Kongming’s Archives – Web Site FAQ
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Presenting a list of commonly asked questions relating to the subjects of
Kongming’s Archives, the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and anything else people
ask me on a regular basis. Before you send me an email please make sure you question isn’t
answered here. If you can’t find the information you are looking for below please
feel free to send me an email using this form or ask the knowledgeable
members at The Scholars of Shen Zhou.
Email Questions FAQ (top)
Our most common email questions. These emails are frequently ignored.
Q: I have
questions about <game>, can you help?
A: Due to the volume of email received, gameplay questions are not answered in most cases. Please direct all gameplay questions to the Scholars of Shen Zhou where many experienced players of all games featured on this site are available to help you with even obscure questions (also featuring intelligent discussion on related or educational topics). Emails on this subject may be ignored, and will generally only receive a reply if they are well presented (though even if there is a reply it could take a week or longer).
Q: How do I contact Koei, or provide them with feedback?
A: Koei Games – makers of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors, Dynasty Tactics, and more (external) – have their own Web page (koei.com) which contains resources which can be used to provide them with feedback (please note that we disregard emailed feedback on games, as we have no simple process for forwarding them to Koei Games). The mentioned resources include a discussion forum (external, which is, allegedly, monitored for feedback and taken into consideration for upcoming games), a feedback form (external, which might serve the same purpose, keeping in mind that adding your email address to it includes you in a mailing list with no immediate opt-out option), and a polls page (external, which probably holds little influence). Email addresses for divisions and people in Koei (Jarik included) are not listed on the site, nor will we provide them.
Q: Sometimes you update regularly, other times rarely. Why?
A: Kongming’s Archives does not provide me with regular income (I run the site at a loss as donations do not cover hosting fees). For this reason I have to work a regular job to stay fed and housed. I’d love to make this site my ‘job’, but that won’t happen without heavy advertising and pay-for-access content (something I don’t plan to do). For this reason, when work is heavy, or when events in life limit my freetime, updates to Kongming’s Archives decrease in volume, something reflected in the number of update posts shown on the home page. Please note that while focusing on back-end revisions (code enhancements, clean up, site revision) home page updates will not always be posted even though hours have been spent on the site. You need only click on the ‘Nostalgia’ option under ‘Indulgence’ in the right-hand menu to see how far we have come since starting in March 2002.
Q: Why haven’t you added a home page or content for <game>?
A: If you browse Kongming’s Archives you will notice that it is a very large project spanning thousands of individual hand-coded pages. One might think that a whole team manages it, but in fact it is just me. I have only the time for this project my life allows, and have difficulties adding content for games I do not own. While I do attempt to make information on mainstream games available (e.g. Dynasty Warriors, Dynasty Tactics, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms), there will always be life-induced delays. There are several ideas in the works, which may bring you more content faster, but this will require patience (though professional assistance is always welcome). Please also remember that as of around October 2003 the Novel and History section became the primary focus of this site.
Q: Why haven’t you returned my email?
A: I receive around fifteen emails a day related to Kongming’s Archives alone, one among several online projects, and this doesn’t include spam or personal email. In the end it all comes down to time, and I’m forced to pick and choose between them (replying to important email and friends first). My first suggestion would be to review this FAQ for reasons why your message may have been deleted (e.g. gameplay questions), and if you see no related mention, make sure to give me some time. If a week or two passes with no reply, feel free to write again. As always, make sure questions are carefully researched and presented clearly.
Q: Will
you tell me a little bit about yourself?
A: My name is James Peirce and I live
in the United States (email). Romance of the Three Kingdoms
is a hobby for me; my profession is Graphics and Web Design. If you want to know me better
sign up and participate at our forum, The
Scholars of Shen Zhou. My user name is James.
Q: Where
can I get Kongming’s Archives contact information?
A: Latest staff information can be found on the Staff Information Page. There are two sections, one for Kongming’s Archives, and another for Scholars of Shen Zhou. There is no staff information listed for SimRTK. If you are looking for contact information to reach biography translators and authors, please check the list in the biographies section.
Q: What
programs or tools were used to make this Web site?
A: All graphics are developed using
Adobe Photoshop
and ImageReady for pixel-based art and Adobe
Illustrator for vector art. PHP, [X]HTML,
CSS, JavaScript, and coding are all done in
Macromedia Dreamweaver, BBEdit,
or in a plain text editor. In most instances I use Macromedia
Dreamweaver to create layouts (which I touch up by hand) and to manage my site. I make
sure my [X]HTML validates
with the latest [X]HTML and
CSS standards set fourth by the W3C
(the geeks that say how Internet languages should work), PHP to pull everything together, and to assemble the various tools and interactive parts of the site (e.g. the Quiz), and Dreamweaver,
because it can make repetitive elements of design much faster and more efficient, and provides me with a good method of managing the site’s files.
If you are interested in Graphics and Web Design I suggest purchasing Adobe
Photoshop Elements for graphics (it will be as good as Photoshop
for quite a while and costs hundreds less). For [X]HTML,
CSS, and JavaScript use a plain text editor
(like WordPad). You should never use a WYSIWYG
program (like Dreamweaver) unless you have a very clear understanding of standards and can
code by hand (otherwise your source code will only be more messed up). Once you have experience
you may not want to use a WYSIWYG
program, but if you do want one I suggest trying trial versions of both Macromedia
Dreamweaver and Adobe
GoLive to see what is best. Avoid Microsoft
FrontPage, at this time the code it generates is proprietary (and thus crap).
Q: Who hosts your site? Do you know of a good host?
Kongming’s Archives is hosted by a large well-established hosting company named Host Gator. It took years to find a good host not only for Kongming’s Archives but also for the other sites I have been running. Host Gator is the first host I have been with to actually live up to its claims, such as 99.9% uptime. I have since deployed both personal sites, such as this one, and corporate sites on their servers. If you are looking for a home to host your pages, save yourself the trouble and sign up with Host Gator. (For $7.95 a month you can host unlimited sites and domains with more bandwidth than most people could ever dream of using).
Q: Will
you make a Web site (or related content) for me?
A: From time to time I am able to
help a little with upcoming Romance of the Three Kingdoms Web sites I am not able to make
designs, layouts, or templates for people (I simply don’t have the time).
On the other hand, I do make a living as a professional Graphics and Web Designer. I have
made many Web sites over the years and you can hire me to make yours as well (JavaScript,
CSS, [X]HTML,
Graphics, etc.). My normal fees are $20-$30 an hour depending on the job and I am much faster
than most other Web Designers out there. If you are interested please
send me an email. If you would like to pay a flat rate for a pre-defined project I can
arrange that as well.
Q: When
will <game name> be released?
A: Check the “Game News” section on the home page. If you do not find your information there please
check that game’s section on this Web site. If you still don’t see it you can
safely assume that I don’t know.
Q: Where
can I find <game name>?
A: Please feel free to register
at our forum, The Scholars of Shen
Zhou, and post your question there. You will get a response in a very short amount of
time. I usually answer questions of this nature, but I am not always able to reply in a
time frame that might be called “fast”.
Q:
Avatar questions (all of them): Having trouble?
A: Avatars can be tough to use
when you first start learning about them. In an effort to answer the vast majority of the
avatar questions I used to receive I wrote this Avatar
tutorial. It explains everything you need to know about how to use avatars and some
of the problems you may run into. If you are experiencing avatar issues please read this
guide thoroughly before contacting me, I won’t reply to questions covered inside it.
Q: I
sent you <media/information>, how come it isn’t online yet?
A: Kongming’s Archives is
a pay-free hobby for me, it has to come second to my real job (Graphics and Web Design).
If I am working for a client they come first. I use my free time to develop this site. As
a result sometimes I am behind in adding content. It is also possible that I may have lost
your email (because I get so many). If you think I have forgotten please
send me another email as a reminder.
Q: What
is your email address? Why do you use a form?
A: I don’t post my email address
on the site anymore as using JavaScript to conceal it from spammers was becoming tedious.
You can use this form to send me an email and if I reply you can
get my address that way. This saves me time and spam.
“Why do you use a form?” A: There are many reasons. The form uses server-side
software to send me the email, this means I don’t have to worry about how reliable
your email host is. It also means that anyone with an Internet connection can send me a
message, even if they don’t have an email account. The form also disables attachments,
formatting, and images. It may sound bland, but it makes it easier for me to read my messages
(no more Comic Sans, there is mercy in the world). If you want to send an image upload it
to a server (or get the URL) and send it to me as plain text. If you want to
exchange files or submit some content (like wallpaper) just let me know. I will either reply
(so you can send me an email using your email client) or give you my AOL Instant Messenger
handle so we can make the exchange.
“Do you plan on having a public email address ever again?” A: No.
Q: Will
you link to me (and other link questions)?
A: Please send
me an email with the link to your Web site. I will take a look at it when I have some
free time and add it to my links page if it meets the basic links page criteria. Basically,
if it contains original (related) content, isn’t ad heavy, and isn’t very poorly
made, it will be added.
Q: “I linked to you, will you link to me?” A: Well, it doesn’t work that
way.
Kongming’s Archives Site FAQ (top)
In this FAQ commonly asked
questions regarding this website and our policies will be answered (e.g. policies, technical
issues, contact information).
Q: Problems:
(site damaged, misspelled words, dead links).
A: Please report all problems, large
and small, using this email form. Due to the size of Kongming’s
Archives and the fact that it is a hobby (rather than a job) errors slip through from
time
to time. A link may not work correctly, some CSS
might make a page hard to read, or some mouseover text might be incorrect. If no one reports
these problems I have to wait until I come across them myself and that could take months
(and may not ever happen if it is in a browser I don’t personally use).
That is why I strongly encourage you to report even the slightest
error on this web site (right down to typos, alt text, and grammar errors). Doing so
saves other people trouble and gets you access to the content that may have previously been
unavailable. In the end it makes Kongming’s Archives better for everyone. Please use
this form to contact me and to describe the problem. If I need a screenshot to see what
is going on I will write you back asking if it is possible for one to be mailed. Thank you
everyone that takes time out to report even the smallest problem.
Q: Will
you add <submitted material> to your website?
A: Submitted material is the life-blood
of Kongming’s Archives. If you have anything you would like included please don’t
hesitate to contact me via email. We are always looking for things
like FAQs, Walkthroughs, Guides, Screenshots,
Portraits, Avatars, news, etc. We are also planning to add some sections for submitted avatars
and fan art. You may submit this sort of thing even though the sections aren’t online.
To submit material please send me an email explaining what you
want included and provide any additional information you would like to share (like credit
information). I will reply with instructions. Depending on the file size(s) it will either
be sent over email or across AOL
Instant Messenger (I know, the program is crap, but it works for this).
Don’t be afraid to share you work with us. Even if it doesn’t go online we love
to see it, and new sections are frequently made for new content submissions (e.g. if some
people started sending in poetry I would make a poetry section to display it).
Q: Can you tell me about submitting content to this site?
A: Yes, plenty of information is available on the subject of submitting content to Kongming’s Archives, including what we are looking for and an additional FAQ section to answer your questions. You can review all this information on the Kongming’s Archives Submissions Page.
Q: Are changes made to submitted content, and if so, to what?
A: In some cases, yes, we do (game walkthroughs and essays are the exceptions). Kongming’s Archives, as a community project, adopts various standards (regarding the presentation of information) and those standards are applied to various types of submitted works (biographies in particular). Possible examples include ‘Xu Zhu’ being changed to ‘Xu Chu’, ‘Lu Bu’ being changed to ‘Lü Bu’, ‘AD’ being moved to the beginning of a date or ‘CE’ being changed to ‘AD’, and common spelling or grammar corrections. The reasons for these various changes, where they apply, and in what ways can be found on the site standards information page. Please submit any questions you may have using the contact form.
Q: Can you add to/delete/update/change/etc. my FAQ or guide?
A: Sure, please send
us an email with your request. We do check the original sources for FAQs
and Walkthroughs on occasion to make sure we are up to date (e.g. GameFAQs). Only worry
about sending a request if you want it done right away.
Q: Can
I add <name> Walkthrough, Guide, FAQ, etc. on my site?
A: That decision is up to the original
author, not us. Please open and read the FAQ/Walkthrough/Guide
and search for a “Disclaimer” or “Copyright” section. This is usually
found near the top or bottom. You can read about that author’s policies there. Do
not email us about this matter, we will not reply.
Q: Can
I use one of your images on my Web site?
A: The answer to this question depends
on the image in question. If you want to use a Romance of the Three Kingdoms officer portrait
please feel free. Even though I (or the submitter) extracted the images they are still Koei’s
property. If you do so please consider crediting us (it takes time to gather a collection)
or whomever we have credited as the one who did the work.
If you want to use banner images, link buttons, wallpaper, avatars, or any other content
that was created or edited by someone, please ask them first.
Q: Will
you add a forum to the site so we can chat?
A: It is done. Visit The
Scholars of Shen Zhou, our online community.
Q: Who
pays for Kongming’s Archives, I see no advertising?
A: Kongming’s Archives is paid
for and maintained by me (email) as a hobby site. It gives me
a chance to share information I have, collect new information I am interested in, and a
chance to experiment with new HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP
techniques. I do not plan to advertise in the future although I may set up a donation program
(which won’t come under the “donate or it goes offline” guise).
If you are interested in helping out please send me an email. We are always looking for
new people to help with content and kind donations never hurt (it helps me focus more time
on content).
Q: Problems:
How come your site looks plain/bad?
A: If this site looks bad there
are two possible causes. If you are using a modern Web browser and have been here before
your cache might need to be cleared. Do so and restart your browser, the problem should be solved.
If you are not using a modern browser (e.g. that piece of crap that won’t die called
Netscape 4.x) it is best to upgrade. I use modern Internet technology on this site and
older
browsers like Netscape 4.x (and other 4.x and earlier browsers) won’t render it properly.
If you need
upgrade links please click here for more information. Dial-up users: yes, it is worth
the trouble to update your browser. I suggest the latest version of Google Chrome
or another modern browser like Safari or Firefox.
Q: What
Kongming’s Archives content am I allowed to link to?
A: You may always link to any page
on this site that contains the .html or .php file extension, including pages with no extension,
such as those in the encyclopedia (basically everything with our navigation). Please do not link directly
to other file extensions such as .img, .zip, .psd, .pdf, or .txt except
in cases where it is specifically allowed (e.g. downloads with written permission). If
you want one of these files to be accessible from your Web page you can do one of two things.
1) link to the .html page on our own site that contains the image(s) in question.
2) download the file from our site, observing any related copyright information (which may
prevent you from doing this) and then upload it to your own page.
“Why,” you ask? Simple. Just like every other site on the Internet we have a
certain amount of bandwidth. This bandwidth is used to entertain our own guests and provide
content to them and them alone. Linking to one of our sites download files uses our bandwidth
for your needs. If you want the bandwidth pay for it.
Q: Can I
advertise on your web page?
A: Short answer: no. Long answer: see
the site viewer agreement.
Q: Please describe your relationship with Koei Games?
A: Kongming’s Archives is not affiliated with Koei Games (external). We do not receive payments from them to advertise nor do they sponsor our site. Koei does, however, provide us with updates as they do other sites which feature information on their upcoming releases (this information in most cases is forwarded to you through facility of the site). The opinions expressed on their titles here are just that, our opinions.
Scholars of Shen Zhou Site FAQ (top)
This portion of the FAQ
is dedicated to our forum, The Scholars of Shen Zhou. Check the links below for basic site
information and a server status page.
Q: Tell
me a bit about Scholars of Shen Zhou?
A: The Scholars
of Shen Zhou was stated to give everyone who visits this site a place to talk about
everything from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (books, history, games) to current affairs
and world history. You can also share your favorite art with us there and speak with everyone
behind the maintenance and development of Kongming’s Archives.
Q: Tell
me about the server and forum software?
A: The Scholars
of Shen Zhou is based on free forum software from phpBB using a layout
hand-crafted for our forum.
Q: The
forum is running very slow, or is offline. What should I do?
A: Consider sending us an email or
even contacting us on Facebook.
Downtime occasionally comes along, but if it extends for more than a short period of time we would love to
hear about it. You might be the first person to report it.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms FAQ (top)
There are many commonly asked questions related to the novel Romance of
the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong and the history behind it. I will answer some of the
more commonly asked questions here (emails about these questions will not be answered).
Q: Can
you tell me about the novel download provided at this site?
A: This .zip archive is the Hanyu
Pinyin version of threekingoms.com’s
translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms attributed to Luo Guanzhong. They translated
it, we host it here for your pleasure with proper authorization. Because it is Hanyu Pinyin
character names appear the way you see them in Koei games (e.g. Cao Cao is Cao Cao instead
of Ts’ao Ts’ao). The novel is a collection of HTML documents,
to read them you must find the file ‘index.html’ and open it in your favorite
web browser.
Q: What
version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms should I buy?
A: Please read this lovely Romance of the Three Kingdoms Book Purchase and Information Guide.
Q:
Who or what is/are the Han, Wei, Shu, Wu, and Jin dynasties?
A: Please refer to the following
introductions (hat tip: Jonathan Wu, Sean Williams):
Han Dynasty | Wei
Dynasty | Shu Dynasty | Wu
Dynasty | Jin Dynasty
Q: Who
are Shu’s Tiger Generals?
A: Guan
Yu, Huang Zhong, Ma
Chao, Zhang Fei, and Zhao
Yun. In the novel the ‘Tiger General’ title was unique to Shu and was only
given to these five officers. Historically this position was created long after most of
them were dead (257AD) by Liu Shan (Liu Bei’s son and successor) and originally named
Pang Tong instead of Zhao Yun. Liu Shan later changed it to include Zhao Yun (258AD). Historically,
they were ranked in this order: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun.
Q: How
did Shu’s five Tiger Generals die?
Guan
Yu: executed by Lu Meng after being defeated at Fan Castle (AD 219).
Zhang Fei: assassinated by his subordinates Fan
Jiang and Zhang Da after drinking himself to sleep. He had beaten them because they questioned
a time limit set for the army’s mourning garb (to be worn while attacking Wu for killing
Guan Yu (AD 221).
Huang Zhong: shot with an arrow by Ma Zhong.
He died shortly after. (Historically Huang Zhong did not live as long as he did in the
novel) (AD
222).
Ma Chao: Died due to an illness (AD 225).
Zhao Yun: Died of natural causes (AD 229).
Copyright © 2001–2023 James Peirce
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