The Tenets of TFXtreme (modified March 2012)

TFXTREME



TFXtreme is a game-themed fan forum for the Transformers mythology created by Hasbro in 1984. This also serves as a secondary forum for the players of Transformers: Battle for the Allspark (BFTA) Online, which was launched in April of 2007.

The forum was created by players Foxy Lady, Delacroix (Lunar) and Horridwing in April of 2008 originally as:
1. A general forum-lounge for the people who have become friends in BFTA.
2. A haven where the players and Transformers fans can write their creative masterpieces, share their art, share their plans or challenges for BFTA, or generally commune with other members.

Presently, TFX is gradually evolving into a TF-themed RP forum and fansite, and is still a haven for old and new players of BFTA. Updates and site revisions are ongoing, so stick around and meet new friends!

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These are the basic rules of engagement while in TFX. Note that these are universal forum guidelines, and would generally apply to almost any other public forum that you would register in.


1. Show respect.

Just because we don't say it is forbidden, does not mean it is welcome here. Show civility while in this site. At least be polite and be respectful to other members. If you have a hard time with this very basic humane act, and would prefer to be rude, inconsiderate, or be a general jerk, you would find yourself in a lot of uncomfortable situations until you get the hint and behave yourself. If you can't behave, you WILL be redirected somewhere else.

These are basic don'ts in TFX with regards to respect:

1.a. FLAMING
A flame is a deliberate and often premeditated personal attack (including insults and threats) directed at a site guest, a member, or a group of members. Peaceful and civilized interactions without arguing or forum-fighting are okay, or having different opinions about a certain matter is also fine.

If it turns into a fight, however, it will be stopped (often in the form of thread-locks), with possible suspension or banning depending on the severity of the matter.

1.b. TROLLING
A forum troll is a person who posts messages (public or private) or threads to bait people to answer, or will post messages with the intent of creating arguments. A troll will often use "Flaming," and will sometimes act as though he is never wrong, and may even consistently twist another's words through quotes or second-hand information.

Darkfather, one of the administrators of this forum (and the author of this thread) is a Dungeons and Dragons player for almost two decades and loves to kill trolls.

Don't be a troll.


2. TFX is a site that we can call PG-13
Though Transformers is a robot-oriented cartoon, violence is one of its key elements.

Here in TFX, violence is okay, but you cannot post content that contains:

2.a. Violence against an individual, group, or organization:
This encompasses real-world racial, social and religious intolerance. Gender discrimination is also included in this set. Do not use any racial, ethnic, or other socially prejudicial epithets/slurs.

TFX is a global community. What is okay in your neighborhood might not sit well with someone else who lives on the other side of the globe. Please act accordingly.


2.b. Extreme graphic violence (RPG Guideline)
As for the level of violence in the RP, remember this is a site for young adults and children as well.

We disdain posts containing situations of real-life torture, extreme graphic violence (mutilation, gore, or even suicide images or themes), and sexual violence in detail. This includes video, audio and imagery. These may be edited out without prior member notification.

In general, the violence level of the RP thread depends heavily on the authors playing in it, but if the theme contains anything mentioned above, the staff would notify the writers concerned to rephrase it or tone it down, before any form of moderation or editing would be put in motion.

Appropriateness would be decided by the staff, and actions would be made only after formal deliberation about the matter among other staff members.

2.c. Profanity
Profanity involves, in general, the choice and use of words that are considered offensive (in this case, the decision is made by the staff). We have a light filter in place to replace most such words.

2.d. leet, Internet Shorthand and Foreign language
This is an English forum. Use full words when typing as much as possible, and avoid typing in "Internet/Texting Shorthand" - spell out 'you', 'are', 'too', 'be'. 'for', and so on. We are promoting coherent writing here, as to set an example for the younger members.

leet does not make you smarter than the average member (the word doesn't even deserve to be capitalized). The same filter that removes profanity will also remove some of the most common leet formations.

If you post something in a foreign language and someone asks you to translate, please do so. It's a good way to learn a secondary language passively, and you could help play a part in enriching the language range of other members in this site.


Note: If you cleverly find a way around the filter, or find an un-filtered word, we will probably edit it from your post or add it to the filter list. If you don't want your post edited, don't swear or avoid typing in leet.

Typos are unavoidable and that is okay. No one's perfect. We do not promote Grammar Nazi behavior, however.

2.e. Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia
Portraying drug addiction or fantasy substances in-game is okay. Talking about drug legislation is also okay. Talking about your own illegal drug use, however, is not. Encouraging others to try drugs is not okay too. Selling drugs using our site will result in an IP ban and/or a corresponding report to local authorities in your area.

2.f. Adult content (Inside or outside the RPG)
You can't have posts that insinuate online sex on the entire site, even in the RP. You can't use language you'd find in online smut.

As a rule of thumb, if your post contains words like 'throbbing,' 'heaving,' 'pulsing,' or 'thrusting,' it's probably over the top.

You cannot link to adult sites or post naughty pictures, or links to naughty pictures.

Violations of this provision may result to account suspensions and/or bans.



3. No spamming
Spam is one or more messages posted by the same person within a small time frame that have substantially identical content. It also comes in the form of shameless advertising (to be explained in detail below).

Though double-posting is sometimes unavoidable due to individual lag or other technical reasons (thus, is forgivable at times), asking the same question in several places, "bumping" threads (posting solely to push the thread to the top of the forum again --- particularly after a question) and similar actions makes a "Spammer.."

If you want an immediate answer, find a chat site.

3.a. Advertising (Personal/Corporate)
This is not Amazon or E-Bay. Please refrain from posting messages with the primary intent to promote or advertise for any website, forum, business, activity, or any other entity other than from those approved by the TFX staff.

Personal or affiliate links have no place at TFX (such as other forums, e-mail addresses and social networking profile IDs), as are personal identification data. Such links can be modified or deleted without notice. This is done for the safety of the members against identity theft, phishing and other online atrocities.

3.b. Information fishing
If a member is creeping you out by asking you a lot of personal info, asking money from you in PM, or is stalking you through social networking sites (like Myspace, Facebook, Friendster, etc.) or other forums you've been on, don't hesitate to report it to the staff for appropriate action. We don't take action on single, isolated incidents, but we will not hesitate to ban and report serial offenders.

4. Copyright issues
Do not post links to: Illegal software downloads, warez, illegal copies of books (in pdf or in kind), significant portions of text that are considered copyrighted, or anything that is copyrighted published material. This includes still images, videos and audio.

If you are using an online copyrighted material (for example, those images covered by the Creative Commons, which is common in images in Deviantart), please notify the true owner before posting, and upon consent (if he/she agrees), it is encouraged that you provide a link for them that routes to the page where you used it, and a link that routes back to them from here, so that other members can appreciate their handiwork.


4. Profile issues
4.a. Signatures.
Sigs can come in form of text, images, and bbcode.

4.a.1. Allowed bbcode
Bold; italic; underline; color; size; font; highlight; left; right; center; indent; url; thread; post.

4.a.2. Images /.gif
The rules for image sigs can be found here .

Please follow accordingly. The staff have the right to rearrange or modify signatures that do not comply with the recommended size.

Note: If you will be posting in the RPG boards, kindly uncheck the 'Attach signature' option before you press 'Send' as not to slow down page loading, as RPG threads will most likely contain a lot of replies.

4.a.3. Text sigs
The text in the signature must abide by all of the rules above and be non-offensive. An exception is that you may post links to your own site(s) or favorite site(s). Do not add promotional content, however. Links with an affiliate id are still not allowed. Free advertising for corporate/business engagements other than Transformers is still not allowed. Ensure that the links are safe for any member to go to, that they are not direct downloads, etc.

4.b. Avatar
The avatar must be within the image size and file size specs indicated in the sig rules section. Also, the avatar must not contain any questionable material, often in adult or graphic themes.

4.c. Forum absence note
If you are engaged in an RPG and will be away for a prolonged period of time, please notify the staff so that we can put a note on your Avy that you will be away for this particular time frame (and so that your writing friends and other members will be aware).


5. Hacking/Password Cracking
Account hacking / Password cracking or guessing is a major offense in TFX and confirmed offenders will be IP banned and reported to the appropriate authorities.

5.1. Identity Theft
We don't take kindly to account posers. If you have played in BFTA and have used several accounts, it is best that you indicate the names that you were known there beforehand. Remember, this is NOT the official BFTA game forum. There is a space for that here; however, we do not need game drama in the entire forum. If you wish to be known under a different name and act it out, please, take it to the RPG section.

5.1.a. Dual accounts
There are members with multiple accounts in TFX. We are thus allowing a maximum of two, for purposes of RPG only. Any other extra accounts will be deleted upon notification with the member concerned.

There is a restriction to this provision, however. If in any event TFX finds out that a member is using another username to cause discord or trouble in this site, we will ban all of his/her existing accounts.

We reiterate, posing as another real person is a big no-no here.


6. TFX is not a site for psychiatric help.
If you have a lot of issues with your personal life that you continue to spill it into this forum by making trouble, you may also be asked to leave.



7. Banning Regulations

As of now, February 17, 2010 all past bans are repudiated. Bans currently in progress will be served to the end of their term and be tallied as the first ban within these regulations.

7.1 Warnings
-Any administrator or moderator can issue a warning to a member if that member is violating one of the Tenets of TFXtreme.
-Any warnings issued by an administrator or moderator that ARE NOT backed by The Tenets will result in a warning to the Admin/Mod for a misuse of special powers.
-If any Mod or Admin becomes personally involved in a conflict, they may not use special powers in the conflict or will be subject to a warning for misuse of special powers.

7.2 Bannings
-Each member of the forum (including Admins/Mods) has a limit of 3 warning before they are banned from the forum. The extent of the ban is the following:

1st Ban: 24 hour ban
2nd Ban: 7 day ban
3rd Ban: 30 day ban
4th Ban: Permanent Ban

-If a member is banned by an Admin or Mod that has been personally conflicted by the conflict, then the member shall be unbanned and the ban will be void in this tracking system.

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Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER
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TFX reserves the right to change or amend the rules at any time, and without notice. Anything that is not covered in the Tenets is subject to staff deliberation and arbitrary action. All administrator decisions are final, regardless of your personal interpretation of the aforementioned rules.

The views of other members, RPG game masters or Forum moderators do not necessarily represent the views of the Administrators.

By browsing this site you agree that the poster is the only person responsible for the content that they post, and to be responsible for your own posts and works. All postings and messages here are fully logged, with IP addresses, and you understand that authorities may be contacted if the situation warrants it.

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TFX is a community forum. We cannot immediately control all possible violations that may occur. If there is an issue, you may review the above mentioned site and contact a member of the staff to take appropriate action. All trademarks, copyrights, and other such marks and rights belong to their respective owners.

TFX does not maintain any contract with its members and readers (you). TFX cannot make any guarantees of the quality or accuracy of any information that may be found on this site. This site delves a great deal into Transformers fiction and other fantasy themes, and should not be taken as any indicator of reality.

If you need advice about a situation (legal, medical, etc), you should seek professional assistance.

I'm going to reinforce this rule.