Gswiki:Style guide/Pay events

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Pay event articles give players information on events run in Gemstone IV that require SimuCoins to participate in activities, shopping, or merchanting. Pay events are multi-day events that require alternate currency acquired through SimuCoin entries to participate in. The most notable pay events are held in February, April, August, and October each year, often with new updates to their offerings. Additionally, there are smaller, automated quests that can be run regularly with little to no intervention from Gamemasters. The grounds require participants to be transported to them through special means, either portals located in specifically noted rooms, or by utilizing the verb QUEST TRANSPORT (event). With the exception of Ebon Gate Festival, pay events have traditionally been held in a single venue location. Additionally, Rings of Lumnis is categorized as a pay event due to it primarily requiring SimuCoin entries in order to participate in the Trials of Lumnis, however there are shops that accept silvers for purchases.

Main Article Format

All pay event article pages should follow a standard format to ensure consistency across these pages when presented to users.

Article Name

In order to ensure information is maintained in an organized manner, the pay event article should be set up as a category page, with the name reflective of the overall event, ex. Category:Duskruin as opposed to Category:Duskruin Arena when Duskruin Arena is one activity that occurs during the overall event of Duskruin. Having the page set up as a category page allows for all pertinent articles, subarticles/pages, and subcategories to be properly organized with it, and eliminates the chance of redundancy when separating the category and main article.

When considering multi-venue events, such as Ebon Gate Festival, there should be an overall category page for event, with venue (colloquially: location) information separated into their own categories under it. For information on handling multi-venue pay events, please see Multi-Venue Article Format.

Artwork/Maps

Promotional artwork for an event, if available, should be the first item entered into the wiki editor in order to ensure it aligns properly with the contents of the page. For the purposes of accessibility, the image should be captioned and provide alternative text describing the image which will be accessible. This allows those with visual impairments who rely on screen readers, as well as those who may use a browser that does not allow for image displays, to view the text description of the image. The code entered for the artwork should be [[Image:(File name.extension)|550px|right|(caption)|alt=(alternative text/image description)]], ex. [[Image:Duskruin Aug2023.jpg|550px|right|Duskruin - Bloodriven Brawl|alt=Five fighters stand positioned to fight.]]. Entering it in this manner will align the artwork in the top right hand corner at a reasonable size for the page.

If promotional artwork is unavailable, using a player-created map in its place is recommended, if available. The code for a player-created map will differ from that of promotional artwork as it will require proper attribution as noted in GSWiki:Policy - Copyrights. Maps would typically be set up at a reasonable size for the page, but as a thumbnail to allow the image to be captioned, ex. [[Image:Fest-naidem-part1-1696171838.png|400px|right|Map of Festival of Lumnea 2018]]. As maps are not easily described for the purpose of accessibility, alternative text may be omitted for them.

Table of Contents

If promotional artwork or player-created maps are unavailable for an event, the first item to be entered into the wiki editor is the table of contents. Otherwise, the table of contents will follow the code entry for the artwork/map. The table of contents should be set up as right page aligned, where it will show up underneath the artwork or in the top right hand corner of the page. The reason for the right alignment is due to the length the table of contents may grow to depending on the amount of subheaders in the article. This should be entered as {{TOCright}}.

Introduction

An introductory sentence or paragraph should follow the table of contents entry. If any part of the page has collapsible sections or tables, a "toggle all content" toggle is required at the top of the page, after the introduction. Please see Collapsed Section help page for instructions on how to do this.

Subheaders

Subheaders should be used to disseminate information properly, with the key information at the top, and additional information, by order of importance towards the bottom. As pay events tend to be larger in scope, the amount of information that should be displayed is often much larger than that of free festivals. Below is a list of Subheaders and their order of importance, starting from top to bottom:

  • Run Dates - Run Dates should follow the page's introduction as ==Subheader2==. These are dates during which the event runs, and should also include a list of prior run dates, in descending order (newest first). If the event has been running for several years, consider putting into a collapsible table, with the current run date separate. Please see Duskruin Run Dates for an example.
  • Activities - Activities should follow the page's Run Dates subheader as ==Subheader 2==. This is a list of activities available during the event, as well as places of special interest, and will vary from across the different pay events.
  • Features - Features should follow the page's Activities subheader as ==Subheader 2==.
    • Currency - This subheader falls under Features as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection will cover information regarding what the event's currency is.
    • Shopping - This subheader falls under Features as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection will cover information regarding where to shop at the event.
    • Additional subsections under Features will vary across events, however they should focus on areas that participants may spend the event's currency.
  • Lore - This is an optional subheader to be used dependent on the event and would be set up as <nowiki>==Subheader 2==</nowiki>. This should house links to official documentation regarding the event, if any.
  • Storyline Information - This is an optional subheader to be used dependent on the event and would be set up as ==Subheader 2==. This subsection is mostly used with the Ebon Gate Festival, and should house links to pertinent storyline information pages with a brief overview of that year's storyline.
  • Quest Information - This is an optional subheader to be used dependent on the event and would be set up as ==Subheader 2==. Similar to Storyline Information, this subsection is mostly used with the Ebon Gate Festival, and should house links to pertinent quest information pages with a brief overview of that year's quest, if any.
  • Additional Information - The Additional Information subsection, if applicable, offers additional information to supplement the verb article and should be entered as ==Subheader 2==, ex. ==Additional Information==.
    • Pricing - This subheader falls under Additional Information as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection should contain a table that explains the pricing structure for participation based on SimuCoin cost.
    • Portal or Travel Info - This subheader falls under Additional Information as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection should explain how to travel to the festival grounds.
    • Verbs - This subheader falls under Additional Information as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection should house transcluded information covering which verbs are pertinent to the event.
    • Saved Posts, Teasers, and Announcements - This subheader falls under Additional Information as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection should house links to the corresponding subpages for information.
    • TownCrier Articles - This is an optional subheader that would fall under Additional Information as ===Subheader 3===. This subsection should house links to TownCrier articles regarding the event.
    • Additional subsections under Additional Information will vary across events, however they should focus on items and information not covered in other subsections.
  • Artwork Archive - These should be links to the artwork category for the event, which includes promotional artwork and any maps created, either by players or as an ASCII image in game.
    • In order to ensure accessibility for users utilizing screen readers during wiki use, the artwork archives should be set up as gallery, packed mode gallery (ex. <gallery mode="packed">. Subheaders for this should be set up as ==Subheader 2==, with the headers themselves being "Promotional Artwork," which will contain the event's promotional artwork produced by Simutronics, and "Player-Created Maps." The images should be listed in a gallery in descending order and should include the image file, caption, and alt text that describes the image in order for screen readers to capture. Additionally, when adding the images, "Image:" should be used in place of "File:" to ensure it is clear to screen readers that the file is an image. For an example of how these images would appear in the category page, please see the Duskruin artwork archive.
Example Code Setup
<gallery mode="packed">
Image:(image file)|<big>'''Image Caption'''</big>|alt=(Image Description)
Image:(2nd image file)|<big>'''Image Caption'''</big>|alt=(Image Description)
</gallery>
  • Resources - The Resources subheader, if applicable, should be used as ==Subheader 2== if there are external links with information to supplement the article.
  • See Also - The See Also subheader, if applicable, should be used as ==Subheader 2== if there are internal links with information to supplement the article, while not tied specifically to the festival article. This could include links regarding lore or the location in which the festival is held in or near.

Categories

The main pay event category page should only have the pay events category listed.

Subpages

Due to the nature of pay events, the only subpages that should be created are those for saved posts which would additionally contain announcements. These should be consolidated into a single page for the instance/year and set up as a subpage to the event category's redirect page, (event name)/saved posts (instance/year). In the event that saved posts are specific to event activities or item releases, the saved post/announcement should be posted first to the relevant individual article's saved posts subpage, then transcluded to the overall event saved posts subpage.

The overall event saved posts subpage should be be categorized in the event's saved posts category, ex. [[Category:(event) saved posts]]

Individual Article Formatting

Individual pages regarding activities pertaining to the event should be set up in a similar way to the main page, but not be created as a category page. This page should include details about the event, including prizes, and any titles, if available. See Duskruin Arena for an example. These should also include links to the other similar activities.

Saved Posts

When saved posts are catalogued for articles, such as information specific to items being released, or new updates to event activies, they should be transcluded to the main saved posts page for the appropriate run date. These do not need to be categorized under the event's saved posts category. Only the main event saved posts article should be broken up by run date and saved under the (Event) saved posts subcategory for that event. For an example of proper set up, please see: Duskruin saved posts.

Subcategories

Subcategories should be used for specific groups, most notably lists, pertaining to the overall event category. This includes:

  • Shops - Individual shop listings should be categorized here. Dependent on the venue, these may change. In the case of Ebon Gate, the different venues (Feywrot Mire, Caligos Isle, etc) would have their own category.
  • Shop Listings - Full by Year - The full shop listings for the event, as opposed to the individual shop breakdowns.
  • Artwork - All artwork for the event, including official promotional artwork and player or GM-created maps.
  • NPCs - Notable NPCs found throughout the event. These are often used to further lore.
  • Saved posts - The compiled saved posts for the event, broken down by event date.
  • Exclusive Items - These are items specific to the overall event, and can only be obtained by participation in event activities, as opposed to being purchased in shops. Examples:
  • Additional articles on the wiki written by other sources (ie TownCrier articles) pertaining to the event.

Shops

For information on how to set up the individual event shop pages, please see the event shops style guide page.

Shop Listings

The shop listings are an event shop's inventory for each run. As noted, each shop should have each instance's inventory set up as a subpage to the main shop page.

A pay event's shop listing should be set up on a separate subpages per instance, and in the case of multi-venue pay events, ex. Ebon Gate Festival, they should be set up as a subpage the the venue's redirect page, not the overall event's category page. This is to ensure clarity of location of shops during the event.

The shop listing subpage's table of contents should be right justified using {{TOCright|limit=2}}. If there is a map available for the event grounds, this should be follow the table of contents and be no larger than 600px, ex. [[File:(File name).(file extension)|600px]]. Following that should be the the currency accepted at shops at the event in a large format, ex. {{big|All prices in [[(currency)]].}}. Duskruin is the only event that has a specific return policy in place. This policy should be transcluded to duskruin shop listing pages only.

The shop inventories should begin directly following the above. Each shop should be separated by the shop name as a ==Subheader 2== with the shop's main page linked, and the applicable listing subpage transcluded below that.

Example 

==[[BVShop:Alchemical Attraction|Alchemical Attraction]]==
{{:BVShop:Alchemical Attraction/August 2023}}
==[[BVShop:All You Knead|All You Knead]]==
{{:BVShop:All You Knead/August 2023}}

Multi-Venue Pay Events

A multi-venue pay event is an event that has had its venue/location rotated out through the years, and may continue to do so. The Ebon Gate Festival is the only pay event that falls under this designation.

When reviewing multi-venue festivals, each venue should be treated as an individual festival following the above listed guidelines, with one main category page that contains the information for all the venues. Subheaders on the main category should follow the same cadence as single venue pay event, but will break down information further by individual venue. This information should be transcluded from the individual venue category page under the appropriate subheader, and collapse to ensure only the most current information is visible, while allowing past information to be accessed from the same page.

Notable Pay Events

Please note: This is not a comprehensive list. To see a full list, visit Events Category:Pay Events.

Templates

The below templates are used with shop page creation:

See Also

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