SamuraiPanda
Smash Hero
- Joined
- May 22, 2006
- Messages
- 6,924
This FAQ contains two sections. The first section is information about how SWF works, and guidelines for posting. The second section contains information often asked for about Brawl, and the information most often found in locked threads.
I. General Brawl Boards FAQ
- What Smashboards is/isn’t
[FONT="] • [/FONT]It’s very important to realize what Smash World Forums is and what it is not. If you are new here, it is likely that you are accustomed the forum operations of websites like Gamefaqs, IGN, NSider2, and others. However, it is VITAL that you realize that Smashboards is run very differently than those forums, even though we welcome all new users. SWF is the central website for pretty much every professional Smash Bros. Melee player. Naturally, we get a lot of casual players and new smashers, which is awesome because the SWF community is growing. But the fact still remains that this is the top Smash Bros. forum on the internet. Many of Melee’s ‘advanced techniques’ (such as wavedashing) were originally discovered here, and the same is likely to be true in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
[FONT="]
• [/FONT]Since this is the primary Smash forum on the internet, things are run differently than your average forum. There are moderators assigned to SWF’s many rooms who keep a rather consistent eye on the happenings there. They are the users with their names in red, and can be seen posting often around the boards. There are many moderators who read the Brawl boards, such as Gimpyfish62, Youko, SamuraiPanda, Mic_128, and Kokichi, among others. Where other websites’ moderators generally don’t pay attention, we do.
[FONT="]•[/FONT] The three biggest mistakes made by new posters are: Posting their idea in the wrong room, posting spam, and posting something that already exists or is common knowledge. The moderators try their best to keep the boards clean of duplicate/unnecessary threads and keep an eye for spam posts. Moderators will move threads to the correct board if you post in the wrong place, but SPAM is typically not tolerated, and you will often receive a warning or infraction for doing so, which might be the biggest change for new members of SWF. Also, if you make a thread on something that already exists, it will be locked, so please use the forum search!
- Purpose of threads
[FONT="]• [/FONT]The purpose of threads is to discuss the TOPIC OF THE THREAD. For example, in the Character Discussion room of the Brawl boards, the different character support threads are meant for discussion of the character and NOT as a social room for fans of that character. If the topic discussion gets too far off topic after subsequent moderator warnings, actions will be taken, which could even lead to the closing of the thread.
- Recommendations for good threads
[FONT="]•[/FONT] As mentioned earlier, there are certain steps that should be considered before posting a thread.
→ Have I searched to see if this topic exists on the boards?
→ Have I searched AGAIN?
→ Am I posting this in the right room?
→ Am I posting a topic that allows for real discussion?
[FONT="]•[/FONT] Here are some moderator suggestions as to what would make a good thread:
→ Obviously, if you’re going to create a thread, create something that doesn’t exist already. This cannot be stressed enough; as moderators, we lock way too many duplicate threads way too often, which could have been solved if the user typed a few words into the search button.
→ Instead of topic titles such as, “Have you ever noticed…” or “Look what I found!” or “I have a Brawl question…” only to have your title “answered” in the first post of the thread, it would be better to make it so that your primary topic is evident in the thread’s title and can be easily searched for/located in the future.
→ Develop a good first post. If your thread title is “Who thinks Mario and Sonic will make the best team in Subspace Emissary?”, your first post should not be “Discuss.” or “I think they will be, cuz they are awesome. Discuss.” In fact, ending the first post with “Discuss” is ridiculous, since that is the point of a forum. And also, try to organize your thoughts in some fashion. Nobody wants to read a wall of text.
→ Finally, post a topic that people can actually discuss. That means, believe it or not, threads based solely on opinions don’t yield that much discussion. If you made a topic called “Dedede” (do not use, it’s a bad idea), and your first post was “I just love Dedede! He is going to be top tier for sure!” there is a primary flaw with how it is constructed. Without stating your reasons why you have your opinion, and only stating the opinion itself, the only thing that people would really be able to say would be “…OK. That’s your opinion,” which doesn’t yield good discussion.
[FONT="]•[/FONT] Please take these into account when you are creating a thread on the Brawl boards: General, Character, or Stage Discussion.
- DOJO Updates Forum
[FONT="]• [/FONT]It seems like most people are unaware of the DOJO Updates forum. It is a subforum in the General Brawl Discussion room. Here, Mic_128 and Misto-Roboto create blog entries regarding the DOJO updates, which are redirected to this forum. Please, if you want to create a thread with your opinions and thoughts on the latest DOJO Update or blog post, it is best to just post your ideas in the respective DOJO Update thread.
- SEARCH
[FONT="]•[/FONT] The BIGGEST problem by far that new SWF members come across is that they do not use the Search function NEARLY as much as they should, so there is an extra section dedicated to this underappreciated button. You can search all of SWF using “Search” under the mushroom Calendar button at the top of the page, but it is much more effective to use the “Search this Forum” option in the upper right of the room you currently in. Plus, believe it or not, searching the first couple pages of the room by just looking at all the topics really helps things as well. Both of these really cut down on the number of duplicate threads created and it creates less of a hassle for the community as a whole, as well as better discussions. We moderators can not iterate enough how many threads are closed because new members failed to search, so please don’t be one of those people. Search, search, search!
- Release dates, Spoiler topics
[FONT="]• [/FONT]The American release date is March 9th, 2008, delayed from December 3rd, 2007 and February 10th, 2008. Europe/Australia has not received word on a release date, unfortunately.
[FONT="]o [/FONT]Please do not create threads involving “How will I avoid spoilers for this game?” There are several solutions to this.
→Don’t check the DOJO if you don’t want to be spoiled
→Don’t visit any Brawl forum starting a couple weeks before Japan’s release date in case of potential info leaks
→Don’t visit any video game website starting a few days before Japan’s release date in case of definite info leaks
→Good luck.
- Update complaints
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Please don’t create threads that complain about the DOJO Updates. They will really not be tolerated by moderators.
→Nobody is forcing you to check the DOJO
→Sakurai does not have to drop major updates every week/day to fit your whim
→A daily weekday blog is unprecedented for any video game creator to do, so there is no reason to complain about something we wouldn’t normally have.
*EDIT* There has been a new thread created for people who insist on complaining despite everything we get. Check it out here: http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=129685
- Character subforums
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Each confirmed character has their own subforum that branches off of the Character Discussion room. Please use these rooms for your specific questions about characters that have already been confirmed, especially since posting in the General Character Discussion Room is now closed.
- Reporting posts
[FONT="]• [/FONT]We moderators are very busy and appreciate it when the community points out things that need attention paid to. This can be done by reporting offensive posts (clicking the red/white triangle in the bottom-left of the post). Usually reasons such as spam topics/posts, excessive posting, flaming, dodging the censor function, offensive material, etc. are good reasons to report posts. However, there are certain guidelines that need to be taken.
→Don’t report frivolous things, please. This spams up the moderators’ email inboxes. And that’s just not nice.
→Don’t report people simply as a “revenge” tactic, or because you don’t like them. There should be a real reason whenever you click that button.
→Don’t report posts in a closed thread! This is very important. If the thread is closed, that means a moderator has already looked at the situation and dealt with it as he deems appropriate. Reporting a post in a closed room is like opening up an old wound, and that isn’t pretty.
II. General Brawl Information FAQ
PLEASE READ Kiri's stickied Brawl Information thread for a developing compilation of knowledge of the game!
- UNLOCKING GUIDE:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Kashikomarimashta has compiled an excellent unlocking guide for many aspects of Super Smash Bros. Brawl; read at your own risk!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=3827850
- VIDEOS WORTH SEEING:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Here are a couple sources of current "professional" Brawl player videos!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=141871
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=141480
- ADVANCED TECHNIQUES:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Here's the current advanced techniques discussion thread!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=140981
- SOUNDTRACK RIP:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]All your Brawl music needs!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=141013
[FONT="]*More information may be added in the future as it becomes available*
[/FONT]
I. General Brawl Boards FAQ
- What Smashboards is/isn’t
[FONT="] • [/FONT]It’s very important to realize what Smash World Forums is and what it is not. If you are new here, it is likely that you are accustomed the forum operations of websites like Gamefaqs, IGN, NSider2, and others. However, it is VITAL that you realize that Smashboards is run very differently than those forums, even though we welcome all new users. SWF is the central website for pretty much every professional Smash Bros. Melee player. Naturally, we get a lot of casual players and new smashers, which is awesome because the SWF community is growing. But the fact still remains that this is the top Smash Bros. forum on the internet. Many of Melee’s ‘advanced techniques’ (such as wavedashing) were originally discovered here, and the same is likely to be true in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
[FONT="]
• [/FONT]Since this is the primary Smash forum on the internet, things are run differently than your average forum. There are moderators assigned to SWF’s many rooms who keep a rather consistent eye on the happenings there. They are the users with their names in red, and can be seen posting often around the boards. There are many moderators who read the Brawl boards, such as Gimpyfish62, Youko, SamuraiPanda, Mic_128, and Kokichi, among others. Where other websites’ moderators generally don’t pay attention, we do.
[FONT="]•[/FONT] The three biggest mistakes made by new posters are: Posting their idea in the wrong room, posting spam, and posting something that already exists or is common knowledge. The moderators try their best to keep the boards clean of duplicate/unnecessary threads and keep an eye for spam posts. Moderators will move threads to the correct board if you post in the wrong place, but SPAM is typically not tolerated, and you will often receive a warning or infraction for doing so, which might be the biggest change for new members of SWF. Also, if you make a thread on something that already exists, it will be locked, so please use the forum search!
- Purpose of threads
[FONT="]• [/FONT]The purpose of threads is to discuss the TOPIC OF THE THREAD. For example, in the Character Discussion room of the Brawl boards, the different character support threads are meant for discussion of the character and NOT as a social room for fans of that character. If the topic discussion gets too far off topic after subsequent moderator warnings, actions will be taken, which could even lead to the closing of the thread.
- Recommendations for good threads
[FONT="]•[/FONT] As mentioned earlier, there are certain steps that should be considered before posting a thread.
→ Have I searched to see if this topic exists on the boards?
→ Have I searched AGAIN?
→ Am I posting this in the right room?
→ Am I posting a topic that allows for real discussion?
[FONT="]•[/FONT] Here are some moderator suggestions as to what would make a good thread:
→ Obviously, if you’re going to create a thread, create something that doesn’t exist already. This cannot be stressed enough; as moderators, we lock way too many duplicate threads way too often, which could have been solved if the user typed a few words into the search button.
→ Instead of topic titles such as, “Have you ever noticed…” or “Look what I found!” or “I have a Brawl question…” only to have your title “answered” in the first post of the thread, it would be better to make it so that your primary topic is evident in the thread’s title and can be easily searched for/located in the future.
→ Develop a good first post. If your thread title is “Who thinks Mario and Sonic will make the best team in Subspace Emissary?”, your first post should not be “Discuss.” or “I think they will be, cuz they are awesome. Discuss.” In fact, ending the first post with “Discuss” is ridiculous, since that is the point of a forum. And also, try to organize your thoughts in some fashion. Nobody wants to read a wall of text.
→ Finally, post a topic that people can actually discuss. That means, believe it or not, threads based solely on opinions don’t yield that much discussion. If you made a topic called “Dedede” (do not use, it’s a bad idea), and your first post was “I just love Dedede! He is going to be top tier for sure!” there is a primary flaw with how it is constructed. Without stating your reasons why you have your opinion, and only stating the opinion itself, the only thing that people would really be able to say would be “…OK. That’s your opinion,” which doesn’t yield good discussion.
[FONT="]•[/FONT] Please take these into account when you are creating a thread on the Brawl boards: General, Character, or Stage Discussion.
- DOJO Updates Forum
[FONT="]• [/FONT]It seems like most people are unaware of the DOJO Updates forum. It is a subforum in the General Brawl Discussion room. Here, Mic_128 and Misto-Roboto create blog entries regarding the DOJO updates, which are redirected to this forum. Please, if you want to create a thread with your opinions and thoughts on the latest DOJO Update or blog post, it is best to just post your ideas in the respective DOJO Update thread.
- SEARCH
[FONT="]•[/FONT] The BIGGEST problem by far that new SWF members come across is that they do not use the Search function NEARLY as much as they should, so there is an extra section dedicated to this underappreciated button. You can search all of SWF using “Search” under the mushroom Calendar button at the top of the page, but it is much more effective to use the “Search this Forum” option in the upper right of the room you currently in. Plus, believe it or not, searching the first couple pages of the room by just looking at all the topics really helps things as well. Both of these really cut down on the number of duplicate threads created and it creates less of a hassle for the community as a whole, as well as better discussions. We moderators can not iterate enough how many threads are closed because new members failed to search, so please don’t be one of those people. Search, search, search!
- Release dates, Spoiler topics
[FONT="]• [/FONT]The American release date is March 9th, 2008, delayed from December 3rd, 2007 and February 10th, 2008. Europe/Australia has not received word on a release date, unfortunately.
[FONT="]o [/FONT]Please do not create threads involving “How will I avoid spoilers for this game?” There are several solutions to this.
→Don’t check the DOJO if you don’t want to be spoiled
→Don’t visit any Brawl forum starting a couple weeks before Japan’s release date in case of potential info leaks
→Don’t visit any video game website starting a few days before Japan’s release date in case of definite info leaks
→Good luck.
- Update complaints
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Please don’t create threads that complain about the DOJO Updates. They will really not be tolerated by moderators.
→Nobody is forcing you to check the DOJO
→Sakurai does not have to drop major updates every week/day to fit your whim
→A daily weekday blog is unprecedented for any video game creator to do, so there is no reason to complain about something we wouldn’t normally have.
*EDIT* There has been a new thread created for people who insist on complaining despite everything we get. Check it out here: http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=129685
- Character subforums
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Each confirmed character has their own subforum that branches off of the Character Discussion room. Please use these rooms for your specific questions about characters that have already been confirmed, especially since posting in the General Character Discussion Room is now closed.
- Reporting posts
[FONT="]• [/FONT]We moderators are very busy and appreciate it when the community points out things that need attention paid to. This can be done by reporting offensive posts (clicking the red/white triangle in the bottom-left of the post). Usually reasons such as spam topics/posts, excessive posting, flaming, dodging the censor function, offensive material, etc. are good reasons to report posts. However, there are certain guidelines that need to be taken.
→Don’t report frivolous things, please. This spams up the moderators’ email inboxes. And that’s just not nice.
→Don’t report people simply as a “revenge” tactic, or because you don’t like them. There should be a real reason whenever you click that button.
→Don’t report posts in a closed thread! This is very important. If the thread is closed, that means a moderator has already looked at the situation and dealt with it as he deems appropriate. Reporting a post in a closed room is like opening up an old wound, and that isn’t pretty.
II. General Brawl Information FAQ
PLEASE READ Kiri's stickied Brawl Information thread for a developing compilation of knowledge of the game!
- UNLOCKING GUIDE:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Kashikomarimashta has compiled an excellent unlocking guide for many aspects of Super Smash Bros. Brawl; read at your own risk!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=3827850
- VIDEOS WORTH SEEING:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Here are a couple sources of current "professional" Brawl player videos!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=141871
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=141480
- ADVANCED TECHNIQUES:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]Here's the current advanced techniques discussion thread!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=140981
- SOUNDTRACK RIP:
[FONT="]• [/FONT]All your Brawl music needs!
→ http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=141013
[FONT="]*More information may be added in the future as it becomes available*
[/FONT]