retroreversing-category-pages

name	retroreversing-category-pages
description	Use when creating or editing RetroReversing category hub pages under categories/** (consoles/tools/misc/companies). Enforces correct frontmatter, structure, and link patterns.

RetroReversing Category Pages

Category pages live in categories/** and publish to a top-level permalink like /nes, /wiiu, /disassemblers, or /gdc.

They have two jobs:

• act as the hub/index for a topic (usually a console/tool/company), linking to relevant RetroReversing posts
• curate high-quality external sources so the page stands alone as a reference

If you are not editing categories/**, use the broader retroreversing-contributing skill instead.

Editing Rules

• When extending an older, very large page, avoid sweeping rewrites. Preserve stable headings and refactor incrementally.
• Do not remove existing embedded content such as videos, tweets, or other primary-source embeds unless the user explicitly asks for their removal. These embeds often preserve useful technical or historical context. You may move or regroup them into more appropriate sections.

Frontmatter checklist (category pages)

Follow CONTRIBUTING.md frontmatter rules and keep it minimal.

Required/typical keys:

• layout: post
• title: no colons
• permalink: no trailing / (example: /wiiu)
• category: must match a key in _config.yml under category: (this drives the header icon), can be a list of multiple but start with just one or 2
• tags: YAML list; include the main category tag and any broad qualifiers (e.g. introduction, tools)
• breadcrumbs: Home -> Section -> Current
• editlink: must point at the repo file relative to the GitHub pages/ folder (category pages usually use ../categories/.../File.md)

Useful/optional keys:

• excerpt: short, technical summary
• updatedAt: 'YYYY-MM-DD' (update only for meaningful content changes)
• recommendTitle: e.g. All WiiU Posts (this titles the sidebar)
• recommend: list of tags that should appear in the recommended sidebar
• redirect_from: list of legacy permalinks you still want to support
• consoleimage: for console hubs (used by search/cards in some views)
• image: and twitterimage: only when you have a real hero image; otherwise omit

Minimal starter template

Use this as a starting point for a new console hub page (adjust values; omit optional keys you do not need):

---

layout: post
permalink: /wiiu
title: Nintendo Wii U Reverse Engineering
category: wiiu
breadcrumbs:
  - name: Home
    url: /
  - name: Consoles
    url: /consoles
  - name: Nintendo Wii U Reverse Engineering
    url: #
tags:
  - wiiu
  - introduction
recommendTitle: All WiiU Posts
recommend:
  - wiiu
  - wii
  - introduction
editlink: ../categories/consoles/WiiU.md
excerpt: Awesome list of Nintendo Wii U reverse engineering and dev resources
updatedAt: "2026-04-12"
---

Recommended heading skeleton:

# Introduction

---
# Hardware

---
# Reverse Engineering

---
# Games

---
# All Posts

---
# References

Common H1 sections (recommended)

Across existing category pages (especially categories/consoles/*.md), the most common H1 sections are:

• # Introduction
• # Hardware
• # Reverse Engineering
• # Games
• # All Posts (usually renders the on-site list via {% include console.html %})
• # References

Typical # All Posts section:

# All Posts
<div>

{% include console.html %}

</div>

Common optional H1 sections when the platform/topic needs them:

• # Game Software Development for the <console>
• # File Formats
• # Emulation
• # Development Kits (Hardware)
• # Software Development Kits / # Software Development Kit
• # Middleware
• # Game Engines
• # Tools

Content structure (recommended)

For hub-style pages, follow the newer pattern seen in categories/consoles/WiiU.md:

• 2-4 sentence intro explaining why the category matters and how to use the page.
• Use a small set of stable H1 sections separated by --- (examples):
  • # Introduction
  • # Hardware
  • # Reverse Engineering
  • # Middleware (when platform-specific)
  • # Game Engines
  • # Tools (if the platform has unique toolchains)
  • # Games (for debug-symbol lists, good starter targets, etc)
• # All Posts near the end (this renders the internal listing for the category)
• # References last when you have citations
• Prefer short subsections that end in one or more links (internal or external), rather than long essay blocks.

Console hub extras (NES-style)

categories/consoles/Nes.md is a good example of a fully built-out console hub. When a console category has enough material, these patterns work well:

• Lead-in before the first H1 - 2 short paragraphs that explain the two roles of the page (internal hub + curated external reference) and how the sections are organised.
• More specific H1 sections when justified - beyond # Introduction / # Hardware, consider dedicated H1 blocks like:
  • # Game Software Development for the <console>
  • # Game Modding and ROM Hacking
  • # Homebrew <console> Development
  • # Reverse Engineering <console> games Only add these if you have enough links/content to avoid thin sections.
• Game development production snapshots - for console hubs, # Game Software Development for the <console> is often a strong section to include when you have sourced postmortem or interview material. It works especially well for compact facts such as schedule length, team size, budget, workstation specs, software stack, tools, and codebase size.
• FAQ-style subheadings - within an H1 section, use ### question headings ("How long did it take…?", "What did the SDK look like?") to make the page skimmable; a short "How long did it take to develop games back in the day?" subsection is a good fit when you have reliable production data. Each answer should end in one or more links (internal or external).
• Primary-source quote blocks - short > quotes are useful for provenance and "why this matters", backed by a footnote when the quote is evidence.
• Embedded media (sparingly) - a teardown / explanation video, tweet, or other primary-source embed can be worth keeping when it teaches a hardware concept or preserves development context; keep the surrounding text tight and technical.
• Preserve existing embeds - when editing an existing category page, keep embedded videos, tweets, and similar source material unless the user explicitly asks to remove them. Reorganising is fine, deletion is not.
• Hands-on callouts - include at least one concrete "try this" (emulator/debugger step, tool invocation, or a small workflow) when the console has established reversing tooling.

If a console doesn't have enough depth yet, prefer the simpler hub pattern (short intro + links + # All Posts) rather than forcing these extras.

Remember the Markdown hygiene rules from CONTRIBUTING.md:

• Use --- before major section jumps (and when jumping back up the heading hierarchy).
• No blank line between --- and the next heading.
• No blank line between a heading and its first paragraph.
• Never use numbered lists; use * bullets introduced by a sentence ending in :.
• Use tables when a list would exceed ~10 items.

Linking rules

Internal links (to other RetroReversing pages):

{% include_cached link-to-other-post.html post="/permalink" description="1 sentence on why this is relevant." %}

External links that stand alone as their own paragraph/line:

{% include link-to-other-site.html
  title="Resource title"
  url="https://example.com"
  description="1-2 sentences explaining what it is and why it matters." %}

Inline external links inside a sentence can be normal Markdown links; add a footnote only when the link is serving as evidence for a claim.

Youtube Rules

If its a YouTube video always have an embed and mention the author and content of the video before it, e.g:

[PothOnProgramming](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5TjpTBW6yw) offers a technical breakdown of the 2D dot product and its critical applications in game design and engine logic. The video highlights several fundamental applications of the dot product used in game development and vector math.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b5TjpTBW6yw" title="2D Dot Product - Cool Things To Know" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Tweet and Primary-source Embed Rules

If you keep or add an embedded tweet or other primary-source embed, include a short sentence before or after it explaining why it matters. Focus on the technical or historical value of the embed rather than leaving it to stand alone without context.

References

If the page makes specific historical/technical claims (dates, counts, quotes), add footnotes and end with: # References Keep quotes short and make sure references back up the specific claim.

Creating a brand-new category

If you add a new top-level category page:

• Ensure the category: key exists in _config.yml under category: with title and image.