Welcome to Mcleodgaming Forums! Hope you enjoy your stay here. However, before you go for that "Post" button, here's a few tips to using our forum.

First, look at all these links
FAQ: If you have any questions on how to do something on the forums, you'll probably find it here.
Forums Rules: READ THEM

Changing Your Signature or Avatar
First go to your "User Control Panel". This can be accessed from the second link at the top of every page. Then click "Profile", which is the second item in the list on the left.

Avatars
Click on "Edit Avatar". You can either link to one offsite (please use a reliable imagehost: photobucket, tinypic, imgur, etc.) or upload it to our server. The limitations are 180 x 180 pixels.

Signatures
Click on "Edit Signature". You will get a box that looks somewhat similar to a posting box. You can add images, quotes, and anything else that can be put into a post. Please make sure your sig doesn't get too tall or wide. They will be removed or you will be asked to remove it if it is too big. Use common sense. If the sig takes up more than 1/3 the screen height, it's too big. If it causes scroll bars to appear, it's too big.

Posting New Topics
When posting, please provide a clear topic title. Title's like "check this out" or "awesome!" are not very telling of what's inside. Also, look at the topics already made. Does one of them have your question already? Don't forget, we've got a search feature as well. So look before you post a new topic! Also, double posting in a topic to get it attention is NOT something you should do. It's just obnoxious and annoying.
If you make a post and you get no replies, that means no one cares. That also does not mean you should go double-posting in order to get attention. Doing so will result in a warning/ban.

Replying
Replies to a post should contribute towards the topic. Please don't write a random message. If you want to do that, do it in the Lounge section. Also, again, please don't butcher the English language. Forums are places to communicate with others, so showing that you have a basic grasp of grammar helps. Also please check the date of the last post. If it is over two weeks old, it's dead and you shouldn't bump the topic.

Smilies
They are appropiate to use in certain situations, but excessive use of them is annoying. Please use responsibly. An example of irresponsible smiley usage is below:


Friends and Enemies
You can set people as friends and enemies! Just go to the user control panel. If you set someone as an enemy, you will not see their posts. So if someone really pisses you off. Just add them to your enemy list and their posts will show up blocked to you.

Reporting Posts
See something? Say something! Use the report button on the bottom right of a post to report it. Type in a reason you reported it and a mod will deal with it. Abuse of this system will result in a ban.

Images
Avatars and signatures have image size limits. These limits will not be changed anytime soon, so don't ask.
To post an image put the [img] tag around the source url. Please do not post humongous images with this tag. If images are big enough to cause the page to stretch, use the [timg] tag. It will automatically thumbnail the image and provide a link to the full size version.

Font
You can change font size and color. The nice color palette on the side is a convenient way to choose your color. You should see something like this:

The "#00FF00" is a hexadecimal code for colors (in case any of you were wondering why it doesn't say "Green" or anything like that).

General Forum Behavior
Alot of times you'll be insulted by other users. Just remember this is the internet, and text on a screen can't hurt you. So if you're flamed, just report the post and let it be. Also, use your common sense please before posting. Lurk around for a bit to get a feel for expected behavior. A more in depth guide is listed in the post below.

Try to follow these guidelines! It will prevent most people from getting pissed off at you and make moderation of the forum less of a hassle. And please, please, please don't ask for your character to be in SSF2. It will only make us hate you.

How Not to be a Noob
What is a noob/n00b? Well to paraphrase the definition listed at Urban Dictionary, noob can be defined as follows:

noob noun - an ignorant individual who does not follow accepted behavior on internet communities, such as forums. they are often low in intelligence and unwilling to learn and change their behavior

Don't confuse this with being a newbie! Newbies/newbs are simply unexperienced people, who are willing to learn proper forum behavior. So how do you avoid appearing like a noob and getting the banned? Here's a short guide to learn how to post on the MG forums.

Asking Questions
Got a question? Use the search function. There's a handy-dandy link located at the top bar of the forum, which allows to you search for previously made topics. So search your question to see if it already has been answered. The same question over and over again can get annoying to answer after a while. Things like the character roster of SSF2 can be found with a simple search.

Grammar
When posting, please make it comprehensible. We're not asking you to write an essay here, just something that is readable. Proper usage of punctuation and grammar would be great. 1337-speak or txt-talking generally makes your post irritating to read and may lead people to simply put you on their ignore list.

Usernames
You love playing Sonic games? Maybe you're a rabid fan of SSF? Well that's all fine and good, but having a fanboy username tends to make you look stupid and noobish. Names like "sonicfan1212" or "SSF2master" tend to be overused and tiresome. It's not against the rules to use such names, it's just highly advisable not to use them.

Post Counts and You
Post counts represent nothing except for how many posts you have made. If anything, they're an indication of how little a life you have if it increases really fast in a short amount of time. Post whoring, the act of posting simply to increase your post count, is a frowned upon behavior, and could result in a warning or ban. Don't feel superior if you have a higher post count than someone, it's not an indicator of how good you are.

Memes and other Internet Fads
Sure they may be funny to you, but they've been posted countless time all over the web. If you want to make people laugh, go post something original, not just copy and pasted from 4chan. We've seen this crap over and over again. Just because you posted it doesn't make it funny again.

Staying on Topic
Each thread serves it's own purpose (well, at least most of them do). When the OP (original poster) creates a thread about cars for example, don't go posting about how you fed your cat the other day. It just doesn't fit. Use your common sense. Lurk around to see what people are saying in the topic.

Super Smash Flash 2
Well it's what most of you came here for right? I'm sure some of you have questions or perhaps have an interesting idea you want to share. Well you're in luck, cause we happen to have a section that deals with just that. Be sure to search your question/idea before posting! If you do post, make your post readable with proper grammar.

Catchall Statement
The behaviors I listed are in no way a complete list of proper behaviors. Please use your common sense when deciding what to post and what not to post. If something is obviously stupid, you will get a warning or a ban.

Good luck, and happy posting.