I never knew MTS2's "Dark Ages" when you can blow everything up with a single error... the speech inspires me to strive hard in making a big 1st project! (even though Numenor built the Carnival already... ehe..) As for moral support, I am changing my avatar for a slogan, dubbed as MTS2007 - YEAR OF THE CREATOR!

BRAVO! -applauds- I completely agree with everything you said.

I am NOT a fan of paysites (abhor them, actually) and could go on an entire tangent about how they break the EA Games TOS, etc. I've also seen more than one paysite that had content, for sale, that I am pretty sure I saw on HERE for FREE by the original creator. True artists get satisfaction from people enjoying their work- not to receive monetary compensation. If you go look at other games that have customizable content, most of them have genuine, free communities like this one and they are the backbones of the community.

I love this site and I recommend it to everyone.

Dilitru, Uhm, ECHO made the Carnival. She an Numenor are not the same people. He has created other amazing objects though.

i mean hackers

There are no hackers here. And the d/ls are free of spyware and adware - I know since I scan every single one and never a single problem. People think of hackers when in reality your PC is infected with adware/spyware and it mucks up your machine.

Even after reading all that pages of "thank you", I still think I have to thank you for everything you and all the other creators of content and tutorials have done for The Sims Community and especially for me personally, as you made The Sims 2 much more than just a game. Always something new to discover and when I had a question I can always find an answer. So thank you all very, very much and please keep up the good work.

2nd best site?
That is a matter of opinion, for I disagree. I believe it's the best out there.

I am proud to be a supporter and will continue as long as MTS2 is around. I couldn't play my game if it wasn't for all of the wonderful creations on this site. 1000 thank you's and that is still not enough.

I used to absolutely love this site, for all the reasons mentioned in the Mission Statement. A whole community of people creating new ways to enjoy our Sims games, sharing ideas and innovations, and all for free!

However, since the fileserver split, I've hardly been able to download anything at all. I've tried almost every day, often several times a day, with very little success. Virtually every time, I get 503 errors saying the fileserver is busy--and from the red message at the top of the page, I can see I'm obviously not alone. On the few occasions that I get through and can actually download something, the files come out corrupt and I can't install them! (If that's for a different reason, I apologize, but it did start after the fileserver split, so I can't help but think they're connected.)

It comes down to this: Now that one fileserver is reserved for donators only, the other fileserver is so overworked that the rest of us can't access any of the downloads. That means that only people who donate money can reliably use this site. And THAT means, in practical terms, that this site is...

(drumroll)

A paysite.

I'm serious. If people who don't pay money can't access the downloads, this site is no better than the paysites you deride.

Owlexandra,

Actually, what you're seeing was happening all the time before the fileserver split, the site has hit critical mass and apparently it hasn't slacked off since the holidays regarding downloads - we've been having problems for a good two months at peak traffic times, more and more frequently as time has gone on. (at first only on weekends, but now it seems every day)

What we've done is taken a small amount of load (some members) off the main fileserver, we did not take a fileserver away from the public - there only was the one to begin with. We did not decrease that fileserver's capacity in any way. Some have reported using Q Xpress gets them more reliable downloads, you might want to try that and see if it helps, it's free and probably worth the experiment. (do not try a download accelerator, that will fail)

We are crunching numbers right now to figure out the next step in server upgrades to improve the download situation. There have been software and hardware changes in the past year (many of which have been invisible to the users) to keep decreasing the load, but there's a hard limit to things we can do about delivering large download files without another server _and_ bandwidth to go with it.

Just for the record, the site has more than 2x as many people accessing it now than a year ago. We are regularly breaking our records for number logged in at the same time. There are currently 6-7 machines (sorry, I'm not Delphy, I don't remember exactly) that keep the site going.

Thank you so much for your response, tiggerypum. I appreciate your explanation, and I'm sorry to have been mistaken. I see now that I had no reason to be upset, and I apologize for having reached the wrong conclusion.

I'm going to go ahead and make a donation, as an apology, and to support this site which has consistently been the best Sims resource on the net. I've always been ok with the idea of giving money, I just didn't like my (mistaken) idea that the site called itself free but really required donations.

Again, thank you for your explanation, and take care.

Owlexandra, I understand your frustration. I hope we can expand the servers soon, as it's obviously needed. With increased donations, of course, it makes it easier for us to achieve that reality. We are committed to keeping the site access _good_ for everyone, not just some.

tigger,
the situation is quite funny : you have to make a donation to increase the free bandwidth...in wich case you will access to the special server and leave the normal download server you paid for ! I am perhaps a little OT.
I repeat that I said above : continue and thanks to the MTS2 staff

Patul, lol. Yes, although the funds go towards all of it, with 6-7 machines, it's a lot more than just the download server

Bravo

You are the


ding140674
Jan 16 2007 8:40P.M

Just as a follow up to Tig/owlexandra's conversation:

The fileserver split was promised quite a while ago when we revamped the donation scheme, but at that time I didn't have a machine available (nor the software coding in place) to support it. What happened was that the past few months have seen a steady increase in concurrent numbers of people on the site both in peak and normal periods - and this has only risen due to architectural changes that I have been making behind the scenes due to caching etc.

This has a knock on effect to the fileservers: As more people are able to access the site, more people are wanting to download, and this causes massive stress issues on the failure points (which is, basically the fileserver).

Previously I didn't have any kind of message coming up when you went to download, so you'll see if you look back a month or so that people complained of extremely long wait times for downloading, as well as timeouts and the like. When I split the fileserver in two to add the special one, I also changed this behaviour to actually display a message when the server reached capacity - this is the root of the 503 message. Is it, essentially, an artificial break on the amount of bandwidth transferred at any one point in time - this is becuase, while MTS2 has a lot of bandwidth at it's disposal, it is not infinite and pumping data at high speeds eats up bandwidth fast - hence the limitation on concurrent downloads per second.

It's unfortunate timing that mean the fileserver got split right after experiencing huge load surges on the site (the highest ever recorded users was only a week or so ago), so that it seemed to people that the people that pay where the only ones that get the downloads. This, as Tig pointed out, is not the case at all - people are able to access downloads, it just takes some refreshing. It's a trade-off between locking up completely (as before) and timing out, or displaying a message. Using a download accelerator (set to a maximum of 2 connections) will mean you get much better success.

As Tig also said, becuase of the current situation, peak usage capacity and the severe load that is placed on the fileserver, I am currently looking at various ways to increase capacity without spending too much of the donated money. I should be ordering another server (and some other upgrades) in the next few days (to take us up to 9 servers just for MTS2 alone) that'll alleviate hopefully a lot of the strain.

So, there you have it... hopefully this wont last too long.

Thanks for any donations recieved

Regards
Delphy

Thank you for all your time and work and explanations Delphy!

I have an addendum of my own.

It occurred to me today that while 2007 might be a great time to learn to create (and I am SO THERE!), due to the lack of OS X utilities most of us Mac players will be left out in the cold. We can do custom content as long as it involves recolours and we have GIMP or Photoshop - but for creating and testing meshes, or changing the way objects behave, or even customising our own genetics we are stuck.

The up side is that there's a good community out there that is willing to share knowledge and to fulfill requests, and I can see that the requests forum may well have been overused. But Mac users specifically may have made requests because they didn't have access to the tools/utilities that PC players can "take for granted" (like SimPE), and, sadly, all the tutorials in the world can't change that particular fact.

And, yes, I have gone so far as to download SimPE on my work computer, import my hair files and colour bin them, and then take them home again and put them back in the game. That's how desperate I was to have colour-binned hair! I am fortunate enough, however, to have a very understanding and nice IT guy who let me do that; again, that is not an option some people would have.

So, why are we here?
This is the question that has the only one and inevitable answer:
'Cause, ModTheSims2 is the best ever forum on Sims 2!
It would be God's work and blessing, if more talented creators joined the best ever forum and free-site!
Keep working... just for our pleasure!
And for the pleasure of my sims, of course!

Delphy (and other staff): What a great idea to make 2007 the Year of the Creator. All the wonderful creations (including modding tools) on this site and other free sites not only enhance the game, but are inspiring. They remind us that creativity is a vital part of the human psyche. Indeed, I find it reassuring when one looks at how large and encompassing the Sims 2 community is, how sharing most of it is, and how creative it is.

The mission statement is an excellent idea as well. I hope it will have a featured place on the website (besides this forum) and is required reading for new members.

However, I do have trouble with some of the points made, mostly in this forum, about sites with donation sets. Last year, after a massive downloading binge from various free sites -- but mostly MTS2 -- I started feeling guilty about taking so much. So I opened up a PayPal account and went about donating to several of the sites whose work I really valued, saving the largest amount for MTS2. Some sites have no way of donating unless you 'purchase' a donation package. In one case, after I made a straight donation, the site owner/creator sent me a thank you donation package. In neither case do I feel that the owners were trying to make a buck from their creations. Perhaps naively, I felt, and still do, that they were asking for donations to pay for bandwidth, much like MTS2 has. Yes, there are other ways they could pay for bandwidth, but I think they shouldn't be lumped in with sets that are all pay or that have dual sets of content: the 'freebies' and the 'premium' content.

I also think, as has been suggested elsewhere in this forum, that creations uploaded to this site should not be based on meshes or include objects from pay sites. Maybe not even from sites that have 'freebies' and 'premium' content. This would make the site more consistent with the statement, and would perhaps convince some to change their organization. MTS2 has a huge base, and it can hopefully use its size to help make the community more creative and more sharing.

Thanks Delphy and others for making this a great site and also many thanks to the creators for their work. My game is so much better for it.

twerplina

P.S. I always (or at least try to) press the "Thank You" button when downloading. It's the least I can do.

ok thanks i do think this is a cool site

I know the MAC community is filled with talented programmers, and has good tools. But until one of those people makes a plugin for a native tool, you are behind. But then, the MAC version came out later, maybe someone is working on this.

While I won't be working on any MAC support, everything I know about mesh formats for the Sims2 is on the wiki (geeky tech stuff). Anyone that wanted to do something for the MAC would be starting hundreds of hours of research ahead of the people that wrote what we have on the Winders PeeCee side.

Since I don't own a MAC, I don't hang out at any place where MAC shareware might be found. But perhaps a dedicated MAC-o-phile simmer (if you know any) might try to contact some of these people to see if they are up to a new challenge.

<* Wes *>

OK. You have admitted to hosting 2 paysites, be there more than those, I do not know. SO how can one who just posted an entire 'tomb'(literary license enacted) admit in good conscience that they actually in reality host at least 2 paysites because they support you financially, but you are 'not in it for the money'?

Secondly, Isn't it funny that after you post your 'Mission Statement' that almost donations have increased? As well, when someone complained about downloading issues, one of you fine folks actually made reference to the fact that you could alleviate those issues with increased donations? Funny how that works! Yet! You are not in it for the money at all...Hmmm...

In the third spot in my list of wonderings and muses on your view of how things should be, who made you the moral conciousness of the SIMs Community? I don't recall a vote being held or cast.

You see, no matter what you call it, a 'donation' is renumeration. Thus, you are a type of paysite. No distinction, except that usually folks who operate under the auspice of 'donation' have to work harder to get their money. Unfortunately, it is usually with coercion, be it discreet or direct.

Now here is the big difference between you and us, (I wish there was no 'you' or 'use' but rather just the Community), we don't care how you run your affairs. But sadly, you seem to care how the rest of us run ours. And frankly, it's really none of your business. Really, in reality you shouldn't even care. Except for the 'renumeration' factor, you wouldn't either.

It's like this, you are upset because you offered tools, advice, and instruction freely, of your own accord, and now others are benefiting, as much, or more than you are. Too bad, so sad. You made your choice. If you feel, in hindsight, that you did not practic enough foresight, then all you can do is 'buck up' and chalk it up to experience.

Now as for our little corner of the SIMs World, we don't make no waves. We don't cause any strife, nor grief. We don't use others works, unless we have their express permission and blessing. How does that affect you? I don't see that it could. All I see is the same thing that has happened over and over again throughout time. One group who feels that their way is the only way.

Here is a thought for you. What has gotten mankind though the ages? It's simple, and only one word for you all to remember and mull over. Diversity. What makes society strong as a whole is its differences and individual strengths. Don't fault another because they differ from your ideal view of how things should be.

Not that it's any business of yours, but over 90% of our downloads are 'FREE' to anyone that wants them. The only reason we made the remaining 'pay'(for which we charge a very small subscription fee), is to pay for bandwidth, and any other small costs we incur. We don't make any money of of this for ourselves, nor do we wish, or need to. We do this so that we can allow others to enjoy our interests the same as we do. Our apologies if that offends you in any way.

In closing, let me say this. Do what you will to try and change the SIMs World to follow your ideals, and your ideals alone. I think you will find that you are not as 'big' as you think yourselves to be. After all, no one is any better than the next person. We all have our own worth, as well as faults.

I hope we call outgrow pettiness, jealousy, and differences, and in so doing, more better enjoy doing the one thing we do all agree on in the SIMs Community. PLAY THE SIMS, AND MAKE IT BETTER to our individual wants and preferences.

Regards,
MIKEY!!!

I almost neglected to add;

I told my people to 'fly low' and stay under your radar so as not to 'stir the pot'. However, after reading what I read over here in this thread, I found it more and more needing, even wanting, for our side to be heard. And not from the 'fanatic' side of 'paysites'. And am willing to continue intelligent discussion on thise so-called 'issue' if it remains intelligent and well thought out, as well as completely honest. It is how I do things.

Regards,
MIKEY!!!

Interesting that you accuse Delphy of hosting sites that demand pay despite his meanings about this subject. To me how he handles this seems either generous or open minded or professional behaviour.

Interesting further is the fact that you cite his words false, and try to make the impression that he is against donation at all or that donation is pay also. If you read the announcement again you will see that this is not true. And donations that are freely given isn't hardly comparable with things you can only get if you pay especially for those.

I agree totally that the paysites feasts on the accomplishments that are done here and on other free sites and I also agree that this is not in the least fair or professional. The fact that it is not explicitely forbidden to use the tools and tuts to create pay content does not make it better. I was somewhat liberal about this in the past, thinking that everyone should be get lucky in his or her own fashin, that including buying on paysites, but my feelings about that have changed.

It would be a great achievement (in my opinion) if the tools would get GPL'd or be distributed under a similar license, but that is up to the creators of the tools.

Let me add as last comment that it is also interesting, that you don't give any details about you or your site? So no one can verify your claims? Where's a link to your page?