Pae
Ninja Gecko
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Universal Rules are rules that are enforced throughout the entire board and must be obeyed at all times by all users. Understanding (including all changes) these rules are the responsibility of the user alone. It might look like a lot, but most of it is common courtesy and common sense. They are subject to change at any time; each member is responsible for keeping up with any updates. Board-specific rules are in force in those sections of the forum. Where there is no board-specific rule covering an action, the Universal Rules are the default standard.
By using this message forum, you agree to these rules.
Short Version (See Long Version for more detail.):
1) No profanity, inappropriate material, or content.
2) No illegal content.
3) No harassment.
4) No flaming.
5) No trolling.
6) No spamming (advertising, bumping, and multi-posting included, see below).
7) No trick links/pranking
8) Stay on topic.
9) No whining.
10) Game accounts (No giving away/selling account/s, begging, offering upgrades)
11) No spoilers.
12) Submitted ideas are free to be used by Artix Entertainment, LLC.
13) Signature Restrictions (500x100, file size 50KB or less, no quote tags) and Rules
14) Account Responsibility - Protect your password; keep it updated.
15) Cheating/hacking discussions and accusations (Includes NOT posting AE game .swfs and content not officially released.)
16) No multiple accounts.
17) No plagiarism.
18) No backseat/mini-modding.
19) No posting for banned members at any time
20) Foreign Languages - not allowed without translation
21) Release of Private or Personal Information
22) Staff can delete or lock messages at any time
23) No impersonating a moderator
24) Moderators have the final say
Note 1: Freedom of speech while using AE's forum
Note 2: Reading forum-specific rules
Rules Enforcement
Ban Evasion
E-Mail/Private Message
Cheater Accusations
Long Version
1) No profanity, inappropriate material, or content.
This is a family friendly game; we have players of all ages, including children. Do not post links to sites that have content rated more "mature" than PG-13 (Some PG-13 content, swearing and partial nudity in particular, is prohibited from the boards.). Any material that is pornographic, sexually explicit, graphically violent (detailed descriptions of violence include describing/referencing torture, vicious acts of physical brutality, etc), visually offensive, derogatory, or discriminates on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, lifestyle, or, any other material (includes nudity and offensive pictures) that may be deemed as objectionable in a public community environment is strictly prohibited.
Profanity is strictly prohibited. Use of foul language, including swear words, real-world racial slurs, alternate spellings, and other language that is not consistent with the fantasy environment will be considered a disruption.
Any swearing, whether spelled out, placed in an acronym, and/or censored (both self-censored or through the forum's built-in filter), or placed in a graphical image/offsite link, is prohibited. The existence of the built-in swear word filter does not mean you should let it do your editing for you. Just because the boards are PG-13, it does not allow you to violate these rules in any way. This includes offensively-named accounts which may be deleted/renamed at any time. The filters are used for a reason; circumventing these filters is considered breaking the rules.
2) No illegal content.
This includes linking to any sites that may violate the rules. If you have any doubts whatsoever about the appropriateness of the content you want to post, don't post it. This includes but is not limited to:
adult-oriented content
content that breaks any laws
copyright infringement (many MP3s, ROMs, etc.), warez, CD keys, cracks, passwords, serial numbers, etc.
gambling and drugs
hacking materials and information
selling AE Characters (property of Artix Entertainment, LLC.)
terrorism (promotion/carrying it through)
trojans, viruses, worms, and other such harmful things
3) You must not harass or abuse others.
Harassment is defined as specifically targeting another player or group of players to harm or inconvenience them. As harassment can take many forms, the moderators will make a determination as to whether or not a "reasonable person" would feel harassed and act accordingly. Actions which would be considered abuse include but are not limited to:
3.1) Sexual Abuse or Harassment - untoward and/or unwelcome advances of a graphic and sexual nature - PMs: If someone tells you to stop PMing them and includes a reason, you stop. If you do not, it will be considered harassment. Your ability to use the AE Private Messaging system can and will be removed if you do not stop when a person requests it.
3.2) Attempting to Defraud - creating false information with the intent of harming another and/or receiving benefits as a result - This includes reporting player misconduct without basis for it.
3.3) Personal Abuse - includes but is not limited to sending excessive private messages or e-mails to a moderator or staff member, making physical threats, or using abusive language against a moderator
3.4) Fellow Users - The above also apply to fellow users on the AQ boards.
4) No flaming (inflammatory/insulting speech).
Any speech or inference, direct or indirect, that constitutes a personal attack against another individual or group is prohibited. Do not insult other users for their ideas/opinions no matter how ridiculous they may be. Snide remarks will not be tolerated. Any post found to be flaming another user/group is cause for discipline above and beyond the usual warning.
5) No trolling.
Trolling is posting with the intent to cause a negative reaction in an individual or group of people. This can take the form of pointlessly spamming a thread or a more directed form of posting something you know is likely to upset them. If you don't have any serious things to contribute to the conversation, stay out of it. In other words, do not post anything intended to provoke someone into replying negatively. The forum is intended to be a place where the members of the AE community can come together and associate; anything that deliberately sets out to disrupt that will not be tolerated and is cause for discipline above and beyond the usual warning.
6) No spamming.
Please keep threads on a topic related to the board you are posting in, and replies relevant to the topic you are replying to. If someone is talking about Zards, do not start going on about your day at school or the fight you had at Fairwind Puddle.
Spam includes, but is not limited to, the following:
creating threads on a topic that is already being discussed. Make sure to read all forum and sub-forum descriptions and their rules before posting new threads to ensure that you follow the rules and post in the correct place.
questions about "When will _____ happen?" "When is _____ coming out?" "What is going to happen next !?" "Is [item] going to [be nerfed/buffed/rise in value]?" "Why isn't _____ in the game?". Staff will let you know either in-game or on the forums. Otherwise, wait and find out.
any posts that serve no purpose and/or fail to contribute to the overall productiveness of a thread (includes off topic posts)
double/multiple posting (Unless sub-forum rules explicitly state that you are allowed to do so, multiple posting will be considered spam.)
To further clarify, this means that no one has posted after your earlier post. If this is the case, use the Edit button.
posting in all caps and/or other pointless formatting
excessive use of smileys (maximum three smilies per post)
extra lines of space (only makes the post longer, wasted space)
use of unapproved/official tags in thread topics (can't use =Pae= (personal), =AE= (official), =AQ= (official), =DF= (official), =MQ= (official), =AK= (ArchKnight), =AQW= (official), =AK= (official), =KoO= (Knight of Order), or =SoO= (Squire of Order); you can use board-specific tags where allowed. Please see the individual boards for more information.)
threads targeted at one person/a few people (use PM, e-mail, or IM instead - If no information is provided, nothing can be done.) This includes direct things at game/forum staff or ArchKnights. (No "Hey, Galanoth, read this and respond!" or "Why did <ArchKnight X> delete my thread?!")
general conversation posts/threads (these serve little purpose on the boards and are better off in private ("How are you doing?", "I'm fine.", etc.), same as the above)
and excessive quoting - quoting the post immediately above you (unless you are relevantly breaking down a post several lines long), quoting a quote, and quote pyramids).
unsolicited advertising of other websites or products. The occasional post about a game is allowed only in The OOC Room, but no advertising something you're selling or sites which allow you to earn money by clicking ads, for example.
Posting in a thread after it has "died". This is called "bumping". If a thread has not been posted in for two weeks or more, it is dead. If you want to talk about the thread's topic, just make a new thread. Remember to use the search function to find threads that already exist on a topic you'd like to discuss.
Posting referral/recruitment links is strictly prohibited.
7) Trick links and pranking
Trick links (Saying a link will show someone something, but then actually linking to something else) are not allowed. Trick links of a malicious nature (browser hijacking links, for example) will be severely punished, even for a first offense.
Pranking is also not allowed. Pranking is posting anything which you claim is truthful even though you know it to be false. (For example, posting that a release is live or that a certain item has been made rare when you know the statements to be false.)
8) Stay on topic.
While the staff of the Artix Entertainment forum respect and appreciate your privilege to freely express yourselves, the fact remains that our games are topical in nature. As such the posting of material should remain at all times within a board that is topically appropriate. It is not, for example, appropriate to role-play in the game discussion forums, nor is it appropriate to post stories (think books, novellas, short stories, etc.) in the question-asking forum. Please keep replies and posts relevant to the board on which they are posted or they will be removed. Remember to read each the description of each place, the guides, and any pinned (stickied) topics before posting. Do a search if you want to ask a question or start a new thread to make sure that it hasn't been posted before.
This also applies to posts within a thread. Keep posts within a thread on-topic - asking questions contrary to originating thread purpose is thread hijacking.
9) No whining.
Whining is defined as "an attack upon an idea, concept or problem, without offering a counter-idea, alternative concept, or a solution" or anything along the lines of "It's not fair" or "This sucks because..." without offering a reasonable solution to resolve the issue. Any and all whining is strictly prohibited.
Ideas are welcome; however, attacking ideas without offering constructive criticism is counter-productive. Complaining about things like the server cap, not having an upgraded AE game character, something not being available in shops, sig limit, and the game not being updated often enough is not tolerated either. Accounts created for whining will be banned.
If you DO have suggestions for game staff on how they can improve the games, please use the suggestion boards: AQ Suggestions, MQ Suggestions and DF Suggestions are the games currently accepting player-made suggestions. If you have suggestions on balancing AdventureQuest, please post in Game Balance Issues. MQ balance discussion goes in the MQ Balance Discussion forum, and the DF game staff may request input in threads found in the Requested Suggestions section of the DF forums.
10) No giving away/selling your game account/s
Your game account is the property of Artix Entertainment, LLC. As such, you are not allowed to give your account/s away, or sell them. Posting to do so is against the forum rules as well as the Terms of Service you agreed to when you signed up to play your account: "You may not sell, redistribute, or reproduce the Software..."
10.1) No begging.
Do not ask anyone to upgrade your character in any Artix Entertainment game, and do not ask anyone to buy you Z-tokens/Dragon Coins/Nova Gems/any other in-game secondary currency. Do not ask for someone else's account information. This includes via the forum, PM, and chat. Accounts created for begging will be banned.
Do not ask to become an administrator, moderator, archknight, etc. Asking is an indication that you are not yet ready to become one. Do not ask for titles, avatar upload, or special treatment.
10.2) No begging others to play your account
The proper thing to do when someone approaches you via PM or email asking you to play his/her account is to report it to a forum moderator. We do understand that to turn a person in can make you feel uncomfortable, but it is in everyone's best interests to do so in this situation. These people tend to send out multiple messages to various people, and it is for everyone's protection that this is stopped. The person begging can end up with a ruined account due to a misdirected PM and/or someone being untrustworthy. Additionally, the overwhelming percentage of people reporting that their characters were 'hacked' by someone were not actually victims of a hacker but really just shared their account information. Along with the fact that it is against the Terms of Service, it is a terrible idea all around.
10.3) No announcing/offering upgrades.
Do not announce that you've upgraded someone in any AE game, PM them instead. Also, do not offer to upgrade anyone in any AE game. Although it's kind to do so in either case, both generate far too much spam and whining.
11) No spoilers.
Spoilers are fun things for users to find for themselves. There is a short list of what qualifies as a spoiler below. Spoiler tags are to be used for any information which players are supposed to find on their own. For content which is under the 24 hour spoiler tag rule, you need to use spoiler tags for the first 24 hours after release. For the 1 week spoilers, please use spoiler tags for the first seven days after the content is released. If you're not sure if what you want to post is a spoiler or not, PM a mod first. Quoting someone else so that the information appears will be considered as violating the "no spoiler" rule.
For new events - 24hr spoilers on major plot points (surprise bosses etc) and 7 days for any "path" spoiler. A "Path" spoiler would be something like the directions to the Cure (AQ), the directions through the Ring of Malinius (AQ) etc.
Answers to the Talk Like a Pirate Day challenge in AdventureQuest remain spoilers.
The plot spoiler bags in DragonFable need to remain in spoiler tags.
To use the spoiler tags, put the following at the beginning and end of your information: [spoiler][/spoiler] Abuse of the spoiler tag (using it to make it look like something is a spoiler/attempting to hide flaming, trolling, profanity/etc) can result in anything from a warning to severe warning to ban (whether temporary or permanent). If you would get into trouble for it in a normally displayed post, you'll get into more for attempting to conceal it.
12) Submission of Ideas
Submitting ideas does not in any way mean your art, ideas, etc. will be used or included in any way. Any ideas submitted to Artix Entertainment, LLC (AE) are free to be used by AE as desired. Any ideas, art, works, or suggestions submitted to Artix Enterainment, LLC (AE), or a member of, for the specific purpose of being used by AE become the property of Artix Enterainment, LLC (AE).
13) Signatures
Signatures are a privilege. Any sigs that do not follow the rules (includes ALL of the Universal and forum rules) will be removed. This includes not using your sig to advertise any outside sites.
13.1) Sig Use Frequency
Only use your sig once per page maximum; stricter rules may apply in different forums. Referral/recruitment/trick links are also prohibited (see rule number 6)
13.2) Sig Dimensions
Sigs, if used and are text only, should be no more than six lines of text at the default size. Please remain brief and to the point. The maximum total sig size (all images and text combined) is 500 pixels (length) by 100 pixels (height). The maximum total file size is 50KB, as it will cause the page to load slowly, especially for low bandwidth users.).
Using quote or spoiler tags in your signature will make it longer than 500px wide.
Some more information on sizes
Default text with formatting like bold, underline, and strikethrough will take up no more than 13px. With various other font faces, you will need to check that for yourself. Anything larger than size 3 will most likely be considered a spammy sig, as it draws too much attention away from posts.
13.3) Sig Animation
Animated signatures are allowed, but they must not flash excessively, promote violence, or otherwise be contrary to the spirit of our forums. Moderators have the final word on whether a signature is appropriate or not.
Signatures with excessive flashiness or attributes that could provoke an epileptic or epilepsy-like attack are prohibited to ensure the safety of forum users.
13.4) Clan/Suggestions/Gallery/etc Advertising in Sigs
Advertising your clan/suggestion/gallery is strictly prohibited. This includes no "join my clan", "check out my suggestions!", "click the link in my sig," or other similar wordings, either in text or the image. Clan/suggestion/gallery/etc sigs that do not advertise are allowed. You MAY have a link entitled "My Clan/Gallery/Suggestion", but that's it. The only allowed clan-related link is your clan's topic on these forums. If anyone from the clan requests that you stop using a clan/club sig, you must do so.
13.5) Sig Advertising
Do not post telling people to look at anyone's sig. "Viral" Signatures (ie signatures which ask or tell others to include them in their signature) are forbidden. Sigs that are found to be annoying/distracting may be removed as well.
For more help on making and using signatures, please see the Detailed Sig guide
14) Account Responsibility
You are fully responsible for your own account and protection of your password. Statements such as "My friend/sister/brother/dog was using my account." are not acceptable as an explanation for the violation of any rule. If you share your account with someone and they break the rules, it will be treated the same as if you broke the rules yourself. It is also your responsibility to keep the account up to date, particularly the e-mail. If you use an e-mail that you rarely check, it is no one's fault but your own if you miss important notices from the AE staff. The same applies to using an invalid e-mail. Once again, your account and password are your responsibility and no one else's.
Members of Artix Entertainment staff will never ask for your password.
15) Cheating/hacking: no discussion of these topics/what to do when you find someone you suspect
Cheaters and hackers are not tolerated in the community and will face severe punishment. Cheating/hacking include, but are not limited to:
exploiting any bugs in any AE game or in the AE forum
promoting the exploitation of bugs in any AE game or the AE forum, regardless of whether you do it yourself
attempting to access another person's forum or game account
using or promoting hacking software
discussion topics about the Cheaters/Abusers/Time Wasters clan
ANY topics/posts accusing others of cheating, or discussing cheats/hacks.
Any hacking discussion is cause for further disciplinary review above.
15.1) Linking to AE .SWF Files - Doing so will get your characters thrown in Jail and your forum account Banned. This also includes converting SWF's to a different format and linking to that, posting screenshots of them, and attempting to find another loophole.
15.2) Posting Screenshots of Content Not Officially Released - This breaks the above stated rule, as well. Sometimes it can be from a bug exploit or coding error. Whatever the case, it is not allowed. If you do find a problem (or what you think could be a problem), PM a someone on the AE Staff and Staff Assistants List (administrator or moderator).
15.3) Reporting a suspected cheat/hacker? - Found a character you suspect is a cheater, or found websites with information about hacking? Gather the information (for a character: character ID, why you think it is a cheater), and PM the details to a Moderator. Do NOT post it in the forums. If you do not include a character ID, we cannot take any action.
16) Multiple Accounts
Multiple accounts are not allowed on the board. There is no reason for any user to have more than one forum account; any additional accounts created will be banned. Should you make too many additional accounts, your original account may have disciplinary action taken against it.
17) No plagiarism
Plagiarism is taking the work of another person (be it art, stories, or even ideas) and claiming that it is yours. Do not take credit for someone else's work. Plagiarism will be cause for discipline above and beyond an ordinary warning.
18) No backseat/mini-modding.
Minimodding is acting as if you are a moderator/ArchKnight, which is to say, that you have the ability to tell other users what to do or not do. This includes things like demanding that a user delete his/her post and/or getting the thread locked (e.g. Delete your post! This thread should be locked.). Any action where the user attempts to take over for a mod anywhere on a sub-forum without explicit permission may be considered mini-modding. Please see the board-specific rules for what is permitted when helping others. (For example, AQ Q&A's rules on minimodding are different from elsewhere in the forum. Please be sure to check the rules.)
A good guideline for what is not minimodding is if a post attempts to politely assist another user (rather than telling them what to do/what they did wrong) by suggesting what they should do/where they should go instead, it's likely you're not minimodding. However, the decision as to whether or not something is minimodding is up to the moderator/ArchKnight who sees the post.
Additionally, if someone has already posted proper advice on where to post, do not post the same advice worded in a different way, or posting “Member X is right!” or other statements along those lines.
Posting in a particularly troublesome thread will only prolong the life of that thread, inviting more people to break the rules. The best way to take care of rule violations is to PM a mod. Only PM the mods once per violation. It is the responsibility of the mods and the staff assistant groups to enforce the rules. Please make sure to PM the correct person in the staff assistant groups, as they can only moderate in specific boards and are not global moderators. Please do not hinder them by posting in threads that need moderator action. It only serves to revive the thread and create even more of a hassle.
19) No posting for banned members at any time
Posting for a banned member/allowing that person to use the account is not allowed and could be considered ban evasion. This includes allowing a banned member to use your account to send PMs.
20) Foreign Languages
While we realize that AE games are played internationally, the boards are English-only and do not allow any foreign languages, unless a translation is provided.
21) Release of Private or Personal Information
Please do not post your private/personal information on the Artix Entertainment forums, including age, email address, specific location of residence, contact information, or other personally-identifiable information.
Release of Other Users' Private Information and Communications
Please do not post any private/personal information about another user on these forums. Private messages from the forum or external chat clients, emails, memos and all other forms of communication are classified as personal and are not to be publicly posted in any shape or form onto these forums.
22) Staff may delete and lock messages at their discretion.
Part of the job of moderators is to keep the boards clean. Messages deemed inappropriate, old, or off topic may be deleted/locked by moderators at any time.
23) No impersonating a Moderator
Falsely representing yourself to another player as an AE Staff Member (on or off the BattleOn server or on chat) is against the rules. This includes using anything restricted to moderators like using official tags (see (5) No spamming.) ) and making it seem like a moderator edited it into the thread, implying that you can edit someone's posts, ban someone, etc.
24) Staff have the final say
If you are told by a staff member to stop doing something, you cannot claim that it was not stated in the rules. It is impossible and impractical to list every rule possible. Attempting to circumvent a rule will result in a more severe warning. Also, the determination of things such as begging, flaming, spam, whining, etc. are dependent on the mod, not the users. Any complaints involving attempts to find loop holes in the rules and complaining that it was not explicitly stated in the rules will not be acted upon.
Disagreeing with them in anything other then a private, respectful manner will be considered not only harassment but trolling. If you have issues with moderation that has occurred the correct actions to take are:
For an ArchKnight: (All contact mentioned is by PM/Private Message)
PM them first as an attempt to resolve the issue. If you are unable to resolve the issue with the AK then you may contact head moderator of the forum you are inquiring about. See the Forum Staff and Assistants by Section post to find out who to contact. If you are unable to resolve your issue, then you can take it to a Forum Admin. Refer to the same list to find out which Forum Admin would best be able to help you. If none of them fit the bill, contact one of the Head Forum Administrators.
For a Moderator: (All contact mentioned is by PM/Private Message)
Contact the head moderator of the forum you are enquiring about when attempting to resolve the issue. If you are unable to resolve your issue, then you can take it to a Forum Admin. Refer to the same list to find out which Forum Admin would best be able to help you. If none of them fit the bill, contact one of the Head Forum Administrators.
Failure to proceed in this manner, such as by posting a public thread indicates you haven't actually followed the rules, and as such your thread may be locked or deleted.
Note 1: All Artix Entertainment, LLC related games, forums, etc. are in the private sector. This means that some rights such as the freedom of speech do not apply, as that is only for the governmental and public sectors. Also, implications/threats to sue may result in anything from a warning, post deletion, thread lock, or a ban of your forum account.
Note 2: Please read the rules of any board you intend to post in. You can get a link to all board-specific rules here: Compilation of Forum-Specific Rules
Rules Enforcement
Excuses for not knowing the rules will not be accepted. This includes claims about being a "too new to have read the rules". The rules apply equally to everyone, old members and new ones, free players and upgraded players.
When any of the above rules are violated or supposed violation occurs, Artix Entertainment Staff will, at their sole discretion, determine an appropriate remedy. Should there be a disciplinary action taken against your account, you will be notified either by forum PM (for warnings and severe warnings) or through the email attached to your forum account (for bans/name changes/etc). This includes but is not limited to in-thread warnings, PM'd warnings, temporary account suspension, permanent account suspension, IP bans and/or legal action.
Should you receive a notification like this, you have up to ninety (90) days in which you can appeal the disciplinary action.
In the event that an action is communicated to the transgressing user, the player will have an opportunity to appeal for a review of the decision within ninety (90) days time, otherwise, no such review is applicable. It is the responsibility of the user to stay up-to-date on the rules.
Access to this server and any of its related products is a privilege and not a right. The staff of this community moderate the server to their best of their ability and at their own discretion.
There are several partial-moderator groups now. ArchKnights is the primary and largest group. They work closely with the moderators and have a very good idea about what they are doing. Their warnings are to be taken as seriously as you would take one from a moderator. If an AK warning is ignored, a moderator will become involved in resolving the dispute.
Account Problems
If you have any problems with your forum account (incorrect login/password/banned, etc), first check your email inbox/email spam box. Once you are certain that the issue has not yet been addressed, use the mailer form at www.battleon.com/help: Forums - Not in List.
Ban Evasion
When evading a temporary ban one of the following may occur:
The first incident will result in double the ban length.
The second incident will result in a permanent ban.
Please see the notification email you receive informing you of your ban to see any possible consequences of evading.
E-Mail/Private Message (PM)
Remember that PM abuse will result in an immediate loss of that privilege. Using shown e-mails to break the rules will result in a ban. If you choose to hide your e-mail or provide an invalid e-mail address, the staff is not responsible for you lacking information about your account. As stated in Rules Enforcement above, the staff will attempt to notify you of changes/disciplinary actions to your account.
Follow the rules and guidelines. Enjoy your time here!
AE Staff and Staff Assistants List
< Message edited by Icemaster Yeti -- 11/14/2009 19:18:19 >
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