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Freedom251 › Blog › editorial standards

How I Verify Game Companion Guides Before They Reach Readers

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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A game companion site earns trust one claim at a time. I treat every stat, quest step, drop rate, compatibility note and patch statement as a separate fact that needs appropriate evidence, a visible version or review date, and wording that matches the certainty available. When no defensible evidence exists, the honest choices are to narrow the claim or leave it out.

This is an editorial method, not a claim that any named site consistently follows it. Published policies from The Games Wiki and OpenFront Intel provide useful examples, but policies are not independent audits of their publishers’ accuracy.

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What it means for a companion site not to mislead

“Lying” is not limited to inventing a number. A page can mislead by presenting an old mechanic as current, turning a player report into a confirmed fact, hiding an assumption in a calculator, or implying that a copied database value was independently checked. The remedy is to make the evidence and its limits visible at the same level as the claim.

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For each material statement, I ask four questions:

  • What exactly is being claimed?
  • What evidence would establish it for the relevant game version?
  • How reproducible or independent is that evidence?
  • What qualification must appear beside the statement?

The answer may be a current in-game display, an official release note, source code, a documented test, or corroboration from independent reproducible sources. A community post or video can reveal a lead, but it should not silently become the sole authority for a factual guide.

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The Games Wiki describes the boundary clearly: “If none of those four are available, we either rewrite the claim to something we can defend or drop it.” That is a useful publishing rule because it treats an omitted detail as safer than a confident guess.

Start with a claim ledger, not a draft

A long paragraph often contains a dozen independently checkable assertions. Before writing prose, I split it into claim-sized records. The ledger can be a spreadsheet, database or plain text file, provided every editor can see the same fields.

Break compound statements into units

“The Iron Warden quest requires level 30, starts in Northwatch, costs 500 gold and rewards a guaranteed rare sword after the April patch” is not one fact. It contains a level requirement, location, cost, reward behavior and a version-sensitive change. Each needs its own evidence and review status.

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Claim record What to capture
Exact wording A single statement that can be marked true, false, changed or unresolved.
Game and build Game name, platform or edition where relevant, patch number or build identifier.
Evidence In-game screen, official documentation, release note, source path or commit, test log, or independent confirmation.
Evidence type Documentation, tested observation, calculation, community report, inference or advice.
Review date The date the claim was actually checked, not the date an editor merely opened the page.
Confidence and limits What is established, what depends on conditions, and what remains unknown.
Change history Previous value, editor, reason for change and links or references to the supporting record.

Attaching a source to the article as a whole is not enough. A reader deciding whether a weapon scales with difficulty needs to know which evidence supports that specific sentence. Sources should sit next to the relevant claim or in a clearly mapped reference panel.

Use the closest reliable authority

There is no universal authority order for every game, but proximity to the fact usually matters. I work down this list while checking whether the source actually addresses the claim:

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  1. Current game client or in-game record. A visible tooltip, menu value, quest condition or inventory record can establish what the current client presents. Record the platform, mode and any character or account conditions that affect it.
  2. Official patch notes and documentation. Use the developer or publisher’s release notes, support pages and manuals for stated changes, requirements and intended behavior. Keep the exact version or release date.
  3. Official source code or data. When publicly available, identify the repository path and commit or release. A data value still needs interpretation: a copied field may be unused, overridden or conditional.
  4. Developer communications. Statements from an official developer account, announcement or forum can clarify intent or a known bug, but distinguish a promise from behavior already present in the client.
  5. Reproducible independent tests. A controlled observation can establish behavior that documentation omits, if another person can repeat it under the stated conditions.
  6. Secondary guides, videos and community discussions. These are valuable for discovering disputed mechanics and possible test cases. They are corroboration or leads, not an automatic substitute for primary evidence.

The right source depends on the question. A patch note can establish that a value was changed, while only a current-client check can show whether the change shipped on a particular platform. A code comment can explain intended behavior without proving that a live server uses it.

Test hidden or disputed mechanics so another player can repeat them

When the client and documentation do not settle a question, I publish a test only when its setup is explicit. “I tried it and it worked” is an observation, not a reproducible method.

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  1. State the question narrowly. For example: “Does the Frost Ring apply its slow to elite enemies in version 1.8.4?” Avoid combining several mechanics in one experiment.
  2. Freeze the environment. Record game version, platform, mode, character level, equipment, difficulty, server region and any modifiers that could alter the result.
  3. Choose a baseline. Capture the result without the tested variable, such as damage without the ring equipped.
  4. Change one variable. Equip the ring while keeping target, attack, distance and other conditions constant. If a variable cannot be isolated, say so.
  5. Record direct observations. Save screenshots, video, combat logs or timestamps. Note what the client displayed rather than inferring an unseen internal value.
  6. Repeat the trial. Run enough repetitions to expose an intermittent effect. Report the number attempted and any failures instead of selecting only successful runs.
  7. Compare and classify. Separate the observed result from an explanation of why it happened. If another tester cannot reproduce it, label it unconfirmed rather than promoting it to a rule.

The Games Wiki describes controlled experiments using screenshots, single-variable changes and repetition. That is a standard to emulate, not evidence that every page using the policy has been tested this way. No in-game test is implied by this article itself.

Tell readers what kind of evidence they are seeing

Evidence labels prevent a calculation or opinion from acquiring the authority of a documented mechanic. A compact label can appear beside a claim, in a legend or in a details panel.

Label Appropriate use Safe wording
Official documentation Developer or publisher statement, release note or support page. “The 1.8.4 notes state that…”
Current-client observation What a specified build visibly displays. “In the Windows 1.8.4 client, the tooltip shows…”
Tested observation A repeatable experiment with recorded conditions. “In 20 trials under these conditions, we observed…”
Independent confirmation A separate reproducible source reaches the same result. “A second test using the stated setup also found…”
Calculation A derived number based on disclosed inputs and formula. “Using the listed base value and a 1.25 multiplier, the calculated result is…”
Community report A player account that has not met the site’s verification threshold. “Players report this behavior; it remains unconfirmed.”
Inference or advice An interpretation, recommendation or strategy rather than a game fact. “This suggests…” or “If your goal is…, consider…”

Keep facts, calculations, inferences, observations and advice visually and grammatically distinct. If a rate depends on hidden matchmaking, a server-side roll or an unknown cap, show a range or dependency instead of a decimal that implies laboratory precision.

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Unknown is a valid result

Missing documentation does not prove that a feature is absent. It also does not prove that an undocumented data flow is harmless or that a rumored compatibility combination works. Say what was checked and stop at the boundary of the evidence: “No public source located for this interaction as of the review date” is more accurate than “the interaction does not exist.”

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Use an explicit “unknown,” “not verified” or “conflicting reports” state in the ledger. Do not fill an empty table cell with a guess. If a value is not established, write “not stated” and identify the date or source scope that makes it unavailable.

Put a version and review date beside changing facts

Patch-sensitive information needs two separate pieces of context: the game version or build tested, and the date the page was last checked. A current date without a version can be ambiguous when consoles, regions or hotfixes differ; a version without a review date can hide a later server-side change.

After an upstream release, I create an affected-page queue rather than declaring every old statement false. Patch notes identify likely targets, then editors recheck the claims that depend on them. The page should say when that check has not yet happened.

The Games Wiki gives one concrete cadence: same-day patch summaries, critical affected pages within 72 hours and secondary pages within two weeks. It also says version-sensitive numbers carry a visible patch version and that old values remain in public revision history. That schedule is an example, not a universal promise; a smaller site should publish a cadence it can meet and disclose exceptions.

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OpenFront Intel’s editorial policy likewise emphasizes version limits and context. Its warning is concise: “A copied value is not the finished editorial product.” A value needs assumptions, consequences and a clear statement of which release it describes.

Make calculators and extracted data explain themselves

A companion site’s tool can be useful while still being wrong. Extraction, automation and a database query do not independently verify their output. For every calculator or table, document:

  • the input source and retrieval date;
  • the formula, rounding method and unit conversions;
  • assumptions such as level, difficulty, buffs, region or server tick rate;
  • known caps, exceptions and missing fields;
  • whether the result is a direct game value or a derived estimate.

When the game exposes only a range or a chance, preserve that uncertainty. A calculated damage figure should not be presented as a guaranteed hit if armor, resistance or proc conditions are unknown. If an extracted value conflicts with the current client, stop publication of the derived result until the conflict is explained.

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Give corrections a visible trail

A trustworthy correction process lets a reader challenge a specific statement instead of sending a vague complaint. The report form should request:

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  • the page URL and exact disputed sentence;
  • game version, platform, mode and region;
  • what the reader observed and how it was reproduced;
  • supporting screenshots, logs, official notes or test steps;
  • the date and circumstances of the observation.

Editors then classify the report as confirmed, likely, unresolved or incorrect, and record the decision. Preserve prior revisions so a reader can see the old value, the replacement and the reason for the change. Material factual review should be distinguishable from spelling, layout or search-optimization edits, and a material correction should refresh the factual review date or carry a correction note.

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How to compare companion sites without pretending to score truth

There is no defensible single “accuracy percentage” for a whole site unless the sampling method, claim definitions and independent audit are public. Instead, compare the editorial system along these axes:

Axis Questions to ask
Primary-evidence proximity Does a mechanic point to the current client, official notes, code or another direct authority?
Version and review visibility Can a reader see the build, edition and date checked for a changing claim?
Test reproducibility Are conditions, variables, repetitions and failed attempts disclosed?
Unknowns and disagreement Does the site mark uncertainty, conflicting reports and unsupported values instead of choosing a convenient answer?
Auditability Are revisions, corrections and material factual changes preserved and explained?
Commercial separation Are advertising or affiliate relationships disclosed and kept out of source selection and conclusions?

These are process checks, not a scored evaluation of any named publisher. A polished citation list can still contain weak evidence, while a modest page with transparent test records may be easier to audit.

What citation coverage can—and cannot—show

Companions.wiki displays a site-specific snapshot of 14 records, 102 structured material claims, 42 source records and 96 claims with an identified supporting source, along with 94% claim-citation coverage. The year of that snapshot is not stated on the cited page, and the data page is not directly accessible. Treat those figures as the site’s own counts, not as a general measure of companion-site truthfulness.

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Citation coverage answers “How many claims have an identified source?” It does not answer whether the source is primary, current, correctly interpreted or independently checked. No independent study establishes that the practices above cause fewer errors or greater reader trust, so neither the percentage nor a policy statement should be used as proof of an outcome.

A pre-publication and post-patch checklist

  • Each material sentence is split into a checkable claim.
  • The source or test record is attached to that claim, not merely to the article.
  • The authority is appropriate to the question and current for the stated build.
  • Tests identify conditions, single-variable changes, repetitions and observed results.
  • Evidence labels distinguish documentation, observation, calculation, report, inference and advice.
  • Unknowns, conflicts, ranges and dependencies remain visible.
  • Version, platform or edition and actual review date accompany patch-sensitive facts.
  • Calculators disclose formulas, assumptions, rounding and data provenance.
  • Correction reports capture the page, claim, version and supporting evidence.
  • Revision history preserves material changes and explains why they occurred.
  • Commercial relationships are disclosed and do not determine evidence or conclusions.
  • An affected-page queue is created after every relevant release, with overdue checks disclosed.

The practical standard is simple but demanding: publish only what the available evidence can carry, and make the reader’s path from claim to evidence inspectable. That is how a companion site avoids turning an old value, an unrepeatable anecdote or an unexplained calculation into false certainty.

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