TWC Wiki:FAQ project/draft

Copied Commodus's draft in here for group play... and an attempt at pasting the other info

This is a guide to your membership, abilities, options and access on the Total War Center. If you are a new user, please review the first sections (particularly the New User FAQ); more experienced users may find this helpful as a reference or review (particularly sections 3 and 4).

For the site's rules please see the Terms of Service, you are expected to follow them at all times on the platform!

For information about where to post, what to enter, and where to find interesting articles please see the The Community Portal.

About Total War Center

For a general overview of the site, please see Total War Center.

Total War Center is one of the largest and oldest communities for the Total War Series on the internet centered around modding, discussion, and cultivating a multi-decade community with users across the game generations. While our strongest base is in Medieval 2, the forum is open to all Total War fans and even those who just want political discussion, technical advice, a place to write and so on. The site is represented in the following formats:

• The main vBulletin site containing:
  • The Forums, where most of the community activity and modding resources are located.
  • The Home Page, with announcements and news for the site, the TW series and mods.
  • The Articles section, where Content Staff publish articles, reviews and features.
  • The Blogs, where TWC members can publish their own blogs (subject to some constraints).
  • The Download section, where members can upload and access small mods and resources.
• The TWC Wiki, hosting information about the site (including this page), the TW series, mods and modding.
• The TWC discord server, a chat service open to all users, registered or not.
• The TWC Twitter account, which posts news items and accepts messages.

New User FAQ

If you haven't done so already, the first step is to register, at which point you will need to check your email for confirmation. If it is not in your inbox, please give it some time, as it takes a little while to arrive. If it does not come, check your spam folder. If it's nowhere at all, send a message to staff on TWC's Twitter, please be patient when waiting for a reply. If you use Discord you can also seek advice on the TWC Discord server.

After registering, you must make 25 posts before you can create polls or edit posts. After 25 posts you will be a full member, at which point everything the general membership can do, you can do. Check out what interests you and make yourself at home! There are various communities and sub-communities available. Some work differently from others and some are more active than others. Check out what you're interested in, and if you don't see what you want, don't be afraid to make suggestions or strike up something new.

Forum Sections

The main index page for the forums is here. All viewable forum sections are shown on the left. If you arrive at the site and see the white and blue vBulletin default view for mobiles scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Full Site".

The Community Portal on the wiki explains which forum sections might be most useful for your particular interests or problems. A large part of the forum index is devoted to sections for each of the Total War Series games, with sub-sections for general discussion, hosted modifications, and mod workshops which include areas for questions and answers and also tutorials and resources. Non-Total War Games also have their own sections for discussion of the games, modding and reviews. The Common Community sections of TWC are almost as big as the Total War areas and include spaces for debate, advice and chat, creative writing and graphic arts, forum games and competitions, and much more! Debate topics include Politics, Current Affairs, Morals, Religion, Science, Sports, History and Technology.

Forum sections you are not interested in may be closed with the small ^ in the upper right corner of the category, shrinking your scrolling space. Double-clicking on a forum's left-hand icon will mark it as read.

Who's Who: Staff, Titles & Access

Staff

For a list of current staff and a breakdown of each department, see Staff.

Note that users can have multiple titles and feature in different departments. When contacting someone, check where their jurisdictions are for the best results. Technical support for games and mods are not site staff problems you should send DMs for unless they solicit those messages; sections like the Basement, the tech boards for each game and the various mod forums for mod problems should be places to check first.

Additionally, while the above Staff link is the most accurate source you can use to tell who's who, you can get an idea of who has authority in each section by scrolling to the bottom of the page and finding the local mods of the given forum.

The Hexagon Council, distinctively colored in red is in charge of overall management of the site. If you wish to join staff, discuss things about a department that has no staff, or take a site issue to the highest levels, they are the ones to approach. It is best to check activity first as some are more frequent than others, and thus more likely to give a quick reply. The best results come from approaching the right department, but if you make a mistake, they will likely at least point you in the right direction. For most, non-critical matters, other departments should be checked first. Official comments are sometimes made in bolded red.

Moderators are the first line of defense and thus contact whenever there are disputes on the forum. They are distinct from local moderators, who may be present depending on which section you're in; if you're unsure, check the local pins. A global mod will not interfere in a matter that is a local mod's business, but if they break Terms of Use, you are completely in your right to go above to the blue-tinted powers above. More often than not on TWC these global moderators have jurisdiction and should be contacted first, especially if you have serious issues with members being rude or harassing on the site. They often make their comments in dark bolded blue when officially regulating a thread.

Content Staff wear light blue names. While their word is from a position of staff, they are ultimately regular users who volunteer their time and drive to produce content for TWC, and are not to be confused with site moderation. If you're a new user looking to do something, consider looking through the options and contacting a Hex if something stands out to you, as they are often very open to new users in almost every section. Their work ranges between making graphics, articles, managing various events and competitions, maintaining sections and more.

Modding Staff are very similar to the above on Content Staff, but are, per the name, completely focused on TWC's modding and are colored green. Their duties are usually administration and upkeep of various modding functions on the forum. They are also open to more general questions about modding and helping out if you have mod related issues, though problems with particular mods should still be taken to the given mod author (or if it's conduct related, moderators). They are quite open to new membership; though their job by all indications isn't terribly difficult, it is best approached with as many people they can get. Occasionally they will make official comments in bolded green.

Gaming Staff manage some of the specific activities that take place on the site, posting officially in orange color. Currently, they manage [Hotseating] and the [RPG section]. Note that the two groups have almost nothing to do with each other.

Technical Staff manage the backend of the website. At this time, it would be ideal for you to make inquiries public in the Questions and Suggestions board. Note they are for site problems, not necessarily troubleshooting computer issues.

Citizenship & Opportunities

Browsing the forums, you may notice that many users have at least a few badges, likely a title, a colored name. This is because TWC openly and actively encourages participation in its structure, which offers users various bling and awards - anything from helping with graphics to proving yourself for the moderation team to being a good modder to patching up errors on the wiki. Whatever your niche, if you're dedicated at something on the site and stick to it, you will almost inevitably be rewarded, and if you're really putting in legwork, you may be offered Citizenship or a staff position (they do not mutually exclude each other). If you just want to be a normal user doing your thing, that's perfectly fine too.

If you want to strive for more or know how to help out the site more, however, read on.

Citizenship

Citizenship is recognition for your contributions to the website. It is a badge, a colored title, a bit of recognition and a small selection of forums open for you to post in (the Curia). It is also a path to the Magistrate position and local moderation/management positions. Finally, it is a place to propose awards, both for users and new ones, as well as make and vote on suggestions for both the Curia itself and for the website in general. Note that votes passed in the Curia are still subject to the wants/abilities of the administration, and further, to be a Citizen is not to hold a staff title or authority over other members. Likewise, you are not obliged to participate in the curia and discussions - but it would be appreciated if you lend your input.

Joining & Helping Staff

If you're interested in the Wiki, see one section down.

Almost every branch of staff is actively recruiting members, especially Content Staff, Modding Staff, and branches of Gaming Staff. Others will likely be more stringent in recruiting members as moderating, administrating, or working on technical business are very important tasks that require you to build up time and trust, and they tend to come to you.

While each department has its own standards and requirements, the listed branches are most likely to have places for newer members to contribute with less stress. Content Staff has many of its own branches that address different sections of the forum and take different talents, including writing, art, organization skills, and in all cases, dedication. That said, everything is volunteer - the site is not a job, and your position won't be treated like one unless you want to go above and beyond or put a little more into leadership roles. More information is available for each branch. If you're looking to fill an actually vacant branch, it would be useful to research old works the branch has done so you have a clear idea of what you're going to get yourself into, as well as be aware that you will likely be the main drive for the time being unless you recruit others to join with you. That said, Hex are always there to lend a hand.

Modding Staff works much like Content Staff, but has a specific focus and no sub branches. It is mainly administrative; while helping users out with modding questions is a thing, knowledge in the field is not required and duties are mainly working with TWC Download and keeping thread prefixes and the like in order. They are explicitly interested in as many hands as they can get.

Gaming Staff are a case by case basis; please see the given sections, look them over, and decide if you want to help out. They don't recruit quite so actively, but the Hotseating section in particular still has an application process. If you're uncertain, message the given director.

If you see an opportunity to contribute to a section but don't want to actually become staff, make what you'd like and send it to a relevant staff member for that section, or inquire how to help out otherwise. You may wish to get in contact with them first to see what you can do that they'd be able to use and accept. Keep in mind that Staff Non-Disclosure may prevent them from being fully upfront with you on internal matters. SND is very important to staff, and you will be expected to maintain it yourself if you join the structure.

TWC Wiki

You're here! The wiki hosts information about the site and the total war games, particularly site history, site information, summaries of modding knowledge, lists and pages for mods, and overviews of the games themselves as well as their features. Making it better is a never-ending process for a site that's been online over a decade. If you're interested in contributing, see this thread to get you signed up and this page to get you started. TWC_Wiki:Things to do gives you an idea of what the priorities are at the time, but you're free to just find pages and subjects you're interested in and work on them as you see fit. If you want to go even further, consider joining the Wiki Team and get in contact with the Wiki Director (see Staff).

Note that all Terms of Service rules and conditions apply - deliberate vandalism or repeatedly ignoring the Wiki Staff may result in temporary or even permanent removal from the Wiki.