Hello, and welcome to the new-and-improved-and-improved-again guide to AG. This improved-improved sticky has a table of contents section, which means you can locate a particular section by searching for it by number. Searching "5" on your computer, for example, will take you to the Merits section of this guide. You should try this, otherwise, it will take much scrolling to find what you want.

Table of Contents:

{1} What are the rules?
{2} What do to if I see someone breaking the rules?
{3} What if I'm being harassed?
{4} Who are the mods and admins? What do they do? How can I be one?
{5} What is a merit?
{6} How do I search for a thread?
{7} What is each forum for?
{8} Frequently-Asked Questions (Including Quests)
{9} Helpful threads
{10} Why we ban under-aged users
{11} All about HTML code

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{1}--So, what are the rules?--

The current ground rules can be found at the top of the page.
These rules are currently not entirely up to date and are subject to change, so it is preferred you keep an eye out for changes to be announced.
To add to the rules listed in above link, it is prohibited to post referral links on the site or using it for advertising, as per our Terms and Conditions, it is also preferred you do not include links to your own threads in other threads to gain more attention. This counts as advertising as well, and will cause the thread to be locked or deleted.

{2}--What can I if I see someone breaking the rules?--

Flagging: If you find spam posts or comments on the site, you are welcome to use the little red flag on the right side of the screen. This alerts the admins to the problematic comment, which will then proceed to be deleted.
Note that this system might take a while to get something done, which leads to the second option:
Report to a moderator: If you see someone harassing another user, spamming excessively or otherwise making a lot of trouble, you can report them to a moderator. This is done by visiting the moderator's profile and leaving a comment there including a link to the offending user's profile as well as a link to where this trouble is going on.
Usually one link is enough, but in case this is happening on several users' profile, it is preferred to give several links to get the whole picture of what is going on. If this is happening on your own profile, do not delete the comments before you have gotten a reply from a moderator, as you otherwise might remove evidence.

{3}--How should I behave if someone is harassing me?--

First of all, don't reply to them. If this is an argument that started escalating, stop replying. The less you are involved in the trouble, the better.

After that, you should report the user in question to a moderator, and they will mediate between you and the other user, if they find the problem to be solvable.

NOTE: It is important you do not involve yourself in other users' trouble. White-knighting* is not looked upon fondly and does nothing but escalate the problem. Instead, step back and report to a mod.

* From Urbandictionary: "On an internet forum, a person who defends a member who is clearly wrong, usually with the hopes of gaining brownie points with said member. Often seen as negative behaviour."

{4}--Who are the mods?--

The current moderators are listed here, though some might not be active at any point in time. It is often a good idea to check around the forums to get a view of who might be more active, or online when you need them.

--What does a mod do?--

Moderators can be considered the police of the site. They make sure everyone is following the rules, reward merits to game comments and delete spam in the forums and on the game comments. A more thorough list can be found on any moderator's profile.

--I want to be a mod, how do I do that?--

We have a handy thread for that right here.
To sum up, you need to be a good and respected member of the site, preferably older than 18 and have a good knowledge of the rules.
It is, however, recommended not to think too much about this and just enjoy the site and go about as usual, as trying too hard usually will mean the moderators does not feel right about working with you, and while the final-final decision on who to become a mod lies with the administrators, the final decision lies with the moderators. They have to work along side you, after all.

--Who are the admins and what do they do?--

The admins can also be found here.
These people are the staff of the site, and the ones working directly for ArmorGames. They take care of glitches, programming trouble and so on, while also being able to do the same things a moderator is able to. These are also the people responsible for permanent bans from the site, so such matters will have to be supported by them to prevent abuse of power.
A better explanation can be found on any administrator's profile.

--Wow, how do I become an admin?--

Currently it seems you have to be an employee of Armorgames for that. Here is the jobs description page:

{5}--Wait, what is a merit?--

Glad you asked.

A merit is a reward by a moderator. It is usually given for outstanding game comments or in certain contests like the Poetry contest or the Haiku contest found in the Art, Music and Writing section of this site. Most mods look for merit-worthy while cleaning spam from games, and while there might be a better chance of getting a merit on newer games, it should not stop you from reviewing other games as well. You might get lucky. There are several guides to writing merit worthy comments on the site, though you might need some digging to find them.
Remember, however, that merits are a reward, not a right.
Or to quote another mod:
"You do not write a merit. You write a review of the game, and maybe it will get rewarded with a merit."

{6} --I wanna search for threads easily. How can I do this?--

You can search for threads in the community by visiting this forum search:

{7}--A short guide to the sections--

Support Forum: Having an issue? Encounter a bug or a glitch while enjoying the site? Come here to ask/answer questions about such things!
Newcomers' section: A place for newcomers to introduce themselves and ask questions about the use of the site.
News, Feedback and Suggestions: The section for suggesting changes to the site, keeping updated on AG news and give your opinion as well.
Video Games: The place to discuss consoles, PCs, portables, smart-phones and any other device for gaming, and the games related to these. Do however note that discussions on flash games, like the games found on ArmorGames, does not go here.
Massive Multiplayer Online Games: Discuss all the MMOs here. If you need support for one of them, use the Support Forum.
Game Walkthroughs: Have a handy walkthrough for a game on AG? Put it here.
Flash Games: Discussions in this section involves any flash game on the internet.
Forum Games: This is where the little text based games go. "Rate the above -", RPGs and other games like these are welcome here.
World Events: The place for the more serious discussions relating to the real world.
Popular Media: Books, music, movies and anything related to these can be placed here.
The Tavern: The all-round forum section. If something does not fit in the other sections, it can be placed here.
Programming Help: Anything related to programming goes here, so if you need help with your game, you should check out this section.
Art Music and Writing: Post your own pictures, music or stories here. As long as it is done by you, it can be placed here.

Do remember to check out the stickied threads for the sections to see what is allowed and what is not.

{8}--Frequently asked questions--

--What are Quests?--

Quests are a brand new feature on AG. Playing certain games (on an ever-growing list) and doing certain things will achieve certain Quests. Once you complete a Quest, you get a badge on your profile reflecting which Quest you completed. More information can be found here, and a complete list of Quests currently available here

--How do I use the codes on this site?--

We have an amazing guide here for all around use, while image-posting is covered in this as well.
Always remember your codes need a beginning and an ending, and what comes in between will be what is displayed in the forums.

--Help! I need help to find a friend!--
No need to worry. If you know their username, you can insert it into this:
armorgames.com/user/PUT-NAME-HERE
This will take you to their profile. However, if you are not aware of what their username might be, we can only recommend you to go ask them, as there is currently no way to search for other criteria as such information is not stored or searchable.

If you need help to find friends in general, be active on the forums, and you might find someone that shares your interests.

--I come from -country-, I wonder if there are others from there?--
Most likely, though they might be hard to find.
While we don't recommend you making a thread asking about such user, some users might know one or another and can direct you at those.
Otherwise you can introduce yourself in the Newcomers section, while including your country, and someone might be able to help you out there.

--How do I add a friend?--

Go to their profile and press the white "Add Friend" button.
It is located at the top of the profile page.

--How do I fave a game?--

At the top of the game's page, there will be a line of several little icons. One of the will be a little heart with a green plus on it. This icon, when pressed, will add the game to your favourites.

How do I...
Get an email notification when someone leaves a comment on my profile?
Get an email notification when I get a merit?
Enable or disable my comments?

The answer is found in your control panel in the shape of several drop down menus. Select an option and save the change, and it should be done from that moment.

--How do I submit a game?--

You go here and fill out the requirements. Remember it has to be your own game.
If you want a game on the site that isn't here already, you can suggest it in this thread.

--How do I make a game?--

Check out the Programming Help section for good tips and to ask for advice.

--What are the rules on alternate accounts?--

One alt is allowed for each multiplayer game on the site for the purpose of clans or teams. Each alt must be linked in your main account  About(and the main must be linked in the alt account About) and close the comment. Furthermore, the alts must not interact with the rest of the Community. This is to ensure that no confusion arises as to who is who and the such.
Any alt made for a reason other than such shall be taken care of upon discovery, along with appropriate punishment doled out to the main account.

--Why was my thread locked?--

A thread can be locked for a variate of reasons. If there is no message from a mod in the locked thread, they might have placed a tag in the title instead, which will explain the lock:
[ans]: The thread has been answered.
[dup]: The thread is a duplicate to another thread.
[spam]: The thread has been spammed to the point where it can no longer be salvaged.
[OPspam]: The opening poster/creator of the thread spammed in creating the thread.
[req]: The creator of the thread has requested for it to be locked.
[necro]/[nec]: This thread has been inactive for too long, and someone posted in it regardless.
[old]: Same as above, the reviving post might just have had a point, though the thread is still too old to have around.
[caps]: WE DON'T LIKE YOU TALKING LIKE THIS.
[adv]: The thread contains advertisement for a site, video or anything such related, without any discussion. AG prohibits advertisement of any kind, referrals included.
[what]: Exactly what is says. The moderator that locked the thread has no words.
[No]: There is breaking the rules, and then there is breaking the rules. This tag is placed if someone is breaking the rules seriously and in such a way that a moderator has no words or patience to write out a proper message.
[sticky]: Question asked was answered in a sticky, and is likely directed towards it in a locking post.

{9}--Helpful threads--

THE HELP PAGE
Referral links are not allowed.
What does it take to become a moderator?
Friend related sticky
What is a merit?
Forum rules and guidelines
How to report.
BBcode guide

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Original Guide by Cenere; modified by Freakenstein, modimodified by Devoidless
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{10} --Why we ban underaged users (By Cormyn)--

The United States has a federal law that we must follow as an Internet business, that states we are not allowed to store any information about users under the age of 13 without parental consent.

Due to the sheer number of users we have on the site, trying to get parental consent from so many users would be an overwhelming task, so we opted for the easier route of saying that users under the age of 13 are not permitted to register an account on the site.

And because we don't want to dabble in international law either, we apply this rule to users from ALL countries, not just the United States.

If we find that you are underage, we are FORCED, by law, to disable your account right away. We can only re-enable your account if you send us valid proof of your birthdate with a note and signature from a parent or guardian.

If you want to use the Contact page to find out how you can send us this information, Justin can forward some information.

So here's the deal: if you admit to being underage, we can 'pause' your account until you turn 13. It will look and feel like a perma-ban because it uses the same controls, and your friends on the site will not have access to your profile any longer. However, once you send us proof of your 13th birthday, we can re-enable (un-ban) your account, and you can pick up where you left off.

However, if we disable your account, and you create an additional account to circumvent the ban, we will mark your old account to never be re-enabled/un-banned.

If your account has been shut off, and you have a question about why, you can contact us through the Contact page. Justin or I will get back to you as soon as we can to explain why.

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{11}--All About HTML Code (By Freakenstein)--
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If you have not already noticed, you will have come across user profiles and comments/forum posts with differing characteristics than what you're used to. The availability of this new feature is likely due to the previous two updates to the site undergone by the administration. The tags that are used in order to create these new characteristics are formed by HTML code. With HTML code, you can create large fonts, small fonts, strike-throughs, invisibles, and colors in every way imaginable. With HTML code, you can finally get the unique about page and individuality you've dreamed of!

So here are things you need to remember when faced with HTML ideals:

--Do not post HTML colors that are exact or similar to the font of a moderator or administrator (blue, green, and between). This is in line with the rule about impersonation, regardless of whether or not you were intent upon doing so. You should be familiar with this, because this rule has already been in place. Users will be warned then banned as usual.

--Do not post HTML tags that allow you to post images which contain content in violation of the rules. Treat this the same as you would in forum posts and comments. Reprimands vary on severity of image(s).

--Please do not make your font Galaxy Size and end up disfiguring the page. This disables buttons and links on your page such as the submit button on the text box and the Add Friend button. Messages containing BFG 9000 size font will be deleted and multiple messages found will result in warn/ban. Messages containing Apache Chief size font on the user page will be given a warning to take down the image, but if we can't even find the text box to warn you with, then we will warn you with a ban. User who do not take down the text on the about page a while after the first ban will be given another, leading up to a permanent if the user is very stubborn and intent upon keeping the Galactus text.

--Users who post in colors, bigger font, etc. on game pages intent on getting their comment noticed for a merit will be ignored.

--The HTML code can (probably) bypass the site censors. You know what happens when we find text with complete swearing.

--HTML that compromises the site and user's interaction with the site in general will be given a lengthy ban (and a permanent if continued without warning).