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http://www.meeting-grounds.net/xwis-tmg/
Dear Player,
Welcome to The Meeting Grounds, the online representation of the Red Alert 2 and Yuri’s Revenge communities on GameRanger. This site is exactly what it says it is: a meeting grounds for all RA2 and YR players on GameRanger. It is our means to discuss issues of importance to us in an organized fashion; identify cheaters so that their wrongdoing becomes common knowledge, and suitable measures can be taken against them; the place where we organize friendly competitions; the home for a number of very exciting and popular in-house events; and our general community headquarters.
TMG for GameRanger is (with some notable differences) roughly analogous to what Strike-Team.net is for XWIS. This guide should help you get acquainted with how we go about our business around here, and how that relates to you as a guest or perhaps eventual member of our community.
XWIS could be considered a thoroughly competitive gaming experience, and to this end, your home server posesses a suitably robust and fit-for-purpose ladder which your administration strives to keep cheat-free as they best can. This is the main strength of your server. XWIS has consequently produced some of the most skilled players of these games in the world, and for this I applaud you. This also makes XWIS very valuable in the long-term, despite your community having seen better days.
GR on the other hand, has evolved into a community where comradeship, FFGing, fun, and friendly competition are paramount. We do have our share of skilled combatants who can be a match for some of your “pro” levelled players, (you are free to agree to disagree on this point if you feel otherwise), but we do not, as a whole, focus as much in perfecting our game skills as XWIS players. This could be for a number of reasons – in the interest of cordial relations between us, I will leave any strong opinions that could be maybe percieved as bordering on unfriendly, out of this article, and will stick to the facts. I politely request you do the same in any responses to this guide, or at least express your views in a non-confrontational fashion.
Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, but the point is, Strike-Team/XWIS and TMG/GR need not be incompatible. Both communities have their place in the Red Alert 2 and YR universe, and will continue to do so in times to come. As long as we accept the fact that we can co-exist, each community with its set of chosen priorities, then there is no reason why we should be rivals, nor must our agendas be mutually exclusive.
With this out of the way, I welcome you either as a guest or as a potential community member, and will now bring to your attention some guidelines that will ensure your presence in TMG will be fruitful for both yourself and TMG/GR members you may interact with.
TMG as a Community
Due to our more laidback approach as a community, and while accepting the fact that wargames will always involve a certain level of competition that can ocassionally spill over into major arguments, no matter what server you play on, TMG has a much more “relaxed” atmosphere than XWIS.
Boasting matches are more rare, as are flame wars and major forum disputes. While I do not intend to offend, the fact is that XWIS players as a whole have earned themselves an infamous reputation for excessive competitiveness, for great hostility, and for incredible levels of negativity which, if left unchecked, “poison” everything which such players are involved in.
Large-scale arguing over who won some match multiple years ago? Never ending poison on forums?Death threats over an online game? Full blown cyberstalking and harrasment on a regular basis? These are some of the stories that have reached my ears.
You get the picture. This is not acceptable behaviour wherever TMG holds jurisdiction.
Some among the XWIS ranks (note I am NOT directing this to you personally, as in the current reader of this article) may come up with the old arguments; that it’s the Interwebz… that it’s because they are the “best”, and they are either vigourously defending their reputation, or exercising some god-given “right” of dominance over lesser skilled players, which gives them the right to treat players with less skill as they see fit.
This has nothing to do with skill levels, to be perfectly clear; you can perfectly be a good, pro or world-class player, respected among your fellows and admired by your peers, without such attitudes that cause damage to those around you, and in the end will also consume you. I speak from personal experience when I say that this is completely possible.
Please do not bother with any of that, we have heard it all before
Such players would benefit from the anonymity of the Internet to treat others poorly without provocation, using the game as an excuse to project their own insecurity onto others; they have costed you as a community a lot of good activity, and made you look less in the eyes of other groups and important individuals who would have otherwised faithfully served XWIS; and when confronted with these issues, these players are the first to say, in no uncertain terms, that the people they have harrassed with impunity, are overreacting to what is simply a game, and being “childish” by reporting such behaviour.
To these people I would say: if it is a game indeed, then put your money where your mouth is, starting today; keep a lid on your real life fustrations, because we all have them and cope with them as men. Become as skilled as you like; but do not ever for a moment, believe you will be respected for this fact alone.
There is more to e-sports than raw skill, and there is more to respect than demanding it. I will not comment in stronger terms about what I think of such people, in the interest of keeping this article as non-confrontational as possible.
Let the following be now known to anyone who steps here:
TMG and GR will not submit to the rule, or influence, of such monumental arrogance and absurdity.
For those individuals who think low of this community (NOT directed to the reader or ST admins personally), please believe me when I say we think a great deal lower about you, and don’t much care what you may have to say about us. By all means feel free to ignore our existence, as we will yours.
TMG will not give a free rein to deeply troubled individuals, and give them implict consent to harrass, troll, and cause damage to the community and to their fellow players with impunity. Confrontational communication, while sometimes permissible, will only be tolerated to a certain point; when a certain line is crossed, perpetrators will be dealt with swiftly.
If you were previously such a person, then take your presence in TMG as your chance to reform, and participate in a more fruitful environment for yourself and others where you may play and participate, casually or seriously, free of negativity.
At very least, remember acting otherwise while in our territory will be sufficient grounds for permanent banning and long-term exclusion from any TMG-sponsored events.
TMG will do its best to promote fair play, harmony, and co-operation, as much as our technical limitations allow.
Hence, visitors are hereby presented with some guidelines when participating in the TMG site and forums.
GUIDELINES FOR INTERACTION ON MEETING-GROUNDS.NET
- You will never post death threats on TMG, on any pretext whatsoever; you will never threaten physical harm or real-life damage to another member, in any manner that could be interpreted as with serious intent; you will not engage in cyberstalking or cyberharrasment on TMG or using TMG for such purpose. These are the most serious “crimes” you can commit on TMG. Violation of any of this, upon discovery, is grounds for immediate and permanent banning depending on circumstance and severity, and if necessary, a follow up through relevant channels being made.
- You will not, under any circumstances, post content of a sexually obscene nature, both in terms of multimedia content, and posts directed at other players.
- Swearing is permissible, when included as a part of a general comment/statement. The forums are meant for over 13 year olds. Unless you are using truly vile eptithets, such content will not get you in trouble. Posting truly offensive words as a direct remark towards another community member, WILL bring you to the attention of the moderators. The exception to this is if you are talking to good friends with their consent; be aware however, that if your post is reported, we may take action regardless.
- You will address members of all skill levels, from the best players to the newbies, with respect, unless you have been disrespected to begin with. Even so, you will make an attempt not to bring game skill levels into the picture, and seek for a quick resolution to any serious-toned hostility. By default, you will address players of less skill than you as equals in terms of people and community members, even though you are superior on the battlefield. You will not be unduly patronizing, even if you train players. You may of course, claim credit to any contributions you make in a polite manner, however.
- You will make an attempt to be reasonably polite and courteous in general, while on TMG.
- You will not make bold, self-righteous boasts about your skills or yourself in an wild, uncontrolled fashion. This is not an ego problem at all; this is because such conversation, left unchecked, is often the root of a lot of problems in gaming communities. Striking the problem at the heart potentially eliminates a lot of ambivalence.
Lighthearted prodding is acceptable; stating what you percieve to be your skill level is acceptable; putting your views forward in a polite manner is acceptable. Examples below:
“Based on the number of games I have won so far versus a great number of players, I believe I am currently on top ten players in GameRanger. Time to catch up homies!”
“I do not think you currently have the skill needed to defeat me, PlayerX. You will have to train harder if you wish to take me on, on a more equal footing…”
“lol guys, clanX is seriously kicking butt out there right now! What happened with clanZ? You guys are getting pushed back again and again! Back to sparring for you guys lmao! Gotta pull yourselves together man.”
“The Allies are doing well this season. I see my efforts have paid off in helping us get to where we need to be. Do I get a medal for exceptional achievement lol?”
This is acceptable.
as opposed to
“you ****ing idiot. I own u and **** your mother. I’d do u up the *** if u was here. I just slapped u 5-0. You will never amount to anything in this game or in real life. You should kill yourself you ****, before ur parents kill themselves for having born u.”
“You fool, You will never win against me. I’ll keep humilating you until I drive you off GR”.
“lol Good job the Soviets have me on their side. This bunch of useless ****s were getting **ped before I signed up. OMG so many noobz these days, go kill ur selves u losers, nobody wants u here.”
“clanZ should get on their bike and *** back off home, u guys have lost your shit for real. ull never even come close to what we can do.”
This is not acceptable.
You getting the picture? See the difference?
- Unrestricted advertisement of XWIS events and activities on TMG is not currently permitted. Any already existing posts along these lines are extempt from this rule and will not be deleted, nor action taken against the authors whatsoever. Going forward, anyone who wishes to advertise XWIS related content on TMG must first agree with an administrator in advance.
- You are not recommended to participate in TMG while drunk or otherwise intoxicated, or under the the influence of other mind-altering substances. Things you do may be held against you on a future date regardless.
- Being an XWIS player can carry a certain stigma on places like TMG. Please realize due to this, you are under double the scrutiny while on TMG when compared to “native” players. Moderators are watching for any signs of unruly behaviour, until you have proven yourself to be worthy of our respect.
- In short, TMG will strive to remain free of what some perceive to be the “corruption” rife in the XWIS playerbase (not referring to the ST admin team by this). TMG will be a safe house for those who want to enjoy these games in a harmonious environment. Skill levels will be a matter left up to each player’s discretion.
And while I am in command here, any attempts to derail these efforts will be responded to in kind, by simply doing all in our power to exclude those responsible from all the features we currently offer, and the many more coming in the future, to our members.
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Thank you so much for reading this massive wall of text. I hope this has helped you understand us. I formally greet you in TMG and in the community. Enjoy your time on GR, and I hope our communities both have a bright future ahead!
Regards to the Strike-Team administration, and congratulations for the great job of keeping the servers open for such a long time, despite the odds. I wish you luck in your endeavours, and hope you feel the same way as regards TMG.
Yours,
LRTH
TMG FOUNDER AND WARDEN OF THE MEETING GROUNDS.
Seems as though he's only encountered the worst of the worst.
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Being an XWIS player can carry a certain stigma on places like TMG. Please realize due to this, you are under double the scrutiny while on TMG when compared to “native” players. Moderators are watching for any signs of unruly behaviour, until you have proven yourself to be worthy of our respect.
His post is mostly roses however he throws in a few (unnecessary) snide remarks just to remind us roses have thorns.
