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Warrior Gryphon
site owner
Original Poster
#1 Old 6th Jan 2009 at 11:29 PM Last edited by Delphy : 7th Jan 2009 at 4:54 PM.
Default January 2009 changes
Hi All,

It's a new year and with the new year come some changes to MTS2. There's quite a few to go through, so I'll start with the most obvious:

Download View Changes:

As you've probably noticed even before reading this site news announcement, the look and feel of the download view has changed. The old view was getting quite cluttered so the new one takes advantage of a tabbed setup to group the information into screens.

It may take a little getting used to, but I think it works a lot better than the previous long layout.

I've added a few new features, too:
  • There is a new "Post a Thanks comment" on the 'overview' tab which allows you to directly type a small comment that goes as a Thanks post on the download.
  • Some of the layout of the Overview tab has been tweaked.
  • A new optional box has been added to the Download tab - a Multi-Part box. This is strictly for large sets that have multiple posts that make up the actual content and allows you to link via bbcobe directly to those posts.
  • A new tab has been added: "Install Instructions". This is an extremely cut down version of the various download FAQs, with some additional information and varies per download section. Some downloads have specific instructions like SC4 maps, or CEP ones. Others are standard. You may specifically choose an advanced type like the Scriptorium or Custom but this is only in rare cases like modding tools etc.
  • A new optional box has been added to the Related tab allowing Creators to specifically link directly to other threads they believe are interesting. An example can be found here https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=256217

Becuase I realise that some people might not like the tabbed view, I have changed the meaning of the "Show old thread view" to become "Show non-tabbed Download View" in the Edit Options screen. All members who previously had this option checked are now reverted to the normal screen.

Download Browse changes
  • The Section jump has been moved to the bottom of the download browser
  • The breadcrumbs on individual downloads now don't have a blank "middle" download on some sections like Misc -> Misc.

Social Groups:

I'd like to introduce a new feature to MTS2 - Social Groups! You might be familiar with these on the most recent vBulletin setups (albeit in a slightly different way) - but so far the older vBulletin's lack this functionality.

What are social groups? Well, in a nutshell it's like having your own forum specifically targetted towards your own interests and ideas. Here on S2C we have various Sims 2 community forums with lots of threads, and previously if you'd wanted to start a thread about, say, your love for Bella Goth, you'd make a thread and hope people replied.

Social Groups changes that - it allows you to start a group about the topic - be it Bella or Cheesecake or Pie or Ninjas vs Pirates. Whatever you want! But it's like a forum in that it looks like a forum, and acts like a forum. You could even have a group just for people in your area.

Most social Groups will be Public - that is, anybody can read them but only members can post, and anybody can join. A group can also be Private, which means that only the group members can view and post. This is great for having your own private discussion area without making your own forum, ans especially useful for modders wanting a discussion area for thier next project!

Obviously, it goes without saying that all current site rules and guidelines also apply to the groups feature, but we hope you enjoy this. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

The groups feature can be found here: http://www.modthesims2.com/groups.php or in your User Tools dropdown.

Other changes:
  • Users viewing this thread has been reinstated - has now been removed again.
  • Fixed bug with the takeover ad triggering all the time regardless of cookie state
  • Fixed bug with invalid posthashes in Upload wizard
  • Updated all base code to 3.0.14 vBulletin
  • Added Multi-Part/Custom Install/Related boxes to Stage 9 of upload wizard
  • Fixed bug with server redirects going to nene/linna instead of www
  • Added pointer cursor to [+] on stage 1 of upload wizard
  • Revised Upload Wizard preview screen
  • Added new [ header1 ] bbcode, which is used to create the arrow/purple headings in this post.
  • Added new [ threadthumb ] bbcode, which can be used to create a thumbnail to a post. An example is: [ threadthumb=Rufus' Curiously Cute Lederhosen]254613[/threadthumb ]
  • Added QuickEdit (the little pencil icon) for your own posts
  • Probably some other stuff I've forgotten about

As usual, any questions or bugs, please don't hesitate to ask!

Regards
Delphy

Story books are full of fairy tales, of Kings and Queens, and the bluest skies.
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Field Researcher
#2 Old 6th Jan 2009 at 11:43 PM
These changes seem great!Now I'm gonna go try out these new download options... Thanks Delphy!

The Sim Supply!

Call me PD :)
Captain Louie
retired moderator
#3 Old 6th Jan 2009 at 11:59 PM
The changes are so cool Delphy!

And, now that i have read the news i see that the "users veiweing this thread" hasn't always been there :D

Now streaming on at Twitch.tv/SeveralNerds or UglyHoesConnect.com - whichever is easier for you to type in your browser.
Test Subject
#4 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 12:23 AM
I don't know if this is the place to report it or not, but ever since the site has come back up, surfing through is harder since for some reason I keep getting an 'Oops! There's no webpage by that name' or whatever and I refresh the page and there you are. It's really weird. Just thought you might want to know, in case it's not just me experiencing this technical hiccup.
Warrior Gryphon
site owner
Original Poster
#5 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 12:34 AM
sailorvivi: Got a screenshot of it? It's usually a little slower once the site comes back from a downtime as it has to refresh the caches and so on.

Story books are full of fairy tales, of Kings and Queens, and the bluest skies.
Top Secret Researcher
#6 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 12:36 AM
thanks for these changes and your hard work, delphy!
Test Subject
#7 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 12:56 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Delphy
sailorvivi: Got a screenshot of it? It's usually a little slower once the site comes back from a downtime as it has to refresh the caches and so on.




Every page I click on, for MtS2 I get that, I immediately reload my page and viola! the page I wanted in the first place.
#8 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 1:46 AM
Hey, Delphy, I ***REALLY LIKE*** the "Quick Edit" feature! I note, though, that it uses a different font than the display area does. [I`m not so keen on the new Downloads tabs; I like the idea better than the execution.]

This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Instructor
#9 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 2:03 AM
*Sighs and goes to ticky the 'Keep it the way it was, dammit' box. Again.*
Meet Me In My Next Life
#10 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 2:05 AM
Delphy , very nice setup, I have a question hope it do not sound off beat, ok I notice you add the active users viewing which is nice. Now the question is if you are viewing your own very thread I notice I can see my name there, will this mean that other people will see your name viewing your own thread beside there name being there as well ? I hope this do not sound crazy lol.

"Nothing in life is a Surprise it just happen to come your way at the time".
Warrior Gryphon
site owner
Original Poster
#11 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 2:14 AM
I love how some people don't really give the new features a chance...

Simonut: Yes your name will show up when viewing your own thread. Why wouldn't it?

Story books are full of fairy tales, of Kings and Queens, and the bluest skies.
Meet Me In My Next Life
#12 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 2:24 AM Last edited by Simonut : 7th Jan 2009 at 2:53 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by Delphy
I love how some people don't really give the new features a chance...

Simonut: Yes your name will show up when viewing your own thread. Why wouldn't it?



I said it was a off beat question lol. OK one more question please, I notice the icon for the needed eps is not there within thread to show the downloaded what they may need in order for the download to work in their game. Sorry oops never mind oops! I see it now, once you click on "Download" within the thread the icon is there to let the downloader see what they may need, beside being on the main screen for downloads. Yea I really like this new look Delphy very much thanks again.

"Nothing in life is a Surprise it just happen to come your way at the time".
Blenderized to Pieces
retired moderator
#13 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 4:56 AM
Hey Delphi! I really like the new ideas you've been working on. thanks for teh SOsical forums. I appreciate that option and will use it. I do have one question in regards to the large theme downloads. The first page often just has the intro and maybe one download. and all the other 'comments pages are where the bulk of the downloads are located. I remember when I first came here years ago, it took me several visits to MidSimmer before I happened to open the show all comments view to see what everyone liked so much about just a picture... and I finally saw all the downloads (Yea, I can be a real a blonde at times ) I am sure that happens to other visitors too.

To get around that issue in the case of N8iveSims, I made a list to the comment links (posts that contained downloads) in what is now the overview section tab, but the new download tab only shows the one download from post #1. Is it possible to make an optional text box for the download display that only appears when there is text, telling us blonde 12 o'clock flashers that there is more to the theme? That is where theme makers can also post the links to the other download items. Or perhaps have a download tab for each post that has downloadable content?

Or perhaps the big, multi-comment-posted 'Themes' layout can be a bit different?

What ideas do others have for the presentation of the large themes like MidSimmer, Simstones, Dark Project, etc. ?
Demon Sheep
retired moderator
#14 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 5:07 AM Last edited by fanseelamb : 7th Jan 2009 at 5:18 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by Delphy
I love how some people don't really give the new features a chance...


Hey it's a bit of a shock when you're not prepared!

I do urge folks to try the new layout for a day or two before deciding they hate it. Personally I got used to it pretty quick, and now find it much easier to use than the old one. Plus it looks better... all nice and tidy like. BTW Delphy, the new Quick Edit function is awesomesauce! Thanks for all the new shinies.

ETA: Porky, see point #3 in Delphy's first post. There's a new Multi-Post box thingie that does exactly what you're asking. I haven't seen it in action yet... maybe you could test it out if you have some multi-post uploads. Just edit your upload post (the one in "overview", not the comments) and fill in the special new box.
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 7:08 AM
Thanks for the update regarding the site. I just thought I'd let you know that I'll give the new layout a chance. Some changes can be good, it just takes a bit of time getting used to it.
Alchemist
#16 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 8:34 AM
Really interesting changes Delphy, I like variations anyway and these look good, a rational way for managing tons of infos. Thank you

Just a note: I've just downloaded an outfit with the mesh included but in the download view the note doesn't appear because it's part of the text in the overview, so it looks as I must download also the additional mesh at the link provided. Not a big problem, but is it possible to put a remind about this in the download view too?
Instructor
#17 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 10:09 AM Last edited by buggybooz : 8th Jan 2009 at 9:11 AM.
I really like this and would like to try out the creator's related tab. It says "vbcode only, no HTML" so how do we add our links?

edit: forget my silly question, I'm working it out.
Lab Assistant
#18 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 10:18 AM
Good job Delphy. I quite like the new changes. It keeps the site fresh and interesting. I always found that one problem I had with the old view was if a thread had a lot of comments the page could sometimes take a very long time to load. It got annoying. But you fixed it! Yay!

And who knows; maybe now that the comments don't show up on the main page of the thread we won't get as many people going "OMFG!!!! 1st 2 comment!!!!!!! Wheeeeee!" ........

Idiots aside, it's really good that you still give people an option to revert back to the old view. That's one of the things I love about this site...the endless options to personalize it to my every whim.

xamyx
Instructor
#19 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 10:31 AM
I love the download view changes!
Lab Assistant
#20 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 10:46 AM
On the plus side, it's very, very organized. On the minus side, the extra click to get to the downloads themselves feels unneccessarily awkward. More awkward still is the requirement of a click to see the comment section, then yet another click to open the comments. No, clicking isn't difficult, but the unneccessary digging adds that little extra frustration and irritation and wasted time that no one needs.
Instructor
#21 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 12:47 PM Last edited by Gwenke33 : 7th Jan 2009 at 12:48 PM. Reason: Just remembered
Thank you so much for adding the option to keep the layout as it was before
Maybe if the Overview and Download tabs could be merged...
Lab Assistant
#22 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 2:04 PM
Thanks for giving us the option to opt out of the tabbed view. I understand the desire to reduce clutter, but when I'm browsing downloads, I don't want the extra click just to, well, download something.
Plus, for multiple downloads that have names which correspond to pictures, I might only want some of them, and having the downloads on the same screen as the pictures makes it a lot easier to know which to choose.
Test Subject
#23 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 3:28 PM
It takes time to get used to anything new (at least for me I know it does). I love the new layout of the Downloads section as the previous one got to be a bit of a headache when you were going through them for ideas like I've been over the last couple of days.
Warrior Gryphon
site owner
Original Poster
#24 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 4:35 PM
Renatus Valentinus, there is an option in Edit Options to always load the comments when viewing download threads which saves the extra click. This really hasn't changed since before you had to scroll down a ways and then click anyway. So now there is way less scrolling but a couple of clicks.

Gwenke33, putting the download information on the overview tab would clutter up that tab even more since there is actually quite a lot of possible information to show.

lamammaforever, I don't understand what you mean about the mesh thing. If the creator did not specify that it's a Recolour but instead specified it's a Custom Mesh, then the seperate mesh link box wont appear. Since in this case you are downloading an actual mesh there is no need for a seperate box.

aqualectrix: So you'd rather have to scroll down a lot rather than click once at the top of the page? I find this very... strange. In my opinion, the trade off between having to scroll a ton and clicking once is a good one.

Story books are full of fairy tales, of Kings and Queens, and the bluest skies.
Field Researcher
#25 Old 7th Jan 2009 at 5:26 PM
I think the reason why the tabs are annoying is that most of the download descriptions go past the fold. So it's scroll down while looking at the info, then....the download link isn't at the bottom! So you have to scroll back UP to click the tab.

But yeah, it'd also be a real pain if you were trying to pick and choose specific downloads from a picture if the links were on another tab.

And while I understand the comment "link" being similar to the old setup, I will also agree that it doesn't make sense to have a tab just for comments and then not having a click on the tab automatically load the comments unless something's toggled in the control panel.

While I appreciate what you tried to do here with condensing the download threads, I do think there's some things that really curtail the potential of this being particularly usable.

Oh, and I think what lamamma was saying was that in cases where the creator has included a third party mesh, it says so in the description tab that the mesh is included, but when the user goes to the download tab, they get the links to download, and the link to the third party mesh. It's part of the upload wizard, that links to third party meshes are placed next to the download links, whether the user was able to include the meshes or not. The information about whether or not you have to go that other page to download the mesh is now on a completely different screen from the download links.
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