Welcome to my page on the alt.games.diablo newsgroup.  AGD is a great place to find information, gaming partners, exchange ideas or learn about this great game. While AGD is a usenet newsgroup, those of us that are regular posters feel that it is much more like a community and even a family.  If you have never posted to the group with a question or an answer to a question, you should. Its a great way to communicate with others and its also a lot of fun. Alt.games.diablo can be read on your local news server or at dejanews.

Alt.games.diablo is peaceful for the most part and flame wars are more rare now than they used to be. Cheating vs. Legit play is probably the most debated topic to date. Almost everyone has an opinion one way or the other on just about every subject that comes up. You will find most everyone to be very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. We have a vast amount of experienced players that post and reply so there is no shortage of help available. If you are specifically against cheating or any other type of playing style, please do not start flame wars by posting insults, personal attacks etc. You have the right to your opinion, but if you choose to make your opinion known, please do so tactfully. Also if you are a cheater, the same advice applies to you.

Never, ever feel afraid to post a question or a reply. This news group is for YOU.  The following is a small sample of questions that I feel some people new to Usenet or alt.games.diablo might find helpful. Keep in mind that this portion of this page is NOT supported by AGD in toto as I cannot speak for the other regular posters. These are my opinions, questions and answers

Stalker's totally unofficial alt.games.diablo FAQ

The questions and answers here are wholly my opinion and view. There are many people who post in a.g.d. and these questions and answers may not represent what they feel is correct. Again, these are of my creation.

What kind of questions arent allowed?
None. Please try to stay on topic though.Topics include but aren't limited to: Diablo, Diablo 2, Hellfire, unofficial addons, mods, cheats, characters, troubleshooting, computer problems, cheating, playing styles, hacks, tips, tricks, strategy etc.

I took a great screen shot of my character killing Diablo, can I post it?
Generally, No. Alt.games.diablo does not allow binary files. You will get a lot of comments asking you to not post binaries.Binary files are usually only allowed to groups with the word "binary" in the title (heirarchy)

What is a troll?
A troll is a poster who purposely posts inflammatory statements or questions when they know that the group will take offense to it. These types of posts can include but aren't limited to: off topic subjects, religion, bias, personal attacks etc.

I see posts from (insert name here) and I dont like what that person has to say, how do I deal with that?
You can either not read that persons post, not reply to that person, killfile the person or reply in a tactful way to where you foster communication and encourage dialogue.You can even respond in kind, but then it tends to grow into a humongous thread oftentimes upsetting many of the regulars and scaring away many that want to post but are afraid that if they do, they will be treated the same way.    These big threads are also known as "pissing contests"(been there, done that)

What is a killfile?
When you use a killfile, you activate a setting on  your news reader (if applicable)that tells the program that you do not want to see posts or replies from "whoever" and it filters those posts and replies out of your newsgroup reading. This is very helpful if there is a troll/idiot/moron/ infestation in the NG.  

When I go to Clan Justus, all I ever see is bots and why are the same people always in control?
The bots are mainly used to keep the channel open and free of others that might want to take the channel over. Its dumb, but it happens.  Most players use the chat utilities (aka "bots") for ease of chatting on Bnet. They take far less resources than the game itself and can be installed on any computer either at work or at home.

I read posts from so many friendly people in a.g.d and would like to play some games with them, where would I go on Bnet to meet up?
A while back, Kaymen suggested a private channel for the AGD members.  So Kaymen, Wild`Fyre, ^SilverRaven^ and myself got together and created the private channel "JustUs".  The channel was created so that everyone from the newsgroup could find each other for games. When you log onto Bnet, simply type /join clan justus and you will then join the newsgroups channel.

Someone replied to me and they were quite mean. Why?
It could be many reasons. You asked a question they didnt like and they "flamed" you, you replied to a question and they didnt like it, you responded to their question or reply and they didnt like it, they are a jerk, etc. Overall, dont let someone being a dolt dampen your spirits when it comes to posting or replying.

How long will it take to get an answer to my question?
That depends. It depends on what you asked, how you asked it, if you included all relevant information, whos reading the newsgroup at the time your post is sent up etc. Generally, the more difficult the question, the longer a response may take. This is due mostly to the fact that the people that may know the answer to your question may not read the group for a period of time.

Is there a cow level and if so, how do I get to it?
There is NO cow level.

I asked a question and got about 10 different responses. How do I know which one to go with?
There is no real rule of thumb here except to say, read some of the persons other posts and read replies to them. Some people are extremely knowedgeable about certain aspects of the game while they lack in depth knowledge of other aspects. This doesnt mean they are wrong and they certainly are not trying to mislead you. After a while you will know how to ask and who to ask and what to ask.

Stalker