Template talk:Infobox ability

From WoWWiki

Mortal Strike
Mortal Strike Instant cast 5 yd range 30 Rage A vicious strike that deals weapon damage plus X and wounds the target, reducing the effectiveness of any healing by 50% for 10 sec.
Usable by
Class	Warrior
Properties
Type	Offensive
School	Physical
Cooldown	6 sec
Talents
Talented	Yes
Talent tree	Arms
Talent required	Sweeping Strikes
Improvement talents	Improved Mortal Strike
Other information
Ranks	5
Requirements	Requires Melee Weapon
Related debuff
Mortal Strike Healing effects reduced by 50% Duration: 10 seconds

{{Infobox ability
| name         =
| image        =
| description  =
| class        =
| race         =
| type         =
| school       =
| cost         =
| costunit     =
| reagents     =
| range        =
| rangeunit    =
| radius       =
| cast_time    =
| cooldown     =
| talented     =
| talent_tree  =
| talent_req   =
| improvement  =
| ranks        =
| requirements =
| buff_name    =
| buff_type    =
| buff_image   =
| buff_desc    =
| buff_dur     =
| debuff       =
| debuff_name  = ¯\ Optional if
| debuff_type  =  | there is
| debuff_image =  | only one
| debuff_desc  =  | buff/debuff
| debuff_dur   = _/
}}

Valid Field Entries:

• Name: Ability name.
• Description: Ability description as it appears in-game (replacing rank-modifiable values with "X").
• Class: If it is a class-specific ability, list any classes that can use this ability.
• Race: If it is a race-specific ability, list any races that can use this ability.
• Type: "Offensive", "Defensive" or "Utility".
• School: "Physical", "Arcane", "Frost", "Fire", "Nature", "Shadow" or "Holy".
• Cost: "x Mana/Rage/Energy" or x if used in conjunction with costunit.
• Costunit: Mana/Rage/Energy if cost is used without units.
• Reagents: Reagent(s) required to cast.
• Range: "x yd". If range = 0, or if Target = "Self", then disinclude; or x if used in conjunction with rangeunit.
• Rangeunit: yds/other units if range is used without units.
• Radius: (optional) For the use of ranged AoE spells.
• Cast Time: "x sec", "Instant" or "Next melee".
• Cooldown: "x sec/min/hrs".
• Talented: Is the ability awarded by a spending points in a talent?
• Talent Tree: If Talented is "Yes", in what tree and tier can the talent be found (e.g. "Arms, Tier 7" for Mortal Strike).
• Talent Required: If Talented is "Yes", what is the talent required to activate it (if applicable).
• Improvement Talents: If the ability can be improved by any talents, list all the talents separated by comma.
• Ranks: "x" (maximum rank number) or "N/A" if ability can't be upgraded to any rank / doesn't have a rank specified.
• Requirements: List any requirements that the player or the target has to meet in order to be able to use the ability (e.g.: "Requires melee weapon", "Requires Battle Stance", "Enemy must be below 20% HP", etc.).
• Buff Name: Name of a buff or debuff that is applied with this ability. Leave this blank if it's the same as the ability.
• Buff Type: magic, curse, poison, disease, or leave blank for typeless
• Buff Image: Icon image for the buff. Leave this blank if it's the same as the ability.
• Buff Desc: (optional) In-game text on the tooltip (leaving this blank disables this section)
• Buff Dur: Duration, including units. e.g. "10 seconds"
• Debuff: (optional) If the ability causes a buff, do not include this. if the ability causes a debuff, usage is |debuff= and nothing more.

Creation

I created this infobox to use it in the Slam article. Feel free to use it on any ability --(ALiEN 12:49, 9 April 2007 (EDT))

Also, reason the history is so big is because Show preview doesn't show changes done to an infobox (might be something I did) --(ALiEN 13:09, 9 April 2007 (EDT))

I LOVE IT! We'll see if we can get this incorporated into the abilities/spells boilerplate first off. Could you code a {{Infobox talent}} too? I'm not sure what would need to go in it, but then, there it is.--Sky (t · c · w) 18:16, 9 April 2007 (EDT)

I've modified the template so it includes abilities that are activated by talents.--ALiEN 20:41, 9 April 2007 (EDT)

"Next melee sec cast"

This phrase appears in the displayed infobox whenever cast_time=Next melee. I am currently investigating how to prevent that, but I don't understand template parameters and how they're processed yet. ° talk ˚ ^contribs. 00:32, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

It lies in {{abilitytip}}, I fixed it. gOurra[T҂C] 00:38, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

Talent sub-box

This template really shines amongst all those that we have on WoWWiki. I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking, "WOW. All ability pages should be this way." Of course, it was just getting started then. In my application of the template, and the related boilerplate, I've made small revisions to cut down on the amount of data that needed to be duplicated to complete the box (e.g.: buff_image & image used to be independent fields, but buff_image now feeds from image if no other data is supplied).

Which gets me to my main point: cutting down duplicate data. There is still some improvement to be done there, and I'd like to spearhead the effort - but first I'd appreciate a second opinion.

Talented field -- I believe this can be wiped out completely. It's only ever Yes when "Talent Tree" is going to have something. "Talent Tree", as written, only has something if Talented is Yes! If it is stated that "Tree of Life" is Restoration, Tier 9, then people have all the info they need in that regard.

Talent Improvements field -- I have a number of issues with this one, but they have less easy solutions.

1. This field has the potential to bloat the infobox immensely (consider almost any Shadow Priest ability). I feel the spirit of an infobox is to provide "at a glance" info, and if you have to scroll it at most resolutions, it is a failure.
2. When there are a lot of talents listed, people have a tendency to put "see below" (or more accurately, see left). We have a Talent Improvement section in the boilerplate ... sooooo, why does the info reside in two places? Though not inherently Wrong, any duplication - especially for such a detailed set of data - creates an opportunity for lost data.
3. Mind you, as things stand, there's going to be a lot of lost data. We have hundreds of ability pages, and at least tens of talents to consider in relation to them. Nobody really wants to do these kinds of logistics x1000.

Taking that all together, I am forefront advising that Talent Improvements be removed from the infobox and left to the content of the article. I also propose that our template engineers, at their own initiative, think about ways to make more of the talent information automated: Some way or the other, templates should be able to bundle common talent info into these abilities.

E.G.: if school=Shadow, class=Priest, and the spell deals damage, then improvements=(at least) Blackout, Shadow Affinity, Shadow Focus, Shadow Weaving, Darkness, (Shadowform)*, (Vampiric Embrace)*, and (Vampiric Touch)*.

E.G.: if school=Nature, class=Druid, and cast_time~=instant, then improvements=(at least) (Nature's Swiftness)*.

• These spells are in parentheses since they don't actually improve any ability just by taking the talent. You need to debuff the target or buff yourself before their full power is brought to bear.

° talk ˚ ^contribs. 03:46, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

That's too much automation for a template. We're trying to make it so people can present information accurately, not so they can play the game on the wiki. --PcjCreator of WoWWiki's hover tooltips; WoWWiki admin (T3 latest discussions:
 • Deletion of the guildpage Dragonsbane - Dragonblight (EU)
 • Template {{Dull}}
 • Sorry, evidently i don't know the procedure for templates :)•C38306 contributions and counting) 03:54, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

Daugh! Pcj, why the dismissive attitude? That's two for two now. I swear you look at something, feel it clashes with your style, and say "no. reverse it." Of course I'm not proposing a recreation of the game. Please re-read the numbered points again. I am saying that, with some good template ideas, accuracy of information improves. You do NOT get accurate information through repetition. You do NOT get accurate information through omission. This infobox proved that through its lifespan. I will thank you, sir, if you do not agree with an idea, to try to offer revisionary criticism, rather than nay-say. ° talk ˚ ^contribs. 05:53, 24 June 2008 (UTC)