This page will show a guide to assist in the writing of articles, so they are consistent with many of their similar articles.
- An "article" is a content page on the wiki, usually containing information about a J-RPG Game. See [INSERT LINK HERE] for example.
- Pages that are not articles include images, templates, the Main Page and many sub-pages.
Whilst other pages around the wiki just have to be funtional, the primary purpose of articles is to convey information effectively. This is why it is important that articles adhere to certain standarts and guidelines, to ensure consistency and relevancy.
General Article Guide[]
Most articles should be called by what they are most commonly known as, rather than a little-known "technical" or "correct" name. This is so people can easily find an article.
Articles directly about games should use the full title (e.g Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES), but other articles surrounding the subject only need to use a shortened version (e.g Persona 3). The following examples given are about the most well-known J-RPGS to avoid confusion.
- The article title must follow the game subjects official names (e.g "Keyblade" instead of "Sora's Weapon").
It must also be written in Singular instead of Plural (e.g "Sword" instead of "Swords") - exceptions are only when the article is a list (e.g "List of Tactical Games").- For characters, the name should be given with no title, unless to avoid tags (e.g "Lady Yuna").
- For subjects without official names, please use the most accepted title to not encourage discussions.
- Always include basic information about the game when starting an article. The first sentence should detail the name, compilations or series if it recurs, sub-genre and platforms it was released for.
- Articles should begin by the article's subject in bold, followed by {{J}}.
Pages that use infoboxes are exempt of this since the infoboxes already have sections for the Japanese term. - For gameplay articles such as enemies and items, the exact name must be used. For character and location articles, the full name should be used including titles, e.g. (Squall Leonhart).
- Articles should begin by the article's subject in bold, followed by {{J}}.
- When writing the article content, game titles should be written in italics, e.g. Final Fantasy IX and song titles should be with "quotation marks", e.g. "Prelude".
- The definite article (the) and indefinite articles (a/an) should be avoided in article titles except if they are used as the official title.
- Please write in third person: use "the player" instead of "you". Disregard this when writing reviews or walkthroughs.
- Please avoid writing abbreviations for game titles, e.g "FFVII" - it should be "Final Fantasy VII", and gaming systems e.g. "PS" - it should be "PlayStation". Exceptions are for spaces where the full name would not fit.
- Follow the official game title and use roman numerals, it's Final Fantasy III, NOT Final Fantasy 3.
- Wikilinking is limited to the first occurrence of the word or phrase.
Article Layout[]
Sections & Contents of Game Articles[]
- the descriptive Intro, describing about the game in general. Some snippets from the content of the article may be written here,
- the Gameplay, divided into subsections on the aspects of the game that makes it unique from the rest of the series. Links to the gameplay element pages, if any, should be linked too.
- the Setting in which the story takes place. A link to the main/list location/world article should be added too,
- the list of playable Characters including a short description. A collage of the characters picture would be a good addition,
- the Story, written from the point of view of the player character,
- the Music, describing the composition, composer, soundtrack, including main themes, adding in links to the respective music article,
- Development, featuring important details on the creation and development of the game, featuring detail on:
- Themes, describing the main conceptual themes and influences to the game's style and design,
- Ports and Remakes, listing re-releases of the game in question and their changes,
- Production Credits, listing the entirity of the staff/cast behind the game,
- Allusions/Trivia, describing Internal and External Crossovers between the series as well as other series within popular culture,
- the Packaging artwork gallery for each and every version out there,
- External links; these pages should link to pages on important fansites (Final Fantasy Compendium or Caves of Narshe, for example), an official site (if one exists), and the GameFAQs page, as well as any other links that may be relevant (see [INSERT GAME ARTICLE HERE] for example).
Also, put the relevant wikilink as needed.
- References, requires to be filled only with Template:Tl, used only when you are sourcing information on the article for the game, or the game's content, to be released.
Infoboxes[]
See here for the template.
The most important tool for articles to express large quantities of information quickly in an infobox table. They should only be used for basic information and statistics.
Images
An article should have a relevant image displayed in the top right corner. The reference template for game articles has a provision to show an image inside the infobox.