NATION

PASSWORD

13

DispatchMetaReference

by The Federation of New Jaedonstan. . 427 reads.

NJ's Helpful Guide to Creating Interesting Dispatches!

NJ'S HELPFUL GUIDE TO CREATING INTERESTING DISPATCHES!

-
-

So, you want to know how to make an interesting dispatch? Well, you've come to the right place! Welcome to NJ's Helpful Guide to Creating Interesting Dispatches! In this guide, I will cover the basics of dispatch coding, style, and formatting. I will also have a special section down at the end for regional officials hoping to spruce up their official dispatches. If you have questions about this dispatch or would like to know more, feel free to telegram me or reach out to me on Discord at Lies Kryos#1734.


CODE

Don't get worried if you are not familiar with dispatch coding. It's one of the simplest things in the world. If you know BBCode at all, this is exactly the same and feel free to skip this section entirely. For those of you who are not, below we will go over some of the most common and used BBCode sequences. I will also be introducing certain codes later on down the line in other parts, so keep an eye out. If you are looking for a fully comprehensive list of code, you can find it here: NationStates BBCode. For this example, if I don't want to show you the raw code, I will use {} in place of [] for code.

Bold, Underline, Italics, and Size
These are pretty simple codes.

[b]Bold[/b] really helps [u]underline[/u] the [i]point[/i] you're trying to [size=140]make[/size].
Bold really helps underline the point you're trying to make.

Note about size: If you're wondering why I put the size in as 140 and not, say, something like 14pt or 12 pt, that's because the NS BBCode runs everything in the hundreds. 100 is normal type size, and everything before and after that is based on that 100-point scale. For instance, if you tried to do 12pt font as "12" it would look like this: small.

Fonts and Colors
Fonts and colors can really make your dispatch pop and give it a much-needed draw to the reader's eye. Font and color code can be a bit finicky, but I'll try and make it simple.

[font=old english text mt] Pretty font[/font], [color=blue]pretty color[/color].
Pretty font, pretty color.

Note about fonts: Keep in mind that fonts may or may not work depending on your computer or browser.
Note about colors: Colors may be either words or hex codes. For instance, this guide's color name is not accepted by the BBCode, so I put in 007F7F instead of the color name to get this. The code accepts "red" or "darkred" but not "lightred", which interestingly returns this color: Weird. You can play around with what colors are pre-coded. Colors also work best when coupled with the bold tag, thus: Bland or EXCITING.

URLs and Images
URLs and Images are a very important part of making a lovely dispatch as well as making sure your dispatch is useful and informational.
[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL]URLs[/url] are pretty simple. Same with images, like this one: [img]https://i.ibb.co/dfSf4VN/Thegye-Flag-tiny.png[/img]
LinkURLs are pretty simple. Same with images, like this one:

Note about URLs: URLs that link to NS pages will not have the little box with the arrow, can be shortened to the URL without the "nationstates.net" part attached (for instance, nation=new_jaedonstan could be shortened to just /nation=new_jaedonstan), and can be colored differently.
Note about Images: Images will only work when uploaded to an image sharing site, linked, with ".png" at the end. This will not work otherwise. I like to use img.bb because it generates the BBCode part for you in full, medium, and thumbnail sizes.

Text Code
Below are some useful text codes that you will no doubt use often.

[tab=40][/tab]This is a normal indent.
This is a normal indent. (This works the same as the size before; 40 is about normal)

[floatleft]Text will float left[/floatleft] [floatright]Or float right[/floatright] [center]or even be in the middle[/center]
Text will float left
Or float right
or be in the middle

I want to separate parts[hr]Oh, look, that's nice.
I want to separate parts
Oh, look, that's nice.

Another good thing to have are lists.

[list][*]One
[*]Two
[*]Three[/list]
  • One

  • Two

  • Three

Lists will automatically start with bullet points, but you can substitute in numbers or letters with the appropriate argument: {list=1} {list=i} {list=A} {list=a}. You can also stack lists together to create subpoints and sub-subpoints, and so on.

Note: Floating can also be called aligning, but that requires syntax like {align=right}{/align}. For you Brits who don't know how to spell, {centre} works just as well as center.

Boxes and Tables
The last two bits of code I will display is the box code and the table code.

Well, you're looking at a box. But if I could show you a box within a box, it would look like this: [box]Box[/box].
Since I can't actually show you a box (they don't stack), you can just see how the code works here.

[table][tr][td]First column[/td][td]Second column[/td][td]And so on[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]and you have multiple[/td][td]rows and columns[/td][td] as many as you like[/td][/tr][/table]

First column

Second column

And so on

and you have multiple

rows and columns

as many as you like

Note: So I can keep track of the rows, I often separate them by placing them in different rows. However, you don't have to do this and can make it one continuous stream of code. Not suggested for those who aren't robots.

That pretty much concludes the most used code. There are certainly others and feel free to explore those, but the above examples and code will serve most of your coding needs for general dispatch creation.

STYLE AND FORMATTING

Style is most likely the most important part of creating a nice dispatch. Sure, you may have all the codes and fancy stuff, but if it doesn't look good, then you have wasted your time. Below, I will provide some tips and tricks for each style you should look at for what you might be creating.

The Factbook: Undoubtedly, the Factbook is one of the most used styles within NationStates, generally for roleplay purposes. These dispatches are generally long, detailed, and styled like a Wikipedia page. However, fear not! For I shall detail how to create, in short order, your very nice looking Wikipedia-style Factbook. First, you will need to create a sidebar, like on Wikipedia pages. This is the simplest thing. You may use either a combination of {floatright} and {box} or make use of the convenient {sidebar}, which automatically makes it a right sidebar. For my sidebar, I like to include this information:

[sidebar][center][b][size=130]NAME[/b][/size][/center][hr]
[center][img]FLAG[/img][/center] 
[center][b]Motto: [i] 
 [/i][/b][hr]
[b]Location[/b]
Globe
[img]none[/img] 
Map
[img]none[/img][hr][/center]
[b]Population:[/b] 

[b]-Density:[/b]~ (per square km)[hr]
[b]Capital:[/b] 

[b]Largest City:[/b] [hr]
[b]Official Language:[/b] 
 [hr][b]National Language:[/b] 
-
[hr][b]Demonym:[/b] 
 [hr]
[b]Government:[/b]
 [b]Establishment:[/b] 
 [hr]
[b]Land Area:[/b] sq miles (‬‬ sq km) 

[b]Water Area:[/b] ~sq miles (~sq km)

[b]Water %:[/b] [hr]
[b]Elevation[/b]
Highest Point: 
Lowest Point: [hr]
[b]GDP (nominal)[/b] 

[b]GDP (nominal) per capita:[/b] [hr]
[b]Currency:[/b] [hr]
[b]Time Zone:[/b] UTC+05:00[hr]
[b]Drives on the:[/b] Right[hr]
[b]Calling code:[/b] +[hr] [/sidebar]
This information should get you started. Once you have done that, you will want another box over to the side that outlines your Factbook, complete with links. I usually follow this format:
[floatleft][box][b][center][anchor=top]Contents[/anchor][/center][/b]
1 [url=#Ety]Etymology[/url]
2 [url=#Hist]History[/url]
3 [url=#Geo]Geography[/url]
4 [url=#Demo]Demographics[/url]
5 [url=#Gov]Government[/url]
6 [url=#Eco]Economy[/url]
7 [url=#Cult]Culture[/url]
8 [url=#Milt]Military[/url]
[/floatleft][/box]
Once you've finished with that, you can simply use the outline to finish your Wiki! Now I will explain how to make your Wiki headers link to a specific "anchor". An "anchor" is a point on the page that has a URL attached to it specifically. That way, you can specifically travel to that part of the page. For instance, if I have an anchor that looks like this: {anchor=bottom}{/anchor} and somewhere else a URL that says {url=#bottom}Bottom{/url}, that URL will go to that anchor point. For instance: Here. Above, in the URL bar, you can now see that the dispatch URL has "#here" at the end, linking it to the specific invisible point indicated by the anchor. This can be used to very quickly and easily navigate a large dispatch, like a Factbook.

Once you've done that, it won't take very long for you to fill out your history and other information and there you go! As you create your Factbook, keep in mind that it will look like just a big wall of text. Be sure to break up your sections appropriately and use pictures to help soften the monotony of text. For statistics, like in geography, culture, and economy, you could also make use of tables. Nice! Stealing my dispatch? Aha!

Pro Tip: You may have noticed that only the #here part matters. This is because, in essence, you are once again shortening the URL to just the #here part. Since the browser has nothing to reference to, it will use the references within the page itself. Cool! You can even create specific pages for each of your periods of history or parts of your Wiki and link them in as "main articles", thus creating an opportunity for having more information than you could fit in a dispatch.

The News or Legislation Dispatch: Some players will use dispatches to make in-character announcements of the news, treaties, legislation, and other national happenings. In fact, so do regional officials! I will specifically cover how to create a good dispatch for roleplay here and one for regional officials later.

When you create a news or legislation dispatch, keep in mind the rule of text reading: if it's just a wall of text, no one will read it. You need to make it creative and engaging, without making it glitzy and over-the-top. Avoid just plumping it all into a wall of text, but also avoid using overly bright colors or funky fonts. Keep in mind that your dispatch will look different in both light and dark modes, so try and make it versatile for both.

If you are creating a news dispatch, always, always include a picture, especially if it is a modern news story. These dispatches should also be shorter than your wiki by a long, long shot. Legislation dispatches, even more so. Legislation dispatches, however, should include interesting information like votes, date passed, date enforced, etc. If you would like an example, take a look at one of my legislation dispatches here: Foreign Interests Law of 1963. I would suggest using colors to denote votes, perhaps using lists to create points, and even including your national seal or flag somewhere on the dispatch.

The Military Dispatch: Ah, yes, the one that every roleplayer either loves or dreads. I will keep my comments nice and short. Do not make a military dispatch that outlines every single battalion or unit your army has. Do not make a dispatch that explores, in minute detail, the specs of your nation's super battleship or supersonic missile technology. Literally no one is going to read that but you and it's really a waste of your time. I have no specific coding advice, beyond not actually trying.

The Regional News: This is actually an excellent idea to do and I encourage all regional officials to look into a regional news dispatch or publication of some kind. These are excellent ways of both entertaining and engaging your community and subtle regional advertising. If you do create something like this, I would strongly suggest using boxes to separate articles and pictures. If you do have a publication, you could have various things, including interviews of regional members (be they citizens, residents, or government members), announcements of events or reminders of on-going events, perhaps some recent roleplay news, or even comic strips, if you have a talented artist. I would also suggest having a team produce these instead of a single person, as fact-checking and copy editing is important to making your publication (and thus, your region) look better. Nice try, stealing someone else's dispatch. Baller move.

HOW TO MAKE REGIONAL DISPATCHES LOOK GOOD

Some of you out there who are founders and regional officials have really nice looking dispatch systems. Some of them are automated (like those of the AA regions), some are colorful and eyecatching (like Karma), and still others are informative and concise (like my own region, Thegye). But, unfortunately, too many of them are bland, boring, and rarely updated affairs that hurt to look at. Reading and navigating them can be a pain and, usually, newer users are very much lost in the process. To void this, I have a few sweeping suggestions for you below.

1. Death to Text Walls: As I have stated a few times already in this dispatch before, text walls are awful abominations that should be avoided at all costs for many reasons: hard to read, hard to navigate, hard to find appropriate information, hard to make a good impression, etc. If you need to communicate a lot of text, either reconsider how much text you are writing or break it up with paragraphs, headers, etc. Or do both! Even if you can't downsize, breaking up the text into bite-sized pieces of no more than ten sentences each is super, duper helpful. Keep in mind that you don't want it too short. A delicate balance must be struck, and I suggest between five and seven sentences. You can go more with headers and other breaking things, like a horizontal rule {hr}.

2. Location, Location, Location: Dispatches are meant to be read, preferably by those who need to. You have a getting started page? Newcomers need to see that. You have a constitution with complicated regional laws? Your citizenry needs to read it. You have a perfectly crafted map? Your roleplayers will be all over that. But, there's a problem. No one can find your dispatches! Well, that's an issue. First of all, every single one of your important dispatches should be linked on the WFE and pinned there too. Kind of a rule of thumb. For instance, Thegye is a heavily RP focused region, and therefore has both the Map and the Roleplay dispatches clearly linked and pinned. However, this is not the only tool that can and should be used in the event of a navigational situation. LINKS! And not just any old link thrown into a URL. No, no, that is boring. You need exciting and eyecatching links!

The way you do this is fairly simple, though the simpler it is, the simpler it will look. We will first start with simple, but don't worry. It doesn't get uber complicated at all.

Simple: Take your links and arrange them in a centered URL pattern beneath your header with some sort of divider: | {url=roleplay dispatch link}Roleplay{/url} | {url=governmnet dispatch link}Government{/url} | ..... etc. You get the general idea. Then, you should pick an easy to read color that matches something in your region's colors that is not black and make your links that color. You have to put the color inside the URL codes or it will not work. For example: {color=blue}{url=link}text{/link}{/color} will look like a normal URL, green and all. However, {url=link}{color=blue}text{/color}{/url} will produce a nice little URL that is a color other than green. Then you can simply rinse and repeat. If you want to make it a little nicer, go through and make them bolded and/or underlined.

Better than Simple:: Take what you did before, except this time, we are going a little more out there. When you create the links, have each link become highlighted (aka, bolded) when they have arrived at that dispatch. For instance, in the government dispatch, the government dispatch link should be bolded to denote that they have clicked on and arrived at that link. It's a simple thing to do for one dispatch, but multiple gets tedious, so it's an extra step to make it fancy. You can also simplify it a little by having like dispatches lumped together. For instance, if you have three or four roleplay dispatches, stick them all under the header "Roleplay". Just make sure your people can find them.

A Little Complicated: Take what you did before (I sense a pattern forming) and upgrade that even more. You can use a very nice and very fancy {background-block} code for your set of links. This is a brilliant combination that I was absolutely gobsmacked the first time I saw it. Let me give and example.

Your text here can be so much more popping and brilliant, leaving a lasting impression on your readers.

This sort of coding trickery can be so, so, so useful in creating a very beautiful style. If your region, for example, has the colors red and white, you could use those colors. Side note: the background-block code works exactly the same as the color code, with pre-set colors and hex capabilities. If your region, like Thegye, has black and gold, you can create a stunning combination like that as well. This will absolutely and on every level bring your region's dispatches to a new and wholly beautiful level. You could also add little ticks to your background of the same color to add spacing like so.

{background-block=red}{color=red}-
-
{/color}text{color=red}
-{/color}{/background-block}

That will give it a better spacing look. And that's pretty much what I've got. I've seen other variations of this style, with links on either side of an emblem, like with the region Grace of Gaia. I personally dislike the way this looks, mainly because the links don't look good all differently and weirdly spaced. I would stick with a "below the header" style. I would not recommend, either, an "above the header" style either, as this kind of takes away from the good look.

3. The Header: The header is another one of the most important features of your dispatch and will certainly be the first thing that anyone reading your dispatch will notice. As before, you have several options. You could go with a simple text header, maybe bolded and underlined, maybe with a little color. But that's boring. Anyone can do that. No, no, you are looking to stand out, to have something unique! Well, it's simple. Nice try, trying to steal my code

A picture says a thousand words. So then, make your header a picture. Many of the headers I have seen are regional emblems, colorful banners, and fancy region names in cool fonts or in beautiful colors. These are all fantastic options that should 100% be used. A header/banner that both provides official feeling and creative spark to your dispatch is very important. These headers should not just be a space-filler, but also a regional advertisement. Show off your region name, colors, emblems, etc. You could also make the header linked to your region page by simply including a URL code before and after the image code. Yes, URL codes work on pictures too. Get creative! Almost every single one of the regional dispatch systems I consider good and will recommend to you in this guide has a header of some kind. Most will have dispatch link systems. Take a look around you, find something you like, and use that idea to bolster your own creativity.

4. Promotion and Upvoting: This is more of a post-production thing, but make sure that you are promoting the use of your dispatches. If someone has a question and the answer is in a dispatch, you can direct them to that dispatch. If someone wants to know how your law works, direct them to that dispatch. If someone is interested in roleplay, link them to that dispatch. Use dispatches as answers for general questions. If someone has a specific question, point them to the answer and link the dispatch. Basically, do as much as you can to get it out there. And make sure people are giving your dispatches upvotes. The more upvotes you have, the more regional recognition you will get on the dispatch page, viewed by thousands daily. It's not a bad promotional scheme.

And that about wraps it up! You should now know everything you need to about dispatches to make them look pretty and nice! And, of course, you should explore what other creative options there are out there for you. Dispatches are only what you can make of them! Mess around with different styles and see what you like and what new combinations you can come up with! And if you think there is something important that I missed or a new style you think I should include, I would be happy to look over suggestions. As always, if you have questions about anything in this guide or in NationStates in general, feel free to reach out to me. Happy writing!

Pro Tip: One last, very final thing. For dispatches, you can see the raw code by going down to the bottom of a dispatch and looking for the "Raw" button. Alternatively, in the URL, you can type "/raw=1" at the end of a dispatch. This will allow you to see how other people made their dispatches and can encourage your design. However, do not attempt to copy their work entirely, as that is against the site rules.


Created by New Jaedonstan. Do not reproduce, in whole or in part, without express permission. Make a suggestion or give feedback!

The Federation of New Jaedonstan

Edited:

RawReport