EDIT: More up to date rules are here.
We want the forums to be enjoyable, informative, and inviting to all, while also supporting spirited debate and respectful disagreement. To that end, we've got some guidelines/rules here that everyone can refer to.
Unless otherwise noted, all rules apply both in the forums and in PMs. Violating any rule can lead to a perma-ban or a warning, depending on the specifics of the situation. Once warned, further violations will almost always lead to a perma-ban.
1. No personal attacks: No personal attacks or insults - especially angry, inflammatory ones. Feel free to criticize a game, mod, or idea - but take care never to allow that to become a personal attack on an individual. Even oblique or implied personal attacks are disallowed.
2. Sustained hostility or anger venting: Do not post streams of unconstructive, unnecessary negativity or hostility, and do not vent anger here. It just makes the community feel hostile for no reason. This doesn't mean everyone has to be happy or have good opinions of everything and everyone all the time - it means that phrasing complaints in constructive ways leads to much better results all around, and we don't want a community where anger and hostility are behavioral norms.
3. Do not sustain flamewars: If you see behavior that seems out of line to you, report the topic/post using the report button. Don't make a fuss about it in the topic itself. Do not message or respond to people who you think are breaking rules. Simply report them, and move on.
4. Right forum: Post things in the right forum. Suggestion go in Suggestions, stories go in Stories, and so on.
5. Stay on topic: Please try to stay on topic. Ask yourself: Am I answering the author of the topic? Does this relate to the title of the topic? If you want to discuss something else, make a thread!
6. No piracy: No discussions of game piracy, and especially no posting of pirate links or material.
7. Spam: No spamming/unnecessary posting of your website/links. You can mention your product or youtube. But put it into context and don't overdo it.
8. No content-free bumping: No posting of content-free posts in topics just to bump them to the top of the page.
9. Find existing discussions: Before creating a new topic, please invest some time into looking if it hasn't been discussed already. Use the search function.
10. No unnecessary self-replying: Do not spam repeated posts in reply to yourself. Use the modify button unless it has been more than 24/48 hours since your last post.
11. One person, one account: Do not create more than one account for one person.
12. Keep it SFW: No posting or linking of not safe for work (NSFW), pornographic, or X-rated material.
13. English language: You have to write in English, except in specific topic about foreign languages (e.g. translation-related discussions).
14. No doxxing: Posting personal information about anyone besides yourself is prohibited.
15. No impersonation: No impersonating other people or forum users.
16. No sexualization of minors: No sexualization of minors in any medium, or linking thereto.
17. Mods enforce these rules only: Moderators enforce these written rules only. Moderators should try to cite which rule is being enforced when enforcing any rule. If a new rule seems needed, a mod should start an internal discussion about it.
We want the forums to be enjoyable, informative, and inviting to all, while also supporting spirited debate and respectful disagreement. To that end, we've got some guidelines/rules here that everyone can refer to.
Unless otherwise noted, all rules apply both in the forums and in PMs. Violating any rule can lead to a perma-ban or a warning, depending on the specifics of the situation. Once warned, further violations will almost always lead to a perma-ban.
1. No personal attacks: No personal attacks or insults - especially angry, inflammatory ones. Feel free to criticize a game, mod, or idea - but take care never to allow that to become a personal attack on an individual. Even oblique or implied personal attacks are disallowed.
2. Sustained hostility or anger venting: Do not post streams of unconstructive, unnecessary negativity or hostility, and do not vent anger here. It just makes the community feel hostile for no reason. This doesn't mean everyone has to be happy or have good opinions of everything and everyone all the time - it means that phrasing complaints in constructive ways leads to much better results all around, and we don't want a community where anger and hostility are behavioral norms.
3. Do not sustain flamewars: If you see behavior that seems out of line to you, report the topic/post using the report button. Don't make a fuss about it in the topic itself. Do not message or respond to people who you think are breaking rules. Simply report them, and move on.
4. Right forum: Post things in the right forum. Suggestion go in Suggestions, stories go in Stories, and so on.
5. Stay on topic: Please try to stay on topic. Ask yourself: Am I answering the author of the topic? Does this relate to the title of the topic? If you want to discuss something else, make a thread!
6. No piracy: No discussions of game piracy, and especially no posting of pirate links or material.
7. Spam: No spamming/unnecessary posting of your website/links. You can mention your product or youtube. But put it into context and don't overdo it.
8. No content-free bumping: No posting of content-free posts in topics just to bump them to the top of the page.
9. Find existing discussions: Before creating a new topic, please invest some time into looking if it hasn't been discussed already. Use the search function.
10. No unnecessary self-replying: Do not spam repeated posts in reply to yourself. Use the modify button unless it has been more than 24/48 hours since your last post.
11. One person, one account: Do not create more than one account for one person.
12. Keep it SFW: No posting or linking of not safe for work (NSFW), pornographic, or X-rated material.
13. English language: You have to write in English, except in specific topic about foreign languages (e.g. translation-related discussions).
14. No doxxing: Posting personal information about anyone besides yourself is prohibited.
15. No impersonation: No impersonating other people or forum users.
16. No sexualization of minors: No sexualization of minors in any medium, or linking thereto.
17. Mods enforce these rules only: Moderators enforce these written rules only. Moderators should try to cite which rule is being enforced when enforcing any rule. If a new rule seems needed, a mod should start an internal discussion about it.
