Frequently Asked Questions

1. General

Q: What is a Media War?

A: A media war is a war fought between two players to determine which player is superior. Each player deploys one media file to represent that player in the media war. Players determine the final score of each media war by either fighting the war or negotiating the war. When time expires, the player whose media has a higher final score wins the media war.

Q: What is the object of the game?

A: The object of the game is to win points by successfully negotiating media wars, fighting media wars, declaring media wars (as an attacker or defender) and bidding on media wars.

Q: How does a player win points?

A: Players win points four ways: successfully negotiating, bidding, fighting, and declaring war. If a player negotiates a media war and wins, that player wins 1 point. If a player bids on a media war and wins, that player wins as many points as the player bid on that media war. If a player fights a media war and wins, that player wins 10 points. If a player declares a media war and wins, that player wins the points in the war chest, 10 by default.

Q: Can a player lose points?

A: Yes. Players lose points three ways: unsuccessfully bidding, fighting, and declaring war. If a player bids on a media war and loses, that player loses as many points as that player bid on that media war. If a player fights a media war and loses, that player loses 10 point. If a player declares war and loses, that player loses the points in the war chest, 10 by default.

Q: What is the duration of a Media War?

A: The attacking player determines the duration of a media war by specifying the duration within the "Terms of Engagement" heading.

Q: How does a player deploy media to Media Wars?

A: Type a search term into the 'Deploy Media' field and click 'Search Videos,' OR copy and paste either the Embed Code, URL, or permalink into the 'Direct Media Link' field.* Media Wars suggests deploying with the Embed Code.

Q: Can a player upload media to Media Wars?

A: Currently, no. Players may only embed media from other sites. Refer to the Deployment List for a list of currently supported sites. Media Wars will eventually permit players to upload media.

Q: How can a player search for specific media?

A: In the Search bar, type in a keyword or multiple keywords. Click "Search." Media Wars will display a list of all media which contain the keyword or keywords.

Q: How can a player search for specific players?

A: In the Search bar, type in a keyword or multiple keywords. Click "Search." Media Wars will display a list of all players whose playernames contain the keyword or keywords. Players may click on playernames to view player campaigns.

2. Terms of Engagement

Q: How long does it take to resolve a media war?

A: The attacking general may select and thereby determine the duration of the media war within the "War Duration" menu. The attacking player determines the duration of the media war by selecting the duration from the drop-down menu.

Q: What is the War Chest?

A: The War Chest is an initial bid made by the attacker against the defender. The attacker may specify the number of points wagered in the War Chest. The winner of the media war will win the points in the War Chest. The loser will lose the points in the War Chest.

Q: How does the 'Tactics' menu affect the outcome of a media war?

A: The Tactics option determines how registered players can play in the media war.

If the attacking general selects Allow Soldiers, then registered players may fight but not negotiate the media war.

If the attacking general selects Allow Diplomats, then registered players may negotiate, but not fight, the media war.

If the attacking general selects Allow Soldiers and Diplomats, then registered players may either fight or negotiate the media war.

Q: How does Border Control affect media wars?

A: The Border Control feature establishes how non-registered visitors (guests) may play in the media war.

If the attacking general selects 'ALLOW FOREIGN ARMS', then guests are permitted to fight, but not negotiate, the media war.

If the attacking general selects 'ALLOW FOREIGN JOURNALISTS', then guests are permitted to negotiate, but not fight, the media war.

If the attacking general selects 'OPEN BORDERS' then guests are permitted to negotiate or fight the media war.

If the attacking general selects 'SEAL BORDERS' then guests are prohibited from playing in the media war.

Q: What is the Military Intelligence?

A: The Military Intelligence determines how Media Wars displays military scores. The attacking player determines the Military Intelligence by establishing the Terms of Engagement.

If the attacking general selects Surveillance, Media Wars will display the military score of the media war throughout the war to soldiers, diplomats, and passive viewers.

If the attacking general selects Espionage, Media Wars will only display the military score of the media war to soldiers who have fought the war.

If the attacking general selects Counter-Intelligence, Media Wars will only display the military score of the media war when the media war finishes.

Q: What is Diplomatic Intelligence?

A: The Diplomatic Intelligence determines how Media Wars displays diplomatic scores. The attacking player determines the Diplomatic Intelligence by establishing the Terms of Engagement.

If the attacking general selects Surveillance, Media Wars will display the diplomatic score of the media war throughout the war to soldiers, diplomats, and passive viewers.

If the attacking general selects Espionage, Media Wars will only display he diplomatic score of the media war to diplomats who have negotiated the war.

If the attacking general selects Counter-Intelligence, Media Wars will only display the diplomatic score of the media war when the media war finishes.

Q: How does the Protocol feature affect a media war?

A: The Protocol feature controls how media wars are scored to determine a winner.

In 'GENOCIDE' mode, the Diplomatic score is only counted if Diplomats outnumber Soldiers.

In 'EMBARGO' mode, the Military score is only counted if Soldiers outnumber Diplomats.

In 'COMBINED' mode, both Military and Diplomatic scores are averaged to determine the final score.

Q: What does 'Allow General Interference' mean?

A: The 'Allow General Interference' checkbox establishes how the generals may play as soldiers or diplomats in the media war.

If the Allow General Interference checkbox is checked, then the generals in the media war are permitted to fight or negotiate the media war.

If the Allow General Interference checkbox is unchecked, then the generals in the media are prohibited from fighting or negotiating the media war.

3. Registration

Q: How does a player register?

A: Click the Registration link. Fill out the required information. Click 'Register.' You will receive an email with an activation link. Click the activation link. You are now registered!

Q: Does a player have to be registered to view adult content?

A: Yes.

4. Fighting Wars

Q: How does a player fight a media war?

A: Visit The Battlefield. Select the war you wish to fight. You will be redirected to that war's War Page, where you can decide which media you wish to fight for. You may click the checkbox underneath the media file you wish to fight for. You must then click "Fight." Players who fight media wars are referred to as Soldiers.

Q: How does fighting a media war affect its result?

A: When a player fights for a specific media file, that media file gains 10 points, and its opposing media file gets 1 point. These points are then averaged into each media file's Military Score.

Q: What is the Military Score?

A: The Military Score is the average of all scores given by soldiers to a media file.

Q: How does the Military Score affect the final score?

A: The effect of the Military Score upon the Final Score is contingent upon the Protocol of the media war.

In 'GENOCIDE' mode, the Diplomatic score is only averaged into the final score if Diplomats outnumber Soldiers.

In 'EMBARGO' mode, the Military score is only averaged into the final score if Soldiers outnumber Diplomats.

In 'COMBINED' mode, both Military and Diplomatic scores are averaged to determine the final score.

Q: How many points does a player win/lose for fighting a media war?

A: If a player fights for the media that wins the media war, that player wins 10 points. If a player fights for the media that loses the media war, that player loses 10 points. Players are prohibited from fighting for both media.

Q: What are the benefits to fighting media wars?

A: Players who successfully fight media wars win more points than players who simply negotiate media wars. Players also give a stronger allegiance to the media the support by fighting for their favorite media in a media war.

5. Declaring Wars

Q: How does a player declare a Media War as an attacker?

A: Click "Declare War!"In the "Declare War" page, type a search term into the 'Deploy Media' field and click 'Search Videos,' OR copy and paste either the Embed Code, URL, or permalink into the 'Direct Media Link' field. Select the Terms of Engagement. Click "Attack."

Visit The Battlefield. Click "Declare War On This Media" below the media file the you wish to attack. In the "Declare War" page, copy and paste either the Embed Code, URL, or permalink of the media you wish o attack with. Select the Terms of Engagement. Click "Attack."

Q: How does a player declare a media war as a defender?

A: Visit The War Room. You will see many wars that are Open for Defense. Simply click the VS. icon for the war you want to defend. On the next page, click 'Deploy Media and Defend.' Then, type a search term into the 'Deploy Media' field and click 'Search Videos,' OR copy and paste either the Embed Code, URL, or permalink into the 'Direct Media Link' field. Select the Terms of Engagement. Click "Defend."

Q: What is an Open Attack?

A: A general may elect to declare an open attack. In an open attack, the attacking general does not specify a defender. Therefore, anyone can defend an open attack.

Q; How does a player declare an Open Attack?

A: Click "Declare War." In the "Select Competitor" menu, choose 'Open Attack.' (This is the default option.)

Q: Can a player attack any other player?

A: If a player is declaring an open attack, then any player can defend that attack. If the player is declaring a standard media war, then that players may only attack players who are in their Competitors List.

Q: What is the definition of declaring war?

A: Declaring war means a player is involved in either attacking or defending. Both declaring players select which media they wish to deploy for war.

Q: Can a player declare multiple media wars against the same player?

A: Yes. Players may declare as many media wars as they wish against any player who is in that player's Competitors List. Players may enact a Defense Frequency Limit, which limits the number of challenges they permit on a daily basis.

Q: Can I declare wars against people who are not members of Media Wars?

If you wish to attack someone who isn't a member of Media Wars, click on the Campaign page. Click "Add Competitors." Type their email address in the blank field. Once you have completed the Terms of Engagement, click "Declare War." Media Wars will send your declaration to them via email.

Click "Declare War." In the Declare War page, click "Challenge a Newbie." Enter your opponent's email address. You may also add a Personal Message in the provided text box. Click "Attack."

Q: Can a player declare war on another player using other people's media?

A: Yes. Players can deploy any media they wish, with the exception of anything illegal (no child pornography, bomb recipes, etc.). Refer to the Deployment List for a list of supported sites.

Q: What is the duration of each Media War?

A: The attacker determines the War Duration of a media war by establishing the Terms of Engagement for the war.

Q: What happens if a defender ignores a war declaration?

A: If 2 weeks elapse and the defender has not responded to a war declaration, the war is automatically declined.

Q: What is an InterMedia War?

A: An InterMedia War is a war which is fought between two players who are embedding two different types of media (e.g., video vs. audio, video vs. photo, audio vs. photo).

6. Speculation

Q: How do I bid on a Media War?

A: Visit The Battlefield. Click on the war you wish to bid on. You will be redirected to a War Page. Click the 'Bid On This Media' underneath the media you wish to bid on. Enter the number of points you wish to bid. Select the competitor you wish to bid against.

Q: What is the minimum or maximum number of points a player can bid?

A: The minimum number of points a player can bid is 10 points. There is no maximum.

Q: Can a player issue multiple bids to different players?

A: Yes.

Q: Can a player issue multiple bids to the same player?

A: Yes, but bidders may not issue any additional bids against biddees until biddees accept or reject the initial bid.

Q: What happens if a player does not respond to a bid?

A: If a biddee does not respond to a bid before the bidding period finishes, then Media Wars will reimburse the bidder the amount of points that the bidder bid against the biddee.

Q: How can a player disable bidding?

A: In the Account page, click "Edit Preferences." Uncheck the box that states "Enable Bidding." No player will be able to issue bids against you if you leave this box unchecked. You may not issue bids against any other players if you leave this box unchecked.

Q: What is a Speculator?

A: A Speculator is the name given to players who engage in bidding. Any player engaging in bidding is therefore a Speculator.

7. Rankings/Points/Hierarchy

Q: Does Media Wars keep track of and display statistics?

A: Yes. Check your Campaign page to see current personal statistics. Players can also visit the Rankings, which displays the statistics of all Media Wars players.

Q: What are the Media Rankings?

A: The media rankings are a competitive structure that show how each media ranks compared to all other media on Media Wars. The aggregate score is used to rank media in the media rankings. The following criteria are used to calculate the aggregate score: Overall Score, Military Score, Diplomatic Score, Number of Soldiers, Number of Diplomats, Points Bid, Number of Speculators, and Number of Views.

Q: What is the Baader-Meinhof Rating, and what does it mean?

A: The Baader-Meinhof rating calculates how much media that a player deploys is rated at all by other players, compared to other players on the site. This stat calculates the number of ratings, not the actual score given by a rater. So, if Player A's media is consistently rated by over 300 players, and Player B's media is consistently rated by only about 5 players, then Player A would have a higher Baader-Meinhof rating, regardless of the score given to Player A or Player B's Media. Baader-Meinhof just calculates the number of time a certain player's media is rated (interacted with) compared to every other player.

Q: What is the Hierarchy, and what does it mean?

A: The Hierarchy is a ranking system which orders all Media Wars players into several different levels based on their skill. Visit the Hierarchy page to view the official hierarchy.

Q: How many points does a player win if the player successfully fights a media war?

A: 10

Q: How many points does a player win if the player declares a media war and wins?

A: The points in the War Chest, 10 by default

Q: How many points does a player lose if the player fights a media war and loses?

A: 10

Q: How many points does a player lose if the player declares a media war and loses?

A: The points in the War Chest, 10 by default

Q: Are there negative numbers in Media Wars?

A: Yes.

8. Account

Q: Can a player change avatars?

A: Yes. In the Account page, click "Edit Preferences." Click Change Avatar.

Q: How does a player add another player as a competitor?

A: In the Search bar, type a playername. Click on the desired playername. You will be redirected to that player's Account page. Click "Add Competitor."

Q: What preferences can a player change?

A: Contact/Password, Avatar, MediaWars Notifications, Email Notifications, Enable/Disable Adult Content, Bid Frequency Limits, and Defense Frequency Limits.

Q: Does Media Wars maintain and display statistics on each player's Account page?

A: Yes. Media Wars displays player statistics in the Campaign page and the Rankings Page.

Q: What's the story regarding email notifications?

A: Players can decide whether or not to receive email notifications. Media Wars will notify players by email when the following happens:

War Declarations
War Commencements
Competitor Requests
Competitor Confirmations
Bidding Wars
Declined Wars
Confirmed Bids
Declined Bids
Completed Wars
Completed Bids
Comments on My Wars

Players can change these preferences by clicking "Edit Preferences" in the Account page.

Q: How can a player find another specific player?

A: Click on the Rankings tab. In the Search box, type the player's name. If the player currently has a Media Wars account, his or her name will be displayed on the screen. Click "Add to Friends" and that player will be added to your Friends List.

Q: Can a player view other players' accounts?

A: Yes. Search for them using the main search bar, or search for them in the Rankings tab. Click on their playername. You will be redirected to their account page.

Q: Can I change my playername?

A: No.

9. Special Circumstances

Q: What happens if a media file breaks in the middle of a media war?

A: Media Wars Umpires will investigate all media wars that contain broken media, missing links, or removed content. If the media war has completed 50% of its established time period by the time a Media Wars Umpire has investigated the war, then Media Wars declares the winner as whoever was winning at the exact point that 50% of the war was completed. This is declared a final score with the appropriate point allocations. If a media war has not completed 50% of its established time period by the time a Media Wars Umpire has investigated the war, then the war is declared null and void and no point allocations occur.

Q: What happens if a media file is taken down in the midst of a media war due to violation of the Terms of Use?

A: If only one media is in violation of the Terms of Use, then that player forfeits that media war, regardless of the score. The other player competing in the media war automatically wins that war. If both media violate the Terms of Use, then the war is declared null and void, and no one receives any credit for the war.

Q: What happens if a player repeatedly posts inappropriate content?

A: The Media Wars Executive Council gives the player a warning. If the player does it again, the Media Wars Executive Council suspends the player's account for a period of time. If the player does it yet again, the Executive Council reserves the right to terminate that player's account.

10. Privacy

Q: Can a player block another player?

A: Yes. Click the "B" next to the player's name to block them. You will not receive any messages, war declarations, or bids from this player while the player is blocked.

Q: Can a player unblock another player?

A: Yes. Click the "U" next to the player's name to unblock them. You will then be able to communicate and compete with the other player. The other player will also be able to communicate and compete with you.

Q: Can players set a limit for the number of declarations they wish to allow on a daily basis?

A: Yes. In the Account page, click "Edit Preferences." In the "Defense Frequency Limit" box, type in the limit of declarations you wish to allow per day. Click "Save Preferences" when you are finished. (Note: You can only change this preference once every 48 hours.)

Q: Can players set a limit for the number of bids they wish to allow on a daily basis?

A: Yes. In the Account page, click "Edit Preferences." In the "Bid Frequency Limit" box, type in the limit of bids you wish to receive per day. Click "Save Preferences" when you are finished. (Note: You can only change this preference once every 48 hours.)

11. Other

Q: What happens to a media war after it is over?

A: Completed media wars are placed in the Archives, where players may view them for eternity. Players can declare war on all winning media displayed in the Archives, and thereby create a new media war. We retain statistics in the archives.

Q: Is there an official rules page?

A: Yes. Here is the Rules page.

Q: How does Media Wars handle cheaters?

A: Media Wars has a zero-tolerance, one strike policy towards cheaters. If a Media Wars Umpire suspects that a player is cheating, then the Media Wars Executive Council shall review the Umpire's investigation. If the player is found to be cheating, that player is banned for life from Media Wars.

Q: Are there any restrictions on content?

A: We do not allow any of the following content: child pornography, illegal activity, extremely poor quality media, and broken media.

Q: Can players flag media which they believe is inappropriate?

A: Yes. Visit the war page of the media you wish to flag. Click "Flag This Media War". Media Wars will review the flagged video or videos and make a final decision on whether it violates our Terms of Use. See the Terms of Use for more information.

Q: This FAQ didn't answer my question. How can I contact Media Wars?

A: Email us at support [at] mediawars [dot] com and we'll answer your question as soon as possible.

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