Mod page guidelines
Basic rules
- The WAD must be a ZDoom- or GZDoom-specific WAD. This means nothing that can run in any other source port and ZDoom (a general Doom2 wad for example, or a wad that just uses DeHackEd). This also means no mods created for Skulltag/Doom Legacy/etc. An exception for Skulltag can be made if the wad is especially noteworthy (e.g., it received a Cacoward) or it is part of a series that also includes mods created for ZDoom or GZDoom. An exception for Legacy can be made if it is especially noteworthy and it works correctly in GZDoom (which is mostly but not entirely compatible with Legacy maps).
- Write as much as you can about the WAD. One or two sentences is NOT enough. You should at least include a full paragraph about the WAD. If you don't know what to write, why not play the wad for yourself first?
- Keep the writing style to a standard format. Remember you're not writing a blog, and are not trying to make witty comments here and there. Keep your style serious.
- Lists of levels, weapons, enemies are fine as long as they aren't extremely long.
- One or two screenshots should be enough. Be sure to resize them properly too.
- Graphics of other things such as weapons and monsters are also fine as long as they're small and there aren't too many of them. This isn't a website you're making.
- You must use the {{wad}} template, as explained below.
Writing a page
Before you begin writing about a WAD, you should first know five important things. The full title of the WAD, the author of the WAD, the port it is meant to be played with (ZDoom or GZDoom with whatever IWAD is needed), the status of the wad (released/WIP/dead) and the link to where you can find the WAD. These main factors can be put into the {{wad}} template at the top of a page for a quick reference. The {{wad}} template works like this:
{{Wad
| name = Supercool Doom Adventure
| author = Mr. Author
| iwad = Doom2
| type = m
| status = Released
| link = http://www.somecoolsite.com/scda.zip
}}
If there are multiple authors, then this line is more appropriate:
| authors = Mr. Author, Mr. OtherAuthor
If the source port is not ZDoom, then add this line, replacing GZDoom with the intended port. Be sure to follow wiki rules on what's appropriate.
| port = GZDoom
For iwad, use AnyDoom, Action2, Chex, Chex3, Doom, Doom2, Harmony, Hacx, Heretic, Hexen, Plutonia, TNT, Stand-alone, or Strife, and it will automatically put your mod in the proper category. "AnyDoom" will mark it as Doom, Doom2, TNT, and Plutonia. For status, use "Abandoned" or "Released" to mark the mod as either, or any other value to mark it as a work in progress.
There are the recognized types of mods:
- a: allies
- g: gameplay mod
- m: multi-level
- r: resource
- s: single-map
- t: total conversion
- w: weapon modification
Using the template properly automatically fills in all the needed categories for your mod, so you do not need to add them yourself. A full explanation of template features is here:
Then you should go ahead and write a summary or description about the WAD. If you're not sure what to write, you should play through the WAD and notice what makes it worth writing about in the first place. What levels are included? What is the theme? What ZDoom features are used? These are the sort of things that you should include in the description. Here's an example:
== Description == Supercool Doom Adventure is a 5 level Wad by Mr. Author. The WAD is set in a hellish environment where the player starts off locked away in a fiery prison. The player's goal is to escape hell and defeat the queen of hell in the process. The WAD includes new monsters, weapons, graphics and more. There are also ACS based cutscenes and many other ZDoom features.
From here you can add as many sections as you like (using the == title == dividers). You could have a Levels section for a list of levels, complete with their own descriptions. A weapons section could list all the new weapons included complete with images if you like, especially nice for weapon modifications. If the WAD has a in depth story you could add a Story section too. Use your imagination, but try not to go overboard.
At the end of the article you should include some external links. You would want a download link (and mirrors if there are any) and a link to the author's home page (if he/she has one). Any other links related to the WAD are welcome here.
Finally, you may want to add a screenshot. The correct way to do this is by first uploading the file, and then on the first line of the page put the following code: [[Image:test.png|right|thumb|230px|A Description]] replacing test.png with the uploaded file's filename and by putting a short description of what the screenshot is showing in the last field. Here is an example of this which is found on the Weapons Resource WAD article. Make sure to scale the screenshot down if it is too large. PNGs are the recommended format for the Wiki.
Example articles
Here are some articles which are good examples of what is explained above. Feel free to use them as a base or a reference to any WAD articles you write.