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Help:Contents/Creating Articles

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This is a sub-page of Help:Contents.

Should I Create This Article?

Only create an article if you have information to put on it. Don't make placeholder articles for games with no discoveries yet.

Also, don't create an article if the information you do have is trivial, such as a recently released update that fixes something nominal. TCRF isn't a race; we don't want either a "first edit!" attitude or a "we should have a page on Super Game 5!" attitude when it comes to new articles, because these lead to lots of very low-quality articles. This doesn't mean "don't make articles on anything new"; just don't jump in for the sake of it.

Creating Articles

Follow the steps below to begin creating an article.

  1. Search TCRF to see if someone has already made an article for the game.
    • You can use the Search box on the left sidebar, or click here.
  2. If there are no results, you will see a link that says "Create the page on this wiki!"
  3. Click the red link, and you will arrive at an edit screen where you can begin creating your article.
  4. Make sure you have correct namespace selected.
    • Proto: is used for prototype pages, Prerelease: is used for prerelease pages, Development: is used for development pages, and Notes: is used for note pages.
  5. Use the "Show preview" button below the Edit Summary box to preview your changes before clicking "Save page".
    • Please try to add or edit as much as possible before saving the page so you don't spam the Recent Changes page and IRC channel with notifications.
  6. Use the Edit Summary box to describe what you added or edited.
    • Example: "Added debug menu screenshot."
  7. Expansion packs should be included within the article for the base game.
    • Expansion packs should be in subpages for the base game. An exception is if they are stand-alone expansion packs, meaning that they can run without having to use the base game.

Titles

When choosing a title...

  1. Use the proper name for the game.
  2. Use the name that the game was most commonly advertised under.
    • Game title screens and boxes/labels/promotional materials sometimes differ, especially on older titles (example). In these cases, use the latter; alternate titles can be placed in the aka field in the Bob and in redirects (see below). Note that there can and will be discrepancies; any concerns or disputes about page titles should be brought up with the admins.
  3. If the same title has been used for games on multiple platforms, add the platform to the title in parentheses.
  4. Use the American title for the game.
  5. If the game was released in Europe but not the USA, use the European title.
  6. If the game was not released in the USA or Europe, use the Japanese title.

Redirects

Sometimes a game has more than one commonly-known name. For example, Doubutsu no Mori was only released in Japan, but English-speaking fans call the game Animal Forest. You can create a redirect, so people searching for "Animal Forest" will get to the article for Doubutsu no Mori. Add the following code to an article to create a redirect:

Code:
#REDIRECT [[Game Name]]

For example, you can add #REDIRECT [[Doubutsu no Mori]] to the Animal Forest page.

NOTE: Please don't create unnecessary redirects for uncommon misspellings or extreme abbreviations of game titles (ex: YI -> Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island).

Prototype, Development, Prerelease, and Notes Pages

Prototype pages need {{prototype}} added to the very beginning of the article. For development pages, {{development}} needs to be added to the beginning of the article. For prerelease and notes pages, use {{prerelease}} and {{notes}} respectively.

Bobs

Every article (except for articles about prototype games) needs a bob. A bob is a column with information about the game, including when it was released, its publisher, developer, and what kinds of unused and debug content can be found in the article.

To create a bob, copy the code below and change the information to match your game. If your game doesn't have unused graphics, for example, simply delete the |graphics= yes line. You can see an example on the right. Please have a new line after each new section added, as well as after {{Bob.

If a game was released in two or more calendar years (such as 2011 and 2012), add |nocat=true to the later release dates. Dates should include a reference for the information, by adding |ref=<ref>Add link here</ref>.

If a game was released on multiple platforms, only include platforms in the bob that pertain to the article contents. Platforms should not be included simply because the game was released on them.

For a more in-depth explanation of the various fields in the bob, please visit the template page.

NOTE: Bobs are only for game articles, NOT user pages. There is a separate Userbob template that should be used for that purpose.


Title Screen

The Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker

Also known as: Zelda no Densetsu: Kaze no Takuto (JP)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: GameCube
Released internationally:
Released in JP: December 13, 2002
Released in US: March 24, 2003
Released in CA: March 24, 2003
Released in MX: March 24, 2003
Released in EU: May 2, 2003
Released in UK: May 2, 2003
Released in FR: May 2, 2003
Released in DE: May 2, 2003
Released in IT: May 2, 2003
Released in ES: May 2, 2003
Released in PT: May 2, 2003
Released in NL: May 2, 2003
Released in SCN: May 2, 2003
Released in AU: May 7, 2003
Released in NZ: May 7, 2003
Released in RU: December 13, 2002
Released in KR: December 13, 2003
Released in BR: December 13, 2002
Released in CN: December 13, 2002
Released in HK: December 13, 2002
Released in TW: December 13, 2002
Released in AS: December 13, 2002


AnimationsIcon.png This game has unused animations.
AreasIcon.png This game has unused areas.
CharacterIcon.png This game has unused playable characters.
CodeIcon.png This game has unused code.
SourceIcon.png This game has uncompiled source code.
DevMessageIcon.png This game has a hidden developer message.
CopyrightIcon.png This game has hidden developer credits.
DevTextIcon.png This game has hidden development-related text.
EnemyIcon.png This game has unused enemies.
ObjectIcon.png This game has unused objects.
MinigameIcon.png This game has unused modes / minigames.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
ModelsIcon.png This game has unused models.
MovieIcon.png This game has unused cinematics.
ItemsIcon.png This game has unused items.
Sgf2-unusedicon1.png This game has unused abilities.
MusicIcon.png This game has unused music.
SoundIcon.png This game has unused sounds.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.
DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.
SoundtestIcon.png This game has a hidden sound test.
LevelSelectIcon.png This game has a hidden level select.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.
Carts.png This game has revisional differences.
PiracyIcon.png This game has anti-piracy features.
BonusIcon.png This game has hidden bonus content.
DummyIcon.png This game has unusual dummy files.


Code:
{{Bob
| bobscreen= IMAGE_NAME.png
| screenwidth= 320px
| title= Game Name
| aka= Alternate Name (Region)
| developer= Company A
| publisher= Company B
| system= Insert System Here
| world= {{date|}}
| japan= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| usa= {{date|2003|March|24|nocat=true}}
| canada= {{date|2003|March|24|nocat=true}}
| mexico= {{date|2003|March|24|nocat=true}}
| europe= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| uk= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| france= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| germany= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| italy= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| spain= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| portugal= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| nether= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| scn= {{date|2003|May|2|nocat=true}}
| aus= {{date|2003|May|7|nocat=true}}
| nz= {{date|2003|May|7|nocat=true}}
| rus= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| korea= {{date|2003|December|13|nocat=true}}
| brazil= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| china= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| hongkong= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| taiwan= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| asia= {{date|2002|December|13|nocat=true}}
| animations=y
| areas=y
| characters=y
| code=y
| source=y
| devmessage=y
| devcredits=y
| devtext=y
| enemy=y
| objects=y
| gametype=y
| graphics=y
| models=y
| video=y
| items=y
| abilities=y
| music=y
| sound=y
| text=y
| debug=y
| soundtest=y
| levelselect=y
| region=y
| revision=y
| piracy=y
| bonus=y
| dummy=y
}}

Descriptions

Please put a short description of the game directly below the bob code at the top of the article. This should ideally include the title of the game in bold and italics. TCRF does not require detailed summaries; a sentence is often enough. There are plenty of resources online where readers can learn more about a game.

Please note that descriptions are not reviews. Try not to be too opinionated while writing them. If a game was widely praised or criticized, the intro can reflect that, but keep in mind that different people often have different opinions regarding how fun or well-made a game is, and we don't want to alienate anyone.

Example:

'''''Lufia II''''' is an RPG for the SNES. It is actually a prequel to the first game in the series.

Table of Contents

A table of contents will automatically be added to the page when there are four or more sections. However, if you need to put code directly underneath the TOC for page formatting purposes (e.g. {{clear}}), place the following code between the game description (or bob, if there is no description) and the first section heading:

Code:
__TOC__

Please do not manually add TOCs to short pages for any other reason.

Uploading Title Screens

Click to upload a new image...Dummy link

Yoot Tower

Also known as: The Tower II (JP)
Developer: OPeNBooK9003
Publisher: OPeNBooK9003
Platform: Windows
Released in JP: 1998
Released in US: March 31, 1999


DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.


Bobs need a picture of the game's title screen. These must be taken with an emulator or in-game screenshot function at the game's native resolution, and must not contain any watermarks or emulator overlays. Read the image guidelines and screenshot guidelines for more information.

Do not upload box art in place of a proper title screen!

For games that have no real title screen, upload the first gameplay screen that appears after you run the game.

If you are unable to take a title screenshot, delete this code from the bob:

| bobscreen= IMAGE_NAME.png

| screenwidth= 320px

The article will be added to the Missing Title Screen category. You can see an example on the right. Below is the code used to create this example.

Code:
{{Bob

| title= Yoot Tower
| aka= The Tower II (JP)
| developer= OPeNBooK9003
| publisher= OPeNBooK9003
| system= Windows
| japan= {{date|1998}}
| usa= {{date|1999|March|31}}
| debug= yes
}}

Arcade Games

Title Screen

Donkey Kong Jr.

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Arcade (Nintendo Donkey Kong hardware)
Released in JP: 1982
Released in US: 1982
Released in EU: 1982


GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.


If the game is an arcade game, specify the system as "Arcade" in the bob, and then add this code:

| arcadesys= Insert System Here

You can see an example on the right. Below is the code used to create this example.

Code:
{{Bob

| bobscreen= DKJuniorTitle.png
| title= Donkey Kong Jr.
| developer= Nintendo
| publisher= Nintendo
| system= Arcade
| arcadesys= Nintendo Donkey Kong hardware
| japan= {{date|1982}}
| usa= {{date|1982}}
| europe= {{date|1982}}
| graphics= yes
| region= yes
}}

BIOS Pages

If the article is about a BIOS, it will need a title screen, title, developer, publisher, system, release date, and a list of what unused content it contains. You can see an example on the right. Below is the code used to create this example.


Title Screen

BS-X BIOS

Developers: Nintendo, St.GIGA
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Satellaview
Released in JP: April 1995


MusicIcon.png This game has unused music.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.


Code:
{{Bob

| bobscreen= BS-X BIOS Title Screen.png
| title= BS-X BIOS
| developers= {{developer|Nintendo}}, {{developer|St.GIGA}}
| publisher= Nintendo
| system= Satellaview
| japan= {{date|1995|April}}
| music= yes
| text= yes
}}

Suggested Order

  1. Bob
  2. Intro
  3. Subpages header
    1. Namespaces template (if other namespaces exist)
    2. Subpages
  4. Content, grouped together by relationship, most interesting at the top
  5. Revisional differences
  6. Regional differences
  7. References
  8. Series template

Page Template

A template page whose code you can copy and learn from is available here.