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General rules
- Use the Preview button.
- Follow the format of existing pages as much as possible.
- Please use our sandbox wiki to test code or bigger changes. This helps keep the main wiki clean.
Folders
All wiki pages are sorted into folders. Images, templates and categories which are only referenced by pages in a certain folder, go into the same folder.
| Manual | Game manual, information for players. |
| Manual/Game Mechanics | Detail pages for min/maxing with spoilers. |
| Manual/Tutorial | Tutorial, first contact with the game. |
| Community | Community content that does not fit anywhere. Please prefer using your personal GitHub pages/repositories/wikis for personal content. |
| Development | Developing OpenTTD and content for OpenTTD. |
| Development/Script | Information for developing AIs and GameScripts. |
| Development/NewGRF | Information for developing NewGRFs. |
| Development/Design Drafts | Draft documents for changes with larger scope. Please prefer using your personal GitHub pages/repositories/wikis for personal projects. |
| Basesets | Pages for base sets like OpenGFX, OpenMSX and OpenSFX |
| Wiki | Pages about the wiki itself. |
| Archive | Stuff that is only interesting to old people. |
| Archive/OpenTTD | History of OpenTTD, TTDPatch, and friends. |
| Archive/Manual/Settings | Old stub pages. Please improve the in-game tooltips and hints, instead of writing wiki pages about settings. |
Articles
Titles
When creating an article, imagine what will be searched for.
e.g. A player wanting to know about Industries will most likely search for "industries", not industry.
When in doubt (which shouldn't be often), use singular.
Images
Use whatever format works best. PNG files are the best choice for most OpenTTD graphics. This is typical:
| Code | Result |
|---|---|
[[File:en/Archive/Manual/Settings/Longerbridges.png|frame|Image caption]] |
 Image caption |
Annotated screenshots
Format for labelling screenshots
If you are posting screenshots to explain game concepts or junctions you should keep the amount of explanatory text in the actual image to a minimum and instead make reference to labelled parts in the main text. The labelled parts should be done in a contrasting colour (for temperate climate, white is good) using an anti-aliased sans-serif font in bold on a transparent background. Arrows can be used if needed but it is better to position the label near the item to be explained. The image on the right is an example of this format (but remember the labels don't necessarily have to be letters or numbers as long as they don't clutter the screenshot and leave the job of explaining what's going on to the main text).
Screenshots of windows
If you need to include a screenshot of a game window, try to make sure you crop it to exactly the edges of the window for a more professional appearance. OpenTTD windows are perfect rectangles so this should be easy enough - zoom in if necessary.
Walkthroughs
Use ordered or unordered lists to separate steps:
| Code | Result |
|---|---|
#step 1 #step 2 #* step 2 note #* step 2 note
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Game version
Concentrate on writing manual pages for the latest release version, not the Nightly build or patch packs. If you really must include a non-release feature, mark the section with the {{en/Nightly}} or similar template.
British vs American English
The original TTD was British, so:
- British English is the official English of this wiki.
- The pound (£) is the official currency. You may place dollars ($) in parentheses after Pound quantities.
- Metric units are official. You may place imperial units in parentheses after metric units.
When quoting an in-game button, menu item, command etc. italics should be used, without quotation marks. For example:
To adjust patch settings click Configure Patches.
Use of "meta" words
Avoid using the word wiki and other words describing the mechanics unless it's absolutely necessary. The name of what you are editing is documentation, manual, tutorial etc. - the wiki is just the medium for delivery, so ideally it shouldn't be mentioned.
A similar thing goes for things like "page", "section" or "link" when linking to other pages - you should use the page's title as the link text. A good way to decide on this sort of thing is to imagine it as a printed document and see if it makes sense - obviously the word "click" doesn't make sense in that context.
We are aiming for media-independent information here that's useful in whatever format it ends up as. Of course meta words can be appropriate if it's an article like this one about how to use the wiki.
Templates
Templates format
Use the same format as {{en/Nightly}}. Include instructions for other users!
Pick the colour scheme best suited to the message you want to convey - red for impending doom (e.g. deletion), yellow for warning, green for current tasks, blue for information.
Common templates
See here for a list of commonly used templates.