Difference between revisions of "Team Fortress Wiki:Community topics notability guidelines"

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(Custom map notability: "Community maps" is just another term for custom maps, even the link goes there.)
 
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{{hatnote|This page is about the Team Fortress Wiki Policy regarding the notability of Community topics covered within this wiki. For the main page of Wiki Policies, see [[Team Fortress Wiki:Policies]].}}
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| 2 = These guidelines are still under discussion
 
| 3 = Notability guidelines for community topics are still under discussion and a final decision has not yet been reached.
 
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{{hatnote|This page is about Team Fortress Wiki Policy regarding notability of Community topics covered by this wiki. For the main page of Team Fortress Wiki Policies, see [[Team Fortress Wiki:Policies]].}}
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'''Community topics''' are articles about notable content related to the [[Team Fortress series|''Team Fortress'' series]] but not directly published by [[Valve]].
  
{{hatnote|See [[Team Fortress Wiki:Community topics notability assessment project]].}}
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Because the [[Team Fortress Wiki]] is regarded as a reliable source of useful information by players, all new page additions are subject to review by [[Help:Group rights|Staff]] and other editors to ensure they meet minimum quality standards. This also includes official Valve-published content, but ''Community topics'' are particularly scrutinized due to past issues with such articles.
  
{{nutshell|
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A significant amount of playtime in ''Team Fortress'' games is spent on [[Server Browser|Community servers]], where players are likely to encounter many [[w:Video game modding|modifications]] and related content enabled. Therefore, our goal with these articles is to find a balance between providing documentation that is useful to players and enforcing strict notability requirements to prevent opportunities for spamming, self-publishing, or self-promotion. Content that has a recognized presence and user base within the Community is given priority.
* ''[[Team Fortress Wiki|Usefulness]]'' and ''notability'' are the gatekeepers for admissibility of topics to the [[w:Wikipedia:What is an article?#Namespace|main namespace]] of Team Fortress Wiki.
 
* This applies equally to Community topics ([[Custom maps]], [[:Category:Mods|Mods]], [[:Category:Community events|Community events]], etc.). Such topics must be sufficiently ''notable'' for inclusion in the main namespace, as discussed in the policies below.
 
* Many Community topics [[:Category:Topics covered better by other wikis|are best covered by other sources]] and are not covered within this Wiki. In those cases, Team Fortress Wiki will only provide direction to those sources.
 
}}
 
  
'''Community topics''' are pages about notable content related to the [[Team Fortress series|''Team Fortress'' series]] but not directly published by [[Valve]].  
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To maintain this standard of quality and to avoid moderator actions, please ensure that the topic of your article meets the general guidelines mentioned above and within the content-specific sections below. If Staff find an article related to a Community topic that does '''not''' meet these guidelines, they may open up a discussion on its talk page (or reach out to the author) to seek clarification. They may also request additional edits to be made in order for the article to conform with these guidelines. Please bear in mind, that if there is no attempt at coordinating with Staff from the author's side, the article <font color="red">will be subject to deletion.</font> Otherwise, the article may be moved to a subpage of your user space without a redirect.
  
Because the [[Team Fortress Wiki]] is treated as a reliable source of useful information by players, all new page additions are subject to review by [[Help:Group rights|staff]] and any other editors to ensure that they meet minimum quality standards. This includes official Valve-published content, but ''Community topics'' are particularly scrutinized due to past issues with such pages.
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__TOC__
 
 
A significant amount of ''TF2'' playtime is spent on [[Server Browser|Community servers]] where players are likely to encounter many [[w:Mod (video games)|modifications]] and related content installed. Therefore our aim with these pages is to find a balance between documentation that is useful to players but with notability requirements strict enough that it doesn't devolve into an all-inclusive sprawl or allow opportunities for spamming, self-publishing, or self-promotion. Content that has a known presence and user base in the community is preferred and should be prioritized.
 
 
 
''To maintain this standard of quality and avoid moderator actions'', please ensure that the topic of your page meets the general guidelines outlined above and within the content-specific sections below. If staff find a page related to a community topic that don't satisfy these guidelines they may create a talk page section asking you to join the [[Help:IRC|IRC channel]] to coordinate edits. Or ask for clarification and request edits to make it fit the community topic guidelines. Otherwise the page may be moved to a subpage of your User space without a redirect. Please note that due to the inherent difficulties of deciding notability with certainty, the problem might be as simple as lack of significant community presence and demonstrated user base.
 
  
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== General rules ==
 +
{{anchor|rules}}
 
{{ambox  
 
{{ambox  
| image    = Nutshell.png|30px
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| image    = pictogram info.png|30px
| contents = <div style="display: flex;"><div stylr="flex: 1;">
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| contents = <div style="display: flex;"><div style="flex: 1;">
'''Community topics covered ''encyclopedically'' by this Wiki<br/>''when notable'' and subject to policy restrictions''':
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'''Community topics covered ''encyclopedically'' by this wiki<br/>''when notable'' and subject to policy restrictions''':
 
* Mods
 
* Mods
* Community events (competitions, charities)
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* Community events (competitions, charities, MvM campaigns, etc)
 
* Custom maps
 
* Custom maps
* Custom MvM missions/campaigns
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* Custom MvM missions
 
</div><div style="flex: 1; margin-left: 70px; margin-right: 20px;">
 
</div><div style="flex: 1; margin-left: 70px; margin-right: 20px;">
'''Community topics ''not'' covered by this Wiki''':<br/>
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'''Community topics ''not'' covered by this wiki''':<br/><br/>
* Community websites (see [[Team_Fortress_Wiki:Policies#Community_websites|Policy]])
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* Community websites (see [[Team Fortress Wiki:Policies#Community websites|policy]])
* Custom cosmetics/weapon (see [[#Mods|Mods]])
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* Fan updates and custom items
* Workshop collections/Fan updates
 
 
* Map assets
 
* Map assets
 +
* Anything else not mentioned in this policy
 
</div></div>
 
</div></div>
 
}}
 
}}
  
__TOC__
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As with ''any'' article, incompleteness, poor grammar, inconsistent formatting, and other quality issues are ''completely separate'' issues from notability — low quality is ''not'' a reason to tag for non-notability. All notable articles with quality issues can and should be fixed by normal editing. ''Severely'' underdeveloped articles may be moved by authors or custodians to User <u>sandboxes</u> until improved to at least stub quality. Similarly, there is no requirement that any stub be completed; some Valve map articles languished as stubs for years.
 
 
== General rules ==
 
{{anchor|rules}}
 
As with ''any'' article, incompleteness, poor grammar, inconsistent formatting, and other quality issues are ''completely separate'' issues from notability — low quality is ''not'' a reason to tag for non-notability. All notable topic pages with quality issues can and should be fixed by normal editing. ''Severely'' underdeveloped pages may be moved by authors or custodians to User <u>sandboxes</u> until improved to at least stub quality. Similarly, there is no requirement that any stub be completed; some Valve map pages languished as stubs for years.
 
  
''Please do not [[w:Wikipedia:Reliable_sources#Self-published_sources_(online_and_paper)|self-publish]].''. Generally, to neutrally reinforce notability, a Community topic page should not be written by anyone who developed the subject of the page or with any other personal connection to the production of the topic.
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''Please do not [[w:Wikipedia:Reliable sources#Self-published sources (online and paper)|self-publish]]''. Generally, to neutrally reinforce notability, a Community topic article should not be written by anyone who developed the subject of the article or with any other personal connection to the production of the topic.
  
 
''Notability is forever.'' Once a topic is notable, it is notable indefinitely; even if a topic can no longer be found hosted in the Community, or by Valve (e.g., [[Asteroid]]), it still retains its notability.
 
''Notability is forever.'' Once a topic is notable, it is notable indefinitely; even if a topic can no longer be found hosted in the Community, or by Valve (e.g., [[Asteroid]]), it still retains its notability.
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{{anchor|mod|mods}}
 
{{anchor|mod|mods}}
 
{{see also|Category:Mods}}
 
{{see also|Category:Mods}}
A '''mod''' is a Community modification of a ''Team Fortress'' series game, which, naturally, are distributed and hosted only by Community servers.  ''[[Team Fortress]]'' itself was a mod of another game.
 
  
As a factor for notability, a mod may only be noted and granted an article if it meets all of the following criteria:
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A '''mod''' is a community modification of a ''Team Fortress'' series game, which is distributed and hosted only by community servers or websites. ''[[Team Fortress]]'' itself was a mod of another game.
  
*'''Running on multiple servers''': The mod in question must be shown to be in use on multiple servers, run by different entities (meaning that if there are a half-dozen servers being run by one group or person, it doesn't count). These servers also have to show a reasonable amount of player activity, and not simply be empty all the time. If a mod truly is notable in the community, then players will request that server admins run the mod and/or plugin, and it will see reasonable activity in those servers.
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Mods will only be granted an article if they meet the following criteria:
*'''Discussion among the community''': Discussion of the mod must extend beyond the thread announcing its creation and development. It must be shown that the mod is actively discussed by multiple users over multiple communities, in order to illustrate its popularity among players.
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* '''Running on multiple servers''': The mod must be shown to be in use on multiple servers, run by different entities (meaning that if there are a half-dozen servers being run by one group or person, it doesn't count). These servers also have to show a reasonable amount of player activity, and not simply be empty all the time. If a mod is truly notable in the community, then players will request that server admins run the mod and/or plugin, and it will see reasonable activity on those servers.
*'''Reported in game media (blogs, YouTube, etc)''': A very good marker of popularity is if a prominent YouTuber uploads a video of gameplay of the mod, or a popular Twitch streamer plays it (with or without fans/subscribers is acceptable). Simply showcasing the mod over the course of a few videos and a few personalities is proof enough of trending popularity; it does not have to be multiple videos over a consistent time period.
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* '''Discussion among the community''': Discussion of the mod must extend beyond the thread announcing its creation and development. It must be shown that the mod is actively discussed by multiple users over multiple communities, in order to illustrate its popularity among players.
 +
* '''Reported in game media (blogs, YouTube, etc)''': A very good marker of popularity is if a prominent YouTuber uploads a video of gameplay of the mod, or a popular Twitch streamer plays it (with or without fans/subscribers is acceptable). Simply showcasing the mod over the course of a few videos and a few personalities is proof enough of trending popularity; it does not have to be multiple videos over a consistent time period.
  
<span style="color:red">''However'', a Mod page on this Wiki '''must not serve as the website for the Mod'''; the "creators/owners" of the Mod have the responsibilities of supporting the Mod online as necessary.</span>
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Coverage of mods should be no more than ''encyclopedic'' and should ''not perform the functions of the host's webpage''.
  
=== Total conversions ===
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=== Total conversion mods and variant games ===
'''Total conversion''' mods are quite a rare case, and are seen more so as individual games rather mods of any ''Team Fortress'' game; and as such, are [[:Category:Topics covered better by other wikis|better off documented on their own wiki]]. What would be considered a total conversion would be:
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'''Total conversion mods''' are a somewhat rare case for ''Team Fortress'' games, and are seen more so as their own individual games and far exceed the scope of normal mods. As such, these type of mods are [[:Category:Topics covered better by other wikis|better off documented on their own dedicated wiki]]. A mod is considered a total conversion if:
* A mod that completely changes the play style or art style of the game, to the point where it is unrecognizable as a ''Team Fortress'' game.
 
* The mod is dependent on third-party [[w:Software repository|software repository]] clients for downloading assets.
 
  
=== Variant games ===
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* It completely changes the play style or art style of the game, to the point where it is unrecognizable as a ''Team Fortress'' game.
'''Variant games''' or '''fan games''' are such complete conversions that they are in fact their own games and cannot be played except outside of any ''Team Fortress'' game. There is a large variety of ''Team Fortress''-inspired/fan games; it is simply not relevant for the Wiki to document their presence and they are [[:Category:Topics covered better by other wikis|better covered by their own wiki]]. This does '''not''' include topics that are ''covered better by other wikis or sites'' that were published by Valve, such as [[Garry's Mod]] and [[Counter-Strike]], or part of a Valve game promotion such as [[Deus Ex: Human Revolution]].
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* It is dependent on third-party [[w:Software repository|software repository]] clients for downloading assets.
 +
 
 +
Conversely, '''variant games''' or fan games are in fact their own standalone games developed outside of any ''Team Fortress'' game. There are a wide variety of ''Team Fortress''-inspired fan games, and it is simply not relevant for the Team Fortress Wiki to document their presence, as such games are better covered on their own dedicated wiki.
 +
 
 +
=== Source mods on Steam ===
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In the event of a Valve-endorsed or Valve-published ''Team Fortress''-based [[Source Engine|Source]] mod being [https://store.steampowered.com/about/communitymods/ released] on [[Steam]], the Team Fortress Wiki will offer and provide full support for the mod, similar to how it covers content related to ''[[Main Page (Classic)|Team Fortress]]'' and ''[[Main Page|Team Fortress 2]]''. However, if the mod is already sufficiently covered by other sources, such as a dedicated wiki for the mod (as is the case with [[Fortress Forever]]), it may be more efficient to direct users to these existing sources instead.
  
 
== Community event notability ==
 
== Community event notability ==
 
{{anchor|events}}
 
{{anchor|events}}
 
{{see also|Category:Community events}}
 
{{see also|Category:Community events}}
'''Community events''' are significant, higher-profile events sponsored by organizations other than Valve; such as content competitions, special server activities, charities, tournaments, campaigns, or tours. Community events have been a source of many Community maps, community items, and other content that have been [[Patches|added]] to the game by Valve.  However, Community events can be significant areas of Community activity in their own right, rivaling the popularity of some activities on Valve servers.
 
  
As a factor for notability, Community events may only be noted and granted an article if it meets all of the following criteria:
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'''Community events''' are significant, higher-profile events sponsored by organizations other than Valve, such as content competitions, special server activities, charities, tournaments, campaigns, or tours. Community events have been a source of many custom maps, items, and other content that have been [[Patches|added]] to the game. However, Community events can be significant areas of activity in their own right, rivaling the popularity of some activities on official servers.
  
* '''Promotion by Valve''': Including Valve's official ''Team Fortress'' [[blog|blog posts]] and [https://www.teamfortress.com/?tab=news news] and/or patched  [[Promotional_items|promotional]]/reward items.
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Community events will only be granted an article if they meet the following criteria:
** '''Promoted as a TF2 Event''': As part of the Steam Library update, Valve introduced a way of developers prominently [[steamworksdoc:marketing/event_tools/event_examples|display game events]] through the Steam Library. This should not be confused with regular announcements mirrored from the blog's news section.
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* '''Promotion by Valve''': Promoted through [[TF2 Official Website#Blog|blog posts]], [https://www.teamfortress.com/?tab=news news], and/or [[Promotional items|promotional]] items.  
* '''Running multiple event servers'''
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** '''Promoted as a TF2 Event''': As part of the Steam Library update, Valve introduced a way for developers to prominently [[steamworksdoc:marketing/event_tools/event_examples|display important game events]] through Steam. These promoted events have distinct start and end dates and are displayed as "live" or "upcoming" in both the Library and Events section of Steam (e.g., Valve's promotion of [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/440/view/3714952295451785915 Operation Voltaic Violence]). This should not be confused with regular announcements mirrored from the blog's news section, such as the one for [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/440/view/3729585190677503172 TF2 Coaching Central Newbie Cup].
* '''Significant participation''': Player count, players earning rewards .
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** '''Note''': For one-off events or events with a single reward, event coverage should be included on the article of its promotional item (e.g., [[Lo-Fi Longwave]]). For recurring events or events that have multiple rewards, a dedicated page should be created to list all relevant promotional items and provide comprehensive coverage of the event (e.g., [[TF2Maps 72hr Jam]]).
* '''Perpetual event''': Event content (e.g., maps/mechanics) are/were publicly used outside of the event on Community servers.
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* '''Significant participation''': Public reports on the total number of participants and rewards distributed.
 +
* '''Not region-limited''': Event must allow participants from all over the world to participate. Since ''Team Fortress'' has a global player base, hosting an event limited to a specific region would exclude over half of the players, making it irrelevant to cover.
 +
* '''Running multiple event servers (in-game events)'''
  
To be ''useful'' and to prevent the loss of historic record, coverage of a Community event should begin with Valve's notification of the Community event (or other condition of notability) and continue ''past the end'' of the event. Essentially, coverage that begins after an event can lose much useful information. Valve's announcements might not cover important changes to the event, and the Host may delete records of events shortly after the event is over. If the event turns out to be non-notable after all, coverage may ''then'' be tagged and removed according to discussion (less harm is done by giving temporary attention to a trivial event than by permanently missing details of a notable event).  
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Coverage of Community events should be no more than ''encyclopedic'' and should ''not perform the functions of the host's webpage''. To ensure historical records are not lost, coverage should start from Valve's announcement and continue beyond the event. The article should:
The Wiki article covering the event should ...
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* include all original links, as long as they comply with other wiki rules, to ensure the article has the same vital information and resources as the Valve announcement does (e.g., Valve's announcement of [https://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=83043 Operation: Digital Directive] provided no less than 6 links into the host's website).
* ... include ''at least as much linkage'' to important information and resources for the event as the Valve announcement does (e.g., Valve’s announcement of [https://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=83043 Operation: Digital Directive] provided no less than 6 links into the host’s website).
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* … include {{botignore|updates}} for important changes in the event, such as calendar extensions or rule changes.
* … include {{botignore|updates}} for important changes in the event (such as calendar extensions or rule changes).
 
 
* … include event outcomes, such as participation numbers, achievement levels, contest winners, and charity donations.
 
* … include event outcomes, such as participation numbers, achievement levels, contest winners, and charity donations.
 
* … include navigation to similar past events run by the present host and other past hosts as relevant.
 
* … include navigation to similar past events run by the present host and other past hosts as relevant.
 
<span style="color:red">''However'', a Community event article should be no more than encyclopedic; no Community event page may perform the functions of the host's webpage.</span>
 
  
 
== Custom map notability ==
 
== Custom map notability ==
 
{{anchor|maps|custom maps}}
 
{{anchor|maps|custom maps}}
 
{{see also|Category:Custom maps}}
 
{{see also|Category:Custom maps}}
{{ambox
 
| image = Nutshell.png|100px
 
| contents = '''This section in a nutshell:'''<br/>
 
Examples of classes of notable Custom maps:
 
* Original Custom maps ''before'' modification into event maps for Valve (e.g., [[Rumble]]).
 
* Winning/Placing maps in Community competitions recognized by Valve (e.g., [[Fusion]])
 
* Historically influential ''and'' popular Custom maps (e.g., [[Achievement Idle]])
 
* Maps from a successful and notable Community event
 
  
<span style="color:dark red">''Conversely, a Custom map that was never used in an event, never entered into a notable competition, never used to make any map added to the game, never really played much, never influenced gameplay, ''and'' never really noticed by the Community is probably not notable.</span>
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'''[[Custom maps]]''' are maps created by community map makers. Custom maps have gained popularity on community servers and have influenced gameplay within the official game, and some custom maps have also been included in the game by Valve as [[List of maps|official maps]].
}}
 
'''[[Custom maps]]''' are maps created within the Community for play with patched and/or modded versions of ''Team Fortress'', ''Team Fortress Classic'', and ''Team Fortress 2''. Many Custom maps are incomplete or amateurish, but several have become popular on Community servers or have significantly influenced game play within the official game. Some Custom maps have eventually been included in the game by Valve as Community maps. ''As is the case with any other type of Community topic'', Custom map articles must conform to all policies and styles applicable to official map articles.
 
  
As a factor for notability, a Custom map may only be noted and granted an article if ...:
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A custom map will automatically qualify for an article if it meets the following criterion:
 +
* '''Original version''': A custom map that served as the base for an official event map is considered notable due to its historical significance (e.g., [[Rumble]], the original version of [[Gravestone]]).
  
* '''The map is the "original version"''': A Custom map that was later modified for and patched into a Valve Event is often considered notable on this basis alone (for example, [[Fifthcurve]]).
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Additionally, custom maps can be granted an article if they meet two or more of the following criteria:
* '''The map has seen significant use''': Popularity counts for notability, as measured by player count, multiple server occupation at least during peak hours (several Valve maps on Valve servers go unoccupied, even in peak hours.)
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* '''Used in a [[#Community event notability|notable community event]]''': Winning or placing in a reputable and recognized community event supports notability (e.g., [[Croissant]]).
* '''The map was used in a notable Community event that vetted its quality''': Winning or placing in a judged competition supports notability.
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* '''Rivaled Valve servers / Significant use''': Custom maps with high player count and popularity on community servers over a ''long period of time'' (in order to avoid recency bias) are considered notable. (e.g., [[Achievement Idle]] in all of its variants).
* '''The map's use rivaled Valve servers''': Custom maps with multiple variants that recently or historically ''collectively'' rival popularity of some of Valve maps, even if not highly finished (e.g., [[Achievement Idle]] in all of its variants); such may receive a single article broadly covering the variants.
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* '''History making / Originated or promoted new community activities''': Custom maps that played a significant role in creating or promoting new community activities are considered notable (e.g., [[Walkway]]).
* '''The map originated or particularly promoted new Community activities''': Certain Custom maps that created or supported popular new Community activities definitely rivaled some Valve game modes, ''especially when including many derivative variants in the consideration''. Examples: [[Achievement Idle]] ([[Idling|Idling maps]]), [[Walkway]] ([[Training]] maps), [[Trade Plaza]] ([[Trading|Trading]] maps), etc. A particular factor is whether the Wiki has reason to mention the map in a main namespace article, at least in relation to the type of activity.
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* '''Perpetual event''': Custom maps that were part of a notable community event and continued to be used after the event ended are considered notable.
* '''The map was "history making"''': These are maps that were notable for introducing significant mods, Community activities, or official modes (for example, trading, [[Surfing]], etc.) (singly or collected as appropriate).
 
* '''Perpetual event''': If the Custom map was part of a Community event, its notability is especially supported when it is/was hosted on Community servers not associated with the original event (that is, independent Community use continued after the event).
 
 
* The following are difficult to assess but may support notability:
 
* The following are difficult to assess but may support notability:
 
** '''Reported in game media (blogs, YouTube, etc)'''
 
** '''Reported in game media (blogs, YouTube, etc)'''
** '''Discussion among the Community'''
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** '''Discussion among the community'''
  
''*Note: It is not necessary that a map meet all or even many criteria to be considered notable enough for a page, since some criteria are mutually exclusively and a few others overlap. Neither should the ''notability'' assessment consider the completeness or style of the map's article — ''article quality'' is subject to other policies''.
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The following '''do not''' count as factors for notability:
 +
* '''"This is a really good map."''': Notability should be determined by a competition or community consensus.
 +
* '''"Obviously, someone put a lot of time and effort into this map."''': If so, then enter it into a competition!
 +
* '''"Such and such have articles and they aren't notable, so this one should get one, too."''': Notability should be determined by policy, not by comparison to other content.
  
The following  <span style="color:red">'''''do not'''''</span> count for notability:
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Coverage of Custom maps must conform to ''all'' policies and [[Help:Style guide/Maps|styles]] applicable to official map articles.
* "<span style="color:red">This is a really good map.</span>" (Let a Competition and the Community be the judge of that.)
 
* "<span style="color:red">Obviously, someone put a lot of time and effort into this map.</span>" (If, so, then enter it into a competition!)
 
* "<span style="color:red">Such and such have pages and ''they'' aren't notable, so this one should get a page, too.</span>" (Staff is working on it; join the editors and help the process of discussing and categorizing notable Community content.)
 
  
 
== Custom MvM missions ==  
 
== Custom MvM missions ==  
 
{{anchor|missions|mvm missions}}
 
{{anchor|missions|mvm missions}}
Due to absence of Valve publication of new MvM maps and missions and the increase the Community MvM events of recent years, custom missions have been added to the Community. Of course, some of these missions have been used in notable events, but missions should still subject to guidelines to prevent flooding the Wiki with non-notable custom missions, e.g., custom missions never used in events.
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{{see also|Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions}}
  
As a factor for notability, a Custom MvM mission may only be noted and granted an article if it meets all of the following criteria:
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'''Custom MvM missions''' are [[Mann vs. Machine mission]]s created for use in a custom or official Mann vs. Machine map. Custom missions have been used in ''notable community events'', however, guidelines are in place to prevent an overwhelming amount of non-notable or incomplete content from flooding the Wiki.
  
* It is used with a notable Custom MvM map
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Custom MvM missions will only be granted an article if they meet the following criteria:
* It was part of a Community event that has been announced by Valve, e.g. [[Operation Canteen Crasher]]
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* '''Comprehensive content''': The article for the mission should be fully developed, providing substantial information about the waves, sub-waves, robots, and any other custom content, such as custom upgrades or weapons.
 +
** '''Note''': For any missions associated with a notable community event (e.g., [[Operation Digital Directive]]), all articles should be polished and complete before being published in the main namespace. This ensures fairness and prevents any mission from receiving special or unequal treatment compared to others.
 +
* '''Used in a [[#Custom map notability|notable community map]] or [[Mann vs. Machine#Maps|official Mann vs. Machine map]]'''
 +
* '''Used in a [[#Community event notability|notable community event]]'''
  
''As is the case with any other type of Community topic'', custom mission articles must conform to ''all'' policies and styles applicable to official map articles. Any media must conform to the naming schemes as well as categorizations, meaning that files are to be prefixed with the event name, e.g. {{code|[[:File:Operation Digital Directive Blimp.png]]}} and categorized under {{code|[[:Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions media]]}}. In addition to this, custom mission articles should be categorized under {{code|[[:Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions]]}} along with the event name, e.g. {{code|[[:Category:Operation Canteen Crasher missions‎]]}}.
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Coverage of Custom MvM missions must conform to ''all'' policies and styles applicable to official mission articles. Any media must conform to the naming schemes and categorizations, meaning that files are to be prefixed with the event name, e.g. {{code|[[:File:Operation Digital Directive Blimp.png]]}} and categorized under {{code|[[:Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions media]]}}. In addition, articles should be categorized under {{code|[[:Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions]]}} along with the event name, e.g. {{code|[[:Category:Operation Canteen Crasher missions‎]]}}.
 
 
Per [[Team Fortress Wiki:Images|Policy]], media that contains copyrighted material is prohibited and is subject to deletion. See also: [[Team Fortress Wiki:Licensing images|Licensing images]].
 
  
 
== Community assets ==
 
== Community assets ==
 
{{anchor|assets|map assets}}
 
{{anchor|assets|map assets}}
While certain ''Community assets'' packs have been popularly used not just in custom maps but in many newer maps that Valve has added to their game, it it not necessary for the Wiki to deeply cover all of them.
 
  
Priority should be given those that packs have been notably promoted by Valve, such as [[Swamp Theme]], [[Construction Theme]], and [[Bullet Crops Project]]. Other less notable better covered on their mapping platform (e.g., TF2Maps) rather than using the Wiki as a separate webhost or simply mirroring a webpage as in the case of [[The London Pack]].
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'''Community assets''' are packs of content created by the community for use in custom maps and maps added by Valve. While some packs have been widely used and promoted by Valve, such as the [[Swamp Theme]], [[Construction Theme]], and [[Bullet Crops Project]], the Wiki does not ''need'' to deeply cover all of them. Priority should be given to those that have been notably promoted by Valve.
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Other less notable community assets are better covered on their mapping platform (e.g., TF2Maps.net) rather than using the Wiki as a separate web host.
  
== Community patches/collections/showcases ==
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== Community patches/Fan updates/Showcases ==
 
{{anchor|assets|collections|fan patches|fan updates}}
 
{{anchor|assets|collections|fan patches|fan updates}}
Community patches also know as '''[[:Category:Fan updates|Fan updates]]''' or showcases, are unofficial content releases, some with fanfare and Update days mimicking the Valve Updates of old. Most of their content is usable only on Community servers or not usable at all.
 
  
To avoid concerns of bias and the usage of the Wiki as a vehicle for product advertising and ''vote manipulation'', this content is not considered notable.
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'''Community patches''', also known as [[:Category:Fan updates|Fan updates]] or showcases, are unofficial content releases, some with fanfare and "update days" that mimic official updates. Most of their content is only usable on community servers or not usable at all.
 +
 
 +
To avoid concerns of bias and the usage of the Wiki as a vehicle for ''product advertising'' and ''vote manipulation'', this type of content is not considered notable.
  
 
== Tags and assessment process ==
 
== Tags and assessment process ==
 
{{anchor|tags}}
 
{{anchor|tags}}
Tags are applied to Community topics, first to serve notice that the page undergoing review/assessment for notability, then to indicate that the page has passed the assessment for continued inclusion.
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Tags are applied to Community topics, first to serve notice that the article is undergoing review/assessment for notability, then to indicate that the article has passed the assessment for continued inclusion.
 
 
* Community topic pages not yet discussed for notability should be tagged to prompt assessment by editors under a [[Team Fortress Wiki:Community topics notability assessment project|Community topics notability assessment project]]. The template should look something like this: {{tlx|custom content notice|2=assessment=no}}.
 
* Community topic pages assessed as notable are tagged as such with link in the tag to the subpage where the assessment was recorded. The template should look something like this: {{tlx|custom content notice|2=assessment=yes}}.
 
* Community topic pages assessed as ''not'' notable are removed from the main namespace.
 
  
[[Category:User Mikado282's Sandboxes]]
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* Community topics that have '''not yet been assessed''' for notability should be tagged with {{tlx|custom content notice|2=assessment=no}} to initiate the review process through the [[Team Fortress Wiki:Community topics notability assessment project|Community topics notability assessment project]].
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* Community topics that have been assessed as '''notable''' should be tagged with {{tlx|custom content notice|2=assessment=yes}} and a link to the page where the assessment was recorded.
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* Community topics that have been assessed as '''not notable''' should be removed from the main namespace.

Latest revision as of 20:17, 14 April 2024

This page is about the Team Fortress Wiki Policy regarding the notability of Community topics covered within this wiki. For the main page of Wiki Policies, see Team Fortress Wiki:Policies.

Community topics are articles about notable content related to the Team Fortress series but not directly published by Valve.

Because the Team Fortress Wiki is regarded as a reliable source of useful information by players, all new page additions are subject to review by Staff and other editors to ensure they meet minimum quality standards. This also includes official Valve-published content, but Community topics are particularly scrutinized due to past issues with such articles.

A significant amount of playtime in Team Fortress games is spent on Community servers, where players are likely to encounter many modifications and related content enabled. Therefore, our goal with these articles is to find a balance between providing documentation that is useful to players and enforcing strict notability requirements to prevent opportunities for spamming, self-publishing, or self-promotion. Content that has a recognized presence and user base within the Community is given priority.

To maintain this standard of quality and to avoid moderator actions, please ensure that the topic of your article meets the general guidelines mentioned above and within the content-specific sections below. If Staff find an article related to a Community topic that does not meet these guidelines, they may open up a discussion on its talk page (or reach out to the author) to seek clarification. They may also request additional edits to be made in order for the article to conform with these guidelines. Please bear in mind, that if there is no attempt at coordinating with Staff from the author's side, the article will be subject to deletion. Otherwise, the article may be moved to a subpage of your user space without a redirect.

General rules

As with any article, incompleteness, poor grammar, inconsistent formatting, and other quality issues are completely separate issues from notability — low quality is not a reason to tag for non-notability. All notable articles with quality issues can and should be fixed by normal editing. Severely underdeveloped articles may be moved by authors or custodians to User sandboxes until improved to at least stub quality. Similarly, there is no requirement that any stub be completed; some Valve map articles languished as stubs for years.

Please do not self-publish. Generally, to neutrally reinforce notability, a Community topic article should not be written by anyone who developed the subject of the article or with any other personal connection to the production of the topic.

Notability is forever. Once a topic is notable, it is notable indefinitely; even if a topic can no longer be found hosted in the Community, or by Valve (e.g., Asteroid), it still retains its notability.

Mod notability

See also: Category:Mods

A mod is a community modification of a Team Fortress series game, which is distributed and hosted only by community servers or websites. Team Fortress itself was a mod of another game.

Mods will only be granted an article if they meet the following criteria:

  • Running on multiple servers: The mod must be shown to be in use on multiple servers, run by different entities (meaning that if there are a half-dozen servers being run by one group or person, it doesn't count). These servers also have to show a reasonable amount of player activity, and not simply be empty all the time. If a mod is truly notable in the community, then players will request that server admins run the mod and/or plugin, and it will see reasonable activity on those servers.
  • Discussion among the community: Discussion of the mod must extend beyond the thread announcing its creation and development. It must be shown that the mod is actively discussed by multiple users over multiple communities, in order to illustrate its popularity among players.
  • Reported in game media (blogs, YouTube, etc): A very good marker of popularity is if a prominent YouTuber uploads a video of gameplay of the mod, or a popular Twitch streamer plays it (with or without fans/subscribers is acceptable). Simply showcasing the mod over the course of a few videos and a few personalities is proof enough of trending popularity; it does not have to be multiple videos over a consistent time period.

Coverage of mods should be no more than encyclopedic and should not perform the functions of the host's webpage.

Total conversion mods and variant games

Total conversion mods are a somewhat rare case for Team Fortress games, and are seen more so as their own individual games and far exceed the scope of normal mods. As such, these type of mods are better off documented on their own dedicated wiki. A mod is considered a total conversion if:

  • It completely changes the play style or art style of the game, to the point where it is unrecognizable as a Team Fortress game.
  • It is dependent on third-party software repository clients for downloading assets.

Conversely, variant games or fan games are in fact their own standalone games developed outside of any Team Fortress game. There are a wide variety of Team Fortress-inspired fan games, and it is simply not relevant for the Team Fortress Wiki to document their presence, as such games are better covered on their own dedicated wiki.

Source mods on Steam

In the event of a Valve-endorsed or Valve-published Team Fortress-based Source mod being released on Steam, the Team Fortress Wiki will offer and provide full support for the mod, similar to how it covers content related to Team Fortress and Team Fortress 2. However, if the mod is already sufficiently covered by other sources, such as a dedicated wiki for the mod (as is the case with Fortress Forever), it may be more efficient to direct users to these existing sources instead.

Community event notability

See also: Category:Community events

Community events are significant, higher-profile events sponsored by organizations other than Valve, such as content competitions, special server activities, charities, tournaments, campaigns, or tours. Community events have been a source of many custom maps, items, and other content that have been added to the game. However, Community events can be significant areas of activity in their own right, rivaling the popularity of some activities on official servers.

Community events will only be granted an article if they meet the following criteria:

  • Promotion by Valve: Promoted through blog posts, news, and/or promotional items.
    • Promoted as a TF2 Event: As part of the Steam Library update, Valve introduced a way for developers to prominently display important game events through Steam. These promoted events have distinct start and end dates and are displayed as "live" or "upcoming" in both the Library and Events section of Steam (e.g., Valve's promotion of Operation Voltaic Violence). This should not be confused with regular announcements mirrored from the blog's news section, such as the one for TF2 Coaching Central Newbie Cup.
    • Note: For one-off events or events with a single reward, event coverage should be included on the article of its promotional item (e.g., Lo-Fi Longwave). For recurring events or events that have multiple rewards, a dedicated page should be created to list all relevant promotional items and provide comprehensive coverage of the event (e.g., TF2Maps 72hr Jam).
  • Significant participation: Public reports on the total number of participants and rewards distributed.
  • Not region-limited: Event must allow participants from all over the world to participate. Since Team Fortress has a global player base, hosting an event limited to a specific region would exclude over half of the players, making it irrelevant to cover.
  • Running multiple event servers (in-game events)

Coverage of Community events should be no more than encyclopedic and should not perform the functions of the host's webpage. To ensure historical records are not lost, coverage should start from Valve's announcement and continue beyond the event. The article should:

  • … include all original links, as long as they comply with other wiki rules, to ensure the article has the same vital information and resources as the Valve announcement does (e.g., Valve's announcement of Operation: Digital Directive provided no less than 6 links into the host's website).
  • … include updates for important changes in the event, such as calendar extensions or rule changes.
  • … include event outcomes, such as participation numbers, achievement levels, contest winners, and charity donations.
  • … include navigation to similar past events run by the present host and other past hosts as relevant.

Custom map notability

See also: Category:Custom maps

Custom maps are maps created by community map makers. Custom maps have gained popularity on community servers and have influenced gameplay within the official game, and some custom maps have also been included in the game by Valve as official maps.

A custom map will automatically qualify for an article if it meets the following criterion:

  • Original version: A custom map that served as the base for an official event map is considered notable due to its historical significance (e.g., Rumble, the original version of Gravestone).

Additionally, custom maps can be granted an article if they meet two or more of the following criteria:

  • Used in a notable community event: Winning or placing in a reputable and recognized community event supports notability (e.g., Croissant).
  • Rivaled Valve servers / Significant use: Custom maps with high player count and popularity on community servers over a long period of time (in order to avoid recency bias) are considered notable. (e.g., Achievement Idle in all of its variants).
  • History making / Originated or promoted new community activities: Custom maps that played a significant role in creating or promoting new community activities are considered notable (e.g., Walkway).
  • Perpetual event: Custom maps that were part of a notable community event and continued to be used after the event ended are considered notable.
  • The following are difficult to assess but may support notability:
    • Reported in game media (blogs, YouTube, etc)
    • Discussion among the community

The following do not count as factors for notability:

  • "This is a really good map.": Notability should be determined by a competition or community consensus.
  • "Obviously, someone put a lot of time and effort into this map.": If so, then enter it into a competition!
  • "Such and such have articles and they aren't notable, so this one should get one, too.": Notability should be determined by policy, not by comparison to other content.

Coverage of Custom maps must conform to all policies and styles applicable to official map articles.

Custom MvM missions

See also: Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions

Custom MvM missions are Mann vs. Machine missions created for use in a custom or official Mann vs. Machine map. Custom missions have been used in notable community events, however, guidelines are in place to prevent an overwhelming amount of non-notable or incomplete content from flooding the Wiki.

Custom MvM missions will only be granted an article if they meet the following criteria:

  • Comprehensive content: The article for the mission should be fully developed, providing substantial information about the waves, sub-waves, robots, and any other custom content, such as custom upgrades or weapons.
    • Note: For any missions associated with a notable community event (e.g., Operation Digital Directive), all articles should be polished and complete before being published in the main namespace. This ensures fairness and prevents any mission from receiving special or unequal treatment compared to others.
  • Used in a notable community map or official Mann vs. Machine map
  • Used in a notable community event

Coverage of Custom MvM missions must conform to all policies and styles applicable to official mission articles. Any media must conform to the naming schemes and categorizations, meaning that files are to be prefixed with the event name, e.g. File:Operation Digital Directive Blimp.png and categorized under Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions media. In addition, articles should be categorized under Category:Custom Mann vs. Machine missions along with the event name, e.g. Category:Operation Canteen Crasher missions‎.

Community assets

Community assets are packs of content created by the community for use in custom maps and maps added by Valve. While some packs have been widely used and promoted by Valve, such as the Swamp Theme, Construction Theme, and Bullet Crops Project, the Wiki does not need to deeply cover all of them. Priority should be given to those that have been notably promoted by Valve.

Other less notable community assets are better covered on their mapping platform (e.g., TF2Maps.net) rather than using the Wiki as a separate web host.

Community patches/Fan updates/Showcases

Community patches, also known as Fan updates or showcases, are unofficial content releases, some with fanfare and "update days" that mimic official updates. Most of their content is only usable on community servers or not usable at all.

To avoid concerns of bias and the usage of the Wiki as a vehicle for product advertising and vote manipulation, this type of content is not considered notable.

Tags and assessment process

Tags are applied to Community topics, first to serve notice that the article is undergoing review/assessment for notability, then to indicate that the article has passed the assessment for continued inclusion.

  • Community topics that have not yet been assessed for notability should be tagged with {{custom content notice|assessment=no}} to initiate the review process through the Community topics notability assessment project.
  • Community topics that have been assessed as notable should be tagged with {{custom content notice|assessment=yes}} and a link to the page where the assessment was recorded.
  • Community topics that have been assessed as not notable should be removed from the main namespace.