Forum:Gossip text formatting

We should probably settle on a standard for how we present gossip text (i.e., the text that appears in dialogue windows when talking to NPCs). Right now, some editors indent the text while others do not. There's also inconsistency regarding how much space there should be between each line, if dialogue options and their resulting text should be indented further, and if any of the text should be italicized.

My opinion is that:
 * It makes far more sense to indent the text because it distinguishes transcribed in-game text from normal wiki text written by editors, and is consistent with how we present other types of dialogue transcribed from the game (say, yell, emote, etc.).
 * I would prefer to avoid extra spaces between lines. Although it better matches how the dialogue appears in-game, it doesn't add any visual clarity and only serves to create empty space on the page.
 * I think it makes sense to further indent text prompted by dialogue options, especially when there are multiple options, to clearly show which options leads to which text. The problem with this is that it can get unwieldy for lengthy dialogues like Lore Keeper of Norgannon, and it could probably be considered unnecessary for linear dialogues where there's only one option at each stage of the conversation, as opposed to branching dialogue trees. I'm not sure what the best overall standard for this would be.
 * Italics are unnecessary since they're not used in-game.

In other words, my preferred formatting for a dialogue like Master Clerk Salorn's would look like this:


 * Welcome to Star Lake Ampitheater. Here we indulge in great tales and fantastical displays. You may stay as long as you desire.
 * I sell tickets to a private showing in the Star Lake Ampitheater. We clear the entire theater for you and your friends to enjoy.
 * Anyone who uses a ticket will share in the experience!
 * I sell tickets to a private showing in the Star Lake Ampitheater. We clear the entire theater for you and your friends to enjoy.
 * Anyone who uses a ticket will share in the experience!

-- 21:59, 29 December 2020 (UTC)


 * How I am currently thinking about them is that gossip texts in NPC pages should be as close as are in the game, so without any indent and with spaces.
 * Wiki texts with gossip, you mean in quest pages? Because in NPC pages there are bold and italics at the top for wiki comments. But agree that in quest pages it looks better, and it helps to distinguish what is what.
 * However, the say / yell lines having indent (or bulletpoints), is a great point. But still, I think that if there was indent in gossip, line space should be preserved in transcriptions. Like when we have some source articles transcribed from old / non-existent websites, we preserve line space too. While it does create empty space on the page, its like what, some milimeters? IMO, that shouldnt be considered an issue.
 * Agreed with italics, they shouldnt be used in gossip (options) since they are not in the game.
 * My pet peeve is the example of Lore Keeper of Norgannon or in some quest pages that Kaydee writes, and it is the gossip icon. The icon shouldnt stick out, but be aligned with text (or with indent in quest pages). Morderi (talk) 18:01, 30 December 2020 (UTC)
 * This is mainly for quest pages, but we should be consistent everywhere. The point is to draw a distinction between NPC/game text from wiki editor comments. For instance, on Voras, The Realm Eater, it's clear that "Once the lure is set, Voras will surely come." is Huln's speech, and not my commentary.
 * I'm not concerned with preserving vertical line spacing. It's clear that line breaks are present.
 * I'd actually prefer that the gossip icons stand out - it makes it much easier to scan through the page looking for player speech. --Kaydeethree (talk) 18:24, 30 December 2020 (UTC)
 * my only solid opinions right now, i think, are that i'm for having an extra indent level to clearly separate gossip text from editor text, and that i prefer double-line spacing. i find it easier to read when there's a bit of white space between lines. though, unfortunately that doesn't work for characters like Groonoomcrooek since the bulleted list wants to do the narrow spacing regardless —Eithris (talk) 21:31, 30 December 2020 (UTC)