Tell me about Wikis

[MarauderX]

See a Wiki Campaign here:

http://aryana.hive-brain.com/tiki-index.php

Allows us all to log in, add and edit, and pages are made easily by following easy scripts. The best part is how the pages are linked to one another automatically if the page has already been created. Since we have to take our own notes of the game world around us, the Wiki is very player driven.

 

[Zoatebix]

Hey Rich!
Here the software versions that Brown College uses for its wikki

MediaWiki: 1.2.6
PHP: 4.3.7
MySQL: 3.23.58

You could also email our webmaster Greg Burek <burek@virginia.edu> with questions about setting something up for your campaign, but I don't know how far along he is on his thesis.

-George, longtime wikki fan and Poohbah of Brown.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Hi George, thanks for the info! And thanks everyone else who's posted as well. I think I've gotten an idea what I need to do, now I just need to find the time to do it...

 

[Graf]

So how are people finding Wikis?

I just ran across this thread but in the past with games I've run pretty rapidly into what I call the "infinite expanding txt files" where data and ideas are eventually spread across 20 or so different poorly organized text files.

Does this solve the problem? Can you just create zillions of little text bits and have them all self reference?

While I am reasonably "computer compentent" I'm somewhat pressed on time. Is there some sort of program you can just run to have this Wiki functionality?

Graf

 

[silvermane]

Zillions of text files remain cumbersome to maintain, but zillions of articles in a MySQL wikipedia conceivably do not, because they are all in one place.

For that reason, the various outliners/standalone wiki tools are not really suited to hypertext projects consisting of small linked articles. Just my thought, of course. Those who love WikiDPad (not free) would probably disagree.

 

[IronWolf]

For that reason, the various outliners/standalone wiki tools are not really suited to hypertext projects consisting of small linked articles. Just my thought, of course. Those who love WikiDPad (not free) would probably disagree.

I still really like WikidPad for keeping things organized. For personal use I find it to be a great way to keep things together and easily found. If you start needing mulitple people to access it then the web based Wiki quickly becomes better. Like any tool though it may not meet everyone's needs.

It is free now though. They went open source on June 5th.

 

[Setanta]

In the next couple months, I'm going to co-locate a server and setup a campaign wiki. However, I'd like to start inputting data now. If I setup a wiki on a computer at home, will it be easy to transfer the data to the co-located machine later? What if I do it on a windows box at home and use Linux later? What if I use different wikis (twiki at home and mediawiki in the co-lo, frex)?

TIA

 

[silvermane]

In the next couple months, I'm going to co-locate a server and setup a campaign wiki. However, I'd like to start inputting data now. If I setup a wiki on a computer at home, will it be easy to transfer the data to the co-located machine later?

Yes, just copy the mysql database (one directory)

What if I do it on a windows box at home and use Linux later?

Most wikis are platform independent. MediaWiki certainly is.

What if I use different wikis (twiki at home and mediawiki in the co-lo, frex)?

Nope, and I don't think there are any conversion programs available.

 

[Setanta]

Thanks Silvermane, that's very helpful.

 

[barsoomcore]

I just ran across this thread but in the past with games I've run pretty rapidly into what I call the "infinite expanding txt files" where data and ideas are eventually spread across 20 or so different poorly organized text files.

I've found the Mac application VoodooPad (basically WikidPad only prettier) really does solve that problem, because whenever I generate a page about, say, some NPC, then EVERY mention of that NPC's name that exists anywhere in the wiki becomes a link to that page.

It's not so much that it's more organized -- it's that things are connected exactly where you need them to be. It spares you having to pre-define how you're going to organize your notes and instead, it makes sure that all your connections are generated as you need them.

That's different from the "online" power of wikis, which is really the collaboration they foster where everyone has the power to edit every page. That's cool, but not something I'm looking for in a campaign development tool since I do that stuff by myself.