FPSB F.A.Q. A comprehensive guide for all newcommers.
This F.A.Q. comprehensive and is not set in stone. If you have any suggestions for modifications or additions to this F.A.Q. then drop me a line in my profile or private message.
Welcome to FPSbanana.com. This website is dedicated to the individual creation and free distribution of custom material for FPS based PC games. We pride ourselves in the community participation, and influence to help the site grow and develop. This isn't our first domain name. You may remember us as: CScentral.com, CSBanana.com, banana.nu, and back to CSBanana.com untill we finally decided on FPSbanana.com. We were primarily a Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source based website. Though, over the years we have come to support many other games as the online FPS games have grown in popularity, and the developers have allowed for customization. We are always looking for people to contribute any sort of custom video game material that you created or helped create so that others may appreciate your work.
Problems:
If you at any time have a problem. Feel free to contact me Botch (Administrator), or if you have problems regarding the site contact Tom (Owner). We also have many helpful bananites around, and some can come in quite handy from time to time. You can check our list of helpful folks here.
Our site lists 4 main rules on forum and internet etiquette above most every message box. If you're not familiar with those then here they are as they appear all over the site/forums.
We are an English based site, so we only permit English posts and threads. Not because we don't welcome other languages, but we cannot moderate what we do not understand. We have in our Clans section for users the ability to create clans for non-English teams. Though the posts will still be moderated in the Comment Moderator and deleted if they're not in English. This isn't a hard rule to grasp, and if you cannot comply, then none of your posts will remain on the site. If you consistently breaking this rule, you will be notified. From there any other infractions will result in notification or worse. Though this isn't a big problem, but we do get some International traffic on this site. It could become a problem if we didn't enforce the rule.
The second part of the rule is spelling, and it's not something easy to enforce. Though we do ask that you do try to spell things correctly, so others may understand you completely. Posts usually aren't the issue with this rule, but the threads are where this problem comes up a lot. If your thread is poorly worded and the grammar is lacking, then it will be deleted.
2. No discrimination, abusiveness or flaming
Any sort of racism reported or sighted will result in a ban and if you're a respected/veteran you may recieve 1 warning. If severe Abuse or flaming/trolling is reported or spotted. A Gag, for a specified number of days, will be instated. Once the gag has been served the user may post freely once again. Further infractions will result in longer gag durations or a ban.
3. No negative feedback without explanation
This website is dedicated to the individual creation and free distribution of custom material for FPS based PC games. This comes from users helping users. Not users bashing another users' work. We know that not all custom material will superb in quality. That is why we have the CSA system and supply our users with a Studio section. The CSA is for other people to rate your work and have a final say if your submission is to remain in the site's database. The studios are there to help users develop material with the help of others, and to also give news users an outlet if they're seeking help from experienced users.
Negative feedback or criticism is a natural and healthy part of the development of an artist or any other skilled person for that matter. But if you do not supply reasons for your criticism then that user is left with nothing but insults instead of building blocks for future projects. If someone excessively provides negative feedback without supplying sufficient support, that user could be gagged or banned depending on the severity. Treat others the way you would like to be treated while trying to share your hard work with this community.
4. PEOPLE HAVE FEELINGS. BE NICE & BE POLITE!
This is a continuation of the previous rule. It also says the rules that are usually taken for granted. It is general internet etiquette. If you do not obey these rules, people will not respect you. Remember that you're not the only person who can act like a jerk. Regardless of the situation, if you are the one spotted being a jerk, you will be gagged or banned.
5. No Warez
If it’s not supposed to be free and are trying to share it on our site, you will be banned. This also applies to certain file sharing programs that are commonly used to obtain warez. No-CD cracks or CD keys fall under this category and will get you banned if you post them. If you have warez don't talk about it here. Our site's goal isn't to police the internet. We will not purposely ask you for warez to get you in trouble. If someone requests warez, report them to an administrator. [Back to Top]
Skins
The skins section is the most popular part of FPSB. We currently have over 3900 skins in our database and growing daily. This is completely open to anyone who wishes to share their latest work with the community. It is subject to the CSA voting system.
To add a skin, simply click SKINS at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Skin button at the top of the screen. There you will be brought to our "add skin worksheet". It has changed a lot over time, and we're always looking for ways to improve upon the information you can provide with your skin. The most important field aside from the file itself is the Credits field. We cannot stress enough that you need to include proper credits with your skin or it will not remain on the site. You will see with our CSA system that credits will be very important. Credit Theft and Improper Credits are some of the most common credit related issues. If a user disapproves your skin with a credit issue, it will be flagged. When it is flagged people can see it before they vote for themselves (Example). Basically, if you don't include all of the people who had a hand in the creation of the skin and/or model then you are stealing their work. It isn't a punishable crime, but we can ensure you that we will not allow those sorts of submissions on our site. If you find a skin that has an issue with credits that hasn't been removed, please notify me(Botch) ASAP. Blatant and repeated credit theft will result in either a permanent gag from skin submissions or even a ban from the site.
If you are adding a skin that YOU did not help in any way. Ensure that you have obtained permission from the author to release the skin here. That is just as bad as credit theft, and it will anger the author, and possibly turn him against hosting his submissions here in the future.
You will notice there are many fields in the "add skin worksheet". Fill out as many as fields you possibly can. Everything from title of the skin to installation instructions. Ensure your skin is uploaded to the proper category before hitting submit. If your skin is a M4A1 and was made for Counter-Strike: Source, then make sure you select CSS > M4A1 from the drop down menu. If your submission is out of category, it could cause users to disapprove of your submission.
SCREENSHOTS are a must. If people cannot see what the submission is before they download it, they are more likely to vote your submission off of the site. We prefer that you use the "Skin Render" option. This is the screen that will show up first on the site as the preview shot. This is a shot from your model creation software or any other sort of model viewer. The other 2 screen shots are of your skin in-game. We prefer that you disable your in-game HUD, this cleans up the shot. We don't need to know your FPS rate or bullet count to evaluate the skin.
Some other fields that are important are the Texture and Model class fields. This will tell us if you are submitting just a skin, or a new model, or even a new skin for a model other than the default. The more information you provide users with before they even download the skin will tell them what kind of quality they are to expect. Include a detailed set of installation instructions especially if your skin contains many files and folders, or different versions. [Back to Top]
Maps
The FPSB Map database is the largest section of the site and one of the largest ever. We currently have over 8000 maps and growing every day. Just as the rest of the site. The maps section is completely open to the public submission, and subject to the CSA voting system. Anyone may share their hard work with our community.
To add a map, simply click MAPS at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Map button at the top of the screen. This will bring you to a small page that has another drop down menu used to select the game your map was made for. If you have a map you want to submit for Counter-Strike 1.6, simply select CS from the dropdown menu. This will bring you to the "add map worksheet". Since maps have many different characteristics depending on what game it is for, we have different worksheets. Some varieties are Capture the flag, Death match, Defuse, Hostage Rescue, and the list goes on and on. Select your game and fill out the necessary information. Credits are again a very important part of the information. Make sure you include ALL of the people who helped in any way with the creation of the map. Again, if you're adding a map that you didn't have any part of what-so-ever in the making, make sure you obtain permission from the author.
SCREENSHOTS are a must. If people cannot see what the submission is before they download it, they are more likely to vote your submission off of the site. Screenshot A will be the first shot seen in the preview of your map. It is best that screenshot A is an overview or a wide angle shot of your map. Use the other 3 to show off interesting parts of your map.
Do not forget to include all materials used in the creation, especially custom materials. If you submit a map with missing materials, it has a good chance of being voted off the site though CSA. Include all aspects of your map when submitting. Include a good description of the map, and installation notes especially if the map has lots of files included. Most of our map worksheets include drop down menus and boxes of time of day, environment, theme and season, guns allowed, and many more. Please complete these fields as it may help the user to understand more about your map. Also make sure that you upload the file to the correct location. If the map is a Day of Defeat: Source, fight yard map. Then you need to select DODS > FY from the dropdown menu. [Back to Top]
GUIS
Coming soon.
Sprays
The FPSB Spray database is one of the largest on the internet. We currently have over 5000 Sprays and growing daily. The spray section is completely open to the public and subject to the CSA voting system. Anyone may share their hard work with the community.
To add a spray simply click SPRAYS at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Spray button at the top of the screen. This will bring you to the "add spray worksheet". Fill in all the necessary information. There aren't many custom fields but please fill out as many as you can. Please be sure to select the correct game and category for your spray. If it is a funny spray for CS 1.6 then please click the drop down menu and select CS > Funny.
The most important part of submitting a spray is getting the correct file format for the game you are submitting it for.
CS 1.6 the file format is WAD and MUST BE named tempdecal.wad, this is the only file format that works for this game. Anything else will be useless to the user.
CS:S, HL2:DM and DOD:S file formats are bmp, jpg, jpeg, vtf, and tga. These games are very flexible with their file formats as you can see. Though you should make sure that you're saving an animated spray or transparent spray as their respective, and correct file formats.
SCREENSHOTS are a must. If people cannot see what the submission is before they download it, they are more likely to vote your submission off of the site. Do try to include both a preview shot and an in-game shot of your spray. The better you present your spray, the more likely people are going to download it. [Back to Top]
Sounds
The FPSB sounds database is vast. Not moderated by the by the community like the other sections. Though it is still open submission to the public, and may be moderated by an Admin and removed for any reason.
To add a sound simply click Sounds at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Sound button at the top of the screen. This will bring you to the "add skin worksheet". Fill in all of the fields, the more you inform the user the more likely your submission will be downloaded. Please be sure to place the sound in the correct category. If the sound is for HL2:DM and is a replacement for the weapon sounds. Then click the dropdown menu and select HL2:DM > Weapons. [Back to Top]
Tutorials - "TUTS"
The FPSB Tutorials section is a something new for us. They still have a lot of room for growth but they are very helpful. If you have anything you think should be added, please feel free to do so.
To add a tutorial simply click TUTS at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Tutorial button at the top of the screen. This will bring you to the "add skin worksheet". Fill in everything you can. This is a tutorial, people are going to use this to learn from. If you just give general information, and don't try to teach. Then your tutorial is just wasted space. There are different levels of tutorials. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. There is nothing wrong with a beginner level tutorial, but you have to teach the user something useful. Make sure you add the tutorial to the correct category. If you write a mapping guide for BF2, then select BF2 > Mapping from the dropdown menu.
Screenshots are not essential for a tutorial to be successful. Though they are very helpful when showing the user what you're talking about. Especially if you're using a program, screenshots of the buttons you select or windows you have open. This helps beginners get though the daunting task of looking for what you are describing. Include step by step instructions, even if it is simply clicking a button.
Tutorials are the help section of our site when someone asks a question. We hope to have a tutorial for most every question possible. My wish is to be able to link to YOUR tutorial and give YOU credit for helping the site and most of all the user. [Back to Top]
Tools
The FPSB Tools section is a new addition to the site, but they are very useful. We even have custom made programs by some very generous and hard working users. The tools section is open to the public and we do ask that you add programs or utilities that are helpful to gamers or that are commonly used to use material from this site.
To add a tool simply click Tools at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Tool button at the top of the screen. This will bring you to the "add tool worksheet". Most tools are not created by the common user, so you do have to give correct credits and documentation for them. It is essential that you include the creator's homepage, and name when submitting the tool. If improper credits are spotted your tool will be DELETED and you will be warned.
Add a short and simple description of the program you are adding so people know what they're getting before they download. Screenshots aren't essential, BUT it is nice to show the user what they are going to be getting into. If the file is small enough then you can upload it to FPSB, but we prefer that you include the download link to the homepage of the creator so that they benefit as well. Be sure to upload the tool to the correct category. If it is a graphics tweak for BF2, select BF2 > Utilities from the dropdown menu. It’s not very complicated but you are dealing with other people's work and you have to give them their credit.
Please do not add tools with a specific version. If possible, add "TOOL NAME" with no version and give direct link to the download. [Back to Top]
Scripts
The FPSB Scripts section is the newest addition to the site. This section is 100% open to the public. If you have a script that you use and you think that others might use, feel free to share it here.
Too add a script simply click Scripts at the top of the site. Click the big blue Add Script button at the top of the site. This will bring you to the "add script worksheet". This is a very simple worksheet, all you need to do is add your script to the box, select your section. If you are adding a buy script for CS:S then select CSS > Buy Scripts from the drop down menu. Add a title for your script and click submit. No screenshots, no file to upload. Though, if you do use a script from another website or author, and you do not credit those involved, your script will be DELETED. [Back to Top]
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