How to Write a Video Game FAQ Written by Dallas Scott and AstroBlue Version 2.1 - Last Revised: April ??, 2001 This document is Copyright 2001 Dallas Scott & AstroBlue PLEASE VIEW THE GAMEFAQS AUTHOR'S GUIDE FIRST: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contribute/howtowrite.html Latest revisions of this guide can be found at the following URLs: http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources.html http://www.dallastm.cjb.net =============================================================================== Legal Disclaimer This document is Copyright 2001 Dallas Scott and AstroBlue. It may not be reproduced nor retransmitted in any form without prior consent from the authors. It may not be altered, published, sold, given as an incentive to buy, etc. without advance permission from the authors. All outside sources which have contributed to the making of this guide in some form have been cited in the last section of the guide. Violation of the above terms can and will result in a lawsuit. =============================================================================== Table of Contents i. Introduction and Revision History I. Getting Started II. Guide Creation Process 2.1 - Guide Types 2.2 - Mandatory Information 2.3 - Your Heading 2.4 - ASCII Art 2.5 - Formatting 2.6 - Content 2.7 - Miscellaneous Sections 2.8 - The Closing III. Map/Image Creation Process 3.1 - Image Format 3.2 - Contents 3.3 - Taking Screen Shots 3.4 - Keeping Scale in Maps IV. The Submission Process 4.1 - Spellchecking 4.2 - Proofreading 4.3 - File Compression 4.4 - Submitting your FAQ V. Tools and Programs 5.1 - Text Editors 5.2 - ASCII Art Aids 5.3 - Miscellaneous Programs VI. Frequently Asked Questions 6.1 - What exactly is a FAQ? 6.2 - What is the difference between ASCII & ANSI? 6.3 - Why didn't my FAQ get posted at GameFAQs? 6.4 - How long does it take for FAQs to be posted at GameFAQs? 6.5 - Do I get any money for writing FAQs? 6.6 - My FAQ is incomplete, but I want to send it in. Should I? 6.7 - I found some info in a magazine/guide, can I use it in my FAQ? 6.8 - What if I want to write a FAQ in a foreign language? 6.9 - Someone stole my FAQ (or info. from my FAQ)! What should I do? 6.10 - Can I REALLY sue someone for stealing my work? 6.11 - How do I deal with e-mail regarding my FAQ(s)? 6.12 - If I use an AOL e-mail address, how do I avoid people's IMs? 6.13 - How do I keep my lines under 80 characters long? 6.14 - Can I use HTML in my FAQ? 6.15 - How do I update my FAQ? 6.16 - What exactly is "filler?" 6.17 - How should I list my version numbers? 6.18 - What should I put in the subject of my e-mail when submitting? 6.19 - Who are some of the great FAQ authors that I can learn from? VII. Random Tips, Hints and Information VIII. Useful Resources IX. Contact Information X. Document Information =============================================================================== i. Introduction and Revision History =============================================================================== Introduction ------------ So, you want to write a FAQ? Or maybe you've already written a FAQ but want to brush up on your skills? Whatever the reason, this guide is here to help. The content of this guide has been formatted in such a way that both newbie FAQ authors and veterans alike will be able to gain use from it. Both myself and AstroBlue have been writing FAQs for quite some time now and have combined our knowledge into this guide in hopes to alleviate problems for new authors and to increase the overall quality of guides in the present and the future. Revision History ---------------- Version 2.1 - April ??, 2001 - Added two more Frequently Asked Questions, SloDeath's Video Replay Technique & added bits of info throughout the enitire document. Version 2.0 - April 23, 2001 - Revised version of the Writing Guide. This time it's much more informative and complete but there are still unanswered questions that need answers, so don't hesitate to ask about anything you're unclear about. Version 1.0 - March 18, 2001 - Initial public release. Very bare-boned version of the writing guide with few sections. Revision coming soon. =============================================================================== I. Getting Started =============================================================================== Choosing a Game --------------- The first thing you must do before writing a FAQ is to decide on a game to write for. It's best to choose a game you enjoy and a game you've completed numerous times before in the past. The more you know about the game you write for, the better. It's also good to write for games that have little or no FAQs already made for them. A FAQ for a game with none is far more valuable than a FAQ for a game with 10 others. The more you enjoy the game, the more you'll enjoy writing for it. Keep all of these points in mind when you're selecting a game to write for. If you are a beginner to GameFAQ writing we would advise you to not write a FAQ on a new popular game, as most new riters who try writing for new games give up! If you want to write a FAQ on a popular game but you are new try writing an In-Depth Guide. with In-Depth guides you only document a specific feature of that Game, like a "Boss Guide" or an "Item List". It's best to start small then slowly tackle larger projects. Having the Right Tools ---------------------- You don't really need much to write a FAQ; a text editor, a file compression tool and an internet connection to publish it. Of course, there are tons of other programs you can use to spruce up your FAQ, but they aren't mandatory. The key element of a FAQ is knowledge of the game you're writing for. If you don't have that, you may as well stop reading now. Motivation ---------- Every FAQ author has his/her own reasons for writing FAQs. Some do it just to see their name in lights, others do it to help out the gaming community. Whatever the reason, you're still writing a FAQ and your primary goal is to make one file detailing everything you know about the game you're writing for in hopes to help the reader complete the game. As long as your work is original and easily readable, you can write for whatever reason you like. =============================================================================== II. Guide Creation Process =============================================================================== Now comes the most important part of creating a FAQ: the actual creation process. The following sections cover everything you need to know in order to make a complete, well-formatted FAQ whether you've written FAQs before or this is your first time making one. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.1 - Guide Types =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ Believe it or not, there are actually several different types of guides you can create. The most common would be a FAQ/Walkthrough, but each game requires a different type of FAQ. For instance, you can't necessarily make a FAQ/Walkthrough for a fighting game, as there is nothing to walk the reader through. Below are the different types of guides you can create (and there are a lot of them.) If you think of any others we don't have listed here, let either myself or AstroBlue know and it'll be added if it's legitimate. FAQ --- A few years ago, this was the most common type of guide created. It's pretty much the basis of what all other guide types are created from. Although the acronym "FAQ" stands for "Frequently Asked Questions," that doesn't necessarily mean you have to have a list of Frequently Asked Questions contained within (but it's recommended you do.) Nowadays, a FAQ is pretty much anything that helps with the game but doesn't contain a walkthrough or a move list or anything that actually takes you through the game. Genres that require nothing more than a simple FAQ would include: puzzle, racing, sports. You can make a FAQ for any genre, really, but the above three require nothing _but_ a FAQ. FAQ/Walkthrough --------------- A FAQ/Walkthrough is essentially the same thing as a FAQ with an added walkthrough section. For those unfamiliar with the term "walkthrough," I'll explain: a walkthrough walks the reader through the game, telling them where to go and what to do. Genres that require walkthroughs include: RPG, action, adventure. FAQ/Walkthroughs are the most commonly created guides currently, as many of today's games are more complex than they were years ago, thus requiring walkthroughs. FAQ/Move List ------------- Again, this guide type is based off of the initial FAQ with an added move list for each character in the game you're writing for. The only genres that require Move Lists are: fighting, wrestling, boxing. There may be some sport games that could possibly require a move list, but very few do. If you create a FAQ/Move List, make sure you include a list for each character in the game telling how to perform each of their moves. FAQ/Move Lists are tedious to create, as you must first figure out all the moves in the game then accurately list them out in your guide. FAQ/Strategy Guide ------------------ Obviously, the only type of game that would require this type of guide would be a strategy game. Strategy guides are just what they sound like; guides with different strategies that have been found successful in completing the game. Games like Starcraft, Diablo II, Warcraft, or any other game in the strategy genre would require a strategy guide. In-Depth FAQs ------------- Most In-Depth FAQs are relatively small but very useful, as they focus on one specific portion of a game. If you only want to write about one small portion of a game, you'd make an In-Depth guide. In-Depth guides include: boss FAQs, item lists, monster lists, enemy lists, or anything other than a full FAQ. Secrets FAQs ------------ As the name says, these FAQs list out all the secrets and codes found in the game you're writing for. You won't find too many of these at GameFAQs, but they can be quite helpful. Making a guide with Game Genie Codes can also be considered a Secrets FAQ. If you only have one or two codes or secrets, don't bother making a Secrets FAQ, but instead submit them individually to the GameFAQs Code Database. Foreign Language FAQs --------------------- If you know another language other than English, or if English isn't your native language, you can make a FAQ in a foreign language. CJayC will accept guides written in French, Spanish, Dutch and German. Guides in Chinese, Japanese, etc. will not be posted, as they cannot be reviewed for content. Also make note that you can only make one foreign language FAQ per game, as the audience of such guides is very small. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.2 - Mandatory Information =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ Every FAQ must contain a bit of information located at the top so readers will know things such as the game's title, who wrote the guide, the version of the FAQ, when it was last updated, etc. Below you will find everything that should be placed near or at the very top of your FAQ when you write it. Title of the Game ----------------- Remember, without the title of the game, nobody will know what the heck you're writing about. Always make sure to type out the full title of the game you're writing for at the top of the FAQ (the first line) so the reader will know what your FAQ deals with. System the Game is Played On ---------------------------- Some games are made for multiple systems (for example, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was made for the PlayStation, the Nintendo 64, the Gameboy Color and the Sega Dreamcast. Because of this, you must always list what system the game you're writing about is for, even if you know it was only made for one system. This lets readers know what system the game is for and it gives the FAQ a sense of completion. Your Name --------- Naturally, you'll want to add your name to this guide considering you're the one who typed it. Whether you choose to type your full name, your first name, your last name, your nickname, your initials, an initial and your first/last name or just an alias you like to go by, you should always give yourself credit for the work you've made. That way, readers will know who you are and will know to look for any future work(s) by yourself. Your E-Mail Address ------------------- As with any documents you create for public use, readers are going to want to have a method to contact you in case they have any questions, comments, suggestions, contributions, praise, complaints, or just to say "Hi." It's always a good idea to list your e-mail address at the top of your FAQ so people will know where they can contact if they have any of the above. Of course, you don't have to list your e-mail address (if, for some reason, you don't want to be contacted) but otherwise, you should always list it. If you don't have one, you can get a free e-mail account from several online free-mail companies. I would go with Yahoo! (mail.yahoo.com) as you can always re-direct your incoming mail to your current address. If you are an AOL Member, I would advise not to use your AOL E-mail Address as it is the same as your Screen Name so you will get many unwanted Instant Messages. Last Revision Date ------------------ People are always going to want to know when the FAQ was last updated to make sure they have the latest version. You should almost always list the date you last updated your FAQ, not only for the benefit of the readers, but also for your own personal tracking. The date FAQs were last updated will come in handy later on in the future, so make sure you list it with each revision you make. Version of the FAQ ------------------ Version numbers are very important when it comes to FAQ writing. Think about it: What if AOL didn't use version numbers for their AOL CDs, and just named each new version "AOL?" People would become greatly confused by which version is which, right? It's the same thing with FAQs. Readers want to get the latest version of your FAQ, and if you don't list it, they won't be able to tell past versions from the new ones. Short Legal Notice ------------------ Normally, you want to list the long legal disclaimer at the end of your FAQ, but you'll also want to add a short little disclaimer in your heading to let people know it's your guide. Something like: "This document is Copyright 2000-2001, John Doe" will do fine. You'll be adding in details to that later on in your FAQ (near the ending.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.3 - Your Heading =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Introduction ---------------- The Introduction of your guide is where you introduce the readers to your FAQ (duh) and usually consists of: the Table of Contents, a short paragraph which introduces readers to your FAQ and the game, and a revision history. Below are in-depth explanations of everything you can add to your introduction. Table of Contents ----------------- Here is where you list the entire contents of your guide. There are several ways to do so and several styles you can use. Basically, you use an Outline format and list out every section of your FAQ Here are some generic ToC's for different game genres: ADVENTURE: Story Characters Game Overview FAQs Walkthrough Items Secrets/Codes RPG: Story Characters FAQs Walkthrough Side-Quests Bestiary Item List Weapon List Armor List Accessories List Secrets/Codes RACING: Controls The Automobiles The Tracks Secret Cars FIGHTING: Controls Character Move Lists Vs. Character Tactics Secrets & Tricks Opening Statement ----------------- This is anything goes territory. You could talk about how much you like the game, have a welcome message, etc. here; Just don't go too off topic. The Opening Statement is usually posted just after the top of your guide where all the mandatory information goes. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.4 - ASCII Art =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "ASCII art is a tradition in many FAQs, and some art shows an incredible amount of time and skill." --GameFAQs/Jeff "CJayC" Veasey Basically, ASCII art is a "picture" or "logo" using ASCII characters. There are several types of ASCII art: standard, exact and ugly. You want to avoid ugly art as best as possible. Below are examples of all three. There are two types of ASCII Art, which are Grey-Scale and Line-Draw. Grey-scale is more widely used and is made up so ASCII characters represent the areas of shade in a logo. To learn how to do this style go to: http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/grey_scale.txt The other type is Line-draw, Line-draw is less popular but the results are much clearer. To learn how to do this style go to: http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/line_draw.txt Keep in mind that the logo you may be trying to ASCIIify may or may not turn out looking nicely. CJayC told Dallas how to perform the Grey-Scale Trick, so kudos go out to him. Standard ASCII Art - Art that is generated with a FIGLET -------------------------------------------------------- _____ __ __ __ / ___// /_____ _____ ____/ /___ __________/ / \__ \/ __/ __ `/ __ \/ __ / __ `/ ___/ __ / ___/ / /_/ /_/ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ / /____/\__/\__,_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__,_/_/ \__,_/ All ASCII art can be hand-drawn, of course, but if you don't have the skill nor the time to attempt to hand-draw your own ASCII art, you can quickly and easily get some standard ASCII art generated for you using a figlet program. www.surfplaza.com/figlet/ is the best Figlet Server but if you want something more permanent download Email Effects which is found at www.sigsoftware.com/emaileffects/ Exact ASCII Art - Art that is almost identical to the actual logo ----------------------------------------------------------------- Grey-Scale Example ,**;*00; ,#####;,@0;0* .;**0@; 0##,@#0. *####0 *#*0#, .;*0@####0 ;@#0*##* ,@####; **,*; .@########* 0#@;**;. .;;***0,.;;;*; *###@, *########@ .*, ,,,*00#######0,@####*.@###0,0000***;, 0###@@0*;. ;**0@#;*##########**####0.*####;*########0 ;##0*,..;* .@####0,@###@0@###0.0##@0;.0###0 ****0@###; *; .**0##* *#####;;0*;,;;@###; ;@##@,*00000###0 ,*0@####@..@####0.**0@@#####0 .,;*0####0.0@@@@####; .0########* *#####;*##########;;0@@########;,;;;;*###0; ;########@, @####0.0#00**####@.0##########*.0#######@*; 0######@0* *#####; ;.,**0####*;#########0; ;######0*, ;####@0;. .*@####0 00@#######* 0##00000*; ;;;;;;, 0#@0;. ,*0######;;#######@0; *; ,*0########* 0###@0*;. .*0#########@* ;@0*;. .*0@##########0, ,. *@###########0* Jojo no Kimyouna Bouken (Japan) .@##########0; Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (US) *########@*, Jojo's Venture (Asia) .@######@*, ;#####0*. ASCII art by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey .0##@0; ;#@0; Logo is Copyright Araki Hirohiko and Lucky Land Communications. 0*, Line-Draw Example ___ ____ ______ __ __ ____ | | | _ `.| |__ \_\ / ,'---.| _ `|`. ,'| | _| . | | `. |_ __ | | |\ / / \ | `. \ \ / | | |_ / \ | |_,' / | | | | | | \ /\ / | ||_,' / \/ | | _| / /\\ | ,' | | | |__| |\ \/ `/ | ,--. | ,| |\ /| | | |_ / /__\\_| |\ \ | | | .--. | \ /\ / \ `--' / |\ \| | \/ | | '---, .----..--' \_\ |_| |__| |_| \/ \/ `.__,''-' \_\_| |_| '--' '-` ____________ ____ /\_ __ __ /____ __| | /-/ | / \ / \ | | | /_/ | / \ / \ | | | | | | | \/ | | | | |__| | | | __ | | | /-/ | | | \ \__,' | | /-/ | | |\ /| | `._______,' |/-/_____| |___| \/ |___| \/ Earthworm Jim ASCII Art by AstroBlue UGLY ASCII ART - Art that looks very bad and should never be used ----------------------------------------------------------------- UUUU UUUU GGGGGGGGGG LLLL YYYY YYYY UUUU UUUU GGGGGGGGGG LLLL YYYY YYYY UUUU UUUU GGGG LLLL YYYYYYYYYYYY UUUU UUUU GGGG LLLL YYYYYYYYYYYY UUUU UUUU GGGG GGGGG LLLL YYYY UUUU UUUU GGGG GGG LLLL YYYY UUUUUUUUUUUU GGGGGGGGGG LLLLLLLLLLL YYYY UUUUUUUUUUUU GGGGGGGGGG LLLLLLLLLLL YYYY What makes your ASCII art ugly? If you use the same character to draw out each letter, it will most likely turn out ugly. Try to avoid this method as best as possible, and if you must, use one of the alternative methods listed above (or if you chose, don't use any ASCII art at all.) Ugly ASCII art can totally ruin a great FAQ, so stay away from it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.5 - Formatting =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ The formatting of your FAQ is just as important as the actual content. A poorly-formatted FAQ is something nobody wants to read. You don't have to be perfect, but try and make your FAQ readable without much effort and once you're done typing up all the content, you can go back and spruce it up a bit if you'd like. There's no such thing as a perfectly formatted guide; there will always be faults unless the author is Martha Stuart. Ah, better then having a guide written by Oprah! Guidelines ---------- The first and foremost step you must take in properly formatting your guide is to follow all of the guidelines. These guidelines are all mandatory and if you don't follow them, your guide will end up in the trash pile where nobody can read it. Here are the guidelines: ASCII text: 80 characters per line or less Fixed-width font only (Courier New) Font size 10 (PC), 12 (Macintosh) MS Word: 80 characters per line or less Fixed-width font only (Courier New) 1 inch margins, 8.5 x 11 page size Font size 10 (PC), 12 (Macintosh) RTF: Rich Text Format 80 characters per line or less Fixed-width font only (Courier New) Font size 10 (PC), 12 (Macintosh) Sections, Subsections --------------------- A good, easy to read formatting feature is adding "bars" of characters to denote new sections, subsections and sub-subsections. This will make your FAQ easier to skim through, as readers will know what each section you create stands for. As you can see, I use three different "bars" for the sections, subsections and sub-subsections for this guide (I often use these three in most of my FAQs as well) and they are: Main Section ======================================================================= Subsection =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Sub-subsection ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You don't necessarily have to use these three; be creative. Try different character combinations and see which one looks best in your FAQ. Here are some others commonly used in FAQs: *********************************************************************** ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* +=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+= +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Paragraphs ---------- The main thing you need to know about paragraphs is: keep them short! Limit your paragraphs to no more than 15 lines each. Any longer, and readers will most likely lose their place while reading and playing the game at the same time. You can also indent your paragraphs if you want to, but use the space key, not tab. Using tab will mess up your FAQ a lot when it's posted at GameFAQs, so use spaces instead. The final thing you should know about paragraphs is that they shouldn't be composed of just one or two sentences. If so, you aren't using proper punctuation. Section Layout -------------- The order in which you layout your sections has a great significance in FAQ writing. If you put several lists in front of your walkthrough, readers will have to scroll through all of them in order to get to what they want (the walkthrough.) While you're creating your guide, you always want to put the sections with the highest demand more near the top and the other sections after them. A good way to layout your guide would be like so: Introduction, Story, Characters, Overview, Walkthrough, Lists, F.A.Q., Secrets, End. Other Formatting Information ---------------------------- * ASCII Art should always be centered. * Header Info should either be centered or aligned to the left. * The Table of Contents should always be aligned to the left. * Trailing spaces should be avoided if not purposefully removed. * ALL CAPITALS should only be used for headings. * Double spacing with A L L C A P I T A L S gives the illusion of a larger font, you cannot change text font or size in .txt files. * ASCII ART for section headings should be avoided. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.6 - Content =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ The content of your FAQ is the most important part aside from the format, as it contains all the information about the game. The content of a FAQ usually consists of Frequently Asked Questions, a Walkthrough, an overview of the game and various lists. Frequently Asked Questions -------------------------- A FAQ is a list of Frequently Asked Questions with their corresponding answers. The main function of this section is to address Frequently Asked Questions, this will minimize how much reader e-mail you will get as most of their questions will be answered here. FAQs are great because if you include common problems people have with the game, people can find their answers without scanning through a large walkthrough. FAQs also should not spoil the storyline like most walkthroughs tend to do. You do not have to put questions people have asked you in a FAQ. If you found a section of the game challenging, make up a question regarding the challenging aspect of the game and answer it. Questions do not have to be about the actual gameplay itself either; they can be about other subjects related to the game. Questions such as: "When was this game released?" and similar are perfectly legitimate questions to put into a FAQ. The Walkthrough --------------- Most FAQs mainly comprise of the Walkthrough. A Walkthrough (as the name implies) takes the reader by the hand and walks them through the game. For easy navigation, the Walkthrough should be spilt up into sections. These sections could be done by Area, Disc etc. You should keep your paragraphs to a maximum of 10 lines; any more is unacceptable and will make your Walkthrough awkward to read. There are also many ways you can write a walkthrough: Non-First Time Around --------------------- If you are not playing the game for the first time around, your job of writing the walkthrough will be much easier. While you are going through the game again, have a notepad (or computer) by your side and take down everything that you do then type it all up and format it properly once you've finished. First Time Around ----------------- Special care is needed when writing a guide while going through the game for your first time, but there are some ways of not getting a scattered, indirect walkthrough. One Guide, Two Save Files ------------------------- While writing the walkthrough use two save files (A & B.) On "A" get up to a certain point in the game, then with "B" catch up to where "A" is in the game but while you are catching up to "A," write down your walkthrough. Continue playing with "A" and catching up/writing down with "B" and your walkthrough will progress from there. Confused yet? Just re-read it until you can understand better. This technique is quite useful in writing a good guide for a game you're just playing for the first time. Video Replay ------------ This is a technique figured out by the FAQ Writer SloDeath, hook your game system through the VCR, then tape yourself playing! Then you can review the tap while you are writing the Walkthrough. And you can also pause and rewind whenever you want to add info that you would have usually missed. Game Overview ------------- Most people fail to give a brief overview of the game before starting their walkthrough. For my (Dallas') overviews, I take a bunch of random information about the game (such as the controls, how to start a new game, how to save/load your game, etc.) and put them all into one section and entitle it a "Game Overview." If you do this, it eventually turns out to be one large section that overviews everything you should know prior to starting. Various Lists ------------- Lists are very helpful in FAQs, as they can be used to look up what each item in the game does, how strong a weapon is, what weaknesses enemies have, etc. Lists have minimal formatting and are usually a couple of fields such as "Name, Type, Weakness, HP & MP" repeated over and filled in for each item. If you're writing a FAQ for an RPG, lists are a necessity. For other games, just find a certain feature of the game that you think requires a list. ASCII Maps or Diagrams ---------------------- Text can be a much better way to make maps or diagrams, as you can incorperate them directly into your guide and they take up much less space. You can create maps using the Line-Draw ASCII Technique found at: http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/line_draw.txt To understand how this technique can be applied to maps & diagrams look at the following example: members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/smrpg_midasrvr.zip For many games you can just create maps using characters assign to different objects, in other words incorperating a key. This works best for games with blocky environments like most games for 8 Bit Systems such as NES, Master System & GameBoy. Zelda is a great example of a game created out of blocks (or tiles). There is one important thing when making maps like this, a character in a fixed width font is in the ratio of 2:1, height & width respectively. But the blocks that make up these games are in the ration of 1:1. So therefore you should use two characters for each sqaure. I will use this common block layout in the original Zelda as an example to show how much closer to scale using two character per sqaure is: One char. per square: # KEY: # # # - Block M S # M - Moveable Block # # S - Stairs # Two char. per sqaure: ## KEY: ## ## ## - Block MM SS ## MM - Moveable Block ## ## SS - Stairs ## =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.7 - Miscellaneous Sections =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ Aside from the standard sections you'll find in most FAQs (walkthrough, frequently asked questions, lists, etc.) there are also other miscellaneous sections that should be added to your FAQ. These include: information from the instruction manual (story, character descriptions), a secrets section, mini-game/side quest sections, etc. Below are descriptions of the aforementioned. Manual Information ------------------ A lot of authors debate how much information included in a FAQ that comes from the instruction manual is acceptable. Normally, copying the story of the game and character descriptions should be no problem, but if the majority of your FAQ consists of information that can be found in the instruction manual, it's not helpful and will most likely not get posted. Try putting things into your own words for character descriptions and add useful information for a game instead of just copying the instruction manual. If you FAQ is made up of 25% Verbatim, it's not your FAQ! Secrets Section --------------- Although FAQs with one or two codes are not acceptable at GameFAQs, it's perfectly fine to add them to your large FAQ, so as long as there is other information along with them. Normally, FAQ authors get lazy and just copy/ paste GameShark or Game Genie codes from cheat sites like GSCCC. This is okay to do but only if you credit your sources. Codes cannot be copyrighted, the method in which you describe them can. Mini-Games/Side Quests ---------------------- If the game you're writing a FAQ for has lots of mini-games or side quests that are optional (or just don't fit into the walkthrough somehow) you can make a separate section after the walkthrough and detail them there. If you can, try to add as much as possible to the walkthrough. This type of section is only necessary if the game you're writing for is packed with mini-games that have no place in the main game (ex. Triple Triad in FF8.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.8 - The Closing =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ The closing of your FAQ should carry all the non-gameplay information but information that still pertains to the guide. Normally, you'd put a legal disclaimer, your contact information, your credits section and a short closing message at the end of your guide instead of putting it near the top for people to scroll through. Below are descriptions of sections that normally appear near the end of a FAQ. Legal Disclaimer ---------------- The legal disclaimer is the paragraph of legal information. Every FAQ should have some sort of legal disclaimer, whether it be a short notice or a paragraph of information. I'm often asked what should go into a legal disclaimer, so I'll take the one I've used in this guide and break it down so you'll understand what exactly should be put into a legal disclaimer. "This document is Copyright 2001 Dallas Scott and AstroBlue." This short little statement informs the readers that this document was created by and owned by myself and AstroBlue and that it's copyrighted by law. Every FAQ should contain this statement, even if that's your entire disclaimer. "It may not be reproduced nor retransmitted in any form without prior consent from the authors." This statement tells the readers that the FAQ may not be published anywhere without getting our permission beforehand. "It may not be altered, published, sold, given as an incentive to buy, etc. without advance permission from the authors." This pretty much expands on the last statement by saying the FAQ may not be sold or altered without gaining our permission beforehand. "All outside sources which have contributed to the making of this guide in some form have been cited in the last section of the guide." Here, we explain that any sources who provided information for this guide have been credited for their contributions. In other words, we want to let readers know that we aren't taking credit for someone else's contribution. "Violation of the above terms can and will result in a lawsuit." Although this statement may sound false, it is indeed very true. If any individual or group of individuals violates the terms you provide in your disclaimer, you can file a lawsuit and take them to court on it. Contact Information ------------------- This section should provide the reader with "guidelines" or "terms" on contacting you, followed by your e-mail address. Of course, you don't have to have any "contact guidelines" (a set of rules people should follow before e-mailing you) but if you get enough stupid e-mail, you'll want to add some. See the contact information section near the end of this guide as an example. Credits ------- A credits section is an absolute must in every FAQ that uses information from an outside source (ex. a reader, a web site, a magazine, etc.) List out all of the names/company names/web site names of the people/companies/ web sites who contributed to your guide (either voluntarily or involuntarily) followed by what they contributed. If you don't credit your sources, it's considered plagiarism and you can get into a lot of trouble. You don't need to ask permission from all your sources, such as companies and corporations but you should always e-mail individuals for use of their info (if you don't get a reply within a month or so just use the info and credit the source anyway). Closing Message --------------- The closing message can say whatever you feel like saying. You can thank readers for using your guide, you can quote somebody or quote a song, you can say whatever you feel like saying. You don't have to be on-topic here, but try to limit the closing message's size. A 10 paragraph closing message isn't a closing message, it's a whole new section of the FAQ with no relation to the game. =============================================================================== III. Map/Image Creation Process =============================================================================== Images are great for navigating people through parts of games that are either very visual or so overly complicated that words cannot express fully how to solve the problem or to finish the area. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3.1 - Image Format =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The first thing you must take note of when making an Image is the format used. JPG and GIF are the only two formats that *every* computer format has support for, so they are the only ones you should use. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which was the team of specialist that designed and standardized the format. JPEG (or .JPG) is great for High Color Images as it uses "lossy" compression. The "lossy" compression means it removes differences in the image that the human eye cannot detect from looking at it, removing all this unneeded data drastically reduces its size. "lossy" compression is also used in music like MP3 & ATRAC3 Compression which both remove sounds the human ear cannot detect so the music can take up less digital space. The compression in JPEG Images cause small "smudges" or "sparkles" around where the luminance (light) or hue (color) changes drastically. This is hardly noticeable in large or high color images. But for images which use hardly any colors this format can make good images look horrible. GIF stands for Graphics Interface Format. Which was the term first coined by Compuserve who designed and regulated the format. GIF compresses the image applying an 8-Bit (256 Color) palette specific or unspecific to the Image (i.e a Global Palette could be used for maximum compression). GIFS can also be animated and can contain transparencies. So, for images that contain more then 256 colors you should use JPEGs. Such as anything that contains screen shots from Playstation, Saturn, Nintendo 64 or any other system that has more then 16 bits. For images that contain less then 256 colors you should use GIFs, Such as hand drawn maps and or anything that contains screen shots from systems below or equal to 16 bit (i.e. Gameboy Color, Super Nintendo, Genesis/Megadrive, etc.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3.2 - Contents =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Your Image should have the following: ------------------------------------- * The name of the game it's from * A title stating what it is or what part of the game it's from. * Your name or alias. * Your Email Address * A Copyright statement for you and for any images you used. For example say you made a Final Fantasy Map using the FF logo and some screen shots, you would have at the bottom of the image: © 2001 John Doe FF Logo & Images © 1997 Square Co. Ltd * The actual image or map itself (most important). * A Key for the map (if needed). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3.3 - Taking Screen Shots =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For consoles you can use: ------------------------- * A video capture card, these devices sell for quite a lot if you want to get a good one. Anyway, you stick the analog video output of your game system into it and it lets you take pixel perfect screen shots of the game. Very useful stuff! * Emulator with commercial ROMs, this is a very illegal practice (so if you don't want to break the law don't do it). The screen shots taken are usually 100% Pixel Perfect, but emulation is not an exact science so some compatibility problems with the emulator could cause graphical glitches. For PC games you can use: ------------------------- * The Print Screen button then select "Paste" in a Graphics Program, will not work for must games as most games use Direct-X. * A graphics program with a screen shot facility such as Paint Shop Pro (www.jasc.com), these let you take many more screens in one gaming session. But they still cannot take screens of *every* game. * HypersnapDX (http://www.hyperionics.com/hsdx/), Hypersnap DX is great! You can take as many pictures of *any* game as you want with it! For Macintosh games you can use: -------------------------------- * To take screenshots on a Macintosh, hold down Control + Shift + 3 * Select what you want to take a screen shot of and you'll be able to save it as a PICT file. * Use Graphics Converter to change the screenshot into different formats. * All Macs have this feature built-in. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3.4 - Keeping Scale in Maps =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Maps don't necessarily have to be to scale but it does help. With pixelated game such as NES, Master System & GameBoy you could count by block or painstakingly count pixels. But it's easier to use a tape measure (for normal TV's) or ruler (only with flat screen TVs). 3D maps are a lot harder, but try using action moves or time as a measure of distance For instance, in The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time, Link can roll forward (Hold Z + Tab B) this move moves him a constant distance. So you could roll from one point to another in the area to be mapped while counting the amount of rolls it took, then all you have to assign is a value like one roll = 2 pixels for your map. That method can take a long time, so instead you could use time. For time, you use a stopwatch to find the amount of time it takes to run at the highest speed from one part of the area to the other, then like before you have to assign a value like 1 sec equals 5 pixels on your map. =============================================================================== IV. The Submission Process =============================================================================== So, you're all done writing your FAQ. Now what do you do? Well, people sure aren't going to get any use from your work if it's just sitting on your hard drive collecting dust. Of course, there _are_ several places to display your work, one of which is known as GameFAQs. Before GameFAQs, most FAQs were posted on USENET but then a fellow by the name of Jeff "CJayC" Veasey decided to make use of his 2 MB webspace that came with his ISP and started hosting these FAQs for public display. Five years later, that one site has turned into a massive database of game help files. It can be found at www.gamefaqs.com. Submitting your work to GameFAQs is the most logical decision, but keep in mind that you can submit your work to as many sites or newsgroups as you wish; after all, it is YOUR work. Just make sure the person you do decide to submit your work to is trustworthy and won't try to rip you off. With that said, here are the necessary steps you must take prior to releasing your FAQ(s) to the public along with the actual submission process. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4.1 - Spellchecking =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ When you read a book, do you notice several spelling mistakes and/or typographical errors? Very rarely will you spot out such a thing and it should be the same way with your FAQs. Readers don't like seeing such mistakes, as it makes their job more difficult and it makes you look unintelligent. Taking a few minutes to spellcheck your guide not only makes it easier for the readers to read but also gives a sense of professionalism on your part. Built-In Spellcheckers ---------------------- Most (if not all) of today's word processors come with a built-in spellcheck feature. The more recent your word processor, the more legitimate words its spellchecker will contain. However, for those of you who can't afford big, fancy word processors, the alternative would be free text editors which normally don't have a spellchecker built-in. Stand-Alone Spellchecker ------------------------ If you are unfortunate and don't have a word processor on your computer that allows you to spellcheck your work, there are still several alternatives. You can download a spellchecking program from the internet and run your FAQ through it or you can paste your FAQ into something online that spellchecks (your e-mail program, for example) for you. Search for "spellcheck" at download.com to find a good spellchecking program. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4.2 - Proofreading =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ If FAQ authors would just take the time to proofread their guides, the world of Video Game FAQs would be much, much better. Often, authors make mistakes such as typos, spelling errors, bad formatting and horrid sentence structure. All of these errors can be easily corrected if they're caught before public release of the guide. A guide that has been thoroughly proofread will come out looking much better than one submitted without proper modifications. Bad Grammar ----------- If there's one thing that makes a FAQ author look dumb, it's the incorrect use of English grammar. Improper grammar can sometimes be accidental (for example, forgetting the "r" in "your") or it can be a problem you have with the English language. If you aren't sure if something sounds right or not when read aloud, have someone you know (preferably someone who is good at using proper grammar) read it and let you know if it makes sense or not. There are a lot of FAQ authors who known English as a 2nd or even 3rd language, so there's bound to be grammatical errors in their works. If you can't determine yourself, just take the time and have someone read it and let you know if it sounds good or if it needs to be rectified. Sentence Structure ------------------ After finishing your FAQ and proofreading through it you find a sentence that's 200 words long, you know something's wrong. Try to avoid using run- on sentences (sentences that go on and on and never end) as best as possible. If you think one of your sentences can be shortened, shorten it. Readers easily get lost and confused if you fail to end your sentences with the proper punctuation. Also note that the first letter of the first word of each sentence should be capitalized. Having all of your words in lowercase also makes you out to be unintelligent amongst the readers. I'm sure most of you already know most of this stuff from English class, but FAQ authors often forget and make the above mistakes more often than not. Bad Formatting -------------- Aside from grammatical errors and bad sentence structure, several FAQ authors tend to format their guides incorrectly and when uploaded to the internet, they come out near impossible to read because of the bad formatting. Make sure you follow all of the FAQ writing guidelines (see section II or the GameFAQs Writing Guide) because a badly formatted guide is always worse than making a few grammar errors. What may look fine to you while you're typing it up can turn out to be a bunch of gibberish for the readers once it's published on the 'net. Inconsistency ------------- Make sure every single thing in your FAQ is consistent with the game you're writing for. If you say something occurs in the game when it doesn't, readers are going to bombard you with e-mails correcting your mistake. If you're unsure about something in the game, use a guide yourself or keep playing until you figure it out. Don't just leave it out because you don't know it because readers will ask about it if you do. The goal of making a FAQ is to help readers with every known problem with the game, not to leave items out because you don't know them yourself. If this is the case, you should play some more before writing your FAQ. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4.3 - File Compression =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ If you plan on sending your FAQ to GameFAQs through e-mail, you're going to have to compress it before sending. What does that mean, exactly? It means you have to make it smaller in size to avoid corruption through the sending process. Failure to compress your files before sending them through e-mail could (and most likely will) result in your FAQ becoming corrupt and unreadable to the receiver. Zipping ------- A common method of compression amongst Windows users is zipping the FAQ using a program such as WinZip (www.winzip.com) or some other application that is capable of zipping your guide. When your FAQ is zipped, it will be placed inside of a .ZIP file and the size will decrease dramatically. To be unzipped, the receiver of your FAQ simply has to open the .ZIP file in a similar program and that's it. Zipping your FAQ(s) is a full-proof method to ensure protection against file corruption. StuffIt ------- No, not what you tell someone when you're angry. Stuffing is another method of compression, mainly used on the Macintosh. There are several programs capable of Stuffing files, but the one most commonly used is Aladdin's StuffIt Expander. Keep in mind that not everyone has access to programs that unstuff these type of files, but the webmaster of GameFAQs does, so feel free to stuff your files if you plan on sending them to GameFAQs. If you're using a Macintosh and still want to zip your files instead of stuffing them, check out a program called ZipIt (www.zipit.com) Other Methods ------------- Of course, there are several other file compression types (such as .RAR) but the most commonly used are Zipping and Stuffing. Anything else may be inconvenient or impossible to decompress by the person(s) you send your FAQ to. For alternate programs, search for "file compression" at download.com and you're sure to find tons of file compression files. You don't have to get anything fancy. Anything capable of compressing the file quickly and effectively will do. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4.4 - Submitting your FAQ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ Naturally, most of you want to submit your FAQs to GameFAQs (who doesn't?) so that's what I'll cover in this section. If you're just posting your FAQ on your personal website or to a newsgroup or wherever, that's fine, as there really are no submission guidelines to follow, but if you're sending it to GameFAQs, there are some things you must know and follow if you expect to get your FAQ posted there. Submission Methods ------------------ 1.) E-MAIL (ATTACHMENT): The most common submission method is sending your FAQ to GameFAQs via e-mail as an attachment. To do so, make sure you've compressed it first, then attach it to a new e-mail (if your e-mail program doesn't support e-mail attachments, either upgrade to a new one or see the next method) and send it to submissions@gamefaqs.com. Do NOT send any comments along with your submission in the body of the e-mail, as they are not read due to the system CJayC has setup on GameFAQs. For the subject of the e-mail, just put the title of the game and the FAQ version. As long as you have all the necessary info. in the FAQ itself, the subject of the e-mail doesn't really matter. 2.) E-MAIL (BODY): For those of you whose e-mail programs don't allow e-mail attachments, you can just copy/paste the FAQ itself into the body of the e-mail and send it to submissions@gamefaqs.com with the same subject as the above method. This method should only be used if you don't have access (or don't know how to use) method #1 and method #3. 3.) FTP (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL): If you just don't feel like using e-mail to submit your FAQ, you can use FTP. If you are unfamiliar with FTP, it'd be a wise choice to stick with e-mail. You can either download a FTP program such as CuteFTP, WS_FTP (Windows) Fetch (Mac) and upload your FAQ(s) using that (address: www.gamefaqs.com, name: your e-mail address, password: anonymous) or you can go to ftp://ftp.gamefaqs.com in your browser (if your browser supports this) and drag/drop your FAQ into the /faqs directory. For FTP programs, check TUCOWS or download.com Rejection --------- If your FAQ isn't posted within a week of the day you submitted it to GameFAQs, it's safe to say it won't be posted. The unfortunate thing is that you won't receive a letter explaining why it was rejected, as CJayC is too busy to type up hundreds of rejection letters to people. Instead, you can view the Help section of GameFAQs (http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/help/) and read the section entitled "Why wasn't my FAQ posted?" If your FAQ has been rejected, don't keep sending it over and over again, but don't give up either. Continue improving it until it's worthy of posting. I know it can be frustrating, but just keep at it and your work will eventually see the light of day. Keep in mind that GameFAQs isn't the only site you can submit your work to as well. Just because GameFAQs won't take it doesn't mean it's not useful. Updating Your FAQ ----------------- Updating your FAQ is quite easy, really. After you make the necessary modifications, make sure you change the version number so people will know you made an update and simply send it to GameFAQs in the same manner you did when you first submitted it. CJayC will take care of the rest. It's a good idea to add a revision history to your FAQ detailing what has been added/modified to the guide in each update. It's also a good idea to save your FAQ under the file name CJayC has it listed at GameFAQs when you make an update. So if CJayC has it listed as "final_fantasy_ix.txt" on the site, you should name it the same on your hard drive. This will make CJayC's job much easier when you send in updates. =============================================================================== V. Tools and Programs =============================================================================== Although you can simply use a very low-leveled text editor (ex. WordPad, Simple Text, Notepad) to write your FAQ, there are several others along with some other useful programs, and this section describes what each does and where you can find it. Most (if not all) of the programs here are freeware or shareware, so don't worry about having to shell out any cash. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5.1 - Text Editors =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= UltraEdit32 ----------- Description: High-end Text Editor Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.ultraedit.com Features: * Multiple Simultaneous File Editing. * Word Wrap saves as Page Breaks (Hard Returns) and can be configured to a certain width. * FTP client built in to give access to FTP servers with multiple account settings and automatic logon and save. (32-Bit Only) * Hexadecimal Editor - allows editing of any binary file, shows binary and ASCII view. * 100,000 word spell checker, with foreign languages support (American English, British English, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish). * Trim Trailing Spaces Function, removes unwanted "filler". * Conversion of TABS to SPACES function. GWD Text Editor --------------- Description: High-end Text Editor Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.gwdsoft.com Features: * Unlimited file size. * FTP client gives you the ability to easily open and edit FTP files. * Can read text from Microsoft Word, Windows Write, WordPerfect, Ami Pro and WordStar documents. * GIF and BMP files viewer. * Optional automatic text wrapping at configurable margin. * Autosave and crash recovery. Tex-Edit Plus ------------- Description: Text Editor Platform: Macintosh Developers Page: www.nearside.com/trans-tex/ Features: * 3 types of word wrapping * Changeable background/text colors * Strip Leading Spaces * Strip Trailing Spaces * Support for several file types Notes: You must remove the "Smart Quote" feature in the preferences and you should save in "Tex-Edit ASCII" before you submit FAQs to GameFAQs. (For additional help, please e-mail Dallas.) EditPad Pro ----------- Description: Text Editor Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: jgsoft.com Features: * Unlimited undo and redo functions, * Hexadecimal editor, * Built-in difference tool for comparing two files, * Integrated spell checker. * Built-in email functionality so you can quickly send out texts to others. * EditPad Lite fully supports double byte character systems (DBCS) so you can edit texts written in languages such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean as easily as those written in European languages. FAQEdit aka. FAQ3dit -------------------- Description: Low-level Text Editor Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.oddco.com JWPce ----- Description: Japanese/English Word Processor Platform: Windows 9x & CE Developers Page: www.physics.ucla.edu/~grosenth/jwpce.html Features: * Support for all Japanese Language Encoding types (EUC, Shift-JIS, New JIS, Old JIS & NEC JIS). * Built-in Japanese-English Dictionary, utilizing Jim Breen's EDICT (general word dictionary), and ENAMDIC (a name dictionary containing over 168k Japanese names). * Kanji Lookup Systems, contains nine Kanji look up facilities for quick & accurate Kanji identification. * Kanji Information, JWPce has the ability to provide a large amount of information on any kanji character, including meanings, on-yomi, kun-yomi, etc. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5.2 - ASCII Art Aids =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Email Effects ------------- Description: ASCII Art Program Platform: Windows 9x, NT & Macintosh Developers Page: www.sigsoftware.com/emaileffects/ Features: * Converts pictures or drawings instantly to text, through cutting any picture then pasting it into Email Effects. * Converts spreadsheets & tables into ASCII Text. * Creates headings using standard Figlet (BUAF) fonts. * Draw or erase lines, circles, rectangles or freehand. Figlet/FigWin ------------- Description: Figlet (BUAFF) Generator Platform: Windows 9x, Unix, Macintosh, etc. Developers Page: st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/~chai/figlet.html Figlet Server ------------- Description: Online Figlet Generator Platform: Java Location: www.surfplaza.com/figlet/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5.3 - Miscellaneous Programs =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Paint Shop Pro -------------- Description: Graphics Editor Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.jasc.com Features: * Many tools to edit pictures (Paint Brush, Color Replacer, Air Brush, Flood Fill, Text, Draw, Preset Shapes, etc.) * Many image manipulation options (Brightness/Contrast, Gamma Correction, Hue/Saturation/Lightness, Grey Scale, Negative Image, Posterize, Solarize, etc.) * Large range of filters (Sharpen, Blur, Soften, Despeckle, Dilute, Erode, Mosaic, Median, Sharpen, etc.) * Save images as any format under the sun. * Advanced JPEG/GIF/PNG Encoders. Coffee Cup Direct FTP --------------------- Description: FTP Client Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.coffeecup.com Features: * Full Drag and Drop FTP upload and download * Edit HTML and Text right on the Server. with the powerful built in Editor. * Resume broken Uploads & Downloads. * Preview Images while on the FTP Server. * Zip Up your site ! Built-in WinZip archive utility with file and directory filters. CuteFTP ------- Description: FTP Client Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.cuteftp.com Features: * FTP with a Windows Interface. Simply drag-n-drop files between local and remote computers. * Site-to-Site Transfers, you can transfer a file from one remote computer to another. * Scheduler - Easily automate daily uploads, downloads, renames, etc. * Transfer Queue - Select multiple files from various sites and queue. WinZip ------ Description: Compression Utility Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.winzip.com Features: * Easy Wizard interface makes zipping files easy. * Support for many popular Internet compressed file formats such as TAR, gzip, UUencode, XXencode, BinHex, and MIME. ARJ, LZH, and ARC files are supported via external programs. * Create Self-Extracting execute files. ZipIt ----- Description: Compression Utility Platform: Macintosh Developers Page: www.maczipit.com/ Features: * Decompresses all .ZIP files from any platform. * Easily compresses files into .ZIP format for use on any platform. PKzip ----- Description: Compression Utility Platform: DOS, UNIX & Windows 9x Developers Page: www.pkware.com MagicWin -------- Description: CJK Viewer Platform: Windows 3.2 & 9x Developers Page: www.magicwin.com.my Features: * Allows you to assign different languages displaying in different application windows. * All Asian Language Encoding Standards are supported, including GB, GBK, BIG5, HK GCSS, Shift JIS, EUC JIS, JIS, KSC. Unicode UTF7 & UTF8 standards are supported as well. * Smart detect of different encoding standards within the same language for the convenience of users. * Supports Office 97, Netscape Communicator 4.x and Internet Explorer 4.x. NJ Star CJK Viewer ------------------ Description: CJK Viewer Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.njstar.com Features: * Simple User Interface * The Fastest CJK Viewer Available - Saving your time and money * Automatic Detection of Various Internal Codes within a Language. * Supports All Types of Asian Encoding Standards. HypersnapDX ----------- Description: Screenshot Utility Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.hyperionics.com/hsdx/ Features: * Capture from games, DVD, DirectX, and Glide. * Image manipulation tools included. Hex Workshop ------------ Description: Hex Editor Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.bpsoft.com/ Speed Typing Test 2000 ---------------------- Description: Cute little WPM tester Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: members.aol.com/typingtest/ Features: * Words Per Minute and accuracy measured. * Typing test results saved in file for future printing or browsing. * User may create new tests at any time. * 2 modes, practice or test. mIRC ---- Description: IRC Client Platform: Windows 9x Developers Page: www.mirc.com Snak ---- Description: IRC Client Platform: Macintosh Developers Page: www.snak.com =============================================================================== VI. Frequently Asked Questions =============================================================================== At least once a week I get e-mails from readers who are interested in writing FAQs but have tons of questions. I've also noticed these questions being asked numerous times on the FAQ Contributors Board at GameFAQs during the time of my stay there. However, this list is nowhere near complete. If you think of any questions not listed here, feel free to send them along to either myself or AstroBlue (see section IX) and we'll add them ASAP. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.1 - What exactly is a FAQ? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you don't know what a FAQ is, I suggest you quit while your ahead! But if you just want the true defintion continue: The term "FAQ" is an acronym for "Frequently Asked Questions," however, over time, this term has grown to mean a document containing any information abou a particular subject in ASCII Text Format. For example, a document that walks you through a video game can be considered a "FAQ". =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.2 - What is the difference between ASCII & ANSI? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ASCII is a Character Set standard and ANSI is a Character Set or form of Encoding. Now time to explain it fully: Information is stored on your computer in Memory or on a Hard Drive using a binary system of 1's (on) and 0's (off). All Roman Alphabet Character Sets are 8 Bit, meaning each character is made up of 8 ones and zeros. In an 8 Bit System there can be 256 different values for each byte (one byte is 8 bits). This can be shown with simple math, since there are 8 digits with 2 possible values each which is found via the equation: 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 or 2 to the power of 8. Now the way these 256 different values are assigned to each character is what the Character sets are. For instance in ASCII a capital A has the decimal value of 65. ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is basically the standard way all forms of text encoding assign the first 128 values to differnent characters, how the other 128 values are assigned is relied on which form of Encoding you are using. ANSI stands for American National Standards Institute, which is the institute that regulated it. It is the Character Set (or Encoding) used by all Windows Platforms (except for NT which uses the 16 Bit Unicode System). ANSI defines all 256 values, and the first 128 values comply with ASCII. Now the reason you shouldn't use the last 128 characters of ANSI in your FAQs, is because they are not standard. The first 128 characters of ANSI are because they comply with ASCII. So if you put characters from the last 128 of ANSI, they will come up completely different in computers that don't use ANSI Encoding. Which means people with systems other then Windows such as Macintosh & Unix or Windows Machines using a different launguage (Such as Japanese, Arabic, Hindi, etc.). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.3 - Why didn't my FAQ get posted at GameFAQs? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction ------------ This question is the most frequently asked at GameFAQs, and there are several answers and possible explanations as to why your FAQ didn't get posted. Let's go through the list of problems CJayC has listed in the Help section of the site and further explain each to give you a better understanding as to why your FAQ may not have been posted. Low Quality Work ---------------- The purpose of a FAQ is to help the reader with the game you're writing for. If your FAQ contains little or no actual gameplay information (ex. you spend more time talking about your cat than how to beat the game) your FAQ is not helpful to the public and will not be posted. Listing a few cheat codes for a game is not considered a FAQ. Codes should be submitted separately, but it's fine to include them in your FAQ as long as you have other information there as well. Don't review the game. Stating your opinions every now and then are fine but if your entire FAQ consists of opinions of how good/bad the game is and contains little actual gameplay information, it will not be posted. If you want to review the game, you can do so separately at GameFAQs. This doesn't mean you can't state your opinions in your FAQ, just try to limit all opinions and non-gameplay information to the Introduction of the guide and you should be fine. Oversaturation -------------- If a certain game (ex. Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, etc.) already has a bunch of FAQs (10-20) another one is really unncessary. After 10 FAQs have been made for the game, there really isn't much else that can be said about it and the content becomes repetitive as new guides are added. If a game has little or no FAQs for it already, you have a much better chance of getting it posted than you would with a game with several guides already posted. Incompleteness -------------- If you submit a FAQ for a game that already has complete guides up and yours isn't complete, it most likely will not be posted unless it's for a brand new game that just came out. It makes sense, really; what's the use of an incomplete FAQ if there's already a complete one available. Try to complete your FAQs before submitting them and your chances of getting it posted will increase dramatically. It's also a wise idea to finish what you start before moving on and starting something else, otherwise you'll have a bunch of incomplete work. Tasteless/Vulgar Language ------------------------- If your FAQ contains an excessive amount of profanity, it most likely won't be posted unless it suits the game you're writing for (ex. using profanity in a FAQ for Conker's Bad Fur Day.) It's best to just avoid using profanity, religion, politics and sex in your FAQ. If people want your opinions on these issues, they'll ask for them. A few times here and there won't be hurting anybody, but if you have a cuss word in every sentence, your FAQ won't see the light of day. Improper Formatting ------------------- Make sure you follow the formatting guidelines in the GameFAQs Author's Guide because if your FAQ is hard to read or improperly formatted (ex. adding HTML to it) it won't be posted unless CJayC can translate it into ASCII text. If you follow the guidelines, you'll save CJayC a lot of extra work plus your guide will go up more quickly. Also, make sure your lines are under 80 characters long. Preview Guides -------------- FAQs that simply "preview" upcoming games will not be posted at GameFAQs. For one, they don't contain any actual gameplay information, thus they are not helpful and secondly, most information contained within is inaccurate. If readers want a preview of a game, they can check IGN or some other gaming site. Most authors write Preview FAQs in order to "reserve" themselves a spot on the site for their FAQ once the game is actually released. Don't bother; they won't be posted. Still Stumped? -------------- If you are absolutely, positively sure that your FAQ has followed all the guidelines and doesn't fall into one of the above categories, you can e-mail CJayC and ask him why your FAQ wasn't posted. The proper address to send your request to is: contrib@gamefaqs.com. You'll have to wait at least a week or two for a response, however. If you wish, you can also send your FAQ to me (sdallas19@yahoo.com) and I'll try to see what the problem is. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.4 - How long does it take for FAQs to be posted at GameFAQs? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Updated guides are usually posted on the same day or the next day you submit them to GameFAQs, but new submissions take a little longer to be posted, as they must be reviewed for content before CJayC adds them to the site. If after a week goes by and your FAQ still hasn't been posted, you can safely assume that it never will be. Most guides (new and updated) are posted within 2 days, though except when CJayC is backlogged with submissions. See the above section if your FAQ wasn't posted and you want an explanation as to why not. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.5 - Do I get any money for writing FAQs? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= No. If you write a FAQ, you're doing it as a hobby and there is no money involved. However, GameFAQs has contributor reward programs such as Contributor of the Month (the most popular author of the month, based on file hits), FAQ Bounty (rewards for authors who write for highly requested games), FAQ of the Week (the best FAQ of the week, based on CJayC's criteria) and Review of the Week (same as FOTW, only for reviews.) Winners of these contests are rewarded with Gift Certificates to video gaming stores (both online and real life stores.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.6 - My FAQ is incomplete, but I want to send it in. Should I? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= It depends. If there are no other FAQs for the game you're writing for and you really want to send it in incomplete; go for it! However, if there are already complete guides for the game, it'd be wise to hold off until it's complete to ensure it gets posted. If it's for a brand new game and you just want to "reserve" your spot, go ahead and submit it but be prepared to update it until it's complete. It's always good to complete FAQs before starting news ones, otherwise you'll have a bunch of incomplete FAQs. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.7 - I found some info in a magazine/guide, can I use it in my FAQ? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you've found information in a magazine, feel free to use it but don't copy it verbatim, and always remember to CREDIT YOUR SOURCES. If you get information from someone else, make sure you give them credit! If you don't credit your sources, it's considered plagiarism and you can get in big trouble for it. If you want to use information from another FAQ author's guide, ask for permission first. Some authors don't want you using their information while others don't care so as long as they're credited. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.8 - What if I want to write a FAQ in a foreign language? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FAQs in foreign languages may not be read as much as FAQs in English, but they are still highly useful for gamers who don't speak/read English. If you're skilled enough in the language you want to write a FAQ in; go for it but make note that GameFAQs only accepts FAQs for the major European languages (Spanish, French, Dutch, German) so if you're writing a FAQ in Japanese or some other language that cannot be easily reviewed, you'll have to post it elsewhere. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.9 - Someone stole my FAQ (or info. from my FAQ)! What should I do? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Unfortunately, webmasters and companies steal FAQs and information from FAQs all the time. Don't let this discourage you, however! You can technically take action against such thieves. For starters, check out Jim Chamberlin's (a.k.a. Red Phoenix) FAQ Theft guide, located here: http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/faq_theft.txt That should carry all the information you need in order to get your FAQ off of sites you don't want it to appear on or out of magazines, stores, etc. If you need additional information, feel free to e-mail Red Phoenix and he'll be more than willing to provide it for you. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.10 - Can I REALLY sue someone for stealing my work? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Yes. And no, you don't have to be at least 18 years of age. If somebody steals your FAQ and sells it, you can sue them. Even if they didn't sell it, you can still sue for statutory damages. However, I advise against suing someone unless you really feel like going to court and arguing your case. Try to contact the person who's stolen your work and give them a chance to mend their ways. If they refuse, you have the choice of taking them to court or letting it go. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.11 - How do I deal with e-mail regarding my FAQ(s)? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= When you write a FAQ for a popular game, you're going to get tons and tons of e-mails. Most of these e-mails are either: stupid questions, praise, hate mail or SPAM (or a mixture of all of them along with some extra weird ones for added effect.) Seriously, though, that's what happens when you write FAQs. Some people will send flames and hate mail and the best way to deal with them is to ignore them and delete them. Don't let this intimidate you, though! Just setup a free-mail account at Yahoo.com or some other place and use that in your FAQs to avoid getting tons of e-mail at your personal e-mail address. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.12 - If I use an AOL e-mail address, how do I avoid people's IMs? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I learned this the hard way back in the Donkey Kong 64 days. If you use AOL and list your AOL e-mail address in your FAQ, people will automatically assume that you don't mind them sending you Instant Messages asking questions. While that doesn't sound so bad, I must tell you: it is. If you write for a popular game, you'll have at least 7-10 people Instant Messaging you right when you sign on AOL. It's not worth all the trouble. There are only a few solutions to this problem, the first being to just not use your AOL e-mail address. You can setup a free e-mail account at yahoo.com or some other free-mail service (I highly recommend Yahoo mail though) and use that for your FAQs instead. If you don't want to do this, you can make another AOL screen name and use that for your FAQs instead. Finally, you can setup your privacy preferences to only allow people you list to Instant Message you. I advise against this because you won't be able to receive IMs from some people who may want to talk to you (not in regards to your FAQs.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.13 - How do I keep my lines under 80 characters long? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Two ways: you can setup the word wrapping feature on your text editor (or word processor) to wrap down to the next line after every 79 characters, then you can add line breaks when you're done or you can just type out 79 characters then resize your window so the 79 characters fit on the screen but with no extra space after them and press enter when you reach the end of the window. To setup word wrapping in UltraEdit: Select "Advanced" then "Configuration", click on the "Edit" Tab then tick the "Default Word Wrap On for Each File" box & select "Wrap after column #, insert CR/LF". Now make sure the value for "Wrap/Paragraph Format Column #" is 79. If you also want your files converted as soon as you open them, tick the "Automatically Insert CR/LF when file is opened." For Tex-Edit Plus: Use the "Soft Wrap (Simple Text)" option from the style menu, then type out a row of 79 characters, resize your window and when you reach the end, it will automatically wrap to the next line. Once finished, make sure you set your line breaks at 80 characters (go to "Special" then "Modify Document..." and type "80" into the "Max line length" box) then go to the "Special" menu, select "Quick Modify" and choose "Add CRs" from the pop-up. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.14 - Can I use HTML in my FAQ? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Not if you plan on having it posted at GameFAQs. GameFAQs only accepts FAQs in ASCII text. The reason why GameFAQs doesn't allow HTML in guides is because most people don't have good enough HTML skills and tend to use HTML editor programs which add a bunch of junk to files, thus greatly increasing the size. It's much better and much more convienent to have everything in text. If you want to make your FAQ in HTML, you can do so, but it'll have to be posted off of GameFAQs. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.15 - How do I update my FAQ? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Simply revise whatever you want to revise and add whatever new information you want to add then submit it to GameFAQs again. Make sure you note that it's an update by changing the version number of the FAQ. After that, just resend it to submissions@gamefaqs.com in the same manner you did the first time and CJayC will take care of the rest for you. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.16 - What exactly is "filler?" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Filler is considered unnecessary items that are added to a FAQ in order to increase the FAQ's size (in KB.) In other words, it's junk authors add to their guides in order to make them bigger. Why would authors do this, you ask? Because readers tend to go after the bigger guides and authors think that if they have the biggest guide, more people will read it. Filler ranges from anything to non-gameplay information to adding several blank spaces to your FAQ. Never add filler to your FAQs, it's cheap, useless and makes you look very bad amongst fellow FAQ authors. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.17 - How should I list my version numbers? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There really is no right or wrong way to number your FAQ versions. Some people prefer to name the first version as "1.0" then the next would be "2.0" then there are those who prefer to use 1/10th of a point for each version, like so: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3...0.9, 1.0, etc. It's up to you what you decide to use, but make sure you list a version number after each revision to your guide. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.18 - What should I put in the subject of my e-mail when submitting? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The subject of your e-mail is really insignificant as long as you have all the proper information (your name, the game's name, your e-mail address, the version number and the date) inside the guide when you send it to GameFAQs. However, you don't need anything fancy for the subject of your e-mail. Something similar to the following is sufficient: Subject: Game Title FAQ version 1.0 by John Doe =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6.19 - Who are some of the great FAQ authors that I can learn from? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Way too many to list. Check out the Contributor Recognition List a GameFAQs and browse through all the Most Prolific authors to find some high quality work you can learn from. Just to name a few of my favorite authors: marshmallow, Dingo Jellybean, JESy, Kao Megura, J.T. Kauffman and several others. Here is the location of the Contributor Recognition List: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/ =============================================================================== VII. Random Tips, Hints and Information =============================================================================== * Always credit your sources, no matter how small. If someone corrects a typo credit them! * Don't make your paragraphs too long, 10-20 lines for one paragraph is too much and your readers will have trouble navigating through your FAQ because of it. * The advantage of writing down lots of notes on a Note Pad while you are playing the game you writing the FAQ on is indispensable. Especially when making Lists. * Don't use the tab key. Use spaces instead. If you have already made this mistake high-end text editors like UltraEdit usually have a "Convert Tabs to Spaces" option. * Add blank lines in between sections by inserting a couple of Line Breaks (Hard Returns), this will make your guide easier to navigate. * Never put content in your FAQ that is irrelevant to boost the amount of KB. Not only will it make your Guide hard to navigate because of the useless information, larger FAQs with no info will annoy people with outdated modems or bad connections. * Make you walkthroughs enjoyable to read, try the odd splash of humor (no matter how obscure or dry it is). Robotic Walkthroughs while are very informative but are not enjoyable to read and sometimes don't get the point across (A good balance of humor and seriousness is extremely vital in walkthroughs). * Email Effects is great for making quick grey-scale ASCIIs, But to get the best results: Cut away all of the background of the logo, then make sure it's all smooth (one pixel can make one unwanted character appear) & then minimize the colours used to say 8 or 9 colours. Then in EmailEffects select "Email" then "Preferences", then tick "Custom Picture Characters" and paste (.,:oO*%@8#) in the field. Then paste the picture into Email Effects. =============================================================================== VIII. Useful Resources =============================================================================== ASCII Art Dictionary - Adreas Freise http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~freise/ ASCII Art FAQ - Jorn Barger's FAQ on ASCII art http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/ascii_art_faq.txt ASCII Art FAQ - Another ASCII art FAQ http://www.non.com/news.answers/ascii-art-faq.html Author's Guide - CJayC's comprehensive Author's Guide http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contribute/howtowrite.html Babel Fish - AltaVista's translator http://world.altavista.com/ Blizzard Entertainment - Strategy Gods http://www.blizzard.com Burn Game Station - Austrailian Import Site http://www.burn.com.au/burn.html CAPCOM - Capcom's Official Website http://www.capcom.com/ Character Sets - A great site with info. on Character Sets http://www.robelle.com/smugbook/char.html Dave Tallman's Homepage - Good for learning written Japanese http://www.acsys.com/~tallman/homepage.html DS-99 - Another location containing this guide http://www.dallastm.cjb.net FAQ Authors Forum - GameFAQs' forum for FAQ authors http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/gentopic.asp?board=4 FAQ Theft Guide - Red Phoenix's guide on FAQ Theft http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources/faq_theft.txt FAQWarp - FAQ Writers ASCII Resources Page http://members.aol.com/astroboyblue/resources.html FIGLET Server - Online ASCII art generator http://www.surfplaza.com/figlet GameFAQs - Website with tons of game help files http://www.gamefaqs.com Google - The best search engine http://www.google.com Happy Puppy - Great site for gaming news and reviews http://www.happypuppy.com HTML Goodies - Excellent site for HTML tutorials http://www.htmlgoodies.com HUDSON SOFT - Hudson's Official Website http://www.hudson.co.jp/eng/index.html IGN - Excellent source for video game related info. http://www.ign.com Joan Stark's ASCII Art Gallery http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/ KONAMI.COM - Konami's Official Website http://www.konami.com/ Namco World - Namco's Official Website http://www.namco.com/ National Console Support - Great Online Import Store http://www.ncsx.com Nintendo Homepage - Nintendo of Japan's Official Website http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ Nintendo Power Source - Nintendo of America's Official Website http://www.nintendo.com PlayOnline - In association with SquareSoft http://www.playonline.com/square-top/ PlayStation - The official Sony PlayStation Website http://www.playstation.com/global_splash1.html Pure Mac - Excellent source for Macintosh programs http://www.pure-mac.com Rarewhere - The Official Rare Website http://www.rareware.com Sega.com - SEGA's Official Website http://www.sega.com/sega/index.jhtml SquareSoft - Square's Official Website http://www.squaresoft.com Tronix - One of the Best Online Import Stores http://www.tronixweb.com TUCOWS - Software download sites http://www.tucows.com/ VGStrategies - Great site run by Al Amaloo http://vgstrategies.about.com/ Yahoo! Mail - Best free-mail service http://mail.yahoo.com =============================================================================== IX. Contact Information =============================================================================== If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, praise, complaints, or anything else you feel necessary to send us in regards to this guide, feel free to do so. However, if you e-mail us SPAM, hate mail, unconstructive criticism, etc., your e-mail will be permanently filtered and your IP address will be recorded if you're caught sending SPAM. You can contact Dallas via SDallas19@yahoo.com or if you have ICQ, #100893080. You can contact AstroBlue via astroboy_blue@yahoo.com. Dallas: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/3855.html AstroBlue: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4127.html Don't ask questions already answered in the guide unless you are absolutely stumped about something and need us to elaborate! =============================================================================== X. Information =============================================================================== Credits and Sources ------------------- Jim "Red Phoenix" Chamberlin For his FAQ Theft guide and allowing AstroBlue to post it on his site. Jeff "CJayC" Veasey - http://www.gamefaqs.com For all of his hard work in creating GameFAQs. Devin Morgan For suggesting the creation of an image creation section. SloDeth For the "Video Replay" Technique. The Newbie Authors at GameFAQs For asking most of the questions you see in section 6. Webmasters ---------- If you're interested in hosting this guide on your website, please contact us and give us the URL of your site. This guide may not be published on any website without prior consent from the authors. In other words, if you post this guide on your site without permission, you'll be in a heap of trouble. It's not worth the loss of your internet connection, so just ask before taking, okay? Good. Copyright 2001 Dallas Scott and AstroBlue "Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass they slip away across the universe." - The Beatles, Across the Universe -EOF-