Being a newbie 101
<div class="IPBDescription">Some tips from a fellow newbie!</div>It has come to my attention that many new people have came to the Natural Selection forums, most of which seem to not know many of the unspoken rules that come along with posting on a messageboard.
While I'm hardly not a newbie myself, I do believe that in my 2 months of posting I have learned a thing or two about what to do and what not to do. A lot of it's simply not covered in the FAQs, so why not help the newer people have a more pleasent stay?
So with out further ado,
<b>Posting on the Natural Selection Forums</b>
1. <b>Think. Consider. Post.</b>
That is, think about what you want to post, consider whether it's worth saying, then release your opinion/idea/random thought upon the world. Don't post every little thing that comes to mind. If you are here, on a forum for <b>Natural-Selection</b> then it is a safe bet that everyone here WILL be playing the game upon release, so why ask? If the question you're asking is so dumb that it would offend a two-toed sloth, refrain.
2. <b>No. Post count is not everything.</b>
You may very well believe otherwise, but if you do go by this philosphy at least do it in a legitimate way. Try to make sure whatever you have to say adds to the discussion. Yes, some funny things are indeed said on the forums but you don't have to annoucne that you're "ROFL" everytime you read something funny, if someone asks a question that's been asked a million times you don't have to try and make yourself look superior by announcing it, that's what the mods are for. If someone asks a question about the game responding "Birdtoad's are yummy" may make your post count go up, but you will be known as an annoyance, not an interesting poster who makes thoughtful comments. That said..
3. <b>This is not a chatroom</b>
Every fleeting thought does not need to be spoken. If you see something you agree with, at least say something more thought provoking than "Yea!" If you want to chat with fellow Natural-Selection forumers you can always try <a href="http://www.mirc.com" target="_blank">mIRC</a> Irc.gamesnet.net, #naturalselection.
4. <b>It's dead.</b>
There is a reason we don't discuss the watergate scandal here, much as there is a reason some topics are 3 pages back. The discussion is dead. It's done. All that needs to be said has, and everyone who has had something to say has said it. If you have something terribly important to say then that deserves it's own new topic, otherwise wait for the next "What is your favorite band?" topic to be made(trust me, you won't have to wait long) before you tell us about how "Slip kn0t and Blink 182 r teh rox". And please, let the silly little thread games die. After they're on the 3rd page simply consider it <b>game over</b>.
5. <b>The search button is your friend!</b>
The search is there for a reason. Simply click on it and type in keywords from your question and see if your answer pops up. It may very well have been answered before, so there would be no need for a new topic, and you'd be avoiding unhealthy flames from the less patient members at the same time. Remember kids, this is a forum for <b>Natural-Selection</b>, more than likely if it's a question that needs to be asked, it's already been answered at this point. Just do a little searching and you'll more than likely come up with about 50 in-depth answers.
So remember kids, follow these simple steps and you too can avoid being a Cork2!
Anyone else care to add anything?
While I'm hardly not a newbie myself, I do believe that in my 2 months of posting I have learned a thing or two about what to do and what not to do. A lot of it's simply not covered in the FAQs, so why not help the newer people have a more pleasent stay?
So with out further ado,
<b>Posting on the Natural Selection Forums</b>
1. <b>Think. Consider. Post.</b>
That is, think about what you want to post, consider whether it's worth saying, then release your opinion/idea/random thought upon the world. Don't post every little thing that comes to mind. If you are here, on a forum for <b>Natural-Selection</b> then it is a safe bet that everyone here WILL be playing the game upon release, so why ask? If the question you're asking is so dumb that it would offend a two-toed sloth, refrain.
2. <b>No. Post count is not everything.</b>
You may very well believe otherwise, but if you do go by this philosphy at least do it in a legitimate way. Try to make sure whatever you have to say adds to the discussion. Yes, some funny things are indeed said on the forums but you don't have to annoucne that you're "ROFL" everytime you read something funny, if someone asks a question that's been asked a million times you don't have to try and make yourself look superior by announcing it, that's what the mods are for. If someone asks a question about the game responding "Birdtoad's are yummy" may make your post count go up, but you will be known as an annoyance, not an interesting poster who makes thoughtful comments. That said..
3. <b>This is not a chatroom</b>
Every fleeting thought does not need to be spoken. If you see something you agree with, at least say something more thought provoking than "Yea!" If you want to chat with fellow Natural-Selection forumers you can always try <a href="http://www.mirc.com" target="_blank">mIRC</a> Irc.gamesnet.net, #naturalselection.
4. <b>It's dead.</b>
There is a reason we don't discuss the watergate scandal here, much as there is a reason some topics are 3 pages back. The discussion is dead. It's done. All that needs to be said has, and everyone who has had something to say has said it. If you have something terribly important to say then that deserves it's own new topic, otherwise wait for the next "What is your favorite band?" topic to be made(trust me, you won't have to wait long) before you tell us about how "Slip kn0t and Blink 182 r teh rox". And please, let the silly little thread games die. After they're on the 3rd page simply consider it <b>game over</b>.
5. <b>The search button is your friend!</b>
The search is there for a reason. Simply click on it and type in keywords from your question and see if your answer pops up. It may very well have been answered before, so there would be no need for a new topic, and you'd be avoiding unhealthy flames from the less patient members at the same time. Remember kids, this is a forum for <b>Natural-Selection</b>, more than likely if it's a question that needs to be asked, it's already been answered at this point. Just do a little searching and you'll more than likely come up with about 50 in-depth answers.
So remember kids, follow these simple steps and you too can avoid being a Cork2!
Anyone else care to add anything?
Comments
6.<b>Stay on Topic</b>
This sort of coincides with #1,2,3... while in a thread, realize that if you're not contributing to the topic, you're contributing to the lame content that people have to sift through to actually read what they came for. The "Tales from the front lines" thread, for example, is perhaps 10 or so pages of actual stories and ninety pages of "/me cries", "/me implodes", "/me buys a Dodge Ram and drives it off a cliff"-type spam... irritating at best
<b>7. Don't try to say NS is a copy of another game</b>
It really bugs me that at least once a week a person come into the forum and post about how NS is exactly like this game or that game. For one I don't think it is really respectful to the people making the game and it also makes you look ignorant.
<b>8. Look around first</b>
If you have a question about basic gameplay (e.g. How does commander mode work?, How many teams are there?) it's almost definitely answered in the ns.org FAQ, or readyroom.org. Be sure to visit both these places, as they are chock full of the best kinds of NS info. Also, be sure to read the individual forum FAQs to make sure your post fits.
In the Ideas forum, don't title your thread something with the word idea/ideas in it. Be more general considering, it <i>is</i> the Ideas forum.
The Artwork forum is for(other than sigs), NS art.
d0 N0t p0$t ub3r l337ly, fool
I'd have to say IRC is much easier for a newbie, as you can make a good impression so much quicker, but it follows you can make a bad impression even faster.
This post hardly makes sense, I should still be staying clear of the forums myself.
Tycho knows what he is talking about, and is usually on top of things. Sometimes, if Tycho has replied to a topic, all that needs to be said has been said, and you might as well just lock it or something. Nothing escapes Tycho.
Tycho makes mistakes just like anyone else, though... once he told me that the term "going gold" was not going to be used in reference to NS... obviously, some things DO escape Tycho... but he loves Custard too so it's ok. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
When someone makes a jokey jokey, it isn't nice to go and say they are wrong and provide facts, unless those facts are made up on the spot and hold no real truth, or if those facts include the word "custard".
For those who are not C++ literate, that means "does not equal". Often times there will be refrences to "n00bs". However as said many times before- we are not referring to NEW players, but rather the mindset/attitude of players.
On a side note: Bill always uses the angry face. But don't worry, he's not really angry all the time- he's one of the most sensible posters here.
Do not drink while sitting close to your computer, most of the time peeps spill something and guess what...either your comp goes W.I.A or you might even make it K.I.A...so dont do that, also dont eat while in same room as a hampster, most hampsters find it annyoing that lesser lifeforms like us eats or drinks while close by, if you have to eat...give the hampster the biggest part of ect. a beef.