<< All Articles | Print

NOTE: This page was written by Fleshy, and edited and updated by Zikara.

Overview

The forums are where people are welcome to share practically everything they wish to talk about. This can include topics about their storygames, asking for help, requesting a new feature, things about the site, or even things that are unrelated to the site. If you're new to the forums, read over the first paragraph to learn how things work.

Using the Forums

First, you'll want to know how to get to the forums. From the Front page, or any other page, you will see the left hand navigation bar. In this navigation bar is a few headings. To get to the Forums, simply click on where it says 'Forums'. Once you do this you will be directed to a new page which lists all the forum sections, and a brief description about what kind of things go in each section. Next to that is the 'Last post' column. This is a quick and easy way to see recent conversations in each section. To the far right in this table is the '# messages' column, which says how many topics are in each section. Also note, that above this chart is a 'search posts' button. The search feature currently does not work, and will give you back results that often have nothing to do with your keyword. Everything that is highlighted blue can be clicked on to take you to another page. Clicking on the Forum Title will take you to a list of the most recent topics in that forum. Clicking on the title of the post located on the right hand side will take you to that particular post thread. Clicking on the persons ID will take you to their profile. You can look at their EXP points, see how long they have been a member, and even Challenge them to a duel or PM them. However, back to the Forums.

Different Sections

Now, the forums column is full of many different sections. These areas are full of information about the advanced editor, new game concepts, feature wishing well, and even a place to introduce yourself. Lets take a look at each forum section:

Newbie Central: This is a great place for newcomers to the site to introduce themselves and ask questions to get them selves situated with the site and the community.
The Lounge: This area is for all the topics that don't seem to have a place under the other topics. Again however, stuff that doesn't have a point or is insulting or demeaning of someone else will not be tolerated. A good post is 'Lets play a Mafia game'. A bad post is 'You are stupid'. Basically, if you are unsure if something would be considered offensive, either don't post it, or ask an admin first.
News and Updates:This forum is typically for the Head Honchos who run the site. You will find that you can't post a new topic here. However, you are still free to browse the posts located in this section, and comment on them when appropriate. Here you can see what has been changing on the site and what has been done away with or added for your convenience. You will mostly see Alexp, March05th, or JJJ-thebanisher here. They are the said 'Head Honchos'.
The Parlor Room:Ahh the parlor room. Got a favorite game? Can't beat one? Come here and get your help. This forum is full of walkthroughs, people bragging about a game, or even advertising that their newest creation has been finally published. This is also the place to voice bugs of a specific storygame that a user of the site has created. Feel free to look around here to find out the goings on with most games here.
Writing Workshop:This area is for ideas and concepts in the works. Have a game concept that you could use some help with? Want to share a bit about an upcoming game you'll be posting? Looking for a coauthor for your next storygame? Feel free to drop a line here and see who is willing to help you.
Advanced Editor Forum: This is the section for making advanced games. Want to learn how to script? Having trouble navigating the features of the advanced editor? Post here and someone will likely answer your question and come up with a nice tidy solution for you. Or even come here to brag about a script you were able to come up with on your own that others may find useful! Also feel free to browse the post and learn about a few things the editor can do.
Feature Wishing Well: Most commonly called the FWW, the Feature Wishing Well is the section to post to request a new feature for the site. If you would like to see something new on the site feel free to ask. However, please note that at this time, Alexp (aka: creator of the site, and the guy who would be coding any and all improvements) has a job of his own now, and so isn't around all that often. So any changes suggested will not be happening soon (if ever). Please remember that this site is FREE, and as much as it would be cool to have the features you might suggest, we have to be considerate of the time and effort that goes into those changes. I think JJJ said it best: "Someone spends hundreds of hours making you a present. He gives you the present and you're very happy with it. Then, he manages to find time in his day to keep working and spends hundreds more hours improving the present. Then one day, a recession hits and that someone needs to spend more time on lucrative projects and he tells you: "One day, I'd like to make my present to you EVEN better but until then, I hope you enjoy it." You can either say thank you a million times for all of the hard work or say "I can't believe you're not going to make my present better RIGHT NOW!".
Bugs and Problems: If you are roaming the CYS world and come across a typo, glitch, or heaven forbid an error message, feel free to post it here. Please post a detailed report including information such as where you found it, what you were trying to do, what browser and operating system you are using (if you know), and if it happens every time (obviously typos really just need a 'where'). Please, also note the same thing applies to bugs as it does to the FWW. They are not likely to be fixed soon, but the members of the site may be able to help you work around the bug.

Those are the forums as it stands at this time. I hope that this has helped you to feel more comfortable with your surroundings. And I hope to see you soon in the Newbies Central Forum.

The Rules

Last but certainly not least, there are a few rules to keep in mind when posting to the forums. The forums are patrolled by moderators who will ensure that these rules are followed.

1. No racial or bigoted comments are tolerated. Really, there's no need for that.
2. No cussing or insulting other members. Though it's ok to use 'dirty' words on occasion, remember that everyone, including your Mom, could read this. So please, try to keep it clean.
3. While the Lounge is a place to talk about most anything, we ask that the topics be useful and clear. No nonsense stuff will be allowed on the forums.
4. Try to stay on topic, especially when not in the Lounge. This rule is strictly enforced in the in the FWW and the Bugs forums, because those are used by the admins to fix and improve the site.
5. When responding to a forum post, be sure to reply to the right post. If you reply to a post that is inappropriate then the inappropriate post and all its replies will be deleted.

The End

So that's all I have to say about the Forums! Hopefully it answers all your questions about it!