CivWiki:Getting Started: Difference between revisions
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{{About|contributing on the CivWiki|a guide on getting started playing a Civ server|Getting Started Guide}}
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Welcome to editing on the CivWiki! As a new user, you may be overwhelmed with the amount of history and information that's contained on the wiki. This page is not intended to be a complete guide, however it does help to know [[w:Help:Introduction|Wikipedia's information on getting started]], as many of our policies continued there. Don't worry if you don't understand everything, but be mindful to use common sense and be respectful of viewpoints from other users.
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Now that you've created a page, you're now able to edit any page on the wiki.
Unlike on Wikipedia, both editing and creating pages are frequent on CivWiki.
==== Editing an Existing Page ====
If you're looking to edit or write about a certain topic on your server, you can find pages up at the search bar in the top right hand corner. If a page is already created, you'll be redirected automatically. If you're looking to check if a page already exists, you can use the search bar in top right or use the search box below:
{{Search box}}
==== Creating a Page ====
If a page doesn't exist (i.e. there are no results in the search box above, you can create a new page with a brand new link:
There were no results matching the query.
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On an already existing page, there will also be tabs in the top right-hand corner, ''Edit'', and ''Edit source'' (or, if creating, ''Create'' and ''Create source''). If you're using Visual Editor, click the item without the word "Source".
Edit the page using your respective editor, with the following tips and guidelines:
* '''Cite your sources!!''' We highly encourage you to cite verifiable sources, mainly Reddit posts, or Discord announcements. In general, we don't condone the use of Discord message citations, or screenshots of Discord messages, as these could be easily deleted or fabricated screenshots of actual messages.
* '''Upload images:''' To make your pages stand out, feel free to include in-game screenshots. Upload these images using the '''Upload file''' link on the sidebar, taking note of the file name, and then adding it onto the page (either using
* '''Use infoboxes:''' It'll be easier to use Source editing for this one, but you may see on both Wikipedia and the CivWiki there are boxes with information. For example, [[Template:Infobox civilization]] is an infobox that displays a bunch of info on the right hand side of a page for a nation, and likewise for others -- you may want to see [[Category:Infobox templates]] for all relevant infoboxes.
* '''Use navboxes:''' To better ease navigation between pages, it helps to include a Navbox on your page. There are too many navboxes to list, however, if you have a related topic, for example, you're writing about a country near a geographic region, you can use some of the navboxes on that -- you can view it in the source editor for the name and you may be able to copy it using <code><nowiki>{{ Template name here }}</nowiki></code>. Navboxes are usually placed at the bottom of the page.
* '''Categorize your pages:''' There are a bunch of categories which help to organize pages on the wiki, allowing for ease of use in navigation along with navboxes. Similar to navboxes, it helps to take a related page, or even make your own Category, by copying <code><nowiki>[[Category:Category name here]]</nowiki></code> at the bottom of your page.
* '''Preview your work:''' Once you're done editing, we highly recommend using the "Show preview" button before publishing, to make sure your page works with all the formatting.
If you're happy with what you've written, press "Save page". Congratulations! You've made your first edit.
=== Making it Better ===
It's OK if your first article feels like it sucks! We all made really bad edits in our first days.
* One easy tip to make yours better is to take a look at someone else's page for inspiration. Most pages on [[Special:Recent changes]] are great picks, a
* Additionally, you can get feedback on your pages from editors!
* If your nation/topic isn't as fleshed out in-game as you would like it to be, it helps to play Civ to create the history for yourself.
* Make use of all infoboxes, navboxes, images, tables, formatting and other helpful editing to make your page varied and stand out!
Wiki editing is a skill that's built over time, just like playing the piano. With more practice, tips, and expertise, you'll be a pro at editing pages in no time!
== FAQ ==
::*First, contact the editor who made the edits, and/or raise a Talk page. On the top left, there is a "Discussion" tab, where you can address these concerns.
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::*If the dispute is not resolved, contact an administrator or bureaucrat on the wiki or discord.
::We block pages about contentious current events, or highly contested pages, to prevent spam or edit wars occasionally. Generally, most of these are under temporary ban; contact an administrator on the CivWiki for more information about a certain page.
::This is called an edit conflict. You'll get a conflict screen that displays both versions in separate windows, along with a summary highlighting the differences, and instructions on how you should proceed. It's virtually impossible to lose any data.
::There are a variety of reasons (some [[w:Wikipedia:Avoid common mistakes|common reasons]]). The first thing you should do is look at the history page for the article you edited. This will tell you who changed it, when they changed it, and hopefully a short reason why they changed it. If it says something like see talk, then you should look at the talk page for the article. Also, you should look at your own talk page to see if you have a message there. If you don't find a reason that is satisfactory, politely ask in the article's talk page about your proposed change, and maybe you will get suggestions about changes that you can make so that your change will go in, or you may get reasons why your change should not happen.
::In general, be polite and understanding of the editor(s) making criticisms, assume they are acting in good faith and listen to their ideas for improving the page.
::Sometimes, we also move pages for
::In general, you should edit using [[w:Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia's manual of style]]; while there are some Civ-specific exceptions we try to keep the
::Additionally, try to write your pages as neutrally as possible, preventing heavy bias on a certain topic. As this wiki is intended to provide information and not provide arguments for one side or another, we hope to prevent bias on the wiki and keep the content as neutral as possible.
==== ''How do I change the name of an article?/I messed up naming my article and already written content!'' ====
::Not a problem! Although on Wikipedia there are autoconfirmed users (we're still working on that!), the only people who can currently move pages are admins and bureaucrats. [https://discord.gg/H74bEUp Message a bureaucrat on the CivWiki discord for help on that.]
==== ''Why am I having trouble logging in?/uploading an image?/editing a page?'' ====
::You may want to look at [[w:Help:Logging in#How to log in|Wikipedia's help for logging in.]]
::We also host our wiki through Miraheze, and sometimes there are downtimes due to scheduled maintenance. Usually, there will be a big banner at the top letting you know when it's happening, but be aware sometimes downtimes are unexpected.
==== ''What is the ideal/maximum length of an article? When should an article be split into smaller pieces?'' ====
::[[w:Wikipedia:Article Size|Similar to Wikipedia]], you want to keep it a decent length that's readable but not overwhelming. If a page is getting too long, it's preferable to split it up into multiple different pages, for example, one about the history of a nation, etc.
==== ''Can we debate or talk about the subjects here?'' ====
::No. The CivWiki is not a forum for debate, and arguments about the topics should generally not be seen on the Talk pages or on the discord. We will hand out blocks and timeouts for excessive arguing, and the Talk pages and the discord should be used for topic improvement only.
==== ''How else can I help?'' ====
▲* What standards should I use to edit the page?
::There are several community projects that the CivWiki supports and are pursuing:
▲::In general, you should edit using [[w:Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia's manual of style]]; while there are some Civ-specific exceptions we try to keep the discord as neutral as possible.
::* Take a look at the [[CivWiki:Editing Projects]] page for long projects that are looking for support. Old history from Civcraft 1.0/2.0, for example, written roughly 10 years ago at the time of writing, is in desperate need of support.
::* The CivWiki Newsletter is a weekly newsletter intended to highlight current events around the Civ community across multiple servers. You can help by writing featured articles, seen on [[CivWiki:Featured]].
::* In-game support is encouraged, through [[civmc.tk|third-party tools]] intended for use by players, mods on servers like the Distant Horizons project and [[Mods#Bookwriting|Ghostwriter]], or [https://github.com/CivMC contributing to the actual plugins that the server runs on.]
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