215's Newbie and General Sensible Online Conduct Guide
This section will include some general hints and tips so you can hopefully avoid having to learn everything the hard way online. A lot of what there is to learn, how to act, how NOT to act and so on, can often be learned by just getting told about it by a more experienced online person. Be it for gaming, chatting or whatever, here are some of the tips and advice that we've come up with. And don't be ashamed to find yourself at this particular page. Everyone has at some point been a newbie at something. But know this: some things have to be learnt the hard way and don't always expect the easy way out.
Recent Addition/Change: As I added to this section, I found myself writing about things that weren't aimed for newbies, but mostly the lamers out there. So I added a "General Sensible Conduct" to the name of the section. The reason for this is simply because I feel it's needed. Not that I think it will help and that lamers will actually come in here and go, "Ah, why yes, the Gnug is right, I'm gonna make an effort to make the world a better place." But it's because I feel that this is what I want to say, this is what I think is wrong, and how people should try and be instead.
If you don't like it, well, tough luck, but if you have any sense of... sensibility and morality, you will read it, analyze it, and truly put yourself to judgement to see if you're guilty of any of the things listed/told here. And I mean dig TRULY deep, and whenever in a situation of hostility or opposition online, think about what sensible, right and proper conduct is. Treat others as you would like to be treated, or better. And this doesn't apply to people who like to be treated disrespectfully! ;) There might not be a way to treat people right, but there's surely a million ways to treat someone wrong.
Some general points:
Venturing on-line for the first time. Always keep cool and observant, watch and learn! One thing to keep in mind is that if/when you enter a room, channel, whatever, chances are that the people already there are far more experienced than you at whatever is happening. So a good idea would be to enjoy a little time of observation and learning, and NOT come in there acting as if you own the place.
Always treat others with respect. This is a given, but if you want something from others, then it's all the more valid. If you want or expect someone to grace you with help, advice, training, what be it, then you won't get anywhere by being anything other than nice, courteous, pleasant and respectful.
Nobody likes a lamer. So don't act like one! And if you don't know how one of those acts, you most likely are one yourself. :)
Ok, I will help you a little bit and explain what a lamer is. Lamers spam, flood, act disrespectfully, WRITE IN ALL CAPS and fill out their vocabulary with an abundance of needless profanity and kiddy babble, to name but a few. Another lamer prone thing is to show extremely hostile behaviour, turning to insults and even threats of physical violence. Some actually take it personally on-line.
Don't take things on-line personally. How can you take something personally from someone you don't know and who doesn't know you? Knowing someone personally is a rather fluid and individual thing, but I can assure you that casually meeting someone a couple of times and playing them in an on-line game does NOT mean that you know them personally. I'd say the only people that know me personally on-line are my friends, and they would not turn to petty insults and stupid threats. I guess one has to be careful about whom one picks as ones' friends, which is pretty obvious and ever present.
Being a newbie online isn't always such a bad and obvious thing. As long as sense and maturity prevail, one will usually get a long way and it doesn't have to be a painful learning experience. However, with Total Annihilation (or any other game for that matter), you should always expect that you're low in the food chain if venturing online to play for the first time.
Don't brag about how good you are in a game. The longer a game has been played online, the more collective information and experience has been gained on the game. Many are often shocked by the proper floor-wiping round they get in their initial on-line games. I learned very early (from others mostly, at the cyber café I was at) that one can NOT claim ones' skills to be of much worth until one has played on-line, amidst the elite of the community (of the game in question). So, don't go bragging about your skills at a game when you are on-line for the first few times. It's common to hear things like, "I beat the missions on medium level", or "I kicked two hard AI's in skirmish." To many, this is no feat and they will give you a good sound beating in the game. And afterwards, you may be reminded of your embarassing exclamations. So watch what you're saying, eating ones' own words is never a nice experience. Instead, say as little as possible early on. Especially since many people out there enjoy embarassing people and making them eat their own words.
Bragging, or promising a beating, is utterly pointless. Nobody can be so sure of ones' own skill unless they are either a God or they're cheating. And besides, if two players are arguing about who will kick whose butt, only ONE of them will be right. So, it's a silly argument and the result should be obvious AFTER a game, NOT before. Instead of getting all worked up before the game, how about just taking it nice and easy and treat it for what it is? Namely, a game and FUN (FNU) is the object of it. Keep that in mind!