a second, then. I have my suspicions that Sophia Rikkin isn't a Templar despite having the insignia, but that isn't really based on anything. 13:44, December 11, 2016 (UTC)

Virginio Orsini
So, as Vatican City has been deleted after all, peraps you could also delete another useless page, Virginio Orsini? This was an article I created by mistake without realizing there already was Gentile Virginio Orsini, and then I candidated it for deletion. --Piero.schiavone1994 (talk) 17:14, December 13, 2016 (UTC)


 * Done and dusted. Thanks for notifying me :) 17:22, December 13, 2016 (UTC)

Staff
Crook, I think the Bureau section of the Staff page might need to be updated. Stormbeast was last here Aug.1 and told Sima he was stepping down; Crimson's done off/on edits, but hasn't been seen since late Oct; Alientraveller admits he "only plan[s] to contribute sporadically and uphold [his] moderator duties", but hasn't been seen since early July; and Arcemz seems to have gone dark since mid-August after having said he's "decided to step down from the staff". Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thought you should know. -- Darman ( talk ) 00:30, December 15, 2016 (UTC)

Response to the Heart
Greetings Crookandcharlatan. First of all, thanks for the help. It was my first contribution and the interface was quite difficult to master, but I did my best. Second, yes. In the book they mentioned the Heart as a POE. I leave you with a quote of it. Once again, thank you.

"De Molay had kept it separate from the sword when the weapon was not being wielded in battle, so that in case of loss or betrayal, the two Pieces of Eden  would not be taken together".

Cristophorus35 (talk) 23:20, December 15, 2016 (UTC)


 * Excellent. Thank you for your swift response - I will try and fix up the writing where I can on the article. 23:22, December 15, 2016 (UTC)

Pazzi
Hey, I have just realized I had not yet answered your question and so am amending that. I was removing the Wikipedia link on Francesco's and Jacopo's articles as it simply links to the House of Pazzi article in general, and of course Francesco is a member of the House of Pazzi but he *is* not the House of Pazzi itself (I hope I make myself clear). Since they lack an article on the English Wikipedia though, I see why you reinstated the link. I personally still think it is not the best solution, though. I had even started to create the article about Jacopo on WP to replace the general link but of course did not finish and publish that. Well, perhaps someday I will. --Piero.schiavone1994 (talk) 17:22, December 27, 2016 (UTC)

AC Movie
Hey Crook! Have you seen the Assassin's Creed Movie? If so, did you like it? if not, are you still excited? Abelzorus Prime (talk) 19:48, December 27, 2016 (UTC)


 * Oh hey, Abelzorus!


 * Yes, I went to go see the movie on release date; I quite enjoyed it :) I'd been spoiled about two of the deaths in the movie (arguably the two most important ones), but that comes with the territory of being a wiki editor unfortunately (some people really ought to wait with adding spoilers until material actually releases, but whatever). After having read some of the stuff people were saying online, I do agree that the movie has its flaws, so I hope they'll improve on those for the sequel (IF there's a sequel, cause yikes, those reviews and the box office haul aren't looking so great).


 * Btw, do remember to sign your posts :p 19:33, December 27, 2016 (UTC)


 * Similar to me I guess, I enjoyed it much more than the critics did, but it did have it's flaws and I think the ending was nonsensical, the way they portrayed the MD Templars slightly pissed me off. If they can make some money then hopefully they make some major improvements. Similar to how the video game: AC1 was improved on in AC2. I'm enjoying the Titan comics though, but I get them per Vol so I'm a bit late. How are you findind the AC Coimcs/Graphic Novels.


 * Abelzorus Prime (talk) 19:48, December 27, 2016 (UTC)


 * The comics are a bit of a mixed bag for me. I feel like the Assassins series with Charlotte took a really long time to really grab me; also, I find the art for that series to be very inconsistent in quality (lots of awkward expressions lol), which made it less enjoyable to read. The Templars series I read in a rush cause I needed to catch up on lore, but I really liked that one: very interesting storyline and I'm glad to see more of Juhani and Violet. I have recently noticed the artist sometimes likes to reuse certain panels multiple times, which is a little annoying. Definitely the best one though, imo. Locus is a bit more low-key for me and because I haven't read Last Descendants, I don't know the teens very well - a bit puzzled on where the historic bit with Evie and Henry is going as well. That's my thoughts on the recent comics Ubi has been putting out. Templars comes the closest to matching the quality of the graphic novels like The Fall and Brahman, in my opinion :) 11:36, December 29, 2016 (UTC)

Inconsistencies from the Film
Hey Crook, I plan to write a review as well as an outline of inconsistencies in the film as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow or the day after. Because I intend for it to be as comprehensive and concise as possible, I feel like saving my time and energy on my explanation through that instead, then referring you to it. A lot of the inconsistencies I'm referring to stop just short of being explicit contradictions and are only as such through heavy implications (i.e. they can be resolved but through some iffy explanations).

There are a few glaring ones that are much more blatant, and they mostly revolve around Assassin's Creed II: Discovery, since Ezio Auditore actually visits Spain in 1492 and fought at the Siege of Granada. There's some overlap between Ezio and Aguilar since they were present at the same events, and would've just narrowly missed one another. It's possible it'll turn out the contradictions between that game and the film can actually be resolved under closer inspection, so I'll have to take a closer look.

Like I said, I'll list all of the examples when I write my review, but a simple and major one I can name is that Tomás de Torquemada is a member of the Templar Order, probably even its leader in Spain, in the film. In the game, Ezio learns that Torquemada is ignorant that the Templars and Assassins actually still exist, and is just a fanatic sincerely convinced that Rodrigo Borgia is a true Catholic and that those targeted by Borgia, i.e. the Assassins, are just atheistic heretics that must be purged. Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 07:18, December 29, 2016 (UTC)

By the way, where would be the best place to write and post my review/analysis of contradictions? A blog or a subpage? Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 06:26, December 30, 2016 (UTC)


 * I think a blog post or a forum thread would be okay for posting a review, personally. 09:50, December 30, 2016 (UTC)

Do you remember if Aguilar and Maria's execution scene takes place before or after the conquest of Granada? Also more especially if Torquemada's retrieval of the Apple of Eden from Muhammad XII takes place before, during, or after the conquest of Granada. The timeline of this is very essential for me to figure out if there's any contradiction with Discovery or not. Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 09:07, January 1, 2017 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure - I'm not familiar with the Spanish Inquisition at all to be honest ^^; I think at the execution, Torquemada made some grand speech about Granada falling to the Spanish Inquisition, so at that point, the conquest probably hadn't happened yet. Also, I think the trade for Muhammad XII's son might've happened during the conquest, cause I do remember there being quite a lot of soldiers shown fighting, while Maria and Aguilar climbed over a wall to get into the palace complex or something? I'm sorry if I'm not of much help lol. 10:36, January 1, 2017 (UTC)

Charming
can I ask you why you keep deleting my edits ugly git from whore mother! This is a wiki and ognunono can do whatever the fuck he wants


 * Contrary what you seem to think, people cannot do "whatever the fuck they want" on this wiki. Here, we stick to what is canon. Any information that isn't sourced (like those dates you kept adding to Alonzo's article) is removed. And with this fine message you sent me, I think there's more than enough reason for me to ban you. Please keep your antics on the Italian wiki unless you intend to become a serious editor. Good day :) 10:19, January 5, 2017 (UTC)

JPEG vs. PNG
Hey Crook, I've just started uploading images for the first time ever, and I'm still confused about the difference between JPEG and PNG. Which does this wiki prefer, and what are the trade-offs between the two? Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 00:15, January 14, 2017 (UTC)


 * Uh, well. I don't think there is an explicit policy, like, there's no rule, as far as I know, that states png is better than jpeg and should be used always, or vice versa. So generally, it is up to you. Just remember, if you ever find a better version or you want to replace an image, make sure the extension is the same. You cannot replace a jpeg image with a png one. I figure that's obvious.


 * With all the images that I have uploaded, I can say the majority of those are jpegs, not png. I've been told png images are "heavier", they use a lot more megabytes or whatever. So, usually I just stick with jpeg because the difference in quality between png and jpeg is more or less negligible. There are two types of images where I stick with png: screenshots and transparent images (renders and the like). I find screenshots look cleaner/sharper in png - I understand DarkFeather uploads screenshots in jpeg anyways, so he has a different preference, but for me, always png. Transparency only works in png, so jpeg does not work for renders - you don't really have a choice for those :P


 * I hope this was helpful to you. Just as a final remark, while I use png for screenshots that are like 1,920 × 1,080 in size, for small screenshots like the ones you're uploading, it again doesn't "really" influence the quality of the image. It's only on bigger ones that I feel png is superior. Alright, thanks for reading :) 00:41, January 14, 2017 (UTC)
 * "Just remember, if you ever find a better version or you want to replace an image, make sure the extension is the same. You cannot replace a jpeg image with a png one. I figure that's obvious."
 * Oh, I wasn't sure if there was a procedure for upgrading an image to a better version such that we are supposed to replace the old one directly. I thought I would just upload a better version, than replace the old one in the article, but both images would still be independent of one another if that makes sense.
 * Wookieepedia seems to have a strict strict policy which mandates that PNG be used for logos, maps, text, icons, and drawings while JPEG is used for game screenshots and photographic images. What's your opinion on this? Do you think it's a good guideline? Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 07:04, January 14, 2017 (UTC)


 * Well, if you upload newer and better versions separately, the older versions just go unused, which we like to avoid. Therefore, we try to just update images if we find/acquire a better version somehow. Unused duplicates usually get deleted.


 * As for Wookieepedia, they're free to enforce their policy, but I wouldn't import it to our wiki. Like I said, my preference is for game screenshots and anything that has a transparent background to be saved as PNG. Anything else can be either, really. I'm personally a little iffy on adding rules regarding when jpeg and when png should be used - new users already struggle with the sourcing policy and whatnot, so I don't think it's necessary. 09:44, January 14, 2017 (UTC)
 * Sounds good ^_^. Thanks for the explanations. Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 00:18, January 15, 2017 (UTC)

Erstwhile
I had always thought that erstwhile is synonymous with meanwhile though a dictionary search suggests otherwise, but I can't find anything conclusive on it.

However, I worded the sentence as "if Lucy had succeeded in recovering the Apple for Abstergo, the Eye-Abstergo would have failed catastrophically on the day of its launch, and erstwhile, nothing would have been done to prevent the near extinction of humanity from that day's solar cataclysm" rather than "if Lucy had succeeded in recovering the Apple for Abstergo, the Eye-Abstergo would have failed catastrophically on the day of its launch. As a result, humanity would have become nearly extinct from that day's solar cataclysm" because of the ambiguity whether the Eye-Abstergo would have failed because of the cataclysm or because of errors independent of it (i.e. Abstergo sucked at making it).

I thought that wording it as "as a result" can imply that humanity's near extinction would've been because Abstergo's satellite failed, which while indirectly true, can suggest that if Abstergo's satellite had not failed, humanity would have been saved from the disaster. This is not true, as whether or not Abstergo's satellite had succeeded, the disaster would have struck Earth anyways.

The way Desmond describes the vision makes it ambiguous as to whether the Eye-Abstergo would have failed because the disaster just destroyed it anyways or because of errors independent of it. If the former, it's kind of moot and obvious (and we can assume that even if the Eye-Abstergo would have succeeded, it would've been destroyed by the sun anyways). However, I thought the fact that he mentioned that he saw a vision of it failing was posed as an important point in the game, or at least was an important detail even if it's obvious it would have been destroyed by the sun anyways.

If the latter, however, that is, the satellite would have failed because of errors in independent of the sun, then Desmond's meaning would have actually been to especially emphasize how much Lucy's retrieval of the Apple for Abstergo would have ensured everything went wrong. The implication would have been an emphasis on the fact that Abstergo had wasted time and resources on this Eye-Abstergo plan of theirs, thwarting the Assassins' attempts to save the world, and because of their negligence (not because the Eye-Abstergo failed), the cataclysm destroys almost all of humanity.

The erstwhile meanwhile was used also because it is ambiguous whether the satellite would have failed from the cataclysm or independently, resulting in the sequence of events being unclear. If the former, the cataclysm would have happened first, causing the satellite launch to fail. If the latter, the satellite launch failed, then the cataclysm happened. I think "as a result" here would also imply that we know that the cataclysm would have happened after the satellite launch failed, when it could've happened before (or more likely by how Desmond describes it, at the same time). To reflect this ambiguity, I tried to word it in a way that didn't suggest which came first, only that the negligence of Abstergo led to the disaster happening regardless of whether the satellite would have failed or not.

The satellite failing and the disaster could potentially be two independent events or they might be connected, but we're not sure of the latter, so I avoided posing them as events that occurred in sequence of one another.

Thus, because of the ambiguity, and because I wanted to be very clear that we're not suggesting the failure of Abstergo's satellite is what would have led to the near destruction of mankind, because that would've happened whether or not their satellite succeeded, and because I thought erstwhile is interchangeable with meanwhile (not sure anymore :P), I worded it as it was. Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 00:14, January 15, 2017 (UTC)
 * Wait, to be exact, I thought erstwhile could be used as a past tense version of meanwhile or at least more like in the mean time. Also, I'm fine leaving your rephrasing as is :), I might be too fastidious with the details haha. Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 05:20, January 15, 2017 (UTC)

Special Edition
I haven't seen the movie yet so I've only glanced over the novel but I don't think there's anything among the SE extras that stick out. It's behind the scenes and concept art mostly so unless the wiki is crying out for a nice bird's eye view of Abstergo Madrid, readers of the 'vanilla' aren't missing much.  Vetinari (Appointment) 20:08, January 20, 2017 (UTC)


 * I mean, I do like me some concept art :p Feel free to upload it anyways, if you want. We could use an image for Madrid tbh, and concept art is better than nothing. 21:21, January 20, 2017 (UTC)

Database records
Our Database pages are supposed to be exact copies of the texts of Database entries right? Including typos and errors? Sol Pacificus (Cyfiero) 10:38, January 22, 2017 (UTC)