Announcement: zOMG! Forum - Rules and Guidelines (Updated 3/12/09)

[The Admin]

zOMG! Forum Rules and Guidelines

Welcome to the zOMG! forum! This forum is intended for discussion of zOMG!, its rules, the social aspects around the MMO, as well as a place for you to bring up your ideas, fears, and observations. Questions, feedback, and discussions pertaining to the zOMG! find their home in this forum.

The dev team is working away on this very large game for you right now. They'll post info about the game regularly and keep a conversation going in this forum about their team's progress. By participating here, you'll always be the first folks to know stuff about the game as they release the details.

This will be a fun ride. Gaia Online looks forward to sharing it with you!

As a member, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the forum's rules before posting. Posting in this forum implies that you read and understand the rules and guidelines and that you accept responsibility for the appropriateness of your thread or post.

Navigation:

1. Introduction
   
2. General Posting Guidelines
   
3. Rules & Guidelines for Posting in zOMG!
   
4. zOMG! Information and Frequently-Asked Questions
   
5. How to Report
   

[The Admin]

General Posting Guidelines

Please be sure to follow the Terms of Service and Rules and Guidelines here, as in all forums.

Common violations to avoid:

Spam. Posts that are gibberish, off-topic, contain advertisements or begging, or have low or no content are considered spam. Please ensure that your posts are on topic and contain an appropriate amount of discussable content.

Flaming & trolling. Posts directed at another member which are hateful, abusive, or intentionally inflammatory are considered flaming. Making intentionally inflammatory or provocative posts to incite responses from other members is considered trolling.

Scamming. Taking or attempting to take another member's gold, items or efforts, through false promises, deception, tricks or get-rich-quick schemes is considered scamming and is not tolerated on Gaia.

Terms of Service violations may result in a warning or a ban on your account.

If you find Terms of Service violations, or threads that may need moved to a different forum, please use an appropriate report. The procedures for doing so can be found here.

You can find online moderators by following the "View Forum Moderators" link at the top of the forum.


Gaia Staff will NEVER ask for your password! If anyone asks you for your password, report it.

[The Admin]

Rules & Guidelines for Posting in Gaia Online MMO


What belongs in the zOMG! forum?

Threads within the zOMG! forum are to be focused upon the zOMG! and various aspects about the zOMG!.

• zOMG! Discussion
  All ideas and concepts concerning the zOMG! are acceptable within the zOMG! forum. If you want to talk about how the monsters look, how artwork looks, how the game will play, or any topic dealing with the zOMG! and it's features, this is the place to talk about it.
  
  
• Questions about the zOMG!
  If you have a question pertaining to the zOMG!, such as quests, recipes, etc., this is the forum to ask it in. However, please keep in mind of the zOMG FAQ before asking a question.
  
  
• Feedback about the zOMG!
  If you have ideas or concepts of your own pertaining to the zOMG!, please feel free to share your ideas with others. Try to keep feedback constructive - this will ensure it has the best possible impact upon the zOMG! development team.
  

What does not belong in the zOMG! forum?

• Abusive Content
  Please refrain from directing abusive or insulting remarks towards other users. Flames are a violation of the Terms of Service; please keep discussion civil and friendly.
  
  
• Off-topic/low content posts
  When posting within the topics, stay on topic for the discussions and try to avoid any unnecessary chatter that could derail the topic. Continuous off-topic chatter can result in topics being redirected to the Chatterbox. In addition, quoting another person's post only to add a single emote or sentence explaining you are 'quoting for emphasis' is also considered spam. Please try to make your posts substantial, as this is a discussion forum.
  
  
• Excessive bumping
  Please try to avoid bumping a thread if the topic is still on the front page. By continuously bumping a topic, you are adding to the off-topic chatter and may end up with a warning for spamming. Instead of bumping, please try to added discussion points. For those reporting bumps, please avoid doing so unless it's done in excess (i.e. a long list of "bump" posts each within a minute of each other).
  
  
• 'Hoax' threads and threads with misleading titles
  Threads with deliberately misleading thread titles will be removed to the Chatterbox forum. In addition, please refrain from posting threads which make false claims of information about the zOMG!. Speculation is fine, but deliberately misleading lies about zOMG! are not appropriate.
  
  
• Posting in misplaced/repeat threads
  If you come across a thread which is misplaced or needs recycling, please report it and move on. Posts which flame, spam, harass or otherwise provoke the misplaced topic creator simply bump the misplaced topic back up to the top of the forum, and will get you in trouble.
  

Commonly Misplaced Threads

General spam: The Chatterbox forum.

zOMG Clan Threads: The Clans of Battle subforum.

Other Massive Multiplayer Online Games: The Gaming Discussion forum

Non-zOMG Feedback Threads: The Site Feedback forum.

"I need help with (anything non-zOMG)" Threads: The Questions and Assistance forum.

Community Discussion: The Gaia Community Discussion forum.

Other Gaia Games, such as Slots, Jigsaw, etc.: The Gaia Gaming Discussion forums.

Selling and buying zOMG! items: The Game Item Exchange subforum.

Reporting bugs: The Game Bugs subforum

Looking for crew members (Recrewting): The Recrewting subforum

Contests, games, and user-generated content: The Gaia Community Projects subforum.

[The Admin]

zOMG Information and Frequently-Asked Questions


There are many places you can find the answers to your zOMG related questions. The main official information sources are listed below for you to read; please check these sources and the FAQ below before posting questions in the forum, as your thread may be recycled if it has already been answered:

The Official Gaia Online zOMG guide - Link
Resources and Guides created by other players - Link
Qixter's Journal - Link
The stickies at the top of the forum - are regularly updated with new information from the developers as it arrives. Keep tabs on them to stay in the know!

The following list of questions and answers form the MMO FAQ and address the most common questions/answers which appear in the MMO forum. Threads which ask questions covered by this FAQ will be recycled, and should be reported.

• What is zOMG?
  zOMG is a game currently in open beta for Gaia, where you can explore the Gaia world as your Gaia avatar, fight monsters and team up with other users along the way.
  
  
• Why is it called "zOMG"?
  There was a contest held to name Gaia's battle system and the winning entry was announced as zOMG. It was chosen because "It's short, it's punchy, it's memorable and it pretty much says it all."
  
  
• What is "Open beta"?
  Open beta or public beta is the final testing stage before a game is released, basically it means the game is still in testing and there may you may experience a few bugs or glitches when you play. Some more info about open beta and what it means for players can be found in Qixter's journal entry here.
  
  
• What is an MMO?/What does MMO mean?
  'MMO' stands for 'Massively Multiplayer Online' game. An MMO is essentially a game which you play online with lots of other real people playing from their own computers.
  
  
• How do I play zOMG?/Where is zOMG?
  If you have a Gaia account then you're able to play zOMG. It's located under the 'Games' tab - simply click on the zOMG! link and the game will launch in a new window.
  
  
• Do I need to download the game to play it?
  The game is browser-based, like all of Gaia's games - Towns, Fishing, etc. You don't need to download it to your own computer.
  
  
• Will there be PvP?/Can I fight other players?
  On zOMG's initial release, there will be no PvP (Player Vs Player). However, the developers have expressed distinct interest in having some PvP function in the zOMG eventually; most likely through means of a set stage like an Arena.
  
  
• What weapons can we use?
  The current weapon system that will be used in the zOMG is the ring feature. Please keep in mind that you will not be using the actual items you have in the zOMG, and all attacks will be done via the rings. For more in-depth explanations on the rings, we highly recommend you read the official zOMG pages and the player-created guides.
  
  
• How much will it cost to play?
  The game itself is free to play. Like every feature on Gaia Online, zOMG is free of charge and you will be able to play at your leisure. Some of the more uncommon power-up items are also available for a small cash fee from Back Alley Bargains as well as being rare drops in game.
  
  
• What job classes can we be?
  There are no set job classes for players. With the highly customizable ring system, a player can be whatever class they want to be - whether it is a healer, a caster, or a melee fighter - by changing their rings to suit their needs.
  
  
• Show us your Battle Avatar!
  While this is less of a question and more of an actual statement, it falls under the same principle of being over-done and constantly misplaced. Please keep in mind that the zOMG forum is not for posting avatar-related threads. Any and all avatar rating / displaying threads should be placed in the Avatar Talk forum.
  
  
• Help, my ring is showing up as a '?'!
  Occasionally when you gain a new ring, a "?" symbol will appear instead of the ring and be unusable. Simply log out and log back in, as the ring's data will be forcibly reset and should now be usable.
  
  
• Oh no! I get an error on the loading screen!
  If you get an error while the game is loading or if the bar freezes for a long time while loading, please refresh the window and try another server.
  
  
• The servers are down/I can't log into the servers!
  Before you fill out a bug report, make sure to check the stickies to see if Qixter has posted any notices about server downtime.
  
  
• Where can I find my badges?/How do I display them on my profile?
  Your badges will be located under the 'Completed' tab of your Quest section on your PDA. The accomplishment music will play and they'll automatically appear there when you meet the requirements. Currently, the badges can only be displayed on the newest profile themes. To display them, simply edit your profile and add the 'Badge' box.
  
  
• Can I sell my rings?/What is 'soulbound'?
  All rings received from zOMG! are soulbound, meaning that they cannot be traded or removed from your account. However, all unequipped rings from before December 8, 2008 remain unbound, which is why some rings can be bought from the Marketplace. However, once you buy a ring and equip it, the ring will lose its unbound status and become soulbond to your account.
  
  
• How do I report bugs in the game?
  All bug reports go in the Game Bugs subforum - be sure to follow the format outlined in this sticky, otherwise your bug report may be moved to the Recycle Bin forum!

[The Admin]

Reminder! zOMG! Scams

Please remember that Gaia Staff will NEVER ask for your password! There have been various password scams implemented by hackers using the lure of zOMG! to trick people into giving away their account details.

If someone claims to be inviting you to test the zOMG! or promising you that you will gain special access to any feature, or even threatening you, you should report them! Do not give them your password! gonk

Even though the message might have a Gaia logo and may sound like it's official, if they're asking for your password, it's a scam! whee

If they are giving you a link and the page looks like Gaia Online, BE CAREFUL! Check the website link: does it say "http://www.gaiaonline.com" or "http://gaiaonline.com"? If it doesn't, then it's NOT GAIA THAT YOU ARE SIGNING IN TO.

If you receive a PM of any kind that asks you to hand over your username and password, or links to a website that asks you to "sign up" for something using your username and password, it is a scam! Please REPORT any private messages, forum posts and forum threads which try to trick people into giving away their passwords.

If you have been unfortunate enough to fall for this type of password scam and have had your account hacked as a result, please fill out a Hacking Report Form as soon as possible.

[The Admin]

How to Report

Abuse of the report system will result in a warning or ban of your account.

Report a Post

Use the button when an individual post in a topic contains inappropriate content.

Reasons to Report a Post:


• The content of the post violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The content of the post is off-topic.
  
  
• The member who made the post has a signature which violates the rules.

Report a Topic

Use the Report this Topic button at the bottom of the page when a topic is not appropriate for the forum.

Reasons to Report a Topic:


• The topic violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The topic is in the wrong forum and should be moved to a more appropriate forum.

If you need to contact a moderator via Private Message, please use the "View Forum Moderator" link at the top of this forum to find a moderator.



Report Hacking, Scamming or Abuse & Harassment?

The Hacking, Scamming and Abuse or Harassment report forms can be found at the bottom of the forum index. When submitting a report, ensure that you fill out all fields and include as much relevant information as possible.

Report A Hacking
Use this form to report a Hacking. Hacking, on Gaia Online, refers to the unauthorized access of an account by someone other than the account owner. In most typical hacking cases, an unauthorized person enters an account which does not belong to him or her and takes items or gold from the account, often changing the account information so that the original owner can no longer access his or her account.

Report A Scamming
Use this form to report a Scamming. Scamming is when another member of Gaia takes your gold or items, or tries to take your gold or items, by making false promises of giving you rare items, get-rich-quick schemes, or by any other deceptive means. Scamming generally involves a situation in which two members of Gaia make an arrangement to trade gold, items, or a Gaia approved service (e.g. avatar art commission) with each other and then one of the parties involved in the arrangement fails to live up to his or her promise of an exchange.

Report Abuse or Harassment
Use this form to report ongoing Abuse or Harassment. If you are reporting harassment or abuse that is occurring directly in a thread, please use the "Report This Post" button instead.