RollerCoaster Tycoon Wiki talk:Manual of Style

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Unclear parts (for me that is)

Note: These questions have been moved to the Q&A page.
  • Italicize game titles

-> Does this include RollerCoaster Tycoon or is this regarding outside sources? If it does include RCT, we are in for a rough ride, as almost all instances I've seen on the pages, the games where not italicized. Better yet, in that case couldn't we create a bot to change all instances of the game to italicized versions?

  • Yes it does. It applies to anything which should be italicized, including game titles (such as RollerCoaster Tycoon).
  • promptly remove, fix or address broken (red) links

-> Is a page linking to RCT2 considered broken as it is linked to a redirect page?

  • No, though instead of linking to RCT2, it should instead link to RCT2 - This effect can be done using a vertical bar after the page address, as in this example: - - [[RollerCoaster Tycoon 2|RCT2]] is displayed as RCT2.
  • add available relevant pictures or images to articles that lack images

-> What are the guidelines regarding pictures: upload only self created screenshots and if so, should the source be inserted?

  • If an image is a screenshot from the game, it is technically under copyright by Atari/Chris Sawyer. However, posting here would constitute fair use. Otherwise, if an image is taken from a copyrighted location (such as a 3rd party website), the copyright information should be included. If an image doesn't have any licensing information, it is subject to deletion. However, as I am not a lawyer, it may be better to discuss legal issues regarding images with Wikia staff, who will have more information on the matter.
  • take information from sources without properly citing the sources

-> Only when taken from outside of the games, correct?

  • Well, this depends. If someone says something but doesn't provide information to back it up even if the information came from the games, then that person should provide some evidence. When making a factual statement, it's best to cite a source. Take a stance similar to as if you were writing a report on something - including information without citing the source indicates that you claim it to be your own, which could be considered plagiarizing. Additionally, citing information lends more credibility to a fact, and allows readers to verify it. Including facts, especially in non-game situations (such as on a page about a real person), should be backed up by some source, or the facts will likely be removed.
  • Adhere as closely as possible to other preexisting pages and templates

-> What pages are considered the lead in disputes regarding non-template pages?

  • Well, you've got me on this one! There is no specific page that serves as the guide, but in a case where many pages follow the same or a similar format (such as with scenarios), then a page fitting into that category should follow a similar format to the pages that came before it. If the discussion were on changing the layout of many pages, that discussion would belong in a community setting, then would take place universally. As far as pages that don't follow a previous guide or template, the preferred layout would be one that is most logical and presents the information in the best way - admittedly, there is no page I can pick that is the preferred style regarding this.

Rgbk73 23:03, July 14, 2010 (UTC)

That's fantastic. But I have a few questions/clarifications.

Follow naming conventions- I don't know whether this applies to this wiki. Are we to change article names such as Car Ride and Hedge Maze to Car ride and Hedge maze, or are both words considered proper nouns?

That's tricky, but since you're dealing with the name of the ride, I would say that they should be capitalized.
Perhaps I can answer this better. Consider this a rule of thumb: The article title should be written as if the words in the title were being written in a sentence. So, in the case of 'Car ride', if you wrote a sentence, would you capitalize 'car ride' if it were in that sentence? The answer to that should determine whether or not you capitalize an article title. Of course, the first word of a title, just like the first word of a sentence, is always capitalized regardless of whether it's a proper noun or not. -- Patrick (LostInRiverview) (talk)(blog) 15:36, July 16, 2010 (UTC)

Real-Life Articles- Shouldn't this policy apply to all pages, not just real life ones? Or do we consider in game articles are written using the games themselves as sources?

Using the terms Real-Life and In-Game was only meant to differentiate styles that may differ between articles focused on game content, and articles focused on the games themselves, or things outside of the games. Certainly, the game does serve as a good source of information about the game, but if a person is stating information that did not come from the game, then they should explain how or why they know, and show where the knowledge came from. That being said, most info from the game shouldn't need a citation.

Differences in the English Language- Not completely sure. Does this mean we can use British or American English, as long as it is consistant with the article. The only reason I ask is because I live in Australia and we use colour, mum, etc. And if I am the only one, I could try and use American spelling if it would make things easier.

The intent is that the whole Wiki does not need to conform to one single convention. If one page switches back and forth between conventions, it can tend to be a bit jarring to the reader, so it's best to write a page so that the entire page fits into one - it doesn't matter whether that 'one' is British/Commonwealth English or American (or other) English, just as long as it's uniform in the article. On that note, if an editor goes to edit a page written in one form of English, they shouldn't edit the form of English to meet their own conventions, but rather should have their edits conform to the pre-existing convention on the article.

--Matt 20 1 12:42, July 16, 2010 (UTC)

--Patrick (LostInRiverview) (talk)(blog) 15:14, July 16, 2010 (UTC)

Roller Coaster Wiki

Just so you know, I copied this page (and heavily modified it) for Coasterpedia's Manual of Style. Please let me know if you have any objections to this. Thanks! MontagnaMagica|Talk 19:34, February 9, 2011 (UTC)

Commenting on the Manual of Style

The Manual of Style now says to comment below for changes, but pages in the Project: namespace do not support comments.

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