fenny

Having trouble getting a guide accepted? Don't know how to make yours better? Or even unsure how to make one, well i am going to tell you the ins and outs of what we at MW2forums look for and also how to make your guide look like a master piece :P

This guide includes the following:

• Choosing your topic
• Guide language
• BBcode (text formatting, underlining, internet links etc)
• Pictures
• What we at MW2forums look for

Press alt + F to jump to the subject you want to, and please note that all the BB code in the codeboxes should be changed from () to [].

Choosing your topic

The topic you write about is the most important thing, before choosing consider the following, what topic is popular on the forum? What hasn't been done before? Is the subject interesting? Considering these before you write, as you can write and layout a guide perfectly but if it's already been done or know one cares about the subject you wrote about, then it was all for nothing

Guide Language

In a guide you must word and "talk" in a way that informs the reader, a guide is not a conversation with a mate is a source of information and guidance on the subject you are talking about, but you can have some fun as well bleh.gif

for example:-

BAD if your as good as me use the mp40 as it rocks

GOOD A skilled player will know that the mp40 is the best to use due to its high rate of fire and high damage

Also they way you "talk" is important, what i mean is the person you speak in. Never speak in 1st person, i do this, i did that. People will think you are talking from guess work and that you have made up the information, talking in 3rd person gives you a sense of professionalism and makes the people trust what you are saying.

for example: -

BAD what i would do is run to A first

GOOD The best thing to do is run to A first

it's not a lot but it makes a lot of difference.

Finally you need to explain like the person has never played the game before, explain things that might seem obvious to you, but if a person has never played the game before they will not no what you are talking about.

for example: -

• Use the Scavanger perk, which is unlocked at level x
• The best attachment for the Ak-47 is the suppressor, which is unlocked after X number of kills

the bits in bold are the things that seem obvious, but need to be added.

Also when explaining things don't use short hand, words like jugger and marty need to be spelt out as like i said, people might not know what you are talking about. Abbreviations are ok like SP but make sure you spell the word out in full 1st.


BB code

BB code is the code used in forums, and is VERY important when writing a guide as it makes it look readable, but most importantly it sets the guide out professionally.

What is BBcode used for? Its used for (in guides): -

• Underlining
• Horizontal rule
• Text formatting (Bold, italic, text colour and size)
• Internet Links/Urls
• Bullet points/Lists

there are many other things it can do, though they are not relevant to creating guides. You can write out the code or you can use the sources provided by us, ill explain both so its up to you

Underlining
Titles and subsections are very important in your guide as it breaks up the wall of making it easier to read and most importantly more interesting to read, as people can skip to the parts they want to read rather than giving up after the first paragraph.

How to underline
Type your title out, when finished highlight the text and click the underline button or type the code Horizontal rule
This feature places a solid straight line across the page. It is very useful when you want to break up a guide into sections or to add off topic information at the bottom.

How to create a horizontal line
All you have to do is type its that easy.

Text formatting
Things like bold & italic text makes words or sentences stand out, so if there is a point you want to express use bold or italic instead of capitals as NO ONE LIKES TO BE SHOUTED AT.

How to make a word bold
Type your title out, when finished highlight the text and click the bold button
or type the code How to make a word italic
Type your title out, when finished highlight the text and click the italic button or type the code Different sizes help separate sections from subsections for example: -

MP40
Attachments

where as colours can be another way of making a word stand out, though be careful some colours make words unreadable which is not what you want.

How to change text colour and size
Size- Highlight the text you want to change and click the button then choose the size you want, the smaller the number the smaller the font size. If you would prefer to type it out then you need to type, you would change the number for the one you wanted.

Colour- Highlight the text you want to change and click the button then choose the colour you want. If you would prefer to type it out then you need to type, the red can be replaced with other colors or HTML Hex code (#FFFFFF)

Internet Links/Urls

If you have a link to a youtube video or website that helps your guide, instead of copy and pasting the link you can, hide the text of the link and replace it with another word.

for example: -

http://www.moderwarfare2forum.com

can be changed to

MW2forum

to do this click on the insert link button , copy and paste your link in the box and press enter, then enter the word/sentence that is going to replace the link or type the code Bullet points and Lists

Bullet points and lists help break up the wall of text associated when writing a guide for example:-

Instead of - The skin colours for the Ak47 are desert, woodland, digital, red tiger, blue tiger and gold

Try - Skin colours for the Ak47 include: -

• Desert
• Woodland
• Digital
• Red tiger
• Blue tiger
• Gold

How do start a list
First click the either number list or bullet point button . Once you have clicked the button enter in one at a time, clicking enter after each point, the points you want to make/list. Once you have finished click cancel on a blank box. If you want to type the code out, u need to type
Pictures

Pictures in a guide are VERY VERY important, they not only inform the reader but also keeps them reading. They should be placed in appropriate places that are relevant to the subject you are talking about.

Here are some examples of how pictures are used correctly in a guide:-

• Mini-Uzi Guide
• Zombie Verruckt

If you are having problems finding a picture for your guide try google images, try using the normal search and search web pages. If you still have problems just ask around, i have a lot of pictures for zombie mode and perks so you never know what people own till you ask.

Right i have a picture now what do i do with it? Well if you have it on a website like photobucket or imageshack then they will give you the IMG code, if not they ill tell ya

Entering Pictures
Click the insert picture button then just copy and paste the image link, or if you want to type it out, you need to type
What we at MW2forum look for

A guide will be accepted if it is original and unique (not crazy and stupid, unique). Yes you can use other peoples pictures but don't copy and paste things. A guide has to be easy to read and understand.

Required elements:-

• Titles
• Readable colours
• NO wall of text
• Correct spelling and grammar

Things that will give you massive brownie points:-

• Pictures
• Good use of text formatting e.i bold, italic words

Important Tips

- To help with spelling copy and paste the whole of the guide into a word document, there you can use the spell checker to check for any mistakes.

-Cant think of anything to write or got writers block? Just ask, there is always someone to help

- Use spoilers wisely, too many will make a person not care to open them

- Read though your work, and check and re-check again


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IxXCamZXxI

I now realise that it takes an awful lot of work to successfully make a guide, hell it must of took you an age just to explain how to make one

N3V3R SL33P

Very nice. Amazing guide for guides.

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Sarcross

A good guide for guides like N3V3R SL33P said, but I usually just wing it and they come out alright =P

ForceRecon

cod4central.com has an amazing guide section. If there is anyone that needs an idea or a background for one of their guides, go there. There are plenty of great examples.

Sarcross

I'm surprised and disappointed that there haven't been any weapon guides yet...

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Se7en SiN

This helped me a lot. im currently writing a Guide for MW2 and i will use some of the stuff ive learned from reading this.

ThanatosRising

Do you have any suggestions as to what to do with big paragraphs that are stocked with information?

pantstofry

This was helpful for me, as some sections i had were too clumped together. If i were reading it i woulda just said TL;DR. but fenny helped me personally with it... so Thanatos, basically with big paragraphs just try to break it up into sections. It's okay if theres some small blocks of text but just cut it up into different parts that connect with each other.

oneinchwunda

Mistake in regards to 1st/3rd person.

You should speak in 2nd person (like this sentence).

Explanation: Google it.

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ThanatosRising

The only problem with this is, is that in my guide that I've composed, there is a lot of information to mention and would only be more confusing if it were divided into more paragraphs than it already is.

fenny

tell you what thanatos if i re arrange one of your paragraphs to how is acceptable to read, you can do the rest of your guide. Agreed?

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ThanatosRising

Yes, thank you. This is one of my first guides, and it definitely has the most information out of the rest. I apologize for the inconvenience and I appreciate your effort.

pantstofry

just curious, what are you writing a guide on?

also @ fenny, how were you able to see my unfinished guide in the submit a guide section? i thought only mods & admins could see it there. or were u like granted special permission to help out in that section lol because im glad u did, i just didnt want anyone else to see it right away

ThanatosRising

I'm writing a guide on Search and Destroy; different tips and tricks, recommended classes and routes, etc. I've finished writing it and it has very good information, I'm just having trouble with making it look good, instead of a guide stocked with paragraphs of text.

fenny

All mods, All admins, me and vis can see the submitted guides

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pantstofry

okay
okay
okay
oh lawd

oneinchwunda

^ ViS is awesome at guides.

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