I have been muted or banned but I did not violate the TOS, it was my
sibling or friend who violated the TOS. What should I do?
Mutes and bans are based on computer IP address and username. Therefore,
anyone using the same computer or home network will likely be muted or banned. You
should have a nice long talk with the person who violated the TOS and
wait until the mute or ban ends. Please do not write us with things
such as "fix this now!" as we are unable to do so.
I have been muted because of "You must play a preset number of games before being able to chat."
or "You must have a preset number of posts and number of games played before being able to chat."
How come?
Due to abuse of the chat functionality by people creating multiple accounts we have had
to disable chat for users that have not yet been very active on For The Win! and/or the
forums. Once you have sufficient activity on the site (generally less than 60 games played)
you will be able to chat unless your post rating too low (see below.)
I have been muted and the reason stated is "Your post rating is too low. Please post more
productively in the forum." Why?
Due to excessive abuse of the chat functionality in For the Win! we have had
to disallow users with low post ratings from chatting. You will be able to chat once you have a
sufficient post rating. (Currently, the minimum post rating is set extremely low, so if
you are below this threshold you really should consider the kind of posts you are
posting in the forum.)
What are the commands that can be used in the Lobby of FTW?
/lastgame - Displays last game number. Cleared every time you log in.
/msg - Send private message to user.
/w - Send private message to user.
/whisper - Send private message to user.
/version - Display game version information.
/me - Do an action - this is that pretty blue text that you see.
/ignore - Ignore a user in chat. Ignores are reset the next time you load FTW.
What is the minimum time for a mute?
This depends on the type of mute. If the mute was based on votes from other
users, then the minimum is 24 hours. If the mute was set directly by a moderator
or an administrator, the minimum is 7 days for your first mute and 30 days
for subsequent mutes. If you accumulate more than three mutes from moderators
or administrators, expect your account to be banned.
Can I be a mod?
No.
Come on, I've been good, please let me be a mod!
No.
Why not? I've been good, I've never caused a problem.
No.
Can I use people's real names in chat?
No.
What about just their first name?
No.
What if the person's real name is part of their username, can I use real name then?
Yes.
The no names rules (or any other rule) is dumb. Please change it now!
Sorry you feel that way. We won't change it.
What should I do if I don't like the rules or can't follow them?
Go to another gaming or chat site or do something else entirely. Reacting negatively,
immaturely, or disrespectfully after being muted or banned due to being unable
to follow the rules will get your mute or ban extended and provide lots of negative
karma towards you by other users. Negative karma will accumulate until you are
decalred evil and thrown into a small Somalian jail cell.
I was muted/banned unfairly, what should I do?
Nearly all the complaints about unfair mutes or bans turn out to be
more than fair. Researching these complaints takes away from
the time AoPS staff has to work on other projects such as books,
working on the website, new developments, etc.
If you complain, lie, whatever, about the mute and after
research we find it was fair, we will extend your
mute indefinitely. In general, realize that life is not always
fair and just wait until the mute or ban has elapsed.
I was muted and didn't receive a warning first, what should I do?
You received your warning when you agreed to the Terms of Service.
You are reminded at login to read the Terms of Service regularly.
Thus you have been warned several times.
