MarioWiki:Proposals

Current time: Friday, November 29th, 02:06 GMT

Proposals can be new features, the removal of previously-added features that have tired out, or new policies that must be approved via consensus before any action is taken. Voting periods last for two weeks, but can close early or be extended (see below). Any autoconfirmed user can support or oppose, but must have a strong reason for doing so. All proposals must be approved by a majority of voters, including proposals with more than two options. For past proposals, see the proposal archive and the talk page proposal archive.

A proposal section works like a discussion page: comments are brought up and replied to using indents (colons, such as : or ::::) and all edits are signed using the code {{User|User name}}.

How to

If someone has an idea about improving the wiki or managing its community, but feel that they need community approval before acting upon that idea, they may make a proposal about it. They must have a strong argument supporting their idea and be willing to discuss it in detail with other users, who will then vote on whether or not they think the idea should be implemented. Proposals should include links to all relevant pages and writing guidelines. Proposals must include a link to the draft page. Any pages that would be largely affected by the proposal should be marked with {{proposal notice}}.

Rules

1. Only autoconfirmed users may create or vote on proposals. Anyone is free to comment on proposals (provided that the page's protection level allows them to edit).
2. Proposals conclude at the end of the day (23:59) two weeks after voting starts (all times GMT).
   • For example, if a proposal is added at any time on Monday, August 1, 2011, the voting starts immediately and the deadline is two weeks later on Monday, August 15, at 23:59 GMT.
3. Users may vote for more than one option, but they may not vote for every option available.
4. Every vote should have a strong, sensible reason accompanying it. Agreeing with a previously mentioned reason given by another user is accepted (including "per" votes), but tangential comments, heavy sarcasm, and other misleading or irrelevant quips are just as invalid as providing no reason at all.
5. Users who feel that certain votes were cast in bad faith or which truly have no merit can address the votes in the comments section. Users can ask a voter to clarify their position, point out mistakes or flaws in their arguments, or call for the outright removal of the vote if it lacks sufficient reasoning. Users may not remove or alter the content of anyone else's votes. Voters can remove or rewrite their own vote(s) at any time, but the final decision to remove another user's vote lies solely with the wiki staff.
   • Users can also use the comments section to bring up any concerns or mistakes in regards to the proposal itself. In such cases, it's important the proposer addresses any concerns raised as soon as possible. Even if the supporting side might be winning by a wide margin, that should be no reason for such questions to be left unanswered. They may point out any missing details that might have been overlooked by the proposer, so it's a good idea as the proposer to check them frequently to achieve the most accurate outcome possible.
6. If a user makes a vote and is subsequently blocked for any amount of time, their vote is removed. However, if the block ends before the proposal ends, then the user in question holds the right to re-cast their vote. If a proposer is blocked, their vote is removed and "(blocked)" is added next to their name in the "Proposer:" line of the proposal, which runs until its deadline as normal. If the proposal passes, it falls to the supporters of the idea to enact any changes in a timely manner.
7. Proposals cannot contradict an already ongoing proposal or overturn the decision of a previous proposal that concluded less than four weeks (28 days) ago.
8. If one week before a proposal's initial deadline, the first place option is ahead of the second place option by eight or more votes and the first place option has at least 80% approval, then the proposal concludes early. Wiki staff may tag a proposal with "Do not close early" at any time to prevent an early close, if needed.
   • Tag the proposal with {{early notice}} if it is on track for an early close. Use {{proposal check|early=yes}} to perform the check.
9. Any proposal where none of the options have at least four votes will be extended for another week. If after three extensions, no options have at least four votes, the proposal will be listed as "NO QUORUM." The original proposer then has the option to relist said proposal to generate more discussion.
10. If a proposal reaches its deadline and there is a tie for first place, then the proposal is extended for another week.
11. If a proposal reaches its deadline and the first place option is ahead of the second place option by three or more votes, then the first place option must have over 50% approval to win. If the margin is only one or two votes, then the first place option must have at least 60% approval to win. If the required approval threshold is not met, then the proposal is extended for another week.
    • Use {{proposal check}} to automate this calculation; see the template page for usage instructions and examples.
12. Proposals can be extended a maximum of three times. If a consensus has not been reached by the fourth deadline, then the proposal fails and cannot be re-proposed until at least four weeks after the last deadline.
13. All proposals are archived. The original proposer must take action accordingly if the outcome of the proposal dictates it. If it requires the help of an administrator, the proposer can ask for that help.
14. After a proposal passes, it is added to the appropriate list of "unimplemented proposals" below and is removed once it has been sufficiently implemented.
15. If the wiki staff deem a proposal unnecessary or potentially detrimental to the upkeep of the Super Mario Wiki, they have the right to cancel it at any time.
16. Proposals can only be rewritten or canceled by their proposer within the first four days of their creation. However, proposers can request that their proposal be canceled by a staff member at any time, provided they have a valid reason for it. Please note that canceled proposals must also be archived.
17. Unless there is major disagreement about whether certain content should be included, there should not be proposals about creating, expanding, rewriting, or otherwise fixing up pages. To organize efforts about improving articles on neglected or completely missing subjects, try setting up a collaboration thread on the forums.
18. Proposals cannot be made about promotions and demotions. Staff changes are discussed internally and handled by the bureaucrats.
19. No joke proposals. Proposals are serious wiki matters and should be handled professionally. Joke proposals will be deleted on sight.
20. Proposals must have a status quo option (e.g. Oppose, Do nothing) unless the status quo itself violates policy.

Basic proposal and support/oppose format

This is an example of what your proposal must look like, if you want it to be acknowledged. If you are inexperienced or unsure how to set up this format, simply copy the following and paste it into the fitting section. Then replace the [subject] - variables with information to customize your proposal, so it says what you wish. If you insert the information, be sure to replace the whole variable including the squared brackets, so "[insert info here]" becomes "This is the inserted information", not "[This is the inserted information]". Proposals presenting multiple alternative courses of action can have more than two voting options, but what each voting section is supporting must be clearly defined. Such options should also be kept to a minimum, and if something comes up in the comments, the proposal can be amended as necessary.

---

===[insert a title for your proposal here]===
[describe what issue this proposal is about and what changes you think should be made to improve how the wiki handles that issue]

'''Proposer''': {{User|[enter your username here]}}<br>
'''Deadline''': [insert a deadline here, 14 days after the proposal was created, at 23:59 GMT, in the format: "November 29, 2024, 23:59 GMT"]

====Support====
#{{User|[enter your username here]}} [make a statement indicating that you support your proposal]

====Oppose====

====Comments====

---

Users will now be able to vote on your proposal, until the set deadline is reached. Remember, you are a user as well, so you can vote on your own proposal just like the others.

To support, or oppose, just insert "#{{User|[add your username here]}}" at the bottom of the section of your choice. Just don't forget to add a valid reason for your vote behind that tag if you are voting on another user's proposal. If you are voting on your own proposal, you can just say "Per my proposal".

Talk page proposals

Proposals concerning a single page or a limited group of pages are held on the most relevant talk page regarding the matter. All of the above proposal rules also apply to talk page proposals. Place {{TPP}} under the section's header, and once the proposal is over, replace the template with {{settled TPP}}. Proposals dealing with a large amount of splits, merges, or deletions across the wiki should still be held on this page.

All active talk page proposals must be listed below in chronological order (new proposals go at the bottom) using {{TPP discuss}}. Include a brief description of the proposal while also mentioning any pages affected by it, a link to the talk page housing the discussion, and the deadline. If the proposal involves a page that is not yet made, use {{fake link}} to communicate its title in the description. Linking to pages not directly involved in the talk page proposal is not recommended, as it clutters the list with unnecessary links.

List of ongoing talk page proposals

• Determine how to handle the Tattle Log images from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (discuss) Deadline: November 30, 2024, 23:59 GMT
• Merge False Character and the Fighting Polygon/Wireframe/Alloy/Mii Teams to List of Super Smash Bros. series bosses (discuss) Deadline: December 2, 2024, 23:59 GMT
• Move Kolorado's father to Richard (discuss) Deadline: December 11, 2024, 23:59 GMT

Unimplemented proposals

Proposals

Break alphabetical order in enemy lists to list enemy variants below their base form, EvieMaybe (ended May 21, 2024)

Standardize sectioning for Super Mario series game articles, Nintendo101 (ended July 3, 2024)

^ NOTE: Not yet integrated for the Super Mario Maker titles, Super Mario Run, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Create new sections for gallery pages to cover "unused/pre-release/prototype/etc." graphics separate from the ones that appear in the finalized games, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended September 2, 2024)

Add film and television ratings to Template:Ratings, TheUndescribableGhost (ended October 1, 2024)

Use the classic and classic-link templates when discussing classic courses in Mario Kart Tour, YoYo (ended October 2, 2024)

Split articles for the alternate-named reskins from All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros., Doc von Schmeltwick (ended October 3, 2024)

Clarify coverage of the Super Smash Bros. series, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended October 17, 2024)

Remove all subpage and redirect links from all navigational templates, JanMisali (ended October 31, 2024)

Prioritize MESEN/NEStopia palette for NES sprites and screenshots, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended November 3, 2024)

Stop considering reused voice clips as references (usually), Waluigi Time (ended November 8, 2024)

Allow English names from closed captions, Koopa con Carne (ended November 12, 2024)

^ NOTE: A number of names coming from closed captions are listed here.

Split off the Mario Kart Tour template(s), MightyMario (ended November 24, 2024)

Talk page proposals

Split all the clothing, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended September 12, 2021)

Split machine parts, Robo-Rabbit, and flag from Super Duel Mode, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended September 30, 2022)

Make bestiary list pages for the Minion Quest and Bowser Jr.'s Journey modes, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended January 11, 2024)

Allow separate articles for Diddy Kong Pilot (2003)'s subjects, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended August 3, 2024)

Split Banana Peel from Banana, Doc von Schmeltwick (ended September 18, 2024)

Merge Spiked Thwomp with Thwomp, Blinker (ended November 2, 2024)

Create articles for specified special buildings in Super Mario Run, Salmancer (ended November 15, 2024)

Expand and rename List of characters by game to List of characters by first appearance, Hewer (ended November 20, 2024)

Create articles for "Ashita ni Nattara" and "Banana Tengoku" or list them in List of Donkey Kong Country (television series) songs, Starluxe (ended November 23, 2024)

Writing guidelines

None at the moment.

New features

None at the moment.

Removals

None at the moment.

Changes

The Usage of Old Names in Articles

Currently, it's standard practice to use the old name of a subject while writing about in at a point in time where that old name was in use. For example, Blooper was called "Bloober" in Super Mario Bros., so "Bloober" would be used when talking about Super Mario Bros. instead of the more recent name. If a link is involved, it would be coded as [[Blooper|Bloober]], always maintaining the old name. Though this isn't outlined in the policy pages, as far as I can tell, there was a proposal that set out to outline this exact issue, and ultimately decided to use old names when relevant (thank you Alex95 (talk). However, I'm not entirely in agreement with the outcome.. To outline the pros and cons of the current situation:

Pros:

• It's historically accurate.

Considering that these names were consistently used until they happened to be changed, it naturally follows that our articles reflect that.

• It's what people familiar with the old names would look for.

To use the cartoons as an example, they regularly and consistently refer to Princess Peach as "Princess Toadstool". Anyone who is familiar with the cartoons would be looking for the name Toadstool and not Peach. This extends to any of the old names, really: whether it was in the cartoons, the manuals, or the guides, these names were prominent.

Cons:

• It's not currently accurate.

Regardless of how consistently the old names were used, these are not the names being used today. For an encyclopedia, using the old names in articles and templates without so much as a note seems misleading.

• It's confusing, especially for newcomers.

Not everyone knows that Princess Peach's old name was "Princess Toadstool". The similarities in the names are there, but it's certainly not a given that these two names refer to the same subject. To use the cartoons as an example, someone with little knowledge of the series may read one of its pages and leave without realizing that Princess Toadstool actually refers to Princess Peach.

---

To me, it makes more sense to keep articles up-to-date rather than potentially mislead readers, though I'm giving each option equal opportunity. (For the record, the MarioWiki:Naming does state that "the newer name will replace the older one" while using Blooper as an example, but as far as I can tell, that hasn't been put into effect beyond the article's name and usage in modern games.)

Proposer: Time Turner (talk)
Deadline: August 8, 2017 23:59

Use new names for articles

1. Time Turner (talk) My personal preference.
2. Niiue (talk) As much as I dislike certain new names (looking at you, Bull's-Eye Bill), standardization is best.

Use old names for articles

1. Alex95 (talk) - I'm leaning towards to result of the original proposal. While yes, some readers may get confused, the purpose of the wiki is to display and show information as accurately as possible.
2. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) - Fire Chomp, Podoboo, Grand Goomba, Venus Fire Trap, and Missile Bill for life!

Comments

I know I helped you find some of the information, but I'm voting against. Blooper's name in Super Mario Bros. was "Bloober", for example, so it makes sense to call it by that name where relevant. If readers end up trying to correct the name to its modern variant, we can always revert it; posting something in the edit summary or their talk page if needed. 00:25, 1 August 2017 (EDT)

Not every user is an editor who plans on changing the wiki. The average person wouldn't know about the name change, so they'd fully believe that the white squid enemy from Super Mario Bros was a Bloober, and not a Blooper. It seems rather disingenuous to use old names without ever mentioned that they've changed names. Hello, I'm Time Turner. 00:28, 1 August 2017 (EDT)

Miscellaneous

Standardization of Species Templates' Endings

This is a simple issue: when it comes to navigation templates based on species, some are pluralized (e.g. {{Boos}} and {{Koopa Troopas}}), and some are singularized (e.g. {{Human}} and {{Koopa Paratroopa}}). A majority of them are already plural, but most of the singular templates are for the well-known species. There's no reason why we shouldn't have consistency, so enough's enough. I personally think that it makes much more sense to pluralize all of them, but considering the number of templates that are singular, I'm including both options for fairness. Obviously, this is not even close to a major issue, but at the same time, for such a minor issue, it has yet to be cleared up, and having a uniform system makes the wiki seem all the more professional.

Proposer: Time Turner (talk)
Deadline: August 7, 2017, 23:59 GMT

Pluralize

1. Time Turner (talk) Makes the most sense to me.
2. Alex95 (talk) Per. I assume a bot will take care of this. If not, I'm willing to help.
3. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) Having them in singular at all is confusing, and there's only a few singular as it is, instead of the large amount of plurals there is. Less bot work.
4. Yoshi the SSM (talk) The templates that are singular have plural names on their headers. Also, I should point out that you didn't include an oppose. Which, I would have chosen if I didn't look at the templates.
5. Ultimate Mr. L (talk) Singular just sounds wrong.
6. TheFlameChomp (talk) Per all.
7. YoshiFlutterJump (talk) Per all.
8. Supermariofan67 (talk) Per all.
9. Niiue (talk) Per all.
10. Toadette the Achiever (talk) I see no reason not to do this, so per all.
11. Tails777 (talk) I mean we're mostly covering multiple subjects so... yeah, per all.
12. Jazama (talk) Per all

Comments

Full list of covered templates:

• Already plural:
  • {{Bandits}}
  • {{Barrels}}
  • {{Blarggs}}
  • {{Blocks}}
  • {{Bloopers}}
  • {{Boos}}
  • {{Buzzy Beetles}}
  • {{Chain Chomps}}
  • {{Cheep Cheeps}}
  • {{Doors}}
  • {{Flowers}}
  • {{Goals}}
  • {{Hammer Bros.}}
  • {{Koopa Troopas}}
  • {{Kremlings}}
  • {{Lava Bubbles}}
  • {{Magikoopas}}
  • {{Morphs}}
  • {{Mushrooms}}
  • {{Octoombas}}
  • {{People}}
  • {{Piranha Plants}}
  • {{Shamans}}
  • {{Shy Guys}}
  • {{Snifits}}
  • {{Spikes}}
  • {{Spinies}}
  • {{Stars}}
  • {{Toads}}
  • {{Wigglers}}
  • {{Yoshis}}
• Already singular:
  • {{Bob-omb}}
  • {{Bullet Bill}}
  • {{Fuzzy}}
  • {{Goomba}}
  • {{Human}}
  • {{Kong}}
  • {{Koopa Paratroopa}}
  • {{Lakitu}}
  • {{Little Mouser}}
  • {{MontyMole}}
  • {{Pianta}}
  • {{Pokey}}
  • {{Thwomp}}

@Alex: The plan is to have a bot take care of the dirty work. Hello, I'm Time Turner. 00:25, 31 July 2017 (EDT)

Do Something With Game-Specific Species Categories

So, Time Turner noticed a while back that Category:Super Mario Bros. 3 Species (and most games' species categories as a whole) are basically duplicates of their enemy categories, with maybe one or two different pages. Overall, species categories as they currently stand are useless and redundant. I've included a few options on how to fix this:

Use species categories only for non-hostile, non-item, non-object species: This would redefine species categories to only count creatures that aren't enemies, aren't items, and aren't objects. In other words, they'd only be for things like Egg-Plants, Humans, Piantas, and the like.

Use species categories only for non-hostile species: Similar to the previous option, except it would also include things like Fire Flowers and Beanstalks. The problem I see here is that items and objects already have their own categories, so we'd just end up with another set of redundancies.

Delete species categories: One of the simpler options. Just get rid of every game-specific species category on the wiki, and leave articles like Bird (Super Mario Sunshine) in categories like Category:Real World Animals.

Do nothing: The simplest option. As this would involve not changing anything, I feel it'd be the most detrimental option.

Proposer: Niiue (talk)
Deadline: August 8, 2017, 23:59 GMT

Use species categories only for non-hostile, non-item, non-object species

1. Niiue (talk) Per proposal.
2. 3D Player 2010 (talk) per all.
3. Time Turner (talk) I think this is the best option. It gives a home to a small, but well-defined, group of articles that wouldn't otherwise have a place in one of the main categories, while also ensuring that there's little to no overlap.
4. Alex95 (talk) Woo boy, this looks messy. Per all.
5. Jazama (talk) Per all

Comments

Obligatory list of affected categories:

Category:Donkey Kong Species
Category:Donkey Kong 64 Species
Category:Donkey Kong Country Returns Species
Category:Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Species
Category:Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story Species
Category:Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Species
Category:Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Species
Category:Mario Power Tennis Species
Category:Mario Strikers Charged Species
Category:New Super Mario Bros. Species
Category:New Super Mario Bros. 2 Species
Category:New Super Mario Bros. U Species
Category:New Super Mario Bros. Wii Species
Category:Paper Mario Species
Category:Paper Mario: Color Splash Species
Category:Paper Mario Series Species
Category:Paper Mario: Sticker Star Species
Category:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Species
Category:Super Mario 3D Land Species
Category:Super Mario 3D World Species
Category:Super Mario 64 Species
Category:Super Mario Bros. Species
Category:Super Mario Bros. 2 Species
Category:Super Mario Bros. 3 Species
Category:Super Mario Galaxy Species
Category:Super Mario Galaxy 2 Species
Category:Super Mario Strikers Species
Category:Super Mario Sunshine Species
Category:Super Mario World Species
Category:Super Paper Mario Species
Category:Super Smash Bros. Series Species
Category:Wario Species
Category:WarioWare Series Species
Category:Yoshi Species

A lot of these could probably be deleted, since a lot of them (especially platformer ones) have pretty much 100% overlap with their games' respective enemy categories.

Also: wut Niiue (talk) 20:44, 31 July 2017 (EDT)