Undertale Wiki:Layout
Layout of articles across the wiki should be consistent. An article is a main namespace or category page explaining the content of, or closely related to Undertale or Deltarune. All main namespace pages are considered articles with the exception of the Main Page. This standard defines the layout of articles that generally should not be deviated from.
This page is structured such that common sections across all articles are defined first, followed by specific types of articles with strictly defined layouts and some sections specific to these types of articles. Sections may be omitted. If the structure for a particular article type (e.g. gameplay mechanics) is not defined here, these articles may be structured however is appropriate.
This section describes some common sections present in all articles. The specific order in which these sections should be placed is determined by the type of the article.
The first paragraph (introduction) of an article should be a short description of its topic, stating what it is, where it is found, and what is its role in the game. The first mentioning of the article's topic is always written in bold.
Space above the article's introduction is reserved for simple disambiguations (using {{For}}), Infoboxes and article quotes (using {{Quote}}). Other templates and magic words may push wiki content further down and should therefore not be added above the introduction. The quote shown must be representative of the article's subject, preferably a quote from the subject itself, but not too long as to not obstruct readers looking for actual article content.
Etymology sections contain any information related to the article subject's name. The subject's name is listed first, then the definition. For Japanese names, romanization is preferred, and can be described in a separate paragraph. The Japanese name should have Japanese quotation marks ("「」") around it.
Not all subjects have a name with meaningful origins, and this section should be omitted in those cases. Name origins that are obvious to most who speak the English language do not qualify as "meaningful". For example, Queen does not need an etymology section to explain the word "queen".
Main story sections are summarized narration of the plot without much detail and closely related to the article subject. For example, Susie's main story section is a summarized plot of Deltarune, centered on Susie's moments in the plot and involvement. Similarly, Ruins's main story section is summarized plot of Undertale during which the protagonist was in Ruins, as well as any further mentions of the Ruins after the protagonist leaves.
Main story should be written as a narrative, rather than a walkthrough. Since this is a summary, there is no need to write about unnecessary details that are better documented in other articles, or simply experienced through the game itself. Wikipedia's article How to write a plot summary may come in handy when writing this section.
If a character or location has a backstory, it should be documented in this section. While the in-game plot history may be scattered, this section should be written in chronological order, if possible. If there is no plot except for history to write about, there is no need to separate this into a new section.
In Undertale, the game is divided into several routes with different plot events. In Deltarune, the game is divided into Chapters that happen one after each other. For example, on Undertale Wiki the main story section may be subdivided into:
- Neutral Route
- True Pacifist Route
- Genocide Route
Whereas on Deltarune Wiki, the main story may be subdivided into:
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Weird Route
Regardless of the subdivision, this section contains a summary of the events that occur during that specific story segment, that this character or location is involved in. If there are no other sections in the main story section, it should not be subdivided into a single section.
This section contains relevant information pertaining to the article subject's creation and development, outside of the game's narrative. Creation refers to the real-world circumstances that led to the creation, including known design intentions by the author. Development includes any changes the subject underwent pre-release, as well as major changes to the subject post-release. Use the Version history section for a full list of post-release changes that were actually published as game versions.
The gallery sub-section contains a <gallery> of images depicting the subject or other content closely related to the subject. Galleries are not image dumps. Only upload images to galleries for the purpose of documenting the appearance and other distinct traits of the character or location. If deemed too long, this section may be aggressively trimmed of less noteworthy images.
Before adding images to the gallery, try seeing if they already fit any main body section, where they may be more relevant and can help provide more context to a paragraph. For example, concept art may be more relevant to the Creation and development section than to the Gallery section.
Trivia sections are bullet-point lists located at the end of the main content of an article containing interesting, little-known facts that cannot be incorporated into an article effectively. Trivia takes the lowest priority, meaning any information should be added to the article's main body first, before being placed in trivia.
If several trivia points are closely related, they should be grouped under a single trivia point. (ex: if Jevil's trivia mentions there is a connection to Knight 3 times, add "Knight" to Relationships). Trivia must be true, and speculation such as headcanons must be avoided. Try to keep assumptions as close to the truth as possible. This section may be aggressively trimmed of unnoteworthy information.
For any article that describes in-game content, a version history section can optionally be placed below the Trivia section to document any published changes that the article's subject has undergone throughout different game versions. The version history section should solely consist of a table that follows the structure of the Example version history table below. Some early editions of the game may not have version tags available, and versions may be tagged differently on different platforms. When possible, use the version tags and platform names from the version differences article.
| Example version history table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Game edition | Version tag | Changes |
| Chapter 1 demo | Example change during the first released demo. | |
| Chapter 1 demo (Console) | Example change during the first released demo on console. | |
| Chapter 1&2 demo | v1.002 | Example change that was released in v1.002 of the Chapter 1 & 2 Demo. |
|
Example change that was released in v1.003 on Windows/Mac and v1.00 on PlayStation, of the Chapter 1 & 2 Demo. | |
| Deltarune Chapter 2 |
|
Example change that may be released in a theoretical v1.20 on Windows/Mac and v1.10 on PlayStation for the full, paid release of the game. |
If there exist external links directly relevant to the article subject that cannot be placed anywhere else in the article body, a new section with a bullet point list of such links may be created.
When references are present in the article, a References section is placed at the end of an article, above navboxes but below Trivia. The section consists of a simple <references /> tag, which automatically lists all references present in the article.
If certain references are not used to cite sources but rather give context to information written in the article, they may be assigned the group="note" attribute. In that case, a Notes section should be placed above the References section with a <references group="note" /> tag.
After the references section, page elements are placed in the following order:
- Navboxes
- Notices
- Interlanguage links
- Categories
{{Variant}}- Magic words
Character pages should use the {{Infobox character}} template as an infobox and {{Navbox characters}} as a navbox. Sections should be placed in this order:
- Introduction
- Profile
- Appearance
- Personality
- Etymology
- Speech pattern
- Main story
- History
- Route/Chapter
- Relationships
- Creation and development
- Outside of Undertale/Deltarune
- Shop dialogue
- In battle
- Gallery
- Trivia
- Version history
A brief description of the character, stating what they are, what their role in the game is, and where they are found.
A description of the physical characteristics of the character. Start by detailing the character's head, then their overall features, and their clothes. In separate paragraphs, other visual traits can be described, such as how characters react based on their mood.
An overview of the character's core personality traits and qualities should be the starting paragraphs, if possible.
If a character has character growth in the game, it should be detailed at the end of the personality section.
The character's speech pattern, if the difference from the usual speech pattern is noteworthy. The character's writing style can also be included here.
Each character which the article subject has a noteworthy relationship with should have a subsection under this section. It should focus and describe the article subject's perspective on the relationship, if possible. A one-term summary of each relationship should be present in the article's infobox, should it exist. If the character also has a relationship section on the article subject, the {{Relationship}} template should be used above the starting paragraph.
Characters that do not have anything noteworthy to write about in a dedicated relationships section should not be documented here.
A brief summary of the character's role and any differences from the sister game (Undertale on Deltarune Wiki, and Deltarune on Undertale Wiki). A {{Main}} template linking to the other wiki's article should also be used for the character, if it exists.
Any official development team-endorsed appearances such as in trailers, merchandise, or third-party content can be briefly described here, as well as descriptions of any allusions or changes that may have occurred.
Depending on the length of this section, it may be moved into a sub-page. Preferably, characters should be split by form (Mettaton and Mettaton EX, Queen and GIGA Queen) before attempting to split their In battle sections into subpages. In battle sub-pages follow the same standards and organization as their sub-section counterparts.
This section for enemy pages should be structured as follows:
- Appears with
- Attacks
- SOUL modes
- Patterns
- Available ACTs
- Strategy
- Quotes
- Pre-battle (if applicable)
- Battle (if applicable)
- Post-battle (if applicable)
- Flavor text
For Deltarune party member pages, it should be structured as follows:
- Title
- Stats
- Spells/ACTs
If a party member also appears as an enemy later, the structure would be as follows:
- As party member
- Title
- Stats
- Spells/ACTs
- As enemy
- Appears with
- etc.
List of other enemies that this enemy appears with in battle, if any.
An overview of the enemy's attack style should be here.
This section should be added if a SOUL mode other than red is used, and details the points they appear in battle.
This section consists of a bullet point list of attacks that the enemy has. If the attack has an internal name (like is the case with Deltarune attacks), each bullet point should be prefixed by the bolded attack name and a citation showing where has the name been officially used.
If there are no SOUL modes used, the contents of this section should be under the Attacks header directly, without a Patterns header.
A list of ACTs that can be used on the targeted enemy, sorted from top right to bottom left of each character's menu. This includes S-Action, R-Action, and N-Action, as well as any unique ACTs any party member can use, when applicable. Uses the ACT template for each available ACT.
For bosses, pre-battle equipment and ideal/alternative items for the inventory can be documented.
List how many possible turns to end the battle early. Describe possible ideal positions and movements during the enemy's turn, including general movement, when to be defensive, if or when slow SOUL could be used, when FIGHT or an ACT can be done. For Deltarune, it is possible to describe which turns where party members can perform certain commands, or if grazing should be a main focus during the enemy's turn.
Unique mechanics about the enemy are listed here. This section is only used if there are at least four sentences worth of content.
Quotes from the battle are detailed here. If required to provide immediate context, pre-battle and post-battle quotes may be included in subsections. This section should be formatted as a dialogue list.
Flavor text that appears before and when choosing an action is detailed here. Like the Quotes section, it should be formatted as a dialogue list.
A brief overview of a party member's titles and the obtainment pattern for them, with a {{Main}} to the Title article for the party member's respective title.
A wikitable listing the character's minimum and maximum stats per Chapter. Outside of the wikitable is any subtle stat changes influenced by choices, and a link to the character's respective special stats with a short overview of their special stats.
A list of spells or ACTs that the party member can use in different battles, TP needed, and effects. Include a {{Main}} to the Spell article for the party member's respective overall spells/ACTs.
Item pages should be categorized in the items category or subcategories of that category, and should use {{Infobox item}} as an infobox and {{Navbox items}} as a navbox. The article's source should not contain a Category tag for Items if another template on the article already categorizes it as such.
An item page body should be sectioned in the following way:
- Introduction
- Additional uses
- Locations
- Flavor text
- Etymology
- Creation and development
- Trivia
- Version history
States what type of item it is, where is it found, and (if applicable) its counterparts. Any special effects of its intended use that may not be clear from the item's infobox should go here as well.
This section should list in bullet list format, the special uses an item may have, and their effect(s).
This section consists of embedded interactive maps focused over markers showing where the item is located.
Contains all the flavor text shown in-game when interacting with the item in various ways that would otherwise clutter the infobox. This section should be formatted as a dialogue list.
The {{Infobox music}} template should be used as an infobox. All soundtrack pages should be categorized according to the albums in which they are present. In addition, soundtrack pages must use the corresponding navbox.
Soundtrack pages do not have a correct sectioning, which means any section can be added between the Trivia and introduction section as long as it contains enough information in it.
Location pages should be categorized in the locations category or subcategories of that category, and should use {{Infobox location}} as an infobox and {{Navbox locations}} as a navbox.
A location page body should be sectioned in the following way:
- Introduction
- Features
- Map
- Etymology
- Main story
- History
- Chapter X
- Geography
- Sublocations
- Creation and development
- Gallery
- Trivia
- Version history
The Introduction of a location page clarifies how the main characters enter the area, and should include the prior and next location. The introduction can also note any plot-vital points located within the location in separate paragraphs.
A bulleted list summarizing what can be found in this location. This may or may not be necessary depending on the content of the article.
An embedded interactive map of the location, if one exists. If a location is contained within another location, a sublocation marker should be placed on the interactive map, and the map should be embedded with focus on the sublocation marker.
An overview of how the location looks should be here, along with any distinct points of interest.
A list of summaries of sublocations located within the location, separated by level 2 sub-headers. The top level of this sub-section (Between == Sublocations == and the following sub-header) should not contain any text paragraphs, but may contain a bullet-list of minor sub-locations that are not noteworthy enough to have their own sub-header.