User:Macgovern/Sandbox
Introduction section
Syntax
{{Introduction |introduction = |release history = |current state = }}
Examples
See list of pages using the template.
introduction
The introduction
parameter may cover such things as:
- A basic introduction to the game, its modes/perspectives/genres/series, and which studios developed and published it.
- Reference taxonomies using
{{Glossary:XXX}}
, such as{{Glossary:FPS}}
, as this will automatically create a link to the taxonomy category as well as add an short definition of the tag on mouse hover, e.g. FPS.
- Reference taxonomies using
- This row has a basic structure that is autofilled, as long as the modes/perspectives/genres/series is entered into {{Infobox game}} with the relevant Taxonomy rows, however it should be overridden where possible.
- Common examples:
Gamename
is ataxonomy/perspective/mode/genre etc.
featuringkey/unique gameplay features
developed bycompany
published bycompany
.Game
is asequel/prequel
in theseries
orrelated series
or is aspiritual successor
.Game
usesengine
plus any noteworthy engine information compared to other entries in the series.Game
isimportant/noteworthy
for any otherreason
.
release history
The release history
parameter may cover such things as:
- Noteworthy information about the initial release of the game on PC, on which platform(s) it were released on, and how the reception of the PC version was.
- It may also describe the reception to the game on a technical level with quotes/references, e.g. it was a good/bad port, it had X issue on launch. This may include critic reviews.
- As PCGamingWiki focuses on the technical aspect of PC games, general "Wikipedia-style" information should not be included, e.g. how reviewers found the game/gameplay itself, and what they liked/criticized — that sort of information is not within the scope of the site.
- Noteworthy information leading up to the initial release, such as pre-release information, early access, crowdfunding, closed beta, or similar.
- Any subsequent platform (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG etc.) the game was released on and when, and noteworthy things about that platform release, such as if it experienced any release delays or technical issues, or technical or content differences from the existing releases.
- The section can also include noteworthy historical information such as:
- Account/concurrent user milestones (only include if describing a game that is primarily multiplayer, no more than 2 sentences)
- Major bugs
- Inability to access the game (e.g. server queues, delays etc.)
- DRM history and changes
- Missing advertised features
- Features missing from console counterpart
- Missing endings, content that has been notably cut. These should be described in a neutral way, avoid using terms like 'censorship' which are charged descriptions.
- Whether any of these problems were fixed.
- Common examples:
Game
was first released onplatform
ondate
.Launch
wassuccessful/had issues
Examples
The following are examples of what constitutes "Wikipedia-style" content in release history sections:
The game released on June 28, 2004 as retail only receiving negative reviews due to it simplistic, unimaginative gameplay, mediocre visuals and boring gameplay with some reviewers questioning why this version was even made, instead of the game being ported from consoles.
The following are examples of release history sections suitable for this wiki:
The PlayStation 5 version was released on September 2, 2022, and the PC port was released on March 28, 2023. While the PC port was lauded for its extensive settings, the game launched to an overall negative reception due to several technical issues, such as extended shader compilation times, unexpected crashes, degraded performance and stability while compiling shaders in the background, mouse and camera stuttering, and the game being limited to utilizing relatively low CPU power.
current state
The current state
parameter may cover such things as:
- Current major issues that have not been resolved yet.
- Updates/support that the game receives, if it is regularly updated technically (patches etc.) or content (DLC, expansions, microtransactions or free content updates). Roadmap of future content or features.
- Multiplayer situation, such as updates on number of current players, possibility of finding games, etc.
- Modding scene, if there are any official tools, how are mods distributed?
- Improvements such as essential mods or quality of life improvements, with a link to any relevant sections covered further below on the article.