The following items are not allowed at any time or in any place on this discussion forum unless otherwise noted.

Using profanity. Don't swear. There are certain words used during prime time broadcast U.S. television that probably won't hurt, but there are other words that are immediate flags for action. Masking profanity is not an adequate alternative. If the word is easily distinguishable as a swear word, then it is considered no different than actually swearing. Blatant advertising of products, services, or Web sites. Unless the group you're posting to is dedicated to advertising Web sites or other such things, you may not post a message that strictly advertises anything for personal or financial gain unless you have been given permission by a forum official.

Personally attacking another user or users. You have the right to express your opinion, but on this forum, you may not offend the other user to do so.

Use appropriate subject headings. Subjects should not be in all-capital letters, and should be titled appropriately based on the topic being discussed in the message body. Avoid using phrases like "click here" in the subject.

Posting redundant messages ("spamming"). You may not post the same message twice on the forum, whether you're posting to the same group or multiple groups. Pick the most appropriate group and post one message there. Altering messages slightly does not necessarily remove the redundancy of the message.

Posting off-topic messages. You should make sure the group you are posting to is of the same topic as your post. Pick the most appropriate group for your message. Note: any general discussion groups are not "catch alls". They are still subject to all rules. However, you are granted more freedom of appropriate topic selection in these groups. Illegal activity. Any topic that condones, exploits, or makes use of illegal material is illegal here as well. Asking for or distributing illegal software is an example of such an activity. Because the forum is available globally, try to use common sense.

Public service announcements. Don't yell "fire" or create panic by posting threatening messages that have no valid basis or merit. Do not force your beliefs or values on anyone. You may persuade others only if the persuasion is for a just cause deemed appropriate by a forum official. For example, persuading someone to stop smoking is OK, but persuading someone to change their religion is probably not a topic that is generally acceptable on this forum. Express your opinion, but do not attempt to force it onto others. Required

The following items must be obeyed at all times unless otherwise noted.

**Be considerate of other age groups, genders, races, religions, and nationalities. **This is a globally-available discussion forum. There are people of all ages, genders, races, religions, and nationalities visiting. To make everyone feel welcome, please respect the differences of others. Specifically: Keep the content of your messages suitable for all ages. Remember that as a gaming site, there are many minors reading messages here. Sexually oriented topics, for example, are not acceptable.

Be considerate of those that do not speak the dominant language of the forum. Help them if you can. Ask them to clarify things if necessary.

**Report abusive behavior. **It may not always be practical to report every violation you see. However, your help in reporting problem users and inappropriate messages wheverever possible is highly encouraged. If you see problem users or messages, please contact a moderator via e-mail if possible. An administrator/moderator contact list is available on the forum's Start Page. If you do not have e-mail, please use the appropariate site-related group. Carry personal discussions outside of the forum. The content of your message might be suitable for the forum, but if it is not likely to be of interest to the general forum public, the discussion might be better suited in private discussion. Remember that the forum is not a chat server. Use common sense!

Granted, most rules here are based on common sense alone. But if you find yourself wondering what to do, common sense will likely provide the answer. By following the above rules and using common sense, you will have an enjoyable visit on the forum, and in turn, you will make others' visits enjoyable!

Message formatting rules

If you are familiar with HTML and want to use it in your messages, feel free to. But you must follow these guidelines:

Avoid using large fonts in the main part of your message. It makes for hard reading. Make sure to close all HTML tags. While your HTML will be validated, please use the message preview feature to ensure the message is formatted properly. Use only basic HTML tags and attributes -- no Java, ActiveX, META tags, or anything fancy. This includes the restriction of mouseovers or anything that moves (marquees, animated images, etc.). Images

Images should only be used when necessary. All in-line images should be 25K or less per message in terms of file size. Larger images greatly slow message retrieval. Avoid using physically large images. This is a message system designed for text, not as a photo gallery. You should specify width and height attributes for the image to speed page rendering. Consequences

If you violate any of the above forum rules, the following actions may be taken (listed in the order the consequences are likely to be taken in most cases).

Message deletion and/or warning. Messages that violate the above rules can and will be terminated. In some cases, you may be warned of your actions. The goal of the forum official is to stop subsequent violations. Message or user editing. If the forum official is able to, they may edit your message or forum profile so it coincides with the forum rules. Please note that this is unlikely since edit capabilities are reserved for the forum administrator. User suspension. Users that severely abuse the forum or intentionally violate the rules many times are subject to suspension. Suspension prevents users from accessing the forum.