YPPedia:Policies and guidelines


 * YPPedia policy is based heavily on Wikipedia policy.

YPPedia has several policies and guidelines that help the community work toward our common goal – to create a complete, reliable encyclopedia of Puzzle Pirates-related information. Those who edit with these policies and guidelines in mind will find a welcoming environment among the wiki community.

Key Policies
The following policies are key to productive editing:
 * 1) YPPedia is an encyclopedia. YPPedia is not a forum, nor is it a soapbox for discussing information (excepting the talk pages).  It is not a free webspace provider;  for free wiki hosting, we suggest Wikia.  It is also not a place for advertising.
 * 2) Avoid bias. Articles should be written from a neutral point of view, representing differing views on a subject factually and objectively.
 * 3) Don't infringe copyrights. YPPedia is a free encyclopedia licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons license. Submitting work which infringes copyrights threatens our objective to build a truly free encyclopedia that anyone can redistribute, and could lead to legal problems.
 * 4) Respect other contributors. YPP contributors come from many different countries and cultures and have widely different views. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an encyclopedia. For reference, see the Editors' Code of Conduct, Wikipedia etiquette, Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Writers rules of engagement, Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Civility, Dispute resolution.
 * 5) Use third person. Just like the articles you would find in an encyclopedia, the articles here should be written in the third person (he, she, they) rather than first person (I, we).  The only exception is for quoted material (e.g., a crew's public statement).

Temporary bans for inappropriate behavior
When necessary, administrators of the wiki may temporarily ban a user from making edits following several acts of inappropriate and hostile behavior. The behaviors and punishments are as follows:
 * Scribbling - The user leaves random junk on numerous pages, but doesn't delete existing text, nor add anything offensive. A warning will be issued after each of the first two incidents.  After a third incident, the user will be banned for a week.
 * Copyright infringement - The user uploads text or images from another source and claims authorship.   A warning will be issued after each of the first two incidents.  After a third incident, the user will be banned for a week.
 * Vandalism - The user erases large sections of existing content for no valid reason, or adds offensive text to existing entries. The user will receive one warning. A second offense will result in a one month ban. If the vandalism uses particularly offensive language, even on the first offense, a warning will be given at the same time as a one month ban. Successive offenses will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Game bans for inappropriate YPPedia behavior
The Ocean Masters have determined that Terms of Service violations that occur on YPPedia are potential grounds for an in-game suspension or ban as well as a wiki block. This will be dealt with on a case by case basis by the wiki OM,.

Individual Pirate Articles
The YPPedia is an encyclopedic work. It is not a directory of pirates across the oceans. That said, any pirate may have a page about him or her. Pirate pages must meet the same basic criteria as all other pages. They must be encyclopedic. They must be written in the third person. They must be factual. They must use proper spelling and grammar. Pages that fail to meet these criteria may still be proposed for deletion and, after a suitable discussion period, may be deleted if the problems persist.


 * 1) Trophies are not permitted on pirate pages.
 * 2) Pirate pages should not contain lists of standard-named vessels.
 * 3) Lists of trinkets and pets longer than twelve items total should be hidden inside a show/hide box.  Ex: Vova, Stevensam.
 * 4) PEAR scores are not permitted on pirate pages.
 * 5) Lists of stalls and shoppes managed and owned longer than twelve items total should be hidden inside a show/hide box.  Ex: Cedarwings, Paulypirate
 * 6) Hearty lists are not permitted on pirate pages.

See also help with creating an article.

Other Guidelines

 * Please see the deletion page for more information about the deletion process.
 * Players are welcome to comment on pages in the Official namespace on each page's respective talk page - these talk pages are monitored very carefully for suggestions and corrections. Because these pages appear as part of the new Puzzle Pirates website, they are protected from direct editing by players.
 * Images in signatures are not allowed when signing comments on talk pages.
 * Articles about player-owned ships are not permitted.
 * Articles about stalls are not permitted.
 * Similar to individual pirate pages, crew and flag pages with lists of stalls and shoppes managed and owned longer than twelve items total should be hidden inside a show/hide box. Ex: Defenders of Truth, Shadow Knights
 * Crew and flag pages that contain 10 or more portraits in a gallery should be hidden inside a show/hide box. Ex: Elysian Fields, Serenity


 * Spoilers (posting anything about the game, including trophies, features, graphics, etc., that has not yet been seen in testing on the Ice Ocean or live on the other oceans) are not permitted.
 * The exact requirements to trigger trophies are restricted to the main trophy page. They should not be listed on other pages.