Frequently asked questions

[Direhit]

Q: Why can't I see the forums? I just registered for this account, and all I can see are these guidelines.

A: Your account must have a VALID e-mail address. If your e-mail account that was associated with your Catacombs account was lost, then you must get it changed. Failure to do so will result in account deletion.

Once you have registered for a Catacombs account, an e-mail will be sent to you, at the account that you specified. You must click on the link in the e-mail to activate your account. If this is not done, the account will not be processed, and the registration will be deleted after 3 days.

It is suggested that you not try to sign up for an account using a fake e-mail address. The accounts will not be activated, and such actions can get you banned.

Multiple registration attempts from the same IP will not be processed, unless the registrant has contacted an administrator regarding the situation. Such registrations will be treated as an attempt to register multiple accounts for one's self, unless it can be proven otherwise.

Registrations using e-mail addresses originating from privately owned domains will not be accepted. Your e-mail provider must have a legitimate and reliable contact in case of abuse.

[Direhit]

Q: Why can't I use a certain e-mail address? It says that my e-mail address is banned.

A: Those users who have had their accounts deleted for disciplinary reasons will also have the associated e-mail accounts added to the forbidden list.

As a result, if your account has been deleted for such reasons, you must use a different e-mail address.

[Direhit]

Q: I just changed my e-mail address in my profile, and now I can't see the rest of the forums. What happened?

A: If you change your e-mail address in your profile, your account will be placed in the "Users Awaiting E-mail Confirmation" group, and will stay there until you receive an e-mail containing an activation link. If you have not received this e-mail in two days from the time that you changed your e-mail address, then please notify an administrator, and another one can be sent.

Once you click on the activation link, you will be placed in the authing queue, where just like a new user, a background check will be conducted. For established users, though, this will often times be much shorter of a wait.

As stated in the rules above, do not attempt to change your account's e-mail address to a fake one. The account will never be confirmed, and will be deleted after a few days, if it remains unconfirmed.

[Direhit]

Q: What gives? I can't see anything else other than the Cesspool, and I can't edit my posts. What's wrong with my account?

A: Nothing is wrong with your account. You did something bad that got you imprisoned in the Cesspool. Your user group is now "Cesspool Prisoner."

As a Cesspool Prisoner, you are not allowed to see any of the forums other than the Cesspool. You are also not allowed to use sigs, PM's, or edit your own posts. There may be a few other restrictions, but since you're a Cesspool Prisoner, we're really not too worried about your privileges. :)

If you want to make a heart-felt apology in the Cesspool, feel free to do so.

[Direhit]

Q: Why can't I use sigs? Why does my user group say that I am a sig violator?

A: Those that are in the Sig Violator user group are not allowed to use sigs. Most of the time, this is due to a temporary infraction being levied against you, and the infraction will expire after a few days. You can see how long the infraction will last by viewing your own profile. Upon being automatically restored, it is strongly advised that you make sure that your signature conforms to the limits stated in the Guidelines.

If you do not see any active sig violation infractions in your profile, and are unable to use sigs, then you have probably been placed in the Sig Violator group for the long term, due to repeated violations. This will not be lifted until you speak with an administrator. Being polite and civil will greatly increase your chances of being restored.

[rasp]

Q: I just registered. When will I be able to view the forums?

A: Registration acceptance / denial is done a few times per week, on any given day. There are two administrators responsible for doing them and due to their schedules, may only be able to do so a few times per week. If you do not get your authentication email, send an email to rasp (at) thecatacombs (dot) net, or private message him in the IRC channel and he will investigate your inquiry.

[rasp]

Q: I have received an infraction. What does this mean?

A: If you break one of the forums rules, you will be issued an infraction. The infraction system is a point system. Some rules carry with them more than one point that is issued to an account if an infraction occurs because that rule was broken.

Infractions expire after a pre-set duration. If you acquire a number of infractions in a limited amount of time, or before others can expire, you will be automatically banned for seven days.

[rasp]

Q: I signed up on the forums but I was declined registration. What gives?

A: The administrators that monitor and authorize new registrations religiously investigate new IP's and cross-reference them with other banned users and IP's to severely reduce ban evasion. We also make sure the IP's are not coming from proxies or well known spam hosts with no contact email to report abuse. Unfortunately, sometimes regular users are denied registration because a banned user's IP may resolve to the new registrant, or because they have tried to register from a proxy. If either is the case use the "Contact Us" link to alert us that you are not a bot, and are a legitimate user.