General Discussions

Got a quesiton you need to know the answer to? Just can't get the boards to do what you want them to do? Ask us here and we can help you here, but first some ground rules:

1. NO TOS VIOLATIONS! (inclues flaming and spamming)

2. Questions must pretain to the site (can be boards or other CHU features)

3. Custom Avatars will not be discussed here. If you want a new one then send it to PWizard or Nevermore

4. You may ask why you got moderated but don't expect it to get overturned.

5.If you wish to report a message than do so on Pichu's topic.

6. Be patient...one post will get our attention.

5. This is not a discussion topic. Take it else where.

THIS TOPIC IS NOT LOCKED!
So you may begin asking questions.

[Edited by Neo7, 10/1/2005 9:52:18 PM]

[Edited by moderator EternalSlayer, 1/25/2006 12:18:35 PM]

Short FAQ - General

Question #1: How do I change my signature/post settings/view PMs/etc?
Answer: At the left of the screen, below your avatar, you should see a menu titled, "CHU USER MENU" and an edit profile link. Most of these questions can be answered by adjusting the settings found within these link.

Question #2: I know of a violation, I marked it, and it’s still up. What do I do now?
Answer: The simplest answer: nothing. The moderator who reviewed it may not have agreed that it was a violation of the rules. It may still be pending review.

Question #3: When is it appropriate to come to a moderator with a message that I feel is against the rules?
Answer: The only time that you should be PMing a message to a mod is when you are unsure about whether the message actually breaks the rules or not. This should only pertain to messages that are questionable as to whether they should be moderated, not to any message that you feel like bringing here. Also, you should give the moderation team an appropriate amount of time to actually see the message and act on it before you discuss it here. Generally, 24 hours is considered an appropriate amount of time.

Question #4: Why is the Moderator for our board doing such-and-such? Can our board get a new Moderator?
Answer: No, there are no specific moderators assigned to any board. While a few moderators may keep a closer eye on specific boards that they frequent over others, moderators are not assigned to act only on marks made from one board.

Question #5: What can I do to improve my chances of getting a useful answer?
Answer: Be polite, describe your problem clearly, and use a descriptive posts. "Error message when posting on the General Board" is a lot more helpful than "big problem please help." Similarly, saying, "I’ve read the moderator’s contest reply and still don’t understand," is a lot better than "Corrupt mod on the loose! Ban him!"

Question #6: How do I defeat the 3rd boss in....
Answer: This topic is meant for questions about the forums only. We have specific boards for every game known to Cheathappens. To find the one you need, put the name of the game in the "Search" box at the top left and click Go. Then find the right title in the list you get and click on the 'Board' link next to it to get to that game's board. Once there, you may want to click 'Add to favorites' so you can find the board more easily in the future.

Question #7: How do I close my account?
Answer: As of right now, you can't close your Cheathappens account. The best you can do is to log out and not log back in.

Question #8: How do I get in touch with Cheathappens about Contributor Issues, Login/Account Issues, or Message Board Issues?
Answer: E-mail PWizard at chris@cheathappens.com

Why was I moderated for?

Question #9: Why was I moderated? My moderation doesn't match any of the above listed examples!
Answer: Those are just that, examples. Most of the lists also have the nifty "This includes, but is not limited to:" part that everyone likes to ignore when they quote the list. Even if it isn't there, you should assume that the lists aren't comprehensive.

Question #10: Why was I moderated for asking for clarification about a moderation of mine?
Answer: The Terms of Service state that reposting a violation is grounds for moderation. If you repost a moderation of yours that got deleted once, there’s an excellent chance it will be deleted again. Instead of reposting a moderation exactly as it is, you can either edit it to remove the offense, or PM a moderator.

Question #11: Why was I moderated when I came here reporting a violation? Why was I moderated when I came here telling the moderators to go clean up a specific board?
Answer: This topic is not for reporting violations. This board is not for pointing moderators to go "clean up" another board. If you want a board cleaned up, or if you want to report a violation, please just report it on Pichu's topic.

[Edited by Neo7, 10/1/2005 9:14:38 PM]

Question #12: I was moderated for a joke! Why? I was just joking!
Answer: While you’re free to play around with your friends, a violation in the form of a joke is still a violation. If we allowed all jokes to be exempt from the rules, suddenly we would have hundreds of people breaking the rules and then claim it was "just a joke" to try and get out of the consequences. So please be careful when goofing around with friends; if you call your buddy "stupid," it may be a joke and your buddy may not mind, but it’s still a flame and will be deleted regardless.

Question #13: Why do you keep closing/deleting my topics here? I demand to be heard!
Answer: Topics can and will be closed once your inquiry has been answered. Further topics about the matter will be either deleted or closed. Just because you don't like a particular answer you were given doesn't mean you can continue to make topics about the matter. Doing so is a quick way to get your account suspended or possibly banned.

Question #14: Why was I moderated for having a referral URL in my sig? The ToS states that I can have a URL in my sig!
Answer: "Referral" URLs (those that use a click-thru system where the user benefits when people visit the URL through him/her) are NOT ALLOWED anywhere on the site, whether it is a sig or elsewhere.

Question #15: Why was I moderated for writing the first/last letter of a banned word combined with the stars? The ToS states that "****ing" and "****ed" are okay.
Answer: With "****ing" and "****ed", the actual banned word is completely starred out. Last time I checked, "-ing" endings to a word weren't offensive. However, using "gris" as a fake offensive word, you CANNOT post "***s" in the same manner that you could post "****ed".

Question #16: Why was I moderated for posting my email address / AIM screen name / etc? Email addresses aren't illegal / offensive now, are they?
Answer: If you posted your email address in a topic where someone is discussing something illegal (be it porn, illegal mp3s, etc), this is the same as asking on the board for the person to send them directly to you. This is still illegal. Quit trying to be clever.

Question #17: Why was I moderated for quoting someone? That isn't Disruptive Posting!
Answer: You have posted with more than 3 quotes in a post. More than 3 is considered to be disruptive to the boards.

Question #18: Why was I moderated for flaming myself?!
Answer: Most of the time it isn't clear that you are flaming yourself, especially if you are flaming alternate accounts. Despite the ToS currently having "others" in the description of flaming, you can and will be moderated even for flaming yourself.

Question #19: Why was my post deleted on this topic? It was about (insert problem here)!
Answer: Because you made the 18th post about it, that's why. If something on the site breaks, there is no need to flood this topic with multiple posts about it. Keep it all in one post so the topic isn't cluttered.

Question #20: I was moderated by an abusive moderator! I was insulted by a moderator in a contest reply!
Answer: No, there is no "moderator abuse" here. More likely than not, you were probably moderated by more than one moderator. Moderators have better things to do than "abuse" people here. As for replies here, if you insult the moderator first then you shouldn't be complaining at their reply. Contesting obvious moderations is also a quick way to waste a moderator's time, so don't do that either. If you still feel like you are somehow being "abused", you can contact an Admin and let them know. If it is necessary to take action then it will be done. Don't expect any type of reply though.

Question #21: I was banned! This isn't right! I need to contact an administrator!
Answer: Administrators are the only people who can ban accounts, therefore they have already seen whatever got you reported and decided to ban your account. Bans will not be lifted.

[Edited by Neo7, 10/2/2005 1:34:20 PM]

#22: Was game __________ added to the base? Can you add it?
Answer: Moderators are not in charge of this. Do not ask us in this topic.

#23: How do I make stuff linked, bold, ect?
Answer: Look to the right of your posting field in the post message screen.

What is....?

Alt: An alt is simply an alternate account. Alt accounts are not allowed

B&, B7, etc: Banned.

(lt): Link Topic. The topic contains a link related to whatever it's talking about.

(nt): "No Text". The topic title already covers everything the poster wanted to say so his first post is blank.

OMG, LOL, ROFL, BRB, etc: These are all common Internet acronyms. You can find their definitions online elsewhere. In general, you should always try to see if an acronym is just common internet lingo before asking us what it means.

Usermap: A usermap is a grouping of all of the accounts associated with a particular user. A username will get added to a usermap if another user uses the same computer as well, so using your GameFAQs account in a public place could get users on your usermap that you are not aware of. A usermap axe is when all accounts on a usermap are banned, usually when a user does something very severe.

Inactive: Banned. On very rare cases, it can also mean a temporary lockdown of the account

Founder: Administrator

PM: Private Message. A system where you can send messages to a user without having others view it.

Author: User has contributed either a Trainor or an FAQ to the site

UNL Member: Unlimited Member. User has paid a fee to recieve premium services. For more info click the upgrade button near you avatar (if you already have UNL priviledges then this will not appear)

READING THIS SHORT FAQ IS REQUIRED TO USE THIS TOPIC! ANY QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE THAT ARE ASKED WILL BE DELETED FROM HERE ON OUT! PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS GETS UPDATED WITH NEW INFO!

[Edited by Neo7, 3/15/2007 9:26:23 PM]

I would like to add to your last post on this topic. The meaning for each acronym:

LOL:Laugh out Loud
LMAO:Laugh my ass off
OMG:Oh My God
BRB:Be right back
JK:Just Kidding

These are internet Acronymns just like what Neo7 said. These are the meaning for each Acronym.

[Edited by Masterpiece, 10/2/2005 9:08:57 AM]

[Edited by Masterpiece, 10/2/2005 9:09:29 AM]

What all is not allowed in a signature?

From Neo7:

Please let a mod do this.

Answer: You sig can contain anything that does not violate the TOS.

[Edited by moderator Neo7, 10/2/2005 1:35:15 PM]

ya mean "typer's cramp"?

and to Pichu_OT,

u sure we cant have links to sites in our sigs?
i know not in our posts, but everyone has it in their sigs, including you.