Game Faq

i will be talking about www.gamefaq.com in this post.


What is GameFAQs?
GameFAQs is an online archive of video and computer game information, codes, walkthroughs, hints, message boards, save games files, and of course, FAQs. Everything on the site is contributed freely by various members of the public and is available for free private use to all visitors. If you're stuck on a game, want to find out more information about it, or just like reading about upcoming and past games, you'll likely find what you're looking for here.
Is GameFAQs free?
Yes. Everything on GameFAQs, from the FAQs to the Message Boards, is available at no cost. The site is entirely advertising-supported, so we do not charge for any of the content or features of the site. While we may introduce new premium features in the future for a fee, what you see on the site today will still be free tomorrow.
How does all of this work?
We've tried to make browsing GameFAQs as easy as possible. If you're stuck on a game, want more information about it, or just want to discuss it, just use the search engine at the top of every page, or follow the links just below it and browse your way there. GameFAQs has FAQs and walkthroughs, cheat codes, reader reviews, save files, and message boards for over 50,000 games, with more being added every day.
If you want to join in and write your own FAQ or review, submit new cheat codes or game saves, or discuss games and more on the message boards, all you need to do is register using the link at the top of the page, and you're on your way.

When did GameFAQs start?
GameFAQs was first launched on November 5, 1995, by its founder, Jeff "CJayC" Veasey. It began as the "Video Game FAQ Archive", and was originally on AOL member web space. The domain "gamefaqs.com" was registered on September 11, 1996, and by the end of 1996 the site was officially renamed as GameFAQs.

How do I sign up for GameFAQs?
To view GameFAQs and read most message boards, no sign-up or registration is required. In order to post messages on the boards, adjust your display settings, or contribute, you must first register for a GameFAQs account if you do not have one, or if you don't have an account at any other CNET Networks Entertainment site (including GameSpot, MP3.com, and TV.com). A valid e-mail address is required, as a confirmation mail will be sent to the address your provide.
Is registration free?
Yes. GameFAQs does not charge any fees of any type for any content or services on the site.
Why do I have to be 13 or older to register?
Thanks to COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, we cannot collect information (such as an e-mail address) from any user under the age of 13 without a parent's permission. The amount of paperwork and tracking required to prove the identity of the parents is substantial, and could increase costs so much as to cause the site to shut down. You'll find that most video game sites, and indeed, most web sites in general, have the exact same restriction.

This info is for after u sign up at gamefaq.

What do I need to do in order to be able to contribute to GameFAQs?
In order to contribute, all you need is an active GameFAQs account. All that's required to get one is a working e-mail address, and as soon as you confirm that address, you'll immediately be able to visit Contributor Central and start sending in contributions.
Do I need to register separately as a contributor?
No; separate registration is no longer required. Your GameFAQs account (also used for the message boards) is all you need.
My message board account was banned, do I need to create a new contributor name as well?
No. You can register any existing contributor name with any message board account, and your existing contributor account can always be re-named, so there's no need to create a new identity as a contributor. If you want to change your contributor name or other information to match your new account, just use the form at Contributor Central once you've registered it.
How can I change my contributor name or make other changes to my contributor page?
Once you've had your first contribution posted (but not before), you can visit Contributor Central and use the Update Contributor Information form. From there, you can change your displayed information, link and unlink message board accounts, and even merge contributor accounts together.
Why do I have to register in order to contribute?
Registration allows GameFAQs to track each contributor separately, eliminating confusion between similarly-named contributors and preventing impersonation of popular contributors, both of which have happened several times in the past. Also, if you're only interested in contributing FAQs and don't want to use the online HTTP submission form, registration is not necessary, although it is still highly recommended.
I have multiple contributor names listed on the site; how can I combine them into one?
Visit Contributor Central and use the Update Contributor Information form. The accounts will be compared to ensure that the same person is indeed in control of both accounts, and assuming there's no problems, they should be merged fairly quickly.
How can I see the status of something I've contributed to GameFAQs?
Go to Contributor Central, then visit the Your Contribution Status page. From there, you'll see the status of your last 7 days of contributions, and you can also change the number of days to view using the form at the bottom of the page.
How can I remove a contribution I have posted on GameFAQs?
From Contributor Central, simply visit the Request Contribution Removal form. Note that you can only remove your own original work contributions; cheats, game data, and game credits are factual and may not be removed (unless they contain incorrect information).

What kinds of guides does GameFAQs accept?
Aside from your basic general FAQs (Walkthroughs, Strategy Guides, Hint Guides, Driving Guides, and so on), you can also submit the following:
In-Depth FAQs: Focusing on one particular aspect of a title, such as a Boss FAQ, lists of Enemies and Items, Combo Guides, Translations, and so on. Even purely informational non-gameplay guides are accepted, such as Plot Summaries and even Color Guides.
Character FAQs: For fighting games and some single-character RPGs, character guides fully explore all the aspects of playing the game with a single character.
Foreign-Language FAQs: GameFAQs accepts general (but not in-depth) guides in other Western languages (i.e. French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, and so on). Non-Western languages are usually not accepted, simply because they cannot be checked for content by the editor given his limited knowledge of these other languages.
Other Guide Types: Custom Patch Code Lists, Secrets FAQs, Pinball Rule Sheets, and many others. Basically, if you're providing some kind of factual information about the game, it almost always has a place on the site.
What kinds of guides will GameFAQs not accept?
There are types of guides that won't normally be posted on the site, except under rare circumstances. These are:
Guides that cover multiple games: As it's impossible to play more than one game at a time, your guide should only cover one game at a time. The only exceptions to this rule are: 1) when the games are expansion or companion games to one another, running off of the same basic engine but with minor variations between them (i.e. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow, Street Fighter II/CE/Turbo, Diablo II/DII: Lord of Destruction), and 2) in-depth guides that cover a series of games (i.e. D&D Rule Sets, Plot Guides for a game series).
Guides for games that haven't been released yet: The only way you could write a guide for a game that hasn't been released yet is 1) you're just getting your information from magazines and web sites, 2) you're a beta tester who has decided to break a non-disclosure agreement, or 3) you're writing a guide based off of a pirated copy of a game. Neither of these three categoriesis acceptable, and the latter two could get you sued. FAQs based on the officially-released demo of a game are welcome.
"Placeholder" guides: A table of contents, and a promise of more information to come. As you might imagine, this would only serve to infuriate people who clicked on your guide.
Online cheating guides: Cheating in online games is never a good thing, and game companies are cracking down on this behavior right and left. Even guides that are intended to help users not to get scammed or cheated in a game generally just give more ideas to those that would do those sorts of things.
Checklists: Checklists of items, quests, or similar things that provide no actual gameplay information are generally just based off of others' work and provide no actual help or information.
Works of fiction: Fan fiction, joke FAQs, and fan art do have their place on the Internet, but not here. GameFAQs is primarily concerned with providing solid factual information about games.
Game Manuals: Game manuals are protected by copyright, and normally cannot be legally distributed online. The exception to this rule are translations of foreign-language (specifically Japanese) manuals for import gamers, which are very useful to the import gamer and have met with no known objections from copyright holders so far.
Non-Text Formats: Not everyone in the world owns a copy of Excel or Word, so not everyone can read files submitted. HTML guides open up a can of worms with bad markup, scripting exploits, and browser incompatibilities. Executables can contain viruses or trojan horses. GameFAQs generally accepts plain text only, with a very few exceptions (image files, ZIP archives).

What tools do I need to create a FAQ?
Good communication skills. While everyone tends to make spelling and grammar mistakes on occasion, guides that are hard to read aren't nearly as helpful. Guides that are intentionally hard to read (i.e. ALL CAPS, no caps, constant misspelled words and grammar errors) won't be posted.
A computer with a text editor or word processor. Composing a guide solely through e-mail is not recommended at all; most guides submitted to GameFAQs are updated multiple times, as it's rare that an author gets everything done in one go with no major mistakes.
The game itself. If you don't own the game or have quick access to it (i.e. via a rental, a friend, or your local arcade), then you generally shouldn't be writing about it. Exceptions to this are few and far between (translations of foreign-language game information).
What is the Golden Rule of FAQ writing?
"Provide credit where it is due."If you copy someone else's work without permission, that's a copyright violation. If you use someone else's work as a basis for your own without credit, that's plagiarism. Providing credit to those who helped you, no matter how small their input, is simple and ensures the integrity of your work.

What are the basic requirements for a FAQ to be posted on GameFAQs?
There are several factors required in every guide:
Proper Formatting - GameFAQs posts guides almost exclusively in plain text. Text files are almost universally readable, and are capable of conveying information just as well as almost any other format. See the formatting requirements section below for more detail.
Originality - All files posted on GameFAQs must be original work, with all credit to external sources given plainly and clearly. Submitting plagiarized work or violations of copyright is grounds for removal of all site contributions, and could also easily get you in legal trouble.
Style/Grammar - All files posted on GameFAQs must be easily readable by the average visitor. While the occasional spelling or grammar mistake is perfectly fine (and probably unavoidable), guides that are either intentionally or unintentionally hard to read (i.e. ALL CAPS, no caps, constant spelling/grammar errors) will not be posted.
Language/Tastefulness - Files with significant offensive or obscene content have no place on GameFAQs.
Claim of Ownership - GameFAQs does not accept any further anonymous submissions. All guides must be credited to a specific user or alias, and to protect your rights, a real name. See the Copyright section for more details.
Quality and Content - The most important rule, and the one that can supercede minor problems above (except for originality), is the quality and content of a guide. A guide that contains comprehensive information for a game, from a full walkthrough to item and enemy lists, is going to be the most helpful to the most people who read it.

What are the basic formatting requirements?
99% of the content on GameFAQs is in plain text. Viewable in any browser on any platform and portable to practically any computer system ever created, it may be plain but it is infinitely useful. The formatting recommendations are Standard ASCII Text, 79 characters per line with line breaks:
Standard ASCII Text: Unless you are writing a guide in or including information in a non-English language, you should limit your guide to standard ASCII text. For more information, see the sections on Foreign Language guides and ASCII text.
79 Characters Per Line: 79 characters is a classic standard for text files. In today's browsers, it allows for the file to be read at almost any resolution in any standard browser. Remember, if you're using a Word Processor, make sure you're using a fixed-width font, not a proportional one.
With Line Breaks: Web browsers do not automatically word-wrap text files. Most of the files on GameFAQs use the standard windows CR/LF line break format. When saving your file from a word processor, please try to use this format if you can select it.In rare and special circumstances, we also will accept groups of files in a ZIP file, but unless you're a long-time contributor who is doing that for a specific reason, plain text is the format of choice

What are some guidelines for making a good FAQ?
Learn by example - GameFAQs has guides submitted by many great authors, quite a few who have gone on to be published in commercial magazines and books. Most of the site's most prolific authors have written some comprehensive, easy-to-use guides that are the hallmark of free information available on the Internet.
Be Detailed, yet Concise - That may sound like a contradiction, but it's actually not that difficult. The more detail added to your descriptions of places and events that occur makes a better guide. However, adding superflous details will detract from the main focus of your guide, which should be to help people get through the game. The longest guide is not necessarily the best guide for a game.
Review Your Guide - Before submitting your guide, open it up in a web browser. Just drag and drop it into a your web browser to see how it's going to look once it's posted. Any major problems (bad margins, trailing spaces, glaring spelling/grammar issues) should be obvious to you right away.
Use a Spell-Checker - Correcting major spelling mistakes and typos will make your guide look much better to those reading it. Most word processors and many text editors will have this feature included for you.
Include the Date, Version, your Name, and E-mail - These four things help GameFAQs to properly post your FAQ, and it helps your readers understand the age and status of the guide.

Give Credit Where It Is Due - It's the Golden Rule of GameFAQs. If you get factual data from another guide or book, credit the author. If someone mails you a tip that you weren't aware of, one line in your guide will show where it came from. Even crediting the game itself and the instruction manual can't hurt, although it's generally understood that it's the source of your data. Plagiarists are not looked kindly upon here, or pretty much any other place on the planet.
Protect Your Work - It's smart to provide a clear and detailed statement outlining how and where your guide can be used, along with copyright and contact information. See the section on Copyright for more details.
What are some common pitfalls to avoid when creating a FAQ?
Don't use the Tab key - Tabs are not consistent between browsers, text editors, or word processors. What you may think is five spaces is ten to one person and eight to another. Always use blank spaces if you need to line up columns in a table.
Don't use any word-processor formatting - Centering, bold text, underlines, larger text sizes... These all look fine in a word processor, but disappear when converted to text. Try reviewing the files already posted here; you'll find that none of them have any of these features.
Watch your FAQ size - While some people think having the largest FAQ (in terms of size) is better, keep in mind that many people are still using their old 56K modems to browse GameFAQs, and they'll be upset when they wait several minutes to download a 500KB file with only 50KB of actual gameplay content. Having small amounts of ASCII art and dividers is fine, but when used to excess, these can increase the signal-to-noise ratio of your guide beyond what will be accepted.
Watch out for trailing spaces: Spaces at the end of a line are invisible to the eye, and can only be seen when the line is highlighted in a text editor or browser. Obviously, these add nothing to a guide, and can actually force people's browser to scroll horizontally.
Don't use "boxes" around your text: Any time you have an ASCII line on the right, it's going to be major waste of space. Boxing important text to highlight it is great, but please don't use it throughout your guide!
Don't indent your text: In standard text files, you should never indent. The proper way to show paragraph breaks is with a blank line in between each one.
Avoid controversy - Don't use foul language, don't flame other users or sites, don't re-post people's derogatory mails to you, don't get involved in religious, political, or sexual debates. Just don't. It doesn't make a better guide, and can be distracting and/or inflammatory enough to prevent your guide from being posted, or even get it removed once it's already been posted.
Never copy someone else's work without permission, and never use someone's work as a basis for your own without credit. It can't be said enough times.

that is all for now.

my next post will be about the truesword website.