MarioWiki:Image maps

Image maps are templates consisting of a single background image that links to different pages, depending on where the image is clicked. They are used for matching locations in a game with their locations on in-game maps and are a visual counterpart to traditional name-based navigation templates. They are useful for game, world, and overworld location (e.g. Beanbean Kingdom and Bowser's body) articles. Navigating between specific level and location (e.g. Beanbean Castle and Rump Command) articles, however, should be covered by regular navigation templates found on every page. This policy page outlines standards that must be followed when creating an image map template.

Rules

Creation

• The image maps must use a map sprite from the game (e.g. thisMedia:M&LBIS Map.png), a screenshot (e.g. thisMedia:MLDT - Title Screen Map.png), or an official map artwork (e.g. thisMedia:NSMBUMushroomKingdom.png). If no official maps exist, no template can be made. Fan-made maps are not allowed.
  • Maps should be in one piece by default: separate world maps should not be pieced together to form a single overworld map (unless the complete map exists, but is never visible in a single frame in-game - but even then, it would be better to wait for the full map to be provided by Nintendo or ripped rather than piecing together screenshots). The only exception is combining maps of different levels of a building to create a single floorplan, such as {{LM mansion map}}.
• If the names of the levels or locations in a map are visible in the image itself, an image map is unnecessary and should not be created.
• Image maps usually need 8 or more links in order to be worth making: simpler maps can just be explained in the articles' texts.
• Image maps must be large and clear enough to make it easy to tell locations apart and click on them. Otherwise, they are not helpful for understanding the maps or navigating to the areas pictured and should be avoided.
  • In general, 400px should be a good width/height (depending on the orientation), such as {{NSMB World 1 map}} or {{M&LBIS Bowser map}}, although simpler maps may be smaller (such as {{SPP map}}), and more complex maps may need to be larger (such as {{LM mansion map}}).

Design

• Locations that are widespread in the map should have multiple link sites to make it easier to identify them and/or locate said links.
• The default link should be to the file page of the image being used (like how normal images included on articles link to their file page when clicked), rather than the overall location, as most image maps will be on the article already, or have it mentioned in the corresponding text in the page it is placed on.
• Locations that are not pictured on a map should not be linked to (i.e. do not infer where they would be relative to the pictured areas; for example, in {{M&LPIT map}}, Star Shrine is technically located on top of the Star Hill, but should not have a link since it is not shown). Only the text of the articles should mention and link to the areas that are not pictured.
• Image maps must always be captioned in order to inform readers that they are looking at an image map and not a simple image of a map. The standard message is: "Click an area to open the relevant article."
• Image maps that are only used in infoboxes must be classified as none and it must be aligned in the center, while maps that will not be used in infoboxes should be classified as a thumbnail and will usually be aligned to the right.
  • If an image map will be used in both infoboxes and as embedded images in text (such as an infobox on the location article and in the text in a game page), a variable must be declared. If it is set to infobox, it will be classified as none and aligned in the center. If it is not set, it will be classified as a thumbnail, and should generally be aligned to the right.

Placement

• Image maps depicting the overworld of a game should be placed on the articles corresponding to the overall location pictured and can also be put on the game pages (f.e. {{SMW map}} can be placed on Dinosaur Land and Super Mario World), but should not be placed on the specific locations shown in the map (f.e. {{SMW map}} should not be placed on Chocolate Island, Cheese Bridge or Donut Plains 1, etc.). If the map itself has an article due to being an object in-game, the image map can be placed there as well, such as {{M&LSS map}} being placed on Beanbean Map.
  • Whether the image maps occur in the infoboxes or are placed elsewhere in the article depends on the structures of the article and what other images are available.
• Image maps depicting worlds in sidescrollers should always go in the infoboxes at the tops of the world pages (i.e. they should go in {{world infobox}} or a corresponding game-specific template), but should not go in the specific level articles. For example, {{NSMB World 1 map}} goes in World 1 (New Super Mario Bros.), but not in World 1-1 (New Super Mario Bros.), etc.
  • If a game does not have a single overall map, once all the specific worlds have image maps, they may all be stacked up and included in the game's article instead, but this is not absolutely necessary and is discouraged if it will look cluttered, such as due to a large amount of worlds or the design of the image maps (e.g. image maps such as {{P&DSMBE World 1 map}} are not suitable for stacking). Only using one or a subset of image maps on a game page looks incomplete and sloppy and should not be done either.
• The image used in an image map and the template itself should not co-occur on a page: the image map should be used in place of the regular image. The plain images can instead be included in the game's gallery page.

Creating the image map

1. First thing is specify the image, upload one if none exists.
2. Specify the name of the template that will contain the image map, which should generally take the form of "Template:GAME map" for game overworlds, where "GAME" is an acronym of the game's name. If there are multiple maps for a game, the names should take the form of "Template:GAME label map", where "label" is substituted with the name of the world (if applicable), or a relevant descriptor. There is some flexibility, however: as long as the subject matter is clear from the title and there is consistency between different world maps in a game (and/or between games in a series), it should be fine.
3. Start coding the template. If you cannot specify the coordinates, you could use online tools such as this. (But change the output to "Wiki imagemap")
4. Once done, preview the template to make sure that it appears correctly, and that the links work (just make sure to open them in another tab by pressing CTRL or right-clicking, so as not to loose your progress).
5. If everything works correctly, save the template, and start adding it to articles.

Basic coding

<imagemap>
[file]|[size]px|[class]|[align]|Click an area to open the relevant article.
[coordinates] [[link]]
[coordinates] [[link]]
...
[coordinates] [[link]]
default [[file]]
</imagemap>

• [file]: The name of the image for the map (e.g. File:MLRPG3 Map.png). Note that this is included a second time at the bottom as the default link (as such, include it in link form this time, e.g. [[File:MLRPG3 Map.png]]).
• [size]: The size of the map (e.g. 300px).
• [class]: The class of the image: it can be omitted entirely (none), or filled in with thumb (thumbnail) or a variable, none.
  • Omit the class (or use a class of nonce) for maps used only in infoboxes.
  • Use thumb or maps only used outside of infoboxes.
  • Use none for maps used in both infoboxes and body text.
• [align]: The alignment of the map: it can be omitted to let the map default to a right alignment, or filled in with center (or possibly left, but this is not encouraged) or a variable: right.
  • Omit the alignment (or use a right alignment) for maps only used outside of infoboxes.
  • Use center for maps used only in infoboxes.
  • Use right for maps used in both infoboxes and body text.
• Specify all the [coordinates] for each link. The number of lines depends on the number of links in the map.
• Note: If desired, additional variables may be specified (e.g. replace [size] with 300px to allow an image with a default size of 300px to be enlarged or shrunk on specific pages), and the alignment variable can be used on templates other than those used in both infoboxes and templates.

Basic usage

{{GAME map|class=[x]|align=[y]}}

• Substitute "GAME map" with the name of the template (not including the template prefix).
• If the template is both included in infoboxes on some pages and embedded in the body text on others, it will have variables associated with it:
  • [x]: The class of the map: type thumb when the image maps is being used in the body text of an article, and type none if it is being used in an infobox.
  • [y]: The alignment of the map: type right (or occasionally left) when the image maps is being used in the body text of an article, and type center if it is being used in an infobox.
  • Note that both variables can be omitted when the image map is embedded in the body text, as it being a right-aligned thumbnail should be the default variables.
• If a template has additional variables encoded, such as for size, this can also be included using variable=value (f.e. size=400px).
• An example of an image map (Template:NSMBU map) embedded in the body text of an article (including a size variable in addition to the regular two needed for maps that go in infoboxes and body text) is as follows:

{{NSMBU map|class=thumb|align=right|size=400px}}