Editing Rules

From Video Game Music Preservation Foundation Wiki
Revision as of 22:30, 11 August 2013 by TheAlmightyGuru (talk | contribs)
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Home Page

  • News
    • News includes any topical posts about the videogame music industry. You can post when new official soundtracks have been released, when composers have been interviewed, when podcasts have been published, etc. New additions to the Wiki should be placed in the Latest Updates section. This list should be limited to 5 news updates. So, each time you add an update, deleted the bottom one. Important items should be added to relevant pages.
  • Latest Soundtracks
    • This section is only for new soundtracks. Each time a new recording has been uploaded, add a picture of the game's box with the title below. Because the site is currently designed to match 1080 resolution, limit this to 6 games.
  • Latest Updates
    • This section is to showcase major updates. Any major updates other than new soundtracks should be added here. This includes updated or re-recorded soundtracks, new composers or majorly updated composers, new formats or players, etc. Limit this list to 5.

Music Submission

  • All games must be at least 10-years-old
    • The majority of videogame soundtracks are still owned by their respective copyright holders, and a decade-long buffer will help alleviate legal issues. We will comply with all copyright holders to remove their intellectual property if they ask.
  • Songs MUST be ripped from the game
    • The VGMPF does not allow tracks from official soundtrack CDs, remixes, arrangements, etc.
  • Music MUST be recorded into Ogg Vorbis format
    • For a full explanation, see the Vorbis Tutorial.
    • It is recommended that you keep your original recordings in FLAC format in order to have a lossless master file to work with.
  • Use the following naming convention for Ogg files
    • "Track - Game Title - Platform - Song Title.ogg" The track should be two digits with leading zeroes, and the platform is all caps.
    • For example: "05 - Chrono Trigger - SNES - Memories of Green.ogg"
    • If you're including multiple recordings of PC games, add a disc number to the file name.
    • For example:
      • 101 - Ultima 6 - DOS - Title.ogg (Roland MT-32 recording)
      • 201 - Ultima 6 - DOS - Title.ogg (AdLib recording)
      • 301 - Ultima 6 - DOS - Title.ogg (Creative Music System recording)
  • Timing is important
    • In order to offer a nice listening length, music that is looped in a game should be recorded with two loops (one full play through, and then one full loop) and then a fade out of the first ten seconds of the third loop. However, if a single loop is over 2 minutes long, then don't bother with the second loop, just have a ten second fade out when the second loop starts. This will keep songs at a tolerable length.
  • Strive for the most accurate sound
    • Because this site is meant to preserve videogame music as a historic media, all music should be recorded using the software that offers sound quality most accurate to the original.
  • Update the file's meta data
    • Meta data gives listeners important information about the track.
    • It also lets you use the Make List program to quickly generate the Wiki code.

Graphics

  • Screenshots must be in PNG format at the same resolution of the game in native mode (do not use scalers, anti-aliasing, color enhancement, etc.). Temporary screenshots in JPG can be added, but they should be edited and given the "Needs Pixel Perfect Screenshot" category.
  • Box scans must be in JPG format. Large scans that are clean from watermarks are preferred. If a box is low-quality or has a watermark, you should give it a "Needs Cleaner Box Art" category.

VGMPF Album Art

Albums

  • If the album contains music from more than one game, include a "Game" column in the track list table.

Companies

Composers

  • Games should be sorted by date unless the composer is not primarily a videogame music composer, in which case, games should be sorted by title. For example, Koji Kondo is primarily a videogame music composer, so his games should be sorted by date, but Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle was not a videogame music composer, so his contributions are sorted by title.

Formats

Games

  • The game description should be brief detailing the style of game play and the plot.
  • The music descriptions should detail the genres covered, the software/hardware used to make the music, game-specific composer information, and any special information about the music itself. Detailed information should be put into the song's page.
  • The rip description should include the method used for extracting the music from the game's data files and the player used to record the soundtrack.
  • The first screenshot should always be the title screen.
  • Remaining screenshots should cover different sections of early game play including menus, dialog, action, etc. Try to avoid spoilers.
  • Audio credits should be listed as they appear in the game, where applicable. Real names should be added when an alias is used by a composer.
  • Release information should display the full publication name found at mobygames.com (e.g., Nintendo should be listed as "Nintendo, Co., Ltd." or "Nintendo of America, Inc.", not just "Nintendo")
  • Accurate release dates can be obtained from gamefaqs.com

Platforms

Players

  • Screenshots should be of the box art, if it exists, or of a common screenshot.

Songs

Title

The source of the song's title should be included if it has an official name. If no official title exists, it should be noted that the title is unofficial. Other common unofficial titles should be listed as well. For example, the Secret of Mana song Fear of the Heavens receives its official title from the USA soundtrack. However, before the USA release, a Japanese bootleg release existed with the title "Angel's Fear".

Length

The length of the song should be the rip's length at a single play. It should not include the length of a second loop or fadeout, unless the fadeout is part of the original song. For example, the recording of the Bionic Commando Theme is 2:19 long, but that includes two total loops and a 10 second fade out. However, the song only plays for 1:04 before it loops. Thus, the length of the song is listed as 1:04.

Description

The description of the song should include the following:

  • A musical review of the song including which instruments are used and what musical genre the song can be assigned to.
  • Where in the game this song can be heard.
  • How the song was ripped from the game, and its internal file name if applicable.
  • Any quotes from the composer about the song.
  • An image from the game where this song plays.
  • If the song has lyrics, include them.
  • Any sheet music or tabs that can be found should be included.
  • Links to orchestrated versions, covers, remixes, can be added as well.

Screenshot

Each song should have a screenshot from every major section of the game where the song is played. For example, if a song is played during the title screen level 4 and level 7, there should be a screenshot of the title screen, and from levels 4 and 7. Limit spoilers unless it's unavoidable, for example, ending music.


Date Format

The VGMPF uses the ISO 8601 standard for date layouts. That is YYYY-MM-DD, using hyphens as separators and leading zeros. So, the American format of July 15, 2013 should look like, 2013-07-15. This format is used for tables and info boxes, but the standard American format is used in biographies. In the past, the date hasn't had a specific format, so editors are encouraged to fix any old formats.

Dates In Tables

When dates are displayed in a table, such as a composer's gameography or a chronological list on a series page, use the following rules:

  • Less precise dates should be listed after precise dates, unless a game is known to have been released before another. For example: 1991-05-06, 1991-09-20, 1991-09-??, 1991-??-??.
  • Games released on the same date should be alphabetically sorted by title unless a game is known to have been released before another.
  • When games are sorted outside of the expected order above, make a note in the Discussion page to explain why.