Our Forum Netiquette

In each forum there's a netiquette which all users should adhere to. We’d like to ask all users to thoroughly read through this set of conventions, as we will refer you to it if we think that your postings violate these rules.

General
Thanks to the users, a community is able to flourish in which everybody can participate. So that this community can be designed to be as fair as possible, there are a few rules that exist for dealing with each other that absolutely must be adhered to. Nevertheless, constructive arguments are always welcome.

It goes without saying, however, that while posting your opinions, nobody shall be made the subject of ridicule, humiliation, insult, condescension or harm. Respect for others is our first priority here.

Players or groups of players should never be labelled based on their nationality or origin. As a company we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, racism, or any other form of hatred against single persons or groups. Whoever shows such behaviour in our forums is clearly not welcome!
Additionally, we expect every moderator that is part of our teams to be persons who see the forum as a place of rich variety, of constructive cultural debate and of tolerance, who do not tolerate any forms of discrimination and who contribute for everyone’s well-being!

Politeness
Never forget that you’re dealing with other human beings here!

When writing an article, most people unfortunately forget that messages aren’t just read by computers but by (other) living beings as well, mainly by humans.

Remember this at all times, and don’t stoop to the level of verbal slander. Remember: The more impolite and ruder you act, the less people will be willing to help you when you need something.

A simple rule of thumb: Never write anything that you would never say to others directly.

Spelling
Not many people are English teachers and experts when it comes to perfect spelling. Nevertheless, it’s advisable to read through your web contributions before sending them. Spelling mistakes can often lead to unintended misunderstandings.

Age
To feel that you have an advantage over somebody just because the other person is perhaps younger than you are, proves just how arrogant people can be – the same also applies to people who are older. A 14-year-old teenager can ask intelligent questions just as well as a 45-year-old adult can talk nonsense. Age should never be a subject of discussion here.

Verbal altercations
It’s not what you say, but how you say it. Everybody plays an active role in keeping harmony in the community. If somebody has a different opinion than someone else, this should be seen as a suggestion at the most – but not as a reason to become spiteful or to be verbally abusive. Swearing or provocative language will not be tolerated. Please try to draw a clear line between game and reality here. This is just a game forum which doesn't have anything to do with real life.

Whoever misbehaves however will have to pay the consequences; this applies to all users involved. What exactly these consequences entail depend on the severity of the violation committed.

Threats
We do not tolerate threats. If a threat is made, an official warning will be made. We reserve the right to take further action.

Inciting criminal activity
Those who publically incite others to commit criminal offenses here should expect legal consequences. URLs linked to websites which are dehumanizing in any way, shape or form will be deleted as well as the users who posted these items. Acts of piracy will also not be tolerated.


Forum Rules:

Cross-posting
If you have a question, then please post it in one forum only and not in all. Posting your question in all forums doesn't necessarily mean that you'll receive an answer more quickly; in fact, it only has the opposite effect. Your entry will be deleted. Cross-postings are seen as impolite and bother users who are nice enough to answer questions from others.

Look through old threads first (=old entries)
It's very annoying if the same or very similar questions keep popping up on a regular basis. If you browse through old threads, you'll often find the answers you're looking for immediately and don't have to wait for an answer to be sent. In addition, you'll also have to expect to be ignored if you bring up a frequently asked question again.

Selecting a subject line
You should select a subject line for your posting which makes it apparent what the issue at hand is. "Heeeeeeeeelp" definitely does not qualify. Many exclamation marks are also seen as being a nuisance rather than helpful.

Avoid writing your texts only in capital letters, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY HARD TO READ BUT ALSO IS INTERPRETED AS SCREAMING ON THE INTERNET.

Proper English please
Please keep in the back of your mind that your web announcement can be read all over the world. For this reason, you should try to use proper English as much as possible.

Whoever thought they could avoid using the shift key because they think that capital letters are unnecessary in the English language, and who ignore the netiquette as well, make the text just as hard to read as a person, WHO ALWAYS WRITES THEIR TEXTS USING CAPITAL LETTERS, WHICH HURT THE EYES AFTER A COUPLE OF WORDS AND DECREASES THE READING SPEED DRAMATICALLY.

Missing punctuation can also make sentences run into each other which makes it hard to logically separate sentences from each other making them hard to read (such as in this run-on sentence).

Also typing and spelling errrors don't exaclty help to incRease the readabilitie of a txt.

For this reason, you should always take the time to read through the text and correct any obvious mistakes before posting it.

Those who obviously don't make an effort to formulate their questions properly shouldn't expect others to make the extra effort to answer them.

Be polite
Even when you publish a question or answer in a rush, please re-read it before hitting the send button. Often a text which is written in a hurry will have a more negative effect than was actually intended. Consider whether or not the text can be misunderstood. This can happen quite easily if the text has an ironic undertone. Emoticons such as a ;-) (wink) can help to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

Impatient behavior
Some answers take time. We're happy about the widespread participation in the forum, but we can't guarantee any quick replies. Impatient behavior won't help your case any further.

Spamming
Just as in other forums, unnecessary posts (spam messages) which clog up the discussion are not desired. In the case of repeated spamming offenses, we reserve the right to take further action.

Warning: Spamming shouldn't be confused with trash talk, which is, of course, allowed in the forum designated for this type of post such as the open forum, entertainment thread groups, etc.

Responsibility
Every user is responsible for his/her own contributions. In their posts, each user has the right to freely express their own opinions. But even this right, which is laid down in the Basic Constitutional Law for the Federal Republic of Germany with regard to freedom of expression, is constricted by certain other laws, in particular the StGB (German Criminal Code). It's also up to the forum operator to decide whether or not to publish such content.

Say "thank you" once in awhile
Just like in real life, a little thank-you will go a long way. If an answer proved helpful to you, the writer, who, after all, sacrificed a bit of his/her free time to answer your question, would definitely be thrilled to receive a positive reaction from you. Besides, a thank-you will signal to other users that you were already helped which will also eliminate this topic from further discussion.

Links
Since we carry a certain amount of responsibility in respect to what is and what is not posted online in the forum, we generally forbid the all external links. External links are links which lead to external pages (outside of Bigpoint), not including clan, guild and family pages or forums.

Of course, there are some exceptions, but these must be allowed by Support.

Images
You can post images in the forum by uploading images on the image upload page. Of course, all images are allowed as long as they do not violate any governing laws or forum rules.

Examples of forbidden images:

- Pornographic images

- Violent images

- Racist images

- Politically-motivating images

These were just a few examples. If you're not sure about the content, please ask a forum moderator if the image is okay or not.

Closed threads
If a moderator closes a thread, then please don't open a new one. There's a reason why closed threads exist, even if these reason isn't exactly apparent at first. You can find out why a thread was closed from the forum moderator responsible for that thread.

If you think a moderator closed a thread based on his/her own interests or would like to make a general complaint about this, please send a private message to a super moderator or a forum administrator.

Private messages (PMs)
You can write private messages to other users in the portal when you click on "Home".

In these private messages, you can shoot the breeze with your fellow players, plan clan events or swap numbers for ICQ, MSN, etc.

You can also send links to pages, such as teamspeak or Movie Studio, which aren't allowed in the forum.

Please remember to behave properly and treat others in a civilized and fair manner. Insults, threats, etc. will not be tolerated and we reserve the right to take further action in the case of a violation.

Political opinions
Everybody has a political opinion. One person may have a more neutral political view whereas the other may think in a more extreme way. One is conservative, the other middle-of-the-road, and a third is liberal. These opinions and views are of no interest or importance here. So keep your opinion to yourself and don't push your views/ideas on others.

In the forum, the use of political statements should be exercised with caution. It's within the discretion of the moderator to edit or delete these comments.

Contact info
You never know who reads the forum and can see your personal info. This pertains to all personal contact info such as ICQ, MSN, Skype, TS, Yahoo Messenger, mailing address, telephone number, cell phone number, etc.

For this reason, only send your personal contact info with a personal message to the person who should receive this info!

Clan/Guild ads
It's nice that you identify with your clan or your guild, but please use the designated advertisement area (usually at the bottom of the forum). If everybody was to place their ads in other areas, the really important things would be obscured.

Nickname
In the portal, you have an almost unlimited selection of nicknames. However there a few things to pay attention to here.

Don't select a nickname which insults other users or has the intention of bothering other users, such as fake nicknames. Of course, racist names or names which glorify violence are also forbidden.

Harassment
Are you being extremely harassed with *edit**edit**edit**edit**edit**edit**edit* in the forum? Than just make a screenshot of this and specify the nickname, date and time at which this harassment occurred. Of course, you can also "report" this harassing message by drawing the attention of a forum moderator to the post. However, a screenshot should always be made of it first.

Furthermore you can also file a complaint with the police. With our help, the police can determine who harassed you and they can take action accordingly.

Just say "NO"
Nobody can force you to talk about something which makes you feel uncomfortable. You don't have to answer anybody if you don't feel like it. If someone is hassling you, just report it to the moderators or the administrators. They will inform Support immediately.

Meet in person? Never alone!
Does someone from the game want to meet with you in person? Think it over well as to whether or not you really want to meet them, and talk it over with your friends and family. Choose a public place and make sure you've got a few friends close by. Stay at the original meeting place – no matter what the person may promise you. You never know who will be waiting for you there.

Ads
It is not allowed to advertise external products or services at Bigpoint.

This means that you're not forbidden from telling someone which type of mouse you use or what type of car you drive, but that's about as far as it should go.
Note: The provider of the forum can however use the forum for clickable banner ads

Signature
With your signature, you can give your postings their own personal touch. So that the overview remains intact, a few rules should be followed: A maximum of 1 banner is allowed in the signature. The max. size should not exceed 468 x 60 pixels; this size is set as the standard size for a banner ad by the VDZ (Association of German Magazine Publishers). If advertisers are able to fit their slogans into a banner of this size, than this shouldn't be a problem for you, either. In case you need more room, just leave a few graphics out. In addition to the image, you're allowed a maximum of 4 lines of text and 2 blank lines. Important: A large font size will reduce the number of lines allowed!

Complaints
The game thrives off of you and the whole community. Your opinion and feedback are therefore very important to us and very welcome. We also look at complaints as a good chance to cater to the needs of users in the future.

Please remember to also be polite here! Calls for a strike, verbal assaults, insults to employees and other users as well as appeals for players to switch games are absolutely taboo. These don't belong in the forum and will be removed immediately. You'll only hurt yourself in the end, since we will completely ignore any offensive feedback.

Please write objectively when expressing your opinion. We'll be glad to look into your issue and help you as quickly as possible to solve the problem.

This list is not quite complete, but we think that these rules will serve as a good start. If necessary, this list will be expanded and improved!

A couple of handy online abbreviations:

IMHO – In my humble opinion

LOL - Laughing out loud

ROTFL – Rolling on the floor laughing

TTFN – ta ta for now!

CU – See you

RTM – Read the manual

Refrain from posting answers when you're angry. Take a day to think about things and then respond appropriately. Treat other users in the same manner in which you would like to be treated.

If you only want to take part in discussions in order to post offensive entries, don't be surprised when your access rights are (justifiably) revoked!

Keep in mind here that the Internet is not above the law! The Internet is subject to Paragraph 185 et seqq. of the StGB (German Criminal Code) with regard to insults and defamatory statements.

Thank you for your attention.

Your Support Team