TWC:FAQ
From TWC Wiki
| Total War Center Information: The Total War Center | Terms of Service | FAQ | |
|---|---|
| TWC Staff | Hexagon Council | Content Staff | Moderation Staff | Technical Staff | Tribunes |
| Content Areas | The Writers' Study | The Graphics Workshop | The Eagle Standard | Gamer's Gazette | The Helios | The Scriptorium | TWC News |
| Medals and Awards | Curia Awards (The Curia) | Hexagon Council Awards | Site Service Awards | Special Contribution Awards | Members' Awards | Contest Awards | Citizenship |
| History of TWC | History of the Syntagma | Triumvirates on TWC | Gaming Staff | Modding Staff | Curial Officers | Personal Perspectives |
| Other TWC Information: | Mod Register | TWC Downloads | User Badges | Forum Overviews | TWC Blogs |
| Other Wiki Sections: Total War Series | Total War Mods | Modding Portal | TWC Wiki | |
If you are a new user, welcome! Please start at the New User FAQ below and approach us with any questions. More experienced users may also find this page a useful reference, especially since the forum software has changed. Please check the TOC and start where you want!
- For the site's rules please see the Terms of Service. You are expected to follow them at all times on official TWC spaces!
- For a general overview and breakdown of the site, please see Total War Center.
- For answers to questions not covered here, feel free to reach out! We're happy to help and common questions can be added in.
We recommend the following to reach TWC staff for issues:
- The Questions and Suggestions forum, appropriate for most things, a public forum that can be replied to by fellow members and staff
- The Commentary forum for policy questions about moderation. See Infraction Appeals and Discussion
- The official email, [email protected], best for sensitive communications or discussion without an account
- TWC Discord is an unofficial offshoot where you can often meet staff and members; if you are having difficulties accessing the forum it's worth checking in there.
- Message an administrator closest to the scope of the question you have, for example, the Content Hex for Content Staff matters and so on
TWC values feedback and volunteer efforts: we survive because of the members who commit time and energy to making TWC carry on. If there is something that could be improved, please get in touch, especially if you'd like to help see it through.
This page is being actively drafted, to try and include all the changes caused by the recent upgrade to running on XenForo software.
New User FAQ
Welcome to TWC! Check out what interests you and make yourself at home! There are various communities and sub-communities available, appealing to different interests. The index is a bit long - if you can't find something or need assistance, don't be afraid to ask! If it's not already on the site you can make a suggestion in Questions & Suggestions.
Registering & Membership
If you haven't done so already, the first step is to register! You will need an activated account before you can post on TWC. After a small number of posts and being registered for one week, you will be a full member with access to post editing among other features.
| How can I register on TWC? |
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Click the "Register" button on the forums (here). You will need to provide your date of birth, choose a user-name and password, provide a valid email address and agree to abide by the Terms of Service. You will receive an account activation email in your inbox. You MUST follow the link in that email before you can post. Until you do that you will be able to log-in but not post! If you do not recieve an email, see the following section... |
| What can I do if I haven't received my activation email? |
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If it is not instantly in your inbox, please give it some time, as it can take a little while to arrive. If you still don't see it, check your spam folder. If it's not there you can request the automated email to be re-sent. Unfortunately email does not always send correctly. In this case you can reach out through the unofficial TWC Discord server or the site contact form at the bottom of the index. |
| It doesn't let me use (insert offbrand email provider here)? |
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Unfortunately due to spam we have been forced to blacklist various email domains which create emails with no restriction and have been commonly used as spam. We don't expect these to affect legitimate users, especially big providers like gmail, yahoo, proton etc, or custom domains as long as they're not used for spam - but it's mentioned for completeness. If this applies please reach out to us. This is a different issue from not getting the registration email, a known problem with delivery on our end. |
| I've activated my account, why can't I do "xyz" yet? |
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New users will find that they cannot immediately access all the forum features. You must make 5 posts before you can use features such as; creating or voting in polls, editing posts and making a signature. Access to many of these features has been restricted to stop new accounts being set-up solely to spam the forums with advertising. If you urgently need to access one of the features, for example, needing to edit a post, you can contact a site moderator or report your own post with details of the change Spamming the forum with posts just to get past the 5 post limit is obviously discouraged, but areas such as the Coliseum or Thema Devia give opportunities to make frequent legitimate posts to reach that point on top of participating wherever else you would like. |
| What if I want to delete my account? |
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Total War Center does not completely delete accounts for technical reasons, however what we do is blank the account. This means all sensitive data is removed including email, ip, and various customization like gender and game ownership. The username is anonymized and the account is permanently banned not to be recovered. In essence it becomes an empty shell. Posts generally are not removed. When made posts remain in place unless they violate the Terms of Service or are terminated individually by their author. TWC does not perform mass post wipes on request as this can have disruptive consequences on the forum both in technical terms and in conversation flow. If personal information was posted or an odd handful of standalone posts need scrubbing then we can be of assistance. As for who to reach: message any administrator or use the contact form on the forum! |
Forum Sections
Some helpful links to main forum sections can be found in the expandable menu sections below:
Who's Who
| Who runs the site? |
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TWC is independently owned by GrnEyedDvl, a builder of red oak stools from Denver who has a chonky big internet pipe, spare server racks, and some nerd skills and uses these things to provide the forum straight from his house. He is deputized by the Hexagon Council, a ragtag team of administrators who usually have a corner of the site to run. There are many corners indeed. Collectively they make decisions for the site's future, with their conclusions mediated but usually granted by the owner. From there is a Moderation Staff (with its own 'Hex') to keep things orderly, a Content Staff (also with its own Hex) to promote development and make things look alive, and more roles listed on the Staff page. Depending on the area, some parts of the site are rather independent or at least have a deep history. Mod teams get relatively open reign of their forums and areas, and while it's a bit under the weather at the moment, there is a Curia which among other things once elected an administrator. Forum staff carry badges and typically colored names to help identify who they are and what, broadly, they do. |
| How do I find the staff member responsible for an area? |
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Staff and what roles they fill are listed at Staff, and often the areas of responsibility are included alongside. Mod forums typically have project members as local moderators, and should generally have a list of who's in the team listed in their area. If nothing else, you're on the right track by looking into the people who posted the stickied threads although take note of when they were last around. This isn't as reliable for staff areas as many things were created a long time ago and staff has changed a lot in the meantime, so the official list is best to reach the right person. If nothing else, message a staff member who's been around lately, and we'll get back to you... |
| What are local moderators and why aren't they site staff? |
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Local moderators have the privilege of running a forum either for their project or because they're passionate about an area and are trusted to keep it curated. The forum is quite large and so only people of a usually more 'global' scope are actually part of Staff, distinguished by colors and badges. |
| What are those weird badges? Divus, citizen, patrician?? |
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There are three kinds of badges on the site. Staff badges, which will say Staff except for the Hexagon Council (administrators) and Moderators (no cookie for guessing). Curial badges, related to the forum's civic system which are granted for accomplishments on TWC as voted by other 'citizen' members in the Curia. Divus is for a highly accomplished retired administrator recognized by the Curia, for example. And finally developer group badges, for larger development teams that have a hosted forum and other presence on TWC. We're an old forum and we like our bling, please excuse us... |
Conduct & Resolving Problems
| Someone is posting some really stupid stuff in the mudpit, why can't I call them a moron? |
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TWC, for better or worse ;), is very open to diverse opinions and offering a place to express and challenge them without being flamed. There are many ways to deal with 'stupid' content that does not devolve into insults, personal reference, etc; a list of what doesn't fly is built into the Terms of Service. You should attack the argument, not the poster. This includes any side channels like private messages. |
| Alright, I can't call them a moron. What should I do instead? |
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This applies generally, but especially in the Discussion and Debate section:
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| I'm getting flamed, what should I do? |
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Flame them ba- no, don't do that. Instead there is almost always a report button be it in threads or private messages or profile posts: please use this and avoid engagement with the offending content. They will be handled appropriately. Responding in kind will only get you a slice of trouble. You don't deserve that, let them take the heat. If a report button is not immediately handy, please message a moderator or administrator. |
| Come on, why did you censor that word? It's not that bad. |
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TWC's censor exists for two things. Curb some language that always drags down dicussion, and keep the site advertiser friendly. Ads are required for TWC to be solvent, so we cannot have content that bypasses it: this more than anything is why TWC is so strict. Certain words are not deemed to be that much of a problem and so you might be surprised that 'arse' is not censored. This is one of a handful of words used by Creative Assembly in an older title. The list may change depending on needs. If there's a word on there you really think doesn't belong, feel free to let staff know. |
| Can I go on discord and call the stupid person a moron there instead? |
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Not on 'TWC' Discord or anywhere linked to the TWC name. |
Moderation Actions & Appeals
TWC's staff moderators enforce the Terms of Service throughout the site and can issue warnings and infraction points for breaches. There are methods of appeal if you feel you have been given an infraction unfairly (that is outside the terms of the ToS).
| Where do I complain about moderators and their actions, or if I feel I am being mistreated? |
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If you think you are being mistreated or that a moderator is acting outside the ToS then you should PM one of the administrators who oversee moderation on a daily basis. These are the current Moderation Overseers:
You can also post about any problems you're having, or your thoughts about moderation, in the Moderation Commentary Thread where administrators will try to resolve your problem or answer any of your relevant questions regarding site moderation. It is best to be calm and coherent when talking about the matter in public as it breeds positive conversations, which further breeds solutions and satisfaction. |
| How do I appeal an infraction I think I've been given unfairly? |
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There are a variety of possible methods please see below:
Appeals against infractions follow much the same process in both the Praetorium and the Tribunal. To open an appeal against an infraction, simply create a thread requesting an appeal. Try to provide relevant information about the infraction such as the approximate time the infraction was given, the name of the moderator who issued the infraction, and the relevant thread or forum. After you have created the thread, a moderator will post the infraction and deliberations will begin. You may explain your position in the appeal thread. After you have given your side of the story, a thread will be created in a hidden forum and deliberations will be initiated. Once a decision has been reached you will be informed of the verdict. |
| My account's been banned but I haven't logged in or done anything. What's going on? |
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Unfortunately there have been issues for some time where older accounts have been compromised, either through weak passwords or a broader breach (such as account leaks elsewhere and the password being reused on TWC). The accounts are then used to spam the forum. These cases force us to ban the account regardless if it was once a legitimate member. Just reach out to us and we can get it straightened out, but first ensure all of your accounts are up to date and that you are using secure passwords. We have no reason to believe this is a flaw in TWC's systems at this time causing accounts to be entered through an exploit, but Technical Staff have been informed of this trend and we may institute measures to protect accounts of a certain age unused/with weak passwords as we are able. |
What's Changed FAQ (vBulletin to Xenforo)
As of May 2025 (date pending), the layout and organization of the site has changed very massively. If something important is not covered, please contact the administration.
The old version of the site will be present at archive.twcenter.net in order to grab things that did not survive the move, mainly Social Groups.
| What happened to Social Groups? |
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Social groups were not able to convert to Xenforo unfortunately. |
| Why can't I make a poll? |
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The ability to make polls is set per-forum and unfortunately did not carry from vBulletin. If there is an area you think should allow creating polls that doesn't, let us know in the Q&S! |
| I had a developer group/hosted mod forum and can't find it? |
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So here's the scoop on developer groups.
To attempt to locate or restore a developer forum, just shoot a message to an administrator! Mod forums are being cleaned up as well. Mods without a viable download that have been dead for many years may enter an unlisted archive, where their content will be accessible by direct link. Please let us know if there is something in a forum like this you wish to locate. TWC quite rarely hard deletes anything, and so odds are that legitimate content is still somewhere. |
| I had a blog, where did it go? |
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Your vBulletin blog is likely somewhere in here. We can promote it to the new blog system if you'd like! |
TWC Features
A rundown of features to make the most of TWC!
Forum Features
The new XenForo site has a host of new and improved features. Information on how to use many of these will be posted in TWC Tutorials - How to use TWC.
| Can I create private content (blogs, albums, etc?) |
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Yes, it is possible to create albums, blogs, and more (yet to be fully documented) which are not visible to the general membership. However they are visible to staff members at all levels. These features are intended for say, mods working on previews and other stuff not meant for public consumption, and not for things that should be truly private. Private messages are between recipients and can only be viewed in the most extreme circumstances where the site owner then needs to check through logs by hand for a legal or other serious reason. Note that abusive content can be reported by the recipient and acted on by staff. |
| How can I track content I want to revisit? |
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Forums and threads will have a 'watch' button at the top of thread content, but below the site navigation and announcements. Content can also be 'bookmarked' which can be more granular, for example, every forum post. You can also watch/bookmark article and blog content. What's the difference? Watching will notify you of any new content related to the watched resource. It is offered as-is without organization. Bookmarks will not notify you of updates but you can find them any time, sort them into categories, give them names to help identify why you saved them. What should you use? Up to your preference. You can find bookmarks under the bookmarks area of your profile, and also under a tab when you select your profile but do not visit the page around the forum. Watched content can be found in the navigation bar for whichever part of the site you're on. On the wiki there is a watchlist if you have an account and are logged in although it works a little differently, there are no bookmarks, but you can make yourself a custom sidebar! |
Account Changes
| I would like to delete my account |
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On TWC accounts cannot be fully deleted. We can strip the profile of identifying/sensitive/personalized information, rename it to something general ("removed user" + date is the format), anonymize the email, and disable it so it cannot be logged into again. Select posts can be removed especially if they give sensitive information, however we do not have tools to conveniently purge post histories. And doing so would disrupt threads and take considerable time to process. For hardly used accounts this is more feasible. To submit a request like this, please use the contact form or message an administrator while logged in, or email the forum at [email protected] from the account's registered email. |
| How can I change my username? |
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This is available in account details on your profile, available once every 180 days at time of writing. Your choice and reason will be submitted for admin review, likely to be approved if it is appropriate and there's no technical hurdles to be aware of at the time. |
| I can't remember my user-name/password, how can I log-in? |
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If you remember the email you used you can submit that in the form accessed by pressing Forgot your password? Sometimes members use an atypical username, or include special symbols in it and forget them, hence they can't re-login again, in that case, use the contact us option and explain your problem. |
TWC Wiki
Bump TWC Wiki to sit in a prominent spot instead of detached. Might be able to copy most of it over as it is, but wiki strategy will need to be tweaked...
Blogging on TWC
How can I get a blog or comment on existing blogs?
What are the rules for blogs?
TWC Services
Going over some stuff offered by TWC to membership.
Modding on TWC
I'd like to start modding, where do I start?
Where can I post information about my mod?
Can I post mod information on the wiki?
How can I get a Hosted Mod Forum?
How can I advertise my mod?
Will TWC host my mod files?
Will my copyright be protected?
Can I use assets from this mod? It hasn't been updated in a long time and the author never got back to me!
Volunteering & Citizenship
Needs to be rewritten for current and evolving states of staff and citizenship.
| Total War Center Information: The Total War Center | Terms of Service | FAQ | |
|---|---|
| TWC Staff | Hexagon Council | Content Staff | Moderation Staff | Technical Staff | Tribunes |
| Content Areas | The Writers' Study | The Graphics Workshop | The Eagle Standard | Gamer's Gazette | The Helios | The Scriptorium | TWC News |
| Medals and Awards | Curia Awards (The Curia) | Hexagon Council Awards | Site Service Awards | Special Contribution Awards | Members' Awards | Contest Awards | Citizenship |
| History of TWC | History of the Syntagma | Triumvirates on TWC | Gaming Staff | Modding Staff | Curial Officers | Personal Perspectives |
| Other TWC Information: | Mod Register | TWC Downloads | User Badges | Forum Overviews | TWC Blogs |
| Other Wiki Sections: Total War Series | Total War Mods | Modding Portal | TWC Wiki | |