Welcome to the People and Players section of the OGS forums. This is where you'll seek out other players for games you like to play. Although a fantastic way to meet new people and expand your gaming horizons, there's still a few things you should know about how to use this forum.
I'm here, my welcome PM directed me to this section of the forums. What kind of topics will I find here?
DickChang's popular thread Gamer Finder will likely be your first stop if you're new to the forum. It's a simple thread thread in which members post information about themselves and their gaming career. Want to know what games one of our users plays? Want to know what characters he or she uses? Want this information to be adorned by a truly ludicrous number of animated sprites? This is your destination.
Similar are the numerous Player Tracker threads. These topics are game-specific, as noted in each thread's title. It's important for members to post in these threads for a number of reasons. Most obviously, doing so helps gamers have more fun in larger groups, and meet others who share common interests. This is the point of OGS! Just as important, however, is that The Administration uses these threads to gauge interest in the various games we have on offer. The more replies to a particular game's thread, the more events we'll run featuring that game! If you don't see a Player Finder for a game you like to play... make one! You'll find new competition, you'll find new friends, and you'll find your favorite game showing up at official OGS events.
I looked through some of these posts. Should I really be posting all of this personal information?
No, you should not. If you do, expect a PM to show up in your inbox explaining what to fix. We're in the process of cleaning things up right now in fact. Just as important as knowing what to post on these threads, is knowing what not to post. Many malicious programs these days, called "Spiders", attempt to compromise your privacy by simply crawling through the web looking for e-mail adressess and screen names. They may even be able to match your information to your real name if you put it all right next to each other. Do not compromise your security by placing all of your private information on a public forum. Our forum has tools to make our users easy to contact in a secure way. Look at the bottom of my post here. You should see four buttons that allow you to contact me just as easily as if I'd posted my information in the body of this post. However, since the text is not actually present, I don't have to worry about my inbox filling with spam once a web-crawl locates my e-mail address, or my AIM account being hijacked into a spam-engine.
By clicking on the tiny "profile" button at the very top-center of the forum display (just beneath the title of the forum) you will be wisked away to your own profile-editing space. Fill in as much of the "Contact field" section at the bottom as you can (and don't worry about your e-mail, we've already got it). Fill in the category above that, "Personalized profile" with information like where you live on (or near) campus, what your favorite games are, your hometown, age, etc. To allow members to contact you through e-mail, see the first option in the "prefrences" section under the "profile" button.
Forum members will still be able to contact you through PM, AIM, and any other information you've given the system. However, the forum will obfuscate this information to protect your privacy. Once you have filled in your profile (and set your e-mail contact preferences), you may post the other information in a Player Finder thread. It's okay to have your name, hometown, online handles, even your major written down in the post, as long as there's no e-mail address in sight. Below, post your player information pertinent to the game (favorite characters, levels, etc).
A great way to simplify handling your personal information is to simply make a link to your Facebook profile, where you've probably got your privacy settings set to what you want them to be. You'll notice that Facebook obscures your e-mail address against spiders by turning it into a picture. If you get a friend request from an OGS member, then congrats! You just made a new friend.
The Player Trackers are really useful! I found people to play [my favorite game ever] with. But how do I contact them without it being all weird?
It can be a daunting task to contact someone you've never met before, especially if it's not someone who expects you to contact them. They key thing to remember is that people post their info to the Player Trackers for certain games because they like playing those games. Although it can be weird to get a phone call from a total stranger saying "let's play some Halo 3: ODST, bro!", there's plenty of less awkward ways to make new gamer friends. Setting up a two-man playdate rarely ends well anyways.
The first thing to notice is that most people on this forum have provided their names, so why not send them a Facebook friend request? Mention that you're from OGS and like the same games he (or she) does. You can also add them to your friend list (on Xbox Live, PSN, Steam, etc.) if they provide some of their online handles. Join one of their "in progress" games and introduce yourself (while killing Blue Team, of course). Of course, you could just send them a PM or an e-mail, pointing yourself out and saying that you'll be at the next OGS event.
Remember the names of the people you've introduced yourself to, and actually meet them at the next event OGS hosts. Before you know it, you'll have expanded your gaming circle to the point where you'll never want for competition (or teammates) again!
Of course, feel free to disregard all that if the bunch of you just wanna start playing video games.
Did you just give me three paragraphs of dating tips? What the hell is wrong with you?
I know, right!? The important things are in the answer to the second question, just read that one.
Any other questions? Just ask by posting here!
I'm here, my welcome PM directed me to this section of the forums. What kind of topics will I find here?
DickChang's popular thread Gamer Finder will likely be your first stop if you're new to the forum. It's a simple thread thread in which members post information about themselves and their gaming career. Want to know what games one of our users plays? Want to know what characters he or she uses? Want this information to be adorned by a truly ludicrous number of animated sprites? This is your destination.
Similar are the numerous Player Tracker threads. These topics are game-specific, as noted in each thread's title. It's important for members to post in these threads for a number of reasons. Most obviously, doing so helps gamers have more fun in larger groups, and meet others who share common interests. This is the point of OGS! Just as important, however, is that The Administration uses these threads to gauge interest in the various games we have on offer. The more replies to a particular game's thread, the more events we'll run featuring that game! If you don't see a Player Finder for a game you like to play... make one! You'll find new competition, you'll find new friends, and you'll find your favorite game showing up at official OGS events.
I looked through some of these posts. Should I really be posting all of this personal information?
No, you should not. If you do, expect a PM to show up in your inbox explaining what to fix. We're in the process of cleaning things up right now in fact. Just as important as knowing what to post on these threads, is knowing what not to post. Many malicious programs these days, called "Spiders", attempt to compromise your privacy by simply crawling through the web looking for e-mail adressess and screen names. They may even be able to match your information to your real name if you put it all right next to each other. Do not compromise your security by placing all of your private information on a public forum. Our forum has tools to make our users easy to contact in a secure way. Look at the bottom of my post here. You should see four buttons that allow you to contact me just as easily as if I'd posted my information in the body of this post. However, since the text is not actually present, I don't have to worry about my inbox filling with spam once a web-crawl locates my e-mail address, or my AIM account being hijacked into a spam-engine.
By clicking on the tiny "profile" button at the very top-center of the forum display (just beneath the title of the forum) you will be wisked away to your own profile-editing space. Fill in as much of the "Contact field" section at the bottom as you can (and don't worry about your e-mail, we've already got it). Fill in the category above that, "Personalized profile" with information like where you live on (or near) campus, what your favorite games are, your hometown, age, etc. To allow members to contact you through e-mail, see the first option in the "prefrences" section under the "profile" button.
Forum members will still be able to contact you through PM, AIM, and any other information you've given the system. However, the forum will obfuscate this information to protect your privacy. Once you have filled in your profile (and set your e-mail contact preferences), you may post the other information in a Player Finder thread. It's okay to have your name, hometown, online handles, even your major written down in the post, as long as there's no e-mail address in sight. Below, post your player information pertinent to the game (favorite characters, levels, etc).
A great way to simplify handling your personal information is to simply make a link to your Facebook profile, where you've probably got your privacy settings set to what you want them to be. You'll notice that Facebook obscures your e-mail address against spiders by turning it into a picture. If you get a friend request from an OGS member, then congrats! You just made a new friend.
The Player Trackers are really useful! I found people to play [my favorite game ever] with. But how do I contact them without it being all weird?
It can be a daunting task to contact someone you've never met before, especially if it's not someone who expects you to contact them. They key thing to remember is that people post their info to the Player Trackers for certain games because they like playing those games. Although it can be weird to get a phone call from a total stranger saying "let's play some Halo 3: ODST, bro!", there's plenty of less awkward ways to make new gamer friends. Setting up a two-man playdate rarely ends well anyways.
The first thing to notice is that most people on this forum have provided their names, so why not send them a Facebook friend request? Mention that you're from OGS and like the same games he (or she) does. You can also add them to your friend list (on Xbox Live, PSN, Steam, etc.) if they provide some of their online handles. Join one of their "in progress" games and introduce yourself (while killing Blue Team, of course). Of course, you could just send them a PM or an e-mail, pointing yourself out and saying that you'll be at the next OGS event.
Remember the names of the people you've introduced yourself to, and actually meet them at the next event OGS hosts. Before you know it, you'll have expanded your gaming circle to the point where you'll never want for competition (or teammates) again!
Of course, feel free to disregard all that if the bunch of you just wanna start playing video games.
Did you just give me three paragraphs of dating tips? What the hell is wrong with you?
I know, right!? The important things are in the answer to the second question, just read that one.
Any other questions? Just ask by posting here!
