Help:Style guide

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Revision as of 05:35, 5 January 2024 by La Villa Strangiato (talk | contribs) (fixes heading 1 and 2 rules)
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This guide explains the style of writing one should use in most pages. They are relatively loose and informal, and as such have only a few basic guidelines. Nevertheless, following these guidelines helps create a more cohesive, readable experience when it comes to writing a lore page, a guide, or making edits to a page.

General Guidelines

  1. Forms of English are not strictly enforced, but there is a loose policy in place to use British English (colour, neighbour, etc) over American English.
  2. Keep a consistent narrative tone throughout an article. An article on game mechanics should be inclined to be informative, but not especially formal; lore pages are far more formal and definitive. Try to keep your words relatively simple, and don’t use language that is too technical prior to explaining it. You can use contractions, the general “you”, and include brief jokes in the text so long as they do not overshadow or break the flow of the guide.
  3. Remember header etiquette. Use Heading 2 (==Insert Text Here==) to separate sections from each other. To create sub-sections within a section, use ===Heading 3===. Heading 1 should be used when a page has multiple topics of equal importance, such as the Tajaran Educational Institutions page. When creating a wiki page, do not create a title header using Heading 1 in the article itself; that duty will be fulfilled by the built-in page title that matches a link.
  4. If a subsection extends over four paragraphs, it is advised to place it in a drop-down menu. The page's accessibility and reading comfort should always be considered when writing extensively.
  5. When moving on to a new subject matter within a topic, use a paragraph break. This prevents walls of text from overwhelming the reader.
  6. When using Heading 1 and Heading 2, Capitalize All Major Words in the Title. When using other headings, Capitalize the first letter of the sentence.

Writing Gameplay Guides

  1. Consult an expert on the gameplay. Even if you consider yourself an especially good player, errors can still surface. Ensure you have someone to proof-read your article who is aware of the mechanics behind it.
  2. Keep your explanations as succinct as possible. Use short, simple sentences and clear language. Ensure your guide is free of grammatical errors, run-on sentences, and other information-obscuring errata.
  3. Do not include bugs, exploits, or other unintended behavior in the guide.
  4. Use bold to emphasize lifesaving information. Use italics to put stress on a word, or differentiate it from a proceeding or succeeding statement.

Writing Lore Pages

  1. Each lore page should generally begin with a brief introductory paragraph on that subject.
  2. A page on a person, place, or thing should have the subject name bolded in its introductory paragraph.
    1. Bold should be used sparingly, if at all, within the confines of a lore page. To emphasize matters, use italics instead.
  3. Ensure that the subsections within the page are consistent with other pages in the same area of knowledge. For example, if you are writing a page about a planet within the Empire of Dominia, ensure that each subsection on their history, environment, culture, and demographics are structured generally the same as other pages in the Empire of Dominia category.