The Gamer's Lounge Guidelines

[SquidDNA]

Welcome to the Gamer's Lounge. In part because we felt the somewhat argumentative nature of the GD was sucking the fun out of discussions about games, ffs, we've split off games discussion into what we hope will be a much more relaxed environment. Be aware that this is but the first step in our nefarious plan which is secretly known as The Hydra Initiative. More on that later!*

That said--

Rules

Basics

-Discussion of all types of games is allowed. PC, Mac, console, flash, PDA, board, card, LARP, ARG, etc. One exception is still “Kings of Chaos” type web games where you get points for getting other people to sign up via referral links.

-Discussion about games goes into The Gamer's Lounge. Discussion about the gaming industry goes into GD.

-Embedded images should be no greater than 800 pixels in width, or thumbnailed and linked. (Spoiler tags do not absolve you of this limit! The image still has to be fully loaded by the browser, increasing load times for slow connections.)

-No warez (specifically, no abandonware), no otherwise inappropriate content.

Tone

-Relax.
What we're looking for in The Gamer's Lounge is a relaxed, fun atmosphere for people who play games to enjoy them rather than work at them. A little trash talk with your friends is fine but we still expect you to be respectful and polite. This forum does not exist to establish the absolute values of certain games, but rather just to talk about games you like with people you like.

-A little bit of complaining is ok.
Complaining should not become the focus of the thread. Constructive criticism is the exception. How to fix, how to change gameplay to cope, etc. Excessive complaining about an issue without any discussion of how the issue might be resolved will get the thread locked.

-Nobody cares that you don't care.
Saying "I don't care about this game" "Not going to buy" "This sucks" "Looks boring" "Rips off [whatever]" and so forth doesn't add anything to the discussion, and will be warned/deleted. It's just annoying.

-Versus threads, whether by design or accident, are not allowed.
An exception to this is how a game may differ between platforms, but this would be to identify specific issues with or the game and / or differences in content between versions, not just make blanket statements about the platform or franchise.

-Vitriolic ranting is not okay.

-Leave your pet peeves at home.

Organization

-Threads should have the game name or label included in the title. (Ex. [L4D2] Turtle strategies?) It is alright to have multiple threads on one game if each is discussing something different.

-Threads about mods are great. Threads asking how to make mods are not.

-Map threads are allowed, for sharing, creating, and distributing. (Ex. [WC2] Maps )

-A meet-ups subforum “Looking for Group” is for organizing people to play games, whether by trading network IDs, in-game names, Ham Radio Callsigns, etc. or simply asking who wants to play a particular game and then meeting on IRC at a particular time to organize it. (You may not post your addresses, although you are free to trade this information privately should you wish to meet up in the woods for paintball or something.)

And that's it.

*-Valve time.

[JAL-18]

Okay, to help organize things in here a little bit I've developed a standard set of threads that should accompany any major game release.

Pre-release
Pre-release discussion and news about a game. The thread title updates thing is a good system for this, keep at it. Pre-release threads will be closed when the game has launched on all systems.

"Relic finally announces the Forestry Sim! Ents, Loggers, and Vikings confirmed races!"

First Impressions/Review
Basically a review thread and "Should I buy?" You don't need to post a formal review like we had before, but just give us your initial thoughts and impressions. If you disagree with someone, explain why, and if someone disagrees with you, try not to take it too personally. I want this to be an easy resource for people on the fence about something to browse through and see what the community thinks.

"I love the attention to detail in this game. The vast variety of tree and soil conditions is extremely realistic, and makes growing and picking the right type of goats for your Vikings ships really satisfying and interesting!"

Tips, tricks, and halp!
Share and get tips and strategies from other people. Get help if you're stuck on a level or are getting owned in MP.

"I've found that Kunde chainsaws give you the best bang for your buck against Oak Ents, but Maple Ents need to be flame spammed."
"I can't seem to tech fast enough to reach Maples, my Deciduous Conservatory never gets enough water resources from all the Viking raids."
"Use Sapling Archers to defend your Lily-pads and take out their Sajuuk Temple to impede Bear production."

General
General discussion about the game. Share your gameplay stories, patch news, mods and maps to download, etc. If there's a tangent that seems like it's really picking up, split off a new thread for it.

"We reenacted the battle of Isengard from the Two Towers last night using allied Loggers/ Vikings versus Ents. It was awesome!"


This isn't an exclusive list of threads, but a general outline of stuff that comes up with most new releases. Every game is not going to require every thread, and some games might require more. If you want to create another thread to discuss a specific topic (a specific plot discussion thread, for example) you're certainly free to do so! Also, if a particular thread starts getting real large (around 300 posts say) we'll lock it and create a new thread. (Tips&Tricks II, for example.) This is to keep everything readable and neat.

Thanks for your cooperation guys, enjoy the forum!