MarioWiki:Coverage: Difference between revisions

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The Super Mario Wiki is an encyclopedia focused on all aspects of the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise. What distinguishes this wiki from other video game wikis is that we not only cover our primary franchise, but also all other series and games which have emerged as their own distinct franchises. Crossover games, such as the ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' series, are also covered here, but from the perspective of ''Super Mario'' and its partner franchises. This guideline is here to help users determine what content is and is not acceptable for inclusion in the Super Mario Wiki.
''The {{SITENAME}} is meant to be a '''wiki focused on all things related to the [[Marioverse]].''''' However, there is also the [[Extended Marioverse]], which includes the Donkey Kong series, Yoshi series, some 3rd party characters in Mario games (''Smash Bros.'' series), and even the Banjo series, on the fringe of the Extended Marioverse. Naturally, the question will arise, ''what articles for the wiki should I create? What is the main focus of the wiki?'' This policy answers that question.


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==No canon==
The {{SITENAME}} is forced to set a limit, per user per week, on the number of articles that are created of ''secondary or tertiary'' importance to the wiki. There is no limit for articles of ''primary importance''.
Based on [[MarioWiki:Canonicity]], there is no "canon" regarding the ''Super Mario'' franchise. Since there is no canon, we cover any "[[Mario]]-related" media product given some sort of official authorization by [[Nintendo]] at some point in time, be it through the [[Official Nintendo Seal]] or a contract with another company, etc. All content from such sources is allowed on this wiki, without speculating on what content from what source is "more official" than other content from other sources. As Nintendo has never established an official canon regarding the ''Super Mario'' franchise, we cannot say newer or older Nintendo games, media, content, policies, etc. are more "official" than the others. They are all essentially as "official" as each other.


<span style="font-family: Maiandra GD;font-size:14px;">'''-Each user is only allowed to create 25 new articles, per week, for <u>secondary</u> focus articles.<br>
==What the Super Mario Wiki covers==
'''-Each user is only allowed to create 5 new articles, per week, for <u>tertiary</u> focus articles.'''</span>
[[File:Importancetree.png|thumb|420px|A visual for what we're talking about.]]
The games and other media products we cover can be divided into four categories: ''Super Mario'' and partner franchises, crossovers, guest appearances, and cameos.


The wiki is very serious that we '''stay on task''' and not turn into a general videogame wiki.
===''Super Mario'' and partner franchises===
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As there is no official canon, content from any official source from Nintendo related to Mario and his universe is allowed. As far as the "universe" goes, we cover all franchises, series, games, etc. that have emerged from or spun-off from the [[Donkey Kong (game)|original ''Donkey Kong'' arcade game]], Mario's first appearance in any media. This includes spin-off franchises like ''[[Wario (franchise)|Wario]]'' and ''[[Yoshi (franchise)|Yoshi]]'', the ''[[Donkey Kong (franchise)|Donkey Kong]]'' franchise itself, as well as the core ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' games and related media and merchandise (which may include games that do not necessarily have "Mario" in their names, such as ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' or ''[[Wrecking Crew]]''). Everything from these four main franchises are given full coverage, meaning every character, place, item, and everything else found in the releases are given articles. Individual game levels, TV show episodes, and stand-alone comics all get articles as well, as do the games, shows, movies, and publications themselves.


==So, What's the Focus of the Wiki?==
Please note that while [[Banjo]] and [[Conker]] both debuted in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'', their series are not included in the Super Mario Wiki's coverage, as they are not considered spin-offs of ''Diddy Kong Racing'' (and by extension, the original ''Donkey Kong''), since the characters were designed for their own series and their appearance in the racing game was more of a crossover.
===Primary Focus===
The '''main''' importance of the wiki is to create articles related to [[Mario]] &ndash; Mario characters, items, places, games, enemies, bosses, species, and more. [[Luigi]], [[Mushroom]], [[Isle Delfino]], ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', [[Blooper]], [[Bowser Jr.]], and [[Bob-omb]] are all examples of '''primary''' importance to the wiki. Articles like it should be improved on whenever possible &ndash; this is what the wiki's about.


===Secondary Focus===
===Crossovers===
The Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong series + the Smash Bros series ''characters'' are of '''secondary''' importance. ''[[WarioWare: Touched!]]'', ''[[Yoshi Touch & Go]]'', ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' and [[Master Hand]] are examples. There is a generous limit set on this. It is of one degree away from the main Marioverse &ndash; for example, the WarioWare series features [[Wario]], part of the core Marioverse.
Crossovers are games that extensively feature characters and other elements from one or more series in addition to the ''Super Mario'' franchise. Examples include:


It is important to note that 3rd party characters like [[Link]] should only include info ''about the games they appear in that relates to the Marioverse.'' Thus, ''The Legend of Zelda'' does not have a spot for this wiki.
*''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' series
*''[[Mario & Sonic (series)|Mario & Sonic]]'' series
*''[[Itadaki Street DS]]'' and ''[[Fortune Street]]''
*''[[Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!]]''
*''[[Game & Watch Gallery]]'' series
*''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]'' and ''[[Mario Sports Mix]]''


===Tertiary Focus===
In some cases, the games are obviously part of the ''Super Mario'' franchise (i.e. ''Mario Sports Mix''), while others are more evenly split between different franchises (i.e. ''Mario & Sonic'' or ''Fortune Street'') but should still be counted as ''Super Mario'' games. Even series that can stand alone as their own set of games separate from any of the contributing franchises (i.e. ''Super Smash Bros.'') are considered to be partner series of the ''Super Mario'' games. What content from crossover games warrants a page is decided based on community consensus.
[[Banjo-Kazooie]] is an example of '''tertiary''' importance &ndash; that is, two degrees away from the main Marioverse. In this case, Banjo appeared in ''Diddy Kong Racing'', which is part of the Donkey Kong series (indeed, it often relates to a series of secondary importance). These are the true articles the {{SITENAME}} wants to limit very carefully.


==Penalties==
Giving full coverage to crossovers means that the characters and other aspects originating in the other series involved in the crossover are also given articles, however these articles must be limited to the non-''Super Mario'' subject's role in the crossover game itself. For example, our article about [[Link]] talks about his role in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' games, but does not go on to discuss what happens in any of ''The Legend of Zelda'' games, although a brief overview about his role in the series is permitted in the article's introduction.
When we say we're serious about this policy, we are.


If you continuously break the policy by week, you may be [[Template:Warning|warned]] and possibly blocked for a week if you go too far. [[Special:Newpages]] tracks all new pages &ndash; sysops will check this page every few days to make sure we stay on task.
====''Super Smash Bros.'' series====
The ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' series features representative characters, locations, and other elements from numerous Nintendo franchises, and the ''Super Mario'' franchise is notably present. Its games feature enough content from the ''Super Mario'' franchise that calling it a guest appearance is incorrect, but at the same time, it is not so comprehensive that it is a crossover. To avoid any lapses in our coverage, the series is deemed an exception to the standard coverage policy. This means that unlike crossovers, in which every element is given an individual article, and unlike guest appearances, in which only the game itself and uniquely ''Super Mario'' elements get individual articles, pages for the series are decided on a more particular basis.


[[Category:MarioWiki Policy]]
====''Game & Watch Gallery'' series====
In addition to the Modern, ''Super Mario''-themed versions of [[Game & Watch]] games, the ''[[Game & Watch Gallery (series)|Game & Watch Gallery]]'' series features a number of ported Game & Watch games as extra content. Due to these not being directly part of the central crossover nature of the game and having no in-game association with the ''Super Mario'' franchise, those that have not received Modern remakes or are not a ''Super Mario''-franchise Game & Watch game to begin with (e.g. ''[[Mario's Cement Factory]]'') are not covered as separate articles, otherwise the series is given full coverage.
 
===Guest appearances===
When a ''Super Mario'' character appears in another franchise (including stand-alone releases), it is either a guest appearance or a cameo. The difference is how much impact the ''Super Mario'' character has on the game: if they have a role in the plot or are featured as a playable character, it is a guest appearance, whereas if they can be erased without any ill effects on the game, it is a cameo. The difference between guest appearances and crossovers is that in a guest appearance, the amount of ''Super Mario'' content relative to the other series is very small, whereas in crossovers there is an extensive amount of ''Super Mario'' content, ranging from mostly ''Super Mario'' like in the ''Game & Watch Gallery'' games to a 50:50 split like ''Mario & Sonic'', to simply being one of many franchises represented in a crossover like ''Super Smash Bros.''
 
Games that ''Super Mario'' content makes a guest appearance in include ''[[Tetris]]'' for the [[Game Boy]], ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening]]'', ''[[Densetsu no Stafy 3]]'', ''[[NBA Street V3]]'', ''[[SSX on Tour]]'', ''[[Tetris DS]]'', ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'', ''[[Art Style: PiCTOBiTS]]'', ''[[Punch-Out!! (Wii)|Punch-Out!!]]'', ''[[AR Games]]'', ''[[StreetPass Mii Plaza]]'', ''[[Nintendo Land]]'', the [[NES Remix (series)|''NES Remix'' series]], ''[[Nintendo Badge Arcade]]'', ''[[Rhythm Heaven Megamix]]'', ''[[Skylanders: SuperChargers]]'' and ''[[Minecraft]]''. Non-game guest appearances include ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'', ''[[Pixels]]'', and ''[[Wario to Saikyō Tag da Fii!]]''. These guest appearances are given partial coverage, meaning only the media itself get articles, such as the game or television show, with all information pertaining to their content being confined to those pages. ''However'', if a subject is unique to the game while also being clearly derived from the ''Super Mario'' franchise, they can receive individual articles. For example, certain minigames from ''Nintendo Land'', which includes [[Donkey Kong's Crash Course]], [[Luigi's Ghost Mansion]], [[Mario Chase]], and [[Yoshi's Fruit Cart]], prominently feature ''Super Mario'' images and icons, and therefore have articles. Other minigames, such as [[ZeldaWiki:The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest|The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest]] or [[Pikipedia:Pikmin Adventure|Pikmin Adventure]], do not have articles on the wiki.
 
Please note that a [[MarioWiki:Proposals|proposal]] should be made before a game is classified as a "guest appearance", as this is a somewhat tricky distinction and there could easily be disagreement in the community about the extent to which coverage should be granted to any given non-''Super Mario'' game.
 
===Cameos===
As mentioned before, if a ''Super Mario'' character or some other aspect of the ''Super Mario'' franchise makes a minor appearance in a non-''Super Mario'' game, this is called a cameo. Cameos have no effect on the overall games they occur in, unlike guest appearances, and are merely included by the developers and writers for fun. All cameo appearances are limited to the [[MarioWiki:References|Reference]] pages, although the cameoing ''Super Mario'' content's article may also mention the cameo (but this is not always necessary). The non-''Super Mario'' game, show, movie or publication in which the ''Super Mario'' content is cameoing should '''not''' get an article.
 
For example, the [[Thwomp]] article has a section about the [[Thwomp#The Legend of Zelda series|Thwomps' appearances in ''The Legend of Zelda'' series]], but the material included in this section only pertains to Thwomps and does not talk about unrelated ''Zelda'' material, and the ''Zelda'' games that Thwomps appear in are not given articles.
 
===Historically significant===
On rare occasions, there are games that have had a notable impact on the ''Super Mario'' franchise despite not being a part of the franchise in any way. Current examples include ''[[Greenhouse]]'', which does not have any Mario branding but is the first appearance of [[Stanley]], and ''[[Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic]]'': while the game itself has no relation to the franchise (barring how it started off as a tech demo in the vein of the ''Super Mario'' games), it was later repurposed to become ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' with only a handful of changes. As a result, many elements that were introduced to the franchise in ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', including [[Birdo]], [[Shy Guy]]s, [[Bob-omb]]s, and [[Pokey]]s, actually first appeared in ''Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic''. Due to the game's importance in creating aspects that are now common to the franchise, it is covered on this wiki. However, since it is not properly a part of the franchise, only the game itself is given an article, while elements unique to it (such as its main characters) are covered within said article.
 
Note that this does not apply to similar games who were also used as bases for other games, but otherwise have no points in common with its successor, such as ''[[Tetris Attack#Panel de Pon|Panel de Pon]]'': though it was changed into ''[[Tetris Attack]]'' (starring [[Yoshi]] and other characters from ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''), ''Panel de Pon'' and ''Tetris Attack'' have no points in common beyond the basic gameplay, and as a result, it is only covered in part on the article for ''Tetris Attack''.
 
==What the Super Mario Wiki doesn't cover==
===Package deals===
In some instances, an installment of the ''Super Mario'' franchise may be released or legally tied with another, otherwise unrelated work without any crossover happening. The Super Mario Wiki staff does not deem pertinent to fully cover these unrelated works, although information about the "bundle" should be present on the relevant page.
 
Examples of this situation include:
 
*''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' was rereleased with ''Duck Hunt'' bundled on the same cartridge, with a later release adding ''World Class Track Meet'' to the mix. As the added games are otherwise unrelated, they and other similar cartridge bundles are not given full coverage
*The ''[[The Legend of Zelda (television series)|Legend of Zelda]]'' animated series was part of the same syndication package as the ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' and is occasionally promoted by [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] in-universe. The series warrants a short page due to existing in-universe, but its characters and episodes are not fully covered.
*Similarly, the third season of ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'' and the ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]'' animated series are legally two halves of one show. As the ''Captain N'' episodes are otherwise unrelated to the ''Super Mario World'' segments, they are not covered.
*''[[Nintendo Land]]'' features several [[minigame]]s themed around the ''Super Mario'' franchise, along with several other based on other Nintendo properties. As the fictional elements do not actually interact, ''Nintendo Land'' is not a crossover and the non-Mario games do not warrant full articles, although they are briefly described on the main ''Nintendo Land'' page.
* The western release of ''[[Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition]]'' is bundled with ''[[wikipedia:Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition|Puzzle & Dragons Z]]''. As ''Puzzle & Dragons Z'' was a stand-alone release in Japan and is otherwise unrelated to the ''Super Mario'' half of the package, it is not covered.
* All of the ''[[Saturday Supercade]]'' segments are legally the same show. While the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' segments receive full coverage, the other segments that aired as part of the show (''{{wp|Frogger}}'', ''{{wp|Q*bert}}'', ''{{wp|Pitfall!}}'', ''{{wp|Space Ace}}'', and ''{{wp|Kangaroo (video game)|Kangaroo}}'') are otherwise unrelated to the ''Super Mario'' franchise and therefore are not given any coverage.
 
===Fan work by creators officially involved with the brand===
In a few instances, creators of official ''Super Mario'' works have created or been involved in unofficial productions featuring content from the ''Super Mario'' franchise. These works might merit a mention on the relevant subject's page but are not to be given full coverage as they are not endorsed by Nintendo.
 
Examples of this situation include:
 
*Parker Bennett, one of the writers credited on the final script of the [[Super Mario Bros. (film)|1993 live-action film]], was contacted by fans writing a sequel webcomic and agreed to outline the plot for a tentative ''Super Mario Bros. 2''. Due to having one of the writer's involvement, the ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' webcomic warrants a section on the movie's page but it does not have its own page and is not to be mentioned on pages for the movie's characters and concepts due to its unofficial nature.
*In 2019, the author of Comic BonBon's ''[[Super Mario (Kodansha manga)|Super Mario]]'' manga started publishing a series of ''doujin'' books starring the manga's mascot character [[Kinoppe]]. The series warrant a mention on the relevant pages, but due to its self-published nature, it is not considered official ''Super Mario'' material.
 
An exception to this is when an artist involved with the ''Super Mario'' brand has published artwork outside of the context of their official employment with Nintendo, as is the case with artists like [[Steve Mayles]] and [[Masanori Sato]]. While not official, the wiki deems the artwork relevant in the purpose of illustrating the artist's work.
 
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