Assassin's Creed Wiki talk:Writing Tense

Wrong tense everywhere

I thought I could let it slide because it's just a wiki and I'm only going to use it when I play the game, but it bothers me every time I visit here. The tenses are wrong on so many articles here. In many cases, they should be written in present tense, not past tense. It would be okay if this wiki was written from the perspective that the events of the games actually happened, but the natural assumption is that this is an encyclopedia/database about the game. Therefore, you don't use past tense to talk about fists, for example. Past tense is okay when describing someone's biography, but not when talking about gameplay elements and plot summaries. It shouldn't be "Fists were the weakest form of fighting" or "swords were used by..." These statement imply some sort of historical fact that has changed. It should be "Fists are the weakest form of fighting," because we're not talking about history, we're talking about gameplay, where this is true, and is still true.

Some other sections with wrong tense: here, here, the introductory section for Shaun.

If someone could please explain to me why the guideline says to use past tense when, in normal encyclopedic writing, it shouldn't be used, that would be greatly appreciated.

No, it's your opinion they should be present tense, not fact. We have chosen long ago to write all articles in past tense to maintain the wiki's focus on the story, and to make the tense consistent between all articles. Making modern day articles in present tense would be inconsistent with all the others. This is what we have already decided long ago, and it wasn't a decision why didn't think over twice. -- Master Sima Yi 22:31, March 21, 2012 (UTC)

It isn't my opinion. Those are the rules of English. And it isn't my opinion if that's how every encyclopedia and wiki is written. That's what I assumed this was: an encyclopedia about the game and the universe, not a database written from the perspective of someone from the in-universe future. If it was the latter, it should be made clear. And even then, the tense is still incorrect and inconsistent in some places. Even your response shows incorrect tense usage.

Writing everything in past tense does not create a focus on story, it's just bad English. Imagine if Wikipedia was written completely in past tense. It just doesn't work. And for me it's extremely distracting reading something with such poor grammar usage. You can have a focus on story and still use the right tense in the right places.

I would like to know who made this decision and how it was passed. 173.68.57.180 02:28, March 28, 2012 (UTC)

What you have to consider is that Assassin's Creed is a fictional universe. Writing modern articles in present tense is confusing and breaks that fact. As we know, the details in the game's perspective aren't going to happen in reality, so it's best that past tense is maintained across all articles.

The only time that using any other tense is acceptable is in the trivia section of an article's page.Slate Vesper 02:34, March 28, 2012 (UTC)

This response makes no sense. It's completely self-contradictory. Yes Assassin's Creed is a fictional universe. Ergo, why is the whole wiki written like the events of the game actually happened (which is to say all in past tense)? Writing it like that gives the sense that this wiki is written by someone within the universe, which while it makes no sense from an encyclopedic POV might have been bearable, but then we have sections about gameplay written in past tense. I don't understand why only trivia gets to be treated normally (thank god), but gameplay isn't.

In any case, I really think the writers here need to read other video game wikis and take notes because you seriously got it wrong here. 108.27.17.117 03:54, December 17, 2012 (UTC)

Also, you claim that it is a rule of English that things be written in present tense. That is completely and utterly false and untrue; things can be written in any tense and are not required to be in present tense. Learn common sense before you go insulting the good, hardworking writers of this awesome place. They know what they're doing, and have been doing everything incredibly well, while you seem to be incapable of comprehending common sense. --50.78.212.237 02:45, March 28, 2012 (UTC)

The past tense is especially troublesome when it's dealing with gameplay tips like in the Guild Challenge sections. No, in-universe Ezio did not at any point hold down the A button or get an Xbox achievement. Yet that's how it's written. I can understand in-universe past tense for the plot sections of the wiki, that's fine-- questionable-- but fine. But for gameplay descriptions? It comes off as entirely farcical. 68.60.33.104 09:47, August 13, 2012 (UTC)

I agree with a lot of what the administators and veteran posters are saying, I know that past tense is something you guys have been doing for a while, but I do have to say it's not grammatically correct. My best examples of this are seen in the multiplayer sections.

"Wanted was a virtual training mode" implies that it is no longer used. The grammatically correct sentence would obviously be "Wanted is a virtual training mode."

Past tense is used for historical context, a terminated session, or something no longer in use. While it can be used for telling the stories of the assassins as they have passed, it is not grammatically correct when speaking of gameplay. Alpha1ance (talk) 19:53, November 3, 2012 (UTC)

It's probably kind of late at this point but another example of this incorrect tense is the outfits page (go figure, another gameplay related article). This is information about the game, not the in-game universe. The entire encyclopedia should not be written as if they actually happened or as if at some point in the past the gameplay somehow translated to reality. For example, "In Assassin's Creed III, several outfits were available to those who completed certain challenges or met specific criteria, which are listed below." This is not normal encyclopedic writing. No other wiki does this. Why does nobody on this site see it? 108.27.17.117 03:42, December 17, 2012 (UTC)

Other editors do notice this. We just stop trying to fix it because the mods just undo all the revisions making it feel pointless. Therefore taking away the point of a user based wiki Alpha1ance (talk) 15:00, December 17, 2012 (UTC)

Agree, past tense everywhere feels so wrong. It really makes it more difficult to understand. I'm very reluctant to use AC wikia, and I use other ressources as far as possible if Google present other choices. 78.141.132.241 23:44, April 3, 2013 (UTC)

    We have it in past tense because, well, it all "happened" hundreds of years ago. --Fragment ^-Animus- 00:01, April 4, 2013 (UTC)

But not all of it did. Technically, the memories are being relived in the present and the multiplayer matches are supposed to be taking place in the present. Alpha1ance (talk) 21:13, April 4, 2013 (UTC)

No, the memories were relived last year. Which is in the past. --Crimson Knight _Intercom 21:15, April 4, 2013 (UTC)