The unOFFICIAL #FFML FAQ! V2.0 1/26/2000 By VincentValintine agover@xoommail.com --------------------------------- Contents: 1.) Intro 2.) Basic Training a.) What is the FFML? b.) How do I get to #ffml? c.) What does @ in front of someones name mean? d.) What are some basic IRC commands? e.) An IRC term glossary. f.) How can I get Ops? 3.) Intermediate Training a.) What are the channel rules? b.) Who are the channel regulars? c.) Intermediate IRC commands d.) Some OP commands. 4.) Advanced Training a.) What is the difference between AOPs and SOPs? b.) What is a "founder"? c.) Some SOP commands. 5.) Miscellaneous a.) Other Questions... b.) Pages to visit. c.) Thanks d.) Update History 6.) TETRINET!!! a.) What is tetrinet? b.) Where can I get it? c.) What is the FFTheme? d.) Why can't I see any graphics? e.) How do I connect to a server? f.) How do I run a server? 7.) ~~Fin~~ 1.) Intro: Hi! This is the #ffml FAQ. Hopefully, you will find it informative! This FAQ is written for people on the list and off who aren't knowlegably about IRC, but want to join in the madness! Note: All of the commands here are witten with the DALnet IRC network in mind. Some IRC networks may not support all the commands listed here. 2.) Basic Training a.) What is the FFML? Well, the FFML is an email mailing list, consisiting of many members. The focus of this list is the Final Fantasy series of video games, but We also talk about a lot of other things! To join the list, go to http://www.onelist.com . You have to register, but its free! #ffml, on the other hand is the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel for list members and non-list-members who like Role-Playing Games (RPGs). b.) How do I get to #ffml? First you need some IRC software. I, myself, prefer mIRC. You can get this software at http://www.mirc.com . In Europe, try http://www.mirc.co.uk .You need to install the software, which is fairly easy, so I wont go into detail here. Then, run the software, and configure it accordingly, which is also fairly self-explanitory. If you need help, just ask me or any other list member. Next, you need to type "/server irc.dal.net 6666" without the quote marks, and hit enter. Once connected (You'll know), type "/join #ffml" and you are on the channel! c.) What does @ in front of someones name mean? It means that they are an "Op", short for operator. They can change the channel topic, Give ops to other individuals, and forcibly remove you from the channel, and even ban you, which keeps you from coming back. These people are all list members, and it is their job to enforce the channel rules. There are two types of Ops, AOPs and SOPs, which I will get into later. d.) What are some basic IRC commands? Here are some good ones. /join #channel Joins a channel. /part #channel Leaves a channel. /msg name "your message here" Sends a private message to a person. /nick newname Changes your name to whatever is at newname. /me (actions) Performs an "Action." Example: I type /me jumps up and says Boo! and * VincentValintine jumps up and says Boo! will appear on the screen. /msg nickserv help Gets you more help on how to use Nickserv, which lets you register nicknames, ensuring no one else can use them. /msg chanserv help Gets you help on chanserv, which helps with channel-related things. /msg memoserv help The most useful of the servs, it lets you send a short memo to anyone else with a registered nick. /ignore nick Adds nick to your ignore list. No text from that person gets through to you. No /msg's, no channel, nothing. Ignoring SOPs and AOPs is a bad idea, by the way. /quit "quitmessage" Quit IRC. Disconnects you from the server, and will display your quit message. e.) An #ffml term glossary. AOP: An Auto-OP. Someone who is automatically Op-ed when they join. AKICK: To have chanserv K/B a person automatically upon entering the channel. Used only in extreme cases. This can only be set by SOPs. Away: Someone who is connected, but not necessiarily at the computer. As pokey pointed out (no pun intended :> ), Awayness is not the same as idling. Ban: To be prevented from entering a channel. See kick. Bot: An automated response system, often used to moderate channels. Chaos is a prime example of this. Wait, you mean Chaos isn't a bot? Oh, nevermind then. :D Channel: A "Chat Room". Channel names always start with # DALnet: The IRC network that #ffml is on. DCOAS: Dead Cat On A Stick. DruidKaitlins trademark weapon. DCC: A method of sending files over IRC. DiGiTaL: A script for mIRC that automates several things (I don't Know what, I don't use it! Someone tell me, please!) Elite: Acting like you are better than everyone else. Flame: To roast, insult, lambaste, and generally harass someone. Don't. Flood: To fill the screen with useless junk. Founder: The owner(s) of an IRC channel. Fserve: A bot that sends files on demand. : Stands for "Im grinning at the witty comment that preceded this." Fairly obsolete. Ghost: A Nickserv command that can kill a nick who has been disconnected. haxorspeak: Trying to be cool by typing like this: "I 4m 4|\| 31337 |-|/\><()R." (I am an eleet haxor). This generally is irritating. he he your gay: Don't Ask. Idle: To be connected to IRC, but not do anything, or even be paying attention. IRCop: An OP for the entire DALnet network. Japanese: The 2nd language of #ffml. See below. Jigsaw: A script which has caused many problems in #ffml. Use at your own risk. See also Spam. K/B: Kick/Ban. See Kick, Ban. Kick: To be forcibly removed from a channel. see Ban. Kill: Like a kick, but from an entire DALnet server. K-Line: Like a Ban, but from the entire DALnet network. Lag: Also known as latency. How long it takes for you text to reach everyone else. Lamer: A person who is consistantly annoying. Moderated: A channel where only ops and people who have been voiced (They have a + in front of their name) can chat. MP3: A sound file format. Nick: Your IRC name. Nuke: To use a program which is purposely designed to crash another users computer. This is not only grounds for AKICKING you from the channel, it is also grounds for getting you K-Lined from the server. N64: The Nintendo 64 system. Op: Channel operator. Previously explained. Opbegging: Annoyingly asking, requesting, demanding, Hinting, or otherwise annoucing that you want ops. Especially when they have been deliberately denied to you. Own: To rock. Example "Pok‚mon owns!" Ping: A command which can tell you how lagged you are. pr0n: A euphemism for Pornography. PSX: Short for PlayStation (Don't ask about the X.) reg, regged: Short for register. Regular: Someone who is on IRC a lot. Spam: Unwanted /msg's, floods, or email. SOP: Super OP. They can Give and Remove AOP status, set AKICKs, and sticky topics as well. Spoiler: Unwanted information about the details of a videogame, book, or movie. Smiley: Also known as emoticons. Some useful ones: :) Happy :( Sad :| Even :P Tounge stuck out o_o Wide-eyed O_o Raised Eyebrow O_O Whoa! =^_^= Moogle ^_^ Smirk >:) Evil Grin >:( Anger ;) wink -_- asleep x_x Asleep/Dead/Drunk $_$ Greedy ~_^ Wink ;_; Crying >_< Cartman *_* Starry-Eyed Wonder Acronymns: LOL: Laughing out Loud ROTFL: Rolling on the Floor Laughing ROTFLMAO: Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off. BRB: Be Right Back AFK: Away from keyboard IRL: In Real Life (As opposed to on the internet) WTF: Who/Where/What/Why the Fuck (as in "WTF did I do?", "WTF are you?") BFD: Big Fucking Deal uNF: The universal sign that sex is occuring. TLA: Three-Letter Acronymn PEBCAK: Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard. Common Lab Tech complaint. Also, ID10T problem: "Hey, Bob, Ed's got an ID-ten-T on his computer!" (Said in front of Ed.) ETLA: Extended Three-Letter Acrnymn BBL: Be Back Later BBIAB: Be Back In a Bit L8R: Later RTFM: Read the fucking manual PPL: People DCOAS: Dead Cat On A Stick DYP: Drop Your Pants IIRC: If I Remember Correctly IMO: In my oppinion IMHO: In my humble oppinion. Japanese Words: Anime: Japanese cartoons. Usually more realistic than american ones. Bishounen: "Pretty Boy." Ecchi: "Dirty" Slightly naughty stuff Hentai: "Pervert" Extremely naughty stuff Kawaii: "Cute" Ninja: A Japanese spy and assassin. Contrast Samurai. Samurai: A Japanese warrior, very honorable. Similar to english Knights. Contrast Ninja. Game Name Abbreviations: SD: Seiken Densetsu (Japanese name for the Secret of Mana series.) SoM: Secret of Mana SoE: Secret of Evermore. FF: Final Fantasy FFT: Final Fantasy Tactics DW: Dragon Warrior BoF: Breath of Fire CT: Chrono Trigger SF: Street Fighter SGF: SaGa Frontier ToD: Tales of Destiny MGS: Metal Gear Solid MK: Mortal Kombat Z64: Zelda 64 XG: Xenogears f.) How Can I get Ops? Join the mailing list. 3.) Intermediate Training a.) What are the channel rules? The rules are as follows: ----------------- Try to get along, Okay? This IRC channel is supposed to be FUN, not some hyper-totalitarian regime! These rules were created to keep things going smoothly. These rules are not set in stone, so you may sometimes see minor violations of them. 1.) Don't be abusive to your fellow IRC Chatter. don't call them names, flame, or /kick, unless its understood that you're joking. 2.) No constant bickering. Bickering is different from general debate in that bickering usually has only a small part of the channel involved, and usually continued after all logical arguments have been discarded in favor of obcenities. This really tends to annoy the people who are just trying to chat. 3.) If you don't have AOPs, don't beg for ops. Begging includes asking, requesting, demanding, or indication that you would like to have ops. If you deserve ops, you'll get 'em. 4.) Try to keep debates intelligent. One informed statement is worth 1,000 "Sux/Rools." 5.) Don't spam. Spam is UNWANTED masses of text, oftentimes from scripts. If you decide to turn on your "8 ball" script, and people ask you to turn it off, please do. However, if everybody is having fun with it, then its okay! 6.) No Porn. This means, dont get explicitly pornographic IN THE CHANNEL. Do it in message. However, we are pretty leinient concerning this, Just try not to push your luck too far. If people start telling you to be quiet, please do. 7.) No wordkicks. No scripts that kick people because they say certain words. Very annoying. 8.) No excessive swearing. Its all fine and dandy to swear, its just a good idea not to use fuck, shit, or asshole as every third word. 9.) Don't dredge up old issues. If we've just quieted down from a religion debate when you join, don't bring it back up again. 10.) Be respectful of others oppinions. If someone likes a certain game/movie /band, don't diss it out of hand every time it gets mentioned just to piss them off. 11.) No annoying away messages. Keep it to one line, little-to-no colors, no ascii art, and on a 5 to 10 minute timer. Please. 12.) Be polite, even if you disagree. If someone asks you to do something, reply "Why, may I ask?" not "Screw you!" Same goes in the reverse. If someone is bugging you somehow, please say "Could you please stop it?" as opposed to "Quit it, dickweed!" Things will go a lot better if you do. 13.) Be respectful of others topics and bans. If someone sets a topic for a reason, such as to advertise their newly updated homepage, add on to the end, rather than deleting theirs. If someone sets a ban against a person, Let them unban them or wait until it runs out, unless its a ban that was mean, or part of a some sort of an intra-channel squabble. There is some argument that this contradicts rule one. It doesn't. We mean to say: Don't use bans unless you have to, but once someone does, you need to respect that." 14.) Spoilers are a HUGE no-no. The accepted time before a game is considered fair to talk about in detail is six months, but always ask before you spoil start to talk in detail, because we are not rich people, and some times it takes us a while to buy games. Examples: Spoiler: Have you guys gotten to Zeromus yet? I need help! Non-spoiler: Has anyone gotten to the last boss of FF2 yet? I need help? Spoiler: Did you guys see Aeris die yet? Non-Spoiler: Have you guys finished the end of FF7's disc one yet? But first ask, "Can I ask a question about (game name)?" If people respond "Don't spoil it!" then be careful. This is one of the most important rules on #ffml. People will get VERY angry if you spoil games for them. You have been warned. 15.) Finally, remember, there is an /ignore command. These rules function more as protocol, and will be more referred to when asking you to cease acting in a certain manner rather than enforced with kicks and bans, unless the situation becomes desparate. b.) Who are the channel regulars? SOPS: Hal Current owner of the channel. Sieg Hal! Sha-dow The one and only shadow. Chaos28 Rabid Nintendo Fan, but otherwise he wouldn't make a bad pet. :) Drugga The second most Sex-Crazed person on the list. Raven Dunno much about him. DruidKatilin Owner of the list. Great Artist. Major Babe. VincentValintine Yours truly. I love RPG's, Nine Inch Nails, Terry Goodkind novels, and IRC. And Tetrinet. :D AOPS: JohnMog Leader of the "Always Forgotten FFML Members." RJAdamocy he he, he's... oh never mind. JCato Creator of the seldom-updated-but-otherwise-good "Cato's Page of Squaresoft Glee." Melonhead Master of Pirated PSX games and Tetrinet. Schala Our resident lemon writer. Grimp The strong, silent type. LadyCato Resident babe. Mabis One of the nicest people on IRC. Kupex Doesn't come on much, but fun to be around when he does. LelandMcKenzie Nice guy, no hentai-chat around him though. frosty He's Serious! Tojo-Mojo Master Dragon Warrior Defender and propaganda hater Spacecat I'll explain him with a quote from him: "That reminds me, once I was sent an ad for a porn site that claimed to have beastiality pictures with fish!" SkyAnimal Writer, Sexist Chauvanist Pig, and channel Man-Whore. AdamThomas Hi! I like shorts because they're cofortable and easy to wear! SailorLocke Back from retirement for his tour of a lifetime! IF IVE FORGOTTEN YOU, OR MISTAKENLY PUT YOU UNDER AOPS INSTEAD OF SOPS, PLEASE TELL ME! YOUR NAME WILL ONLY BE HERE IF I'VE SEEN YOU RECENTLY, SO REFRESH ME! c.) Intermediate IRC commands [These are for ops] /kick #channel nick kicks nick from #channel /mode #channel +o nick Ops nick in #channel /mode #channel -o nick deops nick in #channel /mode #channel +b nick bans nick from #channel /mode #channel -b nick unbans nick from #channel /topic #channel yourtopic sets the topic of #channel to yourtopic 4.) Advanced Training a.) What are the differences between SOPs and AOPs? AOPs are your run-of-the-mill OPs, while SOPs have several powers AOPs do not. SOPs can AKICK, add and remove AOPs, and set sticky topics. They moderate the AOPs just as the AOPs moderate the Non-Ops. The founder selects SOPs as people he trusts to maintain the channel in his or her absence. Begging for SOPs is the fastest way not to get them. b.) What is a founder? He selects SOPs. He has all the power of Sops, plus some really Bad-Mojo ones I don't know about. (Care to fill me in, Drugga?) c.) Some SOP Commands /msg chanserv aop #channel add nick adds nick to the aop list of channel MAKE ABSOLUTLEY SURE THE NICK IS REGISTERD! /msg chanserv aop #channel del nick deletes nick from the aop list of channel /msg chanserv akick #channel add nick adds nick to the akick list of channel MAKE ABSOLUTLEY SURE THE NICK IS REGISTERD! /msg chanserv akick #channel del nick deletes nick from the akick list of channel 5.) Miscellanious a.) Other Questions... Q: What is "he he your gay"? A: Its an annoying little phrase started who knows where, and continued by some of the less intelligent members of the FFML. Q: Why do people keep saying "Ping Me"? A: Because they're lagged. This means that it is taking an inordinate amount of time for their messages to reach you, and vice versa. Q: What are some good DALnet servers to connect to? A: I usually get good connections to viper.dal.net, or hebron.dal.net stlouis.dal.net used to be good, but lately... sheesh. The best way to find out is to watch what server irc.dal.net routes you to most often, and then connect directly to it. Q: Why does everyone always forget me? A: Because you are unobtrusive. Consider a career in espionage. Q: Hey! That quotescript is cool! Where can I get one? A: I wrote the one that is in general use on #ffml. You can download it at http://members.xoom.com/agover/myscript.zip You have to unzip it into the mIRC directory, and restart mIRC to get it to work. Quote wisely. Q: Hey! No one is answering my question! What gives? A: Chances are, no one knows the answer. Don't keep asking. It's annoying. Q: People are doing stuff that is against the rules! Why aren't they kicked? A: I like to call this the gray area. If people are doing stuff forbidden by the rules, but nobody objects, than its okay. Q: What the hell is uNF? A: uNF is the general concept of sexual activity. Its very hard to pin down, because it is so versatile. It can be either a noun (Vince passes an uNF to Mog) or a verb (Vince uNF's chanserv). Q: Does Kupex hate me? A: No. Q: Are you sure? A: Yes. Q: What does "I wish you were queen, just for a day" have to do with Kait? A: Its a line from a Marilyn Manson song. I could tell you more, but then I'd have to shoot you. Q: Why does my nick keep getting changed to a Guest12345-type nick? A: Because some one else has already registered that nick with nickserv. Q: What do you think, in 100 words or less, of the Neo-Roman influence on german archetecture from World War 1 to World War 2? A: I don't know the answer, so I'll say "17". Q: Why did you write this FAQ? A: I wrote this FAQ for list members who wanted to get on IRC but didn't know how, as well as people not familliar with IRC commands and lingo, as well as non-members who wanted to know more. Q: Can I have SOPs? A: No. Q: I come on IRC, and my name isn't up there on the list! Why? A: Because I probably haven't seen you on IRC lately. Q: How long have YOU been here? A: Since May '98. Q: Why does everyone hate RPGamer? A: Their Answer: "Bacause they stole XXX from my page!!!" My Answer: Jealousy. Plain and Simple. Updated year 2000 answer: Because they're seriously starting to suck. b.) Pages to visit: Vincent's Page of Happy Thoughts http://happythoughts.8m.com My page. Enjoy. Next Generation Games and Anime http://www.ngga.com An import shop specializing in hard-to-find items. GameFAQs http://www.gamefaqs.com FAQ's on every game in existance. If you have any pages you think should be here, email me! c.) Thanks Pokey: For some useful suggestions DLE: For giving me SOPs Square: You know why. d.) Update history 2.0 Serious updating, realized that there hadn't been any updates for over a year. ^-^ 1.4: Added the tetrinet section and fixed some wording problems, added the definition of "Nuke", Changed some descriptions. 1.3: First version Im going to put on my homepage. 1.2, 1.1: MINOR revisions. 6.) TETRINET!!! Since its introduction a short time ago, tetrinet has become the driving obsession of #ffml. Its addictive, free, easy to understand, and It has very low system requirements, running fine on my 486/33 with 32 megs of RAM, and a 56k modem. I hear it also runs fine on computers with as little as 14.4 connections and 8 megs of RAM (as long as you aren't the server!) a.) What is tetrinet? Tetrinet is a program for Windows 95/98 that lets you play Tetris over the internet against up to five other people! Its reminicent of the old gameboy multiplayer tetris, with special attack blocks. Read the tetrinet.txt that comes with the game to find out more. b.) Where can I get it? You can download tetrinet at http://www.gamers.com/strategies/tetrinet/ Its about 400kb. c.) What is the FFTheme? The FFTheme is a Tetrinet theme that changes the graphics and sounds into ones from the Final Fantasy series. You can download it at http://members.xoom.com/agover/fftheme.zip You **MUST** create a subdirectory of the tetrinet directory called "fftheme" and unzip the fftheme.zip in that directory. For example, if your tetrinet directory is c:\tetris then the fftheme must be in the c:\tetris\fftheme directory. Then, in tetrinet, go into "Misc Settings" and load the ff.tnp as your new theme. d.) Why can't I see any graphics? This is the most common problem with tetrinet. You **MUST** unzip the file with the -d parameter. The -d parameter rebuilds all the directories back like they were when the file was zipped. You must do this, or else tetrinet will not know where to find the graphics or sound files. WinZIP users dont seem to have this problem, but if they do, they're on their own, as I *HATE* WinZIP. Learn DOS. e.) How do I connect to a server? First, you need to know their IP. Either have them tell you what it is, or use the DNS command. To do this in IRC, type /dns (nickname) and then look at your status window. Find the number that looks like 123.12.123.111 and copy that into the server IP slot under "Server IP". Then hit connect, and look at the partyline window. f.) How do I run a server? Go under server settings, set them to your liking, enter your nick in the space provided, and hit "Start Server." If you plan on serving a lot, you'll want to make it easier to tell people what your IP is. Open your alias window, and at the bottom of the list enter: /ip /say my IP is $ip and then go under file, and select "Save and Exit." Now, whenever you type /ip you will announce your IP to the channel. 7.) ~~FIN~~ Send questions, comments, gripes, additions, and all other messages to agover@xoommail.com Keep em coming! I want the pain! L8R!