Forum FAQ. [LAST UPDATED ON 22-03-2020]
Old ® Games4theworld Forum / Archive :: Games4theworld News & Announcements :: Latest News / Announcements
Page 1 of 1 • Share
Forum FAQ. [LAST UPDATED ON 22-03-2020]
Please note that due to the Official Forum Closure the Forum Rules and Forum FAQ have become de-facto obsolete. If for whatever (nostalgic) reason you are still interested, just click on the orange questions below, in order to unfold the corresponding answers.
I. General information / Privacy Policy
- A (very) Brief History of Games4theworld:
- Most uploaders never add a clear readme file. After countless of hours of searching, reading comments and just experimenting, you may still have problems getting your downloads to work by yourself. That’s how Games4theworld was born. The reason we do this is because we often got frustrated when we couldn’t get a download to work.
We started learning from each other, and we decided to help other people with their download issues as well. That’s how Games4theworld kind of started. We made the torrents as noob-friendly as possible. If people still had problems with their downloads, they could contact Games4theworld through e-mail, and we would help them out. In the beginning we were not familiar with most of the problems, but as more problems are reported and more fixes are found, we started to get "the feeling". At some point Games4theworld started all over, due to accounts on torrent websites being removed for unknown reasons. Our original account on The PirateBay was removed without a reason too. This is where Games4theworld you know today started; this time even bigger than the first time. All torrents were repacked with new, better Installation Guides, and some other changes. A new team was formed too.
And look at us now: Games4theworld is today’s safest, most organized game and software torrent uploader on the internet, and the only group offering full support. Games4theworld’s goal is, and has always been ‘helping people’. Our main goal these days is to help people out and provide them with Downloads that are easy to install, just like it was back then. That does cost money, buying and maintaining equipment. But we are a non-profit foundation and we don’t earn anything doing this; it’s just for the fun. We all started as newbies those good old days, and we believe in helping today’s "noobs" with a spirit of kindness.
- I have seen G4TW-related news/information on [insert unrelated platform name here]:
- Note that you should only follow the official Games4theworld Forum and any other sites mentioned at the end of this FAQ ("Contact Form"). We are not affiliated with other Forums, websites, blogs, subreddits, Discord-servers, repackers, scene-groups, tumblrs/simblrs, YouTube-channels, etc.
Not everything posted on unrelated sites is automatically wrong of course, but you should still prefer first-hand information whenever possible.
- How can I support you guys:
- Feel free to stick around, contribute to discussions and recommend us to family/friends. If possible and risk-free for you, you could also help us seed our repacks. Since we are using various forms of adverts these days to help us finance the operating costs, you could also temporarily turn off your browser adblockers, maybe click on these download links and...endure the ads.
- I'm gonna tell all my friends & relatives, and post all over the internet about you:
- While we are glad to hear that you like our work, please try not to. Nobody on the G4TW team is running around posting on unrelated sites about G4TW, either. Most other websites tend to disapprove of that. If someone posted on G4TW here "[insert name of other group] is so totally awesome, a lot better than G4TW!", the message would likely be removed, or even result in a ban of the user. We ask all our followers, to be mindful when talking about us on unrelated platforms.
In the event someone would really approach us and complain about alleged "fans of G4TW spamming their platforms", we would just point to the disclaimer here and reply that we neither control our followers, nor encourage them to openly advertise us.
- Can I join the team of Games4theworld:
- We very rarely appoint new Helpers/Moderators, nowadays. We usually approach suitable community members, asking them to join us. If you want to go down this path as well: stick around, be friendly, help others, do not ask for any status (!), and you may get your chance one day.
- Can I donate to Games4theworld:
- Yes! There are a few different ways to do so. Note that donations are 100% voluntary and do NOT entail any special privileges, compared to people who do not donate.
Doing online surveys: (does not cost anything, except a bit of time!)
Paypal:
Cryptocurrency wallets: (n/a, to be added in the future possibly)
- Do you have a Privacy Policy:
- You can read about the general privacy policy and modify your choices regarding Forum cookies, here:
https://www.games4theworld.club/privacy
In addition, we make it an important part of our work on G4TW to take additional measures, with the aim of ensuring the privacy of our users and minimizing any risks ensuing from 'leaks' of personal information, whether accidental or deliberate. See the guidelines below:
Do not put an e-mail address, home address, phone number, IP-address, or some other obscene word as your Forum username when registering. We will just delete the account.
Due to the nature of the Forum and our work, we advise AGAINST choosing a username during registration that you - may - have already used on another Forum/Website/Blog/Subreddit/Discord-server/other social media site/etc.
Even though it seems to be very popular, especially with female users: we also advise AGAINST using a personal picture (of yourself and/or someone else), on your G4TW Forum profile. However, it is not absolutely forbidden, if you really want to.
Within limited bounds, we allow individual users to use available contact fields in their G4TW Forum profiles, to post their external account names (Facebook, Twitter, Steam, etc). Other than that, there are strict limitations which are detailed in the next part.
Unless otherwise stated, any and all information that can lead to (in)directly identifying a person in the real world will be censored, if posted directly in Forum messages, usernames, topic titles, signatures, avatars, any other pictures, video clips, or if otherwise submitted through a (download) hyperlink. Regardless of whether you claim it to be "your" information or "someone else's", and regardless of whether it is posted in part or as a whole. The listing below is non-exhaustive.
- first and/or especially second names
- home addresses
- pictures showing street names, house numbers, cars/license plates, other geographic "markers", etc.
- telephone numbers and/or area-country codes
- personal pictures/selfies (exception: they are posted as an account profile picture by the user themselves)
- VoIP account names/numbers
- personal e-mail addresses
- references to educational institutions & workplaces
- IP-addresses (IPv4 & IPv6)
- electronic device ID's & serial numbers
- any type of social media account names
- identification papers/documents
- social media group & chatroom invites (e.g. Discord)
- gaming client account IDs (Steam, Origin, Epic Games, XBOX Live, PSN, etc.)
- and any other information strictly at our own discretion
If you wish to share contact information with other users by means of Forum private messages it is allowed to do so (and ultimately up to you), but please understand that you do so at your own risk.
If somebody asks for a re-seed on a torrent or help through TeamViewer and you want to help out, we strongly recommend using a VPN service when doing so. In addition, we advise against using voice-chat in TeamViewer. We will not be held liable for any negative consequences you may otherwise encounter.
TeamViewer sessions provided by G4TW staff are only conducted upon the explicit request from a user, and at our own availability. It is up to the individual user whether or not they entrust G4TW staff (or any other person) in that matter. TeamViewer sessions can be stopped by the individual user anytime and without explanation, by simply moving the mouse and closing the TeamViewer program window.
The G4TW team will NEVER ask any user for any kind of information as per the above listing. Should random Forum users ask you for personal information or somehow want to engage in video/voice-chat with you, do NOT respond, and try alerting an Administrator.
II. General questions about the Downloads & Support
- Where can I find Games4theworld Downloads:
- Here:
https://www.games4theworld.club/t53-all-games4theworld-downloads
But you can also find an adverts-free selection of our - mostly older - work, here:
https://games4theworld.org/downloads
https://thepiratebay.org/user/Games4theworld
http://piratebayztemzmv.onion/user/Games4theworld (use the "TOR browser" to access!)
- Do you guys provide Support on releases from other sources than G4TW:
- We mainly focus on our own G4TW repacks. But if you need help with a download that you got elsewhere, feel free to open a topic, and we will still try our best to help you as well!
- I am new to all of this, how can I download this stuff:
- Read this guide here.
- Do you also have video guides about installing stuff:
- We may or may not add a couple of video guides to our new Games4theworldClub YouTube channel. Our own experiences in that regard are not particularly positive, however: all guides on our old YouTube channel were eventually taken down, even though they did not contain any references to, or violations of copyright-protected material; these video guides could have been applied to legally-purchased The Sims 3 games as well.
Due to the nature of our work it is just the way the cookie crumbles. What we could do instead, is to provide the video files of guides on platforms like MEGA or MediaFire, which you then can download and watch 'offline'. This is far less elegant than watching it on YouTube, but a much more pragmatic solution.
- When I try accessing a download-link on the Forum, I am re-directed to a 'Linkvertise'-page and/or my security software blocks your download links:
- For most of the links, we have deliberately added this form of advertising to help us cover part of the cost associated with hosting the Forum and other websites related to Games4theworld. Please temporarily disable your browser adblockers and/or configure exclusions in your anti-virus software. For a more detailed description please refer to the announcement here.
We are aware that this is very unpopular, but bear in mind that our activities are within in a legal grey area. Finding reliable sources of advertising revenue that are also "100% family-friendly", is difficult. Ultimately it is within your prerogative to disapprove of this policy, just as it is within your prerogative to simply move on and grab your Downloads and Support from other sources than Games4theworld.
Believe it or not, but running a platform like G4TW does cost (quite a bit of) money. Therefore a "friendly" reminder is in place: we do not condone messages or "guides" on explaining how to bypass these adverts; if these messages are posted on our Forums or other platforms under our control, they will be subject to moderation.
P.S. we also reserve the right to run contributions from non-G4TW team members, through the Linkvertise. Generally you cannot ask, nor expect any compensation from us (Forum Rule #13). If you don't approve of this, then simply don't post on G4TW.
- When I try accessing a download-link on the Forum, the Linkvertise logo just keeps spinning:
- The advertising agency utilizes "CloudFlare", and is online most of the time. However, there can still be downtimes on occasion. Please just try again, later.
- I torrented something from G4TW, and then got a warning letter/e-mail from my Internet Service Provider because of 'copyright violation':
- We are very sorry to hear that; it is a widespread practice that in countries such as the U.S.A., Canada, the UK, Germany or France...Internet Service Providers are closely monitoring certain types of internet traffic, and co-operating with copyright holders. In most cases these warning messages seem to be automated, and actual legal consequences tend to be rare. However, it is possible that your internet subscription is cancelled by the ISP, if you keep torrenting despite having been warned. It will be your responsibility in the first place to make certain arrangements. We can give you some general guidelines though:
Is it possible for you to switch your Internet Service Provider? Are there even Internet Service providers in your area/country that are more tolerant towards torrenting?
Many people use so-called VPNs for torrenting. These are services that have the capability to 'mask' your internet traffic in such a way as to make it either very difficult, or even impossible for your ISP to identify your torrenting activities. Remember to go for paid VPN subscriptions, as free VPNs virtually never work with torrents!
Make use of direct downloads, if available.
In general we don't recommend that you simply 'ignore' these warning letters by your ISP, unless you have made sure through your own research that there won't be any negative consequences. And even then, it is still possible that your ISP will just cancel your internet. Once you received such a warning from your ISP, do not use your home internet connection anymore for torrenting. Use a good VPN service instead, and torrent only from that VPN. If possible, try seeking the advice of a professional legal counsel (lawyer) on this matter, who is familiar with the legal situation on torrenting/copyright law, in your local community or country.
These ISP warning letters also tend to use various scare tactics, for example by prompting users to "delete any and all infringing materials". In reality however, nobody can see what is on your hard-drive, so you can actually keep using whatever you have already downloaded 100% through torrents. Just make sure to use a VPN for torrenting the next time, to avoid having your internet cancelled by your ISP.
- Can you recommend VPN services which support torrenting:
- We recommend paid subscriptions for ProtonVPN, OVPN, NordVPN, Windscribe, VPN.ac or PureVPN - and in no particular "order of preference". But these are only suggestions: as long as the basics of a good VPN provider are present (killswitch, DNS leak protection, no logs policy, privacy-friendly jurisdiction of the company's headquarters/servers), you should be fine with any VPN service. Do your research and choose wisely which VPN service you want to trust.
- What about free VPN services:
- We are aware that for many (or even most) of you, money is tight. But still: forget it.
Free VPNs are only suitable for surfing the web and bypassing region-locks of websites. So you connect to a specific country to be able to watch certain videos or access region-specific content.
We advise against using free VPNs for torrenting. Most of the time you simply won't be able to connect to other peers. But even if you can, don't expect much in terms of privacy, as their servers are usually lacking in modern safety standards. For example, they may "leak" your original IP-address, which totally defeats the point of using a VPN. Also, they tend to finance themselves by selling personal data. Remember the saying? "If you do not pay for a product, then YOU are the product".
Really good VPN servers with modern safety standards cost a lot of money to operate. VPN providers are fully aware of the fact that internet surveillance is becoming more and more common, even in so-called "Western Liberal DemocraciesTM". Therefore, they want to capitalize on these trends by offering certain features such as torrenting capabilities, only on paid plans.
One exception is Windscribe. Their free plan offers the same features as paid plans. Downside: you are limited to only 10GB of data per month. Apparently if you tweet about the company, the data can be increased to 15GB. That could be somewhat suitable for torrenting a few items. It's tight, but still a theoretical option if you cannot spend money on a paid plan.
The 10GB of data refill automatically on the subsequent month. And before you ask: no, unused data from the previous month does not "carry over" to the subsequent month.
- Are there direct downloads for your releases:
- We traditionally specialize in torrents because they cannot get taken down, and are more reliable in general. We do not have direct downloads (anymore).
- What is this "safelinking.net" website that shows up on some of your download links:
- This is not an advertising site; it is simply an URL shortener with the purpose of slowing down "copyright-report-bots".
- Do you also do Mac OS-games and software:
- We specialize in Windows (PC) releases only, for the time being at least.
- When will new G4TW games and software come out:
- We generally do not give specifics of G4TW releases in advance. One obvious reason is we tend to not create the actual items ourselves (and instead rely on 'scene-groups'). Another lesser obvious reason is that specific ETA's for example would theoretically give anti-piracy organizations a possibility to thwart or otherwise disrupt our work.
- Do you accept requests for new game releases:
- Nowadays we do not accept requests for new releases anymore.
- There are no seeders for some torrents:
- We are sorry to hear that, but check out the informational post here for possible solutions. Keep in mind that Re-Seed Requests have been suspended; feel free to check the download lists or announcements, for direct downloads.
- I caught myself a virus when downloading stuff from here:
- No, you didn't. If you downloaded an official G4TW-item from either the Forum thread or the old G4TW website, we can assure you that all items have been tested prior to release, and we can confirm they are safe to use. It is common that anti-virus software interferes with cracked games and software. See this article here for an explanation: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/false-positive
- Where do you get these downloads from/do you crack stuff:
- We are primarily a repacker-group using sources such as CDs/DVDs/gaming clients/etc. We include No-CD fixes that other "scene groups" have made and give fair credit to them whenever possible, and we provide Support on the G4TW Forums for the repacks. Some items which do not need a No-CD fix to run were provided by community members, some of whom are still active on the Forums. Other items - most notably the No-CD files for our The Sims 3 releases - were created by former staff members of G4TW.
- I have a DRM-free/cracked version of [insert something here], can I send you the files:
- Feel free to get in touch with a G4TW Administrator, preferably through e-mail. Note that we post new repacks only at our own discretion.
- How much money do you guys make from these Forum ads; I'm asking because ... [insert whatever reason here]:
- Don't hold your breath, because that information is classified. Posting about it in public is just bound to attract unwanted attention, regardless of "how much we make" in the end. There is one person who knows about it, and that is Head Admin ~Ann~. I don't think it would be wise if anybody else knew more details, and yes, that includes me as well.
III. Registration / Login / Forum Profile issues
- Do I have to create an account on the Forums, even if I just want to download something:
- No! On the Games4theworld Forums we do not 'require' any registration at all. ALL download links, discussion & general support-boards, the search functions, and tutorial-threads are accessible for you as a guest user, without the need for any registration. This has always been the tradition on G4TW, and we have no plans to do away with it.
You only need to register if you want to actually post something on the Forum, either when you need Support or if you just want to hang out and chat.
Many other Forums - with the aim of "seeking more potential Forum posters" and/or "giving themselves a lower profile by making warez download links only viewable for registered users" - require registration, before one can start downloading. Not so on G4TW! We believe that if someone genuinely wants to stick around they will do so anyways, and without us forcing them to create an account (that in 99.9% of such cases, they would not be using for more than just grabbing the downloads).
- Why do I have to fill in the field "favorite games" when I register an account here:
- The intention of this measure is to reduce the chance of spambots registering on here.
- I just registered an account, but I cannot log in:
- After you register on the Forum, you will receive an e-mail to the address that you provided during registration. This e-mail will include a link in it. Please make sure to click on that activation link within no longer than a month and a day, after registering on G4TW. Also check your spam-folder(s) for the e-mail. We will otherwise delete the account in order to free up available usernames and for efficiency of user management in general. If you ever happen to forget to activate your account, feel free to simply re-register.
In the event that your original username is not available anymore, because your registration got deleted after the activation deadline, then just use a variation of your original username.
When you're on the login-page, please make sure to type the correct username and password, and pay attention whether you might have put an empty space at the beginning of your username/pass.
Sometimes users put e-mail addresses or other obscene/offensive words in their account names. Note that the Forum Rules also apply to things like usernames, avatars, profile information, profile signatures, etc. And not just to public messages posted on the Forums.
We will just delete accounts with offensive or otherwise disallowed usernames. In certain cases we may allow the user a second chance, offering an alternative. If not, you are most welcome to try registering again with a neutral username.
- I get an error message saying "Information - you are not allowed to log on this Forum":
- That means you are trying to login with the TOR browser or otherwise through a TOR exit node, both of which are blocked here. If you feel the need for more anonymity, by all means try using another 'normal' VPN or proxy.
- Why do I need to provide both my username and e-mail address when I want to reset the password on the Forum's login-page:
- The current Forum software simply does not allow for any other ("easier"?) mode of resetting accounts.
- How do I change my profile settings/preferences:
- When I want to change my account's e-mail, I am prompted to "fill in all required fields":
- As an anti-spam measure, we have changed the settings such that new users have to fill in the fields "Operating system" and "Favorite games" when registering. Users who registered prior to this change can still log in and post. However, if they want to change anything about their profiles, they need to fill in those fields as well.
- How do I prevent my username from appearing in the "registered users online" listings:
- Click in the top right of the Forum where it says "Welcome (your username)". Then under Edit profile -> Preferences -> Hide my online status -> Yes -> Save. You will then become a so-called hidden user, and your username will not appear at the bottom of the Forum index under "Who is online/registered users", anymore.
Keep in mind though that users on your friend list as well as the Forum Administrators (users with either a red or dark green username color) will still be able to see your online status. Your username at the bottom of the Forum index will then appear in italics.
- I want to upload an avatar but I get an error message saying the file is too large or corrupted:
- The current avatar settings are such that the maximum image size of avatars is 240 x 240 pixels. The actual filesize must not exceed 64kb, which may be problematic especially if you are using a .png file. The filesize limit though can be bypassed if you go under your avatar control panel and choose the option "Link to an off-site avatar". Thereby you can use images hosted on external platforms like imgur, and those can be bigger than 64kb. However, even so, the image size still must not exceed 240 x 240 px.
IV. Posting / Private messaging / Moderation issues
- How do I open topics on the Forum:
- When I want to post something, it says new users can't post external links or e-mails for 7 days:
- Exactly what the error message says. When posting on the Forum in the first week after registering, try avoiding any external links. But if you absolutely must (for troubleshooting purposes), try putting an empty space or special character somewhere. Example:
- Code:
w ww.examplelink.com
If you already wrote a lengthy post, please copy-paste your text into some offline-document (MS Word, Notepad). If you happen to have logged out before backing up your text, you still have a chance to save it, provided you didn't delete your browser cache and cookies. In that case, just log into the Forum and go under the Forum section were you wrote the thread. Click on "open a new topic", and the text you wrote before should still be there.
- When I want to post something, it says the message is too long:
- The character limit per individual Forum message on here (including empty spaces) is 65,000. If you get that error message, either split up your message into multiple/consecutive posts, put your message in a text document and upload it somewhere (e.g. MEGA, MediaFire), or use a service such as pastebin. Yes, this is an exception to Forum Rule #7.
- How many topics can or should I open:
- In simplified terms, one topic per individual game. Once you started a topic, please stick in that topic until all your problems are resolved, and the topic is closed by a Moderator. When you come to us sometime again later on, you should then open your next topic about the game.
- I cannot 'find' my earlier posts or topics anymore:
- The most common reason is that your topic/post was simply moved to a different Forum section. You can click on "Welcome (your username)" in the top right of the Forum, next to where it says "Notifications". Then click on either My posts or My topics.
- How can I edit or delete posts:
- In general, as a regular user you cannot edit or delete your own messages after submissions, unless in certain Forum sections in which people may need to work on articles continuously. Please refer to the descriptions under the subforums, for a listing of "tutorials sections".
We want to keep all discussions coherent and logical: imagine an on-going discussion about something, and then a user decides to delete all of their posts: it would very likely impede the coherence and flow of discussion if a new reader reads up on the thread.
- I wrote a message, but I want to add something to it afterwards:
- Please post a follow-up reply; use the button "quote" or "post a new reply".
- How can I submit a guide or tutorial:
- Please post your topic in "Writer's Corner" FIRST. There you can continuously edit your topic, even after its submission to the Forum. When you are done, your written guide will be evaluated by the team and in most cases, your guide will then be added to the appropriate tutorials section. If you need further help please message an Administrator or Moderator; they will gladly help you.
- How do I upload screenshots/pictures in my Forum posts:
- While you can use an outside image hosting service such as imgur and post image URLs in your posts, it is also possible to use the built-in "Servimg" host on this Forum. Start off with the following button.
Now you can either drag & drop image files into the top field or click the button "+Select files" in order to browse your computer and add image files that way. Once you selected a number of items to upload, they will show up in that same window below.
Use the scrollbar on the right, or your mouse-wheel to scroll up/down the window, in particular if you selected multiple images. Click on the button marked in the screenshot below to upload an individual picture. Or, if you selected multiple image files, click on the button "send all".
Once you uploaded your picture(s) you can use the button "insert all", to include them in your Forum post!
Now, if you want to insert image URLs from another source, click on the button enclosed in green here:
Another small window will pop up and you can paste the URL in the field. After which the image will show up in your Forum message, if done correctly.
- I want to quote multiple messages from other users, how can I do that without copying/pasting:
- If you just click on the button "Quote" on another user's message, your post will only contain one quote.
If you want to quote multiple messages, you have to click on the "Multi-quote" button next to each message you want to quote.
--->
--->
Once you "marked" several messages, scroll down toward the bottom of the thread and click on "Post a new reply".
- How do I contact another Forum user privately:
- When logged in, click on any user's name on the Forum. Under the 'Contact'-tab you can then find all available options.
- I cannot send private messages:
- As an anti-spam measure, new users must make at least 2 posts on the Forum in order to be able to send PMs. Alternatively, use the contact form at the end of this FAQ to speak to an Administrator.
- I keep receiving unwanted private messages or e-mails:
- Please alert an Administrator, as they can prevent individual users from sending PMs. In addition, you can add users to your "foe's list", after which you won't get any further PMs from that user. In order to do so, go to "Welcome (your username)" located in the top right of the Forum, -> Edit Profile -> Friends and foes -> Foe list -> Add a foe. Keep in mind that you cannot add Moderators and Administrators to your foe's list.
When contacting an Administrator about unwanted private messages, please try including a screenshot of the message, so that not only the content is visible, but also the user who sent the message.
Should users click on the green e-mail button on your profile, and send you unwanted messages that way, do NOT reply to these messages! As long as you do not reply, the person sending the message will not be able to see your actual e-mail address, as they can "only" message you through this Forum/e-mail contact form. If you contact a Forum Administrator about it, try including a screenshot of not only the message, but also the "header": the part of an e-mail that shows who sent a message, and when.
- I don't understand the thing about 'outside links' (Forum Rule #7), why is Games4theworld so strict about this:
- Linking is a very crucial part of our work, and in our experience most users have only good intentions. We link to guides on the Forum, other Forum posts, items hosted on external filesharing services, magnet links, and in some cases even torrents from other websites. However, this is only done by Staff members, and for a reason. All Staff members have been carefully 'vetted' prior to being selected into the team and have proven themselves trustworthy.
In general, we only allow links to torrents and other items from Staff members because we have no way of checking the quality of every single individual link that regular Forum users may post. Given the amount of messages on our Forum and related platforms that we receive on a daily basis it would be impossible to check links consistently. We thereby presume all external torrent/other item-links posted by regular users, to be disallowed.
You must contact a Forum Administrator and ask for permission to post these links on the Forum. In some of the Forum sections that are about individually-made game items, such as is the case with our TS4 Gallery and TS3 Exchange, the procedures are a little bit more lax, but we would still like to ask users to give a brief heads-up to the Forum Administrators, before contributing to these Forum sections.
Individual users may not always have malicious intentions. But still: we cannot verify the quality of all individual links posted here. Compare this for example with the general policy on the platform "Reddit", to disallow comments dealing with medical advice. Sure: sometimes the advice may be good, but there is no feasible way of checking that on a 'global basis'. And even if it was possible to check individual items, what would be the benefit? A handful quality comments more? Fewer "offended users who only had good intentions"? As you can tell, we need to look here at the bigger picture - and yes, at the cost of possibly hurting the feelings of certain individuals.
All in all, it boils down to communication and trust between the individual user and the Forum Administrators. Ask kindly for permission and be honest about your intention(s) as to why exactly you would want to post links consistently. The Administrators of Games4theworld reserve the right to ban users if such links are posted contrary to the Forum rules, especially if the violations happen repeatedly.
And, I'm not ashamed to admit it: another - or maybe even THE - major reason for our strictness in that regard is because we simply have our own agendas within the G4TW platform. Letting random users "link to" (a.k.a. in most cases: advertise) stuff from other groups will create, or at least contribute to a conflict of interest with our own goals, which we would very much like to avoid. In other words: do not ever use our platform here to advertise unrelated repacker-groups.
- So...if I simply just mention the name of an external site without directly posting URLs, then I assume it does not count as posting illegal links:
- Not necessarily (but nice try, though).
You didn't break Forum Rule #7, alright. But if you "simply just mention" an external platform persistently, it usually WILL be interpreted as an attempt to re-direct traffic away from our Forum, therefore violating Forum Rule #9: illegal advertising on G4TW.
- The moderation on G4TW is too heavy-handed:
- Fair enough! But then ask yourself why you are here, or whether this site is even right for your interests and/or personality. On G4TW every guest user can access the download links and view the support/tutorial boards; no registration or interaction with other Forum users is necessary. These downloads and tutorial boards are probably the main reason you came here for, in the first place?
We do not take kindly to hostile or otherwise passive-aggressive behaviors, and we have our reasons for doing so. First and foremost the fact that we are primarily a Support-focused board, and we don't see why users in need of help should have to wade through low-quality/effort messages in order to find a solution to their problem.
Secondly, due to the nature of our work our platform tends to attract a lot of heat and vitriol. Many different people try undermining and sabotaging our work, all the time. Usually they come from an anti-piracy background. But sometimes they can also be (semi-)regulars from other piracy-platforms, with an agenda of their own. They may try to "help" other users by giving seemingly harmless, but ultimately damaging advice. Or they spread fake news about our platform. Or they insist our platform hosts viruses and malware. A certain margin of (human) error on the side of the user is always possible and will of course be taken into consideration by us when determining further moderating actions. Nonetheless, we tend to not give the benefit of the doubt.
Potential 'accidents' aside, you are more than entitled to whatever negative or otherwise hostile opinions you entertain about G4TW, just not on our platform here. Feel free to voice your opinions elsewhere though (and in the process give us free clout ).
If you do not agree with the Forum Rules and our Games4theworld culture in general, then simply move on with your day and quit wasting our time.
V. Site navigation / Miscellaneous
- I cannot access the Forum:
- Sometimes there are scheduled downtimes, which are usually indicated as such. It is also possible that your Internet Service Provider is blocking access to this Forum. You could try bypassing this through using a proxy like "hidemyass", or free VPN plans such as ProtonVPN or Windscribe.
- I have a link to the Forum [that I got from an unrelated site], but when I click on it I get an error message saying that only special users can access the page:
- That means the thread has either been removed by a Moderator due to a Forum Rule violation, or it has become otherwise obsolete. Generally speaking: if it was intended for you to be able to view the thread, we would allow you to do so. Please accept this state of affairs. However, if you remember what the thread was about, you are welcome to ask a Moderator for *newer* ways on how to solve whatever problem you now encounter.
- What happened to Admin:
- If you are referring to the old Head Administrator of G4TW, he has decided to leave the Forum for unknown reasons.
- What is the "games4theworld.org" website:
- This is - or used to be - the old Admin's website. The page still seems "up"; but the content no longer appears to be updated. Note that the current G4TW team does not have any access codes for the website and domain, and there is no way to get in touch with the old Admin. Therefore we cannot update the page ourselves.
- Why can't I just message a Staff member for game support:
- The main reason is that it would make the Forum redundant. We have the Forum for all Support about games, software and hardware. Discussions in public enable more users to see the questions you posted, and therefore you could get a quicker reply.
Why are you even registering an account on the Forums, if you don't intend to post there in the end? All tutorials, general support threads, download links and the contact form of the Administrators, are accessible for you without having to make an account on the Forums.
- This dark Forum color theme is uncomfortable for my eyes:
- We are very sorry to hear that. Note that the G4TW team has become very attached to the dark theme, and we have been using it for many years. We have also invested a lot of work in CSS & HTML customization; if we chose a new theme we would have to start over with these little things as well. However, there is a way to use the mobile version with a light theme on (PC) desktops as well. See this post here for the details.
- I am confused, because there are too many individual tutorials on here. Can't we get "all-in-one" tutorials:
- We are sorry to hear that, but for the time being please accept the default "situation" on here, in accordance with the general nature of Forums. Please try paying attention to the topic titles of these threads, as they give you a good indication already of what a tutorial is about.
- Can I get your personal contact details, because I want to get in touch with you:
- No. All Support on Games4theworld is done through the Forum and any other associated platforms. Due to the nature of our Forum and work it would only lead to problems down the road if we started "self-marketing" our real-life personas, in the context of Games4theworld.
- Why can't I log in with my Facebook account:
- Some websites indeed offer such a possibility to log in by means of a Facebook username & password. This is done partly for reasons of convenience: after all, in today's times with the dazzling number of online services and platforms, it may be difficult for the average person to keep track of too many individual login credentials. Due to the nature of our work, we have decided not to activate this option, in order to help protect the anonymity of our users.
- Can we get some form of voice-chat in here:
- No. Due to the nature of our work, it would not be wise either if we gave away our voices to strangers.
- I am upset about what someone else said and/or clicked on a link of a user which gave me computer problems:
- We are sorry to hear that, but please note that we always try to provide a comfortable and safe space, for as many people as possible. As with all 'open communities' however, frictions are unavoidable. We will moderate according to the Forum rules and interpret/apply those at our own discretion. That also means it is solely up to you whether or not you trust our judgment in applying the rules in a fair manner.
We would also like to emphasize that links or statements posted by random Forum users do not necessarily reflect the views of the G4TW team. Please be careful with any external links by random users. See also this post here.
- What about TeamViewer support:
- The G4TW team members used to give a lot of Support through TeamViewer "back in the days". Please keep in mind that TeamViewer sessions have a tendency to be very time- and work-consuming. We therefore ask you to bear with us, and please accept that we generally only give TeamViewer Support at our own discretion and availability. For general information about using TeamViewer, please refer to the notice here.
- Are you not afraid of 'getting caught' because of [insert whatever-G4TW-related activity here]:
- What you are doing is illegal:
- Well, I guess I will report you to the authorities and then sue you all to hell:
- If G4TW does not abandon the policy of using ads on download links, it will negatively affect your reputation:
- OK, I will just get my downloads from elsewhere then:
- You are stealing cracks from scene groups! I will hack your useless Forum and seek justice for the scene:
- I received a warning letter from my ISP threatening to shut down my internet because I torrented something from G4TW. I'm positive this site is in fact a storefront for the NSA/CIA/MI6/FSB/Mossad/(or insert any other intel agency here). Who else could possibly see what I am torrenting?:
But briefly: copyright holders hire third parties/goons to monitor torrent streams. We are an open community in the sense that everybody can access these torrents. In most modern torrent clients, you can see the IP addresses of other people torrenting, usually under tabs like "Peers" or "Peerlist". Now these goons collect IP-addresses that they gathered from simply looking at the torrent client, and then file complaints against ISPs on behalf of the copyright holder/whoever pays them. The ISPs in turn, will warn the subscriber who the IP address belongs to, prompting the user to stop torrenting again, or else risk their internet being terminated.
- Back in the good old days under Admin, everything was better:
VI. Contact Us / Account modification / Account deletion
- What happened to your old G4TW Facebook-page:
- We were banned due to "Violations of Facebook's Community Guidelines". We know the page had many fans and followers, but ultimately this is a(nother) sign of changing times, and increased antagonism towards our type of activities. We will not use social media platforms anymore.
- What happened to the e-mail newsletters on G4TW:
- As of 2020, we have discontinued e-mail newsletters due to low interest and people increasingly becoming 'irritated' by e-mail newsletters in general (not just on G4TW, but elsewhere too).
- How do I report rule-breaking Forum messages:
Send us a brief e-mail about it, preferably with the Forum link, or at least a screenshot of the message. Note that "backseat moderation" (admonishing or warning users as if you were a Moderator) and the reporting of harmless messages are frowned upon, and will be dealt with accordingly. We do not expect you to be familiar with all the nuances of G4TW policy, but try using your best judgment. If you report a message that is not even remotely covered by the Forum Rules, then we have to assume that you are doing so out of spite.
We used to have a "report"-button on the Forum, but due to the fact that it was abused very often, we have disabled it.
- What if I forgot the password and/or username of my Forum account:
Use the e-mail contact form, and do not create a new account please. Please provide us with the e-mail address that you used when creating your lost account and be specific. Otherwise we cannot restore your account, nor will we "backtrack" each individual user asking for more information. Make sure to add all the necessary information on your own. If you forget to add something in your first e-mail, then feel free to send a second one.
- How do I report a particular advertisement:
Please include the following information in your message if possible:
- a screenshot of the advert that you want to report
- the URL; right-click on the ad and choose "copy link address"
- the approximate date and time on which you have seen the ad
- Optional, but recommended, the country that you live in/trying to access the download links from.
We generally strive towards a family-friendly interface and user experience on G4TW. That being said, and given the 'nature' of our work, our choices for ad revenue are limited, compared to the likes of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Quora, etc. If an 'inappropriate' ad slips by, please help us actually identifying the issue and letting us know about it. You're not helping us or your fellow G4TW users/followers by posting angry messages/e-mails that contain no meaningful information. Don't just assume that if an inappropriate ad does slip by, that we necessarily approve of it. And if you claim that the ads used here contain family-unfriendly content without providing back-up evidence, your message(s) will simply be removed.
- How do I request a deletion of my Forum account:
We generally don't delete user accounts 'on request'. But you can do so on your own with the help of the Forum's own tools. Log into your Forum account, and click in the top left where it says "Welcome [your username]", then "Edit Profile", and finally go under the tab "Information". You will see the option when scrolling down a bit (click the picture to view the full size).
Tick the box where it says "click here to delete your account". Then click on the button "Save" at the bottom of the page. You will then receive a conformation e-mail which you can use to validate your request.
Alternatively, you can use the external unsubscription-form to delete yourself.
Please note that account deletions do NOT extend to Forum messages you may have posted. The deletion will merely "dis-associate" your former account name from the messages that you posted. So the messages simply show up as made by "Guest".
If you can log onto the Forum, but don't have access anymore to your original e-mail inbox, then simply change your Forum account's e-mail address. You will get a confirmation e-mail on your new (!) e-mail address. Then take it from there.
If you cannot log onto the Forum, but you know the e-mail address associated with your Forum account, contact an Administrator and just give them the correct address. They can restore your access, and you can take it from there.
If you can neither make the external unsubscription-form work, nor log onto the Forum, nor remember the e-mail address associated to your Forum account, please get in touch with the Forumotion-Support yourselves.
- How do I request a change of my Forum username:
We have disabled the ability for users to change their usernames, in order to preserve consistency between Forum discussions and their participants. However, you can contact an Administrator and request an exception. You need to give a very good reason though; it's not enough that e.g. you "don't like" your old name anymore. We very rarely change usernames, so be friendly, honest and forthcoming about your reasoning as to why exactly we should change your username. If we decide to go ahead, we grant such a waiver only once for every individual user.
- How do I request edits or deletions of my Forum messages:
Short answer: you can't.
Long answer: We already remove personally-identifiable information (see the "Privacy Policy" under section I. of this FAQ), or otherwise rule-breaking messages as part of the daily moderation routine on G4TW. Sometimes people still request manual deletions though: maybe they posted something unpleasant, feel ashamed about it, and they use the same G4TW username on an unrelated platform. Or, they posted a picture of themselves somewhere on the Forum, which they now want removed (because being associated with a piracy platform "could lead to problems down the road" of privacy reasons, no doubt about that. That's why you posted your personal $hit on here in the first place, right?).
Or, they are simply doing it out of spite, using umbrella terms such as 'GDPR' and/or 'personal information' as a pretext.
Notwithstanding your deeds from the past, it is our opinion that we are not legally obliged to remove individual Forum messages of users 'on demand', unless the items convey the above-mentioned personally-identifiable information, Forum-rule-breaking content, offensive/inappropriate materials, and copyright-protected text/imagery.
Forum Rule #13, to which you agreed when registering on G4TW, also addresses the issue insofar as you've granted us a waiver to quote, re-post and/or otherwise restore your submitted messages/content, and that you cannot revoke that waiver "after the fact".
Otherwise certain unfriendly people would abuse the system by deliberately posting random items, and then requesting manual deletions/edits from us. We would then only end up deleting/editing stuff all day long, which (of course) is not going to happen.
Don't agree with us? Well, good luck with your lawsuit against us then.
- How do I contest bans and/or other moderating actions:
Usually not at all. Regardless of whether they occurred on the Forum, other G4TW-websites, or G4TW-operated Minecraft server(s). However, here are some guidelines on what an appeal can look like.
(Re-)read the Forum Rules and the Forum FAQ carefully. There are no "un-justified bans" on G4TW.
Be polite, and send only one message. Don't approach us asking "why" you were banned, "why" your message was deleted, "why" we edited your Forum permissions, etc. Doing so will only be interpreted as passive-aggressive behavior. We expect that you yourself come forward, and state what you have done wrong, and explain your decision-making at the time. If you really feel you do not know what you did (wrong), then make an educated guess...
Now go on and explain, why in your opinion we should un-ban your account. Also explain how you intend to communicate with the G4TW team in the future, regarding (potentially) 'dubious' content or messages. A lot of problems and misunderstandings can be avoided through honest communication.
If we grant your request you will receive a reply from us within 72 hours. If you do not receive a reply within that deadline, you can consider your request having been rejected.
Note that posting in public about whatever you perceive as mistreatment, will just get your drama deleted. If we find out that you created one or more new accounts (with the implied purpose of bypassing bans or other restrictions), we will just ban/delete these duplicate accounts. You will then forfeit your right to contestation.
- How do I report copyright violations and/or file DMCA-based takedown requests:
Keep in mind that we are a non-profit foundation, and we understand our work primarily to have informational and entertainment-value. Neither do we host any copyright-protected content, nor any kind of metadata (magnet links & .torrent files) thereof, nor do we technically even "link" to any filehosting platforms. Consequently we do not accept such requests.
We feel that we do not violate any "copyright-laws", regardless of whatever political opinions you - or whoever you represent - entertain about us.
Every user has the individual choice of whether they use DRM-free copies or not. If someone did not have the financial means to purchase something in the first place, then it does not matter for (your) sales if that person uses DRM-free copies. And if someone does have the means to buy something, they will do so anyways.
Asking us to take down external links would be comparable to asking us to simply not talk about filesharing. Besides: even if we did not post any links at all, it would not really hamper our work, as we could very easily work around it. So I doubt the common argument of "illegal links" is really the issue in this case here.
- How can I submit business inquiries:
You can also contact us about advertising-placements, collaboration ideas, etc. But we will only reply if we find them useful and interesting for our specific line of work. Please note that if we allow specific advertising, we do not accept "recommendations" regarding the content and/or moderation of our work - in return of us receiving advertising revenue.
- Contact form & official G4TW platforms:
Forum: (the old "games4theworld.bestgoo.com" domain is no longer active!)
https://www.games4theworld.club
Old website: (no longer updated as of 2018, but you can still grab the older G4TW downloads/items from there, adverts-free!)
https://games4theworld.org
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/G4TWClub
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOVoCvMSr6v9XbimkNGu5Og
ThePiratebay: (no longer updated as of 2018, but you can still grab the older G4TW torrent releases from there!)
https://thepiratebay.org/user/Games4theworld
ThePiratebay Onion-mirror: (use the "TOR browser" to access it!)
http://piratebayztemzmv.onion/user/Games4theworld
E-mail Head Administrator ~Ann~: (discontinued)
The_gh0stm4n- G4TW RETIRED Forum Gatekeeper
- Windows version :
- Windows 8
- Windows 7
- Windows XP
- Windows 10
System architecture :- 32 bits (x86)
- 64 bits (x64)
Favourite games : The Sims 3, L.A. Noire, Saints Row, Red Faction, Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, PvZ: Garden Warfare, Call of Duty: Ghosts, GTA: San Andreas, Counter-Strike, Hitman, Borderlands, The Binding of Isaac, Government simulation & Military strategy games, S.W.A.T. 4, GTA Online, Red Dead Online, Chessmaster XI, Monster Hunter: World, Paint the Town Red, The Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny 2.
Posts : 18959
Points : 27053
Join date : 2012-11-02
Location : Liechtenstein / Switzerland / Austria
Similar topics
» Forum Rules. [LAST UPDATED ON 22-03-2020]
» How to bypass GoogleDrive's "Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently". [LAST UPDATED ON 05-04-2020]
» I have both Origin & G4TW versions of Sims 4, how can I manage the "Documents"-folder? [UPDATED ON 07-04-2020]
» "new" to this forum
» New forum.
» How to bypass GoogleDrive's "Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently". [LAST UPDATED ON 05-04-2020]
» I have both Origin & G4TW versions of Sims 4, how can I manage the "Documents"-folder? [UPDATED ON 07-04-2020]
» "new" to this forum
» New forum.
Old ® Games4theworld Forum / Archive :: Games4theworld News & Announcements :: Latest News / Announcements
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
|
|