Blooncyclopedia:Writing guidelines: Difference between revisions
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[[File:BTD6 PatchNoteMonkeyPortrait.png|right|200px|Patch is taking notes]] | |||
This wiki encourages a casual, matter-of-fact style of writing that isn't as dry and authoritative as, say, [[wp:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]]. A little flippancy is acceptable as long as your writing is mainly focused on facts and conveying essential information about the topic. That said, good writing is about a lot more than just using proper spelling and grammar, so your writing still must follow certain standards. | This wiki encourages a casual, matter-of-fact style of writing that isn't as dry and authoritative as, say, [[wp:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]]. A little flippancy is acceptable as long as your writing is mainly focused on facts and conveying essential information about the topic. That said, good writing is about a lot more than just using proper spelling and grammar, so your writing still must follow certain standards. | ||
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==Things to avoid== | ==Things to avoid== | ||
*'''Speculation''': This wiki strives to be as factually accurate as possible, and speculation in article text is heavily discouraged without strong evidence. This includes speculation about "lore" and upcoming features. When in doubt, discuss your ideas on a talk page. | *'''Speculation''': This wiki strives to be as factually accurate as possible, and speculation in article text is heavily discouraged without strong evidence. This includes speculation about "lore" and upcoming features. When in doubt, discuss your ideas on a talk page. | ||
**Speculating about gameplay is strictly forbidden; if you ''think'' a mechanic works a certain way, you have to test it and see for yourself. (See [[ | **Speculating about gameplay is strictly forbidden; if you ''think'' a mechanic works a certain way, you have to test it and see for yourself. (See [[Blooncyclopedia:Citing sources]] for information about when game mechanics need to be cited.) If you can't prove it, then it doesn't belong here. | ||
*'''Flowery/pedantic prose''': Don't use overly fancy words and exaggeration to describe things that can be summarized more concisely, like describing in-game text containing a single minor swear as a [https://bloons.fandom.com/wiki/Pre-Round_Comment?diff=383210&oldid=383209 "profanity-ridden remark"]. This isn't a work of literary fiction. | *'''Flowery/pedantic prose''': Don't use overly fancy words and exaggeration to describe things that can be summarized more concisely, like describing in-game text containing a single minor swear as a [https://bloons.fandom.com/wiki/Pre-Round_Comment?diff=383210&oldid=383209 "profanity-ridden remark"]. This isn't a work of literary fiction. | ||
*'''Stating the obvious''': If the role of the subject is self-evident from the name, then it doesn't need to be stated. For example, "Dart Monkeys are monkeys who wield darts" is not a good opening sentence. | *'''Stating the obvious''': If the role of the subject is self-evident from the name, then it doesn't need to be stated. For example, "Dart Monkeys are monkeys who wield darts" is not a good opening sentence. | ||
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==Frequently misused terms== | ==Frequently misused terms== | ||
*'''Remix''': A remix of a song is a modification of an existing recording ( | *'''Remix''': A remix of a song is a modification of an existing recording (such as adding extra percussion). A new recording of a song with different instrumentation is called an "arrangement". For example, most of the [[List of music in BATTD|tracks in ''Bloons Adventure Time TD'']] are ''arrangements'' of music from ''Adventure Time'', not remixes. | ||
*'''Alpha and beta''': These refer to very specific periods in software development, and are not general terms for when things change during development. These should only be used to refer to periods that have been explicitly called alphas or betas by official sources, such as the closed beta for ''[[Bloons Monkey City (Flash)|Bloons Monkey City]]''. Even if an early build is officially called a "beta", avoid describing its differences with terms like "beta elements" and "beta differences" because casual readers tend to misinterpret these as referring to changes in development in general. | *'''Alpha and beta''': These refer to very specific periods in software development, and are not general terms for when things change during development. These should only be used to refer to periods that have been explicitly called alphas or betas by official sources, such as the closed beta for ''[[Bloons Monkey City (Flash)|Bloons Monkey City]]''. Even if an early build is officially called a "beta", avoid describing its differences with terms like "beta elements" and "beta differences" because casual readers tend to misinterpret these as referring to changes in development in general. | ||
*'''Prequel''': A prequel is a work whose narrative chronologically takes place before a ''previously released'' work. This is often misused to describe ''any'' work that has a sequel that released after it; calling ''[[Bloons Tower Defense (game)|Bloons Tower Defense]]'' a prequel to ''[[Bloons Tower Defense 2]]'' because the latter is | *'''Prequel''': A prequel is a work whose ''narrative'' chronologically takes place before a ''previously released'' work. This is often misused to describe ''any'' work that has a sequel that released after it; calling ''[[Bloons Tower Defense (game)|Bloons Tower Defense]]'' a prequel to ''[[Bloons Tower Defense 2]]'' because the latter is its successor is incorrect. Since ''Bloons'' games have minimal plot and no timeline, this term has little, if any, use on this wiki. | ||
==Things that don't matter== | ==Things that don't matter== | ||
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*American vs. British English spelling, outside of [[Blooncyclopedia:Style guide#Spelling|certain circumstances]] | *American vs. British English spelling, outside of [[Blooncyclopedia:Style guide#Spelling|certain circumstances]] | ||
*The [[wp:Oxford comma|Oxford comma]] | *The [[wp:Oxford comma|Oxford comma]] | ||
*Contractions ( | *Contractions (e.g. "can't" over "cannot") | ||
*[[wp:Quotation marks in English#Order of punctuation|Periods and commas inside quotation marks]] | *[[wp:Quotation marks in English#Order of punctuation|Periods and commas inside quotation marks]] | ||
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