Marvel Avengers Alliance Wiki:Manual of Style

We here at M:AAW like things to be uniform and everything, so this Manual of Style is here to give an idea of how to write articles and edit existing ones so they are consistent with many of the similar articles. These guidelines will never be perfect for every situation. However, please try your best to keep to the advice outlined in this article so others may use your edits as an example when creating and editing.

= General Article Guide =

Article Titles
Article titles should use the same names as the corresponding element the game. All words in the article title should have the first letter of each word in the article's title capitalized, with two exceptions. The first letter in the words "a", "an", "the", or "of" should be in lower case.
 * If there is punctuation in the name of something, include this in article name as well.
 * If there is a item and an effect with the same name, the word "(effect)" should appear at the end of the effect's article title, in parenthesis.

Sections
Where appropriate, articles should be split up into sections. This makes them easier to read and edit. Each section should have a title.


 * A section heading would look like this: == Section ==


 * A subsection's heading would look like this: === Subsection ===

The title of each section should follow the same guidelines as article titles.

Lead Section
Where appropriate, an article should begin with an introductory lead section, before the first subheading. The lead should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, establishing context. The lead should not be explicitly entitled == Introduction == or any header with equivalent meaning.


 * If possible, make the title the subject of the first sentence of the article.
 * Example: "Command Points are a type of currency and the most difficult to gather in game."


 * The first time the article mentions the title, put it in bold using three apostrophes— article title . Avoid other uses of bold in the first sentence, except for alternative titles of an article.
 * Example: "Unstable Isotope-8 or Unstable Iso-8 are used alongside Energy to do battles and access Missions in Special Operations."

Table of Contents
A table of contents (TOC) will automatically appear in articles with a minimum of four headings (unless forced by the below options). By default this will be left-aligned above the first section heading.


 * To force a TOC position (left-aligned):
 * To completely remove the TOC from a page:


 * The table of contents can be right-aligned, but this should only be done if there is nothing occupying the top-right corner of the article, such as an info box or picture.
 * Right-aligned TOC that floats next to text: tocright


 * The table of contents can also be closed by default, but this but this should only be done if it is very long.
 * Hidden TOC: tochide

Dates and Numbers
Marvel: Avengers Alliance Wikia uses the MMMM D, YYYY format. The Wiki does not use ordinal suffixes or leading zeroes for the Day. The Wiki also adds a comma between the Day and the Year. It is not acceptable to use shortcuts for the dates.

Example: September 9, 2012

Categorizing
Each article must be categorized, and done so according to which category, or categories, applies to it. A full list of categories can be found here.


 * To place an article in a category: use
 * See also: 

Links
Make links only where they are relevant to the context.

In most cases, links need not be made to the same article or article section multiple times. This means that if Rogue is mentioned 5 times in the entire article, only the first appearance of the word need be linked.

Templates

 * See also: Marvel Avengers Alliance Wiki:Templates

Navigational Boxes
Navigation boxes belong on the bottom of an article. The only exception to this are "Community" and "Guide" pages. Those boxes should be placed at the top.

When making a template
Be sure to add an explanation of what purpose it serves, so that the other users of the wiki don't have to guess. This goes double for admins, since if they see no purpose or possible future use for the template, it is likely to be deleted. The explanation can be written as part of the template (between a and ) or on a documentation page.

See also: 

Writing Rules

 * All articles MUST be written from a neutral point of view, representing views fairly and without bias. Opinions belong in comments and blog pages.
 * Articles should be written in past-tense, not present or future tense.

= Specific Article Guidelines =

Page Bases
Several page bases have been created for the most common pages for ease of editing. They contain all the templates necessary to assure a uniform style to the articles. Simply copy-and-paste the source into the article and input the data.


 * Marvel Avengers Alliance Wiki:Effect Page Layout
 * Marvel Avengers Alliance Wiki:Gear Page Layout
 * Marvel Avengers Alliance Wiki:Research Page Layout
 * Marvel Avengers Alliance Wiki:Supply Page Layout

Weapons
Weapons should be all be placed in [[:Category:Weapons]]

Then, categorize by whatever is listed as the Type/s:
 * Base types (rarely do not apply):
 * [[:Category:Melee]]
 * [[:Category:Ranged]]
 * Attack types:
 * [[:Category:Bio]]
 * [[:Category:Electric]]
 * [[:Category:Energy]]
 * [[:Category:Explosion]]
 * [[:Category:Fire]]
 * [[:Category:Ice]]
 * [[:Category:Magic]]
 * [[:Category:Psychic]]
 * [[:Category:Shadow]]
 * [[:Category:Sonic]]
 * [[:Category:Tech]]
 * [[:Category:Temporal]]
 * Misc types:
 * [[:Category:Unarmed]]
 * [[:Category:Slashing]]
 * [[:Category:Gun]]
 * [[:Category:Vibranium]]

Finally, any special categories should be added:
 * [[:Category: Premium Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Deploy Drop Gear‎]]
 * [[:Category: Mission Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Epic Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Special Operations Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Limited Edition]]
 * [[:Category: Gear Sets]]
 * [[:Category: Multi-Function Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Themed Gear]]

Gadgets
Gadgets should be all be placed in [[:Category:Gadgets]]

Then, categorize by whatever is listed as the Type/s:
 * [[:Category: Buff]]
 * [[:Category: Debuff]]
 * [[:Category: Heal]]

Finally, any special categories should be added:
 * [[:Category: Premium Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Mission Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Epic Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Special Operations Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Gear Sets]]
 * [[:Category: Limited Edition]]
 * [[:Category: Multi-Function Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Themed Gear]]

Supplies
Supplies should be all be placed in [[:Category:Supplies]]

Then, categorize by whatever is listed as the Type/s:
 * [[:Category:Offense]]
 * [[:Category:Defense]]
 * [[:Category:Healing]]

Finally, any special categories should be added:


 * [[:Category: Premium Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Special Operations Gear]]
 * [[:Category: Limited Edition]]

Effects
It is unnecessary to categorize effects when Template:effect infobox is used, as it will automatically do so by type.

Research
Research should be be placed in [[:Category:Research]]
 * Blueprints should also be placed in [[:Category:Blueprints]]

Notes and Trivia
Enumeration notes are discouraged. It's fine to insert notes like "Mockingbird was first Generalist hero introduced into game". However notes like "Moon Knight is sixth Generalist hero" bring no real value, are hard to maintain and will be removed to not mess articles.

Organization Pages
Pages should only include Team-Up Bonuses which relate to organization and heroes being part of it. It's correct to include bonuses which list all heroes belonging to organization. Bonuses which contain heroes not belonging to said organization should be out.

Non-game canon section should include only heroes that were released or otherwise mentioned in game (dialogues, description).

= Image Guidelines =

When choosing images, keep in mind placement, size, and the appropriateness of the image to the section. Let images flow with the text instead of break it up.

Image sourcing
To include the image in a page:
 *  File.png 
 *  [[File:File.jpg]]  for a direct link

For more methods of showing or linking images, see Help:Contents and Help:Contents.

Screenshots
Screenshots should use the "thumb" (example: ) option which displays large images as thumbnails. Images should generally be right aligned to enhance readability by allowing a smooth flow of text down the left margin - the "thumb" option does this by default. If an infobox is not being used in an article, a right aligned picture in the lead section is encouraged.

For general information on wiki images, see the MetaWiki page on images and other uploaded files.

Galleries
When an article has many images, or can be improved by having more, and having inline images be detract from the readability of an article, the use of a  section is encouraged.

= External links =