I am proud to present and host this community dedicated to the celebration, discussion and worship of Blood, developed by Monolith Productions and unleashed upon the world in 1997.
It is my intention that these forums in combination with the main site will in time grow to become the most complete, faithful, accurate, high quality and enjoyable online resource for Blood in the entire world. The site and forums' scope is extremely humble at the time of this writing, but in time it will expand furiously and burst with vitality to honour the game that so many have held dear for so many years.
Blood has had a relatively appalling history with regards to documentation and stability of its online resources. At the time of this writing, twenty-two years after Blood's release, many Blood sites and fan portals have come and gone, and those which have arisen have either been of poor quality and been badly managed, had bad, inaccurate or incomplete information, or been swallowed by derivative nonsense which at the end of the day has nothing to do with Blood.
This site and its forum is the line in the sand - the slice in the flesh which marks the end of such trends. I will do everything within my power to make it so and usher in a glorious future for Blood.
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What follows are a series of posting guidelines for participation in the Altar of Stone site and its forums. While most of these rules may seem like common sense, common sense seems to be in limited supply these days. Minor offenses may be punished with a temporary account suspension, while major or repeat offenses will result in bans.
- 1. First and foremost, this site is dedicated to Blood's veneration. There is the entirety of the remainder of the Internet in which to mock and belittle Blood. It won't happen here. Any tactless and repeated mockery of Blood will result in immediate account termination.
- 2. Naturally, any attempts to interfere with the site's standard operation will be strongly opposed. If any evidence is found tied to such behaviours, the offending accounts will be banned and, if deemed necessary, the IP addresses forwarded to the appropriate authorities.
- 3. Altar of Stone does not condone theft or the posting of harmful software. Refrain from posting links to cracks, malicious software or sites which give access to media illegally.
- 4. Any posting which is deemed deleterious to the well-being of the Altar of Stone community is strongly discouraged, and repeated cases of such posting will be dealt with appropriately.
- 5. Off-topic discussion is permitted within reason. The forums are intended to be enjoyable and community-oriented, but try not to veer off-topic for too long. If a thread spirals out of control and loses sight of its original discussion point, people involved will be warned. If off-topic discussion continues, the offending posts will be deleted, or the thread will be locked.
- 6. "Memes", useless posts and spam are permitted within reason. Altar of Stone is intended to be fun, but it is also intended as a haven against many disturbing and destructive trends which are pervasive in other parts of the Internet. While these sorts of posts will be tolerated to some degree, if a user's entire existence seems bent around creating absolutely nothing worthy of discussion, their involvement will be reviewed.
- 7. Blood at the time of its release was considered a dark game targeting adults. To this end, the Altar of Stone website can be considered to be populated by adults (for the most part). This site is not intended for a sensitive audience. If a bit of horror and its partners, gore and nudity disturb you, then this site is not recommended viewing. Having said that, any prolific, wanton and unconstructive posting of gore and nudity is discouraged. Use your discretion.
- 8. Endless argumentation is discouraged. The site is all for healthy debates regarding any topic under the sun, but if discussions devolve into pointless mud-slinging, and if they spill over into inappropriate and unrelated threads, action will be taken.
- 9. In keeping with the policy of attempting to treat the community as adults, the official policy on speech is that anything goes. We support "free speech" in the truest sense - free of bias or political leanings. Altar of Stone officially subscribes to no political or religious affiliation. Should you be ruled by a government with authoritarian leanings, do of course keep in mind as per the registration rules that your government's law supersedes the rules of the Altar of Stone website. If all you have to offer the website is swearing, your continued existence will, however, come into question.
Now for some questions which might be swirling in the minds of guests:
Who are you?
I am most commonly known as Daedalus or Matt. I have been a mapper for Blood for a long time, and a fan of Blood for even longer. I grew tired of the low standards with which Blood was being handled, so here we are.
Who runs the site?
I am responsible for paying for the site's operation at this time. I am also its lead content creator. Presently, Dimebog assists me with administration duties on the forums.
Where can I get Blood?
You can get Blood on GOG and Steam!
How can I help?
The greatest gift you can give to Blood and its community is your time. If you just want to relax and stick around, that's great. Making friends and making the occasional comment can go a long way. If you're looking to spend an awful lot of your time on Blood, why not get into mapping or making resources for various Blood development efforts? If you're the more hands-on type, feel free to get in touch with me directly and we'll see what's possible.
Somebody posted something that offended me on the site. Who can I speak to?
If they've broken the rules of conduct and it hasn't been acted on, feel free to contact Daedalus or Dimebog. If they haven't and you're still offended, feel free to speak to your local law enforcement or, failing that, your mother.
A forum? Aren't those obsolete?
Sure, forums are a bit old-fashioned, but this site is built to celebrate an old game after all, and hopefully its spirit reflects that on some level. I also do not consider many modern communication methods and channels as intuitive and useful as forums are, and think it's a better means of storing information for quick reference and easy access, and I plan for this site to be around for a long time.
Feel free to contact me with any further queries you might have, as I'm here to help. Keep it flowing!