CAP Forum Rules (UPDATED 09/08/12) - READ THIS FIRST

[DougJustDoug**]

Welcome to the Create-A-Pokemon Project! This is a project dedicated to exploring and understanding the competitive Pokemon metagame by designing, creating, and playtesting new Pokemon concepts.

Here is a brief summary of the Pokemon creation process:

New Pokemon are created by the community through a series of polls, with each poll representing an aspect of the new Pokemon. The polls are created and coordinated by the CAP moderators who manage the process. After the polls are complete, the Pokemon is implemented on the Pokemon Showdown! client and is thoroughly playtested. Feedback is collected, and if necessary, modifications to the pokemon are made. For detailed information about the pokemon creation process, see the CAP Process Guide.

The following posting rules will be enforced in this forum:

• All construction threads and polls are to be created by the approved Topic Leader. No other threads or polls that pertain to the construction process should be created by other project members.

• Personal pokemon creations are not to be posted here. As much as you might think we want to see that pokemon you created back in the eighth grade, we really don't. Keep it to yourself.

• Do not make discussion threads for new pokemon. New pokemon are created in a step-by-step process, led by the CAP Moderators. Feel free to express on-topic opinions in whichever polls are currently open. But, we do not openly discuss random ideas for new pokemon.

• All threads and posts must pertain to the Create-A-Pokemon Project. General pokemon threads should be posted in the appropriate forum within Smogon, but not here.

• All CAP posts must be on-topic and follow the rules defined in the OP of the thread. Almost all CAP threads have a specific purpose and many have specific rules listed in the OP. If you are not familiar with the purpose of the thread, or have not read the OP -- please do not assume you can contribute to the discussion.

• All posts should demonstrate a good working knowledge of the CAP project and the competitive pokemon metagame. Less experienced users are welcome to vote in CAP polls, but please refrain from contributing to discussions, until you have a decent grasp on how the project works and how the competitive metagame is played. Read the Newcomers Guide and lurk around the forum for a while before jumping in.

• CAP Pokemon movesets should be posted in the appropriate analysis workshop threads. Do not post new moveset suggestions as separate threads.

• Warstories involving CAP Pokemon are welcome here. Rules for warstory content can be found here. Unformatted battle logs are not welcome in warstories. If you would like to post a battle log in support of playtesting feedback, then post it in the appropriate playtesting thread (preferably enclosed in CODE tags).

• Rate-My-Team threads involving CAP Pokemon are welcome here. Please consult the RMT forum for guidelines on proper RMT posting and rating. Those rules are located here.

• Simple questions should be posted in the Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer thread. Please consult the stickies before posting any simple questions.

• There is no public Nintendo guide or rulebook that delineates what is acceptable or unacceptable when making a Pokemon. So, don't act like you've read such a manual and memorized it word for word. No matter how experienced you are ingame, battling, or otherwise -- you are no more an "authority" on the rules of Pokemon creation than anyone else. All we have is opinions to present and discuss.

• Do not under any circumstances insult another user's submission to any thread. This includes Name, Stat Spread, Concept, and especially Art. Insulting a person's submission will result in the same punishment as if you insulted them. Constructive criticism is one thing, but insulting comments are another.

• Poll-jumping is strictly prohibited. Keep all posts on topic and relevant to the current step of the process, not to any future topics.

• No thread-hogging. This is a big project with a lot of opinions, and everyone wants to be heard. Most CAP threads are used by community leaders to gauge overall community consensus on a topic. If one user spams a thread repeatedly with posts, it makes it difficult to see the overall community opinion. Please be respectful of the rest of the community, and do not treat CAP threads as your personal soapbox.

• Discussion threads on the CAP metagame or different topics pertaining to CAP are allowed, however they must be approved by a CAP Moderator first via PM. When posting in one, stay on-topic in accordance with the OP.