It’s just a great place to casually discuss the wonderful fifth game in the ES series.
The rules. Every forum has them. Yes, they look long, but yes, we would like you to read everything. Not all of the following are rules - some of the points below offer help, guidance or other information that could save you valuable time. So please read, take in, and refer to these on a regular basis - they will save you time asking questions, I promise you. Oh, and don't feel patronised if some of the points seem basic - we're not all internet whizzkids. Without further ado:
- You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned and your service provider being informed. The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that the webmaster, administrator and moderators of this forum have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic or post at any time should they see fit.
- As a user you agree to any information you enter being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised.
- While the administrators and moderators of this forum will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore you acknowledge that all posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster (except for posts by these people) and hence will not be held liable.
- This forum system uses cookies to store information on your local computer. These cookies do not contain any of your personal information; they serve only to improve your viewing pleasure. The e-mail address is used only for confirming your registration details and password and for sending new passwords should you forget your current one.
Your profile can be modified via User Control Panel -> Profile. The UCP is accessible from the link at the top of every page.
Avatars must be no larger than 135x135px and no more than 29.4Kb in size.
Signatures should be kept no longer than the information box on the left of your posts. There is a 255 character limit. Users that wish to use longer signatures can use the 'hide' function to compact their signature.
Code:
[hide]Big long spoiler goes here![/hide]
User Groups
By default, every new user is placed in the 'Registered Users' group. Users in this group cannot send PMs, have an avatar, or post links. This is to lower the impact of spambots.
After 7 days and 10 posts, new members will be moved to the 'Confirmed Users' group. Users in this group have all normal conditions, and can have an avatar, post links, and send PMs.
Please note: You can submit a request to join the Confirmed Users group early, but this will throw off the automatic transition. If you'd like to request this, please do so in your Welcomes & Goodbyes post.
Other Rules & Info
Duplicate accounts are not allowed. Any duplicate accounts will be banned, and your main account will most likely receive a Strike.
If you forget your account details, and the recovery options are not working, you may of course create a new account!
Using proxies exclusively is strictly prohibited. We understand many people feel the need for complete anonymity. Unfortunately the benefits are outweighed by the detriments in this case. If you register a user account via proxy or post exclusively using proxies, your account will be banned.
Usernames, avatars and signatures must all conform to the content rules. If they do not, they stand a chance of being deleted or changed by the moderators.
These rules are here to help the UESP forums be a happy, sensible place for all users, no matter how frequently they post or how long they stay. As such it should be noted that these rules are guidelines and are not absolute. Please be aware that the forum staff, in the form of the moderator team, may at times approach you about your posting of content. This is in the interest of maintaining the upkeep of the community on the forums. Moderators act within their best judgement, including fending off a potential situation to prevent discomfort among the membership.
Therefore, you are expected to use your best judgement at all times. This includes not posting content that is questionable. If you wouldn't show it or say it to your grandmother, don't show it or say it on UESP. (It's probably not as funny as you think it is, anyway.)
The moderator team is only human and tries their best. They act in the best interest of the entirety of the forum. If you feel you have been wronged or there is a miscommunication, please feel free to let any number of the moderators know. We are reachable by e-mail, PM, and various other methods across the web. Don't be shy!
Content Rules
Watch your language - We do have an optional censor in place (it’s a setting in the User Control Panel), so it’s up to individual users to decide if they want to see swearwords, or to see them censored. This means that it is completely unacceptable to circumvent the censor in any way – there is never a need for it. In addition, even though some mild swearing is acceptable, just keep it decent. Swearing too much, too often is not acceptable.
No Sexually Explicit Material - This means no links to, or pictures/videos/text in your profile about suggestive material or containing blatant innuendos. Protect the innocence of the young, please.
No Flaming - Do not post with the intent to start, or continue, an argument, or to attack another member or their work. This includes instigating Console/OS wars, comments about religion, race or orientation, insulting spelling and grammar or any other personal jabs at other members.
On Advertising - You may share your personal blog, art account, fan fiction site, or Let's Play series in our advertising thread, but nowhere else on the site. If you fail to post in this thread, your post will be locked and archived so no one can see it. Use the thread.
No Spoilers - Don't ruin another's enjoyment of a game by giving away the ending. Use the [spoiler] BBCode tags to hide information that may be considered as spoilers.
No Large Images - Images are not allowed in regular posts unless they are no larger than a standard signature image. If they are bigger than this, link to the image instead with the [url] tag, or else use the
Hidden:
tags to simplify reading the threads.
No Piracy - Discussion of, links to, or instructions about piracy are completely and totally illegal. Posting about piracy will get you a Strike, or banned.
Disputes - If there's an argument or debate going on in a thread, keep it there. The forums are much more friendly when they're relatively drama-free, so spreading it through the rest of the site - whether through offhand comments, signatures, or just plain discussion about it - will be subject to moderation.
Posting Tips
Topic Titles - Use a descriptive topic title that gives a quick outline of your question or discussion topic. 'HELP!' or 'What do I do?' are examples of bad titles. Instead, state the name of the quest you're stuck on or technical problem you're having. You'll get more responses, I guarantee it.
Grammar and Spelling - It's not really a rule, but please try and use your best English. This is an English-language forum, and we are fully understanding of those for whom English is not their first language, but there's no excuse for abbreviations or txt spk lol. Where there are spelling or typing errors in topic titles, moderators may edit the titles to correct these.
Formatting - Please try not to use obnoxious colours or font sizes. It will distract from the point of your posts and is just generally hard on the eyes.
RTFT - Read The Full Topic. You'll look like an idiot if you post something that's already been said. If you want to expand on a previous post, quote the section of interest so that you don't look like you're just blindly posting.
Links - Tell people what you're linking to. We all have a right to be suspicious of unmarked links. If you're lying about your links, expect them to be removed and a Strike to be issued.
Searching - First, search the UESP Wiki. Then, use the forum search function. If you can't find an answer to your question, only then should you post. This helps prevent...
Necro-Posting - The big no-no. The cut-off date for posting in topics is three months from the date of the latest post. If it's a discussion topic, then as long as your new post reignites the discussion, it's fine. If it doesn't, we'll probably delete it. If it's a question, then chances are that after three months the person has had their question answered. If you have the same question, then post it in the old thread rather than making a new one. If in doubt, ask.
Double Posting - Double posting is a term we use to mean posting right after yourself. Double posting is allowed as long as a day has passed between your posts. If you need to say something else immediately, simply delete your own post (you can do that if no one has posted after you) and then repost with the addition. Or you could use the Edit button. Double posts will still be checked for content and relevance.
Post flooding – For the love of the Elder Scrolls, don’t go around posting in every thread you come across with a “lol, yeah” or an “I totally agree” or any other unhelpful responses. These contribute nothing to discussions and seldom serve a purpose beyond an attempt to increase post count. These posts will be deleted.
Off-Topic Posts - We have an entire subforum devoted to your insatiable will to discuss absolutely everything. Use that instead of derailing another topic. We'll delete off-topic posts if it becomes too bad.
The Report Button -There's nothing more annoying than someone breaking the rules, we know. But instead of 'back-seat modding' - jumping in and trying to resolve the problem yourself - use the report button to the bottom right of any post. Examples of things you should report include:
Trolling - Someone who posts with the intent of inciting a negative reaction is a troll. This also covers people who feed trolls by responding to them in any way. Don't do this - just report the troll posts and we'll deal with them.
Anything that breaks the content rules - If you see someone breaking any of the content rules listed above, whack the report button. Don't report people for bad spelling or grammar etc. Just because they can't spell properly doesn't make them a troll or a flamer.
Spam - See below for more details on dealing with spam and spambots.
Off-Topic Posts - If you detect a topic is going to be derailed, report it. Don't try to correct it yourself - that will only lead to it going further off-topic. We moderators have the tools to deal with off-topic posts, but anyone else is liable to make the situation worse.
Duplicate/Pointless Topics - If you or someone else has accidentally or otherwise created more than one of the same topic, report it. Similarly, if a topic is posted that is just mindless drivel, tell us and we can judge if it's just racking up pointless post counts or not.
Rules
Forum Rules apply to the IRC Channel in regards to content. It's a bit more relaxed on topics like politics and religion, but only if all present are comfortable with the discussion.
Seperate channels may be created to discuss specific subjects that are not of interest to the entire group. Accusations of abuse in another channel or PM will be taken seriously and could cause the accused to be kicked from the channel.
We ask that you treat one another with respect and not be annoying. If someone asks you to stop doing something, please respect their wishes.
We would prefer you use your forum username as your chat nickname. You are allowed to change it, but if you do you must identify yourself by your forum username if asked to. Failure to do so will result in being kicked from the channel.
The channel does not have a swear filter turned on. We ask that you not abuse this privilege.
Consequences If you break the chat rules there are only a few options for consequences Moderators can use.
Kick - A kick from the channel (unless stated otherwise) acts the same as a Strike would on the forums.
Ban - If you are kicked three times during a single day in the IRC channel your next infraction will result in a ban from chat. Depending on the severity of your insubordination it can be a temporary or permanent ban.
Ban (cont.) - If you are banned from the forum, your ban extends to the IRC channel
Threads about moderators - If you have a problem with what we or the admins have done, tell us privately. There's no point dragging everyone else into your issues.
Threads about other members - Places like the Nexus Forums tell other users who has been banned and why. We don't, because it's depressing, so please don't ask about banned members. We also can't discuss Strikes or Strike levels.
Threads about other threads - Tell us privately if you feel that your thread was unjustly locked or deleted. We're only human, and we make mistakes. But again, you don't need to drag others into it.
Forum Games - In our experience, these spamfests devolve into the kind of mindless posting we dislike here at the UESP. The exceptions of course are Trivia games, the Roleplay subforum, and the Forum Games subforum. Please check in at the roleplay discussion thread before you start creating a roleplay.
When a moderator is posting regarding forum behavior, rule upkeep, or general help, they will post in one of two colors: green for global moderators and admins and pink for tea party moderators. This is to help establish important staff posts from regular posts, since the staff post a majority of the time as regular users. If you see a post in these colors, respect it and do what it says. If you have an objection or believe there is a misconception, please PM a moderator. Do not argue with or ignore moderator posts. To do so is grounds for disciplinary action.
Locking Topics -We can and will lock topics for multiple reasons, such as if:
The thread has descended into a hate thread where members are simply insulting each other for whatever reason.
Things get so offtopic that the question or thread has been completely lost, though depending on the severity we can sometimes split the thread into two topics.
The topic has had a recent necropost that has not restarted the discussion or is not asking for help on the same issue. To keep down clutter, we may move necro'd topics to the archives.
The topic does not fit anywhere in the forums or breaks one of the posting rules
Deleting and Editing Posts -We may do this if:
Your thread is a duplicate of an existing thread. We will merge your thread with the existing topic and send you a PM letting you know.
You are flaming or trolling. There's no excuse for this. Constructive criticism is fine, but if you're being constantly negative in every post you make, we won't tolerate it.
You break any other content rules. Play nice now.
Strikes/Bans
Three Strikes Policy - If you consistently break the rules we may give you a Strike. Your first Strike may be accompanied by a 24 hour ban from the forums if we deem your action egregious. A second Strike within the same year will carry with it a week-long ban from the forums. If you accumulate three Strikes within a year of each other, we will ban you permanently from the forums.
Instant Bans - Some major infractions will cause us to give you an instant timed ban. These can include spam, persistent trolling or flaming, or a really nasty attack against someone else.
PMs can be reported just like a post. If we see that you have been harassing a member via PMs, we will take the same action as if you were posting. Just because they are private does not mean you can break the rules.
Contacting a Moderator -Usually we conduct most of our business via PMs. However, if you want to talk more urgently about something, we moderators do have alternative ways that you can get in touch:
-If you have a general inquiry or troubleshooting problem, and are not sure which moderator to contact or have no preference, please e-mail us at forums @ uesp.net.
Don't do it! - If we see you flooding topics with one-word replies, links or pictures, we'll remove them and warn you. Spam is a serious offence and distracts from topics. There's never any call for it.
What is Spam?
Generally, spam is any material that is considered off topic, a topic of advertising, a shallow reply, or any content submitted to the forum that users would find does not contribute to the topic at hand.
Spambots
Sometimes the forum finds a spambot – a user whose posts serve to mine data or post nonsense and links. Thanks to some registration settings, spambots nowadays are usually rare, but sometimes they come through. Here’s how you can help us spot them!
How to identify a spambot
Username - If a member's username is a collection of random letters and numbers - such as 'ahjr57843' - or is related to a service - such as 'insuranceonline' - then it's most likely a spambot. Tell us in the spambot reporting topic.
Topic Title - If the titles of any threads are similarly nonsensical or related to advertising, it's most likely made by a spambot. Report these topics, and we'll delete them and the spambot.
Their Posts - If they're posting with a lot of links, talking about businesses or their only post is something like 'yeah i agree with these, good topic' then, again, it's probably a spambot. Report their posts; a moderator will investigate as needed.
Don't post in their threads! - Most spambots are 'testing the waters' to see how active a forum is. If you reply to their topics, you're giving it an indication that we're full of ripe suckers who will buy their stuff. Just keep using that report button, and we won't get so many spambot invasions.
Q: I can't send PMs and my avatar won't work. What's going on?
A: You haven't yet been moved to the Confirmed Users group. This takes 10 posts and one week to happen.
Q: It says I cannot post links in my post. Why not?
A: Until you are moved to the Confirmed Users group, you can only post inter-UESP links - meaning any link from the wiki or the forums. External link privileges are given once you are a Confirmed after 10 posts and one week. This is to help limit spam here on the UESP forums!
Q: My post count isn't increasing. What's going on?
A: Posts only count outside of the General subforum. Posts made inside those threads will not add to your post count.
Q: I can't access my account! Can you help me?
A: First try the recovery options. If they are not working, try to contact a moderator with the contact details above. If all else fails, create a new account and explain your situation.
Q: Can I change my username? How do I do this?
You are allowed to change your username, but be advised only once and at the moderators' discretion. We'd like to ask you try to stick with the clever names you used when you first signed up on this site, if possible, but we understand some longstanding members change. If you'd like to be considered for a name change, PM a moderator your request. If approved, you must insert into your signature "Previously know as [prior username here]" for one month, to avoid confusion.
Q: How can I skip to the first unread post in a topic?
A: Click on the little yellow folder icon to the left of the topic name. Alternatively try clicking 'View New Posts' at the top of the screen. If you want to see the latest post made in a topic, click the white folder icon on the far right of the topic name,next to the last poster's username.
The buttons at the top of the reply screen contain most of the code tags you'll need. Click the spoiler button for a quick rundown on all of them:
Hidden:
B - Bold text.
Code:
[b]message[/b]
i - Italics.
Code:
[i]message[/i]
u - Underlined text.
Code:
[u]message[/u]
Quote - quotes another person's message.
Code:
[quote="username"]message[/quote]
Code - allows you to post formatted code.
Code:
[code]message[/code]
List - posts items in a list. * - bullet point within a list.
Code:
[list][*]Bullet point[/list]
Img - allows you to post an image.
Code:
[img]Image URL[/img]
Rimg - not given in the buttons. Automatically resizes an image to 640x480 for the Post Your Character thread.
Code:
[rimg]Image URL[/rimg]
Flash - supposedly only usable by moderators. Can post games, YouTube videos etc.
Font size - changes the size of the text it surrounds.
Code:
[size=number]message[/size]
Align - aligns a part of a post to the left, right or center.
Code:
[align=direction]message[/align]
Area - creates a box around part of a post.
Code:
[area=area title]message[/area]
Center - centers part of a post.
Code:
[center]message[/center]
S - draws a line through part of a post.
Code:
[s]message[/s]
Spoiler - hides the selected part of a post under a spoiler button much like how this list is normally hidden. Used for when revealing content that is not common knowledge.
Code:
[spoiler]message[/spoiler]
Hide - hides the selected part of a post under a button much like how this list is normally hidden. This is for information that isn’t actually spoilers.
Font colour - changes the colour of the text it surrounds.
Code:
[color=#colour code]message[/color]
Q: How does someone become a Moderator?
A: The current Moderators choose a member who is particularly active and helpful to the userbase to become a Tea Party Moderator (TPM) when one is needed. A TPM can later be elevated to the full rank of Moderator.
Q: What's a Tea Party Moderator?
A: Tea Party Mods are undergoing moderator boot camp. They only have permissions to modify the General subforum.
Q: What's the Competition of the Month/CotM?
A: We like to promote healthy competition, so every month we host a little contest. Winning a Competition of the Month results in getting a special purple username and coins as bragging rights for the following month.
Q: What are the ranks I can attain?
A: Click this spoiler for details on the post count ranks and number of septims you can have:
Hidden:
0 Coins - Layman - <10 posts
0.5 coins - Associate - 10 posts
1 coin - Initiate - 25 posts
1.5 coins - Novice - 50 posts
2 coins - Apprentice - 100 posts
2.5 coins - Journeyman - 200 posts
3 coins - Warder - 400 posts
3.5 coins - Guardian - 600 posts
4 coins - Champion - 800 posts
4.5 coins - Master - 1000 posts
5 coins - Grand Master - 1500 posts
Purple coins - CotM Winner
Pink coins - Tea Party Moderator
Green coins - Global Moderator
Red coins - Site Admin
Light blue coins - Wiki Admin
Q: Is there anything I can do to contribute to the UESP?
Yes! If you feel like helping out head on over to the UESP Wiki and make an account to begin work on improving the site’s quality. There are mentors willing to help you and many pages in need of work.
Q: Is there someplace to go where I can just talk to people interested in TES?
If you want to talk to people without discussing a specific topic or are just bored and want to blow off steam, head on over to the UESP Forums official chatroom.
FINAL NOTES FROM YOUR MODERATORS
Musicman247: Everything is permissible...okay, it's not. These are the rules.
Alarra: If you have any questions or need any help, don't hesitate to ask us moderators! That's what we're here for!
BetaB17: Don't be a hero! Just obey the rules, set a good example, and report any violations; that is all we ask for.
MARS: If you think rules are there to be broken, you're a rule in my book. <3
Aarah: Please respect and abide by the rules, even if you don't agree with them. If in doubt, give a mod a shout!
Kerr: Rules are mostly basic courtesy or really minor concessions (no religious debates, no discussing piracy, etc) if I can follow them, you can too.