Help:Style guide

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This style guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview for how articles on the MaGMML Wiki should be written and formatted.

Use the preview button

Under the page editor box, next to the "Save page" button, is the "Show preview" button. Clicking on it will allow you to see a preview of the page with your edits before it is published to the database. It is strongly recommended that you use this before saving to proofread any edits you've made. For instance, you can check for spelling and punctuation, check that any wikilinks are correct, and that images are where they are supposed to be.

Using this preview to check for errors avoids creating a string of revisions in the page's history and the Special:Recentchanges list, making it easier for editors to read and understand what specifically has been changed.

Minor and major edits

When making an edit, you have the option to mark it as a minor edit. This should be done when your edit is primarily done to correct spelling mistakes, add links, or add/remove a single word. This way, other Wiki editors can choose to hide minor edits when looking at the page history or the Special:Recentchanges page.

Article titles

Article titles are written based on how they are spelled in-game; for example, "Enkers Revengeance" is not corrected to "Enker's Revengeance", and "Stalling for time" does not use proper capitalization ("Stalling For Time"). If a game update corrects a typo or misspelling in a subject's name, it is considered to have overwritten the previous name: the page should be moved to the new title accordingly, and all relevant links updated to use it.

Section titles

For sections, all articles use Level 2 headings, denoted by two equal marks "==" on either side of the word ("==Strategy=="), with an additional equal mark being added for each subheading in that section. Do not use a Level 1 heading (one equal mark on either side), as this is reserved for the page title. If a page has more than three sections, a table of contents will be automatically generated. Do not try to make your own headings by bolding words, as they will not show up in this table.

Links

When a subject with a page is mentioned on another page, only the first use of that subject should be linked; for example, "The Ice Slasher is a weapon. Unlike the Ice Slasher from the original game." There are cases where this may be relaxed, such as in tables or on long pages where the subject goes unmentioned for a significant amount of text. When the plural or possessive version of a link, for instance Metalls or Cut Man's, you can simply type an "s" after the link ([[Metall]]s, [[Cut Man]]'s); using [[Metall|Metalls]] or [[Cut Man|Cut Man's]] is not necessary.

Linking to a page more than once is permitted (and may be recommended) if linking to a specific section of that page; for instance, linking to The Mega Arena by using [[The Arena#The Mega Arena|The Mega Arena]] after linking to The Arena once before, or linking to the "Variants" section of an enemy or boss (e.g. "Sonic Man and Lich Man are on opposite ends of the level").

Writing advice

Information on the wiki should be factual. Avoid speculation, personal commentary, or unsourced information. The MaGMML Wiki predominantly uses American English, although British English is also permissable. For instance, "color" and "colour", "organize" and "organise", and "center" and "centre" are all valid spellings.

When quoting something from the game itself (e.g. judge comments), it should be spelled exactly the same as it appears in-game. If a piece of text has a mistake, put {{sic}} after the mistake in question to inform readers that it isn't a typo on the wiki.

The first instance of a page's subject should be rendered in bold letters so that it stands out from the rest of the text. Bold letters may also be used for emphasis, though italics is typically preferred. That being said, use your judgement when it comes to emphasis: too much of it means it lacks the desired impact.

Numbers should typically be written as words; for instance, instead of writing "Sniper Joe will shoot 1-4 shots before jumping 1-3 times for 5 seconds," write, "Sniper Joe will shoot one to four shots before jumping one to three times for five seconds". This is not necessary for larger numbers (e.g. 20, 10,000), or in the context of specific data (e.g. "the spikes here do 7 points of damage", or "At 13 HP, the boss's attacks get stronger".

Try to add as much information as you can in one edit, rather than doing it incrementaly. If a section is unfinished or in progress, do not leave a "TBC" or instructions for other editors. Instead, use the {{UnderConstruction}} template to indicate a page is still being actively worked on. In some cases, a more specific template may be required; if a boss or level is missing a detailed strategy, use the {{NeedsStrategy}} template. If a section or page is short and missing key information, the {{Stub}} template may be used.

Do not reply or respond to content others have posted. If you think something needs discussion, discuss it either on the article's talk page or on the official MaGMML Discord. If you think something needs to be changed or added onto and no discussion is necessary, just change it.

Page structure

A typical level article will be split into the following sections:

  • An infobox, containing a screenshot of the level and information on the level's creator(s), placement, collectables, assets, music etc.
  • An introduction paragraph that gives a brief overview of the level in question.
  • Strategy – A detailed walkthrough of the stage itself, chiefly offering advice and solutions to tricky parts of the stage rather than being a "screen for screen" recap.
  • Skip Status – Why the level in question is skippable (where applicable).
  • Judge Comments – A table containing the judge comments (where applicable).
  • Trivia – Relevant trivia pertaining to the level itself. If a piece of triva pertains to a subject with its own page, it should be placed on that subject's page.
  • External Links – Further information about the level found off-site; this can be developer commentary on sites like YouTube.
  • Categories

All information should be written in a neutral, encyclopedic, third-person perspective, without using slang, casual language, or referential terms to the player. For example, sentences like "Bomb Man will chuck bombs at you, but use the Flame Mixer and they won't go boom on you." should be written as, "Bomb Man will toss bombs at Mega Man, but by using the Flame Mixer, they can be destroyed without causing them to explode." There may be cases where "the player" is permitted or preferred over "Mega Man", typically when it comes to "meta" information pertaining to facts outside of the game (e.g. "A planned section was cut as John Smith felt the player would have found it too difficult.").

Infoboxes

Subject pages on the wiki typically have infoboxes, which contain information pertaining to that subject. It is advised that you read the information on the relevant infobox and its contents before adding it.

Italics

Italics should be used when referencing a work title, for instance Cyborg 009. All instances of "MaGMML" should be italicized.

Game abbreviations

Each game is abbreviated in a different way:

  • Make a Good Mega Man Level – MaGMML or MaGMML1
  • Make a Good Mega Man Level Remastered – MaGMML1R
  • Make a Good Mega Man Level 2 – MaGMML2
  • Make a Good Mega Man Level 3 – MaGMML3
  • Make a Good 24 Hour Mega Man Level – MaG24HMML
  • Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level – MaG48HMML
  • Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero – MaGMML: Episode Zero

When using these abbreviations, the game title in question should be spelled out in full at least once prior. Note that the "a" in MaGMML is never capitalized.

Using text from other sources

Please avoid copypasting text from other websites. Even if it conveys the same information, we would prefer the content of this Wiki to be original. You may use existing text as a reference, but composing your own text is strongly encouraged.

Images

Avoid nondescript filenames. "mylevel.png" or "mega man fights wily.png" are vague and don't convey what the screenshot depicts. A string of numbers and letters (e.g. "3g4gsoi4e89bleH.png") is even less helpful, and should never be used. Try to keep the filesize of images to a minimum so that page load times are kept to a minimum. PNG is the preferred format for the wiki, though a GIF format may be helpful for a few images – these, however, should be used sparingly.

Screenshots

When uploading a screenshot of a stage, it should be taken as a direct capture from the game itself (i.e. by pressing F9). Use of the PrtScr key and/or external screen capture software is not advised, as this can lead to quality loss. In most cases, only one screenshot (for the infobox) is necessary, though some levels may warrant additional screenshots.

Screenshots intended for the infobox should be uploaded with the filename format "[Game Name]-[Level Placement]-[Level Name]", e.g. "MaG48HMML-76-StormyTower.png". If it is a hub area, the format "[Game Name]-[Hub Name]" is used instead, e.g. "MaGMML-Tier1.png". While they can be uploaded at varying sizes, the infobox should always display them at a 256 × 224 resolution; to do this, place "|256px" after the filename but before the closing brackets.

A "main" screenshot should follow these guidelines:

  • The level or area should be depicted in a way that is clear, eye-catching, and best illustrates it to the reader in a single image. This can include having a major enemy or gimmick in focus, or showing a notable challenge or area in the level.
  • Try to avoid having static player poses or big, empty screenshots with nothing in them.
  • Make sure the player is clearly identifiable in the screenshot; for instance, with MaGMML2, a screenshot should not have the Rockman CX costume in a predominantly grey area, as it blends in with the rest of the image and is difficult to see.
  • Use the minimum amount of HUB elements; do not include damage popup numbers, the FPS counter, the controller display etc.
  • Avoid showing spoilers where possible; e.g. if a hub area has an NPC that only appears in the postgame, do not show that NPC in the screenshot.
  • All screenshots should use in-game costumes; do not use custom costumes. Custom costumes included with the default game, e.g. Cirno in MaG48HMML, however, may be used.

Sprites

As a general rule, sprite uploads of NPCs, enemies, bosses, and similar entities should always be facing left. Sprite uploads of the player character (e.g. weapons, costumes) should face right. Sprite uploads should generally follow the format "[Entity Name]" without spaces (e.g. "BigStomper.png"), although in certain cases a more specific filename may be used if the subject's sprite differs between games (e.g. "MaGMML2 DynaMan.png" and "MaGMML3 DynaMan.png". Mugshot uploads should follow the format "[Entity Name]Mugshot" (e.g. "CommandoManMugshot.png"), unless it too differs between games.

Artwork

Only officially sanctioned artwork should be uploaded to the wiki. This includes official Capcom art, artwork created by the MaGMML devteam, or original artwork from the subject's creator (with permission). Fan art should not be uploaded here, and may be subject to deletion.

Categories

At the bottom of each page are a list of relevant categories. Each page should have the appropriate categories listed; for instance, a custom enemy from MaGMML2 should be listed under Category:Enemies and Category:Custom Enemies (MaGMML2). For organizational purposes, avoid linking the category for the game as a whole on a page, unless there are no other specific categories that are applicable to them. Instead, the game category should be listed on the relevant category page: think of the game category as a tree trunk, and the various categories for that game's tiers, levels, bosses etc. as branches spreading out from that tree.

As an example, Hopping High Above Danger does not have Category:Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level, and is instead listed under Category:Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level Stages, which is a subcategory of Category:Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level.

Helpful page examples

Below, you can find a handful of pages that meet the standard of quality the MaGMML Wiki strives to achieve. When creating a new page or updating an existing one, it is recommended that you refer to them as a reference:

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