Hey guys,
As you know, we're changing a lot of things up in the community department. We're making a bunch of improvements to the forums, including revamping the forum rules/Code of Conduct. Below is what we're going to be rolling out later this week.
We're also going to be adopting these rules for the French and German speakers. They are currently being localized, so it will take a bit of time - but moving forward we're going to be playing by the exact same set of rules, no matter the language.
The goal of these rules are primarily to streamline how we work on the forums and focus more on quality conversation rather than overly moderating for specific rulesets. We're looking to create a safe and open environment and want to stop toxic and/or destructive/disruptive behavior, not limit what you guys say (that means we welcome criticism - just keep it civil, please.)
And now: here are the rules. I'm here to answer questions!
Trion Worlds Community Guidelines
Hi all! Welcome to the official Trion Worlds Forums, where the communities for all our games can come together to exchange information, get the latest news, share community-created content, interact with the Development Teams, and discuss the games with other members of the community. The guidelines we have outlined below are in place to help create a forum that is inclusive and for all, whether they're new to forums or veteran posters.
The rules should be relatively easy to follow, but should you happen to stray from them, Trion Worlds staff and moderators use a warning and infraction system. This means that you will be alerted if your behavior goes against our rules. If you accumulate too many infractions-- especially within a short period of time-- we may be forced to ban your account, either temporarily or permanently, depending on how egregious your behavior was.
Finally, as an end note, we may add or otherwise change these rules from time to time in response to community growth and behavior. We will do our best to announce any such changes when they happen.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with a
Trion Worlds Community Team member.
As a quick bite sized look of what's 'not okay', you can use this list:
Examples of non-constructive discussion include:
- Spam posts that lack meaningful content and do not add to the conversation: This includes: in before lock, +1, first, /10char, etc.
- Cross-forum posting: Posting the same discussion, link, or guild recruitment repeatedly and across numerous forums in an attempt to gain a wider audience or more attention. This splits a discussion across the boards rather than allowing for one centralized discussion that is easily read by all.
- Naming & Shaming
- Disruption of Official Posts: These threads are created by the Devs, Community Team, or other Trion employees in an attempt to gather feedback or provide information to players. Most times these threads will be heavily moderated, and any off-topic posts will be removed.
- Demands/Polls/Petitions
Without further ado, the complete guidelines are as follows:
Respect Others: It is of utmost importance that you respect your fellow community members. Debates and constructive criticism are fine and welcome, but
do not name-call, insult, or troll other members while getting your point across. This includes not calling people out, post ing obvious troll threads, or starting/participating in flame wars. We all have strong opinions when it comes to games, please remember that.
When choosing your words, please also keep in mind that the moderators, community team, and developers are part of the community too, and deserve just as much respect. Insulting or otherwise abusing a member of the Trion Worlds staff is grounds for an immediate infraction.
Keep it Clean: Despite the fact that our community does have a lion's share of mature adults, please keep in mind that there are likely younger members that read and post on our forums. As a result, we ask that you keep it relatively clean when posting: reel back the nudity, sexual content, and coarse language- not just in the content of your post, but your username, avatar, and other details should remain safe for readers 13 and older.
Inappropriate content, as determined by the Trion Worlds Community team, and threads that encourage it, are subject to removal or editing. This also extends to usernames, avatars, and other profile details.
No Hate Speech: This falls under the umbrella of both of the above categories, but we want to call it out separately. Hate speech is defined as hateful or prejudice comments, slurs, or statements promoting intolerance directed at others based on their culture, race, gender, religion, lifestyle, or any other personally identifying factors. We promote a welcoming atmosphere for all in the official the community, and do not tolerate hate speech. Hate speech is considered to be a very serious offense, and anyone found to have participated in such actions will have their account temporarily suspended from the the forums and be given a final warning. Further violations of this nature will result in the account receiving a permanent ban.
No Advertising, No Spamming: Do not advertise anywhere on the forums, including but not limited to posts, threads, signatures, and private messages. Trion Worlds related fansites and related fanworks are the exception. Otherwise, advertisements and promotions that are unrelated to our games do not belong on our forums: this includes other games, outside services, and anything that would net you monetary gain.
Post Content of Worth IE: Don't post in a way that's spammy. Here's what we mean by that:
- Try not to make duplicate threads about topics that are currently being discussed. When in doubt, use the search tool!
- Do not overuse text decorations. Keep font sizes and colors reasonable, and refrain from excessive caps and punctuation. Using the aforementioned for emphasizing a point or organizing a guide is fine, but steer away from using them purely as post flair.
- The forums are not a chatroom, so please try to refrain from using it as such. Topics are meant to cover a specific subject, so keep that in mind when creating them <i>and</i> posting in them.
- Try to contribute something new when you post. If you have to use /10chars, consider adding more to it.
- Using an image in your post is okay, providing that it makes a point. Using an image that is a facepalm or non-contributing meme is not.
No Moderator Activity Talk: Do not discuss the actions of moderators or admins. Do not talk about your (or someone else's!), warnings, infractions, bans, etc. If you are asked to refrain from a type of behavior by a Trion Worlds staff member or a moderator, please listen: disregarding their instructions can net you another warning or infraction, too. As always, if you have concerns, please contact a Trion Worlds community team member.
Don't Moderator Others: While it can be tempting to correct others when they are in the wrong, please refrain from engaging in 'backseat moderating.' Reciting the rules at someone, posting in a spam thread calling it as such, etc. If someone is disobeying the Guidelines? Report them, then move on.
One Account Limit: Do not use multiple accounts: if we find out, your other accounts will almost certainly be closed. If you create one or more to circumvent a ban we've issued- even if it's a temporary one- your main <i>and</i> extra accounts may be permanently banned. Don't do it. Seriously!
Account Trading/Selling: Advertising the sale or trade of your account or characters is strictly forbidden across all of our games, as this is a violation of our Terms of Use. Advertising that you are looking for an account to purchase is also unacceptable behavior. This includes forum posts and links to auction sites or marketplaces. Customer Support will be notified immediately of any such activity.
Uninformative Thread Titles: When creating a new thread, please be sure that its title is descriptive and that it accurately conveys the point of the thread. Creating topics that are vague such as "thanks!" or "can you believe this" will be closed.
Thread Title Callouts: Please do not create threads with titles that are directed at specific members of the development or community teams, as well as general members of the community. These threads will be closed, removed, or at very least the thread title edited to remove the individual's name. This leads into the next point.
Naming and Shaming: We do not allow “naming and shaming” posts, threads, or content on our forums. It is the act of publicly naming someone and ridiculing or accusing them of something. This includes putting their name on a blacklist in your signature or thread. As with spammers, please report these individuals to customer support.
Don't be a Thread Necromancer: Bumping old threads because you have something to say that will bring something new to the topic is all right. However, a thread that has not been touched in two weeks is generally considered "dead". (Guides and guild recruitment threads are the exception.) Don't bump your own thread without a very good reason. Inappropriately resurrected threads will likely be locked by the mod team.
Copyrighted Names and Material: We cannot allow copyright protected names on our forums. Copyrighted names are generally well known original character names from books, movies, or games. Also, we do not allow discussion about illegal distribution or use of copyrighted material, such as private game servers.
This extends to company names as well: do not use "Trion" or "Trion Worlds" in your username, and do not use your username to insult the company or anyone within it.
Exploits and Hacks: Exploits, hacks, or any behavior that gives a player an unfair advantage are detrimental to the spirit of the game. Any posts involving hacks or exploits will be removed from the forums. If you encounter such activity, please file an in-game ticket with a GM.
God Modding: We recognize and encourage the use of role-playing within our community; however, it is not okay to force someone's character into situations they have not agreed to. If you wish to write a story about, or role-play with, another person's character, we ask that you get permission from that individual first. Failure to do this is considered “God Modding” and is not allowed on the forums.
Goodbye/Quitting Threads: Goodbye/quitting threads rarely end well, so we do have a policy of reading the feedback in themand closing them. For the civility and constructiveness of the forums, we ask you to please keep your goodbyes to private messages or in-game.
Impersonation: Impersonating a Trion employee or anyone else (such as another community member or a celebrity) is strictly forbidden. Impersonation includes, but is not limited to using official avatars, misleading signatures and signature files, posts claiming you are someone who you are not, and forging moderator posts or closures. We take impersonation attempts very seriously, and this should not be done, even if it is meant in jest.
Malicious Links: Please do not post malicious links on our forums. This includes browser hijackers, key-loggers, links to pornographic material, and links to in-game currency sellers/power-leveling service sites, and private server sites.
Personal Information: Do not post personal information. Not only should you be careful when telling others personal details about yourself, you should never post personal information about others. We consider this to be a very serious offense. Always be safe when it comes to your personal information. Never share info such as your account name, home address, instant messenger contacts, or even emails in an open forum.
Petitions and Polls: We do not allow petitions or community-created polls on our forums. The reason for this is we do not feel that either encourage a meaningful or constructive discussion since they promote replies that simply say “/signed” or answer a list of questions. In place of a petition, we recommend presenting something as a request or a suggestion so that the entire community can discuss it. It’s also okay to present questions in your first post, but we ask that you don’t call it a poll.
Posting in the Appropriate Area: Please do your best to post threads in the correct area of the forums. Any threads that are posted in the incorrect area will be moved with an expiring redirect attached to them. We all want to have our threads seen, and posting them in the proper section is the best way to make sure that happens. Also, please refrain from posting the same topic in multiple areas of the forum or cross-posting in anattempt to gain further views or replies. This is considered spamming, and the duplicate threads will be removed.
Spreading False Info About Trion: We do not tolerate the deliberate and malicious spreading of false info about Trion. Everyone makes mistakes, and that is not what this is referring to, but going out of your way to spread harmful or malicious rumors about Trion or any of our products is never okay to do on our forums.
The rules above cover 98% of situations that we will run across on our forums, and the other 2% are left to Community Team’s discretion. If we feel that anything in a post is inappropriate for our forums, for any reason, we do reserve the right to take appropriate actions for the overall good of the Trion Worlds community, even if it's not specifically mentioned in our forum Code of Conduct. In a nutshell, please be respectful, constructive, and civil at all times while on the official Trion Worlds forums.
Have fun! These forums are a friendly place with a lot of really great players, and we're glad you've chosen to spend time with us. Remember, we're all here to discuss the games of Trion Worlds and have a good time.
Originally Posted by dahanese
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
