Rules? We don't need no steeenkin rules!
Well, maybe we do. This site started off small, and the rules back then were pretty simple - be nice to each other. The site has grown however, and while that's great, it does lead to a larger number of people who have differing ideas about what that means. Hence.... the rules:
1. Be nice to each other. I'm serious about this one. Disagree, debate, argue at will - but please be respectful. Messages that are flame-bait, hateful, racist, or otherwise pointlessly antagonistic will likely be sent to post-hell, and repeat offenders banned from posting.
2. Don't work around the profanity filter. People from all walks of life visit here, and I want all to feel welcome. If you post something and the board automatically censors the word, don't use a misspelling, "g33k-sp3@k", or f-unny spa-cing to get around the auto-filter. It's not a contest to see how clever you can be in defeating the auto-censor. If the properly spelled word is censored, don't find a way around it please.
3. Keep the avatars and signatures PG-13 please. Women and young people visit here as well as adult males. Some people will be checking the forums at work or in front of their spouses/children. Please avoid the cheesecake, sexually suggestive, and graphically violent avatars/signatures. If that's a bit too Disneyland for you I'm sorry, but I want everyone to feel welcome here.
4. Exercise tolerance. Everyone was a newbie once, and not everyone speaks English well. Everyone interested in being part of the DLF/ALS community is welcome here. A gentle suggestion to someone regarding their grammar or spelling is fine - mocking them or flaming is not. File this under the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" category.
5. Nothing illegal! No posting of, or posting links to, anything that violates someone's copyright or involves stolen intellectual property.This includes pirated music, software, and so on...
6. Don't take it personally if you get edited by an admin. Things aren't always black and white and sometimes what is or isn't in line with the rules here is simply a judgment call. If your post gets edited but no other comment is made to you, don't stress about it. No one's mad at you or trying to censor your point of view. Just trying to keep it family friendly.
7. If you have a beef with the way something's moderated, don't get into a flame-war over it. I'm to keep this web site and forums running and in line with the rules here. Everyone's human - I try, but maybe I don't always get it right. Point out your position (that might be a perfect time for a private-message), and if you can't see eye to eye post a message to me (DarthNuno) to see if I can help resolve the issue. If there's a final decision you don't like, it's my decision and is not up for public debate. If you have a problem with the choice made, PM or email me. If you create a thread to question or insult this choice, you may face further moderation. Please bear in mind that this is my web site and a virtual extension of my home. I'll respect your opinion even if I don't agree with it, but ultimately I do need to ask that you respect the rules as laid out here even if you don't agree with them. I don't think they're particularly unreasonable.
8. Because this website/board covers severals & various subjects (Dragon's Lair universe, Arcade Lifestyle, Electronic Handheld games, Galaxian Theater stuff...), you maybe won't give interest to some of them. For those you don't really care : "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". For example I give no interest to stamps collection, and so I don't feel the need to express myself on that subject, especially if it's negative or totally useless...
9. Arcade Life Style? What the hell? I presume we all have our own definition about 'ALS' ...it could be means -in short- : " Love of the arcade games we first meet long time ago and what we are still doing now to keep these games, and the 'arcade gaming spirit/attitude' alive. So you'll find everything about games restoration, scratch build replica, emulation, renovation tips & tricks, software/hardware advises, collection, road trip, personal 'arcade related' memories, gaming experiences and other arcade life style stories.
10. No useless 'emulator setup' vs 'dedicated' war here. Both are a part of 'Arcade Life Style'. Both lead to the final stage : enjoy & save games from our past. No need to highlight your point of view of each restoration topics, especially if it's negative! There is a dedicated pros/cons topic for that, where you are free to express your point of view of course.
11. Oh, also - I do not mind the occasional off-topic post. This is an online community as well as a discussion forum after all. In fact, there's a forum dedicated to "everything else" that seems to have morphed into a political think tank destined to either 1) destroy the world, or 2) save it. We're not quite sure which. However, please do bear in mind the intent of the rest of the forum is to discuss DLF/ALS related topics.
12. This board is public, not a private club. The entire world can read you, so please avoid as much as possible too much personal topics like "I'm hungry today" who has a 'limited value' in time on a public board. Please also use explicit subject in your topic. When you open a new topic, try to check if a similar topic already exist in order to use that one. There's no 'numbers of post' contest here, use the 'modify message' function instead to post one message for each sentence.
13. Generally annoying behavior. If you're following all the rules but are still managing through conduct or behavior to annoy a significant portion of the DLF/ALS membership to the point where the forum as a whole suffers, you will first be asked to modify your conduct and then will possibly be banned.
14. I will do what is deemed necessary to keep things cordial and flame-free. This includes dealing with thread-poisoning, flaming, trolling, etc. This is the "catch-all" rule for the inevitable rule-lawyer.
This hobby is a blast - Our community rulez! enjoy the interaction here, contribute what you can, and have fun!
Thanks!
Darth Nuno
