Help:Writing Character Pages: Difference between revisions

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*Do not waste words describing what the attack looks like - that is what the image is for.
*Do not waste words describing what the attack looks like - that is what the image is for.
**An exception is when the move is too visually complex for a small set of images to explain. In these cases, describing what a move looks like is acceptable.
**An exception is when the move is too visually complex for a small set of images to explain. In these cases, describing what a move looks like is acceptable.
*Do not compare a move against older versions of the move unless there's a really good reason to do so.
** Ex: Explaining that the older version of an attack was an overhead doesn't help the reader learn about THIS version of the game.
==Writing Strengths and Weaknesses==
* Each Strength/Weakness should follow the following format:
::'''Bold Text''': 1 sentence explanation.
:: For example:
:: '''Strong Mixup:''' Strong strike/throw mixup with fast normals + Comamnd throw, and good high/low mixup with standing overhead
** Think of the bold text as a TL;DR and the explanation as explaining it, though it should still be brief.
* '''The absence of a good tool isn't the same thing as having a weakness''', especially if their kit is built to do something else, '''but lacking something "essential" would be a weakness'''.
** Therefore lacking a DP in a game with bad defensive options is a negative, but not having a gap closer is not a defining weakness.
** In Guilty Gear, not having an invincible AA 6P button is not a weakness if they have other buttons that are reliable anti-airs like Testament 2S or Elphelt buttons.
* Don't get overly into minutia such as things like having 1 extra frame of jump startup, or having an overhead that is 2 frames faster than average. Are these really a key strength/weakness of the character?
* The first time a special move is mentioned on an overview page it should be written as its full name with a hyperlink to the move section.
* Move inputs (such as 6P or 23L) should be color coded with their corresponding button color (EG: green for GBVS medium, pink for GGXRD Light, etc.). This isn't set up for all games, but quite a few of them have this feature. This is done by using a template
**If a move is more commonly referenced by anothe name ( such as an abbreviation, its numpad input, or an alternate coloquial term), put that alternate way of referring to the move in parenthesis immediately after the first use of the move name, and then use that alternate way of referring to the move for the rest of the overview
*If a term is particularly obscure to the point that a beginner cannot comprehend it, add a tooltip explaining the term, or add a link to the glossary (for instance: [[Fuzzy Overhead|F-Shiki]], or [[BBCF/Defense#Barrier_Block|Barrier Block]])
*If you need to reference another character who is not the character on the current page, make their name a hyperlink to said character's page.
==Writing Combos==
*The combo section should not list ALL combos for a character. List enough for a person to learn the basics for standard situations (common starters, big punishes, corners, etc.)
*The combo section should not list ALL combos for a character. List enough for a person to learn the basics for standard situations (common starters, big punishes, corners, etc.)
==Writing Strategy==
*The strategy section should explain the goals of the character and how to achieve said goals. Be sure to explain tips and tricks the character uses such as Yosuke's glide technique, Arakune's fast-fall, Slayer's BDC, or Kagura's easy drive attack inputs.
*The strategy section should explain the goals of the character and how to achieve said goals. Be sure to explain tips and tricks the character uses such as Yosuke's glide technique, Arakune's fast-fall, Slayer's BDC, or Kagura's easy drive attack inputs.


==Tone==
==Tone==
The primary goal is to transfer information to the viewer - think technical writer rather than story writer. If information can be conveyed while being entertaining, then all the better, but do not sacrifice informational value simply to be entertaining. One suggestion is to mix the two; incorporate useful information into the entertainment and not simply joke around.
The primary goal is to transfer information to the reader - it's best to think of yourself as a technical writer rather than a story teller. If information can be conveyed while being entertaining then all the better, but do not sacrifice informational value simply to be entertaining. Please try to keep this wiki primarily a place for information rather than to write jokes and story synopses. One suggestion is to mix the two; incorporate useful information into the entertainment and not simply joke around.


The main offender of this tenant is adding joke captions for images.
The main offender of this tenet is adding joke captions for images; occasional joking is fine, but giving every image a joke is overkill. Try adding a little useful info, trivia, or even no caption at all.
 
==Style==
*Avoid passive voice
*Avoid emotive language
*Avoid complex sentence structure.
**Sentences should ideally be approachable for readers of most levels of fluency. If you can say something in a simple way; do it.
 
==Length==
Readers don't have a long attention span so get to the point - this isn't a school book report and you're not trying to hit a word count. Having said that, it's a difficult balancing act between being thorough enough to fully explain something, but brief enough that readers don't get bored.
 
Look over what you've written and try to remove filler words or find a clearer way to phrase a sentance.
 
Other common pitfalls include:
*Adding too many examples to the point that it is a full list rather than a few examples that illustrate the general rule
*Going into details that would be considered trivia rather than help the player learn how or why an attack works the way it does


==Creating Images==
==Creating Images==
*The two primary goals for the images are:
See [[Help:Creating Images]]
#Make the attack easily identifiable by players who do not know the character and have seen the attack once or twice at most.
 
#Be a visual aid to explain how an attack works. See examples:
==Editing Frame Data==
<gallery widths=175px heights=200px>
See [[Help:Editing Frame Data]]
File:GGAC Zappa SonoMama.png
P4Arena Aigis j236A.png
BBCS Mu groundD.png
File:GGXRD Bedman 2H diagram.png
</gallery>
*Use sprite rips with a transparent background for images even if the sprite does not use all the special effects used in game as long as the attack is still identifiable. If no rips are available, use high quality screenshots taken with a capture card.
*Characters should use default colors and face right (as if they are player 1)
*Combine multiple sprites together if the attack does an animation that can not easily be understood by one sprite alone. See examples:
<gallery widths=175px heights=200px>
File:BBCS Noel MF.png
File:BBCS Taokaka 6Cancel.png
File:P4Arena Naoto Aim.png
File:GGXRD Ky StunDipper.png
</gallery>
*Crop the image so that extraneous details such as long ponytails do not take up too much space.
*Name the image with the following format: GameAbbreviation_CharacterName_attackName. So for example, Sol's 5P in Guilty Gear XRD would be named GGXRD_Sol_5P.png
*Nearly all images that have text use the font Arial bolded. Please continue to use it for the sake of consistency.


==Use the Templates==
==Use the Templates==
Templates are pre-defined sets of text used to maintain a uniform look throughout pages on the wiki.
Templates are pre-defined sets of text used to maintain a uniform look throughout pages on the wiki. You can recognize a template when it's enclosed in double {s such as <code><nowiki>{{MyTemplate}}</nowiki></code>. To learn more about templates, check out [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Templates mediawiki's help page].


Most users won't need to worry about them as they will already be in place. But just in case all the pages follow the same pattern:
Most users won't need to worry about them as they will already be in place. But just in case all the pages follow the same pattern:


*When in doubt, look at other character pages, copy, and adapt for your own uses.
*Each move uses the template [[Template:MoveData]] to lay out an attack with move name, images, captions, and truncated list of frame data.
*Each move uses the template [[Template:MoveData]] to lay out an attack with move name, images, captions, and truncated list of frame data.
*Each game uses an AttackData template (or in rare instances a FrameData template) for frame data to be used on the character pages. for example [[Template:AttackData-BBCP]], [[Template:AttackData-GGACR]], and [[Template:AttackData-P4AU]]
*Each character's page refers to their Data page that has all the data for that character, for example Answer's links and frame data are all on [[GGXRD-R2/Answer/Data]]. Sections on the data page are referenced by the character page, such as by <code><nowiki>{{#lst:GGXRD-R2/Answer/Data|5P}}</nowiki></code>
*When in doubt, look at other character pages, copy, and adapt for your own uses.
*When creating AttackData templates for new games, remember that not ALL frame data should be included. For example, [[Template:AttackData-BBCP]] does not include P1, P2, or SMP values while [[Template:AttackData-GGACR]] does not have GB+, GB-, or TG values.
*When creating AttackData templates for new games, remember that not ALL frame data should be included. For example, [[Template:AttackData-BBCP]] does not include P1, P2, or SMP values while [[Template:AttackData-GGACR]] does not have GB+, GB-, or TG values.
==Examples==
Below are examples of the current standards for character page entries for their respective games and or series.
===Guilty Gear Series===
{{MoveData
|name={{clr|1|6P}}
|image=ggxrd_venom_6p.png |caption=STOP!
|data=
{{AttackDataHeader-GGXRD-R2}}
{{!}}-
{{#lst:GGXRD-R2/Venom/Data|6P}}
{{!}}-
{{Description|6|text=
A {{clr|1|6P}} so good that it has become a meme. {{clr|1|6P}} is a reliable anti-air and occasional poke. Although {{clr|1|6P}} can gatling into many of his other buttons, it cannot combo into {{clr|4|6H}} on normal hit and must be jump canceled into an air combo. On counter hit {{clr|1|6P}} combos into {{clr|4|6H}} for a free knockdown. When combined with a ball hit, {{clr|1|6P}} has enough hitstun to combo into {{clr|4|6H}}. {{clr|1|6P}} is also useful to counter-poke a large variety of moves such as I-No's Chemical Love, and Johnny's Level 3 Mist Finer with varying °s of risk.
* Generous upper body invicibility
* Sends balls upwards at an angle with moderate speed.
* Inconsistent ability to hit crouching opponents.
[[GGXRD-R2/Venom/Frame_Data#Gatling_Table|Gatling Options]]: {{clr|3|c.S}}, {{clr|3|f.S}}, {{clr|3|2S}}, {{clr|4|5H}}, {{clr|4|2H}}, {{clr|4|6H}}, {{clr|5|5D}}, {{clr|5|2D}}
'''Supplemental Frame Data''':
*1-3, 7-10 Upper Body invulnerability; 4-6 Above Knees invulnerability
<gallery class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="show hitboxes" data-collapsetext="hide hitboxes">
GGXRD-R2_Venom_6P-Hitbox.png|Beats level 3 Mist Finer.
</gallery>
}}
}}
<nowiki/>
====Expected features====
*Image of the move
*Frame Data and damage
*Description of when the move is useful
*Bullet point list of move properties (which are not already explained in the frame data bar or move description)
*list of gatling options with link to gatling table on frame data page
*Supplemental frame data such as invulnerability and untech time
*Expandable hitbox preview
*Different "versions" of moves (as applicable)

Revision as of 12:54, 27 September 2020

Emphasis on Competitive Gameplay

The Dustloop Wiki is not a place to talk about the lore of the games - there are other wikis for that. The purpose of the character pages is to give information about how a character plays in a competitive/tournament setting. Try to keep any backstory/personality section for characters brief - think about a paragraph total. Use the majority of the overview section to discuss the character's play style/unique abilities in the game, like how would you describe to a new player what this character does in a conversation.

Remember the Intended Audience

When writing guides, remember the intended audience is beginner and intermediate players --not experts.

  • Move explanations should not be very long if possible. Use bullet lists to list interesting properties, and paragraphs for deeper explanations.
  • Do not waste words describing what the attack looks like - that is what the image is for.
    • An exception is when the move is too visually complex for a small set of images to explain. In these cases, describing what a move looks like is acceptable.
  • Do not compare a move against older versions of the move unless there's a really good reason to do so.
    • Ex: Explaining that the older version of an attack was an overhead doesn't help the reader learn about THIS version of the game.

Writing Strengths and Weaknesses

  • Each Strength/Weakness should follow the following format:
Bold Text: 1 sentence explanation.
For example:
Strong Mixup: Strong strike/throw mixup with fast normals + Comamnd throw, and good high/low mixup with standing overhead
    • Think of the bold text as a TL;DR and the explanation as explaining it, though it should still be brief.
  • The absence of a good tool isn't the same thing as having a weakness, especially if their kit is built to do something else, but lacking something "essential" would be a weakness.
    • Therefore lacking a DP in a game with bad defensive options is a negative, but not having a gap closer is not a defining weakness.
    • In Guilty Gear, not having an invincible AA 6P button is not a weakness if they have other buttons that are reliable anti-airs like Testament 2S or Elphelt buttons.
  • Don't get overly into minutia such as things like having 1 extra frame of jump startup, or having an overhead that is 2 frames faster than average. Are these really a key strength/weakness of the character?
  • The first time a special move is mentioned on an overview page it should be written as its full name with a hyperlink to the move section.
  • Move inputs (such as 6P or 23L) should be color coded with their corresponding button color (EG: green for GBVS medium, pink for GGXRD Light, etc.). This isn't set up for all games, but quite a few of them have this feature. This is done by using a template
    • If a move is more commonly referenced by anothe name ( such as an abbreviation, its numpad input, or an alternate coloquial term), put that alternate way of referring to the move in parenthesis immediately after the first use of the move name, and then use that alternate way of referring to the move for the rest of the overview
  • If a term is particularly obscure to the point that a beginner cannot comprehend it, add a tooltip explaining the term, or add a link to the glossary (for instance: F-Shiki, or Barrier Block)
  • If you need to reference another character who is not the character on the current page, make their name a hyperlink to said character's page.

Writing Combos

  • The combo section should not list ALL combos for a character. List enough for a person to learn the basics for standard situations (common starters, big punishes, corners, etc.)

Writing Strategy

  • The strategy section should explain the goals of the character and how to achieve said goals. Be sure to explain tips and tricks the character uses such as Yosuke's glide technique, Arakune's fast-fall, Slayer's BDC, or Kagura's easy drive attack inputs.

Tone

The primary goal is to transfer information to the reader - it's best to think of yourself as a technical writer rather than a story teller. If information can be conveyed while being entertaining then all the better, but do not sacrifice informational value simply to be entertaining. Please try to keep this wiki primarily a place for information rather than to write jokes and story synopses. One suggestion is to mix the two; incorporate useful information into the entertainment and not simply joke around.

The main offender of this tenet is adding joke captions for images; occasional joking is fine, but giving every image a joke is overkill. Try adding a little useful info, trivia, or even no caption at all.

Style

  • Avoid passive voice
  • Avoid emotive language
  • Avoid complex sentence structure.
    • Sentences should ideally be approachable for readers of most levels of fluency. If you can say something in a simple way; do it.

Length

Readers don't have a long attention span so get to the point - this isn't a school book report and you're not trying to hit a word count. Having said that, it's a difficult balancing act between being thorough enough to fully explain something, but brief enough that readers don't get bored.

Look over what you've written and try to remove filler words or find a clearer way to phrase a sentance.

Other common pitfalls include:

  • Adding too many examples to the point that it is a full list rather than a few examples that illustrate the general rule
  • Going into details that would be considered trivia rather than help the player learn how or why an attack works the way it does

Creating Images

See Help:Creating Images

Editing Frame Data

See Help:Editing Frame Data

Use the Templates

Templates are pre-defined sets of text used to maintain a uniform look throughout pages on the wiki. You can recognize a template when it's enclosed in double {s such as {{MyTemplate}}. To learn more about templates, check out mediawiki's help page.

Most users won't need to worry about them as they will already be in place. But just in case all the pages follow the same pattern:

  • When in doubt, look at other character pages, copy, and adapt for your own uses.
  • Each move uses the template Template:MoveData to lay out an attack with move name, images, captions, and truncated list of frame data.
  • Each character's page refers to their Data page that has all the data for that character, for example Answer's links and frame data are all on GGXRD-R2/Answer/Data. Sections on the data page are referenced by the character page, such as by {{#lst:GGXRD-R2/Answer/Data|5P}}
  • When creating AttackData templates for new games, remember that not ALL frame data should be included. For example, Template:AttackData-BBCP does not include P1, P2, or SMP values while Template:AttackData-GGACR does not have GB+, GB-, or TG values.

Examples

Below are examples of the current standards for character page entries for their respective games and or series.

Guilty Gear Series

6P
Ggxrd venom 6p.png
STOP!
Damage GuardHow this attack can be blocked. StartupThe number of frames between inputting an attack and when the attack becomes active. Includes first active frame. ActiveThe number of frames for which a move has hitboxes. Occurs after Startup. RecoveryThe number of frames after a move's active frames during which the character cannot act assuming the move is not canceled. On-BlockThe difference between the attacker's recovery and the period that the opponent is in blockstun. This Frame Advantage value is based off the fact that the very first active frame touches the opponent. Invuln

A 6P so good that it has become a meme. 6P is a reliable anti-air and occasional poke. Although 6P can gatling into many of his other buttons, it cannot combo into 6H on normal hit and must be jump canceled into an air combo. On counter hit 6P combos into 6H for a free knockdown. When combined with a ball hit, 6P has enough hitstun to combo into 6H. 6P is also useful to counter-poke a large variety of moves such as I-No's Chemical Love, and Johnny's Level 3 Mist Finer with varying °s of risk.

  • Generous upper body invicibility
  • Sends balls upwards at an angle with moderate speed.
  • Inconsistent ability to hit crouching opponents.

Gatling Options: c.S, f.S, 2S, 5H, 2H, 6H, 5D, 2D

Supplemental Frame Data:

  • 1-3, 7-10 Upper Body invulnerability; 4-6 Above Knees invulnerability

Expected features

  • Image of the move
  • Frame Data and damage
  • Description of when the move is useful
  • Bullet point list of move properties (which are not already explained in the frame data bar or move description)
  • list of gatling options with link to gatling table on frame data page
  • Supplemental frame data such as invulnerability and untech time
  • Expandable hitbox preview
  • Different "versions" of moves (as applicable)