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Forum Rules

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Shrapnel Community Forum Rules
By using the the Shrapnel Games website and forums, you agree to abide by the following rules and terms of service. These are not the only site rules. Please read the FAQ for more specific topics not covered here.

MORAL CONDUCT:
Try to restrict use of profanity to words you'd hear on primetime network TV. Linking to websites with inappropriate ad banners is also forbidden. Using a "Not Safe for Work" (NSFW) label on threads, pictures or posts is acceptable for items which are appropriate on the forum but inappropriate for work. Strong profanity should generally be restricted. "Damn," "Hell," and "Microsoft" are all okay.

Do not post any material which is knowingly false, and or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, hateful, harassing, racist, obscene, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or that otherwise violates any local, state, national or international law or regulation.
TOPIC GUIDELINES:
Ensure that your new topics are in the correct forum.

If you think that the topic you are about to start a new thread about has been discussed before, please do a search to see if indeed the topic has been addressed before. Having multiple threads about the same subject makes the forums cluttered, difficult to navigate, and harder to find the information you're looking for. Instead of starting a new topic, simply reply to the topic that has already been created.

Do not post anything not relating to the original subject of the topic. Thread 'hijacking' will not be tolerated. We recognize that threads sometime evolve into other topics, but deliberately trying to take over a thread and change the subject (hijacking) is not acceptable.

All off topic posts should start their subject line with an 'OT:' in front of their subject. If you feel you have a topic that would benefit the community as a whole, not just one specific forum, the Shrapnel General forum would be a great place to post it!
USER FIGHTING:
If you post in this forum, we expect you to contribute positively to a conversation. If you disagree with someone, great, explain your point of view, have an open discussion. Please do not disparage the other person. Personal attacks are unacceptable. They just lower the brow of all involved. If you don't like someone, talk about it on ICQ, MSN, AIM, YIM, your journal, or your blogger, but not here. People who bait or bash members or mods may be banned without notice.

Flaming, humiliating, ridiculing, or belittling other members will not be tolerated. This includes blatant disrespect of others whether it is through negative language or general attitude. We see no difference between straight out calling someone stupid and using creative language and attitude to imply that person is stupid. Continuing to harass in any form another poster via the board, email, or instant message after being informed that communication is no longer desired is also prohibited.

Trolling is prohibited. Trolling is whenever someone is clearly, deliberately posting in a manner for the purpose of angering and/or insulting the other participants of the board. Trolling could be directed towards one user or a group of users. Trolling DOES NOT encourage further discussion, it only encourages personal attacks (if left unchecked) and will not be tolerated.

If you get out of hand you will be warned or banned, if the negative behavior continues you will be banned. Nobody likes it when this happens, so play nice! What actually constitutes out of hand or negative behavior is at the discretion of the staff.
COURTESY TO NEW POSTERS:
Making fun of new members for their ignorance on proper posting procedures, their grammar or spelling issues, or the content of their messages is expressly forbidden. You are welcome to debate and question them, but not to attack them for being new and unsure of our rules. We appreciate our members' concern for new members and invite everyone to welcome them or point them in the directions of the site rules and guidelines. New members can not use their ignorance as an excuse for not following the rules. They are expected to read the FAQs and familiarize themselves with the workings of the site BEFORE they make their first post.
PRIVACY:
Private Messages received on these forums are not to be considered private unless the sender and receiver of the private message agrees. Do not PM someone who you are not in agreement with on this point. Only PMs from Moderators and Admins are to be considered private and not to be talked about in the public forums. If you have a problem with a PM and need to involve moderators or administrators, please click on "Report PM". We reserve the right to read any PMs, if necessary, to determine if a violation of the rules have occured.

We encourage you to keep personal information personal and do not ask for personal information from others. Discussion forum posts that request members to submit personal information to another party will be removed. If you must give this out for any reason, please do so privately. The posting or requesting of individually identifying information of any minor person under the age of 18 is expressly prohibited. This information includes but is not limited to: Real names, address, phone number, picture, or school name or location. It is a bannable offense to request information on any minors on the board.

Users shall not post messages containing personal phone numbers or addresses. If you need to give someone your personal information do it in a way that is safe (PMs or email). It's simply not smart to put that information out in the open on the Internet for public consumption. Do not give out another user's private information with out their prior consent.
POST COUNTS:
If we determine you are trying to drive up your post count via frivolous posts, you will be warned. Further violations will result in the frivolous posts being deleted and the subsequent post counts from those posts being pruned from your post count.
DUPLICATE POSTING :
Do not post the same discussion more than once on a discussion forum or on many forums. Duplicate discussions are frustrating and counterproductive for other members, especially for those whose time and energy is limited. Duplicate discussions will be merged or removed and may possibly lead to warnings.
'CRACKS' OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT:
We do not permit the posting of information that will enable other people to use pirated software or to evade the copyright laws. This includes the sale or trade of illegal merchandise, discussion of file sharing procedures for copyrighted video or audio files, including the discussion of "torrenting" files, discussion of bootleg trading (not including legitimate trading of merchandise) and other items prohibited by law. The posting of complete articles or other written works is also prohibited. You may post a small section of the work and provide a link to a legal copy of the complete version. The posting of any sensitive, secret, or exploitive materials in regard to any person, business, or organization is expressly prohibited. The posting of any illegal behavior, links to illegal behavior, information on how to commit illegal behavior, links to information on how to commit illegal behavior are all prohibited, this includes posting cd keys or serial numbers. Also, do not post ways to cheat in games. All such references will be deleted and a Infraction Points will be issued to the poster and could result in a ban.
ADVERTISEMENTS & SPAMMING:
You will not advertise or solicit other members to buy, sell or peruse any products or services through this discussion forum. Chain letters and junk mail are strictly prohibited as well as advertising for another message board, commercial or personal website.

Users are allowed to include a web site address in a signature, request comments on their personal site in a social setting, or provide an interesting or relevant link to another site. For guidelines on graphics in signatures please see below.

MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS:
Registering and using multiple accounts is not allowed. If we determine that you have more than one account (by matching IPs, etc), all accounts will lose their posting privileges. If you have some reason for why you would like to make a new account and close your old one, please write to an admin. If you have some legitimate reason for having more than one account on from the same IP, please discuss your case with an admin.

SCREEN NAMES:
Any poster with a screen name found to violate any site rule (vulgar, violent, berating to another poster, gender, ethnic group, or sexual or religious orientation) will be asked to change their name immediately or face banning. Impersonating of any the Shrapnel Games staff or affiliates on this site is prohibited. Protect your login info. Any infractions made by your account will be your responsibility. The registration or otherwise using of another posters identity in bad faith is also prohibited.

UNDER 13
We do not allow the registration for users under the age of 13. This is for their own protection and our need to comply with US Law, especially the COPPA.

GRAPHICS IN SIGNATURE GUIDELINES
1. No copyrighted material- No copyrighted photos or logos from other sites without the owner�s permission.

2. No hotlinking- Either host the image on your own website or on a free service, don�t steal someone else�s bandwidth.

3. File size limits: Combined size limit for all signature graphics can be no more than 35k

4. Dimension limits:
a. Combined maximum width of all graphics in signature is to be no more than 600pixels
b. Combined maximum height of all graphics in signature is to be no more than 125 pixels

If you are unsure if your signature graphics comply with the above guidelines, right click on the graphics in your signature and add together the dimensions and file sizes to get the total. If they are over the maximum width, height or file size then you need to remove or change your signature graphics until you comply with the above guidelines.

You will be asked to change your signature graphics if they do not comply with the above guidelines. If they are not changed, the graphics will be completely removed from your signature.

DO NOT ARGUE WITH THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ABOVE RULES:
If any ShrapnelCommunity.com staff member tells you to comply with one of these rules, you must comply.

If you argue the rules with a ShrapnelCommunity.com staff member publicly, you'll be warned, and all members of ShrapnelCommunity.com staff will be notified. This includes violating any of the above rules with a username or in any part of the user profile.

Keep it up, and you'll receive a temporary ban.

After 2 temporary bans, a permanent ban will be given.

Official Grievance:
If your thread is deleted do not start another thread about it. Contact a Moderator of the forum your thread was in or an Administrator.

If you have a problem with a Moderator please contact an Administrator, posting a thread about any problems you have regarding a member of the Moderation Team will be disregarded, and removed.

Enjoy the Shrapnel Community Forums!
If you have any problems, just make a post in the appropriate forum, and somebody will be glad to help you.

The moderators are here to make everyone's visit more enjoyable, so if you experience any problems with abusive users, please tell a moderator or click the Report Post icon at the top right of the offending post. If you feel you are being abused or unfairly targeted by a moderator then please talk to an admin. That doesn�t mean we will agree with you, but we are here to make the forums a harmonious place as much as possible and will listen to your grievances.

CORRECTIVE ACTION

INFRACTION SYSTEM
A list of possible infractions that a user may receive warnings or points for can be found here. Take note: different point levels will result in a loss of privileges. We reserve the right to alter the points at any time without altering this list. We reserve the right to issue arbitrary point values if the situation requires a greater course of action than the standard point value. We may at any time warn for something not listed here if the situation demands it.
BANS AND WARNINGS
1. Banning will be done via a point system listed below, but may be tailored on a case by case basis.
2. Warning by moderator/administrator may be given in some circumstances, but most infractions will result in infraction points. Your level of infraction points will determine how close you are to a ban.
3. Your first ban will be a 'time-out' ban that will consist of 24 hours. This typically is used as a 'cooling-off' period.
4. The next temporary ban will last one week.
5. Following the previous two bans, if a user continues to violate policy, they will be permanently banned.
6. Following private discussion, some permanently banned users will be allotted the right to return to the community under a different username in the future. However this is very restrictive and in the event that they continue to misbehave, their account will be permanently banned with no prior warnings or temp bans. While we reserve the right to allow certain users re-admittance, do not expect to be given a second chance if you have been permanently banned.
7. A permanent ban can be applied for any reason and at any time if the Admins determine it is warranted to promote the harmony of the community.
8. Bans and warnings are not to be discussed on the forums. Any inquiries or comments on bans are to be sent in private messages or via email. A moderator/administrator may choose to publicly inform the participants of a forum about bans and warnings if this is in the interest of the forum.
9. We hate to have to ban members and rarely do so-don't give us a reason to have to!
EDITING POSTS
1. Posts will be edited if the post in question violates the Shrapnel Community general policy or specific forum policy, yet resides within a developed thread of considerable value. Posts edited will be accompanied by explanation in the post itself, and via private message if further explanation is deemed necessary.
2. If a user manipulates their post after a moderator has edited it, as a means to negate the administrative action, said user will receive an immediate temporary or permanent ban dependant upon the situation at the sole discretion of the administration.
DELETING POSTS AND DUMPING THREADS
1. Threads are to be dumped in the Moderator Forum when they provide potentially harmful information, violate the rules, provide illegal information/advice, or are a direct threat to another user. If you believe your thread was dumped unjustly, you may contact an administrator for review and possible reinstatement no later than three days after the dumping.
2. Moderators must refrain from deleting individual posts. Instead they will be moved into the Moderator forum.
3. As a preventative measure, it is always acceptable to close/lock threads in question until the administration is available for comment.
4. While outright deletion of posts requires approval, minor editing is allowed when consistent with the proper enforcement of forum or site policy. This is addressed in the On Editing Posts clause above.
And finally if this is your reaction to these rules:

I have a right to free speech! What right do you have to delete/edit/move/etc my messages?

Yes, you may have a right to free speech, but not here. When you signed up for the Shrapnel Community's message boards, you voluntarily gave up the right to certain kinds of speech in return for the ability to use the boards. Shrapnel Games is a private business, and if you'd actually read the Bill of Rights, you'll see that "Freedom of Speech" applies to the government, not here.

TERMS OF USE

Shrapnel Games and its assigned agents reserve the right to remove a post which does not relate to the topic being discussed in the forum. In addition, Shrapnel Games reserves the right to organize discussion forums in order to best serve the majority of our members. Shrapnel Games or its assigned agents also reserve the right to prohibit or delete discussions that are thought to violate applicable law or that may be harmful to other members, the sites that comprise Shrapnel Games, or the rights of Shrapnel Games or others. That said, we cannot ensure prompt removal of offending discussion forum posts. We also reserve the right to remove your membership from you should you violate these Guidelines. We reserve the right to step in if and when any conversation, threads, or posts are directly affecting the majority of users enjoyment of the board and availability of the board even if the postings are within the guidelines provided above.

Considering the real-time nature of this forum, it is impossible for the staff to review all messages or confirm the validity of information posted. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the contents of all posted messages and are not responsible for any messages posted. Shrapnel Games does not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and is not responsible for the contents of any message. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of Shrapnel Games or any entity associated with it.

Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately by using the report post feature. The staff have the ability to remove objectionable messages and will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if it is determined that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, so please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately, in fact, we may not edit or delete posts that break our rules at all. We have many time constraints on us and cannot guarantee that we will be able to edit or delete posts that break the rules/user agreement. If you do not agree with this then do not view or register at Shrapnel Games.

Although this Discussion Forum does not and cannot review the messages posted and is not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we at Shrapnel Games reserve the right to delete any message for any or no reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Shrapnel Games, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited (the makers of the bulletin board software), and their agents with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). We at this discussion forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you.
Use of the site is at the discretion of the Administration of Shrapnel Games, and that any use may be terminated by the Administration at any time with or without cause.

Shrapnel Games is a privately-owned and operated website and community under the sole authority of its President, and run with the aid of additional Administrators and Moderators who act on the President's authority. At all times will members of this Forum follow the instructions of staff members, including these moderators and administrators. They are acting on behalf of the President; questioning their actions or motivations in public messages is not welcome. Instead, should you have an issue with the way a staff member is behaving or disagree with their judgment, you are asked to please contact the President via email or private message to express your concerns. Taking matters into your own hands will not be tolerated.

Also, while we grant our users the utmost discretion and freedom, there is no guaranteed right of free speech (or right toward anything else, for that matter) in this community, and we make no guarantees at all about its operation, its moderation or its policies. Shrapnel Games' Forum is operated solely at the discretion of the company owner and no user is guaranteed the right to be here as a participant. We reserve the right to terminate any user's membership for any reason at any time.

Failure to abide by these rules can lead to your account being banned. In some cases there will be no warnings or second chances; you will simply be removed from this Forum.

Constant and willful pushing against the limits described herein, what some would call "almost breaking the rules," will not be tolerated.
Shrapnel Games is a provider of an "interactive computer service". Postings on Shrapnel Games are "provided by another information content provider" and not Shrapnel Games unless posted by the owner. Shrapnel Games is not the "publisher or speaker" of any posts in the discussion forums unless posted by the owner.

The user agrees as a condition of registering at Shrapnel Games to be truthful in regard to all information given during the registration process, to use the site as per the instructions, not to disclose his password to others for use, and that the site has a license (permission) for use of anything the user submits or posts to the site.

We reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason. We also reserve the right to read any private message sent through this site.

Finally, we reserve the right to change or modify these regulations from time to time with out notice and by posting you agree to these terms of use and any future changes. If at any time you no longer agree to these terms, you must stop submitting or reading posts from this site and its related pages.

I have read, and agree to abide by the .com.unity Forums rules.