Chat Guide: Basics

The following are guidelines that should be followed while chatting in Paradox! The Musical. Violating these guidelines will result in a warning and/or ban and/or disablement from the moderators, depending upon the severity of the infraction. So behave yourselves!

If you are new to the game or simply new to the chat channel and want to be considered an asset to the chat community, the best advice we can give you is to observe. Even though you may want to jump into chat with both feet, you are less likely to step on toes or be considered in violation of channel policy if you first acclimate yourself to the customs in the chat channel. Watch for awhile to get the hang of it before hammering on the keyboard in a stream-of-consciousness fashion.

Be Patient

If you have to repeat yourself, what you had to say in the first place probably wasn't worth much to begin with. Do not demand or expect other players to immediatly help you with your question or problem.

Spamming

Intentional spamming is defined as posting line after line of random characters or obnoxious/obsence words and phrases. Get caught doing this and you will be banned.

Unintentional spamming is, more often than not, committed by players new to the chat channels and is a bit harder to spot... if you are the one doing it. Others, however, will not be so slow to identify unintended spamming. Oftentimes, unintended spamming is created by a player's excitement over something they wish to share with the channel.

A good rule of thumb is to look at the chat and see if your posts are considerably more numerous than everyone elses. If so, do your posts talk about things that others in the channel are most likely interested in? If not... it's probably going to be viewed as spam.

You may or may not realize you are unintentionally spamming the channel. Know that if you DO post line after line of rambling conversation, there will be most likely as many players in the channel as those who will yell at you for being an asshat. If someone warns you that you are spamming, STOP. Failure to do so may cause those in channel to look on you unfavorably.

Scamming

The devleopers of this game will take every precaustion to eliminate mechanics which support scamming. Scammers, however, are ingenious and will find a way to do their dirty deeds. It is ultimately up to you to excercise caution in your dealings with other players.

Any player caught scamming, aiding or abetting a scammer or participating in any event or action that is considered scamming will be banned from the public chat channels.

If anyone attempts to scam you, report it to a mod. Understand, however, that punishing a scammer means the mod MUST know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the player was indeed intending to scam. Be prepared to supply proof. Even then no action may be taken as proof can be faked. In matters that come down to one person's word against another, the chat moderators will not take action.

Spoilers

Do NOT post spoilers in a public chat channel!

It is acceptible to ask game-related questions in open chat but ANSWERS to game-related questions asked in open chat should be sent in private message.

Also, do NOT rely on the knowledge of other chatters to walk you through the game. If you need significant or extensive help, either private message with a player who has agreed to help you in this fashion or, better yet, consult the official Wiki for the game.

Links

Don't post obscene or offensive links. And remember, what YOU consider obscene or offensive is NOT the guideline here. You will not escape a ban or disablement by arguing that your link was perfectly acceptable.

No Begging

Don't beg for items or moolah. Period. (There are many ways to beg for stuff and we known them all. Begging will get you a warning. Continued begging is a bannable offense.)

Do not post links to your personal, for-profit web sites. Begging in real life is no more fun to watch than begging for in-game stuffs. There are many places to advertise your wares on the web. Our chat channels are none of those places.

No Shouting

Don't type in all caps. This is considered shouting to be heard and is unacceptable. You will recieve a warning or ban from the mod for abusing this rule. Using capital letters for emphasis is okay if used sparingly.

Disagreements

If you have a problem with someone in chat, take your disagreement to private messages or contact a moderator (wearing a red shirt), who will probably tell you to resolve it in private message.

Behaviour

If you vaguely suspect that your behaviour is inappropriate, annoying, or just plain stupid, then it probably is and you shouldn't do it.

It's just not possible to create a complete list of what should be avoided in chat because we, as humans, can get pissed off by the oddest things of the widest variety. Here are a few things to think about...

We've all run across a player in chat who's just having a bad day and, at the moment, is rather intolerant of things that would normally not bother them. In this case, both parties bear a responsibility. A player that finds themself getting aggravated by something that they would normally let roll off of their shoulders should ask themselves if it's truly worth raising a fuss over. A player who finds themself bothering someone they did not intend to annoy should be considerate of the other's mood and back off. Offering an apology can't hurt. Either way, communication is the key here, folks.

Also, consider the many ways in which players spend their time while in chat. There are players who don't adventure at all while in chat. Then, there are those who chat while adventuring. Other players may be listening to chat but are busy in the player stores or attempting to get their full allotment of turns played in the limited time available to them. Other players may not even enter chat when online. Be considerate of other players' time. If someone is actively chatting then it's a good bet you're safe in chatting with them. If a player is being quiet/lurking, they may be occupied. Repeated private messages may not be wanted by the player. Try asking them if they're available to chat on a topic before assuming that they are.

Remember, also, that not everyone's definition of socializing is identical. Hugs and smooches are a common sight in chat. But please try to be respectful of those who aren't into that. Teasing and flirting are also not uncommon in chat, but try and recognize the boundaries of others. Flirting can easily be taken too far. Also, please remember that there are many young players which play this game. If you wouldn't say something in front of your little brother or sister... or spouse...

There you go. A few things to think about when in the Paradox public chat system. Have fun and 'be careful out there'.