[GUIDE] Fhearghus's forum guide for dummies

A new addition to my dummies series for the settlers online.
A simple guide with screenshots on how to use the forum,
includes: changing your profile, starting threads, posting in existing threads, responding with quotes,...

The forum on the settlers online seems like a weird place to most of our players, specially the newly arrived settlers.
And to be honest it's a bit confusing and poorly organized.
Still... it's a great place to find any kind of useful info about the game such as official game updates, guides, guild recruitment threads and contests
You just have to take some time to get used to it ;)

In the posts below you will find a simple explanation ( including screenshots ) on how to get the most out of our forum.
There will be a feedback thread for this guide so you can ask for additional info or post your remarks on the guide.
I hope you'll find it useful and it will help you to enjoy our community forum.

Please know that the name " dummies " is not meant to offend or insult any of the players and / or TSO-community
Just thought it as a fun name because of all the other " Dummies-guides " around the world which proven to be very helpful
to me in the past :)

Index

Profile & Edit your profile
Edit your profile picture
Change your avatar
Edit your signature
Profile privacy

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My Account
Edit email and password

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General settings
Login and Privacy
Messaging and notifications
Thread display options
Time and date options
Miscellaneous Options
Edit ignore list

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Networking
Miscellaneous

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Forum overview
Top control bar ( navigation bar )
News and Announcements
Town Hall
Community corner
World Forums

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Creating and replying to threads

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Feedback thread ( reply on here only )

Your forum profile

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When you want to visit your profile click your name or my profile top right of the forum page http://s2.postimg.org/604dm8vix/screenshot_19.png
This page will show your profile like anyone that visits your profile will see it.
On the left side you will find a white box that shows a quick menu " see screen shot 1 " and info " see screenshot 2 ".

The quick menu offers you 4 options : 1) send a private message , 2) view your user notes , 3) find all your posts , 4) find all your threads
and a overview of your activity and join date as well as your avatar picture.
You can click option 1 & 2 to send a new message or add a note as well as view the ones you already made before.
Option 3 & 4 will give you an overview of the the threads you started or the posts you added to a thread.

The info part will show you which friends ( on the forum ) groups , albums and permission groups you are connected to as well as the recent visitors on your page.
You can click on the names to visit either your groups , albums or visitors and friends page.

To edit your profile click your settings and scroll down to the 3rd white box on the left
http://s2.postimg.org/6r1p5rna1/screenshot_20.png

Let's have a look.

Click edit profile
You will end up with 2 boxes center to the right of your screen.
First box will look like this:

http://s2.postimg.org/rcggxo4ux/screenshot_21.png

It will show you your forum tittle ( not the new rank )
and you can add the most basic info and contact info ( date of birth, your personal website and some other communication means like msn, yahoo and skype )

The second box will look like this:

http://s2.postimg.org/mruaiql5l/screenshot_22.png

Here you can add or edit some additional personal and game info.
You can something about yourself, where you live, hobby's, line of work, which Settlers games you played before
and if you play in a guild and whats it called.
This is optional and you should only add the info you feel like sharing with your fellow settlers.

After you added / changed whatever you wished to change click " save changes " bottom of the screen
You can reset everything on this page by clicking " reset fields "
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Edit profile picture

When you click " edit profile picture " you will get this screen:

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You will see your current profile picture and bellow that 2 options of changing the picture.

Option 1: add a URL to an image you have stored online
Option 2: add an image with a direct upload of an image stored on your pc ( recommended )

Then click " save changes "

Note: this will be the picture that will be shown on your profile, not your avatar shown on your posts.

Change your avatar

When you click " edit avatar " you will get this screen:

http://s2.postimg.org/onh2tw9zt/screenshot_25.png

You will see the current avatar ( with an option to post without avatar )
and 2 options to add your own avatar

Option 1: add a URL to an image you stored online
Option 2: add an image you stored on your pc

Then click " save changes "

Note: if you would like to use the ingame avatars check : ingame avatars

Edit your signature

You can add a signature below each of your posts.
This can be a line of text, joke, image or a link to any TSO related page / website.
Keep in mind that this signature has to be according the forum rules ( pegi 7 )

When you click " edit signature " you will get this screen:

http://s2.postimg.org/5xp3d5h95/screenshot_27.png

You need to add the signature as text or BB-code.
BB-code is easy when you just use the option bar
Move your mouse over each option to see what it does or read the post explaning BB-code further in this guide.

http://s2.postimg.org/i0uf0psbd/screenshot_28.png

after that click " save signature "

Profile privacy

You can edit your privacy settings ( of your profile ) by clicking " profile privacy "
This will give you control of who can see your details, albums ....
Set them that way that makes you feel comfortable.

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After you set your privacy settings click " save "

My account

Moving on to the " my account " box on your left.
You'll find 3 possible options to control or alter your account.

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You will be able to change the way your account works and set preferences as they work best for you.

1) Edit e-mail and password

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To edit or change your current e-mail or password start with entering your current password.
You can then continue in the box below to set a new password and ( optional ) a new e-mail account.
Save your changes by clicking " save changes " below.
Be careful using this, you might lose track of which password you are using if you change it to often ;)

2) General settings

The general settings are divided in 5 sub categories.

2.1 Login and Privacy: settings on how to be logged in and protect your account info

2.2 Messaging and Notification: settings for receiving, sending messages and receiving notifications on your activity

2.3 Thread Display Options: settings on how your threads and posts are displayed and how you see other threads

2.4 Date and Time Options: settings to change your / other threads timezone view

2.5 Miscellaneous Options: settings for editing, uploading and language

These settings will allow you to change everything from login to display of threads , timezone , ....
Make sure you check everything at least twice before saving.

2.1 Login and privacy

http://s2.postimg.org/mf7hqas9l/edit...d_password.png

You can select ' invisible mode " to browse the forum without appearing visible in the active user list.
this will prevent other players from seeing you are currently active on the forum.
You can allow other users to download a vcard with your used e-mail + username.
If you prefer to keep your e-mail private click " don't allow vcard download ".

2.2 messaging and notification

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This part of the settings is meant to allow you to chose what notifications you receive, who you would like to mail you, ...
You can select if you would like to receive a private notification if anyone replies to any of your threads or posts.
You can select the option to receive a email ( on the email account you used in your profile ) as notification if anyone replies to any of your threads or posts.
You can select to save any of your sent messages and the replies to it so you can keep track of anything important discussed in mail.
You can select to get a notification if someone quotes you in their post.
You can select to get a notification if someone visits your profile page ( the page itself only shows the last visitors, so if you get many visitors this might come in handy ).

2.3 Thread Display Options

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Select the options to show / hide your forum signature, avatar and images.
Select how you see threads ( old to new , new to old )
Select the number of post shown per page.
Select which threads stay visible and how long.

2.4 Date and Time Options

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You can select the time stamp of your posts by selecting the timezone here, this means you can either select your own timezone or set it to UK-server time ( GMT ).
Note: there is a forum issue where automatically detect DST settings will fail, so if you see that your local time is incorrect it is possible you need to set this manually everytime DST changes

You can select the start of your week by selecting the day you prefer.

2.5 Miscellaneous Options

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Here you can select your editing options on how to post messages on the forum.
You'll find the option to change the ability to attachment uploads.
You can select your preferred language settings.

Note: keep your settings basic if you are not used working with more advanced options.

3) edit ignore list

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If for any reason you need / want to ignore a user ( making him/her unable to contact you )
you can use this function to add any user name and click " okay "

Note: this will not work on moderators or bluebite staff ( community manager, gamemaster )

Networking

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Networking has 2 options for you to select.
1) friends and contacts
2) event reminders

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Add a username here to add as contact / friend.

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Get a list of the events you selected a reminder for here.

Miscellaneous

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Here you can find ( if any ) your list of attachments.

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Forum overview

Now that you finished setting up your account ( profile ) and settings to your preference, lets have a look at what the forum looks like.

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As you can see it's kind of a big place.
Lots of area's with space for almost everything related to settlers.
The forum on thesettlersonline.com provides space for the 3 UK servers.
Most areas and sections are for all 3 of them, but there is also a server based section that allows players to discuss topics
that are only related to the players on their server ( guild recruitment, discussions and marketplace ).
As the guide continues you will be able to find every thread, the correct place for your " new " thread, the rules on our forum
and how to create / remove / update threads, posts you made.
it's important you read up on our forum rules before creating a thread ( this forum is moderated ) as it will save you lots of work
to alter / delete / move anything you posted.

Note: GUILD RECRUITMENT posts can only be posted in " world forums " under your specified server and only 1 thread per guild is allowed.

Top control bar

The top control bar ( navigation bar ) allows you to quickly move to the requested info ( thread ).

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It's divided in 7 menus and provides you with a search bar with advanced search option.

1) New posts: click this menu to get a list of all the latest posts on the forum.
2) Private messages: click this menu to go to your inbox / outbox menu on your profile page ( you need to be logged in ).
3) FAQ: click this menu to go the frequently asked questions page, where you have the option to select out of 3 menus or use the search option to find an answer to your question ( see image below ).

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4) Calendar: click this menu to see birthdays, ... and other marked events of our community and the game ( calendar can be set to day, week, month, year )
5) Community: click this menu and select one of the 4 drop down menus in the list ( see image ) which will take you to your friendslist, group, album or the members list on our forum where you can find other players ( for example to add as friend ).

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6) Forum actions: click this menu and select one of the 3 drop down menus in the list ( see image ) to select to mark the forum read, go to your profile or go to your settings page. ( if you mark the forum read, no new posts will be shown till that point )

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7) Quick links: click this menu and select one of the 4 drop down menus in the list ( see image ) to go to forum leader list, contacts, subscribed threads list or to see who is online at that time.

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You can also use the search bar top right.
Type in a name, thread, part of a thread and click the magnifying glass or press enter.
You can also select the advanced search option ( see image ) and add more detailed info in your search.

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News and Announcements

First section of our forum.
The news and announcements section has 5 sub sections and is meant to keep you up to date on everything about the game.
You can find our forum, game and chat rules there and read all new announcements like the dev diaries, updates and game news.
It will provide you with news on limited offers and all news from the homepage can be read in detail here.
Maintenance and change log information can also be found here.

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Town Hall

Your town hall, the most used and player based knowledge section of the game.
As you know, players are the true wise men and/or woman of this game.
When it comes to adventuring, economics,... it's your fellow settlers you can rely on to provide you
with a lot of useful tips and help about the game.
The town hall is where they hang out, share thoughts and offer you guides and help on anything you need to know about settlers-online.
The town hall is divided in 6 sub sections, some of those having their own sub forums in it ( Guides and library )

1) General discussion: a place where you can post about anything TSO related, ask questions,... ( you can NOT post recruitment threads, bugs, guides or suggestions here )

2) Bugs & Technical Issues: here you can post a problem, bug you experience when playing the game. ( please read the existing threads and post into the correct thread that holds your issue before creating a new thread )

3) Game Suggestions: here you post any suggestions you think will improve the game for you and others ( remember that this is a pegi-7 game and all suggestions need to stay within our game rules ).

4) News feedback: here you can reply to any news posted in news and announcements, the official threads are closed but provide you a feedback thread which you can find here.

5) Guides: this section is divided into 2 sections, Game guides and Adventure guides, you can read up or post your own guides ( please read up on what type of guide you are making before posting it. )

6) The Great Settler Library: here you can read up on every building, unit type, .... and many more available in the game. ( easy divided into different sections for an easy search to what you are looking for. )

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Community corner

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The " relax " spot on our forum.
Divided into sub sections where you can post game related art, enter competitions, make a wish in the wishing well or have a random
of topic coversation with other settlers ( of topic conversations still need to stay within the pegi-7 rules of our forum.

World Forums

In this section, the sub sections are divided by server.
We have 3 servers in UK settler land, Newfoundland, Northisle and Sandycove.
These all have their own discussion areas, marketplaces and Guild Recruitment threads.
You can look in your browser tab to know what server ( realm ) you are playing.

http://s2.postimg.org/c48x2v4pl/screenshot_62.png

Make sure you select the correct thread and server before posting a guild recruitment thread for your guild.
Also, follow the rules of recruiting players.

1) add name and guild tag to your thread tittle
2) 1 thread per guild is allowed
3) Threads must be posted in English ( forum rules )

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Creating and replying to threads

1) Create a thread:

Once you decided a topic and searched for the correct section, you can create your own thread.
Below i will try to show you what the icons mean and what use they have.

To start... click the " post new thread " icon in the section you want to add your thread.

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That will open up this screen:

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Step 1: add the tittle of your thread

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Step 2: create the thread post

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You can add any text, image, link, ... into your first thread post here.
If it's going to be a longer thread ( example: guide, ... ) this will be the introduction post, 1st post where you can explain the purpose, add a index,...
If it's going to be a thread with only one post ( example: a question where you wish others to answer you... you can just add text and if needed a screenshot as further info )

In the 1st row you can select to switch of formatting, what font you want to use, the size of the text, the color of the text, emoticons, insert attachments and to undo / redo recent changes made to the post.

http://s2.postimg.org/vwb325g9l/screenshot_70.png

In the 2nd row you can select bold, underlined, ... text, how to align text, ordered or unordered list, decrease or increase indent, add / remove links, add e-mail links, add images, insert video, quote or code selected text, HTML or PHP selected text.

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On the right side you can find most used emoticons which include the ingame troop icons

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Below your text box you can find the " post icons "

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And below that, you can add tags to your thread.

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You can use all these features to create your thread and once that is done, you can select the additional options which will help you keep track of your thread, you can choose to show your signature, manage your attachments.

For a more detailed view on how to use BB-code have a look at Jamdoggy's Guide for BB-code

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To keep track of what happens in your thread, subscribe to it and select the way you wish to be kept updated about its activity.

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2) reply to a thread

To reply to a thread is a bit more easy.
You can select " quick reply " or " reply with quote " or " multi quote " below the last post in the thread you want to reply to.

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Type in your response and click " post reply "
You can also add images and ... as explained in " create a thread " .

Note: If you feel that someones reply, post or thread is not appropriate, against the forum rules you can click the report icon bottom left of that post.

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This will bring you to this screen:

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You type in the reason of your report and a moderator or admin on this forum will be alerted.

Note: False reports will be considered as harassment and will result in a sanction by an admin or moderator.