The Style Guide is a descriptive standard for Yume Wiki style, conventions, and formatting to help users edit consistently. The proper venue to discuss these guidelines is in the talk page. Although following the guide is highly encouraged, most (but not all) questions of style are usually left "to the discretion of the editor," as long as it is consistent within an article.
Spelling and Grammar
Pronouns
For actions done by the game protagonist, use the name or the appropriate gendered pronouns (such as she/her). For example, the protagonist falls asleep, not the player, so you would say "Madotsuki falls asleep."
Use the phrase "the player" or second-person pronouns when referring to actions done by or to the player. For example, the player interacts with the user interface, such as menus. Another context is when something is visible on the screen, as it is the player who sees the top-down view displayed on the screen, not the protagonist.
There are many cases where both are valid: both the player and protagonist can be said to equip effects, interact with NPCs, be transferred to another location, etc. In such cases there is no preference, but it may be best for an article to be consistent, e.g. if an earlier section says the character interacted with an NPC, later sections should also refer to the character, and not switch to referring to the player.
Variations in Standard English
It is up to the editor's discretion whether they use American, British, or other spellings, as long as all spellings are standard across an article. This includes grammar variations such as the Oxford comma. Rare spelling variations and slang should be avoided, unless it is related to general gaming, RPG Maker, or YNFG.
Numbers
Numbers from 0-20 should be written out as words, e.g. "six" unless in a mathematical or statistical context. Large numbers should be written in using numerals, e.g. "123". The cut off is generally between twenty and twenty-one, because hyphenated numbers are best written using numerals for ease of reading and spelling. The important thing is to be consistent in the article.
Version Numbers
Refer to versions using the version number and letter, e.g. "0.100a" or "version 0.100a." Don't use ".100a," or "100a," or "ver0.100a" in articles. In the case of patches, write out the word patch then the number, e.g. "0.100a patch 3." If a wiki consistently uses a different format, stay consistent with the wiki and do not change all its pages to the format outlined here.
Capitalization
The capitalization convention for effect names is to capitalize the name of the effect, but not the word "effect", e.g. "Wolf effect". The convention for location names is to copy the title of the location without making any changes. For example, RED DREAD DEATH is expected to be written exactly that way in all content pages.
Links
When using internal links to other wiki pages in articles, only the first mention of the page should be a link. Some exceptions apply:
- Infoboxes should have links even if the link exists in the article.
- Every location listed in the "Directions" section of location pages should be links, besides the first and last locations.
- Image captions in galleries may repeat links, at the discretion of the editor.
When writing links for effects, make the effect name a link but not the word "effect" itself. For example, Urotsuki uses the Chainsaw effect.
When linking to Wikipedia or other external wikis, it is preferred to use interwiki links rather than linking their URL, as it is a much cleaner and simpler way to link to such pages. Currently the only interwiki link is [[wikipedia:Example]]. If you wish to mimic the look of normal links while the link is actually an external one, wrap the link around <span class="plainlinks"> </span>.
Page Naming
When naming a new location, it should generally be based on its original (probably Japanese) name, which can be found in a few possible ways:
- Opening the game using its engine and checking the map's internal name.
- Checking the name of the ChipSet (tileset) used by the map.
- In a changelog file if any (for Yume 2kki it is changelog.txt)
There are many exceptions to using the original name, such as it being too similar to another name (in which case it should be something else to avoid confusion), if the Japanese name sounds awkward when translated into English, or if the map name is missing/generic. When creating a page for a location, it is good policy to check the names other people in the community are using, if any. Yume 2kki locations may have names suggested in Version History or Map IDs.
Page names may be changed according to the wishes of the content's author(s). Some wikis, such as Collective Unconscious Wiki, prefer to always use official names. For most content on Yume Wiki, it is not required to ask authors for permission to name things.
Do not create an article name with the indefinite article "The" even if it would make sense grammatically: doing so makes it harder to find, sort, and link to. For example, Yume 2kki:Spaceship is always referred to as "the Spaceship," but does not include "The" in the page name. On Yume Wiki, there may be pages that do not follow this rule as changing names can break external projects, and it is not worth the risk. There are some exceptions such as when the name is a title; see Wikipedia's guidance for further details, that may be applied to Yume Wiki.
Avoid using special characters like & or ?; these are reserved URL parameter delimiters, and doing otherwise will break APIs (e.g. those used in external projects like Yume 2kki Explorer or YNOproject) making use of wiki content. Alternate names may need to be chosen. For example, the character page ***-tsuki uses that name instead of the more common ???-tsuki due to this limitation.
Location Pages
Locationbox
Every location page must use the Locationbox template. This template presents the basic information of the location. The template is used heavily to supply information for APIs. The only location pages that should not use the template are multi-page locations.
Original Names
A map's original names, along with their corresponding romanizations and/or translations (if needed) should be provided in the Name field.
For Yume 2kki maps, the JapaneseName field should be filled in with exactly one value, which is the map's original name written in Japanese. If the map's equivalent name is available on the JP wiki, use the name provided there. If the map is counted as a sub-area there, include the parent area's name, separating the names with the ： full-width colon (e.g. Parent area name：Child area name). This field is used in displaying an area's Japanese name in the Yume 2kki Explorer. Other games are permitted to include the original japanese name in the Name field instead.
Connections
The Connections field (and RemovedConnections field) of the Locationbox template makes use of the Connection template for each connection. The parameters are explained in the template documentation. For a full guide, see Help:Connections.
BGM
The BGM list must use the BGM template. The title of the BGM is usually the name used in the game files. The filename is instead the name of the uploaded audio file on the wiki. More information can be found on the template page. Information on how to style uploaded audio files is covered elsewhere in this guide.
Example:
{{BGM|title = examplesong|filename = game_examplesong_100.ogg|label = Plays in a subarea|soundroom = 008C}}
Authors
The following applies to games with multiple authors, such as Yume 2kki and Uneven Dream.
Always use the original capitalization of an author's name, but do not include any special characters that are usually omitted from page or category names.
If an author has made additions to an existing map that isn't theirs, or has only implemented a map by proxy without actually "authoring" it, that author should be listed in the Contributing field.
Maps
All world maps intended for use in navigation are inserted using the LocationMap template. See the help on creating location maps for more advice.
Maps should have connections labeled. Labels are usually white bubbles with the names in black text, using a simple font like Arial or Century Gothic. Teleporters and important items such as effects and notable NPCs should also be labelled. For mazes, paths should be drawn from the entrance(s) of the world to its major features like exits. These policies are especially important for maps with many entrances, exits, and teleporters. Labels and paths should keep in mind accessibility concerns (for example, using only colors will make it hard to read for those who are colorblind).
Maps can be edited to make the content more clear. This includes:
- Changing the background from the panorama to a solid color
- Dimming bright panoramas
- Dimming/hiding useless paths in mazes
- Circling or otherwise highlighting notable content that is hard to see
- Moving rooms around to better draw paths between them
Remember that although maps are supposed to be as accurate to the game as possible, the readability takes priority, as an unreadable map is useless.
Maps that are included for trivia or other purposes, such as maps of older versions, do not have the same policies as described above, and should not use the LocationMap template.
Examples of free image editing and digital painting software are GIMP and Medibang.
Directions
When listing the directions to an area, always consider the shortest possible path (in terms of worlds visited) that does not require any prerequisites (e.g. effects or unlockable shortcuts) to entry. If there is a shorter path that has prerequisites to reaching it, it should be listed in addition, specifying what would be required to follow that path. As an example:
Nexus → Location A → Location B → Location C → Location D → Location E *With the <effectname> effect equipped: Nexus → Location A → Location X → Location E
There may be even more alternate paths for worlds with multiple shortcuts that rely on different prequisites to become available. If these exist, list them too. If there are multiple paths tied for the shortest length, list them all.
All world names in the "Directions" section must be links to the location pages, excluding the initial location (usually the Nexus) and the location the article is about. This applies even if a world name appears multiple times across the multiple paths.
Do not bold any location names in the section, with the exception of locations at the end of the path (Location E shown in the example, commonly seen on pages for Yume 2kki worlds).
Location Categories
Locations must be categorized under the wiki's specific In Development category if a future update to the world is confirmed. Removed content of any kind should be under the wiki's specific Removed Content category. Locations that currently connect to the game's Nexus (or Nexus equivalent) should be categorized under the wiki's specific Nexus Worlds category.
The Locationbox template used in location pages automatically inserts the appropriate Locations category for that game, as well as inserting the primary author's category if one specified.
Media
Images
Screenshots of games must be at least 640x480 in pixel size. Smaller screenshots should be replaced. Ideally the screenshot should be scaled to a multiple of the game resolution to avoid blur or artifacts, but this is a minor issue that is usually unnoticeable.
Audio
BGM tracks uploaded for use in Locationbox and soundtracks must be edited to meet the following requirements:
- Speed (along with pitch) changed to match the one in-game
- Converted to the .ogg file format
- Extended to at least 1 minute (this is not needed for full-length tracks or those that do not loop)
- No added fade in or fade out
It is preferred that BGM uploaded for other purposes such as trivia also follow these guidelines.
SFX should also be edited to match the speed in-game, unless the purpose is to show the original file for comparison.
Filenames
Image Filenames
Filenames of images should be descriptive in what they contain, but short enough to be convenient. Generic names such as connection2.png make the file hard to use and keep track of. Generally, try choosing a name for the file that is unlikely to be chosen for any other purpose. Abbreviating the game name or world names is a common way to make the name short but unique. Although there is no current rule on case, Title Case and lowercase see common usage.
Audio Filenames
All audio files uploaded to the wiki should use the following format:
[game name]_[original name]_[speed].ogg
For example:
Yume_Nikki_【FC】BGM_003_90.ogg
Yume Nikkiis the game name as written on the wiki【FC】BGM_003is the original name in the game files90is the speed setting used in-game (meaning 90% speed)
If the speed is unchanged, the filename should still have _100 appended. Be aware that in MediaWiki, spaces and underscores are interchangeable.
It is not required to move any already uploaded file to fit this naming scheme, especially because any page using the file would need to be updated afterwards. However, you are free to do so.
Captions
While humorous captions on images can be acceptable, they should be avoided if useful information or descriptions can be given instead. YumeWiki strives to be informative and professional first and foremost, so practice good judgment in caption selection.
Animated Media
Exercise caution in including animated images and videos, especially those containing rapid flashes. It can distract or annoy readers, and is especially a problem for any readers with photosensitive epilepsy. Consider using the Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (PEAT) to test if the animated content is safe for viewing given such conditions. An additional guide can be found here. It may be necessary to hide the flashing image under a collapsible section with a clear warning of the contents.
Galleries
Pictures in galleries should be present in the current version of the game or else moved to the "Trivia" section in accordance with Outdated or Unused Content.
Normal galleries are usually preferred over slideshows. The MultimediaViewer feature allows users to interact with the gallery as a slideshow, and is enabled by default, making slideshow style galleries redundant.
Media Categories
Currently, there is no site-wide standard for file categories. There is a suggested structure for images that has limited use in the Amillusion wiki, but this has not been formally adopted. For now, files are not expected to have any categories on their pages.
Outdated or Unused Content
Outdated or unused content should go in the "Trivia" section of the article if it may interest users, or else be removed completely. Images showcasing outdated content, such as old screenshots and maps, may be included in a subheading titled "Old Images" under "Trivia," separate from the main "Gallery." However, placing these images in the normal gallery is still accepted, and may be favourable if there are only a couple images.
If a location is removed, update the connections of that location to be removed connections. This includes updating the connections from other location pages to the removed one. In the article's introductory paragraph, note that the world is removed. There is also a VersionRemoved parameter in Locationbox that must be added.
In addition, if you are writing a page for a location that has already been removed (for example, the page Yume 2kki:Droplets World was written long after the world itself was removed), you should use past tense. Changing all the tenses from present to past in a location page that was removed later on is not an urgent matter, but does improve the article.