Changes to overall MTS2 Quality guidelines and downloads

[Delphy]

Hi All,

It has always been the intention from the beginning when founding this site that MTS2 would have the best quality items from the best creators in the community. We've seen some fantastic uploads from all our featured creators, and many others of an excellent quality from others too.

In the interests of keeping to such a high quality standard, we have recently been reviewing and modifying our Creator Guidelines (http://www.modthesims2.com/forumdisplay.php?f=338) section to add in more emphasis on quality. All uploaders should take a look at this forum to read the latest rules and suggestions.

To bring the rest of the site up to this quality level, I have decided to implement a site wide Quality Control drive. This means that any uploads on the site that don't meet the guidelines will be removed. Any such items will be tagged as such and will appear at the top of a download thread, and also within the download browser. Please note this will be an ongoing process that applies both to old, current and future downloads. If you upload something that doesn't conform to the guidelines, expect it to be tagged. :) All current tagged items will be removed automatically 2 weeks after they are tagged by the staff.

If you see an item of yours has been tagged, please do not take this as an insult. This is your opportunity to look back upon earlier uploads and revise and improve upon them. If you feel you can remake an item better please do so and edit your post. We want to see your new and improved skills as modders to this community. You will be able to remake your items and edit your posts with the new and improved versions if you wish.

Some of you may not like this cleanup (especially those who have items tagged) but please take a moment to think about the following: MTS2 is a free site, offering free downloads. While we have let many things be uploaded, and while we have many great items, from time to time we need to prune off some things that don't conform to the guidelines in order to raise the general quality level to a new high. There are places such as the exchange that don't have such quality controls, and we advise for those of you who feel particularly upset by this move to seek alternative hosting.

I realise that changes can be unsettling, but as mentioned in the first paragraph it has always been my intention to keep MTS2s downloads at the highest quality and have the best in the community. We hope you'll agree that doing this will achieve that goal.

Any comments please feel free to reply. Please do not reply saying "Why was my XXX tagged?". Read the creator guidelines forum first - the chances are that your items do not conform to these guidelines. If you have made edits to, and improved your post, to bring it up the quality guidelines, please post here to notify us here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=143231

I hope you appreciate these changes that will bring MTS2s download quality up to an even higher level.

Regards,
Delphy

[Delphy]

Here is a list of what we have been tagging for so far: (Please note this is an ongoing process)


All walls and floors that are not seamless, use bright untextured colors, or use photographs have been tagged. These types of uploads do not fit our quality standards. If you want a picture on a wall please learn how to recolor a painting,
Any sims that are predominantly maxis content AND use nothing but a standard maxis face sculpt from body shop have been tagged. These sims are easily replicatable and do not show off the true level of your ability at making sims.
All clothing that appears to have blurry or pixelated textures, or lack of texture, has been tagged. Please read Faylens tutorials to learn tips and tricks for how to create sharp realistic clothing for sims.
All uploads that do not have pictures on them have been tagged - If you wish to keep these uploads here, and they meet our quality control guidelines, you must reupload in game screenshots that work.
All uploads must have clear and well-lit IN GAME screenshots - there are no exceptions. Try and showcase the quality of your item with your screenshots.


For more information, see the Creator Guidelines (http://www.modthesims2.com/forumdisplay.php?f=338) forum. Remember that in order for your download to have a thumbnail picture on the download page it must have a screenshot attached through Manage Attachments. Photobucket or other hosted pictures will not show on that screen.

Please note that these apply to the normal Downloads section. Game Modifications/Hacks have seperate rules.

Regards,
Delphy

[Delphy]

For recent news regarding specifically Walls and Floors, please also read http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=143225

[Echo]

Firstly, I think this is a very sensible direction. MTS2 should be a celebration of the best a community can make, and this sounds like a very good way to make sure it stays that way.

Secondly, are these tags visible to everyone, or just to the creator of the upload/download?

And finally, would it be possible to get a screen shot showing what one of these tags looks like, just so we all know what to look out for?

[Delphy]

Echo,

The tags are visible to everybody, and look like this:
http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/images6/MTS2_263476_Delphy_tagged.jpg

Additionally the download browser shows a little stop sign:
http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/images3/MTS2_263478_Delphy_tagged2.jpg

[KKai]

I can imagine that this move can angry some people.

Actually, I was going to suggest that when MTS2 changed the rating system, but I was affraid that some people might not be happy about that system. :p

I guess eventually it is the way ... :D

However, what I was going to suggest is a three class system, instead of two

The ideas of 3 classes are:

1. Good - those items are approved by MTS2, but will be removed in 2-3 weeks
2. Very good - those are much better than those in "good" class, and will be removed in 2-3 months
3. Great - featured items, very unique, and won't be deleted.

Oh well, but now we have a new system, and the new tagging system should be good and acceptable. :D

[Delphy]

KKai,

Only some of the sections are moderated. This tagging mostly affects non-moderated sections (although we will be looking at older downloads within the moderated forums too).

It's really to try and improve the lowest quality. Stats indicate that only about 5% of all total downloads have been tagged so far, so I see no need to extend it to a multiple tiered system.

Downloads that are featured already comply with all the upload guidelines and are excellent in thier own right, so they'll never get removed, the same with the vast majority of other downloads. :)

Hope this clarifies things.

Regards,
Delphy

[Fat D]

KKai, that sounds like the exchange - everything but 5-star and featured content gets deleted 2 weeks later.

[Haydeng]

That's a great idea! I hope none of my uploads are tagged...

[KKai]

KKai, that sounds like the exchange - everything but 5-star and featured content gets deleted 2 weeks later.

Okay, ...

I don't know anything about the exchange :p

[mike19]

Delphy

i suppose this kind of thing would have had to happen sooner or later.

is it possible to have downloads voluntarily tagged?
i got a download that i made so long ago it's not really generateing much interest.
and it can easily be removed and if i want to share it. it would be in with a house that i upload instead.

in a way this is all sad but i'm sure it's for the best.

[Delphy]

mike19: Sure, if you want. Just drop one of the staff a link. Or you could just delete it yourself using edit post

[9b8ll]

This is a little scary I hope mines don't get Tagged all of a sudden.

[Delphy]

If you followed the guidelines, it wont be tagged.

[alkaloid]

Can we tag if something isn't properly labeled for expansions or is infected with hacks?

[Delphy]

alkaloid,

Tagging is only available to staff. Lots uploaded to MTS2 wont contain hacks as we don't allow those to go through moderation. (Unless it's REALLY REALLY old)

If it's inproperly labelled, just leave a note in the thread. No need for tagging. :)

[travellersside]

Can I make a request for readmes to be included at some point? For people who have to reinstall for some reason, digging through a mound of old downloads with no idea of what they are, other than that you once thought they might be interesting, is a little tricky. I know that a lot of people feel that after spending a lot of effort in making and testing the item, they don't want to spend time on a readme too, but they're usually willing to write enough in the download post itself. So, possibly they could just compose the post offline, paste the intro into a readme then paste the text into the post itself? There's probably a better way, but it's just a suggestion.
Besides, we don't need much - just where in the game it shows up and a quick idea of what it is.

[Delphy]

Please keep discussion only to this particular topic (ie the tagging and removal of downloads that conform to the current quality rules).

With that said, it's up to the creators as to how much information that want to include. If they name thier packages properly then you would know what it is.

All suggestions about new site features need to go in the Site Suggestions v2 thread in Site Issues.

Thank you.
Delphy

[jjsojourn]

As someone who is not a creator of any of these downloads I don't know if my opinion matters but I use only this site for downloading because of the quality of work by "most" of the modders here. I thouroughly applaud this action! Since I don't have the ability to affect any change in my game except through the work of others I depend completely on the integrity of the site and its contributors for the downloads I use and this action raises my already high opinion of this site into the stratosphere. Thanks so much!!

[Powergamer63]

Well, I'm pretty new here, and I must say that I'm for this action a lot more than I am against it. I couldn't make an object for my life, so I download. I prefer going here rather than anywhere else because of the quality, and to kick up the quality of everything here even more seems like a great idea. Thank you!

[Menaceman44]

KKai, that sounds like the exchange - everything but 5-star and featured content gets deleted 2 weeks later.

That's not true. I've uploaded content in July of last year and it's still there now despite only having a rating of just over 4.

As for this change, I am in favour of it. I've downloaded some clothing before that looks ok in the screenshots but when I get it into my game it's all jaggedy with seams that don't meet.

If this change is going to improve the quality even more than I say "I".

[MTS2Staff]

Let me just add here, If you all are wondering about what gets flagged and what doesnt- read post #2 and please look at the updated guidelines. (Creator guideline forum)
In the unmoderated forums, there were many recolors and such that were not done to the best of the creators ability- New rules have gone up to further help you create the best you can.

[Garland]

I'm all for it. I don't have the talent or knowledge to make things of my own. So this site has been my main resource for new things. There are so many talented creators here, and while i feel bad for some of those who may be tagged, it'll help them to step up their game. With the bar being raised, i can't wait to see what some of you guys can come up with.

[Washuai]

When the low quality downloads are being removed, you guys are making sure that some high quality download didn't use their mesh? I'm just worried that this tagging and removing, might make a mesh needed for another download unavailable. There's quite a bit of stuff that was so-so that I downloaded, because it was a mesh required for something awesome.

[DJ_Mur3]

lol I actually have a question. :D I feel stupid asking, but is all this basically just saying that if you upload something thats not moderated, such as a mesh, then it can be deleted by a moderator/administrator? And I'm assuming that means no sending messages to ask why? :P

Maybe, if this isn't adding too much work, that those things could just simply have to be checked before upload as well, and would require approval before uploading. If that makes any sense. It could potentially be a hassle and extra work to those in the roles that would have to check everything, but I actually think it might save more problems than cause them.

[zookini]

I like this new quality control. It helps me (even more than the compatible downloads thing) get the best downloads rather than swimming through pages and pages of "below quality" items. Thank you.

[Sim Master]

KKai, that sounds like the exchange - everything but 5-star and featured content gets deleted 2 weeks later.

I never knew that! No wonder one of my houses is gon every month!

Anyways, making sure the quality of uploads is definitely good, because then it pushes people to make things with even better quality! I myself will always make sure to have all of my uploads in high quality. So I'm definitely for this decision!

(P.S. I just hope none of my stuff gets tagged! :nod: )

[GeckoGorilla]

So let's just say that a post gets tagged, ok, and the creator of the post doesn't want it deleted, if they edited it to meet the standards, (or surpass it, in some cases) would that download still be deleted, or not? Just curious....

[tiggerypum]

GeckoGorilla -
In the original thread there is a link for anyone who has fixed their post to let the staff know. We're all about people being able to update/fix things, if that's possible and they want to. That's also why there's the 2 week window, to give some time for it to be fixed.

DJ Mur -
As for having to approve everything before it goes on site, we'll see. Even then we cannot download and TEST everything, we look at the screenshots and information provided. We adjust policies as we go, and indeed it does take time to have the approval queues, and most meshers do work to create quality meshes. The staff has always removed downloads that break rules (such as meshes uploaded that weren't created by the person) and other such things, and has contacted people when there has been problems. If something were to be tagged, there would be 2 weeks to remedy the situation and I assume the creator will realize why it's tagged, the guidelines aren't that cryptic.

Washuai -
I do not believe we've had a lot of meshes have been tagged, if any. If creators linked things correctly, then the fact the mesh is being used should be visible on the mesh page, and I'm sure we would check it. Far more of the quality issues have been with recolors themselves with no shading/details/bad pixelation. We'll be sure to watch for that issue.

And just as an aside, the staff has also been discussing how to continue helping people more in creating the best content they can. We're continuing to work on tutorials and welcome others who have good tips to help share their knowledge so we won't have to tag or reject downloads :)

[Willow's Tara]

Hmm, not a bad idea actually...I am always looking for sims that have a great quaility, if I ca n't stop staring at that particular part (Ie, hair, eyes etc) then it's good, like two of these shiny red hair I downloaded not too long ago,m I couldn't stop looking at it! (Can't remeber if it came from here or not),
Oh, and if it is possible, are you able to ask creators to make a direct link to a mesh? Cuz sometimes when I follow a link to a mesh it not on the same page and I have to go through a zillon pages to get it, sometimes I don't even find it..

[sparkypercy]

Is it possible to make a list of items that you are going to remove? So I or anybody else can download them before they are removed. Other then that, I think it is a good idea to remove 'questionable' items.

Thanks for the ear.

Sparky

[simlover13]

In my opionion since this site is where alot of begining modders come for info it might be of use to set up a separtate section of downloads for the "first timers" to upload to. some peoples first upload arent "perfect" but everybody has to start somewhere. That way they could still upload and get feed back, yet anyone interested in perfection could just avoid that part of downloads.

[cherrycolamcd]

I agree with MTS2's decision to tag items. When downloading from a free site you always have to be a bit more careful about what you select--I just now spent hours going through my downloads folder to find the one downloaded file that corrupted Bodyshop.

Anyway, though certainly it might be a bit frustrating to some newbie creators like myself, ultimately I think everyone will appreciate the enhanced quality of downloads. Thanks!

[shotgun_mary]

maybe i missed this one, will the creators be notified by private message or email if their content has been tagged?

[MTS2Staff]

You should be able to see now-any items that have been flagged will show on your profile page- look at your list of uploaded items and see if you have this symbol :!!: on any of them- that means they were flagged

[kellyw54]

I think this is a good idea, I really like your site and no offense it kinda stinks sometime when I've gotta sift through 2 pages of less than great work to find the one thing that's really awesome!

[jenwar]

I just have a comment on the "no photos on walls" guideline.

I totally agree with it in regards to the "fake" paintings, but what about walls that use large images as murals? For example, a three-wall set that when put together forms a photo of a beach or a fresco or a brick wall with graffiti. If it's done well, i.e. not distorted, pixelated, or blurry and isn't using a copyright-protected image, it could still be a nice download that people would want.

Jen

[plasticbox]

I very much appreciate this initiative. However, looking at the walls + floors section I see a lot of items that currently aren't tagged but according to the rules they should be (for example, here (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=134050) is a wallpaper tagged for removal; here (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=134384) the exact same wallpaper in other colours, untagged --> why?). Is this because the tagging is still in process? Or would it be helpful to PM someone (who?) if we see items that are clearly unusable and appear to have been missed? (By "unusable" I mean wallpapers that are clearly not seamless, very obviously blurry, etc -- not merely a matter of taste in other words.)

[Bailey]

Do you think it would be possible to expand this to include objects dependant upon a custom mesh when the mesh isn't included, and the user hasn't clearly specified (or linked to) the site where we can find it?

[z_splat]

My work will be deleted :sadpanda: ... I agree :beer: ... Ni hablar, lo que sea por el bien de esta gran comunidad. :salute:

[Delphy]

plasticbox,


Here is a list of what we have been tagging for so far: (Please note this is an ongoing process)


:)

[selfmadequeen]

This is a wonderful idea. I see it as a challenge to work harder on my creations, and hope others feel the same way.

[MTS2Staff]

jenwar- murals using photos will not be tagged if they are of good quality- we meant more so the photos of celebrities that most definitely should always be in a frame not on a wallpaper
if someone uses say a nature photo and tiles it seamlessly across 3 walls then that is fine.

[jenwar]

Okay, great, thanks LyricLee. I didn't know if that was being taken into consideration and wanted to throw it out there :)

[CormorantEnt]

KKai, that sounds like the exchange - everything but 5-star and featured content gets deleted 2 weeks later.

That explains why the Grillitan Diner 1.0 didn't stay on the exchange, but not why they never let it show up at all. Maybe there weren't enough pictures? Here, GD 2 got rejected for just one-too-many pictures! Sheesh! Personally, I feel that one of the indoor shots of the bedroom could have simply been ignored and the upload would have been fine. But, there is after all a system here...

At least here, when you post something new, it gets noticed. On the BBS; you post something new, practical, and intelligent; and it gets ignored so that other users can post hundreds of "Please Help! *Benes*" posts that are useless and annoying. Yeah, that's nice that the Italian and Russian 13-year-old users know just enough English before posting to know how to post complete spam.

I'll admit I have mixed feelings about the new system here; but I at least appreciate that new system gives early warning when someone else thinks they want my work to disappear.

On the official site's Exchange, I get no warnings, no feedback, no comments, no thanks, no anything. I'm always buried by someone else's spam and forgotten.

[narocos300]

Cool everyone needs to tidy every now and then and :smash: out the not so good stuff.

To let the good stuff breath easier.

Hopefully this will make sure those that need to be highlighted(and everything here most are) are and as a process they can be more easy to find.

[Ghost9777]

Awesome Delphy,

I was thinking this the other day when i downloaded a object and it didnt look half as good as the pic. Im glad to see MTS2 is taking such steps in making sure you offer the highest quality of Sims 2 items!

Thank you and "Good luck" cleaning house!

Zeus

[Akarui Kibuno]

Hi! I'm quite happy about this decision of tagging, I've seen at least a few items that used quite good meshes (in my opinion) but could have used a little more work on the uploader's side.

Though I think I read in the thread that there should/could be a "beginner's" section, which wouldn't be that bad. I mean, with all the talented people here, there sure would be some benefit to see new creators come, help them improve, then we'd have even more quality uploaders XD ... I'm in the middle of trying to create walls and floors myself, then I'll try to build a house with it, and if I succeed I might as well try clothing XD .

Good luck with the tagging though. With so many downloads here :P ....

[Grapholina]

If you have something uploaded, go back and check the Guidelines. If you're tagged, you should still have a bit of time to come up to standards. And if a mesh is removed, I'm sure it will render the recolors of that mesh useless... unless the creator posts that mesh on his or her own site. Myself, I always post a copy on my site. I think this is a good system, a great idea, and although it will take a few weeks for everyone to adjust and come to terms, in the end, we will all benefit. Keep an open mind, everyone!

[labine730]

I'm kinda sad because 4 items I uploaded were tagged (personaly I think I could have done better on them), but I think this is a good choice too.

[arcosanti]

Im all for it.

Seriously folks, a LOT of the stuff in here is complete pap (sorry, just being honest). I saw a sim upload the other day, it was just an average run of the mill in-game created sim running around in what the creator described as some sort of superhero costume, with a really sad cape. I mean really....

I come from a design background and there is no better way to improve than to be in a certain 'class' (ie. painting 'class', dancing 'class' etc etc). When youre in a certain 'class' you begin to conform to the set standard of the environment you are in. You begin to learn from other 'students'. You improve. Kudos to the brilliant people behind the site for this decision and for definitely raising the bar, setting a higher 'class' for all future creators. People will now think twice before uploading any piece of crap they knocked up in half-an-hour after coming home from the pub.

Goodbye to the 1543651475th recolour of an existing skin, goodbye to *another 4 walls house*, goodbye to 'another 300 recolours of this object!'. Maybe im being harsh but c'mon people, take a look at the Featured Items section. Doesnt that just fill you with awe? Thats what we should all aspire to.

Onward modthesims2!! Take no prisoners...argghh!:arghmaty:

[Sweetface]

So we need to have say...at least 4 Creative points? Ha! Ha! See what I did? I made a reference to TS2...well, it made ME laugh. But on a serious note, I like this idea. I KNOW I could use some constructive critisism, especially when it comes to my creative efforts, so a little flag(sign) if placed on my work will let me know that I should take it up a notch... AND...I am finished rambling.

[child_of_air]

This is a great idea. I've noticed lately how a great deal of content isn't up to standards, and I'm glad something is being done about it. :)

[cyberfish2944]

bless you for the rule about lighting .I `ve skiped items that I couldn`t see because the screen-shot was too dark

[9b8ll]

If you followed the guidelines, it wont be tagged. (I know this a late responce btw) the guidelines it makes very good sense it really all about improving your skills here and making the best content out there :)

[beautifullass]

This is a great idea. I subscribe to TSR. There is some amazing stuff there. However, I tire of wading through the junk. I mean, why do you need to take a maxis stove and make 20 recolors of it? Or make the same lingerie in every conceivable color? It's ridiculous. Practice at home and put the finished perfected product on the site. It makes perfect sense.

[Marcynuts]

I think this is a good move, and should not be taken as an insult or criticism by the creators of the content... but instead perhaps a challenge to make it just a bit better.

[Dee1nOnly]

I agree with this as mts2 has some of the best d-loads I am not a moder but i come here to find some of the best stuff thx guys for all the great stuff u rock....

[windgirl]

Great idea. I've been posting on the Exchange to avoid inflicting my custom experiements on this site - until they are good enough.

I'd like to see clothing which does not match at the seams, square patches of pasted texture or gaps in the texture removed too. Also some kind of limit on the number of recolors posted of the same outfit - sometimes there a eight recolors of the same T-shirt in one download file.

[porkypine]

May I make a suggestion for tag item notes? There have been several wonderful downloads that give URL's pointing to other people's meshes, as they should, but many of the URL's just dump us at a home page, leaving us to wander around looking for the mesh. A link to the page of the mesh would be appreciated. I don't always have time to hunt around for meshes on other sites.

Also, some of the meshes are on a pay site, which is ok, but I'd like to know that up front rather than waste time hunting for a mesh only to find out I have to pay to even see it much less download it. I don't mind paying for a good mesh because I appreciate good content but, I may skip the download if I don't have cash in my Paypal account that day.

[shotgun_mary]

May I make a suggestion for tag item notes? There have been several wonderful downloads that give URL's pointing to other people's meshes, as they should, but many of the URL's just dump us at a home page, leaving us to wander around looking for the mesh.

Some creators ask that those using their meshes do not link directly to the page that the mesh is on because they want people to see their whole site, it may not be convenient but as a texture creator I have to obey the wishes of those who create the meshes I use.

[Ghanima Atreides]

I just wanted to say, kudos for making a decision which as an admin myself know is difficult as it's bound to create some anger among some of the members, but in the long run it will be benificial not only for keeping down bandwidth costs, but also for the downloaders and the creators themselves. For once, finding quality items will be ensured for all, and for the creators, we all learned somewhere. With some practice and the help of the many great tutorials around their work can only improve. At least, I strive for improvement :)

However I wanted to comment on the linking of meshes to the mesh page itself - I try to as much as I can - but there are sites where all pages open under the same URL. Personally, I don't know how to link a specific page in that situation...

[simsuncensored]

Hey did anyone ask are apinion? lol
I would hate to see my uploads removed, even tho I recolored the cream set before it was so easy to do, who really needs hundreds of recolors of the same objects.
Great Idea.

[sare_sare]

this sounds fair to me, good idea

[Delphy]

KiwiSafari, stop posting in this thread.

[Sotalia]

My guess is that the question has nothing to do with the topic?

Anyway, kudos to all of you for doing the download restrictions.

Sotalia

ps And I would suggest you quit spamming the thread. Mods are everywhere.

[MTS2Staff]

Some creators ask that those using their meshes do not link directly to the page that the mesh is on because they want people to see their whole site, it may not be convenient but as a texture creator I have to obey the wishes of those who create the meshes I use.


To answer this- we respect that as well and forbid hotlinking- wha we need you all to do is to say "This dress requires a mesh from www.somesimsite.com
it is called mesh_01heels.package and is on page 4- 4th row down"

clear instructions so people dont have to wander to find whatt hey need :)

[VballLUVR455]

I think the clean up is great. I don't creat but I do lots of downloading and I appreciate that it will be eaiser to find quality downloads. :nod:

[Darcius]

ya this is pretty good :) could you maybe set up a arcive though that lists the item with a SS/discription and link/name of the creator so if we want to find something that has been removed (say a recolour or a mesh) we can just go to the creators site for it. i say that as most of the more expert creators have their own sites or locations they load it to as well as here. so if something is removed like say that snowglobe we can just go to the creators site and get it there...

it would maybe give the creator traffic, as well as let everyone get some cool items that have been removed here.

i mean just because it cant be uploaded here doesnt mean its not worth the time to find it and download it. some stuff might not look too great but you got to start some where :).

but this is a nice idea :).. kind of sucks having to spam though pages looking for 1 upload X_X;

[DumBblOndE]

OOooo man im in trouble now..

Ok so will you take "Quality Crappy Textures"..I think the Trashed Thread is doomed =)

I agree time to remove some old files, now if youll excuse me...
"takes head outta @ss and see's what she can fix"



Ps even my avatar is crappy :gonemad:

[LlamaLass]

Hi! I'm quite happy about this decision of tagging, I've seen at least a few items that used quite good meshes (in my opinion) but could have used a little more work on the uploader's side.

Though I think I read in the thread that there should/could be a "beginner's" section, which wouldn't be that bad. I mean, with all the talented people here, there sure would be some benefit to see new creators come, help them improve, then we'd have even more quality uploaders XD ... I'm in the middle of trying to create walls and floors myself, then I'll try to build a house with it, and if I succeed I might as well try clothing XD .

Good luck with the tagging though. With so many downloads here :P ....

I agree with Akarui Kibuno. Well, maybe instead of tagging and removing, you could tag it and say that it's going to be moved to the "Newbie Creator Section", and then it would be like AK's idea. It's just a thought.

[Delphy]

We have no plans to make a "Beginners Creator" download section at this time.

[Ellatrue]

Here is a list of what we have been tagging for so far: (Please note this is an ongoing process)


Any sims that are predominantly maxis content AND use nothing but a standard maxis face sculpt from body shop have been tagged. These sims are easily replicatable and do not show off the true level of your ability at making sims.



Delphy, I think this is a great idea, and no longer hosting low quality downloads will save everybody's time (and your bandwidth). However, I would like it if you did not delete sims that are just a face sculpt- I actually prefer those, since that is what matters most to me when I dl a sim, and fancy skins/content can often hide what is an ugly sim underneath the makeup. Making a good shape for the face, IMO, is the most challenging. Just my two cents. :beer:

[Zombi Mafiya]

I think It's a smart move. While I'm of the attitude that one Sim's trash is another Sim's treasure, some of it is- to be quite honest, total rubbish. I can accept that some items do not fit within the guidelines of my own personal taste, but not bothering to make something seamless, or 'making' a stove or toilet or whatever by overlapping some random image over the Maxis texture is just laziness.

I can appreciate the time it takes to truly put forth effort into something, upload it... And then see it devoured by pages of psychedelic monstrosities.

As such, I don't think it should discourage people from creating items... On the contrary it should be ample motivation to practice and improve. I know if I had something tagged, I wouldn't take it as a personal attack; I would simply look at the tagged set and say to myself, "How can I make this better?"

So, kudos.

[makabaer]

As someone who is just downloading from this site (sorry.. I'm just too lazy and unskilled...) I love this new guideline. I don't have to browse through tons of stuff that I won't download anyway or will have to remove from my game later on...
Thanks a lot!! MTS2 keeps getting better and better! :-)

[amy_su88]

I can't resist throwing in my two cents. I think this is a great idea. It was getting rather old just scrolling through pages of bad wallpapers or bad recolors to find something that you thought looked good until you got it in game.

Thanks for the quality adjustment. It was much needed and will be much appreciated.

[Ailias]

I like this news - quote " It was getting rather old just scrolling through pages of bad wallpapers or bad recolors to find something " quote.
There are so many acid bright walls recolors here - I just cant look on them without a tears in my eyes.
I hope my threads will be in safety :D

[Remellion]

Thank you! This makes hunting for good downloads not SO much of a "hunt" any more! :bandit:

[broke54]

okay, first I was a test subject. I lurked for the longest time. Then I delurked because this is my favorite site and if I want to know the truth and get the latest news, I come here. I can imagine that in order to keep costs to a managable level something has to be done so........it is time to pick and choose what will be uploaded and what will be downloaded. So only the best of the best will be posted eventually? hummm............ I guess this would not be a good place for allowing someone to experiment on me or my game who is not an above average modder? hummmm Maybe my trust factor has slipped a little because I got the download from MTS2, even though I ended up deleting it after seeing it in my game. Okay, I get it. You convinced this test subject.

[DaleyG212]

i think this is awesome. i think with a site like this with so many people and so many uploads, it's necessary. i mean, if everyone who used this site uploaded 1 thing, it'd be hundreds of thousands of uploads. but some people just upload anything and everything and if the site is full of sub-par things (no offense) it's hard to find all the amazing things. i mean, if the site had 50 million crappy submissions and 10 awesome ones, the awesome ones would never be found and people wouldn't wanna come here anymore.

PLUS if people know that this site has higher standards, they'll even try harder on their submissions and end up improving their own talents. there's no downside to this...

[taladoxa]

Before I voice my dissent, I have to say I genuinely respect all creators and moderators. This is not egg-throwing, this is just feedback.

I see how server space would be an issue, but by deeming things poor quality, you run the risk of hurting some feelings. I have a slow modem, downloads take time, but I would not feel remorseful deleting an object myself if I really found the quality not up to par. No one forces anyone to download anything. If this were a pay site, maybe I would miffed about altered seams, or poor screenshots. This is censorship, and disappointing to new or artistically challenged creators.

The clause most irksome about this motion is how the tags are public. It's like wearing an emblem of shame. Perhaps it would be more compassionate to send a notice to tagged creators for an opportunity to improve submissions before they are pulled, but within a set time frame. I can estimate the tedium of the notes, but they could, in the long run, be worth it.

[Delphy]

taladoxa,

I actually pointed out in my very first post that I realise perfectly well people aren't going to be happy. Fact is, this is my site and if I want the quality to be raised then thats my decision to make. We have plenty of tutorials and guidelines which people still don't follow. We reject tens of items each and every day becuase they are bad quality. Most creators suck it up and do start producing good works. You just dont see that becuase it's behind the scenes.

This is all about quality - server space is a secondary issue. I want MTS2 to be the best downloads in the entire community. As you said, this is not a paysite. We do not have infinite resources. We volunteer our time here and for us to privately PM creators, some of whom haven't been on the site for months and some of us simply ignore when we tell them to change stuff (yes, we have tried this before you know), then we need to take more steps.

It's a public tag yes. It's not a new idea though - wikipedia informs people of articles that are not up to scratch, and warns people who are reading it that it may not be up to the par of the rest.

Fact is, this is a big site, the decision has already been made, and I realised perfectly well - as I said in my first post - that this would annoy some of you. I actually can't do anything on this site without annoying somebody, so perhaps when you put yourself in my shoes you'd appreciate that sometimes hard decisions have to be made.

It may or may not be censorship, but since when was this site a country? There are no "rights" here, nor is there something that says we aren't allowed to change things for fear of what the members think. MTS2 has, I think, been one of the only sites in the community who aren't afraid to stand up and say "Okay, this isn't working, lets' change it". We've changed the entire downloads system at least 3 times now, along with a lot of other things on the site. By changing and refining things, the entire site and it's image in the community is improved.

When we changed to the new download browser and core pages, people hated it at first. I got so much abuse over that change that I almost quit, but I didn't. I knew it was the right thing to do, and sure enough people ended up loving the system. Big changes like that have happened a lot in MTS2s history, and they are happening again now with this tagging system.

As you can see from the replies above, it's been far more positive from the members and the downloaders than the negatives. The good creators need change nothing. The only thing that does change is that people get better becuase there are higher quality standards to set.

If you have the bar set so low that anybody can submit anything - which has been the case - then you will get many submissions that simply aren't up to scratch. Sometimes you just have to stick your hand up and say "Wait a second..." and change things. It may not be compassionate or fair to implement this system, but equally why is it fair for the great creators to have thier work buried under a sea of bad screenshots, low quality items and bad descriptions? It's not - and it's the great stuff and the good creators I want to keep.

I realise I've rambled on a bit but I hope that by re-reading this and the first post, you see that it's not quite as simple or as easy as you might think it is. :)

Regards,
Delphy

[mike19]

i still think it's for the best
also sometimes people dont apreciate how large this site is.
perhaps people need to compare the MASSIVE size of the servers compared to some sites, not just sims sites.

hope that makes sense.

[taladoxa]

Delphy;

I am a philanthropic to a far degree. It was not my intention to rile you up. All of your points are very valid, my concern was primarily over people's feelings. Keep up the great work. You have my respect.

[beautifullass]

I really wish people would stop abusing the meaning of the First Ammendment in the US Constitution. Free speech and lack of censorship only means that (in theory, anyway) the US government cannot imprison you or confiscate your property or kill you for speaking out against the government. It does not mean that people have to like you, cannot tell you to shut the hell up if you sound like a dick, or cannot disagree with you vocally. Restaurants still have the right to refuse service, malls can ask you to leave the premises, and website OWNERS can still remove content they deem inappropriate or not conducive to the operation of their site. Put your flags away.

[Howabominable]

Good luck mts2 :) I think this is a good move, I know some people will be angry, but I know that if my few uploads are tagged I won't mind - it's for the good of the community, and if I can always improve. This is a step in the right direction IMO. While most of the things that I download here are of great quality, there is the occasional download that does live up to its promises, and I look forward to a day where I can be 100% confident that I am getting a quality download. Good luck to everyone :)

I'm not a "great and talented" creator like alot of people here, but I create some uploads every once in a while. From my standpoint, this is GOOD. It gives thos of us who aren't good enough a chance to improve that we wouldn't have had before. I really don't see how people could be too offended by this. We are all beginners at some point, and it is the willingness to improve and make a better product that separates those that are good and those who are not.

[Yaobaka]

If it comes to our attention that an object hasn't been tagged, though it should be, should we make a note to one of the moderators/admin through a PM or such? Or just have a cookie and sit back like good children to allow them to do their work? I was just thinking that it must be time consuming sorting through the older files, and might be a little helpful for them to get a heads up if one is spotted...

[jordguitar]

This is a good idea but I am seeing more of there and not many of them are deleted in a week. What is the responce time to review them and delete them?

[pfish]

This is a good idea but I am seeing more of there and not many of them are deleted in a week. What is the responce time to review them and delete them?

Delphy said it will be two weeks to delete them. :)

[ghosty12]

I can see this to be a great idea this will make it better in most respects. And has prompted me to clean up and delete most of my own uploads for being rather soso after my latest creation of what I thought was a good lot was rejected. And in some respect was hurt as spent quite awhile making it and thought it had met the guidelines seems I was wrong.

But that is the way it is and I respect the decision it will be a lot harder for shoddy work to get on here.

And I do understand as bandwidth is expensive and glad to see that this has happened to hopefully see some better work on here.

[tweety64801]

I have been looking for a way to say how much I love this site. I have seen a lot of Sims 2 sites and really wasn't impressed but when I was downloading from TSR I ran across a link to MTS2 and was completely impressed with everything. I play The Sims for fun. I wanted to learn to make the objects and clothing but really am not artistic on a pc. I have to say reading that MTS2 is so big on quality sure make me feel better about downloading from this site. I think this is great and wish other sites cared that much...Just wanted to say a big THANKS to all of MTS2 and The Creators....You are Awesome..:wave:

[HAKAISHA]

I just like Yaobaka would like to help admins and moderators find stuff that should be tagged or doesn't follow rules.
I've always wanted to be able to return the favour, since i'm not that great at making tons of highest quality content.
Recently I've seen quite a lot of things that don't mention EP requirmnet or houses in the starter section which cost over 70000. That's nonsense and I'd like to be able to warn other people!

[MTS2Staff]

Thank you for your offers to help- however many uploads were made before the guidelines were instituted- only we know which uploads those are- and we can not remove older uploads for breaking rules that did not exist back then.
We have an amazing team, and the offer of help is truly appreciated but we have it covered :)

[whiterider]

Ah, but beautifullass, Delphy's in Ireland, so no 1st Ammendment!
Now I've removed all the possibility of a BANG! factor for the first line of what I really want to say...

FINALLY! I appreciate the efforts of all creators on here, but when I'm looking for item x I do get annoyed at having to sift through pages of items a-y, z, a2-y2, z2, a3-y3... !
I know it's nearly impossible to get it right the first time, after my endevours playing with the BCONs in custom majors, I should do. But it annoys me when things are obviously either flawed or below the standards of what's expected here at MTS2. Webspace and bandwidth are expensive, why should they be wasted on things very few people are actually going to want to download?

I wonder if it would be possible for an automatic pm to be sent to the creator of an item when it is tagged? Otherwise we will have a lot of people (possibly including me at some point) complaining because they would have improved/updated their item, if only they knew it were tagged.

Now I'm off to check if any of my items are tagged, and hunt through the "careers" section of my downloads folder to find the heap of crud that overwrote the Business career in my game... (#?*$!!!)

Oh yes, and I like the avatar LyricLee. Very... er... what's the word... :D

[beautifullass]

Ah, but beautifullass, Delphy's in Ireland, so no 1st Ammendment!
Now I've removed all the possibility of a BANG! factor for the first line of what I really want to say...

FINALLY! I appreciate the efforts of all creators on here, but when I'm looking for item x I do get annoyed at having to sift through pages of items a-y, z, a2-y2, z2, a3-y3... !
I know it's nearly impossible to get it right the first time, after my endevours playing with the BCONs in custom majors, I should do. But it annoys me when things are obviously either flawed or below the standards of what's expected here at MTS2. Webspace and bandwidth are expensive, why should they be wasted on things very few people are actually going to want to download?

I wonder if it would be possible for an automatic pm to be sent to the creator of an item when it is tagged? Otherwise we will have a lot of people (possibly including me at some point) complaining because they would have improved/updated their item, if only they knew it were tagged.

Now I'm off to check if any of my items are tagged, and hunt through the "careers" section of my downloads folder to find the heap of crud that overwrote the Business career in my game... (#?*$!!!)

Oh yes, and I like the avatar LyricLee. Very... er... what's the word... :D

What I was essentially saying is how ridiculous it is to claim first ammendment rights to post crappy stuff on a privately owned site. But you're right there as well! No such a thing in Eireann!! (That's my birth place as well.) Delphy, shall we refer to you thusly as Fuhrer or Czar? :giggler:

[poundingheart]

just a quick question. sorry I guess this is in the wrong place. but when doing an upload, I have done the rar file ok but does it take long to upload the photos. it seems to take forever and ever. I have my photos in photobucket site.

cheers

[rehab]

Well, I was about to upload a sim, which was made using bodyshop and maxis skins. I'm no skinner, and I have yet to find any sims2 tutorials that are truely a 'from scratch' approach. However, seems my sim, despite my spending bloody hours getting it to look like the person intended, is not wanted here.

Tagging might improve quality, but a lot of fun will be lost on the way.
I always thought thats why we played sims2, coz it was fun.

Thanks for all the downloads over the last 12 months, including the slightly crappy but inspirational ones.

[Millipedeman]

I neither like nor dislike this rule.

I like it because then I know that I am downloading high quality stuff off of MTS2.

I dislike it becuase most of my downloads have been removed and also because normally after I upload something here, I delete it off my computer to save space. Now that most of my downloads have been removed, I cannot retrieve them, so I now I cannot upload my old recolors to another site.

I agree with rehab's second paragraph.

[codymehan1992]

Hello my Download Has Been Tagged What do i DO?

[phoebeberg]

:up: Nice going. I download most of my stuff here at mts2 and it's good to know that you actully care what is on your site is being rated.You really do an excellent job. Thank you so very much. :)

[pfish]

Hello my Download Has Been Tagged What do i DO?

I don't see any download in your profile. :)

[Corylea]

I haven't made anything yet, but I was hoping to start. I don't expect my first item to be all that wonderful, but getting feedback would help me figure out how to improve things. I wonder if you'd be willing to have a "newbies' section" for people who are uploading their first item (maybe first three items, to give us some time for a learning curve)? Such items could be removed after, say, three months, so as to give us time for plenty of feedback but to keep from cluttering up the site too much.

Thanks.

Cory

[Corylea]

I mean, why do you need to take a maxis stove and make 20 recolors of it? Or make the same lingerie in every conceivable color?

I don't know how to recolor objects yet, so I'm always glad when someone has recolored the Maxis objects. I was thrilled to get the cheap stove in white. :-)

On the lingerie, though, I'm with you. Body Shop comes with the game, so anybody can use that.

Cory

[Moonray]

As I started reading this thread I got a little peeved at the thought my items might get tagged, and was against the idea. Now I have finished reading all the thread..my opinion has changed.

Yeah, its not nice when people have their uploads tagged. (I know I wouldn't feel that happy about it either) But it means to me that there is something I need to improve, and go away and do something about it. I'm not an expert, or not as talented as some of the people on MTS2 . But isn't that how any creator learns..by having people point out little flaws that need adjusting.
Guess that's how the more experienced creators started off in the first place.

[Senacharim]

Dear Delphy,
_ Thank you ever so much for instituting this well-thought out, well planned, and well executed change to MTS2. Especially as to thinking far enough ahead to not have a "Beginners Section" (besides, don't they have one of those on Maxis' site??). I shall be most excited to see what new and wonderful things arise from the further challenge you've provided to our marvelous content creators. (Anybody can be good with practice)


PS: If you feel like it, maybe script up a button that makes it cheer at your computer when I click it on the site... that'd be cool. Hehehehe. Bless ya, good job.

[Corylea]

Especially as to thinking far enough ahead to not have a "Beginners Section" (besides, don't they have one of those on Maxis' site??).

The Exchange on the Maxis site allows the uploading of sims and houses. There is no place there for fan-created objects, careers, etc.

[Cadrac]

This is a great idea. I subscribe to TSR. There is some amazing stuff there. However, I tire of wading through the junk. I mean, why do you need to take a maxis stove and make 20 recolors of it? Or make the same lingerie in every conceivable color? It's ridiculous. Practice at home and put the finished perfected product on the site. It makes perfect sense.

Some of us WANT tons of color options on our objects so that we can get just the right look for the room we are decorating. And those of use who have not yet taken the creating plunge, having such recolors available for download is a boon. What ISN'T necessary is multiple versions of the SAME recolor done by different creators. This especially happens in the 20 recolors packages you refer to, where you download multiple packages and end up, for instance, getting 3 white recolors of the same object. But if the package contained 15 recolors I didn't have (even if only 10 of those were something I actually liked and wanted) it would still have been worth downloading. It's relatively simple to ditch custom content you don't want in the game, so after installing such packages, I just prune the duplicates and the recolors I'm NEVER going to use.

However, it still would be nice if the uploader checked what was already available and didn't include in their upload recolors that others had already done. I would agree that packages that include mainly recolors already available on the site should probably be tagged and then the creator would have the two week grace period to alter their package to only include the new recolors they had created. (And yes, I do consider different shades of the same basic color a new recolor. I have no problem having three different shades of green for one object, say emerald, lime, and grass, as it allows me to get just the right look I want for a given room.)

[CtfG]

My yesterday's upload of "6 Recolors of Aardvarkams' Mesh "amskairitee" (Nighties) for female teens" has been rejected. Reason: "The main reason for this was: The admin notes: texturing does not meet mts2 stadnards."

I'd love to know what exactly caused the rejection to correct it. The uploaded set contained 5 plain colors and 1 black nighty with rainbow colors. I also included screenshots (which were compressed by 11% to meet the limit of 150KB for one screenshot), but not for all the nighties. So what exactly was wrong? Please tick: *g*

[ ] Plain colors are too unimaginative and therefore rejected
[ ] Each recolor needs a screenshot included
[ ] Other reason: <insert reason here>

Maybe it would be a big help for newbies like me to re-write the creator guidelines. They mostly refer to wall covers and floors, but a list of what is required for each object type (walls, dresses, meshes, ...) would be very very helpful :)

Thanks in advance!

-------------------------

(edit) P.S.: Today, my second upload was rejected. Reason: "Texture is pixelated". Now you find me confused....

The texture is a 1024x1024 BMP which I worked on pixel by pixel. Main color is red, going from bright red at the top to a darker red at the bottom. All applications and seams are sharp, even with a 800% magnification. How can that be pixelated? I really don't understand it. The only blur one might find is on the text "UCD", and this effect is a wanted one.

A former upload from me ("3 teen female skirts, series "Colored Threads"") was set up in exactly the same way as the two rejected ones: I used the same graphics software to modify the alpha file and to create the textures, I made ingame-screenshots, compressed them a bit to stay below the 150k limit, packed it all into one zip file, and uploaded it. The 3 skirts are neither removed nor tagged, so what is wrong with the last two uploads?

Please (!) be so kind to give more detailed explanations why an upload is rejected. I'm not a master of arts, but I'm neither a beginner, so I need to know what the problem is to correct it. If the problem should be with the screenshots, then please say so.

Again: Thanks in advance :)

[karmi9]

My graphics are really poor ! :S
what if i wanna upload one of my sims but the clothes that the sim is wearing looks very pixelated ? it would be tagged aswell ?

PD: I'm still learning english soo maybe ya'll understand pretty much nothing

[Meska]

I for one very much appreciate this step being taken. Once upon a time you could always count on the downloads section at MTS2 to be of the highest quality among free sites. I am quite pleased at the thought of it returning to such! Thank you.

[mizskellington]

Okay,... I like this basic idea of eliminating some of the junk that gets posted here,

BUT I really don't like that we have to wait '72-96 hours' for our posts to show up! What is the purpose of this?

[julianarosalia]

BUT I really don't like that we have to wait '72-96 hours' for our posts to show up! What is the purpose of this?

That's because the admins have real lives, jobs, etc and it takes time to review the upload submissions.

[mizskellington]

That's because the admins have real lives, jobs, etc and it takes time to review the upload submissions.

I'm sure they do! But they didn't have to review each and every submission before it was posted until recently. What caused this change?

[Senacharim]

One might guess it was too many un-original 'originals.'
Like an art class where the teacher says "That's a good one!" no matter how crappy your project is...
no grading == no quality.

[Lethe_s]

Corylea,
we have a beginner's section, where you can post your first creations and get feedback and comments, without having to worry about tags and such
try the site map :)

Karmi,
in Creator Guidelines, there's a faq on making good screenies,
basically, you'll have to turn graphics way up (making your game slow down a lot) to make the screenshots
if you want to go back to playing, you can turn them down again

Mizskellington,
this is one of those 'final drop' things, where we realised that moderation was needed
I understand you want your stuff up fast, but yes, we do have lives :)

[mizskellington]

All right, fare enough... patience is a virtue is suppose .... :P

[MTS2Staff]

We get well over 100 uploads a day, incase anyone was wondering-
MOST people dont take the 5 minutes and read the creator guidelines and rules. Most people dont put proper links for content. Most people dont bother to take clear in game shots. Most people dont bother to pay attention to textures (bucketfill is NOT ok)
So with all of that against us- and the fact we have to manually open each and every single download to make sure its packaged right, contains content thats allowed to be shared, has the right links for any content used on it, and looks well made- well its alot.... Incase anyone was wondering- we arent robots- this is all done manually.

So help the mods out and PLEASE read the guidelines and rules before you upload guys... Thanks
/end rant

[whiterider]

Found myself in an interesting situation today: I actually found half a page of MTS2 items that weren't good enough for me... lol... perfectionsism to the extentof schizophrenia!
On the subject of the moderation period, I think that: given that on TSR you have to wait days between submitting your content and it actually being available for download (for those who have a credit card, bah humbug) - I don't know exactly how long as the bloomin' upload system never worked for me - 72-96 hours is pretty darn good, especially for a free, quality-controlled site with "volunteer" staff who do (mostly :D) have lives!

[Navetsea]

Maybe along with the tag, it's helpful to send a PM to the creator about the reason of their item being tagged, something like: need more work on texture, better screenshot please, too much resemblance with other post, etc. (if that hasn't be done)
Maybe the webmaster or mistress can make automated system to make these messages, so the mods just need to click on particular message type, instead of typing everyting manually.

Because I saw some people are confused & guessing about what's wrong with their posts

But I believe this will raise the standard, and make people work harder before uploading their creations.

BTW the moderation time here is very good, compared some popular art community like elfw--d, or very hard to pass mod like Epilo--e, which is very daunting.

[mizskellington]

They do that already Navetsea. But I have a question:

I got a PM saying that I must make the changes indicated below, or else the submission will be automatically rejected. You have 72 hours from the time of this PM to make any neccesary adjustments.

The adjustments noted are: you msut have links for ALL Content- please include them issing links so this can be approved.

--So I edited my post and credited everyone like I should have, but do I have to reply to the mod's PM? (I did try to reply because I didn't know what to do after my edit but the system wouldn't let me send it because the mod's inbox was too full.)

[Navetsea]

I just saw another topic, for reporting your fixed upload somewhere here it called "fixed tagged thread list", you need to post the link of your post there, and the mods will check.

eh wait, do you mean it happened during moderation time after you post new sim, so that's different thing. It happened to me once, because one of my screnshot showed nudity (outside adult section), I just replace the screenshot (well I just cut the bottom part of the screenshot) and resubmit, without replying the PM, some hours later it was showed on my profile page.

[mizskellington]

Thanks for the help Navetsea! :D I think I can take it from here.

[MTS2Staff]

OK you guys are confusing tags and conditional approvals- Let me try and clear this up

When you submit a sim/Lot/Cas screen/Wallpapers/Clothing/Genetics recolors
they go to the queue and await approval- IF you recieve a PM saying you have a conditional approval it means you need to fix the post before we can approve it for the public.
This is what you were refering to miz and there is NO NEED to reply to the PM- when the changes are made we are notified automatically.

Tagging is different- If you look at your post and there is a Tag banner across the top, it means that somethingi s wrong with the post- its either going to be poor screenshots, bad texturing or seaming, missing links, or a sim that looks very much like the standard maxis sim.

If you retexture the item, or fix the screenshots there is a post in the Site Issues forum where you can post your link to notify us that its been fixed.
for a Tagged sim its better to just remake the sim and resubmit in a new post.

Either way no PM's should be sent to the mods-
I hope this clarifies soem for you all

[mizskellington]

Oh! Okay, thanks for the clarification there :)

[PollinationTechnician79]

Though some may be upset, it's all comon sense and for those creator that are just missing an in-game shot, or some other technical detail, they can simply edit their post to include these things. For more than technical issues, it's an opportunity to improve on their previous creations.

The guidelines provided by MTS2 are clear, fair and in the best interests of the community, in my humble opinion.

In addition, though it may seem harsh to post that an item has been tagged in public, it helps to show what is and is not acceptable, in a very concrete form. Thanx again Delphy.

[Samekh]

I'd be delighted if my earliest stuff (i.e. the maxis recolours) were removed. I would delete them myself but I don't know if that wouldn't leave some stranded responses. Nobody should be upset by this, we're all learning all the time. My early meshes can go too if that helps. My lip might wobble if the later ones go but, what the hey! I had another 80% almost perfect pre shared stuff before I discovered (with lots of help) that clothes meshing was possible. Bring it on baby.

Except I can see good reasons for a beginners section. Sometimes people just need some gentle encouragement and advice. It could possibly be limited to the first three meshes? It may not be something that the creator even notices. Like shadows etc. It could be like a holding bay for newbies. This site would not be as big as it is if people didn't start poorly (please delete my recolours a.s.a.p., I was far too enthusiastic in my first encounter with SimPE). If there was a newby mesher section then interested parties could browse and inspect and, sometimes, there may be some real gems, sometimes people could advise some tweaking without having to burdon the repair threads. The newbie section could be arbitrarily recycled to save space - it would still allow people to have access and allow meshers the opportunity of posting revised meshes on the site proper.

[Delphy]

Samekh,

You can delete your threads yourself of anything that you dont want on the site. :)

[Emma_Barrett]

Except I can see good reasons for a beginners section. Sometimes people just need some gentle encouragement and advice. It could possibly be limited to the first three meshes?


as a newbie i Heartily agree with this.... i've just submitted my first sim and am anxiously awaiting my confirmation....
it'd be cool to have a beginners section to upload to and not worry so much about if it's high enough quality for a site like this .... i appreciate that the mts2 team need to keep an eye on whats going up though ... this site has an excellent reputation to keep! :)

:beer: to the team!

[meowski]

Well, I suppose I'm in the small crowd that feels alienated by this. Perhaps it's an unrelated dislike for the elitists I deal with in my studio classes, and I recognize that possibility. But I also recognize that this may alienate and frighten new simmers with the threat of being tagged. However, I don't run this site, so I'm not exactly in a position to do anything but complain.

Edit: Just realized that kinda sounds like a personal attack. Trust me, it isn't. It's not even really a political attack. Just mild dissent, to which I will comply to all rules anyway.

With that said, just so I am clear on this point(as when I read through the pages of this thread I was unclear) are tagged items coming with specific artistic critique or simply being labled as "poor"?

I have other questions, but I realize they're off-topic, so I will be posting them elsewhere. ^^

[sunken-woglinde]

This sounds like a good idea. =) Good job, MTS2 Team! I just hope none of my things get tagged, but if they do, I'll work hard to improve them and re-submit. =D

I don't like KKai's idea, though; I would certainly be unhappy if a Sim someone speant quite awhile to create, then twice as long to upload(dialup users especially) was deleted two weeks later-- it would be incredibly discouraging. XD

HOWEVER, I very much like the idea of a beginner's section! I'm still a beginner at recoloring and such myself, and I think a section such as that would eliminate the amount of site beginners being alienated, as someone a few posts before me said. :bunny:

[Lifa]

THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU

I am so tired of downloading something thinking "hey, this'll be awesome", but it turns out to be a floodfill recolour with an interestingly-shaped alpha. Ick-monster. I take pride in the time and effort I've spent on my stuff, and the few things that I have posted I feel are exceptional amongst my other work.

I'd be more than happy to let my downloads go if they're not up to everyone else's standards, to make this forum a better place with better-quality downloads. I know someone somewhere is gonna pitch a fit about their stuff getting deleted, but if it's really so important to distribute second-rate stuff, they should get their own website, pay for their own bandwidth, and upload their stuff THERE.

I love you Delphy.
(But please don't tell my fiancee!)

[CtfG]

It's now about 10 weeks ago that I asked some questions (see post #109 of this thread) and still no answer...

True: this site is a private one, and all who submit here have to follow the rules. BUT: not all that submit here are native english speakers, and for some submitters certain words (like, in my case, "pixelated") have no meaning at all and cannot be found in a dictionary to clarify them.

So, even if the time of MTS2 staff is limited, I ask you (again) to provide more informations why an upload is rejected, and if possible in a not too elaborated language. I created many clothes which I would like to post here, but as long as I don't know what exactly was wrong with my last upload, I don't dare another try.

Please answer. Thank you.

[Senacharim]

pixel -

n : (computer science) the smallest discrete component of an image or picture on a screen (usually a colored dot); "the greater the number of pixels per inch the greater the resolution"

pixelated -

pertaining to a printed image which has been digitized; visible as a pattern of pixels; also written pixellated
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
If something is pixelated, then the pixels are visible; it appears rough, "blocky," squared off--where there should be curves, you can find a stair-step effect...

Hope that helps.

[CtfG]

Thanks a lot for that explanation, Senacharim! Now it's clear why my upload was rejected: because this "stair-step-effect" was visible on the arms of the sim wearing my sportdress. On the bare arms, though; they were not covered with a texture. The dress itself is not pixelated.

IMHO, this is judging a book by the cover, but since the rules are such, I have to accept it. Thanks again for clearing this matter :)
- - - - - - -
I think I found a solution; one which is AFAIK not given in all the guidelines:
- under "Game Options" ( F5 ), set "Graphics" to "High". This results in less pixelation (spelling?), but also to an uncontrollable moving of the neighborhood view: it starts to swing slowly to and fro. Nevertheless, it reduces this picel blocks quite a lot, though not completely
- still in Game Options, set the vertical slide bar ( translated from the german game, it's called "Smooth Edges" ) to medium position. This, in combination with the step described above, reduces the pixel effect completely, but also leads to a blurry text and to performance problems when entering text into the lot boxes (family description or renaming the lot).

Performing both steps will produce very clean screenshots with really smooth edges. I personally don't like this smoothing effect; it makes all the ingame text more difficult to read, but this problem is purely related to my eyes which are quite bad since birth ( no tears now! *g* ). But for making screenshots which fulfill the requirements of MTS2, it's a very good solution, and it takes only seconds to change the settings.

This being said, I'll shut up now and give my teen female sportdress another try! *laughs* Maybe this explanation will help others too, whose uploads have been rejected for being "pixelated".

CtfG

[3dogowner]

I've only been a member for a short time, so all of the changes to the site were implemented before I joined. I've always been really impressed with the quality and sheer number of downloads available.

[snakeskinner]

what about the ones who are just starting to create say if they add there first wall covering that happens to be a paste job and it is tagged what does it tell them if they cant find out what people think about there ideas will that not discourage them from trying to better there content Just a thought

[pfish]

what about the ones who are just starting to create say if they add there first wall covering that happens to be a paste job and it is tagged what does it tell them if they cant find out what people think about there ideas will that not discourage them from trying to better there content Just a thought

You can put your stuff in creator feedback forum before uploading. That forum can let members think of opinions or give advices to you how to improve your stuff. :)

Edit: added a word feedback. :)

[briandam8]

Delphy, my pot which is the first thing I've put on this site, has been tagged and I dunno why. Plz have a look and tell me what happened. It's on my page. :cry: :cry: :cry: :wtf: :( :(

[Pdrs]

I've already experienced that. I think it is a good way of improve quality, but will make many people angry. I understand but I can't say I was angry too when I saw my upload being deleted. Keep the good job.

[JasonUlloa]

Hey! There are way too many rules. I like to take all of my pictures in bodyshop and then some close ups in the game of the face. As far as the body I BELIEVE they look best in there.

I dont upload to this site because too many regulations and I have all the games and I dont like to wait more then 5 mintues to take pictures while my game loads. I have all of the EPs and Stuff Packs so It takes a while. And then editing and making them look good is a lot of work on top of making the download.

I have a skintone that is great and it would do really great here but I just dont like taking pictures with the game. The sims always act stupid. And they never pose right so I just don't bother taking them good. So I will have to wait till later to upload the skintone till later!

[micciduck]

Hi,

I've been away form simming for quite some time and though I have had an account with mod the sims for some time I've just started to really check it out. I've been doing quite a bit o downloading in the last few days and I may have downloaded some of your tagged items. I didn't realize - I'm sorry. Will I be penalized for this?
I really really enjoy your site and would like to remain in good standin.

Again - very sorry.
Mic

[pfish]

I've been doing quite a bit o downloading in the last few days and I may have downloaded some of your tagged items. I didn't realize - I'm sorry. Will I be penalized for this?

No, you will not be penalized for downloading tagged items. :)

[Darkwolf]

Thats why I love this site, you guys always look out for us. =)

[clowbook44]

will recolours of maxis clothing will be tagged?

[XTS]

I appreciate the uniformity of this site. Structure is important I think. :D

My question:
What if we have 10 downloads available and we have a journal. Let's say we get something tagged and it drops us to below the 10 needed downloads to write a journal. Would one lose their journal or would the fact that one had had 10 downloads when he/she started their journal allow him/her to keep their journal?

I'm at 8 and considered uploading a few things and maybe.... maybe starting a few notes in my journal about my downloads and experiences or what have you. I'm a bit worried about writing it and having it deleted due to not enough downloads available any longer by myself due to tagging.


Still appreciating MTS2! :) and (but not limited to) all the wonderful downloads, "interceptors" hacks, tutorials and assistance.

Xts

EDIT: *blush* I find that I have 11 downloads. But yet I might still fall below the necessary 10. :)

[Cee]

Hi, I have a question and I wasn't sure where to post it. The answer could be somewhere in this thread and I apologize if that's the case.
Before the changes occured there was a section on the left side of the screen near thanks there was a space that said recolors or other recolors of this mesh or something to that effect. Is that still there and I'm missing it? If not, is there any way it could be returned? I really loved that feature. Thanks for reading!

[Delphy]

Cee, it's still there. I think you are just missing it. :)

XTS, Once you get a journal you keep it regardless of if you go below 10.

[XTS]

Thanks for the reply Delphy!
:)
xts

[Cee]

Thanks Delphy, I'll pay better attention next time I'm looking, lol!!

[BusterBrown]

Hi everybody!!
I'm rather new to this site, and I remember the first time I looked around this site and said, WOW, look at all this awesome stuff. Then I started to find things that weren't so awesome, and now I'm just spoiled :D and am very picky about my downloads. This is a great idea, and I think it'll do wonders for the quality levels on this site (not that it isn't already great, because it's the best sim-site out there). Giving creators a heads-up and the opportunity to fix what they did wrong is fantastic.

I also disagree with the beginners thing. I think that the creator feedback forum is all new creators will ever need. And besides, if you want to upload at MTS2 and have your stuff up there with the awesome people's stuff, it should be able to measure up to strict standards. But that's just my opinion.
Cheers!

[almon321]

Hi... This is My post time first. I' come from Thailand. I can speak English little But I love your Web site ^o^ eiei

[camprack]

Hello! I don't mean to bother anyone with mundane questions, but having never thought of uploading anything until Bon Voyage came out, I have to ask. I had contemplated uploading a vacation house that contains an array of custom content and Maxis provided content. Seeing the advanced level of creators out there, and in light of this new quality expectation, should I even bother sharing my creation at all? I am in no way at the level of the likes of Numenor or other wizards of the Sim2 creation world, but in my own little way, the creations I make are cool and unique to me, and feel that they warrant at least a glance of consideration from the rest of the community. When I started to see how much literature it took to read through to even begin the upload process, I realized that it would be in my best interest to see if a newbie uploader like myself, with little technically astounding contributions, is still welcome to try their hand at uploading. Thank you for any response and a big thank you to all you greats out there that have inspired me to even think of creating at all...Your time is truly appreciated.

With Warm Regards,
camprack

[whiterider]

Of course - if new creators weren't allowed to upload, then we wouldn't have any old creators ;)
Go for it, is my advice; make sure you've read through the guidelines first - and yes, it is a lot of reading, but it's worth it and will save you many rejects - upload and see what happens. If your upload isn't accepted and put on the site, then you'll get a PM listing the reasons for that. If that happens, look through the reasons, fix them, and try again. :)

Even creators whose first uploads were rejected with the word "horrendous" going through the mod's mind, have improved and become excellent creators; and the staff are always happy to help people improve.
Also, try posting pictures of your creation in Creator Feedback (http://www.modthesims2.com/forumdisplay.php?f=473) before uploading, there are many experienced/featured/just plain wonderful creators in there who'll help you get things just right.

[camprack]

Thank you so much Whiterider! It's great to know that I have a chance like anyone else, I very much appreciate you taking the time to respond! Look for my vacation homes then, uploading, here I come! Thanks again!

[Enjoem]

Hello!

I'm new to this whole up-loading thing, and I have a few question, if I'm allowed to do so:

1. I'm having trouble oading up pics of my up-load. I've made the pics smaller, changed the format to the one's that are allowed on the site, and renameing them, and I still can't get them attached. I keep getting the error message of, "Copy to file system directory failed". And no matter how many times I try to attach it, it still won't attach.

2. It's had been awhile since I've been on this site, and now that I'm back on here, I've notice that the site has changed somewhat. And I can't figure out how to post. Like if I have a question about something, and I can't find it on the site, and I would like the question to be answered, I don't know how to go about posting. Please help.

I'm sorry if I'm going about this the wronge way, by asking it on this thread, but I can't figure it out anyother way. Thanks for your help and understanding with my silly little issues.

~Enjo

[tiggerypum]

Enjoem - follow up with this on the top of the page under NEWS - 'Site Issues'. The upload server got some changes and I think we're still ironing out the issues.

[Enjoem]

Thank you Tiggerpum!

~Enjo

[SolidGoldFunk84]

I have a question,

If a moderator is just being "nice" and allows "crappy" work to be uploaded can someone report the post or something like that? I was just wondering because I've seen some celebrity downloads that should not have been accepted according to the guidelines and I was just wondering if all the mods know about the decisions or is it up to one particular moderator?

[macm09]

i have a question, i received the "tagged threads" pm and it stated to go to your profile (the pm provides a link) and check for the threads with the yellow triangle exclamation marks. I went to my profile and am not able to find these marks. I have checked each individual download as well as the scorecard and still no yellow triangle marks. I did take a look at the screenshots of said marks but still can't locate them. I did delete one of my lots that I figured was the tagged thread, this thread had no yellow triangle marks anywhere, but I would still like to be sure that it is not one of the others. thanks.

[Delphy]

macm9, check in Creator Issues.

[macm09]

i checked in creator issues via the link in the tagged threads pm, and didn't really find the answer to my question. all that was there were the rules for the forum. do i need to post my question there or is my question not making sense? trouble is i can not identify which thread is the tagged thread to even begin to try and fix anything.

[icy96]

I feel guilty all of the sudden :wtf: I can't believe my upload had been tagged!(this is not taken as an insult ok?) it was my very first upload now :cry: .but maybe if I make jeans like a new mesh. . . I can have a chance! :) what do you guys think? (including Delphy)

[KiaraRawks]

I got an message saying i had tagged item, but i cant find it anywhere in my downloads list? Any help here?

[Delphy]

The PM you get should tell you which item it is - it'll appear on your profile page with an exclamation mark.

[KiaraRawks]

But it didn't i searched all my downloads too.

[Numenor]

I see you have one tagged download: it's the Eyeshadow in lots of colors by Kiara (http://www.modthesims2.com/download.php?t=119112), uploaded on Jan 7h, 2006.

Don't ask why it has been tagged, I really don't know. Maybe it's because the last comment wast posted there exactly 1 year ago? Or maybe because the "lot of colours" are nowhere to be seen in the screenshots.

[dustfinger]

i got an PM, that one of my downloads is tagged. it´s a hair recolour from a mesh of helgasims, and the site is gone. it wouldn´t be that bad for me, if it would be deleted, but i think it´s a bit ... don´t know, but it´s not the fault of any creator... and when this special site is gone, why isn´t every recolour of helga meshes tagged?? i have some other recolours which are not tagged. not that i want them to be tagged, but this looks a bit like nonsense to me...?? i am only confused :)

[Canoodle]

Suprisingly, this thread is for reactions to the new upload guidelines. I would suggest posting your question in the Creator Issues forum. You will have a private thread in which to banter/talk with moderators. :)

[hmm]

I realise that this is for quality and absolute satisfaction and high standard etc. etc, but i do think it really restricts who can upload items- unless you are quite serious about it, you may not have all the right programs to recolour things or change meshes, and even if you do, you may find it tricky to get items accepted. Ok, i'm getting a little lost in my own words now, but i, for one, have a lot of experimenting and practise to do. byee!

[Delphy]

Well, yes, it does restrict people - but it only restricts those that are not willing to learn more or who do not want to put the effort into wanting to learn more. There are plenty of tutorials here on many different aspects of modding that it's really not that hard - with the time and motivation - to make something good.

And lets not forget the Creator Feedback forum *and* the Creator Guidelines, which contains screenshots of the right and wrong ways to do things.

So, yes, it restricts those who spend 5 mins in Paint or whatever and churn out stuff that pretty much anybody could do. BUt there are other sites like the Exchange that cater perfectly to those kind of creators and MTS2, as one of the *only* sites that has actual creator guidelines and a moderation queue (seriously, how many other sites even have this?), *must* have guidelines and *must* strive for the best quality stuff.

[Sims MX]

I reveived a PM that said one of my uploads was tagged. It told me to got to my profile in order to see and edit the tagged upload. I went there (to Creators Issues and to my scorecard) but I can't see the yellow triangles or something else that points me out which upload needs editing. Is there a way to figure it out? I want to modify my uploads but I don't know which.

[Delphy]

Sims MX: You will have gotten a PM about it too.