Welcome to the
Special Aircraft Service , a site dedicated to making life less complicated and more entertaining for
Offline Players of IL2 1946 ...although online players are welcome also of course
.
By joining this forum, you are well on your way to being officially cool!TO VIEW ATTACHMENTS OR MAKE A POST IN THIS FORUM, YOU WILL NEED TO REGISTER AND LOG-INHowever, general browsing and downloading is open to all
Below are answers to the following Questions:
More FAQ to come. This thread is a WIP
.
No1: Why does the SAS exist?1 We are here to have a place where mods for IL2 can be made, discussed, and used, without the politics involved in such things.
2 We are here only for the game IL2-1946, and although there are discussions here about other games like Cliffs of Dover, Battle of Stalingrad and BirdsOfPrey, we are not into them, they have their own dedicated forums elsewhere.
3 We are here only for the modding of IL2, whether it be through our mod-activators, or our dedicated packs like Dark Blue World, or the packs of other sites and groups.
4 We are not a skinning site, we are not an IL2 stock version user group.
5 There are other sites that cater better for all the legitimate stuff in IL2.
6 We here are about IL2-1946 MODDED BABY YEAH!
No2: What are the Copyrights and Credits Positions of SAS?1 We are not a Copyright Protection Agency, we are a gang of pirates and mercenaries.
2 We will not discuss, defend, or promote anyone's copyright, permissions right, or any imagined or real right regarding IL2.
3 If it is in IL2, it is available for use.
4 In the end, if something is made in the structures and tools used for IL2 mods, it is technically illegal, immoral, and there is no money in it anyway.
5 This last point covers official patches and updates also.
6 So to put it simply, at SAS, anyone can take any piece of any mod or of IL2 and do anything with it.
7 And we also don't care (because we cannot really do anything about it) what people on other modding (or official developers) sites do with stuff found here.
8 If you are a modder or artist heavily into copyright, and ownership, and fighting about people asking permissions and stuff from you, then go make mods for MS FlightSim.
9 The SAS was started to get away from this crap, and if there are people not comfortable with it, start your own forums where you can police everyone as much as you like.
10 We do not care about discussions of "permission violations" or "copyrights" on other forums.
11 We will not allow any of it here. By anyone. Ever.
12 NO POLITICS.
13 As we said before: We are not a Copyright Protection Agency.
14 Any discussions or bitchings or PMs or posts about this will be ignored and removed.
15 Again: if you don't want your stuff used by others, get the hell away from IL2. (And stay off the INTERNET while you are at it)
16 What we CAN do however, is assist and insist that mods and parts used are credited.
17 We insist that modders who borrow and steal from each other make a decent effort to credit properly, and if something of yours appear here without a proper or correct credit, please don't be a complete asshole and throw a tantrum.
18 Just ask nicely for it to be corrected.
19 The universe does not revolve around your ego, but you do deserve the proper credit, and we are happy to help with that, as long as you are not screaming.
20 Look: We know some people wont like this, but this is the reality of it.
21 We cannot DO anything about it.
22 If someone does not post here, they will post elsewhere.
23 The admins of this site are also players and modders, and would rather play and mod, instead of fighting "respect" and "copyright" and "permission" battles that gets no-one anywhere and truly does not even exist.
24 We are really not into spending all our time on this forum adjudicating and sorting these things out.
25 We also want to play and mod, as do others.
26 Some will say that this will chase away good modders and artists from IL2. That is bull.
27 We all know that we cannot really control this stuff, and even though it may be unpleasant if someone took a mod or part of a mod of yours and did something else with it without getting your explicit permission, you know, at the end of the day, how the hell do you think Oleg felt?
28 We are simply saying, enough of that, no more. Lets get real about it.
No3: What are SAS Support Policies for Mods and Packs?1 There are none.
2 We are not a support forum, and thus, no one HAS to help you or answer your question.
3 Only rule is that if someone does, you have the right to expect it to be polite and well mannered.
4 Any support provided for a mod or a pack is free and the choice of those providing the support.
5 The SAS is an open and free forum, and you are not paying us to help you out.
6 You are not a customer, and we are not here to serve, or service, you.
7 With that said, we do have our own official SAS Mod Activator and Dark Blue World pack.
8 Many of the team members involved in its building are present here and usually happy to help.
9 For all other mod packs, it is best if you seek advice from their official sites.
10 In the tech help forum there are more detailed guidelines for posting support questions, that may help you get the right help faster, see
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,84.0.html
No4: Are we allowed to share mods from here with other sites?1 The simple answer is: YES you can, as long as you consider everything above.
2 We want to share the modding spirit with the rest of the Il-2 community and we have an open-door policy here.
3 Guests can freely come and go, download mods etc. without ever having to sign-up.
4 But if you want to tell your squad mates at another site about a mod here, please feel free.
5 BUT it would be nice if you can do the following:
-
6 Please send a courtesy message to the modders concerned and check if they don't mind.
7 99% won't mind if you ask and please don't be offended if they refuse (often it is for a good reason e.g. might only be a beta or you asked rudely!)
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8 It would be preferred if you link back to the original thread here as opposed to simply hotlinking the downloads.
9 Why? It allows the users to talk directly to the modders and get the best technical support.
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10 Most of all, as per above, please provide correct credits!
11 At the end of the day, there is only so much any site can do in regards to file sharing.
12 However we hope that members and visitors here will treat each other with courtesy and spread the modding spirit.
No5: Does SAS have an age restriction?1 Yes. Although we realize the morons come in all ages, we do find that many very young children have not yet developed the necessary social and communication skills needed to be able to represent themselves in an acceptable manner.
2 We have a no under 16 age restriction.
3 Not that you wont be able to get in if you are under age, just that, if you don't behave, we will use it as a reason for an instant ass kicking if you ever step out of line.
4 Pleading "But I am only 13" is not a recognized defence here, and will not get you anywhere nice on this board.
5 Users have to attest to their age when registering.
6 Also when wanting to look into the "Babes of the Week" board, you have to read the disclaimer and verify that you are an adult.
7 Whatever you actually are after that, is not our problem.
No6: May I discuss Politics and Religion and Nationalism and stuff on this board?1 No. HELL NO.
2 Since it seems that we are absolutely incapable of having a conversation about anything without someone starting shit with politics or religion, all talk of it on this forum is PROHIBITED.
3 This includes uncouth comments regarding nationalism, race, inclination, or any of anyone's special little opinions about "the state of the world", or anything else in that field.
4 Any such talk will get deleted, and the poster will face punishment.
5 What constitutes "uncouth" ?
6 The moderators will decide on a case by case basis.
7 We believe most here will know what sort of stuff we don't want, and will appreciate not having to wade through the spew of others while reading the forum.
8 And we know what you may be saying now "freedom of expression, blabedybla, rights to free speech..."
9 Get over it, we own this site.
10 You have NO FREE SPEECH here.
11 You only have the privilege of free speech, after you have exercised your responsibility and duty to not be an asshole.
12 The moment you impede upon someone else's free speech, you sacrifice your privilege to it and may suffer the consequences of the SAS Ban Hammer.
No7: What about flame wars, trolling, and general nastiness?1 Rudeness to other members is COMPLETELY PROHIBITED.
2 No matter how new that member is or how stupid their question is.
3 No one is forcing you to answer them.
4 If you cannot be polite, respectful, and at least helpful and to the point, then do everyone a favor and shut the fuck up.
5 This is a forum for grown ups by grown ups.
6 We have been round the block a few times, don't try us out.
7 We want a cool open and friendly forum, where guys and girls who like to fly around in a certain WW2 flightsim get to spend time with each other, and talk about this sim, and the history of the subject matter we are all interested in.
No8: Can we discuss IL2 related politics?1 No. We understand that many members have strong feelings about things in the realm of the IL2 world.
2 Strong feelings about some mods, some packs, teams, forums and individuals.
3 We want to take this opportunity to implore such members to be mindful that there is a difference between making a civil criticism, or pointing out an error or a bug, and a personal attack.
4 Here at SAS we will not allow any personal attacks.
5 We believe everyone here are adult enough to understand the difference.
6 The SAS is a neutral, apolitical and FREE IL2 forum geared towards modding.
7 Regardless of our or other's personal feelings about anything and anyone, we will not tolerate sniping and flaming.
No9: Can we use bad words and post nudity on this forum?1 Fuck no! Just because we do it does not mean everyone can.
2 But seriously, we are relaxed about language, and we will view it in context.
3 Sometimes one has to say "shit". Mostly you don't. Don't do it unnecessarily.
4 Some people browsing this forum are on the verge of death, and you may actually kill them with your profanity.
5 Which brings us to nudity:
there is a board called "Babes of the Week", that you can join manually by going to the Member-groups function in your profile, provided you are over-age.
6 You can freely join this group by going to your profile, and under "Modify profile" find "group membership".
7 Find the group "Adult", and join it by declaring that you are 16 or older.
8 Once you do that, you are there deliberately and under your own responsibility.
9 You can also freely leave the group anytime.
10 There you can look at pin ups and stuff like one will see in the mess tent of a fighter squadron.
11 We had this when the forum started years ago, so it is more of a tradition than a necessity.
12 We are not a porn site, so abuse of that will get it closed.
13 So don't post nudity on the open forum or in your avatar, not because we are against it, just, we don't have the energy to deal with the dead old-people's bereaved and outraged relatives.
14 Just think of what would be appropriate to view at work and keep it at that level, then you will have no problems.
No10: But another admin used bad words on me...1 He will have had his reasons.
2 Do firefighters stop at red traffic lights?
3 Just because they race through doesn't mean everyone can either.
No11: I am a modder who have mods I want to post, but I cannot start new topics 1 To start new topics in the mod download categories, you need to be in the "modder" member group.
2 If you have a finished mod you made, that you want to post in one of the mod download boards, please just PM one of the admins, and we will adjust your profile so you can.
3 You can also request membership to this group by going to your profile, and under "Modify profile".
4 Why did we do this? Simply to have less occurrence of empty discussion and other topics in the download forums.
5 In there, we want every topic to be a get-able mod.
No12: What is the SAS position regarding copyrighted material from other games and places (outside of IL2)?1 While this site deals with the unauthorized modding of the game of IL2, there seems to be a lot of tolerance for it, even one may say, an unspoken agreement, between the developers and the modding community.
2 We do feel that we add value and life to this sim in our way.
3 This has been discussed on numerous occasions, we don't need to repeat it all here.
4 But importing copyrighted material from other games or simulations, does cross a very important line.
5 For one, it is illegal, and two, the copyright holders of other simulations have no fear of blow-back from actions taken against a forum dedicated to a product that is not theirs.
6 In any server hosting agreement, the clause about not hosting copyrighted materials are usually under the section "grounds for immediate suspension".
7 And while, with IL2 stuff, this is not a problem (hell, if Oleg wanted us gone, we'd be gone!), it is a problem with other companies who may even feel that, sinking a site like the SAS will be a good blow for a competing product, or who, at the very least, has nothing to loose by blasting us out of the Internet.
8 To do this would only require a legal notice served to the hosting company, and that would be bye bye SAS.
9 Since one of our main responsibilities is for the protection of this site, we cannot allow such blatant infringements on the copyrights of other companies to be available here.
10 We are sure that in the past, and in the future, things will be borrowed from here and there, but, always please, with written permission and always done (or re-done) properly and completely and in a way that does not put the entire site at risk.
11 We cannot police the entire internet, so we ask members to please post responsibly. If you post a mod or file that originates from another source, outside of IL2, you have to provide full credits, including a disclosure (say where the original is from), as well as indicate that you have permission to use it. If it is later found that you do not have such permission, and any notice is served against this forum, we will remove the mod from our site, and may review not only any other mod you may have posted, but also your membership of this forum.
12 Please remember though that this is regarding payware content of OTHER games and companies we talk about here.
13 If it is in IL2 (for whatever reason), then no official permission is required. Only proper credits.
No13: What about special SAS agreements with other sites and teams?1 We have in the past, for the sake of peace and tranquility, made official agreements, or stated official positions, on other teams, sites, and even official developers.
2 We are getting out of that game though.
3 Even though we will always strive to be the best friends and neighbors of everyone, we also feel that a lot of politics makes us enjoy visiting this forum less.
4 As we state above: We are powerless, and after a fashion, unwilling, to get involved in the old "ownership and permissions" games.
5 Quite simply, if you made something for or in IL2, and you put it on the INTERNET, it is up for grabs and use by anyone anywhere.
6 If you are not comfortable with that, do not blame us, it is not our fault.
7 This is an old game, we hacked it, no one is making any money off anything anymore, so lets all get over ourselves already.
8 We will not get involved, or even allow, any discussions about permissions, copyrights, ownerships of any mod or anything related to IL2.
9 It is not what we signed up for, it is not what this forum is here for.
10 People can scream and cry on other sites all they like, but over here, we only are into modding and playing.
11 And we are aware that our policy cuts all ways:
12 We will not support anyones screams about their mods which they posted here being used on other sites.
13 We are not a Copyright Protection Agency.
14 We are not a Modding Morality Watchdog Group.
15 However: We ARE HEAVILY AND SERIOUSLY INTO PROPER CREDITING.
16 And while we cannot do anything about people fucking up credits on other sites, we can and will ensure that on our site, if someone uses a piece of yours, that it gets properly credited.
17 A credit in the mod world is all the thanks, payment, and respect a guy gets, and we think modders deserve that courtesy and respect.
18 So, if there is a crediting omission or mistake you find anywhere, first politely ask the poster to fix it by PM (and you can copy one of the admins in the PM too if you like).
19 If that does not work, politely ask an admin by PM to look into it.
20 If that does not work, politely PM an Editor.
21 Throwing a tantrum and screaming about it is useless and stupid and irritating, please don't do it. It is unnecessary. Somewhere in the above steps, it WILL get sorted out.
No14: Do the rules apply to the chat area as well?1 Serious question? Of course they do!
2 Even more, there's one addtional rule which applies to the chat:
3 The chat is
no support area!
4 While we fully understand how tempting it is to throw in your "little" questions just to see if an experienced member minds popping over, we ask for your understanding that this is unfair to all involved:
5 You will have to ask the same question again once you forgot the trick how to solve it.
6 The helping member will have to answer the very same question over and over again.
7 Other members will not be able to benefit from the same experience once the question/answer has scrolled away. But gathering experience is a key feature of this forum!
8 Therefor we'd like to ask for your understanding that we neither want you to ask support questions in the chat area, nor to answer them.
9 The only valid answer would be to point the asker to the support boards.
No15: WIPs, Teasers and Screenshots in general1 If you want to post Screenshots/Videos of a mod, skin or any other form of improvement to IL-2, you're welcome to do so,
2 as long as the mod, skin or other improvement that it relates to is downloadable here at the SAS by ordinary members of our forum.
3 Teasing members with material that is unavailable to them at the SAS is not acceptable.
4 This rule also applies to the practice of advertising mods or other material which are solely available elsewhere.
5 There are a few exceptions to this rule:
6 WIPs ("Work In Progress" mods):
7 We do have a WIP section on our boards and if you're really planning to eventually release your mod at some time,
8 you're welcome to let others know about it's development in a dedicated WIP thread,
9 so if you want to let others know what you're working on, start a WIP thread for it and you can post updates and images of your WIP mod in that thread.
10 Official Patches for IL-2:
11 Naturally during the development of future IL-2 patches by TD, screenshots and videos of up-coming content are floating on the net.
12 It's okay to cross-post them here in the Lounge.
13 Material for other games:
14 Games which have their section on our boards (e.g. Cliffs of Dover, Battle of Stalingrad) can hold screenshots/videos of mods which are available to ordinary members at other websites
15 as long as a link to the mod it relates to is given together with the screenshot/video.
16 Skins:
17 Showing custom Skins is allowed as long as they can be downloaded by ordinary members from a common IL-2 modding community website (M4T, A&A Paintworks etc.) or a link to the skin download is given together with the Screenshot or Video.
Appx 1: What happens if I break the rules?1 The moderation team have adopted a simple 'three strike' policy.
2 If you break the rules the first time, you will be publicly warned that you have done so.
3 Depending on the severity of the offence, you may be placed on warning and actively watched.
4 If you break the rules a second time, you either receive a temporary ban or be placed on Observer status (where you will be unable to post).
5 If you have any status or special access on this site (e.g. Modder), you will be stripped of it.
6 If you continue to break the rules after your second warning, you will be permanently banned from this site without recourse.
7 This applies to all members, including moderators and modders.
8 This has only ever happened to a handful of people and we don't like doing it, so please respect this site, its rules and its members.
Appx 2: Can it happen that I get punished here for something I did elsewhere (e.g. on another site)?1 Yes, but only in rare cases.
2 Usually this can happen when you badmouth the SAS in total, an admin, a mod or a member of the SAS.
3 This depends on the severity of the incident and naturally it depends on whether or not it raises our attention.
4 You cannot expect to be welcome here anymore when for instance you badmouth an admin of the SAS somewhere else.
5 However, remember that we're not the internet police.
6 We usually don't care for what's going on elsewhere except for the rare cases where lines are crossed.
7 Please restrain from snitching. We won't care for it.
Appx 3: About other problems with this Board or Life in General?To overcome most all problems with this board and everything else, we have found that the best setting is the adoption of a
peaceful and tranquil zen-like state of grace and patienceEnjoy!
S!
SAS~CirX, SAS~Anto, SAS~MALONE, SAS~Bombsaway, SAS~Storebror
Updated 03 March 2015 
Author
Topic: Welcome to the SAS! There are THE RULES (Read 15563 times)
