Howto: Aircraft Page

Aircraft are a big part of the Thunderbolt Black game. As such, we like to have pages for them on our wiki. Of course, as many of the aircraft in the game are based on real world planes, there's no need to list every detail, as there are many sites on the internet that already do this.

As such, when creating a page for an aircraft on Thunderbolt Black, if it is a mass-produced real-world version, then only include the general characteristics, and link to a wikipedia page, or other page.

If the variant you are detailing is a version that did not make it to full production, or is otherwise 'unrealised' or fictional - within acceptable bounds, and with authorisation from the GMs  - then create a page for it, and include whatever details you see fit. ==Creating an Aircraft Page == Creating a page for an aircraft is a simple process, and is made easier through the use of this guide, and with custom templates stored on the wiki.

The first step is to select the 'ADD PAGE' link from the front page of the wiki. This will open a popup window, allowing you to choose a 'standard page' or a 'blank page'. For creating a new aircraft page, select 'Blank Page'

Formatting your new page
Once the page has loaded, and you have a blank page with the edit bar at the top, go to the extreme right of the bar. There is a button marked 'Source'. Click this, and paste the following information into the window: ==General Characteristics== ==Operational History== ==Notable Users== ==Notable Incidents== ==Armament== *weapon *weapon *weapon (etc} ==Related Variants== ==Trivia== It is also good practice to include a short piece of flavour text at the top of the page before including this information to describe the aircraft in question.

When formatting the 'Operational History', only include the history as it relates to Thunderbolt Black, and it's setting, bearing in mind that the setting diverges from the real world after 1991.

With Armament, please format as a bulleted list, with minor descriptions of each weapons. E.g: To avoid confusion. The [*] in front of the weapon entries will automatically do this.
 * AIM-9X Sidewinder: Heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missile

Link to related variants - they can be covered in separate pages if necessary, or links to external pages.

Adding the Aircraft Infobox
The second component to an aircraft page is the infobox, which is a quick-glance reference to an aircrafts' characteristics, containing the summed up statistical info on that aircraft, making comparisons and reference easy. To add one, the process is very simple.

Insert a new line under your initial description, and then go back to the Insert box. From here, go to the insert drop-down tab, and select other Othertemplate/Magicword.

Then click the grey bar in the bottom right of the screen.

When it comes up with the search bar, type the words Template:InfoboxAircraft

Press the 'Insert' button, and you'll then have a screen where you can enter the details directly into the infobox, and add a picture if you want to as well. You will first have to upload your picture from the Add Photo link on the main page. Then put the text File:Picturename.format. This will then insert the picture you have chosen into the Infobox. You can also force it to display at any size using the box below. You can preview this at any time, and then save it to add it to the page.

Adding Categories
It's also important to make sure your new page shows up in the right category on the Wiki, so it can be found and read. To do this, click the green box titled 'Add Category', type in the words: Aircraft, then press Enter - this will add one category to the page. Other categories can be added if appropriate - such as Player Aircraft. Follow the same procedure as above until you're done adding categories.

Linking to Your Aircraft
Once your aircraft page is complete, you can add links to it from other pages using the editing toolbar's "Add Link" button. Please limit links to and from your aircraft page to relevant pages, such as the Black Knights page if they are flown by that Squadron. Irrelevant links to aircraft pages will be considered spam.