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The TGi chat channel has become increasingly more popular
in the last while, and its the perfect place to drop by and
witness our wackiness first hand! The chat (like all good
chats) is located on IRC. There are a few different ways of getting to the TGi chat room, which are outlined here.
TGi now has a java applet that hooks into our IRC channel, which can
be accessed through your internet browser, courtesy of Agent001. Most
people might find it more convenient to access the chat in this manner,
as it only requires a small Java plugin to use it (if you don't have
this plugin, you'll be prompted to download it, which is quick and easy).
If you're looking for help on the Java chat, check out the "Guide
to Java chat" at the bottom of this page.
If you are familiar with the workings of IRC, the TGi chat room is located on StarWars-IRC (irc.starwars-irc.net), in the channel #TGi. If you want to use an outside client but aren't sure how, you can follow the "Guide to mIRC" at the bottom of this page. There are a number of programs for accessing IRC, including Trillian, but only an mIRC tutorial is listed here for now.
This is just some basic information on the various features you'll encounter while using the TGi chat channel. There are many commands for IRC channels, but these are the most common for everyday users. The "ME" Command This is probably the most widely used command by common chatters. It
allows the user to convey an action in text.
The "NICK" Command This command is used to change your IRC nickname/handle to a different one, while remaining in a chat channel. input: /nick Trandonana
The "MSG" and "NOTICE" Commands These commands are used to privately communicate with another chat user, without the whole room seeing your message. input: /msg KieranHorn
I'll get you for that! The other user will see the following on their screen: *chr0no* I'll get you for that! You can also open a new private message window with another user (rather than having to keep typing /msg command) by double-clicking their name in the nick list.
The "JOIN" Command This command is used for joining channels. With the Java applet you probably won't need it unless you're using it to join a different channel, as it will automatically connect you to #TGi. input: /join #TGi Everyone in the channel will see the following when you enter: *** Ricbr has joined #TGi
The "QUIT" Command This command can be used for disconnecting from the chat. Simply closing the browser or program will also disconnect you, but you can spice it up with a custom message with this command. input: /quit the
monkeys are stealing my cheese!
If you want, you can register your chat nickname so that it requires password access to use, making sure that nobody else can pretend to be you and get any benefits awarded to that name. Registering your nickname is easy. First of all, connect to the chat server. Make sure that the nickname you are currently using is the one you want to register (if it isn't change it). To register the name, type /ns register password e-mail (replacing "password" and "e-mail" with your own information). You will get a confirmation message letting you know that the nickname is now registered to you. Now whenever you connect to the server, type /ns identify password (replacing "password" with your own password) to let the server know you're the rightful user of the name, and it will recognize you. NOTE: If you are using the Java chat, there is a field for password before you connect that will allow you to identify yourself automatically.
IRC has a "user level" structure, which grants specified users powers in a chat channel. If a user has one of these powers, a symbol will appear next to their handle in the nick list. Owner/Founder The channel owner is the person who originally set up and registered the channel. The owner has the ability to grant and remove all other user levels and set any options, some which are only available to the owner alone. Nobody can take over the channel owner position unless the channel becomes unregistered again. There can only be one channel owner. Operator or "Op" A channel operator is basically in charge of the channel, the level below owner. They have all the moderation powers, such as the ability to kick, ban, turn on moderation, change the channel topic, etc. This level is granted to TGi councilors. Half-Operator or "Halfop" A halfop has most of the abilities of a channel operator, but cannot kick or ban the ops. The purpose of the halfop feature is to allow others to moderate a channel while the actual operators are not there, without taking absolute control of the channel. This level is granted to reliable members who can be around most of the day, to provide moderation of the chat. Voice A user that is granted "voice" does not have any moderation powers of any kind. However, when a chat is switched to "moderation" mode, only those who have voice (or ops/halfops) will be able to send text messages in the channel. Voice has pretty much become the joke level, as it does absolutely nothing except for when the chat is in moderation mode, which is pretty much never. But you get a shiny new + beside your name!
The Java chat can be accessed here, where you will see this form:
All that's required is your nickname, which is the name you'll use in the chat room. If your name is registered, you can provide the password for it here as well. You can also modify stuff like the size of the chat window in the browser, and whether or not to use timestamps. When its all said and done, hit submit! If you don't already have it, you'll have to download the Java plugin to make the chat work. If your browser doesn't have it, you should get a prompt or something that tells you you need it, and after that it'll set you up for the quick download. Here's the chat screen:
You'll enter in looking at the #TGi chat window, but you've also got a status window behind it. Your windows will appear at the bottom of the screen as buttons, and you can switch between them. There are various text options for things like bold and italic, as well as colours and fonts. Its very easy to use, so you'll figure the details out in no time!
Joining the chat is simple, but it can sound complicated if you are doing this for the first time. This guide it directed at newcomers that will be using mIRC (don't worry, its free!) to access #TGi. First, go to the File menu and select "Options", or press the "Options" button on the toolbar.
Set "IRC Network" to "StarWars-IRC", and select "StarWars-IRC: Random server" in the server dropdown. Fill in the four fields in the bottom portion of the window. Your "Nickname" is the name you will go by on IRC. The "Alternative" field is for an alternate nickname, one that IRC will assign to you if a problem occurs with your primary nickname, and it becomes temporarily unusable. After you're finished, click "Connect to IRC Server". The window will fill up with status text as you are connected to the server. As soon as its finished, you can join the TGi channel by typing /join #TGi, or simply /j #TGi. You should now be in the TGi chat room! (after the initial setup, you can simply click "Connect to IRC Server" or set mIRC to connect automatically when its launched). Here's the chat screen:
Its very similar to how the Java chat looks and works. You can navigate between your windows at the top, and the layout is the same in terms of names and the actual chat space. You'll be using commands more here for various text effects and other operations. For basic text effects, you can use Ctrl+B to set up bold type, and Ctrl+K will open a small colour chart where you can pick foreground and background colours for your text (numbers seperated by a comma). |
