Forums

General Definitions

• Message Board: A message board contains several forums. SWC has three primary boards: the Message Centre, RPG Centre, and Question Centre
• Forum: A section of the board containing all threads posted within. A board contains multiple forums. "General Talk" is an example of a forum in the Message Centre.
• Thread/Topic: A number of individual posts related to the same topic and listed chronologically. A forum contains multiple threads. "Sim News Comments" is an example of a thread within the General Talk forum on the Message Centre board.

Message Boards

SWC contains a total of four different message boards, each with its own use:

• Message Centre: this is a completely Out-Of-Character board for everything from suggestions about new or existing features to general discussion about anything at all.
• RPG Centre: Mostly In-Character board with forums related to light roleplaying and trading.
• Question Centre: This is where all your questions go!
• White Scenarios: Role playing board hosted off site. Scenarios here don't affect the database, meaning your character cannot die. However, you can earn XP.

You can reach the message boards from the "Forum" link at the top of every page. Please also make sure that whatever you post is in the proper forum. Each forum has a little description below the title that tells you what it is about.

Sticky Threads

Sticky threads are the most important topics of each forum. Often they contain the forum rules or FAQ, so please read those first (especially if the topic relates to anything you want to post) as not following the rules can get you banned from that forum rather quickly.

Using the Forums

Replying to a Thread

You can reply to any thread that is not locked and that isn't in a read-only forum. To reply to the thread you're currently reading, simply press the "Add Reply" button on the top-right or bottom right of the thread view.

You will then be able to enter your message in the text box that appears. Note that SWC's forums do not support most BBCode (i.e. all your formatting and images/links will have to be written in HTML. A guide to what codes are usable is available on the right-hand side of the text box. You can also change the topic of your own post (however this won't affect the general topic of the thread).

Before posting, select whether you want your signature appended to your post or not and press the "preview" or "post" buttons below (the "preview" button allows you to preview your message before posting, e.g. to make sure you properly formatted it).

Posting a New Thread

You can post a new thread in any forum that isn't a read-only forum and that you have access to. To create a new thread, simply click the "New Topic" button at the top-right of the forum view.

You will receive a page very similar to the Reply page that allows you to write the first post of your new topic. Don't forget to enter a proper title!

Marking Threads as Read

SWC's forum doesn't automatically mark threads as read once you have clicked on them. You can only mark all threads in a forum at once by clicking the "Mark Read" button on the top of the forum view.

Searching the Forums

The forums have a Search feature that can be accessed at the very bottom of the main page of each of the three boards (Message Centre, RPG Centre, and Question Centre). However, it cannot be accessed from inside of one of the forums. This allows you to search for keywords in forum posts or in thread titles. It doesn't matter which of the boards you access the search feature from; it will automatically display results from all of the three forums.

This is useful for looking up a wide variety of information as the forums are an excellent resource. Many questions that you have will already have been asked by other players before you, so searching for a few keywords describing the feature you are curious about may provide the answers you are looking for. It is also useful for looking up the names of characters you are trading with if you think they might be scamming, information on the history of a ship or vehicle, information on the owner or location of a ship or vehicle you have an asset on, if a suggestion you would like to make has already been made before, and any other situation you would like more information about.

Editing Thread Names and Posts

To edit a thread, you must first enter it. If you created the thread, then hit "Edit" by your first post. Then, change the title at the top. If you did not create the thread, you cannot change the name. To edit a post, hit the "Edit" button by your post. Then, change it as needed. If you change the title of your post, then the title above THAT POST will change. It will not change the THREAD name, which is the name seen by all players before entering. For example, Bob Joe posted:

Title of thread: Seeking Work.

I want to start working.

Then, Billy Bob posts:

Seeking potato work.

I want to start working.

The thread name will stay the same, but the title above Billy Bob's post will change to "Seeking potato work."

Moderator Options

Forum moderators and forum administrators have more options available to them. This includes banning specific users from the forum as well as moving, closing, and deleting individual threads and posts.

Faction Forums

Many Factions also operate their own forums for their internal discussion and communication with customers. SWC doesn't have any power over those, so any problems you have with those forums will have to be discussed with their respective operators.