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Difference between revisions of "Dwarf Fortress Wiki:Community Portal"

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(Bone carver, or Bone carving? Titling for skills.)
(Undo revision 298347 by JacksonSmith (talk) Removed spam)
Tag: Undo
 
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This page is for organizing the war effort against entropy.
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{{shortcut|DF:CP}}
  
== We are doing this! Let us do it right. ==
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:''See the [[Help]] page for technical information. See the [[Frequently Asked Questions#Using DF Wiki (Editing_policies)|Wiki Introduction and Editing FAQ]] for an introduction to editing this wiki.''
  
* '''A'''lphabet: OK, the first rule is that there must be a rule for each letter of the alphabet. That leaves 25 rules to go. (Sorry, my [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomic nomic] instincts flared up.) --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]
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This page is for organizing the war effort against entropy.__NOTOC__ Also, please check out the [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Improvement_Drive|Dwarf Fortress Wiki Improvement Drive]]!
  
* '''C'''ategories: When editing a page, stop to think about what categories it should be included in, and add them if necessary. Don't forget to consider categories that don't yet exist.
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{| id="toc"
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|
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* [[#We are doing this! Let us do it right.|We are doing this! Let us do it right.]]
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** [[#A|A]] [[#B|B]] [[#C|C]] [[#D|D]] [[#E|E]] [[#F|F]] [[#G|G]] [[#H|H]] [[#I|I]] [[#J|J]] [[#K|K]] [[#L|L]] [[#M|M]]
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** [[#N|N]] [[#O|O]] [[#P|P]] [[#Q|Q]] [[#R|R]] [[#S|S]] [[#T|T]] [[#U|U]] [[#V|V]] [[#W|W]] [[#X|X]] [[#Y|Y]] [[#Z|Z]]
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** [[#More rules|More]]
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* [[#Notice Templates|Notice Templates]]
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|}
  
* '''D'''rama Bomb: Please, let's be civilized and limit the flamewars, personal attacks and insults.
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== We are doing this! Let us do it right. ==
 
 
* '''F'''acts: Try to avoid creating one-liner pages without links. Add as much pertinent information as you can.
 
 
 
* '''G'''ravitas (corollary to '''F'''acts): Try to avoid creating pages for topics about which there is little of substance to say. Creating such a page will waste your time and the time of the reader who ends up there. For example, we don't need a page for every different type of alcohol that exists in the game; all that needs to be said about the topic (possibly including a list of alcohols) can easily be said in a single, general page on [[alcohol]].
 
 
 
* '''H'''eadings: Try to organize the content of each page into sections of related information. The heading of each section should follow the style for '''P'''age titles.
 
  
* '''K'''eys: Keys to be pressed should be written using the [[:Template:K|k]] or [[:Template:Key|key]] templates. For example, the syntax <span style="font-family:monospace"><nowiki>{{k|q}}</nowiki></span> will generate {{k|q}}, a standardized and visually pleasing representation of the "q" key.
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=====A=====
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* '''A'''lphabet: Okay, the first rule is that there must be a rule for each letter of the alphabet. Thanks to the community, we now have all twenty-six rules (plus [[#More rules|a few more]])! (Inspired by [[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]'s [[wikipedia:nomic|nomic]] instincts)
  
* '''P'''age titles: The titles of new pages should be singular nouns, with only the first word capitalized. Example: ''Screw pump'', not ''Screw Pump'' or ''Screw pumps''. The exceptions to these rules are for terms that are always plural and for proper nouns.
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=====B=====
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* '''B'''e bold! So says Wikipedia. If you see a mistake, be it a fact or a typo, change it. Don't leave it to someone else to clean up mistakes. Feel free to make changes. If you think an article needs a major rewrite, and you think you can do it, go ahead and do it! You can also use the discussion (talk) page to post suggestions.
 +
* For help getting started, see the [[Frequently Asked Questions#Using DF Wiki (Editing_policies)|Wiki Introduction and Editing FAQ]].
  
* '''R'''edundancy: Before creating a new page, do a search to find out if the topic is already discussed in detail somewhere else. If you find that redundant pages already exist, merge their content and have one redirect to the other.
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=====C=====
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* '''C'''ategories: When editing a page, stop to think about what categories it should be included in, and add them if necessary. Don't forget to consider categories that don't yet exist. Capitalize the tag like <tt><nowiki>[[Category:Stub]]</nowiki></tt>. (However, if the page and category are version-specific, you should use <tt><nowiki>{{Category|CategoryName}}</nowiki></tt> instead).
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* See also [[Help:Categories|Categories Help]] and [[Special:AllPages/Category:|List of All Existing Categories]]
  
* '''S'''tyle: In general, try to follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style Wikipedia Manual of Style] when writing articles.
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=====D=====
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* '''D'''iscussion: Use the discussion page to voice suggestions and to ask questions. Try to limit inline comments. Before editing, check the discussion page to see if there are any changes being planned. The [[DF:CD|centralized discussion]] page is being used to announce such discussions to the general population, so as to make them findable for those who do not religiously keep up with Recent Changes. Please add your own discussions to it.
 +
* See [[Help:Talk pages]] and [[wikipedia:WP:TPG|Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines]] for talk page conventions and a more in-depth explanation.
  
* '''T'''imelessness: The wiki is intended as a guide for all players, even new ones. As such, references to differences from or similarities to old versions of DF should be reduced and eliminated, except on pages specifically dealing with said differences or similarities. Avoid phrases like "now marble can be used to make steel" or "before, farms required two floodgates", etc. For facts that are likely to change, or placeholder features, use [[Template:Version]]. For example, you might say, "[[Cave-in]]s are buggy right now.<nowiki>{{version|0.27.169.33a}}</nowiki>"
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=====E=====
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* '''E'''liminate fluff. This includes redirects that aren't linked to and wouldn't be typed in the search box. The {{[[Template:deletion|deletion]]}} or {{[[Template:deletion|del]]}} template is your friend. (See also the [[Dwarf Fortress Wiki:Deletion Policy|Deletion Policy]].)
  
__TOC__
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=====F=====
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* '''F'''acts: Keep your information factual. If you haven't confirmed something, post it on the discussion page. Don't create linkless one-liner pages. Add as much pertinent information as you can and avoid conjecture (possibly, maybe, could be, likely) by providing concrete examples from the game or links to other parts of the wiki.<!-- redundant with V? --><!-- aye, tis semi-redundant: they need to be merged. Personally, I like facts better than verify -->
  
== Redirects and article titles ==
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=====G=====
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* '''G'''ameterms: To avoid confusion, use the terms the game uses whenever possible. For example, the game refers to "armor" and "aluminum" rather than "armour" or "aluminium", and the plural forms of "dwarf" and "bronze colossus" should be "dwarves" and "bronze colossuses" rather than "dwarfs" or "bronze colossi".
  
How do you do that thing that makes a certain term redirect to a different page? Like [[Elephants]] redirecting to [[Elephant]], for example. --[[User:BahamutZERO|BahamutZERO]] 15:20, 30 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====H=====
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* '''H'''eadings: Organize the content of each page into sections of related information. After the introduction, use appropriate headings for each section, and follow the '''N'''aming style of this guide. Keep headings to a minimum; consider a list or a table if you have many repetitive facts.
  
:If [[Elephants]] already exists, you can move the page to [[Elephant]], and it will create the redirect for you. Otherwise, just edit [[Elephants]] to read: <nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Elephant]]</nowiki> --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 15:26, 30 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====I=====
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* '''I'''mages: Images and [[screenshot]]s should clearly depict the subject. Small diagrams can be constructed with &lt;[[DF:Diagram|diagram]]> or {{tl|RT}}, for easy editing, and to save on space. When uploading images, give them a name that is descriptive and unlikely to be duplicated. Names like "1", "screenshot", and "untitled" should be avoided. PNG images are preferred over JPEG where possible, as they don't lose visual quality during compression (and tend to be smaller anyways).
  
::I see, thanks! --[[User:BahamutZERO|BahamutZERO]] 15:27, 30 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====J=====
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* '''J'''ealousy: Don't be shocked if someone rewrites or removes your article; your hard work is not lost. Post suggestions on the discussion page and talk about the issue. All versions are stored in the history, so your material can be reused or merged with existing content if the rewriter left something out.
  
:::Just FYI, if at all possible, ''do not create pages as plurals''. Use the following syntax: <nowiki>[[Elephant]]s</nowiki>: example [[Elephant]]s. --[[User:JT|JT]] 20:20, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====K=====
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* '''K'''eys: The original version of the game uses 100% keyboard input, so we have a template to improve the display of keys: {{tl|k}} (abbreviation of {{tl|key}}). For example, the syntax <code><nowiki>{{k|q}}</nowiki></code> will generate {{k|q}}, a standardized and visually pleasing representation of the "q" key. The enter key should be done as <code><nowiki>{{k|Enter}}</nowiki></code> ({{k|Enter}}), for example, and the arrow keys use arrow characters, found in the second row of [[CP437|this handy code page]]. The right arrow key, for example, appears as {{k|→}}. {{tl|k-}} can be used for sequences of keys - for example, <code><nowiki>{{k-|a|b}}</nowiki></code> produces {{k-|a|b}}.
  
What about titles that are verbs? Should they be in "base-form"? Or whatever its called (my english on this level isnt the best). Example: should the title be '''Mine''' or '''Mining'''? --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 17:30, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====L=====
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* '''L'''osing is [[fun]]! <!-- If something made you lose, include information about it. Others may want to try it out, or you may help someone avoid flooding their ☼fortress☼. -->
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<!-- personally, I think that this will encourage people to add more pointless than useful --Savok -->
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=====M=====
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* '''M'''ore people should use the raw files (found in your 'install dir\raw\objects' ''or data/vanila on Steam'') to get information about creatures and objects. They have loads of good information that the game actually uses.
  
:Based on the Wikipedia style, titles should be nouns. So in your example it should be the gerund '''Mining''', and '''Mine''' would be the title for an article about mines. I've updated the rule to reflect this. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 17:35, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====N=====
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* '''N'''aming: The titles of new pages should be <u>singular</u> nouns, with <u>only the first word capitalized</u>. Example: [[Screw pump]], [[Metalsmith's forge]], [[Gear assembly]]. Exceptions are proper nouns and terms that are always plural. Getting the wrong name can mean extra redirects and always means a page move. Screw pump is not the same as Screw Pump. Exceptions may be made in cases where two very different things would otherwise have the same page name, such as [[bar]] versus [[bars]]. Do not put question marks in the names of articles: due to the way they are handled in URLs it messes things up, though not irreversibly.
  
::What about skills and professions?  Should we have a '''Bone carving''' (labor preference) article and a '''Bone carver''' (skill) article, or would this be redundant?  I've seen both styles linked to, but tend to think that the -ing form should redirect to the -er form. Opinions? --[[User:Mechturk|Mechturk]] 03:11, 5 November 2007 (EST)
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=====O=====
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* '''O'''riginal research is good! Forget what you've seen on That Other Wiki; personal experience is perfectly fine here. Without original research, this wiki would be a tiny fraction of its current self &ndash; so if you see something that seems wrong, needs verification, or just lacks information, load up the current edition and check for yourself (but please, say you've done so on the talk page).
  
Btw, shouldnt all these comments be moved into [[DwarfFortressWiki talk:Community Portal|talk]]? --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 17:30, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====P=====
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* '''P'''review: Use the preview button to check for typos. Avoid cluttering the history of a page with multiple edits. Mark small changes as 'minor' so they can be (optionally) hidden from the recent changes page.
  
:Moved the account problem comments to the talk page. The rest are informative. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 13:26, 1 November 2007 (EDT)
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=====Q=====
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* '''Q'''ueue: Check the special pages for work still to be done! There are lists of [[Special:Deadendpages|dead end pages]], [[Special:Uncategorizedcategories|uncategorized categories]], [[Special:BrokenRedirects|broken redirects]], and [[Special:Specialpages|others]] that all need work occasionally. Or try looking up pages by [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Quality|quality]] and trying to improve lower-quality ones to a higher quality level.
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* If you feel more like writing content than maintaining the wiki, the list of [[:Category:Stubs|stub pages]] is a good place for you to start, followed by the [[Special:ShortPages|short pages]] that exist.
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* If you feel like doing research about how the game works, have a look at [[#V|Rule V]].
  
== Tutorials ==
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=====R=====
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* '''R'''edundancy: Before creating a new page, do a search to find out if the topic is already discussed in detail somewhere else. If you find that redundant pages already exist, merge their content and have one redirect to the other. This rule also refers to redundant material inside pages.
  
New players are getting bogged down by the complexity at the start of their fortresses, I think we should get some "getting started" or "surviving your first winter" type tutorials up as soon as possible. --[[User:BahamutZERO|BahamutZERO]] 16:33, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====S=====
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* '''S'''tyle: In general, try to follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style Wikipedia Manual of Style] when writing articles. For example, introduce keyword articles by highlighting the first keyword in bold, such as '''Rules'''.
 +
* Also see [[DF:Manual of Style]] for information specific to this wiki.
  
:[[Getting started]] will be just that. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:31, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
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=====T=====
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* '''T'''imelessness: The wiki is intended as a guide for all players, even new ones. As such, references to differences from or similarities to old major versions of DF should be moved to the appropriate version page. Avoid phrases like "now marble can be used to make steel" or "before, farms required two floodgates", etc. Specific references to minor versions in the same namespace are acceptable - for example, "minecarts were added in v0.34.08", or "creatures do not breed by spores as of v0.40.19". For facts that are likely to change in the future, or placeholder features, use the {{tl|Version}} template, and for bugs that have yet to be fixed, use the {{tl|Bug}} template. Note that references to differences from or similarities to ''newer'' versions of DF may be acceptable on pages for old versions.
  
== Categories ==
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=====U=====
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* '''U'''ser pages: Introduce yourself, let the community know who you are. If you have a comment on someone's actions on the wiki, praise or otherwise, post it on their talk page, and they'll get notified next time they log in. Avoid editing other users' user pages unless it's absolutely necessary (for example, removing a user page from an inappropriate category). Keep this place civilized; avoid flame wars, personal attacks and insults.
  
I saw that the category [[:category:buildings]] had been added to category [[:category:world]]. I started to look for categories without parents and adding them to world to sortof have a list of every category. Is this good thinking? --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 19:19, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====V=====
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* '''V'''erify: Many loosely based assumptions are floating around. Verify your information and check [[:Category:Articles needing further verification]] if you think you can help verify others. If you have something that is not verified, use the <code><nowiki>{{verify}}</nowiki></code> tag right after it.
  
:We already have a list of all categories at [[Special:Categories]], although it does include a few categories that aren't directly related to the game.
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=====W=====
:Based upon the description of [[:Category:World]], it seems to me that most of the things that are currently in it don't really belong there. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 19:27, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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*'''W'''it can be hard to recognise once it has been written down. It is best if it is used on clearly humour/story-related pages, talk pages, or user pages, but kept to a minimum in fact-based articles like [[Dwarf]] or [[Summer]]. Use an appropriate template such as {{tl|D for Dwarf}} if there might be confusion.
  
::Ok, Ill remove them from [[:category:world]]. But how often is [[Special:Categories]] updated? I dont see [[:category:furnaces]] in there. --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 20:24, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====X=====
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* '''X'''eniality: Be nice to people who are new to ''Dwarf Fortress''.
  
:::[[Special:Categories]] is automatically updated by the Wiki software as soon as it detects a change. However, MediaWikis aggressively cache pages.  It's also possible you're looking a client-side cached page of it.  Finally, I don't see any content in that category so it's possible it's being ignored. See [[Special:Unusedcategories]] instead. --[[User:JT|JT]] 20:28, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
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=====Y=====
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* '''Y'''e Olde Info: It's outdated - update it. Keep the wiki up to date. Remember, sieges were only buggy in a few old versions! Also make sure you're looking at the correct version of a page, especially when editing - if you're playing the latest released version, the information present in the "v0.34", "v0.31", "40d", or "23a" pages is likely to be outdated and incorrect for you, but people playing those old versions will want information that is accurate for them.
  
== Deletion ==
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=====Z=====
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* '''Z''': the mark of '''Z'''orro. Sign each of your 'Talk' entries with your own --<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>.
  
We now have a [[:category:deletion]], who has the power to delete pages? When are they deleted? Who make the final call? The same person that deletes them? What rules should we make regarding this? --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 11:57, 1 November 2007 (EDT)
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==== More rules ====
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* '''[[DF:REDIR|Redirects]]:''' Redirects should almost always be created in a versioned namespace (e.g. {{DF:Current}}). For example, instead of creating a redirect from [[Kitten]] to [[Cat]], create a redirect from [[{{DF:Current}}:Kitten]] to [[{{DF:Current}}:Cat]]. Doing this makes links to [[Kitten]] work from both {{DF:Current}} pages and pages in the main namespace. Redirects should almost never be created in the main namespace. See [[DF:REDIR]] for more information.
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* '''[[DF:MOS|Spelling]]:''' American and British spellings are both acceptable, unless they violate [[#G|Rule G]].
  
:Anyone can mark a page for deletion using the <nowiki>{{del}}</nowiki> tag, however it is usually recommended to get a consensus that it's not worth keeping. Exceptions are things like spam or empty pages. The <nowiki>{{del}}</nowiki> tag just lets the admin know to delete it, ultimately it's his call to do so or not. Just ask around on the talk page first, if no one disagrees, add the tag. (Disclaimer: that's how it worked on the old wiki, the policy may change as this new wiki grows.) --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 13:02, 1 November 2007 (EDT)
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== Notice Templates ==
  
== Water level style ==
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There are templates available for marking pages needing improvement. Ideally, you should make appropriate changes and move on, but if you are unable to access the required information, post a notice to flag an issue up. Using template notices provides a consistent way of flagging a page. Notices in use can be tracked through category pages. Notices based on rules from this page should all use the [[:Category:Pages that break Community Portal rules]] category.
  
I think we should have a standard style for talking about water level. We could say it various ways, such as "6/7 water," "water with a depth of 6," "a depth of 6 pool," or "water with a depth of six." It seems using the numeral makes it clear that we mean water depth, without adding the /7. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 13:02, 1 November 2007 (EDT)
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This section is far from complete.
  
:I'm not sure.  The /7 is definately unnessessary and that we should use 6 instead of six, maybe create a template to make the numberal blue/red (water/magma)?  If not "Water 6" and "Magma 5" seem short, simple, correct, and understandable.--[[User:Draco18s|Draco18s]] 03:27, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
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=== Template for Notice Templates ===
  
== Templates? ==
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{{Colored Notice Box|#0000FF|Contents of the message.
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Second value is sidebar colour in HTML hex, RR GG BB, e.g. #FF0000 (red), #009900 (dark green), #0088FF, (light blue), #000000 (black)}}
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<nowiki>{{Colored Notice Box|#FF00FF|Contents of the message}}</nowiki>
  
Is there a page with a list of all the templates available to us? Are all of the templates migrated from the old wiki? --[[User:Felix the Cat|Felix the Cat]] 00:51, 3 November 2007 (EDT)
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=== Image Rules Notice ===
  
:You can find a list at [[Special:Allpages?namespace=10]]. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 01:44, 3 November 2007 (EDT)
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{{Image Rules Notice|cat=no}}
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{{tl|Image Rules Notice}}
  
== Forum references ==
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=== Timelessness Notice ===
  
Where there is a bit saying "Toady said this", what is the best way to link to the forum?  Currently in magma, I've got a link to http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=001504 which shows up as [http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=001504] (not ''too'' bad).  Is there a better way of doing it akin to Wikipedia with <ref>something</ref>? Maybe something like [[Template:version]] for future (but that doesn't cover the "this is how it works now" type thing. --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 02:17, 3 November 2007 (EDT)
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{{Timelessness Notice|cat=no}}
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{{tl|Timelessness Notice}}
  
== Crops categories ==
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=== New Notices ===
  
My wiki-fu is weak, but surely there is a better way to present the myriad crops than having a different category for each season and biome? [[:Category:Crops]] could at least show the seasons grouped seperate from the biomes. Are we going to put each plant in its respective biome and seasons, ''and'' in [[:Category:Crops]], or is [[List of crops]] sufficient? Just seems like there's a lot of potential for a mess here, and we need to standardize the plant pages and various categories.
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If several pages arise that break the same rule, create a new template based off one of the above templates. Remember to include the [[:Category:Pages that break Community Portal rules]] tag at the bottom, or some other appropriate category so that other users can track pages that need reworking. To create a new template, type <nowiki>[[Template:Rule name notice]]</nowiki> into an article, or directly into the address bar of your browser.
  
Personally I like the way the old wiki did it, with some nice templates. Granted there are a lot more plants in this version, but not so much that we need 20 subcategories cluttering up the crops category. See [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Crops Crops] and [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Plump_Helmets Plump Helmets]; easy to tell what crops belong in what season. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 02:52, 3 November 2007 (EDT)
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[[category:wikiprojects]]

Latest revision as of 08:39, 6 March 2024

Shortcut:
DF:CP
See the Help page for technical information. See the Wiki Introduction and Editing FAQ for an introduction to editing this wiki.

This page is for organizing the war effort against entropy. Also, please check out the Dwarf Fortress Wiki Improvement Drive!

We are doing this! Let us do it right.

A
  • Alphabet: Okay, the first rule is that there must be a rule for each letter of the alphabet. Thanks to the community, we now have all twenty-six rules (plus a few more)! (Inspired by Peristarkawan's nomic instincts)
B
  • Be bold! So says Wikipedia. If you see a mistake, be it a fact or a typo, change it. Don't leave it to someone else to clean up mistakes. Feel free to make changes. If you think an article needs a major rewrite, and you think you can do it, go ahead and do it! You can also use the discussion (talk) page to post suggestions.
  • For help getting started, see the Wiki Introduction and Editing FAQ.
C
  • Categories: When editing a page, stop to think about what categories it should be included in, and add them if necessary. Don't forget to consider categories that don't yet exist. Capitalize the tag like [[Category:Stub]]. (However, if the page and category are version-specific, you should use {{Category|CategoryName}} instead).
  • See also Categories Help and List of All Existing Categories
D
  • Discussion: Use the discussion page to voice suggestions and to ask questions. Try to limit inline comments. Before editing, check the discussion page to see if there are any changes being planned. The centralized discussion page is being used to announce such discussions to the general population, so as to make them findable for those who do not religiously keep up with Recent Changes. Please add your own discussions to it.
  • See Help:Talk pages and Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines for talk page conventions and a more in-depth explanation.
E
  • Eliminate fluff. This includes redirects that aren't linked to and wouldn't be typed in the search box. The {{deletion}} or {{del}} template is your friend. (See also the Deletion Policy.)
F
  • Facts: Keep your information factual. If you haven't confirmed something, post it on the discussion page. Don't create linkless one-liner pages. Add as much pertinent information as you can and avoid conjecture (possibly, maybe, could be, likely) by providing concrete examples from the game or links to other parts of the wiki.
G
  • Gameterms: To avoid confusion, use the terms the game uses whenever possible. For example, the game refers to "armor" and "aluminum" rather than "armour" or "aluminium", and the plural forms of "dwarf" and "bronze colossus" should be "dwarves" and "bronze colossuses" rather than "dwarfs" or "bronze colossi".
H
  • Headings: Organize the content of each page into sections of related information. After the introduction, use appropriate headings for each section, and follow the Naming style of this guide. Keep headings to a minimum; consider a list or a table if you have many repetitive facts.
I
  • Images: Images and screenshots should clearly depict the subject. Small diagrams can be constructed with <diagram> or {{RT}}, for easy editing, and to save on space. When uploading images, give them a name that is descriptive and unlikely to be duplicated. Names like "1", "screenshot", and "untitled" should be avoided. PNG images are preferred over JPEG where possible, as they don't lose visual quality during compression (and tend to be smaller anyways).
J
  • Jealousy: Don't be shocked if someone rewrites or removes your article; your hard work is not lost. Post suggestions on the discussion page and talk about the issue. All versions are stored in the history, so your material can be reused or merged with existing content if the rewriter left something out.
K
  • Keys: The original version of the game uses 100% keyboard input, so we have a template to improve the display of keys: {{k}} (abbreviation of {{key}}). For example, the syntax {{k|q}} will generate q, a standardized and visually pleasing representation of the "q" key. The enter key should be done as {{k|Enter}} (Enter), for example, and the arrow keys use arrow characters, found in the second row of this handy code page. The right arrow key, for example, appears as . {{k-}} can be used for sequences of keys - for example, {{k-|a|b}} produces a-b.
L
M
  • More people should use the raw files (found in your 'install dir\raw\objects' or data/vanila on Steam) to get information about creatures and objects. They have loads of good information that the game actually uses.
N
  • Naming: The titles of new pages should be singular nouns, with only the first word capitalized. Example: Screw pump, Metalsmith's forge, Gear assembly. Exceptions are proper nouns and terms that are always plural. Getting the wrong name can mean extra redirects and always means a page move. Screw pump is not the same as Screw Pump. Exceptions may be made in cases where two very different things would otherwise have the same page name, such as bar versus bars. Do not put question marks in the names of articles: due to the way they are handled in URLs it messes things up, though not irreversibly.
O
  • Original research is good! Forget what you've seen on That Other Wiki; personal experience is perfectly fine here. Without original research, this wiki would be a tiny fraction of its current self – so if you see something that seems wrong, needs verification, or just lacks information, load up the current edition and check for yourself (but please, say you've done so on the talk page).
P
  • Preview: Use the preview button to check for typos. Avoid cluttering the history of a page with multiple edits. Mark small changes as 'minor' so they can be (optionally) hidden from the recent changes page.
Q
  • Queue: Check the special pages for work still to be done! There are lists of dead end pages, uncategorized categories, broken redirects, and others that all need work occasionally. Or try looking up pages by quality and trying to improve lower-quality ones to a higher quality level.
  • If you feel more like writing content than maintaining the wiki, the list of stub pages is a good place for you to start, followed by the short pages that exist.
  • If you feel like doing research about how the game works, have a look at Rule V.
R
  • Redundancy: Before creating a new page, do a search to find out if the topic is already discussed in detail somewhere else. If you find that redundant pages already exist, merge their content and have one redirect to the other. This rule also refers to redundant material inside pages.
S
  • Style: In general, try to follow the Wikipedia Manual of Style when writing articles. For example, introduce keyword articles by highlighting the first keyword in bold, such as Rules.
  • Also see DF:Manual of Style for information specific to this wiki.
T
  • Timelessness: The wiki is intended as a guide for all players, even new ones. As such, references to differences from or similarities to old major versions of DF should be moved to the appropriate version page. Avoid phrases like "now marble can be used to make steel" or "before, farms required two floodgates", etc. Specific references to minor versions in the same namespace are acceptable - for example, "minecarts were added in v0.34.08", or "creatures do not breed by spores as of v0.40.19". For facts that are likely to change in the future, or placeholder features, use the {{Version}} template, and for bugs that have yet to be fixed, use the {{Bug}} template. Note that references to differences from or similarities to newer versions of DF may be acceptable on pages for old versions.
U
  • User pages: Introduce yourself, let the community know who you are. If you have a comment on someone's actions on the wiki, praise or otherwise, post it on their talk page, and they'll get notified next time they log in. Avoid editing other users' user pages unless it's absolutely necessary (for example, removing a user page from an inappropriate category). Keep this place civilized; avoid flame wars, personal attacks and insults.
V
  • Verify: Many loosely based assumptions are floating around. Verify your information and check Category:Articles needing further verification if you think you can help verify others. If you have something that is not verified, use the {{verify}} tag right after it.
W
  • Wit can be hard to recognise once it has been written down. It is best if it is used on clearly humour/story-related pages, talk pages, or user pages, but kept to a minimum in fact-based articles like Dwarf or Summer. Use an appropriate template such as {{D for Dwarf}} if there might be confusion.
X
  • Xeniality: Be nice to people who are new to Dwarf Fortress.
Y
  • Ye Olde Info: It's outdated - update it. Keep the wiki up to date. Remember, sieges were only buggy in a few old versions! Also make sure you're looking at the correct version of a page, especially when editing - if you're playing the latest released version, the information present in the "v0.34", "v0.31", "40d", or "23a" pages is likely to be outdated and incorrect for you, but people playing those old versions will want information that is accurate for them.
Z
  • Z: the mark of Zorro. Sign each of your 'Talk' entries with your own --~~~~.

More rules

  • Redirects: Redirects should almost always be created in a versioned namespace (e.g. Main). For example, instead of creating a redirect from Kitten to Cat, create a redirect from Main:Kitten to Main:Cat. Doing this makes links to Kitten work from both Main pages and pages in the main namespace. Redirects should almost never be created in the main namespace. See DF:REDIR for more information.
  • Spelling: American and British spellings are both acceptable, unless they violate Rule G.

Notice Templates

There are templates available for marking pages needing improvement. Ideally, you should make appropriate changes and move on, but if you are unable to access the required information, post a notice to flag an issue up. Using template notices provides a consistent way of flagging a page. Notices in use can be tracked through category pages. Notices based on rules from this page should all use the Category:Pages that break Community Portal rules category.

This section is far from complete.

Template for Notice Templates

{{Colored Notice Box|#FF00FF|Contents of the message}}

Image Rules Notice

{{Image Rules Notice}}

Timelessness Notice

{{Timelessness Notice}}

New Notices

If several pages arise that break the same rule, create a new template based off one of the above templates. Remember to include the Category:Pages that break Community Portal rules tag at the bottom, or some other appropriate category so that other users can track pages that need reworking. To create a new template, type [[Template:Rule name notice]] into an article, or directly into the address bar of your browser.