This thread is a guide on the chatroom channel used by the demogame, including information about what turnchats are, how you can participate, and other basic information about the chatroom.
First off, we'll go over Turnchats.
These are sessions held every few days by the designated player (the person responsible for playing the save) in the demogame chatroom, which anyone can join. The purpose of holding the turn session in the chatroom is so that the designated player (DP) can inform the citizens what actions he is performing, and later, he can post a log of the conversation in the chatroom channel. A few days before a turnchat, the DP will post an "instructions thread" in the main forum where officials can post instructions for the DP to carry out. This is where the DP can also post screenshots/saves/informations during and after the turnchat session.
For example, the citizens/officials present in the chatroom (keep in mind that attendence is not mandatory) are able to see in real-time the actions of the DP. If they have Civ4 open, they can load the saves the DP posts every few turns (usually every 5) to see how everything is going. Overall, being the in the chatroom during the turnchat (which can last from under an hour to a few hours or beyond, depending on the state of the game) makes for an interesting experience.
Now that you know what the chatroom is, let's go over how to connect.
One thing, however, must be made clear - CivFanatics doesn't own the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server the channel is on. We have just created a channel on a server, so while we're in charge of the channel, we're aren't for the server. In any case, there are a few ways to connect.
The easiest way, but also the most basic way that lacks some features, is to connect via the "Chat" link on the navigation bar below the logo here on the forums (near the "User CP" link). That will open up a java client, so be sure you have that installed. Then, you want to enter a nickname in place of "Guest", and in the channel drop-down box, select "turnchat". Hit "Connect Now!" and you're in - keep in mind though, the chatroom is usually pretty empty except during turnchats, so don't be surprised if no one is there.
What I meant I wrote the java client (or "jIRC") lacks features is that compared to another popular downloadable client mIRC, it is pretty simple. mIRC allows you be in multiple channels at once, or even multiple servers. You can set it to log the chatroom (create a text file of all the conversations), you can view info about other users there, and lots of other cool features. So, if you are interested in having a bit more flexibility, mIRC is a good choice, but jIRC also has its benefits.
To enter the server's name and channel name in mIRC, the server is irc.irc-chat.net, and the channel is #turnchat.
If you want some other clients (say, for a Mac or Linux, or even just Windows), you can Google "IRC clients" and get a long list!
Now that you've connected to the chatroom, here are some basic commands and other info.
In the chatroom, on right side of your screen, you'll see a list of users. Some will have symbols next to their names. Here's what they mean:
! - administrator of channel
@ - operator of channel
% - half-operator of channel
+ - voiced
"Voiced" means that if one of the operators puts the channel in "moderated" mode, only people with a "+" (voiced) can speak. This doesn't happen often, but it's always there...
To join another channel, type /join #channelname.
To change your name, type /nick newname.
To private message someone, type /msg username your message here.
CivFanatics also has a general chat channel called #civfanatics (all channels are preceded by a # sign) that you can join anytime where there's guaranteed to be people!
That's about all there is! If you have any questions or want to add to this article, just reply to this thread.
First off, we'll go over Turnchats.
These are sessions held every few days by the designated player (the person responsible for playing the save) in the demogame chatroom, which anyone can join. The purpose of holding the turn session in the chatroom is so that the designated player (DP) can inform the citizens what actions he is performing, and later, he can post a log of the conversation in the chatroom channel. A few days before a turnchat, the DP will post an "instructions thread" in the main forum where officials can post instructions for the DP to carry out. This is where the DP can also post screenshots/saves/informations during and after the turnchat session.
For example, the citizens/officials present in the chatroom (keep in mind that attendence is not mandatory) are able to see in real-time the actions of the DP. If they have Civ4 open, they can load the saves the DP posts every few turns (usually every 5) to see how everything is going. Overall, being the in the chatroom during the turnchat (which can last from under an hour to a few hours or beyond, depending on the state of the game) makes for an interesting experience.
Now that you know what the chatroom is, let's go over how to connect.
One thing, however, must be made clear - CivFanatics doesn't own the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server the channel is on. We have just created a channel on a server, so while we're in charge of the channel, we're aren't for the server. In any case, there are a few ways to connect.
The easiest way, but also the most basic way that lacks some features, is to connect via the "Chat" link on the navigation bar below the logo here on the forums (near the "User CP" link). That will open up a java client, so be sure you have that installed. Then, you want to enter a nickname in place of "Guest", and in the channel drop-down box, select "turnchat". Hit "Connect Now!" and you're in - keep in mind though, the chatroom is usually pretty empty except during turnchats, so don't be surprised if no one is there.
What I meant I wrote the java client (or "jIRC") lacks features is that compared to another popular downloadable client mIRC, it is pretty simple. mIRC allows you be in multiple channels at once, or even multiple servers. You can set it to log the chatroom (create a text file of all the conversations), you can view info about other users there, and lots of other cool features. So, if you are interested in having a bit more flexibility, mIRC is a good choice, but jIRC also has its benefits.
To enter the server's name and channel name in mIRC, the server is irc.irc-chat.net, and the channel is #turnchat.
If you want some other clients (say, for a Mac or Linux, or even just Windows), you can Google "IRC clients" and get a long list!
Now that you've connected to the chatroom, here are some basic commands and other info.
In the chatroom, on right side of your screen, you'll see a list of users. Some will have symbols next to their names. Here's what they mean:
! - administrator of channel
@ - operator of channel
% - half-operator of channel
+ - voiced
"Voiced" means that if one of the operators puts the channel in "moderated" mode, only people with a "+" (voiced) can speak. This doesn't happen often, but it's always there...
To join another channel, type /join #channelname.
To change your name, type /nick newname.
To private message someone, type /msg username your message here.
CivFanatics also has a general chat channel called #civfanatics (all channels are preceded by a # sign) that you can join anytime where there's guaranteed to be people!
That's about all there is! If you have any questions or want to add to this article, just reply to this thread.
