Post by Hope(N Forever) on Jul 5, 2015 11:31:41 GMT -5
I just love browsing the wiki sites on NIWA Network. For those of you who don't know, NIWA Network, also referred to as the Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance Network, is as its name implies: An affiliation network of independently hosted, English-language wiki sites based on Nintendo franchises. This network exists because of its huge community of cross-fanatic Nintendo fans trying to encourage having MediaWiki-based wiki sites developed on their own accord, without the limiting policies of being hosted on a wiki farm like Wikia.
Anyway, just yesterday, a surprising new member has been added to the NIWA family: Inkipedia. Long story short, Inkipedia was originally a Wikia-hosted wiki based on the Wii U game Splatoon. It has been in development for a few months prior to the game's release, and suddenly went indie a few days before the game's release. Because of its indie status, it was automatically eligible to join NIWA, and yesterday, coinciding with both the U.S. Independence Day and the first North American Splatfest event, Inkipedia has become an official member of NIWA Network.
Do you guys see where I am going with this? Splatoon, a brand new Nintendo IP, only one entry so far, not even six months in stores, and it already has a booming, independent wiki site. This is sorta a slight embarrassment compared to StarTropics, two entries in the series, 25 years since the first game launched, and I couldn't even find any dedicated wiki, not even one hosted on Wikia. I mean, check the typical domain name startropics.wikia.com - it isn't even registered.
Okay, sure, you could argue that Splatoon is an overwhelming success, after having sold over one million units recently (an amazing feat considering it is on the slow-selling Wii U), compared to StarTropics, which is so obscure it barely has any real references in Super Smash Bros. (Although, let's face it, how could Sakurai include anything if the games were never even officially released in Japan? Not even on Virtual Console yet.) But does it really excuse the online StarTropics fan community, no matter how relatively small, for not trying to launch one anyway? Here is a better example: The Legendary Starfy series, pretty obscure (bet some of you never heard of it), currently on hiatus, with just five entries in the series, and only one game ever released outside Japan, and yet it has its very own independently hosted English wiki site (also part of NIWA Network)! How did that happen?
I reiterate the thread's title, it is about time we had a wiki dedicated to StarTropics! We ought to discuss how we could process and develop this, whether we want it hosted on a wiki farm like Wikia, or be independent. Who's with me?!
Anyway, just yesterday, a surprising new member has been added to the NIWA family: Inkipedia. Long story short, Inkipedia was originally a Wikia-hosted wiki based on the Wii U game Splatoon. It has been in development for a few months prior to the game's release, and suddenly went indie a few days before the game's release. Because of its indie status, it was automatically eligible to join NIWA, and yesterday, coinciding with both the U.S. Independence Day and the first North American Splatfest event, Inkipedia has become an official member of NIWA Network.
Do you guys see where I am going with this? Splatoon, a brand new Nintendo IP, only one entry so far, not even six months in stores, and it already has a booming, independent wiki site. This is sorta a slight embarrassment compared to StarTropics, two entries in the series, 25 years since the first game launched, and I couldn't even find any dedicated wiki, not even one hosted on Wikia. I mean, check the typical domain name startropics.wikia.com - it isn't even registered.
Okay, sure, you could argue that Splatoon is an overwhelming success, after having sold over one million units recently (an amazing feat considering it is on the slow-selling Wii U), compared to StarTropics, which is so obscure it barely has any real references in Super Smash Bros. (Although, let's face it, how could Sakurai include anything if the games were never even officially released in Japan? Not even on Virtual Console yet.) But does it really excuse the online StarTropics fan community, no matter how relatively small, for not trying to launch one anyway? Here is a better example: The Legendary Starfy series, pretty obscure (bet some of you never heard of it), currently on hiatus, with just five entries in the series, and only one game ever released outside Japan, and yet it has its very own independently hosted English wiki site (also part of NIWA Network)! How did that happen?
I reiterate the thread's title, it is about time we had a wiki dedicated to StarTropics! We ought to discuss how we could process and develop this, whether we want it hosted on a wiki farm like Wikia, or be independent. Who's with me?!