IFWiki:Works (style guide)

Proposed layout for a game entry.

Databox

There should be a table of standardized data about the game that floats on the right-hand side of the page. Details of what this looks like or what data should be in it need to be determined.

The databox will probably be built up from one or more smaller databoxes, so some info could be omitted if we don't know it or if it's inapplicable.

The first of these databoxes is the most important and is the only one that shouldn't be optional. It should have fields for the following bits of information:

• Author(s).
• Publisher(s).
• Release Date.
• Platform(s).
• Language. That is, the human language, e.g.: English, Spanish, Italian, etc.

Subsequence databoxes might include items of interest such as

• Cruelty level?
• Size of game? (in terms of playing time).
• Number of rooms?
• Homepage link? (which should NOT be the same as a download link)

Row of Icons

Not a named section, but a row of icons that lets a reader see at a glance which genres the game belongs in, and which major awards that the game has earned. Each icon must be exactly 50 by 50 pixels in size so they'll group together nicely. Each icon must also have a text equivalent underneath. When we have some created, we'll list them all here.

Genre Icons

Main page: IFWiki:Genre.

Literary Genres:

Adventure Comedy Drama Espionage Fantasy Horror Mystery Porn / Erotica Religious Romance Science Fiction Surreal

Geography Genres:

Building City Crazy quilt Farm Fort Home Island Micro­space One-room Outer space Park School Ship Under­ground Virtual reality Wilderness

Competition/Award Icons

(TODO)

How It Begins

In this section, we want to give a taste of the game by telling how it begins. One must not give spoilers or give away any obvious secrets of the game. Do not insert a screenshot or a text dump directly copied from the game's scrollback. Restrict your description to the following:

• If the player is warned upfront about sexual content, violence, vulgarity, adult situations, interpreter requirements or display options, write a short paragraph that summarizes these warnings.
• If the player is asked to fill out a questionnaire right at the beginning—for example, to choose the PC's name or gender—then write a short paragraph that summarizes the nature of the questionnaire.
• The main paragraph should begin by stating who the initial PC is, or thinks he or she is. Include the PC's name if the player or PC knows it. Do not spoil games where the PC's identity is a puzzle or difficult to determine.
• Continue the main paragaph stating where the PC thinks he or she is, who is nearby, and what the PC is carrying and wearing.
• Conclude the main paragraph with what immediate goals that the PC is presented with, if any. If the PC has no obvious goal at first, but one presents itself within ten turns of play, then that goal may be stated.
• Another very short paragraph may be added to describe the scope and general impressions of the rest of the game: will you be exploring worlds, a city, or just one building? Is the game silly or serious? Puzzle-filled or story-driven? Try to be very terse and objective.
• If the game contains sexual content, violence, vulgarity, adult situations, or other potentially disagreeable elements, provide a terse warning where the paragraph begins with "WARNING:". Do this regardless if you've already said that the game warns you about any of it.

Notable Features

This optional section may be used to list ways in which this game does things differently from the normal IF game. Think about the game mechanics or game display. Does the game do something innovative or clever? Have IF standards or conventions been changed? Are there extra features of note? Are there in-jokes that ought to be explained?

Versions

For every distinct version, craft a little section like this:

Version Name

• Game Title (authors/porters/etc; release date; platform). Language if not English.
  • Notes: Optional line to help clarify the difference between this version and any other. Also may list which competitions it was in, how it placed, which awards it received.
  • Files: List of filenames (filesize; optional short description; download links).

The version name should be the most natural way to refer to the given version. Examples of version names: "Version 1", "Release 1.2", "Original version", "Competition version", "Spanish translation", "Hugo port".

The list of files may itself be a bulleted list, if that makes things clearer. Most files would have the short description "story file", which may be omitted. Other files should be marked as optional or required as appropriate, e.g.: "optional feelie map".

Links

• Homepage of the game
• Baf's Guide listing of the game
• Play it On-line
• Author's Notes
• r*if threads
• Local reviews or commentary pages about the game, eg: Photopia/Comments by John Doe
• Spoiler Page
• Hints
• Walkthroughs

Categories

Which categories should a game page be added to?

• First, all games should be listed in Category:Games.
• Games by author or publisher: In general, there is no need to create category pages like "Douglas Adams games" or "Level 9 games" since those games should already be listed on the author's or publisher's page as appropriate.
• Games by year: Add games to the appropriate "Games in year" category, where year is the year when the game was originally released. For example, Games in 2006.
• Games by platform: Add games to apprppriate "Platform games" category(ies), where platform is a major IF platform. For example, Z-code games. We probably don't want to bother adding similar categories for games that target non-major or non-IF platforms.
• Games by language: Add games to appropriate "Language games" category(ies) where language is any human language other than English. For example, Italian games.