Blooncyclopedia:File guidelines

This article describes what to do when uploading files to Blooncyclopedia.

File names

• If a file is from a specific game, the file name should specify what game it comes from (ideally using an abbreviation).
• File names should indicate what the subject of the file is. Generic names like "image.png" or a series of random numbers and letters should be avoided.
• File extensions should be entirely lowercase. The wiki software allows files with the same extension with different capitalization (e.g. it would allow one to upload "Bloon.PNG" even if "Bloon.png" already exists), which can be confusing to new editors.

Using the file template

The {{file}} template is required in every file upload to provide details about the file. An outline of the template is included in the upload description by default; please do not remove it.

• Summary: optional. Used to briefly describe the contents of the file and/or provide additional info or context.
• Source: required. Should describe where the image came from.
  • If it's from a website or social media post, include a link to it.
  • If it's a screenshot or game asset, specify the platform and patch (i.e. Bloons TD 6, v44.1, Windows). If you are not the person who took the screenshot or got the image, you must specify who did.
• Source file name: Specifies the original file name of the source. Does not need to include the full file path, just the file itself. If the file was converted from a non-standard format (i.e. Flash sprites or jpngs), you can leave the extension out. This does not need to be specified if the original image is a screenshot or the original name is clearly in the current file name.
• Edits: If the file has been edited in any way, it must be specified here. This includes background removal, optimization, and cropping.
• License: The copyright licensing of the image. If not specified, defaults to NK. If the image is not owned by Ninja Kiwi, then a different license must be specified.

File optimization

Files should be optimized to reduce their size without reducing their quality. This improves load times and reduces the space they take on our servers.

• PNG files can be optimized with PNGGauntlet, pngcrush, or IrfanView with PNGOUT. Linux users can use Trimage.
  • For PNGGauntlet or standalone PNGOUT, you should configure them to preserve gamma information. Enable "Preserve Gamma Information" and set "Color Type" to "RGB+Alpha".
• OGG files can be optimized with OptiVorbis.
• SVG files can be optimized with SVGO.

Audio files

• If an audio file is already in a lossy format in the game (such as OGG/OGA or MP3), then leave the format as-is; do not change its sample rate or convert it to another format. (Lossless optimization is encouraged, though.)
• If an audio file is in a lossless format in the game (such as WAV or FLAC), then please convert it to a lossy format before uploading it. MP3 is preferred over OGG/OGA.
• For legal reasons, music files should be shortened to 30 seconds or less.

Forbidden files

By request from Ninja Kiwi staff, screenshots of the custom map curation menu in Bloons TD 6 are not allowed to be uploaded. (This menu is inaccessible to most users.)