Sonic Channel

Posted under General

Confetto

KalpacMuskoxen said:

Following up on our compromise, I appreciate finding a path forward. The key seems to be accurate source tagging based on the origin and context of the depicted elements.

Applying this principle consistently is important. For instance, post #4307294 was recently tagged with sonic_speed_simulator and blaze the cat (holiday cheer). However:

  • The artwork is from 2018.
  • The outfit depicted originates from a December 2016 Sonic Channel illustration.
  • Sonic Speed Simulator was released in April 2022, and its version of the "Holiday Cheer Blaze" outfit (based on a different 2021 SC design post #6420724 ) wasn't added until December 2023.

Given the artwork predates the game by four years and the specific game outfit by five, tagging it sonic_speed_simulator doesn't align with our agreed principle of using the source relevant at the time of the art's creation. The correct source tag here is sonic_channel. The sonic_speed_simulator tag should only apply if the artwork explicitly references the game after the outfit is added there.

My initial thought was to tag both, so that users who may not be aware of the Sonic Channel art can still find posts of what they assume are costumes from Sonic Speed Simulator. It may not be the most 100% accurate to have both - but it is the most beneficial for users searching.

Similarly, the wiki entry for rouge the bat (summer) currently states it's from Sonic Speed Simulator. While the outfit was added to SSS in June 2024, several posts depict it before its inclusion in the game, clearly referencing the original Sonic Channel artwork where it debuted in an April 2024 calendar post #7504590 (e.g., post #7415986, post #7418592). For these earlier artworks, sonic_channel is the appropriate source tag.

Feel free to edit any wikis like this you find that are inaccurate - I was likely just unaware of the Sonic Channel art. Though IMO I don't really consider 2 months a notable gap in time - that's easily the kind of time gap that could be promotional. Not saying it is in this case, but you know.

HOWEVER, all that being said...

If the outfit gets added to a game, unless the artwork explicitly references the game, it should just have the sonic (series) tag (so no sonic_channel or game tag) unless it references either explicitly.

This is fine by me, since the chartags serve the purpose of searching.

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KalpacMuskoxen

Trouble_Windows said:

My initial thought was to tag both, so that users who may not be aware of the Sonic Channel art can still find posts of what they assume are costumes from Sonic Speed Simulator. It may not be the most 100% accurate to have both - but it is the most beneficial for users searching.

Tagging multiple copyrights for user convenience risks inaccuracy. The compromise—using sonic_channel only for exclusive content or direct references, and otherwise relying on sonic_(series) + character costume tags once an outfit appears elsewhere—seems the best balance for accuracy and searchability.

Trouble_Windows said:
Feel free to edit any wikis like this you find that are inaccurate - I was likely just unaware of the Sonic Channel art. Though IMO I don't really consider 2 months a notable gap in time - that's easily the kind of time gap that could be promotional. Not saying it is in this case, but you know.

Will do regarding wiki edits. Regarding the two-month gaps potentially being promotional, it's highly unlikely. Sonic Channel is an exclusively Japanese website managed directly by Sega of Japan, while Sonic Speed Simulator is developed by the Western third-party Roblox/Fortnite game developer Gamefam. The developers themselves acknowledged being derivative in their v2.34 patch notes, stating the Maid Blaze skin was "inspired off of August Sonic Channel artwork." (Link)

Many of these costumes came from Japanese-exclusive, Japanese-language works that have never received an official English translation. Similarly, Sonic Speed Simulator is English-only without Japanese language support. These are separate markets with minimal audience overlap, so coordinated promotion wouldn't make much sense. Sonic Channel has also never promoted (or acknowledged the existence of) Sonic Speed Simulator.

Trouble_Windows said:

BUR #39532 is pending approval.

create implication sonic_channel -> sonic_(series)

Since it doesn't seem like anyone has any problems with keeping it around to tag direct references to artwork/settings/stories from the site, we should probably do this?

This is the perfect solution that aligns with established tagging principles. I fully support this approach!

Updated by KalpacMuskoxen

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Confetto

KalpacMuskoxen said:

Tagging multiple copyrights for user convenience risks inaccuracy. The compromise—using sonic_channel only for exclusive content or direct references, and otherwise relying on sonic_(series) + character costume tags once an outfit appears elsewhere—seems the best balance for accuracy and searchability.

Yep, agreed, which is what I meant to imply with the last part of my reply.

Will do regarding wiki edits. Regarding the two-month gaps potentially being promotional, it's highly unlikely. Sonic Channel is an exclusively Japanese website managed directly by Sega of Japan, while Sonic Speed Simulator is developed by the Western third-party Roblox/Fortnite game developer Gamefam. The developers themselves acknowledged being derivative in their v2.34 patch notes, stating the Maid Blaze skin was "inspired off of August Sonic Channel artwork." (Link)

Many of these costumes came from Japanese-exclusive, Japanese-language works that have never received an official English translation. Similarly, Sonic Speed Simulator is English-only without Japanese language support. These are separate markets with minimal audience overlap, so coordinated promotion wouldn't make much sense. Sonic Channel has also never promoted (or acknowledged the existence of) Sonic Speed Simulator.

Like I said, I didn't think it was in this case, was just saying that two months isn't a huge time gap by any means.

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