Answers for Vistors and First Time Users

[jakee308]

I had some problems getting started here. I had never belonged to a BB. Didn't do any Chat. As a result, I had a lot of questions about every aspect of using a BB.
I would like to aid any new users or visitors by setting down some of the questions I had and if I know the answer to that question, I will post the answer also. If I don't know the answer, I'll put the question in this thread with any partial answer I may have.
I invite others to do the same. Be nice, be polite and to the point. Don't scare off the fresh meat first time readers. Most questions will be VERY basic stuff that you learned in kindergarten. Well some of us have lead a deprived existence. (or is that depraved?)

What to do if my registration fails?
(my 1st problem)

You can't private message or email anyone. so what CAN you do?
Go here: Descent BB Policies Here you will find a link to a Board Administrator who can help you.

What do the funny words mean? (like btw, afaik, lol)

These are called chat room acronyms and are useful in reducing the amount of typing that has to be done to communicate. Here is a link to some definitions. Chat Room Acronyms

Rather than add to this and make it way too long, I will post (actually reply) more later.

What's a Post, View?
Answer from Hahnenkam


Don't stop here. Keep on reading the other replies. I'm sure you'll learn something. Maybe even an answer to a question you have.
Also check out the other forums and topics. Here's one I started so I could get some answers ]
If you become a registered member YOU can start a topic of your own.

[KoolBear]

Thank you Jakee,

I appreciate you being willing to do this, I couldn't think of a better person than you, espcially since you are new

KB

[roid]

heh. It's ok jakee it's obvious to all you are new to this, we can help you out. I've watched enough "culture shock" movies to know how to help

Are you also prettymuch new to the entire internet? this could be fun showing you all the cool tricks and neat concepts and programs you'll come across.

My #1 suggestion for anyone new is to "watch and learn". Personally i just read forums without actually participating in them for a while, this is what's called "lurking". Don't be fooled by the traditional negative connotation to this word, there's nothing particularly negative about "lurking" on a forum, and you'll find online that the lingo can be confusing and interesting - things are not always what they seem, and an open mind is a must.

i lurked for a while, simply coz i'm a shy and i tend to do this is ALL social situations. So don't get the impression that lurking is a MUST, your jumping into the deep end shows you have guts (and/or a dopamine imbalance .. just kidding).

ie: Necroposting, while perhaps humourously bringing up mental images of Necrophilia - it just means posting in an old (or some may say "dead") thread. As if you have dug up an old issue that some people now consider "old news" or "beating a dead horse".

don't worry about breaking ettiquite, we all think newbies are cute in their own way , you'll learn the ropes soon enough and i'm sure you'll have fun along the way.


i must also restress my previous advice in the other thread that these websites will be very handy in the learning process:

http://www.google.com
http://www.en.wikipedia.org

most internet users use google CONSTANTLY.

[jakee308]

The internet i'm fairly familiar with. I have the google tool bar in my i.e. v6 browser. Have searched for much of what i've asked about but the searches came back with 1,432,878 results and who can go thru all that? I usually look thru the 1st page, maybe 2nd and then try to rephrase the search.
I have also used the search feature here but same effect = too many hits.
Net Bulletin Boards = never registered on one b4. most stuff looked a little puerile (twenty-five cent word for childish) to me. Descent BB was very intriquing for a lot of reasons. Mostly it seemed there were more "adults" here trying to stick together and interested in an obsession of mine.
(pun intended)

"Three degrees of freedom" the ad said.
Something like that. Freedom, give me more.

orig doom = 2d with special movement
duke nukem 3d = 2.5d just don't let a surface be visible from a surface that passes over it.
quake = crude 3d but still has gravity effects
doom3 = genuine 3d still has gravity effects
wing commander = always jumped around.
Built levels for 1st 2. I was spoiled by duke and doom and didn't like building levels out of slabs.
So never built levels for quake1,2,3/doom3. Played them of course.

DMB was an a** ache to use, but much more immersive levels could be built.

It's only been in the last few years that I could afford the hardware to have a good gaming experience.

if i was a millionaire, i'd buy my way into space.
Just once would be enough. (well not enough but satisfying)

If i can't get there, at least give me a partial simulation. (i once bought ms space game. had real effects of space inertia, mass, microgravity. the gui sucked of course (hey it was ms )

except in the beginning on my i386 33mhz. (god what a turtle. i never got past lvl 7 till i upgraded)
I NEVER play with autoleveling. What's the point?

[KoolBear]

I've changed this to a sticky message, if you are responding to this thread please keep it on track.

This will become a must use tool for new users to the DBB.

KB

[jakee308]

Well enough about me. Back to the subject at hand.

Some assumptions about you in this thread/tutorial:

Able to use;
whatever flavor browser you're using.
(If you can't then RTM or RTFAQ.)
Links and return.
The Board's search engine.

Able to express oneself is a good ability. (It can lead to superior paid positions in the IT Industry.
(Or not.)) At least try. Don't worry too much about typos. (types happen even whn you can touch typo).

At the bottom of every thread/topic is a link to reply on the topic at hand. Click on this and you will go to a page where you may type in your reply.
Your reply will be the last in the list in order of submission.

There are 2 buttons at the bottom.
1st= Submit = submit your reply.
2nd= Preview = Here you can see what your reply will look like after you post it.
Proofread your reply. I have to, cause I've got fat fingers and I can typo a 1 word reply. You should also. (So should others, but we have hopes of their rehabilitation. ) It makes it easier to understand what you're talking about.

Using the Caps Lock or letters/words in caps is ok,if used sparingly to make a point.
Using caps is LIKE SHOUTING AND IS PERCEIVED THAT WAY!!! So unless you are emphasizing something you're saying, DON'T USE THE CAPS LOCK OR CAPITAL LETTERS FOR A LARGE PART OF THE REPLY!!!

See what I mean?

BTW. Any new or old User that has found this thread useful, please reply here and let us know. Ask any question you like.


More later.

[jakee308]

Here we go some more.

What's all the stuff at the top of a post?

At the top of a post will be some tiny little icons above the line.
The first one on the left is a shortcut to that post.
if you have context menus, hover over it and a url will appear. This is the url of that particular post. More about that later. BTW hovering your mouse over an icon will show you a tool tip telling you what it is.
Next is the date. Then a face with a ?. This is the poster's personal profile. Click this and you'll goto a page that has stats and info about the poster.
(or is it postee?)
Next, if you are the postee. there will be an Edit button. You as the postee can edit or delete your post. It is a good idea if you radically change what the post said or you have new info or you were wrong. Put this info after the word "Edit:". This allows people to see what you thought at first and let's them know that when they first read the post that it was different. Typos and wording are ok to fix without using the "Edit:" word.
Next is the quote button. This copies what someone posted and puts it into a reply for you to shorten and show in your reply. It puts a box around their post and highlights who posted and what they posted in the box.
Next is the private message icon. This starts a personal message with the postee from you. Use it when you want to say something private to the postee.

Next up; How to format your post with BBCode.

edit: Thanks to roid for this. (see his post which follows this one)

A Tutorial on How To Use BBCode
A special markup language so that you can change the
type size or color, use labels for your links to make it easier for folks to understand where they're going to go when they click it. Similar to html but some html codes will mess the board's formatting

Please note: If anyone wants to correct anything I've said they should post the correction here or send me a private message explaining where I have erred. If you'd rather not speak to me then tell KoolBear. I will NOT be offended by corrections or critical comments. They are MOST welcome.

[roid]

phpbb/faq.php?mode=bbcode

this link will save you the trouble of typing that out.
(ps: it's accessable on the "post a reply" page.)

[jakee308]

For registered members:

If you change any critical info in your member profile, your account will be put on inactive status and you will not be able to log back in.

Wait for the reactivation email that you will soon receive and you will be provided a link to reactivate your account.

This is done as a security measure, in case someone manages to change your account info without your knowledge. When the email arrives you will know someone has attempted to control your account and you can take steps to correct the problem. If you changed the info then you will be linked to a page that will automatically reactivate your account.