SmashWiki:SmashWiki is not official: Difference between revisions

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{{proposed policy}}
{{shortcut|[[SW:OFFICIAL]]}}
SmashWiki is in no way directly related to or controlled by [[Nintendo]] or Nintendo of America, or any game developer who's content is discussed therein (these parties will be collectively referred to as "Nintendo" for the remainder of this document). SmashWiki is a branch of [[c:main page|Wikia]] and as such, is held accountable only to the standards and practices set by Wikia (as well as any additionally standards and practices agreed upon by the users). The only way in which Nintendo could directly control the content of this wiki is through a legal injunction (of which there have been none) or through showing a copyright violation that transcends fair use.
{{policy}}
SmashWiki is in no way directly related to, affiliated with, or controlled by [[Nintendo]] or Nintendo of America, or any game developer whose content is discussed therein (these parties will be collectively referred to as "Nintendo" for the remainder of this document). SmashWiki is a branch of [http://www.niwanetwork.org/ NIWA] and as such, is held accountable only to the standards and practices set by NIWA, as well as any additional standards and practices agreed upon by the users. The only way in which Nintendo could directly control the content of this wiki is through a legal injunction, of which there have been none, or through showing a copyright violation that transcends {{s|wikipedia|fair use}}.


By the fact that this wiki is not official, we are not bound to simply repeat information endorsed by Nintendo. We are free to document any content that is deemed of encyclopedic value to the wiki and which does not violate international copyright agreements. As an example, Nintendo does not endorse Super Smash Bros. [[tournament]]s. However, these have become such an ubiquitous part of the Smash community, it would be wrong for this wiki ''not'' to cover them. In this case, we are not bound by what Nintendo may have wanted, but instead by what is.  The same holds true for advanced techniques.  Nintendo may have never intended [[wavedashing]] to be included in Melee, yet it would be a sever absences if this wiki did not cover it. In short, this wiki is not bound to cover what Nintendo thinks ''should be'' the game content, but what the community shows ''is'' the game content.  If the community eventually proves that Brawl is a [[broken]] game to the point of boring competition (this is purely hypothetical), then that is the content of this wiki whether Nintendo endorses it or not.
Acknowledging the fact that this wiki is not official, we are not bound to simply repeat information endorsed by Nintendo. We are free to document any content that is deemed of encyclopedic value to the wiki and which does not violate international copyright agreements. As an example, Nintendo only occasionally endorses specific ''Super Smash Bros.'' [[tournament]]s. However, as tournaments beyond those endorsed by Nintendo are a notable part of the ''Smash'' community, it is within the scope of SmashWiki to cover them. The same holds true for advanced techniques; although elements such as [[wavedash]]ing are not official techniques in Nintendo-endorsed sources, their use is important in competitive play and in the games' community, so they too are within SmashWiki's scope. In short, while this wiki should cover what Nintendo officially covers in the games, we also will cover aspects of the ''Smash'' community that are notable.


The main area in which this policy will draw attention is in the naming of moves that are never covered in the game manuals or the game itself and have been given names by the community. For example, when the [[Dojo]] went online, its names of certain moves (most notably "strong" down/up/side) conflicted with the standard practices of the Smash community. These moves were traditionally referred to as "tilts."  In a case such as this, the wiki should not be forced to change all instances of "tilt" to "strong."  Tilt is still the most commonly used term for the move, although strong has come to be equally understood and both terms are equally descriptive.  In a case such as this, either term can be used, although a manner of consistency should be kept within each article and within a set of related articles.  Also, both terms should be on the same page, with the more commonly used term (not necessarily the "official" term) as the main title and the other as a redirect. The more interesting case is "Ukemi" v. "tech."  [[Tech]] has always been the term used for the technique. Ukemi also came from the Dojo.  However, to someone not versed in martial arts, the word "ukemi" is meaningless. Tech may be just as meaningless, but it has come to be the accepted jargon for the technique(s). In this case, tech should be the word primarily used, with "ukemi" being noted as the "official" name on the tech page. It is irrelevant here that Nintendo says the official name is ukemi; the word that the Smash community knows and recognizes is tech.
=="Official" nomenclature==
In situations where an official term exists and a highly recognized fan term does not, SmashWiki will uniformly use the official name. On the other hand, situations where a highly recognized fan term has massively and demonstrably eclipsed the official term in usage will sometimes be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the fan term may be chosen instead. A good example of this is the term "[[tech]]", which is near-universally used by ''Smash'' fan communities, being used in place of the far less used official term, "[[wikipedia:Uke (martial arts)|ukemi]]", which was used on the [[Smash Bros. DOJO!! (SSBB)|''Brawl'' official site]]. Situations like this are rare, however, and in general fan terms require a very heavy level of recognition to be used in place of an official term.
 
Two exceptions to this rule exist:
*[[Special move]]s are to use their official name, regardless of any widespread fan term. Special moves are also to use their given name in the most recent game.
*Nicknames for any term (such as [[DK]]) do not take precedence over an official name, as they do not follow the same usage format as something like the given example above.
 
In the absence of either an official name or a highly recognized fan term, such as most characters' normal moves, it is preferable to leave a name section blank than to "invent" a name for an unnamed move such as [[Mario]]'s [[down smash]]. Non-official sources for such things such as [[Prima Games]] guides or other fansites are unacceptable, and should be removed on sight.


==Dos and don'ts==
==Dos and don'ts==
===Do===
===Do===
#Do make references of both the "official" name and the community accepted name if they are different
#Do write content about things outside of the games' official content.
#Do use the name that is most commonly accepted. If two terms are equally used, be consistent
#Do make references to both the official name and other community names if they are different.
#Do write content about things outside of Nintendo's expectations or sphere of influence
#Prioritize using official names unless a different name is much more widely used.
#Use names consistently.
 
===Don't===
===Don't===
#Don't remove a term just because it isn't "official"
#Don't remove a term just because it isn't "official".
#Don't use an unknown term just because it is "official"
#Don't remove content on tournaments, tiers, etc. just because they are not endorsed by Nintendo.
#Don't remove content on tournaments, tiers, etc. just because they aren't endorsed by Nintendo
#Don't deliberately misconstrue this policy to argue that fan-fiction is acceptable.
#Don't construe this policy to say that fan-fiction is inherently acceptable.
 
{{helpnav}}

Latest revision as of 11:46, August 8, 2022

Shortcut:
SW:OFFICIAL
Policy.png This page documents an official SmashWiki policy, a widely accepted standard that all users should follow. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. If in doubt, consider discussing changes on the talk page.

SmashWiki is in no way directly related to, affiliated with, or controlled by Nintendo or Nintendo of America, or any game developer whose content is discussed therein (these parties will be collectively referred to as "Nintendo" for the remainder of this document). SmashWiki is a branch of NIWA and as such, is held accountable only to the standards and practices set by NIWA, as well as any additional standards and practices agreed upon by the users. The only way in which Nintendo could directly control the content of this wiki is through a legal injunction, of which there have been none, or through showing a copyright violation that transcends fair use.

Acknowledging the fact that this wiki is not official, we are not bound to simply repeat information endorsed by Nintendo. We are free to document any content that is deemed of encyclopedic value to the wiki and which does not violate international copyright agreements. As an example, Nintendo only occasionally endorses specific Super Smash Bros. tournaments. However, as tournaments beyond those endorsed by Nintendo are a notable part of the Smash community, it is within the scope of SmashWiki to cover them. The same holds true for advanced techniques; although elements such as wavedashing are not official techniques in Nintendo-endorsed sources, their use is important in competitive play and in the games' community, so they too are within SmashWiki's scope. In short, while this wiki should cover what Nintendo officially covers in the games, we also will cover aspects of the Smash community that are notable.

"Official" nomenclature

In situations where an official term exists and a highly recognized fan term does not, SmashWiki will uniformly use the official name. On the other hand, situations where a highly recognized fan term has massively and demonstrably eclipsed the official term in usage will sometimes be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the fan term may be chosen instead. A good example of this is the term "tech", which is near-universally used by Smash fan communities, being used in place of the far less used official term, "ukemi", which was used on the Brawl official site. Situations like this are rare, however, and in general fan terms require a very heavy level of recognition to be used in place of an official term.

Two exceptions to this rule exist:

  • Special moves are to use their official name, regardless of any widespread fan term. Special moves are also to use their given name in the most recent game.
  • Nicknames for any term (such as DK) do not take precedence over an official name, as they do not follow the same usage format as something like the given example above.

In the absence of either an official name or a highly recognized fan term, such as most characters' normal moves, it is preferable to leave a name section blank than to "invent" a name for an unnamed move such as Mario's down smash. Non-official sources for such things such as Prima Games guides or other fansites are unacceptable, and should be removed on sight.

Dos and don'ts

Do

  1. Do write content about things outside of the games' official content.
  2. Do make references to both the official name and other community names if they are different.
  3. Prioritize using official names unless a different name is much more widely used.
  4. Use names consistently.

Don't

  1. Don't remove a term just because it isn't "official".
  2. Don't remove content on tournaments, tiers, etc. just because they are not endorsed by Nintendo.
  3. Don't deliberately misconstrue this policy to argue that fan-fiction is acceptable.