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Grand Theft Wiki:Style Guide: Difference between revisions
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{{info|This is new policy, so may change at any time. If you have any questions or suggestions, please discuss them on the [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|Talk Page]]}} | {{info|This is new policy, so may change at any time. If you have any questions or suggestions, please discuss them on the [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|Talk Page]]<br>For the most recent version, see [[Help:Articles]]}} | ||
{{toc}} | {{toc}} | ||
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==Article== | ==Article== | ||
See [[Grand Theft Wiki:Consistency]] for | See [[Grand Theft Wiki:Consistency]] for detailed information on language and naming pages. | ||
==Game Names== | |||
The biggest concern surrounding consistency here is the use of game names in text, section headings and page titles. | |||
Games should always be shown with "GTA" or "Grand Theft Auto" at the start. This is to avoid confusion with place names - [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|GTA Vice City]] vs [[Vice City]] | |||
*Full form: [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]] (with colon) | |||
*Short form: [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|GTA Vice City]] (without colon) | |||
It is acceptable to link to either the full or short form of game titles. | |||
Note that [[Grand Theft Auto 1|GTA 1]] and [[Grand Theft Auto 2|GTA 2]] use english numbers (1 and 2), whilst [[Grand Theft Auto III|GTA III]] and [[Grand Theft Auto IV|GTA IV]] use roman numberals (III and IV). We must follow the convention of the game's actual name. The exception is GTA 1 which is ''technically'' called "Grand Theft Auto" but we always refer to it as GTA 1. | |||
Also note that the numbered games do not have colons in the title ([[Grand Theft Auto III]] vs [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]). Colons should never be used in the short forms. | |||
Abbreviated titles (GTASA) should only be used where the game names need to be repeated many times. This includes large tables, long lists, or very complicated paragraphs that keep swapping between game names. Where possible, there should be a key to show which abbreviation means what. Never use these abbreviations as shorter links to be. | |||
;For the game's own page: | |||
Use the full form in the title and the opening sentence, ie [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]. | |||
;For pages about part of the game: | |||
Use the short form, such as [[Vehicles in GTA Vice City]] | |||
;For other pages: | |||
Generally, use the short form in the any part of the text, any lists or tables (ie "The Cheetah is a car in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]]") | |||
;For GTA 1: | |||
For the first GTA game, which was just called "Grand Theft Auto", we always refer to it as "Grand Theft Auto 1" or "GTA 1". This is to avoid any confusion, and to allow people to just link to [[Grand Theft Auto|GTA]] whenever they mean the series of games (which is more frequent than meaning the first game). | |||
You can use the long form whenever you wish to be formal, such as in the opening sentence. However, do not do this if you are listing more than one game: (''"The '''Bobcat''' is the trusty pick-up truck that is featured in [[Grand Theft Auto III]], [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]], [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]], [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]], [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]], [[Grand Theft Auto IV]] and [[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars]]."'') | |||
Note that other sites (such as [http://en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]) use the long "correct" titles in every instance, but pages like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_in_Grand_Theft_Auto:_Liberty_City_Stories List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories] really do look silly. Notice that Wikipedia also says "List of" at the start of the title on many pages - that is also something that we do not do here on Grand Theft Wiki. | |||
===Page Titles=== | ===Page Titles=== | ||
{{main|Grand Theft Wiki: Titles}} | |||
The title of an article should be ''exactly'' the term used in-game. For characters who have "nick-names," use the most common/obvious one (eg [[Big Smoke]]). Neither British nor American spellings are preferred, but use those used in-game if possible, and try to remain consistent. If there are multiple possible names, or multiple possible spellings, create redirect pages for those and redirect them to the main article. | The title of an article should be ''exactly'' the term used in-game. For characters who have "nick-names," use the most common/obvious one (eg [[Big Smoke]]). Neither British nor American spellings are preferred, but use those used in-game if possible, and try to remain consistent. If there are multiple possible names, or multiple possible spellings, create redirect pages for those and redirect them to the main article. | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
*The Vitamins Are in My Fresh Brussels Sprouts | *The Vitamins Are in My Fresh Brussels Sprouts | ||
*Missions in | *Missions in GTA Liberty City Stories | ||
*Welcome to the House of Fun | *Welcome to the House of Fun | ||
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As with titles, neither British nor American spellings are preferred. However, try to be consistent within an article, and always use the in-game spelling where possible. | As with titles, neither British nor American spellings are preferred. However, try to be consistent within an article, and always use the in-game spelling where possible. | ||
For the first mention of (or link to) a game, use its full title (eg [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]). For every subsequent mention, abbreviate Grand Theft Auto to GTA (eg [[GTA Vice City]]) - but don't use a colon (:). If a title is being used lots, you may use an acronym, eg: <code>GTA 1, GTA 2, GTA III, GTA VC, GTA SA, GTA LCS, GTA VCS, GTA IV</code> (without a colon). Never use "VC" or "Vice City" to refer to a game, that should only be used to mention the city/place. | For the first mention of (or link to) a game, use its full title (eg [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]). For every subsequent mention, abbreviate Grand Theft Auto to GTA (eg [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|GTA Vice City]]) - but don't use a colon (:). If a title is being used lots, you may use an acronym, eg: <code>GTA 1, GTA 2, GTA III, GTA VC, GTA SA, GTA LCS, GTA VCS, GTA IV</code> (without a colon, but with a space). Never use "VC" or "Vice City" to refer to a game, that should only be used to mention the city/place. | ||
Sentences should be in sentence case, such as this sentence. Use capital letters for the first word in a sentence, proper nouns (eg names) and acronyms (eg SPANK). Don't use dots in acronyms, unless the game specifically uses them. | Sentences should be in sentence case, such as this sentence. Use capital letters for the first word in a sentence, proper nouns (eg names) and acronyms (eg SPANK). Don't use dots in acronyms, unless the game specifically uses them. | ||
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The title of each page should be clarified, often by adding an extra word to explain which subject the page is about. If a name is used for a mission and a character, use [[Big Smoke]] without an extra word for characters and [[Big Smoke (mission)]] for mission names. | The title of each page should be clarified, often by adding an extra word to explain which subject the page is about. If a name is used for a mission and a character, use [[Big Smoke]] without an extra word for characters and [[Big Smoke (mission)]] for mission names. | ||
If there is a different character/mission/vehicle with the same name in two different games/cities, specify the game/city name with its acronym, eg [[Downtown (Vice City)]]. However, if one of the versions is a lot more prominent than the other, you can leave one page at its name, and only specify the less-important page. For example [[Big Smoke]] is the character, and links to [[Big Smoke (mission)]], which is less prominent. Likewise that [[Vice City]] refers to the city in the GTA III era, more than the less-prominent GTA 1 rendition; and [[GTA]] refers to the series rather than [[GTA 1]]. | If there is a different character/mission/vehicle with the same name in two different games/cities, specify the game/city name with its acronym, eg [[Downtown (Vice City)]]. However, if one of the versions is a lot more prominent than the other, you can leave one page at its name, and only specify the less-important page. For example [[Big Smoke]] is the character, and links to [[Big Smoke (mission)]], which is less prominent. Likewise that [[Vice City]] refers to the city in the GTA III era, more than the less-prominent GTA 1 rendition; and [[Grand Theft Auto|GTA]] refers to the series rather than [[Grand Theft Auto 1|GTA 1]]. | ||
If there are more than two pages with the same name (or similar), you should create a disambiguation page at that page name (eg [[City Hall]]), use the {{template|disambig}} tag, and link to each possible page. Each of those pages should be named as above. You can include other links to pages with similar names, eg at [[City Hall]]. | If there are more than two pages with the same name (or similar), you should create a disambiguation page at that page name (eg [[City Hall]]), use the {{template|disambig}} tag, and link to each possible page. Each of those pages should be named as above. You can include other links to pages with similar names, eg at [[City Hall]]. | ||
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===Spoilers=== | ===Spoilers=== | ||
"Spoilers" are pieces of information revealing important plot developments, which many users don't want to know until they play that part of the game themselves. Spoilers should not be included on general pages (eg [[GTA IV]]) or list-type pages (such as [[Missions in GTA San Andreas]]). | "Spoilers" are pieces of information revealing important plot developments, which many users don't want to know until they play that part of the game themselves. Spoilers should not be included on general pages (eg [[Grand Theft Auto IV|GTA IV]]) or list-type pages (such as [[Missions in GTA San Andreas]]). | ||
Spoilers may be included on the article to which they directly relate to, such as the page for that mission or character. However, they should be discreet and not in the first sentence. For bigger spoilers, use the {{template|spoiler}} tag to make it very obvious not to read that section if the reader doesn't want to know the secrets. If you are unsure, place a spoiler tag and discuss it on the talk page. | Spoilers may be included on the article to which they directly relate to, such as the page for that mission or character. However, they should be discreet and not in the first sentence. For bigger spoilers, use the {{template|spoiler}} tag to make it very obvious not to read that section if the reader doesn't want to know the secrets. If you are unsure, place a spoiler tag and discuss it on the talk page. | ||
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*'''[[Help:How To|How To]]:''' - How to format text, images, tables, and pages | *'''[[Help:How To|How To]]:''' - How to format text, images, tables, and pages | ||
*'''[[Help]]:''' - Help with many different aspects of Grand Theft Wiki | *'''[[Help]]:''' - Help with many different aspects of Grand Theft Wiki | ||
[[Category:Policy]] | |||