CivWiki:Editing Guide

This article is to serve as an introductory guide to editing this wiki. The goal is to provide a starting point for beginning editors that wish to contribute, helping them write articles with the consistency, clarity, and precision readers expect.

FAQ
Search for desired page name and press the central red link. You must create an account to edit. There is an 'upload file' link in the left sidebar under 'Tools'. Try to have your filename contain keywords: Files can then be easily searched using Special:ListFiles or Special:NewFiles. Ensure you attribute images : This can be as simple as writing authors name in summary when uploading Click the help button in editor toolbar to see basic syntax of links and formatting. Use  for a basic template. For examples and inspiration find a page in the Model or Good Pages section and press edit in the top right. Copy the item you want and surrounding brackets: i.e. . Additionally, when creating info boxes try to keep consistent with categories and order of other info boxes. Some specific formatting examples can be found in Editing guide
 * Q: How do I create a page?
 * Q: How do I upload pictures?
 * Q: How do I format my page?

Recruitment

 * Free advertising for your group
 * A single page to direct your nations new players so they can better understand the culture.

Free PR improvement

 * Increase citizen patriotism and make your nation appear more legitimate
 * Having a backstory makes it easier for others to empathize.

Better subreddit content

 * Compare the old way of storing flags to the new Its not hard to imagine projects like civball or political maps can be made easier
 * Reading about nations makes civ seem living and breathing: Building with more than just blocks

For future you

 * This wiki will far outlast Civclassic. Next iteration read the wiki to learn from your mistakes.
 * Preserve your groups legacy.

Create a standard format


An effort is made to ensure info boxes have a common organization. Do not alter the order of information too greatly; it is much harder to reference many pages when data is scattered between pages. Headers break up the flow of information and are used to divide long lists of items. While the content may change from page to page, info boxes are commonly comprised of these items: • Population

• Location

• System of government

• Date founded

• Demonym

• Leader

• Cities

• Allies

• Language

• Religion

• Activity If possible the location is included as a link to the CCMap or any other external map view of the point: -5000,6935. Like any well written page, create a summary and table of contents before further work is done. To view the source of an article's infobox, navigate to the article and press edit. From there, you can copy and paste the infobox to the new location, where it can be edited and filled with data for the new page.

Ensure images and files are saved with keywords in name. Flags should contain the name of the nation or group, as well as the word flag, so that they can then be easily searched.

Higher standards
A good article is objective. It maintains a neutral viewpoint and represents the topic fairly. Articles should not use first person. While avoiding original research can be difficult in many cases, an effort can be made to reduce unreliability. Ensure that pages are properly categorized, allowing readers to quickly browse pages related to a topic defined by those characteristics. When a page meets the criteria[what criteria?] for a good article, it is marked as high quality. As pages are completed some will be marked with model article. Verda is an example of good formatting.

An effort should be made to avoid stubs. If the page is a sentence or two try to include it in the most similar existing page. When creating a new article using text from an older one, the first edit summary should link to the original article. Include pictures to create a dynamic flow to the text. Create galleries for articles containing pictures related to the topic, adding depth to the page. Nations, settlements, and key locations should be prioritized over people, and to a lesser degree, events.

Tips
To create a page, search, then click the red text showing the page does not exist. Use the upload link in left toolbar to for media content.

Create a page with acronym name to redirect (I.e. Page name is TdC):
 * 1) REDIRECT Tierra de Conciencia

Mark inactive or disbanded groups with the inactive group template.

To categorize a page, link to the category in the article source.

When linking to a location, provide a link to the location in CCMap or another external mapping site whenever possible. Include text to display instead of the hyperlink itself. The standard format for a link to CCMap location uses the values x, z, and view radius to orient the map. If x=10549 z=-834, radius for view=351: 10600 -790

When uploading flags to the wiki, follow the format   (e.g. Mount Augusta Insula flag.png)

Example Editing Chores

 * Contributing to an existing or creating a wanted nation page is always first priority: If you have done all you can for nation pages:
 * Create good templates - particularly an easy to use Nation creation template
 * Fix small common mistakes: Pages that lack a category, pages without ccmap link and small formatting errors. To find these new pages use Special:NewPages.
 * Place small icons next to nation names so list such as the Good pages sections are easier to skim