Explain what various terminology means | World Anvil

Explain what various terminology means


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Explain what various terminology means

New Feature Addition · Articles & templates · Created by Alba Enchantress
accepted

What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

  There are lots of drop down menus on WorldAnvil that allow the users to pick things such as settlement types, geographic location types, or even government/economy types. It would be useful if some of those drop down menus for the more obscure lists (such as types of government or economies) had some kind of page on the website that explained a little about what they are. It doesn't need to be massive explanations, a few sentences copypasted from wikipedia would do.

How does this feature request address the current situation?

  Right now, if a user is unsure about something in a drop down, they have to go and scour the internet for more information. This is fine if you roughly know what you're looking for, but if you have no idea what any of them mean, it could take a lot of time to look up each one and figure out if it's right for what you want. A page that contains a list of each item in the drop down and a small few sentence explanation would help users to form opinions about each item quicker and might stop some users from becoming disheartened after spending a long time googling.

What are other uses for this feature request?

The Team's Response

Thanks for the suggestion! After discussing it with the Team, this will be added to the documentation in the future.
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Current score

108/300 Votes · +17714 points

Votes Cast

  • +300

    by Pete Nelson
    on 2023-06-24 05:31

  • +300

    by A Fierce Bananafolk
    on 2023-06-23 23:20

  • +100

    by CptDzastr
    on 2023-06-23 22:03

  • +300

    by Alyvins
    on 2023-06-23 16:45

  • +100

    by A Rambunctious Unicorn
    on 2023-06-23 15:42

  • +300

    by Tobus
    on 2023-06-23 13:40

  • +300

    by MW
    on 2023-06-23 10:49

  • +100

    by cwiles7810
    on 2023-06-22 23:26

  • +300

    by A Enfeebled Skeleton
    on 2023-06-22 18:43

  • +100

    by wombacheradam
    on 2023-06-22 17:07

  • +100

    by CatRobi
    on 2023-06-22 11:54

  • +300

    by A Mischievous Kitten
    on 2023-06-22 08:54

  • +300

    by Ellianette
    on 2023-06-22 02:41

  • +300

    by darthsuki
    on 2023-06-22 02:32

  • +300

    by Mikedweb
    on 2023-06-22 02:25

  • +100

    by tabbyykatt
    on 2023-06-22 01:23

  • +300

    by rosham13
    on 2023-06-21 19:45

  • +300

    by Risthearth
    on 2023-06-21 17:19

  • +300

    by Høvle
    on 2023-06-21 13:23

  • +300

    by euclideanchimera
    on 2023-06-21 08:33
    as someone who has spent time looking up various types of government/religious/economic types, i wholeheartedly agree that this needs to be done

  • +300

    by Auron Bladesong
    on 2023-06-21 07:39

  • +300

    by AldehydeBackhand
    on 2023-06-21 02:09
    To echo a repeated sentiment, a masterlist for terminology would be incredibly helpful. More clarity is always better!

  • +300

    by jglavz
    on 2023-06-21 00:37

  • +300

    by SamisDM
    on 2023-06-20 20:00
    It would be nice to have a page dedicated to defining these words. Also a page that has many antiquated words with definitions would be extremely useful.

  • +100

    by xyz4512
    on 2023-06-20 15:53

  • +1

    by Aluranai Phoenixrose
    on 2023-06-20 12:35

  • +300

    by that_guy04
    on 2023-06-20 00:01

  • +100

    by Deus Noctem
    on 2023-06-19 23:49

  • +100

    by A Rambunctious Kitten
    on 2023-06-19 22:29

  • +300

    by A Filthy Ooze
    on 2023-06-19 14:52

  • +300

    by Writing Bishop
    on 2023-06-19 00:10

  • +100

    by Roaming Valkyrie
    on 2023-06-18 21:39
    Codex pages or some other culminative page of terminology would be great. Even when googling, I can't find strict definitions for a lot of types and would like clearer defined explanations.

  • +1

    by A Glamorous Hobbit
    on 2023-06-18 21:36

  • +300

    by A Revolutionary Unicorn
    on 2023-06-18 18:58

  • +300

    by zunami
    on 2023-06-18 18:06

  • +300

    by gcjones216
    on 2023-06-18 16:42

  • +300

    by MediaMix1
    on 2023-06-18 02:53
    I wish I could donate 6000 coins all at once, tbh. I have WAY too many coins in my account right now.   Other than that, I 100% agree. O_O

  • +300

    by HunterChristmas1247
    on 2023-06-17 16:16
    I agree!!! Why hasn't this been done already?!?!?!? And who needs to have more tabs on their browser?!?! Don't we have already have way too fucking many?!?!>!

  • +300

    by jwacalex
    on 2023-06-17 15:22

  • -300

    by Moonlight Bard
    on 2023-06-17 12:58
    I agree that this is not a developer issue, it's a Codex issue.   "Just Google It" is not the answer, especially for non-native English speakers.   I've seen on some templates where users have submitted tidbits on "here's how you might use this field."

  • +300

    by Madame Vera
    on 2023-06-17 05:30
    Yes please. the lingo can be tricky sometimes.

  • -1

    by Athevra
    on 2023-06-16 23:36
    Your solution is in your suggestion: just google the word or phrase, wikipedia will have the answers. Some folks below are mentioning additional Codex articles, which may be a more accessible solution.

  • +100

    by sneakyOx21
    on 2023-06-16 23:31

  • +1

    by Xerolo44
    on 2023-06-16 21:01

  • +300

    by KhansDen
    on 2023-06-16 20:24

  • +100

    by calsemplowski
    on 2023-06-15 18:03

  • +100

    by M.R.R. Shelswell
    on 2023-06-15 09:56

  • +1

    by artessa
    on 2023-06-14 17:50

  • +100

    by RoboVenturer
    on 2023-06-13 17:11

  • +300

    by jackalopestride
    on 2023-06-13 16:59

  • +1

    by 1337spectra
    on 2023-06-13 14:37
    I actually started working on Codex pages for the various definitions. I need to find a couple people to proof read them when I'm done and before they're posted, but if this doesn't end up as a feature, there should be some new Codex entries soon!

  • -300

    by dre569
    on 2023-06-13 14:27
    more important upgrades need to be worked on first

  • +300

    by Kushzei
    on 2023-06-13 12:33

  • -100

    by A Fluffy Dwarf
    on 2023-06-12 10:20

  • +300

    by Nubs
    on 2023-06-12 08:21
    Yes, please, especially practical for non - native english speakers who might never have heard some of these words.

  • +300

    by Poppet909
    on 2023-06-12 02:38

  • +300

    by Shaaman
    on 2023-06-10 22:45

  • +100

    by LordLithca
    on 2023-06-10 20:43

  • +300

    by EVTaurus
    on 2023-06-10 20:35

  • +1

    by veruhere
    on 2023-06-10 20:33

  • +300

    by Oneriwien
    on 2023-06-10 19:25

  • +100

    by JoellaKay
    on 2023-06-10 19:17
    I think this could be a Codex page (or set of pages), but perhaps a help page for each template that has a dropdown list would be a good idea. It would certainly make it easier and faster to find the appropriate classification.

  • +100

    by Mochimanoban
    on 2023-06-10 13:58

  • +1

    by MHBiscup
    on 2023-06-10 13:53
    I don't think this is a feature request so much as a request for a new set of articles in the Codex. Regardless, it's a good idea to have - just yesterday I was wishing for a list of all the available options in a drop down, and another showing all the available map pins options, so I could see them all at once and pick the best one - so I'm upvoting it.

  • +300

    by Warnord
    on 2023-06-10 12:15

  • +300

    by Bahdas_Jahfada
    on 2023-06-10 04:31

  • +300

    by A Wild T-Rex
    on 2023-06-10 03:51

  • -300

    by themrbeasley
    on 2023-06-10 02:17

  • +300

    by The Shred
    on 2023-06-10 00:54

  • +300

    by EBJ
    on 2023-06-09 23:08

  • +100

    by Galahad423
    on 2023-06-09 18:15

  • +1

    by tjtrewin
    on 2023-06-09 15:22

  • +1

    by Claire-
    on 2023-06-09 13:50

  • +100

    by Slylock
    on 2023-06-09 12:02

  • +300

    by FenShui
    on 2023-06-09 10:07

  • +300

    by DemonDC
    on 2023-06-09 02:06

  • +300

    by xSpazztic
    on 2023-06-08 22:46

  • +300

    by Beowulf68
    on 2023-06-08 21:55

  • +1

    by SanctifiedSavage
    on 2023-06-08 20:42

  • +300

    by LoreParmenter
    on 2023-06-08 18:52

  • +300

    by A Uncontrollable Kobold
    on 2023-06-08 18:33

  • +300

    by eham757
    on 2023-06-08 18:08

  • +100

    by tim-in-a-box
    on 2023-06-08 17:52

  • +100

    by A Fluffy Hobbit
    on 2023-06-08 17:34

  • +1

    by Odenia
    on 2023-06-08 16:25

  • +300

    by Skyerix
    on 2023-06-08 15:22
    Would be a good addition for newer Authors and worldbuilders. Not everyone knows the terms when they first start.

  • +300

    by Saviordd1
    on 2023-06-08 14:00

  • +100

    by The Shaky Dragon
    on 2023-06-08 12:20

  • +100

    by A Lusty Ooze
    on 2023-06-08 10:22
    Some terms are really hard to find definitions for, so having a collective page would be very helpful to look things up. That aside, a helpful addition might be to make them act as tooltips on article pages, so readers unfamiliar with a term can hover over it to see an explanation? That would resolve the issue of readers possibly being unfamiliar as well.

  • +100

    by barriesaxxy
    on 2023-06-08 06:48
    I actually like to skim through the drop downs for worldbuilding ideas--what unique ideas could I explore that I haven't yet? And a page with definitions would be useful for this as well. That being said, I think most of this could be community sourced? Like maybe a group of us could actually put together the definitions document(s) and all the devs need to do is determine the best place to locate it? I'd be willing to work on a dictionary document. Drop me a line if you're interested.

  • +300

    by A Rambunctious Goblin
    on 2023-06-07 17:25
    I use Google frequently, but it can take a lot of time to find information on certain subjects - such as government types. Having to hunt through Google for lists of forms of government (and trying to find what the difference is between two types of monarchies when no-one wants to explain it clearly) really interrupts the creative process.   A simple dictionary-like page with basic explanations for the less well-known dropdown subjects would be very helpful. I can't speak for other people, but I know I'd greatly appreciate not having to spend 6+ hours Googling an answer to a simple question about whether or not X government type is what I think it is.   As for the "will your readers understand?" point someone below mentioned... Personally, I like using my fiction to help educate people in addition to entertaining them. So they'll LEARN what the government type is through my content, if they don't know what the term means already. I strongly prefer accurate information over "good enough" when something is rooted in reality (my fiction uses the real world as a baseline, "it's just fiction, turn your brain off" does NOT fly with me).

  • +300

    by Zanatos
    on 2023-06-07 10:36

  • +1

    by Observer of the Stars
    on 2023-06-07 10:21

  • +300

    by J B Dorman
    on 2023-06-07 08:13

  • +1

    by A Glamorous Dryad
    on 2023-06-06 21:47

  • +100

    by The Professor 757
    on 2023-06-06 16:23

  • +100

    by JRKnightVA
    on 2023-06-06 15:19

  • -100

    by Michael Chandra
    on 2023-06-06 06:43
    I mean, if you don't understand what it means, would your readers? Just fill in whatever comes close to you, or enter custom values manually into your sidebar.

  • +1

    by storyauthor
    on 2023-06-06 04:49

  • +300

    by kaamkompendium
    on 2023-06-05 18:08

  • -300

    by jorre998
    on 2023-06-05 11:45

  • -300

    by A Enfeebled Orc
    on 2023-06-04 17:43

  • +300

    by Ratha
    on 2023-06-04 14:51

  • +1

    by A Mischievous Skeleton
    on 2023-06-04 09:48

  • +300

    by Kisei
    on 2023-06-04 07:12

  • +300

    by A Cute Mlem
    on 2023-06-04 05:18

  • -300

    by A Revolutionary Ooze
    on 2023-06-04 01:31
    unneeded and useless feature. Use Google like everyone else.

  • -300

    by A Filthy Ooze
    on 2023-06-03 22:29

  • +300

    by Alba Enchantress
    on 2023-06-03 20:41

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