View source for The Lord of the Rings Minecraft Mod Wiki:Forum Rules & Code of Conduct

This thread provides an overview of rules and guidelines for posting and editing in the [[Special:Forum|forums of this wiki]].

These rules and code of conduct are valid for all forums on this wiki, but also hold special rules for posting in some specific forums, notably the Suggestions forum.

== Suggestions forum Rules ==
=== Managing expectations ===
The suggestions forum functions as a public notice board and there is no guarantee of any sort of processing the information posted there by the mod team. Do not expect your suggestion to be judged or even be seen by anyone able to decide whether or not to put your proposal or part of it on a to-do list for the mod team.

=== Read the [[FAQ]] first! ===
[[File:Boromir Meme.jpg|thumb]]
Users who request an item on the FAQ risk getting banned and slowly, painfully vaporized. Save yourself from death and pain by simply reading the FAQ first.

=== Some things should not be suggested ===
Please read [[What not to Suggest|this article]] before posting suggestions.

=== Keep your suggestions canon ===
This mod is based primarily off the ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Hobbit'', and Tolkien's other books, and '''not''' the movies by Peter Jackson. The following sources, while based off Tolkien's books, are not considered canon:
*Peter Jackson's films
*Lord of the Rings Online
*Lord of the Rings: War in the North
*Any other LotR film, video game, or adaption
Suggestions from these sources can be OK, but they must fit into the general LotR storyline, and they must not interfere with any existing feature of the LotR mod.

Please note that ''The Atlas of Middle-Earth'', by Karen Wynn Forstand, '''is''' considered canon.

=== Suggestions must be original ===
Over the past years, we have already discussed thousands of suggestions, some brilliant, quite a few very good and useful, many obvious, many useless and some hilarious. Before you think you have an original notion, please check if it hasn't already been brought forward.

=== Suggestions should be specific, concrete and well thought-through ===
When posting suggestions, make sure to provide details for your ideas so that the community can better evaluate them. For example, instead of just suggesting the addition of Elven cloaks, also provide a description of them or even a texture. This can include what they look like, how they function, how they are crafted, what NPCs wear them, etc.

=== Set a '''fitting title''' for a thread! ===
The title of a any thread must be fitting and hold the main '''keywords''' that characterize the '''subject''' and the '''objective / proposed feature improvement'''. This is relevant for users to identify whether they wanna read a thread and possibly provide their feedback on it, and it helps a lot for both all of us to find a thread using keyword searches on the pages of both the main suggestions forum and the community-endorsed suggestions board.

=== For anonymous contributors ===
Be aware that if you do not (register an account and) log in, you can post new threads, but you will not be able to edit them! Therefore, we recommend anyone who wishes to post a suggestion:
:'''Register an account and log in before posting!'''

== General forum rules ==

=== No CAPS ===
Caps is seen as shouting. Think about it -- would you like to be shouted at? Then don't shout at people who break the rules (see below)

=== No shouting "GROND" (or similar things) at people who break the rules ===
Shouting '''"[[User:Glflegolas/Grond|GROND!]]"''' at a new contributor who suggests something already on the FAQ doesn't do anything good. The admins will deal with him in due course (they read these boards frequently, remember). Shouting '''GROND!''' is essentially spam (see below for more examples of spam) and is considered just as offensive as using profanity to insult someone.

=== No spamming ===
There are many definitions of spam, but on these forums, spam is essentially any comment that is unwelcome. Another term for spam is "clutter". Clutter is a problem because...
*'''Clutter''' slows us down
*'''Clutter''' makes us cringe
*'''Clutter''' scares us away and makes us not want to come here as often because we have to wade through so much...'''clutter'''!

=== No necroposting ===
Necroposting is posting on old, dead, forum threads. If a thread hasn't been active for a '''month''' or longer, don't post on it. Instead, create a new thread, under the appropriate board, about what you want to discuss.

=== Use the "Thumbs up" button ===
If you agree with somebody's suggestion and think it's good, but don't have anything to add to it, click the "Like" [thumbs up] button on the top right corner of their post. It's neater and faster than typing "I like this" "Me too" "Good idea" or "Awesome!"; in fact, short comments such as these are considered spam by the moderating team.

If you want to see what's going on in the thread, click the "Follow" button right next to the thumbs up. You will be alerted via your notifications every time somebody posts on that thread.

=== Don't "kudo" your own posts ===
While it is definitely possible to "kudo" your own posts, doing so is generally frowned upon by other members. It's rather obvious that you think your post is good, else why would you have written it in the first place?

=== Don't use the forums for meeting people in chat ===
The forums are not an instant messager. If you want to meet somebody in the wiki chat, leave a comment on their message wall telling them this; by default, they will receive a notification. Afterwards, the user who received the comment can delete the message (and any replies) or leave it up there.

=== No mini-modding ===
Mini-modding is essentially random wiki users (non-admins) acting like they're admins. For example, when someone posts "Please add Minas Tirith to the mod" and another user posts "'''GROND!'''" immediately afterwards, it is not helpful. Mini-modding has been a growing issue on this site; repetitive mini-modding could land you in trouble. Let the staff do the moderating and enjoy yourselves on the forum!

=== No jibberish posts ===
Jibberish comments are considered spam and will be dealt with as such.

=== No use of profanity to insult others ===
Mild swearing in a totally neutral sense is OK, but don't use profanity to put someone down. Telling someone that they're "a big d**k" is not acceptable, but saying that "this damn spear keeps glitching whenever I throw it" is fine. Nobody is forced to swear if they don't want to. Sexual images and videos are not allowed either, but simply mentioning reproductive anatomy in a neutral sense is not a violation of any of the wiki's rules.

=== No sexism/racism/etc. ===
Any discrimination will cast you through the door of night and into the Void with Morgoth.

=== Do not abuse multiple accounts ===
While owning two or more accounts is totally OK, especially if you plan to use the alternative account for testing purposes, the abuse of multiple accounts is a serious offense. Here's a list of things that are not permitted:
*Using an alternative account for trolling.
*Using an alternative account for impersonating staff members (no usernames such as Mevans, Gen. Grievous, GIflegolas, etc.)*
*Using an alternative account in order to pretend to be a real-life relative of a user, when in fact you own two accounts.
*Using an alternative account to get around a ban.

In any case, if you create an alternative account, let the staff know. Undeclared alternative multiple accounts may result in your getting banned, either temporarily or permanently. An interesting overview on wiki 'Socks' is presented [[w:c:community:User blog:Sannse/You and Your Socks|here]].

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Staff may create alternative accounts named similarly to their main account for testing purposes, but they must provide a link to their main account on the alternative account's profile page.

=== Respect wiki staff ===
If you were staff on this wiki, you would want to be respected, right? The [[Admins|administrators]] and [[moderators]] of the wiki want the same kind of respect. Believe it or not, they're just mortals who enjoy playing this mod just like you, and they want to have fun. Treat them with the same courtesy with which you would like to be treated.

=== No staff power abuse ===
If you're an admin, don't ban people, close threads, etc. unless it's there's a legitimate reason for doing so. Anonymous users who have not been on the wiki for more than a month are to be warned for FAQ ignorance, but FAQ ignorance after they've been here for a month or registered users suggesting things on the [[FAQ]] or the [[What not to Suggest|list of things not to suggest]] should be banned. Also, any threads that discuss an unoriginal LotR suggestion should be removed. According to Glaerdir, Mevans has changed banning for FAQ ignorance: anons should have it explained, but user with accounts ARE to be banned for FAQ ignorance. Have a good day.<br />
Note that specific rules and guidelines for staff members are spelled out [[Staff Etiquette|here]].

=== Keep discussions on topic ===
When you start a discussion about a new topic, make a new thread in the suggestion forum, leave a message on that person's message wall, or post in a new thread in the appropriate subforum.

=== Know how to use quotes ===
This is not really a rule, but more of a tip. When quoting a forum post, type your reply beneath the quoted text, by clicking the line <u>below</u> the text you have quoted. When the flashing vertical line appears below the text in the quote, start typing there. This should make your text appear outside the quote, when you click "Post".

If you are unsure about how to use quotes, feel free to contact an [[Admins|Administrator]] or a [[Moderators|Moderator]], and ask them for help.

== '''Outdated (as of 1/1/2019) procedure regarding the Suggestions forum''' ==
The procedure on how we dealt with suggestions from May 2016 until January 2019 is explained in '''[[Thread:238663|this announcement thread]]'''.

<font SIZE="5"><font FACE="Fantasy">[[Board:Suggestions forum|Go on to the Suggestions forum]]</font></font>

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