BatenKaitos:Manual of Style

As a project, the Baten Kaitos wiki has a set of goals to achieve and ways in which those goals may best be achieved. The objective of the Baten Kaitos wiki is thus to create a well-rounded and well-informed unofficial source for all aspects of Baten Kaitos canon.

This article outlines the standards for clean, organized, consistently structured articles for the Baten Kaitos wiki.

General editing concerns
A wiki article must be as clear as possible for its readers, and so our purpose in writing articles and filling out this wiki is to make each article as clear and understandable as possible, while maintaining a high standard of information.

Spelling and grammar
Proper spelling and grammar is essential to a well-written wiki. We ask that you make your best effort to use proper spelling and grammar and a sophisticated, neutral tone when writing. Please make use of a spell checker (many browsers have spell check built into them, or as an optional plugin), and make sure the spellings you're using for in-game names is the correct one used in canon.

Writing tips
Here are some general tips to keep in mind when writing:

Keep your writing concise. Don't use two words where one will do. Keeping your writing simple will make it easy to understand and easy to expand on. Use complete sentences in the body of the article.

Keep all of the topics you cover within the scope of the article. If you're writing about Alfard and you touch on its past conflicts with Diadem, the article on Alfard is not the place to expand on details about Diadem itself. Instead, you should provide a link to the article on Diadem.

Write from an impersonal perspective. Do not use "I", and always keep your writing as neutral as possible. This means keeping your personal opinions out of the article. We don't care if you think Lyude is the best ever and Kalas is a poopface; keep it objective.

Be bold. If you know something is wrong, correct it. If you think you could word something better, write it. If an article has a glaring deficiency, fill it. Even if your first attempt isn't golden, you can fix it later or someone else will come along and fix it for you. Don't be afraid to screw up.

Factual content
Please only put information that has been confirmed to be canon in articles on this wiki. Elements that are heavily implied to be canon should be indicated as such. In the case of canon facts that are mentioned by a character only once or twice, we recommend that you reference the character and game for verification. For instance, In Origins, X mentions that... However, we strongly discourage stating conjecture as canon fact, as this wiki is meant to be a reliable source for canon fact checking. If conjecture and fan theories are significant to an article, however, we encourage making a separate header for this information, so as to distinguish it from canon fact.

We highly encourage the use of talk pages to discuss elements of canon, especially where there may be points of conflict or need for verification.

Usage of Japanese names
The caption field of most infoboxes are the place in which a character, place, or item's Japanese name is placed. The format should be Japanese characters, followed by the Japanese romanization (as found in official Japanese sources) in italics, but only if it differs from the official English name. If it does not, romaji should instead be placed in italics. The lead section of an article should also include the same format in parentheses immediately following the English name. The Japanese item of most Magnus is omitted and not compulsory because of the lack of reliable sources to supply the Japanese names.

The majority of names of characters and places are unchanged from the Japanese to localized versions, but there are a few exceptions. In cases where the name includes kanji, we ask that you not insert the kanji if you're uncertain if those are the correct kanji. When in doubt, stick to kana, and someone more knowledgeable will fill it in later.

Article Layout
The layout of an article is important to its readability, and ensuring consistency among articles of the same type makes for a better navigational experience overall.

Naming Conventions
Consistency in naming articles is important to the overall quality of the wiki, so we've laid out some guidelines to be helpful:


 * Capitalization. Unless it is usually capitalized on its own (such as the title of a game or name of a Magnus), only the first word of the article title should be capitalized.
 * Name order. All articles concerning people with full names use Western name order. With articles about Japanese people, the article name should follow the Western order, and the parenthetical notation of the Japanese name in the lead section should follow Japanese name order. For example: the page on the music composer for the games should be called Motoi Sakuraba, but the lead section of the article should contain (桜庭統 Sakuraba Motoi).
 * All pages on Magnus should follow the format Magnus name (Magnus), so as to differentiate any discrepancies between articles who may potentially have the same name.
 * Similarly, all pages on enemies (such as monsters or other baddies and bosses who are not named characters) should follow a similar format of Enemy name (enemy).

These rules apply to the naming of section headers and categories as well as page names.

Infoboxes
Every article type that has an infobox template should have the appropriate infobox, filled out to the best of canon knowledge, inserted into the article. Fields whose information is not applicable or unknown in canon should be marked as such.

For more information on how to use infoboxes, please see BatenKaitos:Using infoboxes.

Table of Contents
Articles with four or more headings will automatically have a left-aligned table of contents generated. If you wish to force a table of contents on a page with less than four headings, you may use the following markup:. If for any reason you must forcibly remove the table of contents from a page that would normally have them, you may use, but this is heavily discouraged.

Categories
All articles should be tagged appropriately with all categories that apply to it. Don't worry about an article being in "too many" categories -- properly categorizing articles makes the wiki easier to navigate. You can see all of the wiki's categories at Special:Categories. New categories should be created if there's one missing, but be sure to check the categories list thoroughly before creating a new category.

Images
In-game images should only be official art (screenshots are accepted where scans are not available). We'd like as many articles to have images as possible; however, for articles such as those on individual Magnus, or characters without in-game portraits or official art, it's not necessary.

Navigation Boxes
Another part of our project to make the wiki more navigable includes the implementation of navigation boxes. More information about this will be available when we implement this feature.

Any navigation boxes and project links should come at the bottom of the article.

Types of Articles
Because this wiki strives to be as complete a collection of information possible, there are a wide variety of articles posted here.

Games
The source content of this wiki, it is essential that the articles on both the games be clear and concise. Both articles should have the game infobox placed at the start of the article and filled out fully, as well as contain the following information:


 * The general plot and a list of the main characters featured in this game.


 * A concise description of the gameplay and mechanics; this section should also focus on comparing and contrasting the difference in gameplay between the two games (i.e., features that are unique to this game).


 * Information on its development and release in all regions.


 * Information concerning its reception and sales.

Characters
There are two types of character articles: articles about playable characters, and articles about non-playable characters. The latter category includes all non-playable characters; minor, one-line NPCs as well as plot-important villains.

Every character page should have its appropriate infobox inserted at the start of the article and the following information, to the best of canon knowledge, each under its own section heading, in the following order:


 * The lead section. The lead section of an article is the small blurb occurring before the first section header, and briefly summarizes and introduces the character without going into much detail. Lead sections should never contain important spoilers for the character. Unless the page is very short (not to be confused with a stub), such as information on Magnus or very minor NPCs, a lead section is always required. A good rule of thumb is if the article is long enough to have a table of contents, it needs a lead section.
 * A section on the personality of the character, under the heading character. Please include canon details only.
 * The character's background, as established by canon. Any important events that occur during the time of the games should be included as well, preferably separated by smaller headers indicating which game. Even if the character only appears in one game, events from that game should be placed in its own subheader.
 * An in-depth explanation of the character's battle style, where applicable. This can include the type of weapon they use, preferred magnus elements, finishing moves, etc. If the character also functions as an enemy at any point in the game, a separate subheader may be used for that as well. Collapsible tables should be used for enemy/boss battle information (template pending).
 * A section on character relations may also be included, to expand on this character's relationships, friendships, and interactions with other characters.
 * A section on Magnus specific to this character (such as class up and equippable items, or quest Magnus that affect this character), if applicable, should go here.
 * An optional trivia section may also be included for various bits of information that don't fit well elsewhere, such as namesakes, etc.
 * An optional see also section may be added at the end of the article (but before any navigational templates) for links to relevant articles, such as relatives of the character, relevant locations, or special Magnus the character uses.

Locations
Each location in the game -- island, city, dungeon, etc. -- should have its own article. There are infoboxes for islands, cities, and other areas, which this wiki classifies as dungeons.

Islands
Islands include not only the nations of the Sky, but also islands such as the Celestial Alps and free-floating locations such as the Endmost Bethel. For all intents and purposes, locations such as Duhr and the land visited in the Age of the Gods also count as islands.

Each island page should have the island infobox and the following information, to the best of canon knowledge, each under its own section heading, in the following order:


 * The lead section. As with character pages, the lead section introduces the island with a brief overview.
 * The topography of the island, which should include its appearance and distinct geological or topographical features.
 * The culture of the nation, if it applies (some islands are not nations and have no cultures to speak of). This section can also include information about the government, technology, and economy of the island.
 * The history of the island, such as past wars or involvement in such, economic milestones, etc.
 * Notable locations on this island or nation; this includes all locations visitable in either of the games.
 * Notable people from this island should be included as well, but is not as important as the other sections; please limit it to more influential or plot-relevant characters.
 * An optional trivia section may also be included for various bits of information that don't fit well elsewhere, such as namesakes, etc.
 * An optional see also section may also be included for relevant links that have not been mentioned already.

Cities
Cities include all locations visitable inside an island or other such location where monsters are not typically found and which are usually populated by humans. As the locations visited in the Age of the Gods are all part of one landmass, all non-dungeon locations should be categorized as cities.

Each city page should have the following information, to the best of canon knowledge, each under its own section heading, in the following order:


 * The lead section. As with island pages, the lead section introduces the city with a brief overview. It is recommended that the lead section indicate which island the city is on and what era it exists in.
 * Notable features should include a physical description of the city, such as its layout and architectural designs.
 * The culture of the city, as it has been shown that individual cities and towns inside the same nation can be diverse. This section should focus on features unique to the city, not topics covered in the culture section of the island.
 * An optional section on the history of the city may be included, to note any important historical events to do with the city.
 * A characters section should be included to list all named NPCs of importance and playable or major characters who can be found here (as well as the respective games this is true for). Note that this is not a place to list characters for whom this is a hometown, merely characters who can be met or picked up here.
 * An optional trivia section may also be included for various bits of information that don't fit well elsewhere, such as namesakes, etc.
 * An optional see also section may also be included for relevant links that have not been mentioned already.

Dungeons
Dungeons cover all areas that are not cities or towns; typically, they are areas that are inhabited by monsters. Though this term includes to such areas as forests and paths that connect towns and may not necessarily contain boss fights, we use the umbrella term "dungeon".

Each dungeon page should have the following information, to the best of canon knowledge, each under its own section heading, in the following order:


 * The lead section. As with all other pages, the lead section introduces the area with a brief overview. It is recommended that the lead section indicate which island the dungeon is on and what era it exists in.
 * Notable features should include a physical description of the area, such as its layout and architectural or natural features.
 * An optional section on the history of the dungeon may be included, if any relevant historical events can be noted.
 * A characters section should be included to list all named NPCs and playable or major characters who can be found here (as well as the respective games this is true for).
 * An enemies section should be included to list all enemies who can be encountered here, as well as the games they are true for.
 * An optional trivia section may also be included for various bits of information that don't fit well elsewhere, such as namesakes, etc.
 * An optional see also section may also be included for relevant links that have not been mentioned already.

Items
There are many types of items in the game, but mostly they can be broken down into a few categories: valuable items, battle Magnus (Magnus you can put into your decks), quest Magnus, camp Magnus, photo Magnus, equip Magnus, and class-up Magnus (the last four of which appear only in the first game). Both valuable items and Magnus have their own infoboxes.

Valuable items
Valuable items are the key items that are picked up throughout the course of the games and cannot be discarded, nor do they age. All valuable items articles should have the valuable item infobox.

Most articles on valuable items will be short, but should include a description of the item and its plot relevance, and optionally, trivia and see also sections at the end of the article.

Battle Magnus
Battle Magnus are all Magnus that are insertable into a deck in either game. In Baten Kaitos Origins, battle Magnus make up all Magnus that are not quest Magnus. Battle Magnus articles should have the Magnus infobox filled out with the appropriate fields.

Although the infobox covers much of the basic information, the article should be used for expanding on this Magnus wherever possible. Obviously, some Magnus will have longer articles than others, but things you may want to include in the article are locations where it can be found or bought, any plot significance, and expanding on SP Combo formulas, especially if it's included in more than one. Optional trivia and see also sections may also be added at the end of the article.

Enemies
Enemies include monsters and human enemies faced in battle, bosses, and recurring villains. As recurring villains and some bosses may be plot-important NPCs, their page defaults to being a character page, which should include their battle information in addition to character information. All non-character enemies (monsters or human), as indicated above, should have (enemy) added to the page name in order to differentiate it from other pages, such as Magnus, which might have the same name. Example: the page for Cancerites should be titled Cancerite (enemy).

Gameplay/Mechanics
Although there is not currently a focus on writing articles exploring the deeper foundations of the game mechanics of either of the games, more general articles on key points of gameplay or game design are appreciated.

Since articles that fall under this category cover a broad range of topics, there are not currently any specific guidelines to adhere to.

Meta
Meta information is not currently a primary focus of this wiki, but any information on meta elements of the game series would be much appreciated nonetheless. Meta elements include people involved in the making of the games, such as voice actors and game staff. Fan theories and other aspects of the Baten Kaitos fandom also fall under this category, and articles on this subject are also welcome.

Other
All other types of articles that don't fall into the above categories. Many of these will not require infoboxes, but we still strive to expand these articles to the best of our ability.