Factbook Question/Answer Thread

[Sunset]

You'll have to fiddle with it, but you can get close. It would take nested tables (which might or might not work, haven't tried it) but here's what the table code looks like...

Code: Select all

[table]
[tr][td]First Cell[/td][td]Second Cell[/td][/tr]
[/table]


What you would have to do is 'nest' another table inside by inserting that entire code snippet inside one of the 'First Cell' or 'Second Cell' areas. It might or might not work; Sometimes the factbook base code barfs on nested structures, sometimes it doesn't. I would experiment with a blank factbook and label everything carefully so you can see where the problem is.

[Benizvalia]

How do leave a region you are affiliated with to create your own?

[Maltropia]

How do leave a region you are affiliated with to create your own?

There's a big ol' button for it here.

[Ghovatstan]

Can someone on the site publish a guide for developing a conlang (fictional language)?

[Realm of Councilry]

I need to make an economy factbook. Anyone have some code I could use?

[Indian Empire]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but where is the map-making thread (if there even is one)?

[Polosnia]

Can someone on the site publish a guide for developing a conlang (fictional language)?

It's really simple!

Get motivated, because this'll be hard:

Make words that sound cool and pronounceable- then add rules! Make sure every word follows these rules.

Then add grammar!

Do you want an adjective-noun system? or a noun-adjective system? Where do apostrophes go? etc.

Also, have an alphabet. You can make one at the beginning for guidelines to help you make words, or at the end once you figure out the accents and stuff.

Direct any questions in TG.

[Maltropia]

Make words that sound cool and pronounceable- then add rules! Make sure every word follows these rules.

And then add irregular words which ignore, disobey or flagrantly contradict the rules, because it's that much more realistic. High use verbs like "to be" aren't necessarily going to remain pure and logical.

Be aware of the importance of etymologies. Words are often conceptually linked even when you mightn't realise it. When you're coming up with a word for something, check out the Wiktionary article for that word and see what it's linked to; your word for a helmet, for example, might be a combination of iron and head, or of shield and head, or something to that effect. Only the most basic of concepts get their words out of thin air.

[Camura]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but where is the map-making thread (if there even is one)?

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=382867
Just started

[Indian Empire]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but where is the map-making thread (if there even is one)?

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic ... 3&t=382867
Just started

I already made some

Still, it's nice to know that we have one. I beg you goodday.

[The Kingdoms of Jhaugher]

How would I keep the box for Table of Contents of my main factbook floating in the left side without the first text of the body of my factbook (the Etymology) occupying the space between the overview and the table of contents? Thanks

[Nekora]

Senior NSer looking to create a new nation from scratch, I know how to use BBCode quite well for factbooks but I'm lacking inspiration for a good design. Are there any exceptionally good national factbooks to look at as examples?

[Sunset]

http://www.nationstates.net/nation=lady ... /id=609281

Personal favorite there. Very good balance between images and text, a general avoidance of hard numbers, colorful, well-written but not too voluminous. In five minutes you can pull out all the general information you need to interact with the nation. If I were to lay out a target for a new nation that would be it.

[Mediobogdum II]

I have been playing NS for just over 3 years now and am considering starting a factbook as I've seen a few that look quite interesting, are colourful, and fun to read. The trouble is, I'm really not sure, apart from enjoying the challenge of writing one, what the function or purpose of doing so is?

Seemingly, they are involved in the gameside of NS but I have not yet found a good statement describing their reason for existing. Any helpful information would be much appreciated.

[Monatago]

I have been playing NS for just over 3 years now and am considering starting a factbook as I've seen a few that look quite interesting, are colourful, and fun to read. The trouble is, I'm really not sure, apart from enjoying the challenge of writing one, what the function or purpose of doing so is?

Seemingly, they are involved in the gameside of NS but I have not yet found a good statement describing their reason for existing. Any helpful information would be much appreciated.

Everyone has differing reasons as to why they made a factbooks. Most are probably just to '#keepup #with #thetimes', and perhaps some are for unexpected reasons. You'll most likely get a different answer for each person that you ask, but here's a few reasons why I made a factbook:
• If I want to participate in something professional in NS, I may need to also look professional. Factbooks provide lots of paragraphs and therefore gives a preview of your writing and coding skills (assuming you did not copy or plagiarize that thing somewhere else).I'm not really a psychology guy, but there is a chance that people would be more willing to work with you. Take this with a grain of salt.
• It serves as a library for you and your nation. If it gets thousands of views and whatever those upper right things at their corners are, you would most likely get very proud of yourself for making some famous thing.

- Speaking of libraries, it also serves as a storage of information for your nation, all the while summarizing it all up. If you are planning to post on IC RPing forums like the F&NI, NS, II, GE&T and NS Sports, factbooks can help prevent your posts from contradicting each other. Most people are going to be unlikely to read all of your factbook if that is what you are aiming for.

• Probably some way to pass some time by, I guess..? You could also get some inspiration from other Wikipedia pages, and end up learning something new.

TL;DR: In the end, factbooks are much like Mandarin. You get access to pure, grammatically unchanged literature. It also opens up lots of opportunities in NS, giving you an advantage over others. You could boast about how good it is, receive compliments about your skills, stuff like that; in the end, it's no match for something like English. It's not really necessary and you can survive without it.

I hope this helped. Have an amazing day!!

[Mediobogdum]

Thanks, Monatago, your perspective as an apparently new NS player is interesting and I will take on board your comments as to the 'inner' reasons for producing a factbook. Indeed, some of your remarks are in line with the original reason why I thought about writing one.

Let's hope that I can also receive some responses from those who have had maybe more practical uses for writing one.

[Sunset]

Practical Reasons? From a RolePlayer Perspective...

1. Reference; I use my own factbooks nearly every day to look up some detail for a post or in conversation. Certainly I could keep a large linked list to all of my various informational posts on the forums but those are generally written from an In-Character perspective and thus may be incorrect as per the knowledge of the character, an extended summary, or flat-out lies. Putting everything in one place allows for quicker access and helps me keep my story straight - which doesn't mean I don't lie in my factbooks.

2. Advertisement; If I see someone's post/writing on the forums and it strikes me as interesting, I might take a look around for a factbook as a way to see if they are someone I might want to roleplay with (or against). In the same way some of my factbooks also serve as brochures of a sort that show just what they are up against or can look forward to.

3. Variety; Factbooks tend to be written in a different style and can thus be good practice and a way to keep the mind sharp. The same applies to someone else's factbook: Those who put a lot of creativity and variety into their factbook might be the sort of person I'm interested in roleplaying with.

Outside of those three and the general question, I also prefer the game-side FactBook function to either a forum-based factbook or an outside resource such as IIWiki. Firstly, everyone has the factbook function. I know I can always just click their name and find it (or not) - no searching and no guessing needed. Second, outside resources are just that - outside - and subject to the whim of whoever runs them. There have been examples of hostile code found in third-party NS applications and I'd like to avoid having my nation hacked and used to post endless pictures of national-socialist genitalia. And, like the rest of NationStates, factbooks are regularly backed up by our gracious hosts and ownership.

[Mediobogdum II]

Thank you, Sunset I really appreciate your detailed response and it has given me much food for thought and I will attempt to write a factbook that is more open and 'friendly' than the rather rigid format of the Wiki-style, but much more detailed than the spartan FWA-style.

There will be plenty of images and some stats, as well as a history section, geography etc. Really looking forward to getting stuck into it but I'm no dab hand at BBcode, so there may be a long drawn-out gestation period.

[Neonymphonia]

Hello!

I was wondering if anybody here knew of or otherwise could help me find a good format for creating individual character profiles. I intend to create a dedicated dispatch for the characters I frequently use in RPs and F7 to link to, and was thinking I might save some time rather than spend an hour or two mucking about with BBCode.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Sunset]

Mine aren't particularly detailed, but you're free to use it for ideas or code;

http://www.nationstates.net/nation=suns ... /id=216044

http://www.nationstates.net/page=create ... dit=216044

Probably some of my F7 Mentor buddies would have better suggestions for just what to include, which I'd then steal to update my own entries!

[Molotov Cluster]

How do leave a region you are affiliated with to create your own?

www.nationstates.net/page=create_region

Here you go.

[Cyborgs and Sentient Machines]

I didn't know how to make a table, (I wanted lots of rows and at least 3 different columns, and I eventually succeeded) so I tried to figure it out myself.
This is what I came up with.

Code: Select all

[table]

[tr]
[td][float=left]1st row, left column text[/float]1st row, middle column text[float=right]1st row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[tr]
[td][float=left]2nd row, left column text[/float]2nd row, middle column text[float=right]2nd row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[tr]
[td][float=left]3rd row, left column text[/float]3rd row, middle column text[float=right]3rd row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[/table]

[hr][box]
Template by [nation=cyborgs_and_sentient_machines]
Template may be found [url=https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=375877&p=29785584#p29785584]here[/url].
[/box][hr]


If it is possible to do this better (like have more than 3 columns) I would like to find out.

[Aquitayne]

I didn't know how to make a table, (I wanted lots of rows and at least 3 different columns, and I eventually succeeded) so I tried to figure it out myself.
This is what I came up with.

Code: Select all

[table]

[tr]
[td][float=left]1st row, left column text[/float]1st row, middle column text[float=right]1st row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[tr]
[td][float=left]2nd row, left column text[/float]2nd row, middle column text[float=right]2nd row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[tr]
[td][float=left]3rd row, left column text[/float]3rd row, middle column text[float=right]3rd row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[/table]

[hr][box]
Template by [nation=cyborgs_and_sentient_machines]
Template may be found [url=https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=375877&p=29785584#p29785584]here[/url].
[/box][hr]


If it is possible to do this better (like have more than 3 columns) I would like to find out.

Making tables is relatively easy once you figure out the proper sequencing.

1)
2) (Table Row)
3) (Table Down)

So, to get a Table with 3 columns, just do this:

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

The [td]'s go inside the [tr]'s, add a new [tr] for when you want a second or additional row.

[Cyborgs and Sentient Machines]

I didn't know how to make a table, (I wanted lots of rows and at least 3 different columns, and I eventually succeeded) so I tried to figure it out myself.
This is what I came up with.

Code: Select all

[table]

[tr]
[td][float=left]1st row, left column text[/float]1st row, middle column text[float=right]1st row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[tr]
[td][float=left]2nd row, left column text[/float]2nd row, middle column text[float=right]2nd row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[tr]
[td][float=left]3rd row, left column text[/float]3rd row, middle column text[float=right]3rd row, right column text[/float][/td]
[/tr]

[/table]

[hr][box]
Template by [nation=cyborgs_and_sentient_machines]
Template may be found [url=https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=375877&p=29785584#p29785584]here[/url].
[/box][hr]


If it is possible to do this better (like have more than 3 columns) I would like to find out.

Making tables is relatively easy once you figure out the proper sequencing.

1)
2) (Table Row)
3) (Table Down)

So, to get a Table with 3 columns, just do this:

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

The [td]'s go inside the [tr]'s, add a new [tr] for when you want a second or additional row.

I'm talking about in factbooks, not forum posts.
If you do that in a factbook, you get a single column, and the extra columns become lines.

[Aquitayne]

Making tables is relatively easy once you figure out the proper sequencing.

1)
2) (Table Row)
3) (Table Down)

So, to get a Table with 3 columns, just do this:

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

The [td]'s go inside the [tr]'s, add a new [tr] for when you want a second or additional row.

I'm talking about in factbooks, not forum posts.

The code works the same way I outlined in my last post in a factbook as it does in a forum post. Just add an additional [td] set for however many more columns you want and it will come up perfectly fine on the Factbook pages.