Writing Wiki Pages

The Weissblatt Wiki follows a holistic approach to documentation. By reading this wiki, the reader should be naturally guided to acquire a full understanding on how Weissblatt is put together, why it's done the way it is and how they can contribute.

1. A living design document for Weissblatt.
2. A teaching tool to onboard potential new contributors.
3. Reference documentation for the existing aspects of Weissblatt.

What the Weissblatt Wiki is NOT:

1. A repository for game files or mods.
2. A discussion forum. Although MediaWiki supports discussions, off-the-cuff discussions are more suited to chat applications.

To ensure a consistently pleasant reading experience, this page contains some writing guidelines:

Writing a page

Semantics

• Each section should have at least one paragraph. Don't just break off into pointless subsections.
• Don't make lists with only one element.
• When your list element looks like a paragraph, split it up or don't put it in the list.
• Be strict about which words you use. Synonyms aren't fancy, they're confusing.
• Run-on sentences are hard to read and hard to remember.

Structure

Page titles should capitalize the first letter of each word. "Glue words" such as and or of may be lower case.

Use redirections when dealing with aliases and pick the most general, neutral alias to write the actual content. For example, Dr. Roy Asura should redirect to Fishbart Toyfeller.

Approach subjects from a lore-oriented point of view. For example Orbital Crystal Zone should be a subsection of Delfid.

Each page should start with one to a couple introductory paragraphs, summarizing the topic.

Content guidelines

Each page should have a distinct, focused topic and should contain (or reference) as much info as possible within that focus. Do not make users dart across hundreds of pages just to piece together an obscure piece of lore, for example.

When mentioning a term a reader might not know about emphasize or link it upon first use in your page. For long pages, doing so upon first mention within the current section is fine too.

Think of your page as a reference. Information should be easy to spot, easy to read and unambiguous.

When writing a Guide, help the reader get stuff done. Be simple, unambiguous and actionable.

If you can, provide references and context. What was a character design inspired by? Don't leave these kinds of questions unanswered.

When referencing information from other places (e.g. the Doom Wiki), link your sources clearly to encourage and provide only the information which apply to Weissblatt specifically.