**Please Note: This tutorial was for HeroChat 4, we are now using HC 5 on the server. I will redo this tutorial to cover changes when I have time. ** HeroChat is a plugin that helps to make player chat on the server readable and manageable. It provides the ability to create and participate in channels outside of the general global channel, "private" message another player, and allows staff to mute/kick/ban/etc. HeroChat is actually kind of complicated with the many options that come with it. I hope to provide a basic insight to give you an understanding of what HeroChat is and how to use it. If you would like more detailed information, I encourage you to take the time and explore it further! Basic Info When you first arrive to the server, or if you were not in a channel when you last left the game, you will be in the default Gobal channel. This is where most "verbal" interaction between players takes place. This channel will tell you when people join/depart the server as well as talk about most anything. Ask you favorite mod how their day is, talk about your new building design, say hello to everyone, talk to your friends, etc. If you had previously joined any channels and failed to leave them, you will still see anything typed in those channels. You will not be able to directly respond in that channel until you rejoin. Basic and general chat rules Before I continue, I believe it is important to go over the basic rules for chat. These are to be followed at all times, otherwise the important people who maintain order on the server will be most displeased. - Do not spam. You will be muted or kicked at the very least. - Keep caps to a minimum. Not only will pretty much everyone yell at you because its annoying, you will get a kick too.- English only in global chat. There are channels available to speak in one's native tongue. - Do not insult/abuse/harass another player, slander, use offensive language, or post mom/dad jokes. While swearing is not a cause for staff action, excessive swearing will be. - Do not abuse /ch h (HelpMe channel) This is to get the attention of mods for mod help and legitimate and important questions, ONLY. Mods get irritated when it is not used properly.- Individuals with the /me perk should not over abuse that either. Channels One of the predominant functions of HeroChat is the ability to create and participate in channels outside of the default global chat. Channels are like individual chat rooms. Often times they are used within towns and/or between groups of friends. Other than admins, only those who have joined the channel will be able to see what is being said. Some of the common channels include: /ch global or /ch g = Global : the default channel. /ch h = HelpMe Channel : as previously mentioned this is to get assistance from mods. Be patient when asking for mod help. Often times mods and admins are very busy. They are truly in a position that is often overworked and under-recognized. If after some time you have not gotten a response, then ask again. /ch l = Local Channel : this channel is to talk to people in the immediate vicinity. Something within the realm of a 40ish block radius. /ch trade or /ch $ = Trade Channel : this channel is used in trading, selling, etc. This is also the place to advertise your shop! Commands There are quite a few commands that come with HeroChat. It can be a bit overwhelming. But let me try to break it down a little bit and provide you with the most common chat commands. If you type /ch help it will bring up the in-game HeroChat help page. There are 3 pages to help you. For example, to get to the second you can type /ch help 2 and it will bring up the following on your screen. /ch list will bring up the first page of channel listings. There are currently 27 pages of available channels. /ch join channelname or /join channelname will join that particular channel. In the event that the channel has a password, you would type the password after the channel name. For Example, to join the trade channel you could type: /ch join Trade Also, to switch focus to a channel you have already joined, just type /ch channel nickname /ch leave channelname or /leave channelname will allow you to leave the specified channel and you will not see any of the text from that channel unless you re-join it. For example, to leave global you can type: /ch leave global /qm channelname yourmessage or /channelname yourmessage will allow you to message another channel without leaving your current one. /ch ignore playername or /ignore playername fairly self explanitory, you will ignore the specified player and will not see any text from them. Type this again exactly the same way to stop ignoring that person. /ch create channelname channelnickname this is the basic command to create a new channel. There are more options you can apply like a password and text color if you co choose. /me is a perk all those who are at least of Elder status. It will post your statement in third person. For Example: if I typed /me is signing out it would show in chat as Dettles is signing out. /msg playername will send a private message only to the specified player. /commandname ? will give you more information and help on the commands.
Creating a Channel Creating a channel can be very simple. However, if you want to stray from the default options, its can get a little tricky. As mentioned above, to create a channel, the command is as follows /ch create channelname channelnickname. That is the most basic and easiest way to do so. For example: I could type /ch create Dettles Dett However, there are a number of different options available to fully customize your channel. If you would like to require a password for your channel, after channel nickname you would type " p:" then your password. For example, I could type /ch create Dettles Dett p:12345 If you would like to change the text color to something other than the default white, then after either the password or the channel nickname you will type "color:" then any of the following color codes, for the color you desire. For example, I could type /ch create Dettles Dett p:12345 color:9 There are a number of options to choose from after that. To add options you would type "- " after either channel nickname or password/color. Some options are admin only so I will cover the two that can be applied by all users. -h will hide channel from the channel list and -j will display who joins the channel. You can not combine the two options so you can either have -h or -j, not both. So, for example, if I wanted to add the hidden option to my channel I would type the following: /ch create Dettles Dett p:12345 color:9 -h You can mix and match options as well. You can forgo the password and just have a color. You can have color and the - j option. Its all up to you! Color Coded Ranks One of the nice functions of HeroChat on this server, is the color coded ranks. (with the exception of those who are color-blind D: ) Staff Ranks Dark Red = Lead Admin Dark Grey = MgnfcntBstrd - retired admin Red = Admin Dark Blue = Lead Mod Turquoise = Mod Player Ranks Orange with + prefix = Donators Orange with ++ prefix = Super Donator Light Green = Elder Purple = Traveler Green = Settler Grey = Outsider This feature helps organize chat in a way. Instead of chat being a block of white text and names, the colors help to break it up. It also helps players identify staff, in the event they are needed. Messages Players can send private messages directly to other players. As listed above, the command to do that is /msg playername . To respond to a message, all you have to do is type /r and then your response. *Please Note * - If you happen to get multiple messages, when you /r , it will reply to the last person who sent you a message or response. To pick back up with another/previous message, you will have to re-message that person of wait until they /r you again. Improved Chat How many times have you found yourself trying to keep up with conversations only to be frustrated and annoyed that you didn't get a chance to read all that was written before it left the window? Improved Chat will help! While it is not mandatory, it will make your life easier and is highly recommended. One of the best features about the Improved Chat mod is the ability to scroll up and down. Now you can go back and read the chat or text you may have missed. You can also cut and paste text. Another perk that comes with improved chat is that you can move the cursor through the text with the arrow keys to edit the statement before sending without having to delete the whole thing. While this is only a glimpse of what Improved Chat is, you will not be sorry if you install it. You will wonder how you managed without it and be lost in the event of an update! For a little bit more information or to download IC, head to the following link: Improved Chat Reminders Remember the rules. Rules are set up for a reason, they are not just written on the signs to look pretty. Follow the rules and everyone will be happy. You will reply to someone in the wrong channel. It happens, don't worry too much about it. Admins are all seeing and knowing. Messages and channels are not completely private, not to mention there are logs and such. It is best not to say anything that you may regret later on. I hope that this gives you a basic idea of what HeroChat does and how to use it. If you have more questions remember to type /ch help or see the Tips & Tricks section in the library to remind you to how to bring up the help page. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I sincerely hope it helps, even a little bit.
Spot on, perfect, Exact. welldone dettles, loving it, im sure it will help the new builders (and the vets) when they need info on this!!
