Wiki FAQ

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Getting Started

User Account

Here I am! How do I get started?

One of the things on your approval email will be a request for a Wiki user name. Once you provide that, you will receive an email with your user name and password. Go to the log-in link at the top right corner of the page and away you go.

If you are having any problems or you've forgotten your password, contact Frito and she'll help you out.

Only current players will be allowed editing permissions.

The Basics

It is strongly recommended that you surf around, check out the formatting and writing styles and just get used to this thing we call Wiki, before you start posting anything. The Main Page has links to the important sections: have a look at a bit of everything to get the idea.

Formatting

I'm noticing the pages all have those funky boxes on them and the formatting is similar. Do you have a template somewhere?

We have templates for all pages at the Help Page, listed under "Pro-Formas". If you can't find a template for what you want, talk to one of the Wiki editor types.

I'm having trouble with the formatting. What's all this weird code? How do you make links?

Under the Help page is a Wiki Formatting Cheatsheet. It covers the basics of what you need to know. There is also a link to the WikiMedia help page, which has some of the more complex formatting types.

The usual practice is to link to a particular person/group/location/plot only once per page section. So if you've linked once to "Moira MacTaggart", you don't need to keep linking to her name every time you use it. Too many links make the page hard to read and are somewhat redundant.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure you have Smart Quotes turned OFF when you're using Word to write pages, as the formatting conflicts with the Wiki.

Links

So, with links... is there a standard for various names? Or can I just put Muir Island Place For Mutant Research Thingies?

In order to avoid massive amounts of redirects that put a strain on the server and cost us money, we have a standard set of link names for commonly appearing references.

Muir Island is the Muir Island Research Facility

Xavier's is Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

Moira's last name is spelt with three As - MacTaggart.

Due to 'Angel' being the code name of an X-Man, Angelica Jones will need to be referred to in pages as Angelica to avoid confusion. Or a piped link can be used, so: [[Angelica Jones| Angel]].

It's X-Men with a capital M.

When referring to mission events, team members should be referred to by their code names.

The Wiki is case-sensitive, so it is important to keep the capitalisation consistent. All links should have a capital letter at the start of the first word. The only exceptions are some plots - please check the Plot listing for the correct version.

Help Wanted

I need some help with spellchecking/copyediting! How can I get help?

Go check out the Templates page. You can enter any of those templates into your page during editing to mark that the page needs some further edits or additions. {{Spellcheck}} is the template code for requesting spellchecking. Or you can always just drop a line to any of the wiki admins.

Spoilers

Should I put information about my character/plot/NPC that hasn't appeared on-screen yet?

Generally no. The Wiki is a repository for game canon, which means information that's either appeared in-game, or is part of your character's background but which will not appear/impact on the game, except in vague references. So, for example, if there's a relationship between your character and another established character that will come out at some point, but which hasn't yet, it's best to leave that information off the Wiki until it does come out - this makes it easier to avoid players using OOC information IC, and gives you more chance of a reaction to your relevation when it happens. Same goes for plots - if one plot sets up something for another down the line, wait until that second plot has run before adding that information to the Wiki.

Images

How do I load and link to a picture?

In the toolbox to the left is a Upload file link. Use it to load your picture, then link to it using [[Image: image name.jpg]], with 'image name' being the title of the image, usually something related to what it is.

If you want to change the picture you've used, rather than saving one under a new name (which means we end up with a bunch of obsolete images cluttering up the server), simply upload your new one, using the same name as the existing image you're wanting to replace.

If you want an image deleted entirely, go to Deletion Requests and ask the editors to do that for you.

Is there a limit to how big my character image can be?

Yes. We prefer images 250 x 200 pixels maximum, especially for character images, since any larger messes with the infobox template. Also, we need to avoid putting too much load on the servers. Just use a basic image manipulation program to resize to specifications, or, if you can't do it yourself, ask someone to resize for you.

The exception is stuff like banners, artwork, posters, etc. and images that are essential, but would be rendered too hard too see at the specified size.

Posting: New Player/New or Returning Character

Player Page

Okay, I have an account. Now what?

Go to the Main Page - there's a toolbar on the left of all Wiki pages that'll get you there. From there, go to the the Meta section . There's a list of current players - click on the link with your name and fill it in. This will be public information, so if you're not comfortable with having your personal LJ or AIM included, add "withheld by request" at that section. You must include at least your email address in order for fellow players to be able to contact you.

InfoBox

See the example below for how to fill out the PlayerInfobox. You'll notice there are two joining dates - that's for players who have left the game at one point and returned.

{{PlayerInfobox
| name    = Rossi
| image   = rossi.jpg
| character = [[Amanda Sefton]], [[Yvette Petrovic]]
| email = [[IMAGE:RossiEmail.jpg|120px]]
| journal = [http://deathpixie.livejournal.com/profile Rossi]
| joined =  [[January 2004]], [[April 2006]]
}}

Frito has created graphics files to prevent bots harvesting email addies - wherever you need to use an email address, please use the file: for example [[IMAGE:RossiEmail.jpg|120px]] gives you . Adjust the pixel size as required.

About

The "About" section can have as much or as little information you want about yourself. Have a look at some of the other Player pages to get an idea. Again, this information is public, so only put what you're comfortable sharing, even if it is as short as "I am a gay robot".

Socking

Another template, this time a chart. It looks tricky, but it's fairly simple. The | marks the start of the next section and the order follows the list of titles with the ! in front.

In the example below, we have Modsocks (Dr. Amelia Voght) first, then NPCs (Rebecca Barnes and Big Bertha), then Villains (Quentin Quire, Milan, Telford Porter, Rebecca Barnes, Ian McNee and Reavers (villains)) and then Formerly Socked (Artie Maddicks) and the reason why (now played). If you go to Frito's player page, you'll see how the chart looks on the page.

{| border="1" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Modsocks
! NPCs
! Villains
! Formerly Socked
|-
| [[Dr. Amelia Voght]]
| [[Rebecca Barnes]]

[[Great Lakes Avengers|Big Bertha]]

| [[Quentin Quire]], 
[[Milan]] 

[[Telford Porter]]

[[Rebecca Barnes]]

[[Ian McNee]] 

[[Reavers (villains)]]
|[[Artie Maddicks]] (now played)
|-
|}

Feedback/Awards

This is the section for our silly little 'awards', usually images, for various things done. There's a lot for wiki updates, and they're usually added by one of the editors. We also run period love memes and link them to the player page to make them easier to read.

Finally, at the bottom of the page, you'll need the following categories:

[[Category: Player]], [[Category: (year of joining/rejoining XP)]] and, if you're a mod, [[Category: Mod]]

Character Pages

New Character

Again, at the time of your approval, the mods will have added your character to the Character page. Go there and click on the link. You'll see the formatting template has been provided. You'll also notice the application is a lot like the Wiki page - that's deliberate. Add in the information from the final approved version of your character.

Previously-Played Character

These characters already have pages, and the mods will have done the shift from the Unplayed Characters page to the Characters page upon approving you. Any approved changes or additions you made to the character's history can be made to the page now, and you can change the image/PB as well.

InfoBox

This box is used as a sort of "snapshot" for your character. It's relatively simple to fill in, although it is important not to play with the formatting of the actual box or it goes crazy!

{{PCInfobox
| name    = Clarice Ferguson
| image   = Clarice.jpg|Clarice Ferguson
| pb = [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000207/ Christina Ricci]
| codename = 'Blink'
| teams = [[X-Men]], [[Xavier Institute]] - Graduate student
| birthdate = June 3, 1988
| journal = [http://x-blink.livejournal.com/profile Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones] 
| player = [[Maureen]]
}}

Use a link to the IMDB/Wikipedia page for your PB, please. To see what the finished box looks like, go to Clarice Ferguson's page.

Blurb

This is a short statement about your character - who they are and what point they're at in their lives. Emphasis on the short. If there is a specific quotation or similar that sums up your character, that can be added too, in italics (''italics'') See Amanda Sefton, David Haller and Clarice Ferguson for examples.

Biography

The Character Biography is your character's pre-game and in-game history and because people are complicated beings, you can divide the page up into sections. Use this formatting ===Section A=== (where "Section A" is the title of your section) to break things up and make them easier to read. Where you're referencing another Wiki page, use square brackets ([[Name]]) to make the link. Link once per section - there's no need to link every single mention of a particular person and thing. You should aim at no more than 3,000 words per section (preferably less), otherwise you get the Wall O' Text no-one can read.

Physical Characteristics/Powers/Equipment

For Physical Characteristics, we have the following format:

'''Height:''' 5'7"

'''Weight:''' 125 lbs

'''Eyes:''' Green

'''Hair:''' Brunette

'''Other Features:''' Two piercings each ear. Cigarette burn scar on inside of right thigh. Slightly crooked nose from a healed break.

"Other Features" should be distinguishing marks or physical traits - tattoos, piercings, tails, horns, wings, etc. Keep it brief.

Under "Powers", make sure you stick to the mod-approved final version, including the weaknesses. You can also link to the various individual powers that are listed on the Powers page, and while you're there, add your character to the power set they belong to. ;)

"Equipment" refers specifically to specialised devices or clothing your character is rarely, if ever, seen without. This is not a space for listing the contents of their wallets.

Trivia

Significant details or information that do not fit into either the summaries or other catagories. Trivia are details that are known in game: for example, a favourite food, or a first time working with another character. Rough rule of thumb: if a character can learn about it, it's trivia. In other words, IC details.

Plots

With a new character, you won't have any of these (yet!), but you can set things up. Put in a section title for the year your character came in (e.g.: ===2012===) and once your character's been in a plot, link it by the plot title only. If your character is only peripherally in the plot, you can add a note to that effect in italics.

Meta

Check out the example. A slight repeat of information provided for on the player page, but sometimes it's good to have information in more than one place. Also, this part came before the player pages. ;)

'''Player:''' [[Mon]]

'''E-mail:''' [[File:monmail.png]]

'''AIM:''' 

'''Player Icon Base:''' [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1431940/ Evangeline Lilly]

'''Meta Trivia'''

Brought into the game by [[Mon]] in [[April 2008]].  Mon left the game in [[May 2010]] only to return with Adrienne in tow in [[July 2011]].

Former PB: [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086800/ Rachel Blakely] until Mon became perturbed by the lack of current, sexy icons and went with Evangeline Lilly instead, from January 2010.

You will also need to add/edit the following Categories, if they aren't already there:

[[Category: Characters]], [[Category: (Year Introduced/Returned)]], [[Category: (Team)]]

For the team categories, they are as follows: [[Category: X-Men]], [[Category: X-Force]], [[Category: X-Factor]], [[Category: New Mutants]]

Posting: Plots

I've just done my first plot. I suppose you want a writeup, huh?

Indeed. On the Help page you'll find the Plot proforma. Go into edit, copy and paste it into a word processing document and away you go.

Same guidelines apply in terms of links. One link per page for each person/place/plot/thing/other, use the standard names listed above. If it's an X-Men mission, list the characters by their team names, rather than their real names.

For your research convenience and the sake of linking, almost all plots have been tagged in x_logs. Use the tags to re-read the logs, or use the timelines for a rough summary of events as they unfolded.

Related Links: link to any new NPC/Villain/concept/place/thing/related plot that appears for the first time in your plot. For example, Nathan's first use of the psimitar would earn a Psimitar link in Related Links. Hellfire and Damnation appears in the Related Link for Lost In The Woods (and vice versa) because the two plots interacted heavily.

Meta: the plotrunner(s), plus any meta references. Typically, what inspired the plot in the first place, be it an adaptation of comics canon, a movie, or even something inspired by a particular song, such as Buy Now, Pay Later. Use links if you're wanting people to be able to see the original inspiration.

Trivia: IC notes that come out of the plot. For example, Remy's Eleven was the first actual mission Gambit went on, as well as many of the cast.

If you have nothing for a particular section (such as Trivia or Related Links), don't delete that section. Simply put "None" and move onto the next part.

Villains

I created a villain! Does he/she/they get a page?

They do. Use the Villain-Individual and Villain-Group pro formas to get the format. Villains do tend to recur, or be recycled for future plots, so try and be as concise as possible in terms of information, and always remember to note the socker so that people know who to ask about logging that villain again.

NPCs

Do I have to do pages for the NPCs that I introduced in my plot?

The general conventions for establishing NPC pages are:

1) How large a role does the NPC have in the plot?

2) How important are they to a PC/group of PCs?

3) Will they be reappearing again in the future?

If an NPC is fundamental to a plot or PC, or they're a recurring character, odds are we'll want a page. Use the proformas: NPC-Individual, NPC-Family and NPC-Group for the formatting. In terms of categories, use the [[Category: NPCs]] category to begin with. There are four sub-categories of NPCs - Family and Friends, Students and Staff (relating to the school), Allies (relating to contacts, colleagues and resource people) and Other NPCs, who are those sitting on the fence at the time the page is created. Some may become villains, others become allies.

The NPC Family pro-forma - whose POV?

When filling out the Family page for your character, it's from the POV of the PC. So, your PC's parents, siblings, partners, etc. For example, the Forge Family are the people related to Forge, so his parents, his uncle, etc.

Updating

Editing

So, I've posted my page and it looks nifty, but I've spotted a glaring error in someone else's page/ the page someone did for me. Can I edit it?

If you see an error on an page someone else has done, yes, you may edit it.

Out of courtesy, we're trying to institute a 24 hour window after posting before leaping in and making changes to other people's pages, especially Character bios. If you spot something, ping the person and let them know. If it's still there after a week, go ahead and fix it. Most people prefer to fix their own mistakes, particularly if they're formatting issues, in order to learn the system better.

The exception to this is the Wiki editors will be going in periodically and checking for double redirects, orphan pages and incorrect links via the Wanted Pages list. It's important to keep these under control as they occur, otherwise it's an enormous task later.

My page got edited! How dare someone!

It is part of the Wiki experience that all pages put up can be edited by any of the current players. This is to provide the most accurate and detailed site possible, as well as making it about everyone, not just a chosen few. If you have problems with this, it is recommended you not participate. Your pages will be farmed out to the volunteer team.

I don't like how a page is written, can I just delete everything and start over?

Yes and no. You may certainly edit a page if you see major problems with it up to rewriting it entirely. However, blanking a page without changing the content makes it difficult for anyone else to edit the page. Because this is a wiki, and a collaborative effort, anyone can edit any page. Please keep this in mind when you are making major edits.

Updating a Character

If it's been a while

Under the History section there are timelines and month-by-month summaries for every month in XP from its beginning in May 2003. It doesn't have every minute detail, but it does cover the important points - arrivals and departures, relationships beginning and ending, powers breakthroughs, team missions and plots. Use the 'Search' function on the tool bar to look up your character's name and you'll get every reference to them that appears. If your character page is already existing, use the "What links here" function in the toolbox on the left hand side of the page to find all the links to that character.

It's also a good way to find specific dates for the purposes of linking to the journals themselves. The date an event occurred will be noted in the timeline, just go to that day in the journals and you're set.

Deletions

I screwed up. Can we delete pages?

Only sysops/editors can delete pages. If you need a page deleted, go to the Deletion Requests page and make a note of what page needs deleting and why. Also tag the page with the {{Deletion Request}} template so no-one adds anything else to it.

Conversely, you can ping one of the editors or the mods directly with the request, and they'll leave a note in the log saying why the page was removed.

Outstanding Pages and Maintenance

I've got four characters and a gazillion plots. I can't write them all!

Not a problem. If you're having difficulty with the workload, let the mods know and steps will be taken to help you out. Specifically, 'placeholder' plot and character summaries of less than 200 words to make sure there is some information up covering the basics. Full pages can then be added later, although we would like to have everything up-to-date as soon as possible in order to have things as accurate as possible.

I've done all my stuff. Is there anything else I can do?

Certainly. Once you've got your Character bios and Plot pages done, feel free to poke around and see what needs adding. You can find a rough list of pages that need some editing at Category:Pages_Requiring_Copyediting, and the outstanding links list at the Wanted Pages section under "Special Pages". At this point we're almost up-to-date, with just a few NPCs and a plot or two that haven't been finished yet.

Copyediting is also appreciated for existing pages - if you find yourself at a loose end, try using the "Random Page" link to skim through and proof read things.

How often should I update my pages?

Preferably once every six months, or after a major life change, you should update your character's biography. If you're a new player taking on an existing character, we'd ask that you update the page to reflect any changes made as a result of your application as soon as possible, so other players know what you're working from. Same goes for new players of new characters - get your page up as soon as possible. In cases where it's been a month and you haven't done so yet, the mods may use your application to put up a rough version for you to edit in future.

For plots, it helps to have the page written and uploaded no later than a month after the plot has been completed. This includes any changes to other pages as a result - for example, if you've used a pre-existing villain or NPC, make sure their page reflects this.

Is there anyone I can talk to if I have any more questions?

Certainly. Anything that isn't covered here, or in the Help pages, feel free to email the mods.

For technical questions and problems, ask Frito ()