Conversely the other day I posted the question "So, I'm a little confused about the Emperor's role in the timeline" (being a level 10 Jedi Knight and he's been mentioned in a few quests so far) and someone immediately shouted in guildchat "NO SPOILERS!!!"

So... how does one go about asking a question without having everyone assume it's a spoiler, when I have no way of knowing if it's a spoiler or not?

Quote by Adawehi

I think people in guild chat have been very careful not to spoil things, and you could probably turn it back on if that's the only reason you have it off. No one's spoiled anything for me there. I think everyone is aware that there's a lot of surprising information in each story and we're all being very careful not to spoil anything.

I would agree with that if anything guild chat (atleast on the LoS side) has been more like inside conversations. Like Oooh! I really wasn't expecting how that ended. Someone then say's what? My Inquisitor quests. Then the other person says Oh the end of the chapter! OMG so good.

The conversation in general has been more of a OMG I need to get to the end to figure out what they are talking about lol.

Thx Van, Dakon :)

I've done the same as blue, basically turning off my guildchat. The down side to that is that I can not see the comings and goings of guildmates :(

I would like to thank Ryyven, Dave, Neilston, Virgo59 and Bradley for helping with Republic invites. It has been a great help. I myself truly an thankful of them.

I'd like to point out that our PG-13 policy started long before the launch of STO and was initiated originally for our IRC channel. It's a common misconception that it's solely to enforce the rules of Crytpic in StonewallFleet channel. I believe this is the thread you were referring to Colivia.

Instead, I firmly believe that we must have a certain level of decorum in all of the areas of our guild and our PG-13 Policy is the best middle of the road that we have. Another misconception is that our rules are stricter than they are. We generally are pretty lenient and err on the side of caution when moderating a member.

As Colivia said, we don't want our guild to descend into a no-holds bared state, but we still want people to be comfortable to speak there minds. As Kasper stated, you should still approach our public areas as you would in any public area. The internet often gives people a sense of anonymity and freedom that they can say whatever they want with no reprisal, but that's not the sort of environment that we want here. You wouldn't boast about your latest "conquest" in the middle of a crowded restaurant (actually, some probably would) so don't do it in guild chat. The same goes for our public rooms in vent, but we understand that people are more descriptive in teams or mission rooms.

One of the best bits of advice I can give is that if something is bothering you or offending you is to speak up either to the person causing you to feel uncomfortable or to an officer. Most of the time, people don't realize what they're saying is offensive or inappropriate.

As for the positives in all of this, I have to continually thank the officers of Knights of Stonewall. There assistance in running the guild, getting it started and running during launch and their continued support has been invaluable. The guild would not be where it is now if it was not thanks to the work of Zepari, Doogiegood, Halish, Aldente, and Dakon Kor. Thank you sooo much guys! As well, I'll give a shout out to all our "LTs" who have been helping by sending out invites. You're efforts are deeply appreciated and so important during this busy period of the guild.

I honestly belive all the posts here are good as it shows how much folks care about the guild and want it to be a safe place to come while playing SW:TOR.

Sometimes we need to discuss the stuff that may not be all warm and fuzzy. It maybe hard to read but needs to be posted and discussed.

Thank you to DakonKor for making the post. This is really something that should get out to the folks in the guild.

To end on a positive,,,,tomorrow is Friday and there is a long weekend waiting for us! Woot.

Quote by Van

I assume those listed as LT's are officers?

Just an FYI: I just thought I'd point out that right now, on the Republic side, Lieutenant is the only membership level we have available for both officers who were added after Guild Deployment and for trusted folks who can help invite (appears to be the significant others of the officers for the most part at the moment).

This should be changing mid-week next week when the Guildmaster role is transferred to the one of the Republic's Officers and we start to introduce TOR's version of Fleet Captains.


Now that said...

Aldente pretty much summed up our expectations of our fellow Stonewallers: The Code of Conduct applies to any public communication, whether it is on the forums, in the general chatrooms on Vent (the specifically noted 18+ channels excluded), or in Guild or Chat Channel chat in either game.

This means that you should treat the channel as if it were rated PG-13 regardless of how the ESRB rates the game. Innuendo isn't a problem, as has been said, boys will be boys. That said, I was witness to some very explicit discussion and website referrals that were being transmitted via guild chat the other night that should have been reserved for a private tell.

Stonewall should be as comfortable place for teenagers looking to find an online group where they "belong" as it is for us adults to find friends with shared interests. It would be a real shame for a 14 or 15 year old struggling with their identity in real life, finding a respite online with the guild, to be banned from the guild by a parent because they saw explicit chat in the public guild channel.

I agree Van. An accidental slip isn't something we should be too worried about. I still remember having the HOLY CRAP moment as a Bounty Hunter but having no one to share my surprise with because I didn't want to ruin it for anyone else.

Only if there is repetitive and malicious intent to spoiling story lines should we need to address it. But at that point, it should be left to the Officers and Fleet Captain equivalents to deal with. We should have full guild control on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Woot! Thank you so much! I'll give this a whirle tonite and see if I can finally complete this leg of the quest.

IF YOU HATE SPOILERS AND GET YOUR KNICKERS IN A KNOT OVER READING THEM THEN STOP!! DON'T GO ANY FARTEHR, LOG OUT OF THIS TOPIC!!
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Okays need help with my smugglers quest in Tatoonie. The part where the Jedi Knight, Sith Warrior and other mob named D something is all meeting in the cave. I'm okay with everything up to the part where all the droids are killed but then when it's just me and the sith warrior I can't seem to progress. What the heck am I doing wrong?

I take Corso with me (wookie was no help at all) and I can get the sith wench down to 25% and then she just kills corso and me. My gear is okay for my lvl which is 28 and I have no problem until she's at 25% health. From there its all down hill.

It was suggested that I take Corso since he can harpoon her but that really didn't work so well as he seemed to die a lot quicker.

Any advice? (beyond giving up, lol) Maybe one more person for the extra dps but I really thought class stories could be solo'd.

Thanks guys!

I have to agree that what one person finds funny or appropriate others may not. I guess I'm on the far side of "not funny". :(

Boys will be boys but please be a mature adult and think about what your saying. Like KiddKasper said

Quote by kiddkasper

From what I know and have seen, I believe that a PG-13 rating is still the best, although adhered to in general terms. I think the same etiquette that most people would use in public should be used in our guild. You wouldn't describe in great detail in public how you would want to molest somebody. But, you would speak in broad, appropriate terms. Then, in a more private setting, you'd use more specific language. The same should apply to guild chat. Innuendos and lively chat are fine. But, you wouldn't want out right lewd behavior. Of course, being hateful or disrespectful is never appropriate.

So, where is the line drawn? What I find appropriate, you might not...and vice-versa. It's a fine line that is constantly adjusted depending who the audience is. IMHO, people should clearly understand the Code of Conduct and be expected to adhere to it. Once that's done, I think the rest will take care of itself.

He's right on with this!!!

I'm not saying folks can't have fun and joke around, heck we all play mmo's to enjoy ourselves. We all like to get a little lively and have fun. But think about what your going to say before typing away. If someone asks for help or advice and all they get are statements like "its in my pants go find it" from guild members, how is this helpful?

I really don't want to see the guild fall into a WoW clone and where making derogatory remarks or unhelpful statements becomes the norm or is acceptable.

The Code of Conduct should be followed by everyone, not just a few.

Great Review! Thanks for sharing.

I have to say that, compared to the "rough around the edges" launches of WoW and STO, SW:TOR launched as a rather solid piece of software with minimal bugs.

BioWare will always have A TON of feedback to go off of towards the future development of the game. I agree that we should have speeders accessible for the ground as long as we're given an entire starship. I personally don't see that oddball arc staying that way permanently.

While some would call me a fanboi (and I really don't care xD ), This game has blown away all of my expectations.

It is so refreshing to play a new game that is so well developed at its release date.

MTFBWY!
Steve

Quote by kiddkasper

Quote by colivia

I believe there was a thread a while back on the STO side that dealt with guild chat guidelines (although it may have been on the Fleet Captain forum when I was serving), and I recall that the consensus was to keep the guidelines loose. When something REALLY bad is mentioned in chat the officers take action [threats, XXX-rated (not just innuendos), etc.], but otherwise its "boys will be boys." As previously mentioned, an officer will nudge the topic on if warranted, but during the days when we had a bunch of fleet captains, the "line" of what was acceptable widely varied from captain to captain (which will need to be addressed if the guild is going to continue that policy).

From what I know and have seen, I believe that a PG-13 rating is still the best, although adhered to in general terms. I think the same etiquette that most people would use in public should be used in our guild. You wouldn't describe in great detail in public how you would want to molest somebody. But, you would speak in broad, appropriate terms. Then, in a more private setting, you'd use more specific language. The same should apply to guild chat. Innuendos and lively chat are fine. But, you wouldn't want out right lewd behavior. Of course, being hateful or disrespectful is never appropriate.

So, where is the line drawn? What I find appropriate, you might not...and vice-versa. It's a fine line that is constantly adjusted depending who the audience is. IMHO, people should clearly understand the Code of Conduct and be expected to adhere to it. Once that's done, I think the rest will take care of itself.

I think you nailed it.

I just realized in my post I joked about folks rolling their eyes at me, well, most of those "colivia-isms" are done in private/party chat channels, not in guild chat.

Or as I have taken to doing, I have turned off guild chat on the chat tab I monitor, this way I will not read anything that might be helpful for some, but might inadvertently spoil for me. This was it is a win/win.

Quote by colivia

I believe there was a thread a while back on the STO side that dealt with guild chat guidelines (although it may have been on the Fleet Captain forum when I was serving), and I recall that the consensus was to keep the guidelines loose. When something REALLY bad is mentioned in chat the officers take action [threats, XXX-rated (not just innuendos), etc.], but otherwise its "boys will be boys." As previously mentioned, an officer will nudge the topic on if warranted, but during the days when we had a bunch of fleet captains, the "line" of what was acceptable widely varied from captain to captain (which will need to be addressed if the guild is going to continue that policy).

From what I know and have seen, I believe that a PG-13 rating is still the best, although adhered to in general terms. I think the same etiquette that most people would use in public should be used in our guild. You wouldn't describe in great detail in public how you would want to molest somebody. But, you would speak in broad, appropriate terms. Then, in a more private setting, you'd use more specific language. The same should apply to guild chat. Innuendos and lively chat are fine. But, you wouldn't want out right lewd behavior. Of course, being hateful or disrespectful is never appropriate.

So, where is the line drawn? What I find appropriate, you might not...and vice-versa. It's a fine line that is constantly adjusted depending who the audience is. IMHO, people should clearly understand the Code of Conduct and be expected to adhere to it. Once that's done, I think the rest will take care of itself.

I did not witness the transgression mentioned above in this thread, I am replying just to put in my two cents for the policy of censorship in general.

I believe there was a thread a while back on the STO side that dealt with guild chat guidelines (although it may have been on the Fleet Captain forum when I was serving), and I recall that the consensus was to keep the guidelines loose. When something REALLY bad is mentioned in chat the officers take action [threats, XXX-rated (not just innuendos), etc.], but otherwise its "boys will be boys." As previously mentioned, an officer will nudge the topic on if warranted, but during the days when we had a bunch of fleet captains, the "line" of what was acceptable widely varied from captain to captain (which will need to be addressed if the guild is going to continue that policy).

One other important difference is that on STO (where the fleet originated), the game itself has a PG-13 policy for every chat channel. The guidelines Stonewall implemented were based on that requirement.

On TOR, from what I read, The Jekk Jekk Tarr is a server where chat and character names are not moderated. So I'm not sure if it's fair to hold the TOR fleet to the same PG-13 standard since there is no "law" saying we must. I would think at a minimum this means the chat guidelines should be loosened up a bit!!!

I realize we do want some standards for chat, but the membership consists of mostly homosexual adults and requiring everybody to be politically correct and be abstinent from sexual conversations/jokes is just ridiculous. I believe we already found that trying to strictly police the fleet chat on STO was not effective or useful since it was only a small minority of players that were offended anyway. And since TOR doesn't have universal chat, it would require 2x the "boi"/"gurl"-power to do so (for each faction).

Almost EVERYONE I have teamed up with so far in this game makes sexual innuendos with each other and that is part of the fun! Granted, I can't see their faces if they are just rolling their eyes, but I would like to think it was consensual. :P

While I can only speak for myself, I have the most fun where members can openly express themselves in guild chat. I never know what I'm going to read and it's entertaining to see where conversations go and how far the envelope can be pushed.

Look, our guild is huge and will only get bigger. "The harder you grasp to please everybody, the more people will slip through your fingers."

It's a loose-loose for the guild: police the chat then folks will bail for other more "liberal" gay guilds. Allowing the chat to become raunchy (like Taint on WoW) will cause others to quit for a more clean environment.

I would find it interesting what the majority of the membership would prefer. Perhaps a poll or survey could be conducted before any blanket policy decisions are made?

Quote by Neilston

Van I call upon you to testify. Who are the "some really wonderful folks" and what is it that makes them so great for you? I am sure they would love someone to sing some praises for them. I encourage you to include them as positive examples and I cheer you on in your effort to make the guild a fun place to be.

Oh dear, hon I work with lawyers all day long and have to "testify" at company meetings or in front of management. But I think this testifying I'll enjoy. :)

I understand the pains of being an officer as I'm a guild leader in another mmo and have to go thru the same issues. I just handle them a bit differently then KoS does.

Please forgive me if I miss spelled the names. Also, these are just a few in the guild who stand out, there are others who contribute and make the guild a great place.

Syre - I can not tell you how many times I've seen this person stop what they are doing to help others either by crafting gear for them, leading them to Datacrons or giving helpful advice. Even when this person is on one of their toons they stop what they are doing and log onto the character that can do the crafting, leading or what ever. They are always very helpful and kind in guild chat. Truly a joy to grp with, guild chat with and see in game.

Darryn - OH MY GOSH! He has helped me with my smuggler I can not tell you how much I've improved. He's been so patient and understanding when the same questions keep popping up. He has also gone and helped folks with difficult mobs in quests and with figuring out stuff in game. A great guild member that I wish more where like.

Tycho (and alts) - I think he's headed to saint hood. I can not thank him enough for helping me thru those &%$#$%^& datacrons and all that $*#&*&#^$% jumping to get from one place to another. He's jumped on and helped folks with their quests, datacron locations and offered up advice in guild chat when folks get stuck.

Again this is just a sampling of the folks that I see going the extra distance to help out their fellow guild mates. These are the kinds of folks that I think strengthen a guild and make it a great place to come too.

Quote by Aldente

I would keep my eye out for a reasonable solution to the "picked-over thrift store" attire issue in the relatively near future. I'm not sure if it will be more along the lines of an appearance tab or a system of dyes or something else entirely, but I have faith that we'll be in a happier fashion state before I get my 8th toon to 50. :-)

Oh I hope so. This is great news!

Now if they will only lower the vehicle barrier, and lower the Bonus Boss respawn timers, that will deal with my biggest fixable complaints of the game.

With the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the New Year fast approaching, and a new Editorial staff, The Stonewall Times is gearing up for 2012.

For new members, or as a reminder to long-time members, the Stonewall community publishes it's own monthly, magazine-quality newsletter, of which you can find back-issues here.

We are hoping to capitalize on the undeniable talent of our fellow Stonewallers. To that end we are looking to add new members to the Stonewall Times staff. Some ways in which you might be able to contribute:

• Fanfic set in the universes of The Old Republic or Star Trek Online
• Art, sketches, or renderings
• News Article or Opinion Column about the games, mechanics, classes, etc.
• Screenshots from either The Old Republic or Star Trek Online (can be funny; show off an unusual bug/quirk; or just a beautiful shot that shows off the game and/or your character)
• News relevant to the LGBTQ Community

Experience is not necessary. As professionals in the Journalism and Publishing fields, Doogiegood (Editor in Chief) and I (Senior Editor and Layout Artist) are happy to help you develop and refine your writing skills through constructive criticism and suggestions if you so desire.

If you have any questions, or interest in contributing in any way mentioned above; or you have an idea of your own, feel free to send Doogie or I a private message, or email times@stonewallfleet.com or times@knightsofstonewall.com.

We'll see you around the Galaxies!

I think the issue last night was handled quite well. A newer member who had a less than stellar track record from their small time here was removed quietly and efficiently.

Also, I agree I have the tendency to ignore and/or not pay attention to guild chat. It's not so much that bad stuff is happening, but there is so much text going on at once it makes it hard to focus on the game. I personally like going into Vent to socialize, but that's just me.