Forum Rules

[Mr. G]

Insurgency users,

Upon posting on the Insurgency: Sandstorm forums, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions. If you do not agree, kindly do not post. It is extremely important to recognize that we are judged by our words alone when communicating online with others. The words we choose cannot show tone, facial expression, or gestures. When posting, be aware that the words you choose may be meant one way but perceived and interpreted in another. Therefore, it is paramount that your forum posts are written in a respectful tone. In order to help users achieve this, we have established the forum rules listed below.

Do not do any of the following

Flaming

• Flaming is when users insult, bash, threaten, belittle, or show other means of hostility towards members, moderators, or staff. This will likely result in a temp ban.
  

Trolling

• Disrupting the community through flamebaiting (purposefully trying to start an argument), rage posting (“Trash game, I want a refund”), intentionally being unhelpful (“ALT + F4 will fix it”), or being disrespectful to others who have different opinions than you.

Bumping Threads

• Bumping is when users do not receive enough traffic on their post and resort to, “bumping” so that their topic will appear on top of the forum. Another form of bumping is grave digging (also known as necroing) which is when users dig up old and forgotten threads. These will likely trigger a warning on first offense. Repeat offenders may receive harsher restrictions. Review Content Rules down below to learn more about what is considered an old thread.

Spam

• There are a few variations of spam, such as unsolicited advertising, posting multiple threads about the same topic, continually trying to convince others of your concern in multiple threads in order to make yourself heard, posting links randomly without context, and random comments/posts without any thesis.

Piracy Threads

• Discussing piracy (hacks, game exploits, or any other similar topics) will result in a permanent ban.

Abusing the Flag System

• Continually filing reports against others to simply get them in trouble will result in a warn / ban. It is important to report others if rules are violated, but pointless witch hunting is not permitted.

Backseat Moderating

• If you encounter a thread or comment that violates the forum rules, either ignore or report the post and move on; don’t play moderator. Allow the moderator team to do their job.

Arguing with Moderators

• Attempting to openly argue with a moderator will not be tolerated. If you disagree about a moderator’s action (locking, deleting, etc) and resort to opening a thread to attack and flame the mod will not do you any favors; it'll likely result in a locked, deleted thread and further repercussions. If you wish to discuss said actions, approach the moderator with a calm and respectful tone privately, whether it be through Steam or Discord. Moderators are reasonable but sending angry messages will achieve nothing.

Derailing Topics

• The concept of derailing threads is quite simple. Keep all comments relevant to the topic. Off-topic posters will be considered spammers and appropriate measures will be taken.

Continually Posting In the Incorrect Forum

• There are multiple sub-forums within Sandstorm, each are designed with a specific purpose. Please be sure you are posting in the appropriate section.

Ban Evasion

• Creating alternate accounts to avoid a previous ban on another account will result in a permanent ban from Insurgency: Sandstorm and the account(s) will be forwarded to Valve for a Community Ban.

Content Rules

Posts Must Be Constructive

• Every post must be constructive and provide relevant information to the discussion. Criticism and player feedback are encouraged, but they must be constructive. Endless bashing and ranting of the game without proposed solutions is not deemed constructive. Threads and/or comments that are un-constructive will be deleted.

Reporting Cheaters / Hacks

• Forums are not the place to report cheaters or hacks. For users who encounter suspected cheaters, please send a ticket to EAC[www.easy.ac] with evidence and any relevant information possible. Opening a thread to report a cheater/user to the community (Naming and Shaming) is against the rules and threads doing such will result in termination.

Using the Search Function

• Before making a forum post, be sure to utilize the search function. If you discover your topic has already been discussed but the thread is at least 3 months old, you are permitted to start your own thread. However, do not do both (i.e; thread is less than 3 months old and you respond in addition to creating your own thread).

Hot Topics

• All threads must be free of “hot topics” like politics, religion, racism, sexism, and so forth. Topics that often turn into an argument will be locked. However, if the goal of the topic is to discuss said hot topics they will be automatically locked or deleted regardless.

Steam's Global Forum Rules

• Adhere to Steam's Forum Rules

In the event any of the above rules are broken, the offender(s) will - depending on the violation - receive appropriate restrictions. Recurring or extreme violations may result in a ban. Remember, you are judged by your words alone and the moderators are holding you accountable for what you say. By following these rules, you should be able to stay clear from unwanted trouble. Moderators reserve every right to act at their discretion. Community Moderators may escalate punishment if they deem it is appropriate. Forum rules are subject to change without notice. While we will try our best to notify the community, it is your responsibility to stay informed. In addition, this is a private forum owned by a private company, it is a privilege for users to post here, not a right. However, we are all humans and make mistakes. If you truly feel your warning or ban was unwarranted, you may contact the moderator via the warning / ban message or bring it directly to the Head Moderator.


- Captain Price, Head Moderator