PCGamingWiki:Style Policy
Contents |
[edit] Linking
Using hyperlinks to link to external sites: [http://example.com link name] to make it appear as a hyperlink. To make internal links, enclose the word / words you want to link to in brackets: [[World of Tanks]] will link to World of Tanks.
[edit] Source
Prefer links to pages rather than direct links to files. Example: If there's a mod of a certain game, link to the info page of the mod, such as a forum thread or a github / Google code site instead of a direct download link. Direct download links might contain malicious files and as such should not be linked to on this site.
When creating link, try to provide some context. Never simply link text as only 'Source' or 'here', try to say 'Comment from Rock Paper Shotgun'.
[edit] Other Wikis and Resources
We would like to encourage linking to other regularly updated sources of information. For example, Wide Screen Gaming Forum or DOSBoxWiki. We do not necessarily want to include huge amounts of duplicate information. However, there are many cases where we can add more information about a title. For example, what are the differences between a GOG and a DosBox version of a game?
[edit] Categories
Categories can be assigned by adding [[Category:Category name]] at the end of the document. The following is a link to a categories guide from MediaWiki.
[edit] Genre
The administrators and moderators have had lengthy discussions regarding the use of genre categories, and have decided not to use them at all on this wiki. The purpose of this wiki is to provide information about getting a PC game to work. Those browsing this site already know about the game they are looking for, and do not need to browse by genre.
Furthermore, categorising by genre is a very qualitative task that can lead to category bloat. For example, the StarCraft II wikipedia page lists the following category genres:
- 2010 video games
- Blizzard games
- Electronic sports games
- Episodic video games
- Mac OS X games
- Military science fiction
- Real-time strategy video games
- Space opera video games
- StarCraft
- Video game sequels
- Video games developed in the United States
- Video games using Havok
- Video games with collector's edition
- Windows games
Having too many categories will diminish their value as we will find it more difficult to maintain up-to-date categories. Using genres and would create a lot of work and debate that would not add value to the wiki entries here. Therefore please do not add genre categories like RPG, FPS, MMO, etc.
Please do NOT use categories like action adventure game, role-playing game, first-person shooter, etcetera.
[edit] Mac and Linux
Multi-platform game wiki entries can be written from the perspective of a Windows user. Hacks and tips for other versions such as Mac and Linux should be added at the bottom of the entry under a separate header.
[edit] Templates
[edit] Infobox template
Information about the Infobox template is available on the Template:Infobox page.
[edit] System requirements template
Information about the Systems requirements template is available on the Template:System Requirements page.
[edit] Article Formatting
[edit] Names
Names of both games and operating systems should be written out in full. Not only does this increase clarity, but it allows for wiki articles to be more prevalent in search results. Windows XP should be written out in full, never as WinXP or other variants.
[edit] Files and File Paths
All files should be encased with a <code> tag, like this:
setup.exe
File paths should be encased with a <pre> tag, like this:
C:\Program Files\
[edit] Units
All units should be written down correctly for consistency and clarity.
Bad:1ghz
Good: 1 GHz
It is important to note that units follow defined international standards. All numbers require a space before the units. Units written out in full must be all in lower case, not in sentence case and not with numbers.
For a paragraph describing technical details about CPUs, the frequency would be written out as megahertz or gigahertz, not Megahertz and not GigaHertz.
"The "clock rate" of a central processing unit, CPUs, is measured in hertz, typically megahertz and gigahertz. For example, some CPUs have a clock rate of 700 MHz or 4.2 GHz."
Also make sure the correct units are used for sizes! The units for size are: b, bit; B, Byte. The latter is the one that is most likely to be used and it is eight times bigger than the former.
[edit] Further reading
[edit] Spelling
Spell checking before submitting is also a good idea, especially for readers whose first language is not English and may rely on translating articles or for those who use screen-readers.
[edit] Common English spelling mistakes
| Mistake | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Then / than | Then — used in reference to time. Than — used in comparison. |
| Neither or | There are two combinations: Either... or and Neither... nor! |
| It's / Its | It's = it is Its = The thing the belongs to it. Same as his or hers. |
| Their there they're | Their = The thing that belongs to them |
| Who's / Whose | Who's = Who is. As in "Who's with me?!" Whose, as in "I will have to fix the car whose engine I ruined" |
| Donut / Thru | 'Mericans please, it's Doughnut and Through |
| Aluminum | 'Mericans please, it's Aluminium |
