Talk:Minesweeper (video game)/GA1

GA Review
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Reviewer: Maplestrip (talk · contribs) 12:34, 17 August 2022 (UTC)

This seems like a very fun article to review. I feel like it does require more work, but let's find out :) ~ Maplestrip/Mable ( chat ) 12:34, 17 August 2022 (UTC)
 * GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)


 * 1) It is reasonably well written.
 * a (prose, spelling, and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):
 * 1) It is factually accurate and verifiable.
 * a (reference section): b (citations to reliable sources):  c (OR):  d (copyvio and plagiarism):
 * 1) It is broad in its coverage.
 * a (major aspects): b (focused):
 * 1) It follows the neutral point of view policy.
 * Fair representation without bias:
 * 1) It is stable.
 * No edit wars, etc.:
 * 1) It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.
 * a (images are tagged and non-free content have non-free use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
 * 1) Overall:
 * Pass/Fail:
 * 1) It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.
 * a (images are tagged and non-free content have non-free use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
 * 1) Overall:
 * Pass/Fail:
 * 1) Overall:
 * Pass/Fail:

To fix
These are points I would like to see fixed before passing the article:
 * Italicization of "Minesweeper" is inconsistent throughout the article. Is "minesweeper" more like a genre, like sokoban? If so, maybe the article should be refocused. Currently, it feels like the article is unsure whether it's about Microsoft's Minesweeper or its many clones. "the classic theme" refers to the Microsoft game, for example.
 * I've gone ahead and put this as a genre, and de-italed.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 14:28, 23 August 2022 (UTC)
 * If we're going to be treating it as a genre, should the disambiguator really be "(video game)"? Wouldn't "(genre)" be preferred? — PerfectSoundWhatever  (t; c) 20:19, 23 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I suspect "(video games)" would make sense, as we aren't talking about a genre of music or whatever, and this would be pretty specific.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 21:52, 23 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Either way, these are good changes :) ~ Maplestrip/Mable ( chat ) 08:07, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I can't say I mind either way, which is why I started an RM rather than just move the title.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:15, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Authoritative Minesweeper describes "chording" as an action a player can do by clicking both left and right mousebuttons on a mine. This is not correctly communicated in the Gameplay section. This might also be specifically a Microsoft Minesweeper feature and might not be relevant for this article?
 * It's a common thing, as far as I've read, and sometimes it's done using the scroll wheel.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 14:28, 23 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Do you have a source for this? ~ Maplestrip/Mable ( chat ) 08:07, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Only non-RS so far.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:15, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
 * "A game of Minesweeper begins when the player makes the first selects a cell on a board with all cells unopened." Mangled sentence.
 * fixed. Good spot.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 14:28, 23 August 2022 (UTC)
 * The guarantee of the first click being safe is specifically a Microsoft Minesweeper feature.
 * added a piece  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs)
 * Live "minecount" is probably specifically a Microsoft Minesweeper feature?
 * I'm pretty sure it's pretty universal.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:29, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Are there no minesweeper games that keep score rather than time?
 * Probably - I can't say I've seen one during research.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:29, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * "they can tag it with a question mark." Not in source given. Is this a feature of a specific game?
 * Removed  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:26, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * www.chiark.greenend.org.uk does not seem like a reliable secondary source for our purpose.
 * removed  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:26, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * "Most variants of Minesweeper offer three default board configurations" is cited to a tutorial specifically about Microsoft Minesweeper. Is this universally the case?
 * Probably, but I'll make it known it's just that one that is referenced.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:26, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Could you explain the color key in the "example beginner (9x9) difficulty Minesweeper game"?
 * Erm, no. I have no idea  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:26, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * See this diff . It was used to highlight specific details relating to strategy which were commented on, but I trimmed all since it was too detailed and per WP:NOTGUIDE. I kept the images but they are now without the strategy concept. — PerfectSoundWhatever  (t; c) 15:36, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I really love this set of images, but I'm worried that it can be confusing. ~ Maplestrip/Mable ( chat ) 08:07, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
 * First section of Variants cites Eurogamer three times in a row. It feels like these three sentences could be rewritten to flow better, and to better explain what these three similar minesweeper games offer.
 * What are "linked mines and irregular blocks"?
 * Linked mines are larger mines, as the playing surface doesn't have squares, it might have L shapes or whatever.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:29, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Is competitive play always played on Microsoft Minesweeper or on Minesweeper X?
 * Two of the "General references" don't seem to be used (referenced) in the article at all. The Laplacian matrix is not mentioned in the article. Further analysis on the mathematics of minesweeper would be reasonable; compare with Rubik's cube.

General comments
These are points that could be improved, or that might be subjective:
 * I wonder if Logic puzzle should be linked in the lede.
 * The second paragraph of the lede has a sentence start with "But"; I recommend removing that word.
 * The first sentence of the Gameplay section repeats the first sentence of the lead, but somehow with less detail.
 * The first two paragraphs of Gameplay both describe the function of flags. Unnecessary repetition. I'd move "Flagged cells are still considered unopened .." to the end of the first section.
 * How sure are we of Authoritative Minesweeper as a reliable source?
 * I would personally say "a player" rather than "the player."
 * "A community of decided players has emerged" - what is a "decided player"?
 * Runescape should be italicized as a game title. The "and" in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver should be non-italicized. Minehunt should be italicized.
 * I wonder if there are more pen-and-paper variants of minesweeper.
 * The Minesweeper world record listed is almost certainly extremely outdated. This is hard to fix without citing the public leaderboards, as this competition doesn't seem to be tracked by established sources.
 * I assume "infinite minesweeper" refers to a game with an unbounded field, much like infinite chess?

Result
Going through all these points, I believe it's best to fail the nomination for now. I believe it needs a lot of work and refactoring, in particular to make sure the article is about the set of all minesweeper games rather than just Microsoft Minesweeper and its variants. I do find the explanation of the game's mechanics difficult to follow as well, but I don't particularly know what advice to give on that. I wish you luck in further working on this article, I hope you will nominate it again in the future! ~ Maplestrip/Mable ( chat ) 13:36, 17 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I appreciate that you have failed this article, but I may use the above to confirm that I've fixed the items before nominating again. I hope you don't mind.  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 14:21, 19 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Of course, that's what all this is for in the end ^_^ ~ Maplestrip/Mable ( chat ) 06:08, 22 August 2022 (UTC)