LOTC:Wiki Guide

This guide contains all the steps required for a player, such as yourself, to gain access to the wiki and submit their first wiki page. It will help you on how to start browsing the wiki, how to get an account, and of course, how to create pages with proper formatting.

Quick access to: Tasks and the Rulebook

Is it possible to work on the LotC Wiki?

Absolutely! Anyone who isn't currently banned on the server or the wiki can apply for a wiki account in the #wiki-account-request channel of the main LotC Discord, or apply for the Wiki Team here. After receiving your request, a Wiki Team Member will create a temporary password for you, which will be sent to the email you entered. With that, you can log into your Wiki Account and edit your password. You have now gained access to edit the Wiki!

What's the difference between joining the Wiki Team and just having a wiki account?

If you get an account through #wiki-account-request, you’ll get a standard wiki account. The differences between these and those provided to Wiki Team members are:

• Standard accounts can’t edit protected pages, such as the Main Page.
• Standard accounts do not have bot privileges, and can’t use automated editing tools.
• Standard accounts can’t create new accounts, block or delete accounts.
• And, standard accounts can’t delete, move, or protect wiki pages.

Otherwise, you can do anything not mentioned. You can edit and improve any unprotected page (94.9%, or about 100 out of 2500 are protected), create new pages, upload images you need for pages, etc.

Are there rules I should follow?

Wikis are all about everyone coming together to make a fantastic, collective source of information. But, there are a few rules we must follow, to ensure everyone can work together on this massive project. The full list of rules can be found on the Wiki Rulebook, but in short:

Maintain a neutral and unbiased point of view

This especially applies to pages on nations, wars, battles, and guilds. The pages should remain factual, clear-cut and neutral to avoid conflict with other players.

The wiki is not a battleground

The wiki is not about winning or losing. Holding grudges against other editors who disagree with you only creates unnecessary drama and negative effects that distract others from improving the wiki.

Be willing to discuss your edits with your fellow editors

No matter how mundane your edits or how right you think you are, there will be times when other editors will object to, revert, or otherwise question your edits. In these cases, you must be prepared to discuss and justify your contributions. This is the role of "Talk page" discussion, don't be afraid to use it or contact an editor directly if you disagree with their edit. Keep it civil.

Ignore all rules

The last, secret rule. Mostly for veteran editors, if a rule would prevent you from improving, or preventing harm to, the wiki, then just ignore it. However, be certain that what you are doing would really improve the wiki and is not just something that you want to do. Be prepared to justify your actions to anybody with a reasonable objection, you cannot invoke this rule as a catch-all defense.

How do I create a page?

To create the page, first search the title you want for the page in the search bar. Make sure to use the exact wording that you wish the final title to have. If a similar topic appears in the results and has already been covered, do not create a duplicate page. Once confirming that the page has not been created yet, the option to create the page should appear in red at the top of the list. Clicking on this red link leads to the creation box. From there onward you can begin building your perfect page.

What are Backbones and should I use one?

Backbones are pre-coded formats that people can use on the wiki to keep pages on a similar topic formatted the same, and to give newer editors a place to start building their page from. Most are designed to let you start filling out tables without knowing any Wikitext (the code of the wiki), which makes them very user-friendly. Though not required, it is encouraged to use them as a base for your page, to keep all pages on a topic looking somewhat the same. Backbones are in no way set in stone, and can be modified as seen fit to improve the page.

How do I format my text?

There's no reason to rewrite the book on this one, Mediawiki has a fantastic resource to get you started with basic formatting on Mediawikis like this one. At the bottom of the page, you'll find lots of useful links going into other areas as well, such as formatting with images and using links.

How do I add categories?

Adding one or more categories to the bottom of your page is essential. It makes things more organized, of course also means it's easier to find your page. To add a category simply put [[Category:categoryname]] at the bottom of your page. We are using the following categories for our pages:

If none of these categories apply to an existing page, or a page you'd like to make, contact a Wiki Team Member. We're trying to keep the categories uniform so that it's easy to always find what you're looking for, and want to keep it clear as possible, with little overlap.

How do I preview my page?

Preview all your changes to ensure they are appearing as intended by clicking the Show preview button at the bottom of the edit window. This is highly encouraged over saving multiple times to correct errors as this is a burden on the people trying to sort through the recent changes.

Can I post my page now?

After putting in all of your information, one last thing to do when using a backbone is to go to the very bottom and make sure to remove <noinclude>[[Category:Backbone]]</noinclude> if you haven't already done this. This is to help with the organization and categorization of the wiki, as leaving it labels the page as a backbone, which can be confusing to others looking for backbones themselves.

Once that is done, if the page is unfinished, don't be afraid to add a template to the top of the page letting people know. You can add {{stub}}, which will encourage others to add more to the page if the come across it, or just let them know it's not complete. Then, do one final preview, and if everything's the way you'd like, you can finally click the Save changes button.

---