Help:FAQ
This help page is a guide to the basics of using the Mariopedia.
Contributing to the wiki
How do I make an article?
First you should find if the article does not already exist. To do this you must use the Search. If the search results do not bring up the article that needs to be created, then you can create an article a number of ways.
On the right of the navigation at the top is a dropdown button that reads "Contribute". From this you can select "Add a Page" from the dropdown. A popup will ask you what you want to call it. What is typed into this field will be the name that appears at the top of the article. For help on naming the article, see the naming policy. You can then either choose from a standard layout or a blank layout, and either will suffice.
If the page is already linked on the wiki through a red link, then you can just click the link to start the page, choosing from either a standard or blank layout. If the article you want to create is not linked to, then you can add a link to a relevant page, and click the red link after saving it. When creating a new article links should be made. Things to consider include does it need to be linked to on a disambig, parent page, list article, or a navigation template?
What should or should not be added?
If you have any doubts about if a piece of information you have should or shouldn't be added to the wiki, you can check out the wiki's Scope. The Scope is a page with a list of all the games that are featured on the Mariopedia as well of a short explanation of what kind of information, related to that game, may be added.
If you have concerns over whether to make an article, ask yourself whether it is already covered in full somewhere else? For example, minor characters in games whose role can be summarized in a sentence may be covered at the game's list of characters article. In such a circumstance, a simple redirect to this information would be satisfactory. If you are still unsure, you can ask at a relevant talk page, or at the help desk forum.
The Scope okays it, now what?
Now, just go for it. Even if it's a bit crude, add it to the article. We have several users who regularly check the Recent Changes page and are able to smooth the information out. And if the information is wrong, it will be removed, no harm done. We encourage trying, rather than punish failing, it gives a better atmosphere. The only time anyone is ever punished for editing, is if the edit is a clear act of vandalism or repeated ignoring of staff request.
Why can't I say that someone/something rocks/sucks?
Because all articles are to remain as objective as possible. If they weren't objective, it would be a constant editing war between those who love a specific game/character/skill and those who hate it and we would like to avoid that if possible. However, you are completely free to write whatever you wish on your Userpage.
Any specifics on what should be on a page?
As a matter of fact, there is. To make sure we are able to present as much information as possible, a few guidelines have been written, referred to as our Manual of Style. But if you don't have all the specifics, don't worry about it. Just add what you do have and stick the Expand template at the top of the article. You do this simply by writing {{Expand}} at the top.
You may also want to add the Stub template at the bottom of an article if the article is a stub. If only a particular section is a stub, then you can type {{Stub|section=yes}} so that it only notes that specific section.
If the article uses an infobox and you cannot fill in some fields then you can add the IncompleteTable template at the top of the article. You can add this template by writing {{IncompleteTable}}.
I saw a good article on Wikipedia, can I dump it here?
We try to avoid material that are copy/pasted from external sources, as we find it somewhat easier to start off with a blank slate. This way, we are less influenced by the setup of other people and are able to write more specific and satisfying material.
The only time it would be acceptable to copy an article from Wikipedia would be if you are salvaging it as it will be deleted from Wikipedia. In this scenario you should make sure to add the De-Wikification template at the top of the article, so that other user may become aware of it being dumped from the Wiki and so that a De-Wikification process may start. You do this simply by writing {{De-wikify}} at the top of the page.
What should I do if I come across a poorly written article?
Re-write it to the best of your abilities. But if you don't have any knowledge of the subject of the article, you can simply stick the Cleanup template at the top of the article, to show that it needs some tender love and care. You do this by writing {{Cleanup}} at the top of the article.
Spamming the recent changes list
To avoid spamming of the recent changes list, you can use the button called Preview (it's right next to the Publish button, so it's not hard to spot) to make sure that all the links, templates, tables, etc. you have are working properly. Making dozens of minor edits on the same page with 30 seconds in-between, because something didn't work and you're "trying again" by making a change and saving, is annoying to other users and takes up a portion of the recent changes meaning more important issues such as vandalism may drop out of the recent changes unnoticed. Of course, slip-ups, typos, and other minor errors occur, and it's perfectly understandable if someone misses it the first time around and fixing those will not be considered spamming the list.
There are also other scenarios where making lots of minor edits is understandable, such as the editing of some Templates, as the effects of changes to the template has had on articles it is included in can only be seen after the page has been saved, or editing CSS or javascript files where the results cannot necessarily be seen immediately.
I'm bored... Have any articles I could make or expand?
Well, if you don't know what to do, the absolute best place to check out would be the To-Do List. There, you can see a list of the most important things that needs to be made. This can include finding images, finishing articles, making templates, write walkthroughs, you name it. If you are more in the mood for adding stats and such, try checking out the Articles with Incomplete Tables. For minor article expansion not noted in the to-do list, you can check out the Articles to be Expanded or the Stubs. Other useful links for helping with pages also appears at the top of the recent changes screen.
Userpages
Userpages are personal pages which are accessible when you create an account. It is also this page that will be linked to, when ever you sign a comment by using four tildes, i.e. ~~~~. It is not required that you make a userpage, but it is a great way to let people know about yourself.
What rules are there for userpages?
On your own personal userpage, you get to throw objectivity out the window. Write about anything you wish. About yourself, about what games you like, what games you don't like, why something is better than something else and so on. Go nuts with it. The only thing we don't accept are comments that are directly insulting to a specific person or a group of people, i.e. racist comments, insults to people's religion, etc. So please use common sense when it comes to that.
Userboxes
"A picture says more than a thousand words", and a Userbox says at least 10 or 15. Userboxes are quick and simple ways to get a point across, as most users will start off by looking at the userboxes to get information about someone. Next to the userbox is a code, which must be inserted between a set of curly brackets (since they act like templates). For instance, {{user yoshifan}} for the user yoshifan userbox. It is generally advised that they be put in a table, due to not all templates having the same height, which can lead to problems with white spaces. The correct way to put up this would be (example uses six of the same userboxes, results can be seen on the right, the actual setup on the left):
| Setup |
|---|
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{|align="center" |
| Result | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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For more advice on how to make a userpage, go here.
Talk bubbles
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Example
- {{Talk bubble
- |image=PeachMP8a.PNG
- |color=Pink
- |color2=#ABCDEF
- |color3=#FFEEDD
- |namecolor=#012345
- |namefonttype=Times New Roman
- |textcolor=Navy
- |textcolor2=Red
- |line=#DD33EE
- |line2=#EE33DD
- |border= #FF0000
- |border2= #000000
- |border3= #FF0000
- |corners= diagonal
- |top-right= square
- |bottom-left= round
- |fonttype=Arial
- |name=CookieMunster
- |sig=...is hungry
- |time={{{time}}}
- |text={{{text}}}
- }}
...will create...
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Note: Color variables will take either color names, as per HTML, or hexadecimal. Click here to see the color chart. To insert an image only the filename has to be included and not the "File:" prefix. You can use an external image by placing the URL in the image field, however if it is not 60px wide it will be removed.
- Summary
- Create an article called "User:{{{1}}}/Talk".
- Copy the coding of the talk template you wish to follow and paste it into your empty talk template page.
- Fill out the coding after the "=" sign accordingly. E.g. "image=your image's name" or "color=your desired color". Leave the "time={{{time}}}" and "text={{{text}}}" parameters alone.
- Save and you are now ready to use it. Just type {{User:{{{1}}}/Talk|time=~~~~~|text=what you wanted to say}} to leave your message.
As a side note, the talk template should be readable to other users. If you want to make a talk bubble with a dark background, please use a light font. White works best. If you use a dark or even medium font on a dark background, nobody will be able to read your words without highlighting them.
Although there is a "nick" function to replace your username with a nickname, this function must not be abused. Any name inserted into this field must be recognizable as you unless the template is not used in official talk areas.
All rules must be kept if the talk template is for public use. The rules can be avoided if the talk template is being used for private use on a userpage, a walkthrough, or a special forum. As soon as a template that breaches any of the rules is used in a public place (including your own talk page) the template will be edited to meet guidelines.
Images
Personal Images (for userpage-usage)
Due to copyright restrictions, personal images can no longer be uploaded to the wiki, unless they are:
- Related to the Mario series (these must be categorized as fair use images if they are copyright of Nintendo).
- Original material or fan-art which is self-created.
- Fan-art or original material which you have obtained permission from the creator to use.
If your image does not fall within these three categories, it will be deleted. Consider uploading it to Photobucket and link to it from there.
Before uploading
Before uploading, check Category:Images. There will be subcategories leading to a specific game, e.g. Super Mario Sunshine, and again subcategories leading to type of image, e.g. characters, locations, etc. Make sure not to upload the image if there is a similar image already. It is important to do this, so that we don't have several copies of the same image taking up space.
During (or after) uploading
When uploading an image in a specific game write [[Category:[the game's name] Images]] in the "Summary" box to make sure the image is categorized, e.g. Category:Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Images (it is case-sensitive). If it's a spin-off/sequel/prequel, please write the entire title. To check the titles to use for each respective game, see the sub-categories of Category:Images. If you forget to add the category during upload, please be so kind as to click the "edit" tab and add it then.
How to upload
New uploads
In the sidebar to the left of the screen, scroll down to the "Toolbox", and click "Upload Image" to be taken to the upload form, as explained above. You can also click on a red image link or go directly to Special:Upload.
Over pre-existing images
First and foremost, the only times you may upload over a pre-existing image is if the image you wish to upload is either of better quality or a more reasonable size of the exact same motif, or a similar image that presents the same thing (e.g. a better positioned model screenshot).
If the image fits these criteria, here's how you do. Go to the existing image, e.g. File:YoshiMP8.png. At the bottom will be a link called "Upload a new version of this file". Click it. The destination filename will already be filled out; do not change it. Select the image you want to upload and make sure it has the same extension as the existing image, i.e., if the existing image is .jpg, your image has to be .jpg as well. When you have selected the image you want to upload, click the upload button. You should now get a warning message saying that a file of this name already exists. Ignore it and click the Save file button. After a minute or two, the change will be visible.
If you have a new version of an image in a different format, then you should upload the image at a new filename and then add the duplicate file template to the old version of the image. This can be added to the page by adding {{dup|[New version's filename]}} to the old version's file information.
Naming!
It is absolutely vital that you give an image a name that makes sense. If it is not, a staff member will move it to a more relevant name. So once you've found the file you wish to upload, using the "Browse..." function, the destination filename will automatically be the same as the filename on your computer. You can manually change this. Giving it a good name will help reduce duplicate images and makes it easier to find, should you forget its name (as it will pop up during searches). Example of a good name would be the before-mentioned File:YoshiMP8.png. You can tell from its name that it is an image of Yoshi from Mario Party 8. An example of a bad name would be File:128.gif. You would have no way of knowing that this was an image of Bowser from Super Mario 64 by just viewing its name.
But most importantly, never EVER include a + in the name, because this will make it impossible for anyone to gain access to the image.
How to insert in pages
For help on how to insert images properly into articles, please go to Help:Images.
