Credit to Tif from Tif+Jo for the awesome banner c:
Welcome! So have you just started CS and are a little confused? Or maybe you're a more recent member that needs to brush up on some things? An old member reviewing the site? Either way, you've come to the right thread!
Important Notice
This has been requested by a few staff members because there have been many threads that have the right intentions but are repeats and spam. This guide/index is here to tidy up the Introductions board so instead of having many topics scattered throughout the board, they can be found here, where it's updated. The GH's and moderators will be running the guide, so please do not remake it or make more topics related to this, it's here so we don't have so many related ones.
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Announcement
We've also seen many eager members helping out and welcoming newbies, that's great. The only thing we ask of you is instead of posting several links to multiple threads just start posting this one, that's why it was made. c; Secondly, if the link is already posted don't post it again, it's just spam. Welcoming members isn't though.
What do these links do? They're the main parts of Chicken Smoothie. "Home" lets you view the homepage where announcements are made, featured drawings are shown, etc. "My Stuff" allows you to view your pet collection or pets you've adopted. "Adopt" brings you to a page of adoptable pets. The "Store" tab is where you can purchase items using the site's currency, Chicken Dollars (C$). The "Archive" tab stores and shows past pets throughout the months & years. The "Pound" is where you can adopt homeless for free; it opens randomly. Oekaki, also known as ChibiPaint, is an online paint program that is free to use. We'll get more into depth with all these topics soon!
» Account
Your account is well, your account. You can personalize the background, edit your signature & avatar, view messages, etc. Each person is allowed one account, creating multiple accounts ends in permanent banning from Chicken Smoothie.
By clicking "My Account" on the row above you'll see a page like this. There are several tabs, the automatic one leading you to Board Preferences. The individual tabs will take you to different places. Overview will give you a view of important, must-read announcements. Profile is what the other members see. Here you can edit your interests, signature, avatar, & account details like your username. Do not share your account information or password with anyone! Next we have Private Messages, if your account is permitted to send PMs you can compose, view, save, and delete messages. This is a safe way of letting our members communicate privately. Administrators can still read PMs though.
Question: How do I post links in posts and my signature?
Answer: It's quite simple actually. It's called BBCode. To post a link all you have to use are the URL brackets shown at the top of a post when you are posting. Then you put the link inside them. It looks like this;
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[url]Link Goes Here[/url]
If you want your link to look like a word that you click on and links, then you have to make some modifications. You put a '=' after the first 'url' and put the link there, and the words in the middle, like this;
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[url=Link Goes Here]Words Go Here[/url]
If you want to post a picture you get the image URL by right-clicking on the image. Some browsers do it differently. Internet Explorer you right click on the image, then click 'Properties' and copy the image URL from there. With Chrome and Firefox you right click on the image and click 'copy image URL'. If you use a different browsers try doing one of those, it will probably work. This is what posting an image would look like;
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[img]Image URL Goes Here[/img]
If you want to make an image that is a link when you click on it you have to make some modifications similar to the modifications when making words that are a link. An image that is a link would look like this;
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[url=Link Goes Here][img]Image URL Goes Here[/img][/url]
›Wishlist
Your wishlist affiliates with the Archive, you can add a pet to your "wishlist" for several reasons, the main one being you want that pet. Wishlist helps mostly when trading, it helps you and or your trading partner give a better view on what pets you're interested in at the moment.
›Balance
How do I get C$?
- As stated earlier, Chicken Dollars (C$) are the site's currency. C$ is usually obtained with a valid purchase of real money. If you want to buy your own C$, click on your balance page by going here: payments/credits.php
Then, click the button below, and you will be taken to a separate page.
They can be purchased via Paypal, card, or the options you are shown.
Have no fear though, a lot of people can't or do not want to do this. C$ is now also tradeable! It can be hard to find someone with C$, since when initiating a trade you cannot see your trade partner's C$ balance. Often times a user's C$ amount will be displayed in their trade rules, so reading those is a good place to start when searching for a trading partner C:
›Member Groups
- Member groups or 'colored usernames' are members who have been chosen to play a certain part in running the site. They all play an important part in the community, as well as the other members. These groups are closed and members can only join when applications are open. Tess will announce applications, please do not ask!
Administrators - Creators of the site. Run & maintain it, chooses staff members, etc. Gives warnings & bans.
Admin Assistants - Similar to an Admins job, they monitor and help maintain the site. Also give warnings & bans.
CS Staff - A mixed group involving official artists, archivists, etc. Create pets & items for us to adopt and update the Archive. C:
Global Moderators - Monitor the entire forums, give warnings, keep spam to a minimum, handle bullying, harassment, art theft, etc.
Oekaki Moderators - Monitor the Oekaki pages. Decide what is put up and what is taken down on the forum.
Roleplay Moderators - Monitor the Roleplay forms, keeps threads appropriate, etc.
General Helpers - Members who have volunteered to help around the site. Whether it's guiding a newbie,giving advice, or just making a moderators job easier. General Helpers are not staff however they are still important members of the Chicken Smoothie team. You should feel comfortable reaching out to a GH for help, that's their job.^^
Fanart Archivists - Members who have volunteered to help with running the Fanart Gallery. They sort through and display the artwork submitted by CS members.
» Forum
- The forum is where announcements are made, roleplays are created, general topics discussed, etc. We have a forum for every topic, you can view them here. The important thing to know is the difference between a forum, thread/topic, post. Forums are sections where threads are put into. Threads are the topics within a forum, there are usually pages of them. See? A post usually a reply to the topic, when viewing a thread you'll see different posts made by different members. We'll use WildDragonfly's post as an example.
› Making a topic
- If you aren't COPPA'd you can make posts and topics outside of the Oekaki boards. To make a new topic go the forum you'd like it in, at the top of the page you'll see a "NewTopic" button. Remember to always use the search function before making a new topic! Otherwise it's spam.
› Posting
- There are two ways to post, "post a reply" and "quick reply". The only difference between them is that "post a reply" gives you a task bar full of BB codes you can use such as color, bold, italic, underlined, etc.
» Pets
Click the 'Adopt' button on the main menu to reach the Adoptables available for the month. It is best to adopt the maximum amount of each pet type. As pets grow they often have several outcomes, so adopting all you can, gives you a better chance of obtaining most, if not all of these outcomes. Extra double outcomes that you get will also be great to go toward trading for pets you need. ;) You have noticed the pets rarity tags, rarity isn't discovered until they grow up. Some pets are rarer than others. Older pets are worth more than others. Gah, so confusing! Well, that's why our lovely CS team has put together a guide. It can be found here.
Question: How do I get more pets?
Answer: The best way to get more pets is to adopt as many pets as you can when you join and every month. Don't just adopt one or two, or just the ones you like. Adopt all of them, that way when they grow and you have extras, you can trade those for pets you want and for more pets. That is the easiest way. Another very good way to get more pets is to visit the CS Free Adoptions Forum. There you can easily get free pets by just posting or by sending the user a trade Just be sure to read their requirements for getting those pets. Other ways to get more pets can be through selling art if you are good at drawing, or by selling things like stamps, banners, and currency from other sites.
Question: How do I get a rare?
Answer: The easiest way to get a rare is by using the CS Free Adoptions forum. But most people do not give away rares because they are harder to find, and even in the free adoptions forum, it is often hard to win a rare. Most people have to put in a bit of work for their first rare. If your lucky you will get a rare when your monthly pets grow up, but that is unlikely to happen. For a newbie getting a rare, the best thing you can do is save the pets that people ask for a lot, the pets that are more uncommon than normal and are popular. If you can get enough of these, and get older pets through trading, you can eventually get enough pets for a rare. But beware of rares from events and holidays. These are often called 'common' rares because they are easy to find and are not worth as much as a regular rare.
› Pet Groups
Pet Guides
Tess Cat Guide - Why is there a separate guide? Because in 2010 Saltytoothpaste and Tess teamed up to create a new growing cat line art. Occasionally pets on this lineart will be released during special events, along with being able to obtain older Tess cats on Dec. 18th through the re-release.
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Creating several groups for your pets is a great way to keep track and view your different pet types. It is a good idea to create a "Trade Group" and move the pets you are willing to trade here. it makes it easier for potential trading partners to know what you have to offer. Creating a new trade group is very easy. Just go to your 'My pets' page, and click the 'Create a new group to organize your pets' link at the bottom left. From here simply enter your new group's name, and click 'Create'. You will now have a new group.
› Moving pets
- To move pets into a new group, tick the little white box under each pet you wish to move. If you want to move a whole page of pets, scroll down to the bottom right of the page, and click 'Mark all' which is located under the drop-down menu.
Once your pet(s) are selected, use the drop-down menu to select the group you wish to move them to, and click 'Go'. Your pets will now be moved.
Note: If moving large amounts of pets, be aware that you can only move one page at a time.
› Starting a Trade
- Starting a trade can be done several ways, and this will soon become like second nature to you.
From here click the button -
. You will be prompted to type in the members User-name. Make sure that it is spelled exactly right, or you may unintentionally be starting a trade with someone that has a similar name >.< Oops!
› Trading System
Each button is self-explanatory. You can add pets, items, or C$ to your side and your partner's side. Note that some users may disable item and C$ trades, so you may not see these buttons. Once you are happy with the trade, you can choose to send it as a trade (the other player can accept the trade as it is) or a suggestion (the user must edit the trade and send it back to you). You can leave a message that your trading partner will see when they view your trade.
› Trade Rules
- If you want your own set of trade rules that members can see when starting a trade with you:
Go to 'Trades' at the top left of the site. Click the -
button.Here, you can enter your trade rules in the white text area. Be sure to save when you are done! You can use BBCode to spiff it up if you like. Here is a great guide regarding trade rules - {Guide} Creating the Perfect Trade Rules› Pound
The Chicken Smoothie Pound contains pets confiscated from cheaters, or donated pets from CS members. Opening of the Pound is completely, and I must stress this, completely random. The Pound is filled by an automatic system that ensures there is a fair distribution of pets of each rarity, and usually opens at least once a day, if not more often. Regardless, the pound is meant to be special because you have a chance to get older, and more valued pets.If you catch the Pound open, you can only adopt one pet per 3 hours. Choose wisely!
» Oekaki
- Oekaki is a fun browser based application. Essentially you can use it to draw and colour.
If you can't seem to get the Oekaki to work, be sure you have the latest version of Java. It is required for the application to function. http://www.java.com/en/ To start a new drawing, first go to the Oekaki section of the forums. For example, the Beginners Oekaki section. At the top of the board, you will see a button at the top left that says 'New Drawing'. Once the application is loaded, just start playing around :D Still confused? Check out this great oekaki guide made by Misnake! Don't forget to read the Oekaki Rules before drawing though.
This image gallery contains images taken by the CS staff. All the images in this gallery are free to use as references for drawings, just make sure to follow all rules, both in the gallery as well as the CS rules on referencing an image for artwork.
» Fan Art Gallery
Another image gallery, this one contains all the fanart for CS that other users submit. To submit a piece, go to the Fan Art Gallery and click submit. Make sure that the artwork is 100 % yours and that it features a CS pet or mascot, as it cannot be displayed it if it does not.
» Stamp Collection
Show off some your favorite pets, animals, and interests with the Stamp Collecting feature. This feature is available to everyone and you can even display your collection as your forum signature instead of your current one, or if you are COPPA'd you can use it as your signature. To set up your stamp collection, go to my stuff, and then click on 'my profile' and then where it says stamp collection click edit.
Drag and drop your favorite stamps and arrange them however you like, once you find an arrangement you like, click save and go back to your profile and click 'display under forum posts' if you want to use it as your signature.
» Pet Dressups
- Another fun thing to do here on Chicken Smoothie is dressing our pets up with items. Items are obtained by either getting them in events, buying them from the CS Store or trading for them! To dress up one of your pets click on the pet you desire to add an item to. Underneath the pet, you should see a few links.
Click the one that says “Add items to your pet…”
You should then be able to see all of your items and drag them onto your pet however you please!
To show off your dress ups you can submit them to different Dress up challenges
Click on the theme you would like and hit the “enter your pet” button.
You will be able to go through your pets and choose the dress you prefer. Once you make your selection your dressup will now be submitted to your gallery for everyone to see! To view your gallery go to your profile.
Scroll down and click the second to last link that says “View my dressups”
