Wiki Style Guide

The purpose of the style guide is to lay out a set of standards to follow when editing the wiki. Some of these styles aren't necessarily any better or worse than their alternatives, but if everyone follows the same standards, it keeps the wiki consistent, and easier to read and edit. These are the standards we have decided on.

Please follow this style guide at all times when creating wiki content. If you don't, someone else will have to come along and spend time correcting what you wrote, and if you keep breaking the style guide badly the admins may have to resort to harsher measures.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask an admin or moderator.

Text
All articles are to be written in English (excepting text in other languages like Sindarin and Quenya). The correct form of English to used on the wiki is British English, as decided here.

This includes article titles, main text, picture captions, template elements, and so on. It doesn't apply to comments and forum discussions. It also doesn't apply to picture names and other file names, as these are not part of the article.

When writing text for an article, always use correct spelling and grammar.

Information in articles should be factual and objective (i.e. not subject to opinion). Don't add something to an article unless you believe it to be factually accurate. For example, you should not edit the High Elf article to say that "they are the best hired units in the mod", because 'best' is a matter of opinion.

Also, do not add speculation in articles, like '[X] will probably be added soon...' or 'there is no [X] yet but in the future there may be...'. Do not write about a feature being planned to be added unless Mevans has confirmed it personally. And do not write that a feature is coming in the next update unless, again, Mevans has confirmed it.

The names of races (e.g. Elves, Men, Orcs) are to be capitalised. This is in keeping with the style used in the LOTR books, and in the mod. (Note that the capitalised race name 'Men' is a synonym for 'humans'. The word 'men' meaning male humans specifically does not need to be capitalised.)

Hyphenated words such as Half-troll and Middle-earth, if they need to be capitalised, generally don't have the second part of the word capitalised.

For everything, if in doubt, look at how the mod or Tolkien's books formats it.

Useful Tips to keep in mind:
 * In Tolkien's world, the plural of 'Dwarf' is 'Dwarves' and the plural of 'Elf' is 'Elves'.
 * Always hit 'Preview' before publishing.
 * Make sure to categorize new pages you create.
 * Have too many photos? Try organizing them in galleries.

Sections
Each page here must have sections based on properties of the item/block/NPC/biome/etc. Categories are excluded from this. These sections must be as detailed as possible.

Biomes
Biome pages must have the following sections:
 * Sub-biomes - Which smaller biomes can be found in this biome (such as Eriador Woodlands for Eriador). Within each sub-biome, a description of that biome is to be included.


 * Structures - Which structures can be found here. If there are any sub-biomes, it must be specified which structure can be found in which sub-biome.


 * Mobs - Which mobs or NPCs can spawn here (naturally or in structures).


 * Mining - Only required if the biome has any ores or other anomalies that can't befound in other biomes such as mithril for the Misty Mountains, the special Mordor underground or the amount of ores in the Red Mountains.


 * Vegetation - Which plants and how many trees of what type grow here. The frequence of the trees and plants should also be included.

NPCs and Mobs
Pages on mobs or NPCs must have the following sections:
 * Spawning - List of biomes in which they spawn


 * Behavior - how they act in combat (peaceful? aggressive?) or any other special behavior.


 * Drops - with the amount and rarity


 * Trading/Hiring - (only for traders/commanders) and taming for mounts or pets.

Blocks
Blocks must have sections on availibility (where it is found, etc.) and crafting/usage.

Items
Must have sections on Crafting, obtaining, damage (if it is a weapon), and protection (if it is armor).

Structures
Structures must have sections on locations, interior (must be very detailed), mobs, and loot.

Crafting tables
Crafting tables need a list of every single item crafted on the table in addition to the normal block information. The table containing this information must start collapsed.

Ensure mobile compatibility
As stated by Wikia, almost 50% of the views on an average wiki are made not by people using a computer, but instead portable electronic device (cell phone, tablet, etc.). When making a page with complex coding, or a complex template, make sure to use the "Mobile Preview" button before hitting "Publish". The page doesn't have to look perfect in Mobile mode, but it should at least be readable.

FYI: It is possible to edit pages on a mobile device.

Infoboxes
Every page must have an infobox template if one is avaiable. There are infoboxes for nearly every kind of page. If you don't know some things from the infobox, research it or write "Unknown".

Navigation Templates
For most topics, there also exists a navigation template. Add it to the end of a page if avaiable. Links that have a prefix for the correct faction (eg. Gondorian Archer) must have the prefix removed to save space. To add a page to a navigation template, ask an admin if you aren't sure how to do it yourself.

Tables
All tables on the wiki must follow the same format. Do NOT copy tables out of Word documents. To format a table to comply to our wiki's standards, use the following coding:

For Pictures
Follow these guidelines when adding pictures, with the exception of pictures for individuals' user pages. Pictures not adhering to these policies will be removed and the user warned.

These guidelines follow the general principle of "showcase the normal appearance of the mod".
 * No texture packs: Texture packs do not show the normal appearance of the mod, and can be confusing and irritating. Revert to the default textures before taking screenshots for the wiki.
 * No shaders or graphical mods: These also do not show the mod's normal appearance.
 * FOV set to normal (70): Again, high FOV doesn't show how the mod normally looks. It can induce dizziness, headaches, and in extreme cases can make people nauseous.
 * Fancy graphics, smooth lighting, render distance of 8 or more: Minecraft video settings must be set to these levels for best-quality screenshots.
 * F1: You should be in F1 mode while taking a screenshot unless it involves inventory or GUI.
 * Naming: Name pictures so that they are relevant to the subject and are easy to find (e.g. "EregionSunset.png"). Do NOT leave them in the default date format. Also, make sure the name is not overriding an existing filename, as this means the old picture will be removed - the uploader will warn you if this is happening.

End Note
If you are ever unsure about how to format a page for the wiki, you can always go to look at similar pages and copy their format. If all else fails, or if you are looking for instructions on using advanced editing tools, the admins of this wiki are always there to help.

Thank you for reading, and happy editing!