Hello GUNners and GUNnettes!

I hope you have noticed all the amazing mods we have to offer.
A lot of the review videos or screenshots which attracted you here may show some mods you won't find on the first search of the forums.

The majority of the mods here are now public downloads, meaning anyone can register and have almost immediate access to some of the very best mods on this site.

The few "exclusive" mods we hold in the "exclusive" sections are meant as a perk for people who contribute to the community. That can mean feedback on the mods they download, helping someone with a problem if you know the answer, or just finding a discussion about something you like and adding to it.

Right now those are only accessible
for the following member groups:
Colonials
Veterans
Purple Hearts
Sentinels
Paladin
Overseer

For more information on each, read this topic:
https://www.gunetwork.org/t6-member-groups

Why don't we allow access to Established, Survivors or Initiates?
Or to Members with 0 posts or to Guests? WHYYY!?!?
I'll let @dragbody explain it for me:

dragbody wrote:

There are a few reasons. Let me explain...

1. We want to protect the mod authors from dishonest users. Bandwidth leeching is not an issue anymore; however, mod leaking is.

2.  The GUNetwork has always been about the community and friendship. Anonymous users soaking up our mods and never saying thanks or sharing a screenshot of the mods in action aren't who we want to be part of a community with.

3. We also need to protect the CONTENT of the mods. It's no secret that our mods frequently use ported content. As a result, there is a need to ensure our members are responsible people who will respect the fact that even the modders don't really "own" the mods. Thus the approval process is our way of screening users to help us share the mods in a controlled manner.

I think this pretty well sums it up. We want everyone to get approval so we can all maximize our modding fun! But it's up to the individual users to determine if that happens.

Now, to gain access to mods our talented modders release you'll have to be admitted to one of the groups I've mentioned before.

Your best and safest bet is to go for Colonials
To become a Colonial, you'll have to earn our TRUST and RESPECT
Convince us you're a decent community member. Socialize with the modders whose mods you want.
To start off, you may attempt to:
1. Make a consistent amount of non-spam posts:
- a consistent introduction could make up for 5 posts
(allowing people to get to know and understand you)
- good, consistent replies which enrich an existing topic
will also be appreciated more than 5 or 10 shallow posts.
- posting screenshots or videos is advisable, but not necessary.
They represent content, and content is encouraged.
2. Be a decent human being, without a history of leaking other ppl's mods without permission and without acting like a prick
3. Be mindful of the Rules & Guidelines about how this forum functions.

Some of you are already Veterans and know very well what that means. For those of you who just registered, Veterans are members of the Old VGUnetwork who have been very active and valuable there, who we remember very well and who have stuck with us through thick and thin. They're literally <Veteran> members, we have a long history together and they should be regarded as OG
If you believe you deserve the rank of Veteran, apply to the group and we'll take it in consideration.
Possible outcomes to that:
1. most of us are gonna say "Oh right! I know him/her! He/she used to post a lot and was a nice guy/gal!"
in which case you're set and promoted. This is the case with most current Veterans.

2. some of us say
"Sounds familiar! I think she/he was around!
Not sure how active, though, it's very vague.
We should wait for him/her to post some more"
OR
one of us could say "oh I remember him/her well!"
while others would say "no, I don't recall seeing them"
which is the case for most people who already applied but weren't promoted yet
(spoknot99, altoangelo, Nemesis, Ghost_1021, Major_Tumanov)

3. most of us would say "I don't really remember him/her. maybe they should go for Colonial instead" which is the situation for... well... not sure. but could be.

Ergo, it's a weird complicated system
Now I must beg of you: DO NOT be kiss-asses!
Don't try to suck up past your promotion.
But don't be a prick, be open and interactive.
Be honest, decent and post lots of pictures  

Don't aim for Paladin. Only very few remarkable (near legendary) modders and the highest esteemed old VGU members will be awarded this rank. If you're registered to the site, we probably already know and have promoted you on the spot. If you went under our radar, feel free to message me, asking about it, but it'll save us both an awkward conversation if you just post on the forums and allow us to pick up on your presence first. Paladins are renown members of the modding scene and those who have been great friends of the community.
However, if your current and future activity, as well as fantastic mod releases, stand out among the rest like a blinding beacon of light, we will nominate you to this member group.

For Sentinel & Overseer you have to have forum managing experience or honest willingness, free time and a good reputation. There's a greater chance you become Sentinel before Overseer, but just so it's clear, anybody can strive to become Staff. It's an administrative position, so it comes with a lot of responsibility but with a few perks too. Applications will be considered.
Sentinels go through a 2 week trial period after which they may be asked to step down.

I hope this is sufficiently explained, as a preliminary breakdown.
Other additions or changes will be posted and updated here.

More details on Procedure:

You don't really get to apply for promotion, you'll be nominated.

You may ask Staff if you've been nominated, and how the votes are going, but there's no application necessary on your part, other than being active on the forums.

Only Overseers and Paladins nominate members for Promotion.
DO NOT bother Paladins to nominate you, you may be banned.
You may, however, ask an Overseer or Sentinel about your status,
but don't be annoying and don't be an ass kisser.

Only Overseers, Sentinels and Paladins vote for or against members nominated for Promotion. Each vote has the same value.

Do not beg for their favor, do not be needy and exasperating.
Earn your status like an intelligent adult, not like a leech.
A proper activity and patience will always be rewarded.
Show trust and respect and we'll reciprocate  

Types of Votes
NO when the member hasn't earned promotion.
YES when the member has earned promotion.
WAIT when the member has potential, but hasn't quite earned it yet

I've included all the current Member Groups here for quick reference:

Nominations may be for:
Colonial, Veteran, Purple Hearts, Chatbox Moderator, Sentinel, Overseer, Paladin or Demotion from any of those ranks.

For GFX Specialists, they will be voted on by the Graphic Effects Team in their Head-Quarters here, by a similar but more simplified process:
https://www.gunetwork.org/t5634-gfx-specialists-hq

Every nomination has to be motivated.
Every time we nominate somebody we note our impressions and a direct link to their posts or simply by tagging them. So a nomination would look like this:
@UserExample <https://www.gunetwork.org/spa/UserExample>
Colonial. Mostly decent activity. Had some short posts in the beginning but he improved content after a while. Has been friendly, helpful and mindful of the rules.

Demotion and Overseer Nominations have to reach 5 votes of the same kind to finalize.
All other Nominations only need 3 votes of the same kind to pass through.
Once at least 3 (or 5) votes are met in the member's favor, there will be a 48 hour Pending Period in which anyone who hasn't voted can formulate objections, and those who've voted can change their vote based on proper justification. If no objections arise within the given time, the Nomination will be executed and announced here.

I trust this is pretty straight-forward. If you've wondered how things work, this is it. For any other questions, address them here. Any topics created about this in the future will be redirected here and locked.

Thank you for being part of the Gaming Underground Network!
G.U.Network - Come for the Mods, Stay for the Community!