Without further ado, let's go to the previously-unspoken Forum "Camaraderie" Rules!
Spacing because I made the image too cropped
![Image](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Fxda8otmXQ/VsoFcUtCtyI/AAAAAAAAGHg/aB5pSML3ZM8/s1600/Etiquette.png)
► NAVIGATION ◄
SPACE ► Introduction
SPACE ► Forum rules
SPACE ► Creating a post or thread
SPACE EXTRA • Title
SPACE EXTRA • Post
SPACE EXTRA • Reply
SPACE EXTRA • Content
SPACE EXTRA • Requesting things
SPACE EXTRA • Trolls and spambots
SPACE ► Sharing and/or updating content
SPACE EXTRA • Double posting
SPACE EXTRA • Spam
SPACE EXTRA • Bumping
SPACE EXTRA • Re-posting
SPACE ► Small advice
SPACE EXTRA • Posting in English
SPACE EXTRA • Don't take anything too seriously
SPACE EXTRA • Constructive criticism
SPACE EXTRA • State your opinion
SPACE ► Conclusion
SPACE ► Useful links
♦ Introduction ♦
SPACEWelcome, lady and/or gentleman, to Stabyourself.net! If you're here, that means usually one of two things: you either found out about Mari0 and decided to stop by to chat and/or share your creation, or you already knew someone from this community and decided to join. Either way, we love new members, as they often bring more ideas and perspectives into our projects and discussions.
SPACEHowever, more often than not, new members, due to eager desire to engage or misinformation, will often either break the rules or just be annoying (usually unintentionally). In order to avoid that, here's a simple, yet precious list of things you should and shouldn't do in order to become a more "accepted" member. Keep in mind that, besides the forum's rules, none of these tips are ban-worthy, but it will get everyone mad at you if you don't follow :)
♦ Forum rules ♦
SPACEForum rules are here for a purpose: make this a better place to interact with people. If you haven't already, please DO READ THE RULES. This is a serious topic, and people take the rules very seriously. Not following the rules could result in a temporary ban and, in extreme cases, a permanent ban. If you just joined, the last thing you'll want to happen is having yourself being kicked out, right? Fear not, as the rules are very simple and easy to understand, and are there just so that people that are here to cause problems get taken care of. I'll cover some of the rules in more detail along this post, so don't worry. Read it? Good, let's move on!
♦ Creating a post or thread ♦
SPACENow that you're aware of the rules, you must be very excited to make a thread about your new project, right? But hold on, posting a thread can also lead to unintentional grudge and annoyance if not done properly. While the forum members are usually very friendly, you have to agree that everyone is human and can get mad if something is bothering, right?
SPACE"So what should I do with my thread?", I hear you ask. Good question! The very basic first "rule" is about formatting. While we won't require you to make it as fancy as this very thread, we also don't want something like this.
SPACE• Title: Make your title matter. "mY fist mappackEVER!!! :D" is a TERRIBLE title. Make sure your title describes what you're posting in a meaningful way, and please make sure you use proper grammar/capitalization. If you're posting a mappack about GLaDOS kidnapping Peach and making Mario run through Aperture+Mario world, why not make it somehow noticeable in the title? "Rescue Peach from Science" is a good-enough title. Not exactly creative, but still better. On the topic of mappacks, make sure you put the version of Mari0 you're using in the title. Are you making a mappack for vanilla Mari0 (the one you download directly from stabyourself.net)? Then make the title "[1.6] Rescue Peach from Science". Are you using Mari0 SE beta? Then put the version of SE you're using, like "[SE 9] Rescue Peach from Science". Using a mod? Put the mod name too, like "[Alesan's Entities] Rescue Peach from Science". Noticed the pattern? Oh, and one last thing: if it's still a work-in-progress mappack, it is advised that you put "WIP" at the end of your title. "[Alesan's Entities] Rescue Peach from Science (WIP)" is a very good title, ESPECIALLY for your first thread. And trust me, if you make your title polished enough, people will already look at your project with better eyes.
SPACE• Post: If you're making your first thread, you need to be as clear and objective as possible. If you followed my advice up to the title part, this is a great start! There aren't many rules to making a post, other than "don't make it look terrible". If something doesn't need formatting (colors, font size, bold, etc.), then don't use it. A post will look much better if it's plain than if it's all colorful. Here's a good example from Jorichi: Goomba Industries [SE]. You may notice that it doesn't have a download for it (at the time of this posting, at least). Still, he managed to make the post look good without exaggerating on the formatting. He addressed "questions" by making them in a single line in bold. The replies are plain, but spaced apart from other questions, so that it's easier to read. A header for your thread is not necessary, but it's always a nice touch. And most importantly: if you're making a mappack, post screenshots! If you make a post without screenshots and without download, then what is the point of it? And if you do have a download ready, how will you convince people to download it if they can't see it? MrCytosine has the perfect post to help you with it: Setting up your mappack thread properly THE FIRST TIME. On a side note, be aware of when to post a mappack or not. Lots of new users fall flat when posting their new mappack because they are still in very early development. If you think you're gonna finish a mappack in a relatively short time, then finish it before posting, as people will often forget about it if you posted it too early and now you finally finished. But in case your mappack is going to take a long time and you're eager to post it already, having a demo ready is a great way to maintain people's attention while also encouraging feedback. A one-world demo is usually a great way to start. Less than that will make people uninterested, especially when the big release comes.
SPACEHowever, if you're not posting a mappack, a mod, a bug report or a significant question, or if you're not starting a new discussion (or just making a small statement about something), it is usually advised that you post in the Forum's Chat Room. It's an easy place to engage with people, know each other and discuss topics that would be unnecessary when making an entire new thread dedicated to it.
SPACELast, but definitely not least, make sure your thread is in the correct subforum. Are you posting a mappack? Then post it on the Mapping subforum. Is it a mod? Modding subforum. Is it a new discussion thread about a specific theme or topic? Twatter is the way to go. I think you get what I mean at the moment.
SPACE• Reply: If you're not making a new thread to show your content or start a new major discussion, then rules change a bit. Formatting doesn't need to be that much fancy, as you're not trying to grab people's attention anymore. Instead, use little to no formatting at all. I know plain text looks ugly, but it's even uglier when everyone else does it, except for you. If you're posting an image to reply, make sure it's small. If the image is too big, use [thumb][/thumb] instead of [img][/img], as the former resizes your image while linking to the original-sized one. This is great in threads like the Art Thread or Post your Desktop. However, if you feel like you should show your image in full size, or if you're posting several images, then it is advised that you use [collapse=TITLE][/collapse] tags. They allow you to change its title to explain what's inside it, while also keeping your post size considerably smaller. It is also used if your post is too large in terms of texts. It's not mandatory, but it's a nice way to avoid cluster in a thread. Collapsing a large text is often used in discussion-heavy threads, like Chat Room or Unpopular Opinions.
SPACE• Content: Posting etiquette was already addressed, but how about user etiquette? I mean, what's the point of having your posts formatted in a very nice manner when all you're doing is spam swear words or unrelated stuff? Please make sure that whatever you're posting makes sense in the context of the discussion. If a thread is about a bug report, then you shouldn't reply with your mappack. In Chat Room, topics change often, but avoid changing topic when it's unnecessary. Engaging in already-existing topics of discussion is a really, really good way to engage with users, state your opinion and probably make new friends. We're nice people, we like listening to others! On the topic of swear words, we don't filter them. You ARE allowed to use them as much as you ARE subject to seeing them. If you're easily offended, then avoid discussion-heavy threads. HOWEVER, just because you are ALLOWED to use swear words, doesn't mean you have to be a dick to everyone. It's quite the opposite. The more swearing you do, the more people will treat you like a 7 years old who should be as far away from a computer as possible. The occasional swear word is only okay because it expresses your true feelings, like how I feel like this very post is getting fucking gigantic...
SPACEAnother thing you should avoid at all costs is low-content posts. I'm not talking about making small posts this time, it got addressed already. I'm talking about dumb posts, posts nobody cares, of annoying things or childish even. Some examples are making Forum Games that are 3-words long per post, or memes, or bad editing of someone's avatar, or more memes, or calling someone "hahah gay" every now and then, or making meme contest. Nobody likes any of this.
SPACEAnd last, but definitely not least: if you're a dick, we'll screw you up. What I mean by that is that having a different opinion from someone else is great, but arguing over stupid topics, or yelling at someone for not doing something the way you want, or ridiculing someone for being a minority (sexual orientation/ethnicity/religion/age/gender/nationality prejudice, to name a few), or saying that something someone did is crap or that calling someone an idiot (except for Idiot9.0) is seen as the most stupid thing someone can be. Do yourself a favor and never post again if you're aiming to that sort of content. Just BE POLITE, okay? Good.
SPACE• Requesting Things (by QwertymanO07): Yes, technically you can, but don't be shocked if no one does it. Most people already have their own projects to deal with, so they just don't have time for yours too. I, as an example, am currently making Qwertylevels and finishing up Zero Blocks, in addition to making a VVVVVV level and a Garry's Mod map. Another reason people may not want to do your request is that it's simply much more difficult or just less fun than you think it will be. It's easy to say "Can someone remake enemies from my favorite game?", but actually doing that is much, much harder. Finally, people just like it better if you do it yourself; we currently have a wealth of ideas but not much content.
SPACE• Trolls and Spambots: Although it is usually rare, you may find yourself in a thread where someone is being a troll. For example, if someone drops by in the chat room and starts calling out people for being gay. If you see someone being aggressive for no reason, or spamming swear words, or just being a dick without motivation, please, do NOT reply. This is what people call "don't feed the trolls". These people post these things because they want to get attention in the worst, most childish way possible, which is by making a scene. If you see this happening, or someone breaking the rules in general, do yourself and everyone a favor and use the "Report" button. It's located in the top-right corner of any post, shown in red in this image. The same applies to spambots, that is, accounts made with the sole purpose of advertising a product or service. Stabyourself.net is an independent website, so advertising is strictly prohibited in here (ever noticed how there isn't a single ad in the whole website?). If you see that, report immediatelly. Never reply, never interact with, never even acknowledge the existence of said people, bot or troll post.
♦ Sharing and/or updating content ♦
SPACEWe've covered posting etiquette already, right? How about we address the fact that you want to share your things? Yes, even sharing things can be a problem if you're not doing it in a decent way. Sounds like too many "rules"? Well, most users just stick with common sense, which should be easy enough. But some users seem to either lack it or ignore it, especially when just starting in this community. So let's delve into basic common sense, starting off with spam.
SPACE• Double Posting: What is and what isn't considered spam? Glad you asked! Spam is whenever a user makes more posts than he should, either by posting too many things too often or by posting the same thing several times. Let's see both cases in depth. The first is what people call "double-posting". You've probably seen this post being thrown around, but most users don't bother explaining. So that's why they needed me to do so, so I can do it only once and then they redirect you to here if they find any issue. Enough of going in circles: double-posting is when you make unnecessary successive posts on the same thread within a short time window. For example: you've replied someone on your mappack thread when they reported a bug, thanking them for said report. 15 minutes later, you post again saying you fixed that bug. Then, 5 minutes later, you post saying that you've updated the mappack with said bugfix. You've just made 3 posts in a row when you could have easily done a single one. How? Simple: use the edit button! Where is it? At the top-right corner of your post, as seen in this image. If your last post in a thread was, for example, more than 24 hours ago, then it's usually okay to post again right after the first one, if what you're posting now is significantly different from the previous post, or adds something new about it. This is called "bumping", and we'll see what it is shortly.
SPACEBut now we have to cover the second type of spam (you thought I forgot about it, didn't ya?). It's the "actual" spam. Let's suppose you just finished a really cool mappack and is eager to have people play it. You've followed the forum etiquette and posted your thread. This should be as far as you go. As much as you'd like to share it around even more to make sure that people try it, most users check new posts regularly. It is usually pretty annoying when an user shares the same thing in several different places. For example, let's go back to our fictional "[Alesan's Entities]Rescue Peach from Science (WIP)" mappack. If you've posted it in the Mapping subforum, congratulations! It's a great start! However, just because it was made in Alesan's Entities, doesn't mean you should go to the Alesan's Entities mod's thread and say "Hey, I made a mappack using your mod! Check it out!", or go to the Chat Room and post "Hey guys, can you check my new mappack? It's called Rescue Peach from Science!", or go to the Mappacks Guide and Rating thread and post "Hey, can you include my Rescue Peach from Science mappack? I rate it 10/10". Sounds annoying, right? That's because it is! If your mappack is good and looks polished, and if you've been careful enough to follow these etiquette tips, then people will try your mappack out. And, although I've used the mappack example, this applies to anything you make: post it once. In the post that started this thread, I mentioned a situation where posting twice could be acceptable, but these are very rare cases. For example: you've made a great drawing and used it as your new avatar. Since it's significant enough to the Art Thread and to the Avatar Thread, then you can post in both of them, as long as it's not the exact same post copied.
SPACE• Bumping: Bumping is the act of posting on a thread in which the last post (the one before your own) was made months or even years ago. Bumping is also the act of posting twice in the same post when there's a significant interval between your posts (as stated earlier). Since the latter has been covered already, let's see what the former is about. Whenever you see a thread where you want to post, make sure you check the date in which the last post was made. If it exceeds 2 or 3 months, it's usually a bad idea to post, since these threads are considered "dead". That means it didn't have enough content to keep a discussion going. If that's the case, as in most threads, then it's better off if you leave it. When you post in a two-years old mappack thread just to say it's "nice", you're causing an issue to the forums, as more relevant, active threads get mixed with dead, unimportant ones. Bumping is like "raising the dead from their tombs", but it's not the end of the world (yet). There are some cases in which a "bump" is acceptable. For example: if you saw a really old mappack and decided to update it to the latest version of Mari0, or fixed some bugs in an old mod, you have all the rights to post in that thread regardless of how old it is. It's okay in these cases since you're bringing something new to the table, making something more than the thread did. Another example: if you found a file from a project that is dead and whose links have all expired, you can post in that thread to provide a new download to it. It's also a nice way to keep the archives of the forums always relevant, and I did this myself a couple times. Bumping a thread to ask for a link in case it expired is also okay. Some users don't like it and may complain about you bumping, but it's still relevant as someone might still have that project lying around in their computer and help you.
SPACE• Re-posting: If you're making a thread to report an issue, be it with a game or a question in general, remember: this is a big forum with hundreds of users, and it exists for years. If you have a pretty generic question or bug report, chances are someone else already asked or reported the same thing in the past. Before you make this kind of post, make sure to use the forums' search tools to scan through this website and find what you're looking for. Most of the times, other users already found solutions or answers to what you were about to post, so by using the search tools you're not only saving yourself the trouble of explaining your problem and waiting for solutions, but also saving everyone else the effort of helping a user with a problem that was solved before.
♦ Small advice ♦
SPACE• Posting in English: Don't be shy to post if your first language isn't English. Mine isn't either, but I've come a long way since my very first post. You may state in your post that your first language isn't English, but if you're having difficulty explaining something in English, make a small [collapse=TITLE][/collapse] or [spoiler][/spoiler] tag and say what you want to say in your first language. Most users in this community are NOT from the United States (or any other English-only country), so I'm sure you'll find someone from your country to help you. For example, I'm Brazilian, so if you post in Brazilian Portuguese (inside collapse tags, of course), I'll more than happily help you.
SPACE• Don't take anything too seriously: Most users in this community are very sarcastic. So sometimes, they might reply to you in a playful or sarcastic way. Don't take it seriously or personally. People here aren't mean or pricks for fun. We just like playing around to soften the mood. Just play along, be a joker too!
SPACE• Constructive criticism: If you've made something and someone replied saying it isn't good, don't act like they hate it. It's just that we've gotten used to criticism, more specifically constructive criticism. Often people will reply stating what you did wrong or what you could have done better. Listen to them! These users are just pointing out flaws because they want you to improve! Take their advice and make better things. And on the same note, you should always post constructive criticism. If you've played a mappack, for example, and you think it's terrible, the worst thing you can do is post that it's terrible. You're not helping anyone. Instead, how about telling the person WHAT is bad about their mappack? Are they spamming enemies? Are they using poor graphics? Is their thread lacking any context, screenshot, etc? Address it! Tell them what's wrong and how to fix it! If they're mature enough, they'll get the message and work harder to deliver better. But don't forget to point out what they did well! Everyone deserves a compliment sometimes! Just make sure to be sincere without being rude. Tell them exactly what you think without being offensive about it. People here love criticism, that's how we get better!
SPACE• State your opinion: Don't be afraid of telling others what you think! If you feel like you have an "unpopular" opinion, or if you disagree with people on a certain topic, let your voice be heard! Tell them what your opinion is, what your perspective of that subject is, and why you think they might be right or wrong. The best discussions arrive from the most controversial opinions! Everyone here is mature enough to understand and respect people's choices and opinions, and you should be as well!
♦ Conclusion ♦
SPACEWell, I can't think of anything else to add to this, and I didn't expect this to get this big. But if you've made it through this entire post: congratulations and thank you! If you have anything, anything to say about this post, please do. Did I say something wrong? Did you find a gremer mistaek? Do you disagree with something I said? Let me know, and I'll promptly update this post! And if you find someone in need of etiquette advice, don't be a dick. Instead of pointing out the obvious or being rude, link them to the individual topic they should improve on! After all, that's the reason why I spent so many hours writing this.
SPACEMany thanks to OrbitalBP for helping me find topics to address and making that amazing jimmy7268 banner, as well as Renhoek for encouraging me to write this wall of text!
SPACERequesting Things topic by QwertymanO07, as well as in-depth advice about releasing demos and when to post a mappack. Thank you!
♦ Useful links ♦
• Forum Rules
• A Guide To Working With Mari0 -Qcode
• Mari0's current release: 1.6 -Sašo
• Having problems with Mari0? Check here first -Sašo
• Setting up your mappack thread properly THE FIRST TIME -MrCytosine
• Mari0 SE level converter -Sašo
• SE bugfixes -HugoBDesigner
• Mari0 1.6 for LÖVE 0.9.0 -Automatik
• Mari0:SE version thread -HowToEatGirafes
• Mari0 1.6 Better Editor v1.4 -pbalazs
• Mappacks Guide and Rating -HugoBDesigner
• Mods Guide and Rating -HugoBDesigner
• Chat Room -Sašo
• Technical Support -Sašo
• How to not make terrible threads and stay not banned -Sašo
• Forum Games