Topic: *** FORUM RULES *** -- READ BEFORE POSTING! --

[Snarky]

This forum is for general topics that aren't AGS or adventure game-related.

You can post about anything, just keep in mind that this forum is for conversation and discussion: things people can talk about, with a real back-and-forth. If you just want to post pictures of cats, or ask people to list their favorite ice cream flavors, there's another forum for that.

Also, even though this forum is for general topics, it's still intended for members of the AGS community. If you don't care about adventure games or about AGS, there are other places on the Internet for you. I would recommend that newcomers participate in the other parts of the forums to show that they are actually interested in AGS before becoming too active here in General Discussion.

Except for making sure that posts are in the right place, this forum is lightly moderated; it's pretty much a free-for-all. Strong language, adult content and frank discussion of controversial topics can occur, which may not be suitable for underage readers. All participants are expected to be sufficiently mature to handle this, and to post accordingly.

However, we do try to enforce basic rules of reasonable conduct, including:

• Don't be evil:
  • No posts that are themselves illegal in the UK.
  • No threats or hate speech.
  • No links to or instructions for how to commit piracy, or discussion about warez. (Talk about abandonware is fine, but again no links or instructions.)
  • No spam or ads. They will be deleted.
• Be nice:
  • Respect other people; posters and non-posters alike. It's understood that the tone of some threads can get heated, and that some things are said jokingly, but harassment, offensive remarks or swearing at people will not be tolerated.
  • Warn people in the thread title if there is any adult content in your post. For example, if you posted a link to a porn site for a legitimate reason, always add some text like "(Warning: Adult Content)" to the thread title so that people who are easily offended can simply choose not to read the thread.
  • Warn people before you give away parts of the story in a film, book, game, comic, TV show, etc. Use the [hide] tag to hide spoilers and other sensitive details.
  • Some things are better dealt with over personal message (PM). If you have a problem with someone, try contacting them directly (in a calm, respectful manner) instead of airing your disagreement in public.
  • Sometimes you may regret something you wrote, and want to go back and change or delete it. This can occasionally be a good idea, but it's best to then write a short comment to give people an idea of what you deleted/edited and why. Do not delete a series of posts you've made in a topic; it's disrespectful of the others who took the time to read and reply to your posts, and you may get blocked from making more posts in the future.
• Think before you post:
  • Is your post funny, smart, interesting, or useful? Something others would enjoy reading and replying to? If not, maybe you should keep it to yourself. Pointless posts that don't add anything to the conversation just waste people's time and reflect badly on you.
  • Check existing topics before creating a new one. Use search to see if a question you have has already been answered.
  • Don't flood the forum with posts. This is not your soapbox or your personal toy, it's a space for the AGS community as a whole. You wouldn't go to a party and start shouting on top of everybody's conversation, would you?
  • Don't double post. If you have something to add to what you just wrote and no one has replied yet, edit your last post.
• Keep it readable:
  • Write in proper, decipherable English. Don't use text-style abbreviations ("C U L8R") or fill your posts with Internet slang. Use punctuation and capitalization where appropriate (no all-uppercase posts), and avoid nonsense formatting. If your spelling is poor, make use of the spellchecker in your browser. (If your browser doesn't have a spellchecker, get a better browser.)
  • Don't quote a huge post to add one line - quote only the relevant bits.
  • Check that the SMF [tags] in your post are not broken, and distinguish correctly between what you quote and what you write. Preview your post before posting it.

Most importantly, have fun!

The moderators try to be fair in how we enforce these rules, but we are not always perfect. If you think a poster is breaking the rules and getting away with it, you can flag the post or private message (PM) one of the moderators. (The moderators are listed at the top of the forum.) And if you think a thread has been locked or a warning issued incorrectly, again please PM one of the moderators and explain why you think it is actually OK/should be unlocked.

[Snarky]

(This policy is being posted here for now because it's most relevant to General Discussions, but applies across the AGS Forums.)

"AGS vs Hate Speech, and how you can help."

As a community, we want to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible. As such, we strongly believe that there should be no tolerance for harassment, discrimination or expressions of bigotry. These things are already covered by more general forum rules, but we see the need to also state specifically that hateful expressions based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or other personal characteristics, whether targeted at individuals or whole groups of people, are not acceptable. Some people believe otherwise, and while we may not have the power to change their thinking, we do have the power to limit their use of these boards.

Furthermore, The AGS Forums are hosted on a UK server, and as such is subject to British equality and diversity legislation, laws on hate speech, libel, and (at present) the Human Rights Act.

With that in mind, posts or threads containing any of the following will be subject to deletion, and users who post such material will be subject to disciplinary action. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but to provide examples of the sort of thing that is not welcome.

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1. Race
Discriminatory language or expression of views based on race or ethnicity; including, but not limited to, propagation of ethnic stereotypes.

2. Gender and Sexuality
Discriminatory language or views concerning gender and sexual orientation; including, but not limited to, misogyny, homophobia, anti-transgender rhetoric, and the wilful misapplication of pronouns/names.

3. Religion
While debate and critical discussion of religion may occur, any purposely antagonistic attacks on a person's religious beliefs (or lack of same) or blanket aspersions against certain religious groups (or non-believers generally) will be treated as a violation of forum policy.

4. Politics
While discussions of a political nature may occur, expression of extremist views, including, but not limited to, pro-Nazi/Fascist rhetoric, Holocaust denial, and the propagation of conspiracy theories associated with fringe and extremist movements (Pizzagate, GamerGate, etc.), will be considered a violation of forum policy.

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Note that this policy covers not just overt expressions of bigotry, but also indirect ones made by insinuation, use of particular phrases, symbols or memes associated with extremist movements, or presented as jokes.

The moderators hope that the need to enforce these rules will not be a regular occurrence, that our community is a place where hate-speech and bigotry are as abhorrent to you as they are to us. Please help prove us right.

Thank you for reading.