Re-catagorize: TF2 class pages.

So today I was going over Jeff's guide to working on the Database. And there's a section down under "Units" where he says that individual unit types/races/classes do not get character pages, they get concept pages. In fact, the exact wording of one of his examples is " Team Fortress 2 classes, though they certainly have character, aren't characters." 
 
And yet there are character pages for the Heavy, the Medic, the Demoman, etc. Now, I don't actually think they should be deleted, I think they should be changed into concept pages, but I don't know what the term for that would be, hence the awkward (EDIT: and misspelled, blast) label on this thread.

I'm not sure that recategorization is even possible (at least outside deleting the pages and remaking them as concepts). If it was, then we'd probably still have a swastika page on the site.

I saw this in the guide as well and wondered how long it would be until a thread was started. At any rate, TF2 classes have backstories and, in many cases, actual names, so its a little weird to assert that they are not characters.

@ajamafalous: I realize that, but there are many cases where a character class is also a character. I could go either way on this, honestly, I'm just suggesting that it is not as cut-and-dried as Jeff makes it seem.

I'm not sure that recategorization is even possible (at least outside deleting the pages and remaking them as concepts). If it was, then we'd probably still have a swastika page on the site.

I'm with @Praxis on this. Considering the lengths Valve has gone to define the TF2 cast as characters beyond the game conceit of there being multiple because only letting one person per team be each character wouldn't make sense for this type of game, it seems kind of iffy to simply redefine them as concepts to me. I think we should get some staff comment on this one. @Jeff?

@Praxis said:

@ajamafalous: I realize that, but there are many cases where a character class is also a character. I could go either way on this, honestly, I'm just suggesting that it is not as cut-and-dried as Jeff makes it seem.

This is also true for Pokemon, but they are also concepts, not characters. It should be the same for all the classes in games like Super Monday Night combat too.

@Hailinel:

I know; I'm just saying that not even the staff have a little button that can change a page from a concept to an object or character to concept or something like that.

In my opinion they sort of straddle the line between class and character, but I consider them characters because of their distinct personalities.

I think you should just create a concept page for each of the guys, transfer the info, then delete the character pages. Or if you really want just have both. Some pokemon have both pages. So let the TF2 guys have both. Put the Character stuff on the character page. And put the gameplay stuff on the concept page.

I was trying to find the thread, but this has been brought up before. I can't remember the exact reasoning, but it was decided to leave them as is.

@Marino said:

I was trying to find the thread, but this has been brought up before. I can't remember the exact reasoning, but it was decided to leave them as is.

If I have located the correct thread that was three years ago and it was brought up by you before you were a mod, and the only reason why they weren't converted into concept pages was due to moderators not having the ability to delete wiki pages.

I think it would be a bad idea to do this now. Hopefully in the future it will be possible to convert between page types without discarding years of history and denying credit to the many people who helped write these pages. But not now.

So we just kinda let this one taper off without really deciding what to do about it. Seems to me if the category can't be altered they should be recreated as concept pages and then the original should be deleted. Mods? Anyone?

I think they should stay separate. They each have their own personalites and even have back stores and the "Meet the" Videos.