I guess a few things need to be said...

[csecu]

[Looking for Knowledge]

First of all....Colorado rocks. It's where I was born and raised so it's definately god's country.

Secondly.....The whole "Nazi" thing was a bit of a quantum leap. I'm not a big fan of censorship either, but I also understand that we live in a time when people sue over stupid things like burning themselves with coffee. Kevin's intent, I believe, is just to protect this site, not to oppress someone elses opinions or views. That's the difference between Nazism and not letting someone take a crap in your back yard.

Lastly....your closing line about "not sure if Kevin or anyone else at TR has the technical expertise to modify this forum application" speel.....It just made me laugh. Thanks for that....pop came out my nose.

[mattsteg]

csecu, that's quite possibly one of the worst ideas I've seen. It's pathetically easy to implement, and would be unbelievable annoying. This forum has never been a warez forum, and never will be.

[csecu]

[eckslax]

The people who actually need all of this spelled out for them are probably the type of people who would end up being banned anyways. To have to put some kind of warning everytime you post is an insult to our intelligence. The immature/stupid people usually don't last long around here.

[just brew it!]

"Innocuous" is a matter of opinion. IMO it is sort of like having a sign on the door as you leave the restroom that says, "Did you remember to zip your fly?" Fine if you're talking about the boys' restroom in an elementary school... but completely inappropriate anywhere else. Sorta cheapens the place, if you catch my drift... some would even find it insulting.

I think a warning, followed by more drastic action (e.g. banning) if someone fails to comply is a better approach.

[csecu]

[just brew it!]

No one likes to be banned or censored or even warned, and I guess that nails the whole premise prompting my suggestion. I think most everyone would rather see a sign and heed it, regardless how gratuitous it may appear, than run afoul of the rules (especially if due to simply being unaware) and being reprimanded in recourse.

I disagree. People with even half a brain already realize that posting about warez and cracks ain't cool. If they can't deal with a warning -- which BTW could be carried out via private message, it doesn't need to be done publicly -- then they simply don't belong here.

[eckslax]

If someone really needs a posted notice at every turn so they don't do something stupid, then they need to go somewhere else like the [H]. The maturity level of these forums have always been higher than average, but it seems to be slipping with a few of the newer gerbils (most of which have been banned).

[Kevin]

Unfortunately, many if not most people don't read the FAQ before they jump in. This isn't just here, it's everywhere - who wants to waste time reading a dry crusty old FAQ?

If someone can't bother to read an announcement in the forum clearly labeled as "rules" then they deserve everything they get. What happened in that thread is actually very rare. So I think that the posted rules is more then enough warning.

No one likes to be banned or censored or even warned, and I guess that nails the whole premise prompting my suggestion.

If they can't deal with a warning -- which BTW could be carried out via private message, it doesn't need to be done publicly -- then they simply don't belong here.

Agreed. And that's what I do. I modify (or delete) the posts in question, post an explination in the thread as to why I have done so and then I send a PM to the people as a warning. If they continue to post such things, then I'll opt for something a bit more drastic.

[SpotTheCat]

What about mods to games that technically are hacks, but are designed to improve gameplay. examples (for warcraft 3)

WC3Banlist - gathers information about the game including player names, pings, locations, and play history from the community

pickup.listchecker - Publishes a LAN game on Battle.net. It is used to reduce lag in competitive play by using a packet-rich protocol that sends more information to all parties. You still need valid CD keys and a valid account, but cannot log into bnet while you use this.

customkick - allows pinging, location detection, IP gathering, and packet cessation (disconnects a player from the game; only works as host)

edit: this post has a few shades of grey in it.

[Kevin]

4.5 years is a bit much for a necro, no?

In any case, the rule in question has never really applied to hacks such as the ones you describe.

[SpotTheCat]

4.5 years is a bit much for a necro, no?

In any case, the rule in question has never really applied to hacks such as the ones you describe.

They are generally considered warez, but I didn't think they were what the rule was made for.

[PerfectCr]

Not another thread necro whore, please, we've had enough of those in the past.

[Kevin]

They are generally considered warez, but I didn't think they were what the rule was made for.

Huh, since when have game hacks been considered warez? To me, warez means copyright infringement of software. If linking to a specific hack could get TR in trouble, then that would be dealt with under the spirit of forum rule #1. But in general, I don't see game hacks having that problem. Depending on the links, of course. I'm sure many of these hacks are found in nefarious places and such links would be removed regardless of the safety of the directly linked material.

Not another thread necro whore, please, we've had enough of those in the past.

In defense of Spot, this thread was linked to from an announcement thread regarding the rules of the gaming forum. That thread is no longer an announcement thread since it's been long superseded by the regular forum rules. I should have taken down that thread a long time ago, but only did after Spot posted here (after guessing that that was were Spot found the thread). So while I think that this could have easily been served by using a new thread (hence my initial reply), this thread was a completely appropriate place for his question.

[PerfectCr]

Not another thread necro whore, please, we've had enough of those in the past.

In defense of Spot, this thread was linked to from an announcement thread regarding the rules of the gaming forum. That thread is no longer an announcement thread since it's been long superseded by the regular forum rules. I should have taken down that thread a long time ago, but only did after Spot posted here (after guessing that that was were Spot found the thread). So while I think that this could have easily been served by using a new thread (hence my initial reply), this thread was a completely appropriate place for his question.

Ah, I see, well then I stand corrected, sorry about that.

[SpotTheCat]

I considered opening a new thread, but I saw this one in the announcement as Kevin guessed. I think keeping one thread is more useful anyways, as this kind of policy discussion is very slow aging. Things that were against the rules then are still now, and things that go into place now will probably be in 3 years too.

[SpotTheCat]

They are generally considered warez, but I didn't think they were what the rule was made for.

Huh, since when have game hacks been considered warez? To me, warez means copyright infringement of software. If linking to a specific hack could get TR in trouble, then that would be dealt with under the spirit of forum rule #1. But in general, I don't see game hacks having that problem. Depending on the links, of course. I'm sure many of these hacks are found in nefarious places and such links would be removed regardless of the safety of the directly linked material.

I thought warez had morphed into not just pirated software, but also software that has had its user agreement broken. Most games have modification clauses in the user agreements.

Banlist and listchecker have safe, independent downloading sites, so I guess I'll stick to discussion of those. I don't think customkick is available at any site that doesn't have more obvious-rule breaking downloads too.

[Rolling20s]

Yeah, all said, a "better safe than sorry" approach is best when it comes to that type of stuff.