Note: This post concerns the formatting of item pages on the wiki. For discussion on item name formatting, see this poll.
Hello everyone. With only a few days left until Chapter 5 releases, I would like to introduce a new restandardization proposal, this time on how to format item pages.
Context
Back in January, we launched a discussion on potential changes to our current Manual of Style. One of these proposals concerned changes to item page formatting, but at that time, no consensus was made on how best to format item pages. When we launched our initial standardization project in February, we had left out this proposal with the intention of discussing further at a later date.
The format
Based on further discussion on Discord (mainly from @Link, @EvieMaybe, and @SnorlaxMonster), I propose the following format for item pages. See EvieMaybe's ThornRing draft for an example of what the below formatting would look like when applied to an item page.
Introduction
A basic introduction of the item, describing what type of item it is and in which Chapter it was introduced. Should generally follow this format:
The <item_name> is a <item_type> item introduced in [[Chapter #]] of ''[[Deltarune]]''.
Acquisition
Details on how to acquire this item are listed here. Previously, this was all in the intro section, but in cases where this section is too short, this information may stay in the intro.
In addition, this section may host a map, similar to Undertale Wiki's item pages, of where to find the item in question.
Mechanics
Mechanics and effects this items has when used or equipped are listed here. This will replace "Additional uses" on items that have an effect other than the "immediate" effect. "Immediate" uses were also shoved in the intro, but this might not change for some items.
Flavor text
Unchanged from the original format. This section is for flavor text shown when equipping/using the item on a character.
Light World equivalents
Now for the second part of this proposal.
Currently, items with Light World equivalents have the Light World equivalent paired with the Dark World version, and the page title would prioritize the Dark World variant. However, this format makes it so that the Light World variant is not easily reachable, and it also results in the item page having multiple infoboxes for different subjects. Additionally, Dark World name prioritization does not work for items like Holiday Pencil, which is obtained in the Light World before seeing its Dark World equivalent. Thus, I propose that we split each Light World item into a separate page.
Two examples of this change I would like to highlight can be found at Holiday Pencil and Glass
Conclusion
Please take the time to read through these proposals, and feel free to reply to this post with any feedback. We will formally set up new standardization projects when Chapter 5 releases, so stay tuned for that.