Simtropols dying?

[Mclehr 0]

     Since 2004 I've bounced between simptropolis and simcity.com.  Simtropolis was always the quality site for forums and stex's and simcity was like a ghetto version for downloads etc.

     I've noticed the emergance of sc4devotion and simpegs site is growing.  Alot of files on simtropolis have been locked for a while and I noticed more links showing up to the other sites.  

     Has there been a fallout at the top or this just another great monopoly breaking up.  Finding files or downloads on other sites that are no longer available on simtropolis is not a good thing.

     Anyone know the scood behing the decline?

[Constantina 5]

Simtropolis is not heading towards demise just yet, just as long as it remains popular.

Early in January, we broke the 'most users online' record to 1713, as seen below.

We get about 100-300 new users per month. I haven't much paid attention to counting, just quadratics and trigometry in RL.

[Alkaola 18]

definitely not ... maybe yes there are other great community's like SC4devotion coming up but there is still great activity on Simtrop ... and I don't think Simtrop will quit too soon

[Firebird 40]

I think this thread belongs in the err, simtropolis related forum. *Points over there*

But, i'll chip in my two cents.

Simtropolis is a pretty big site. And big sites are hard to hold together. No other simcity site even approaches simtropolis's size.

Yes, I have found things such as the Simtropolis NAM over at sc4devotion without even one such link back to here. I don't quite like that at all.

I have noticed, that some of the people who participate on those sites are the ones who have had a pretty rough time with the simtropolis admins and Skis rolling pin. Which is strange. Other people go over to other simcity4 sites because they don't like the busy atmosphere over here. They would rather like a smaller atmosphere.

Also, the prospect of being in a place of power in another site that has the potential to grow is also very persuasive. (Not meaning put down jeronij, or op4 as i know them to be very nice and caring simtropolis members )

[daniel01 0]

i don't think that this site will ever die, we got a lot of good people on this site that support it.

and we have more than 160,000 members

so Simtropolis will continue to live

daniel01

Threads combined and some duplicate messages deleted.

Mr. C.

[Constantina 5]

Also, Simtropolis has the latest custom content. SimCity.com is for major updates, not necessarily for lots.

[+Guest]

Originally posted by: Firebird I think this thread belongs in the err, simtropolis related forum. *Points over there*

But, i'll chip in my two cents.

Simtropolis is a pretty big site. And big sites are hard to hold together. No other simcity site even approaches simtropolis's size.

Yes, I have found things such as the Simtropolis NAM over at sc4devotion without even one such link back to here. I don't quite like that at all.

I have noticed, that some of the people who participate on those sites are the ones who have had a pretty rough time with the simtropolis admins and Skis rolling pin. Which is strange. Other people go over to other simcity4 sites because they don't like the busy atmosphere over here. They would rather like a smaller atmosphere.

Also, the prospect of being in a place of power in another site that has the potential to grow is also very persuasive. (Not meaning put down jeronij, or op4 as i know them to be very nice and caring simtropolis members )quote>

The NAM is not a Simtropolis product, but a product of the NAM team.  When Dirk couldn't be arsed to upload it for Xmas, other sites were happy to, so check your facts please.

People go to the other sites for a number of reasons, least of which is they are treated with a bit of respect and not like children.  If you compare the sites and the types of comments, you will notice there is a lot of development and construction going on, whereas here there just seems to be a lot of whining..maybe that has something to do with it.

Power has nothing to do with it...You have to be a very small person to feel big about wielding power over an Internet fan site.

The biggest problem with this site is it's ability to stay online and not crap out after 30 seconds...but you seem to have lost your capitan, so you could be headed for the rocks.

Have a nice day y'all...

[spa 968]

Simtropolis isn't dying but really any of the Sim City's could collapse at any time because they're all run by a single individual. If Dirk, jeronji or OP4 suddenely quit for whatever reason or decide they don't want to pay for things anymore, it's lights out.

[Constantina 5]

If the funds run out, it is possible, as it has to simcity 4 brasil.

[coultharda 135]

Originally posted by: the Return of CAL

Originally posted by: Firebird I think this thread belongs in the err, simtropolis related forum. *Points over there*

But, i'll chip in my two cents.

Simtropolis is a pretty big site. And big sites are hard to hold together. No other simcity site even approaches simtropolis's size.

Yes, I have found things such as the Simtropolis NAM over at sc4devotion without even one such link back to here. I don't quite like that at all.

I have noticed, that some of the people who participate on those sites are the ones who have had a pretty rough time with the simtropolis admins and Skis rolling pin. Which is strange. Other people go over to other simcity4 sites because they don't like the busy atmosphere over here. They would rather like a smaller atmosphere.

Also, the prospect of being in a place of power in another site that has the potential to grow is also very persuasive. (Not meaning put down jeronij, or op4 as i know them to be very nice and caring simtropolis members )quote>

The NAM is not a Simtropolis product, but a product of the NAM team.  When Dirk couldn't be arsed to upload it for Xmas, other sites were happy to, so check your facts please.

People go to the other sites for a number of reasons, least of which is they are treated with a bit of respect and not like children.  If you compare the sites and the types of comments, you will notice there is a lot of development and construction going on, whereas here there just seems to be a lot of whining..maybe that has something to do with it.

Power has nothing to do with it...You have to be a very small person to feel big about wielding power over an Internet fan site.

The biggest problem with this site is it's ability to stay online and not crap out after 30 seconds...but you seem to have lost your capitan, so you could be headed for the rocks.

Have a nice day y'all...quote>

I'm sure Dirk had other reasons than not being arsed to upload the NAM.

On the other comments, the time-outs are being worked on and I find them to happen every few hours for a couple of minutes, not every 30 seconds. Check your facts please.

As for the being treated like children, that's a matter of opinion, but I've never noticed it at all on this site, and I hang around  a lot.

[+Guest]

ahhh, didn't realise they'd put you in charge....thanks for clearing that up

[coultharda 135]

Everything I say is my opinion, and I don't pretend to have any authority, and I don't believe my post suggested that. If it did I'm sorry, I just responded to what you were saying, from a neutral point of view, someone who still enjoys this site and doesn't like to see it bad-mouthed.

[Andreas Roth 607]

Originally posted by: coultharda 

I'm sure Dirk had other reasons than not being arsed to upload the NAM.quote>

 

Well, "arsed" or not, I submitted the NAM files to Dirk at Christmas Eve, after working for some five hours on the readme files and the installer to get it finished in time as a Christmas Present for the SC4 community. But Dirk left for vacation without notice, so the NAM didn't get published. That's why I uploaded it a few days later at SimsZone, once I completed the German translation, and also submitted it to SC4Devotion, SimPeg and ToutSimcity, since fukuda just finished the French translation. As "the Return of CAL" said, the NAM isn't a Simtropolis product, but a product of the NAM team, and thus the intellectual property of the NAM developers.

[coultharda 135]

I wasn't attacking the uploading of it elsewhere, I just don't think CAL's phrasing was that polite to someone who gives a lot of time for this community as is plain to see.

[dedgren 830]

...I could have sworn I'd given up doing this...

[ heavy sigh ]

You like that?  I'll say it again- louder.  DO YOU LIKE THAT?

Those curves were developed based on a question asked in a thread here on ST [ linkie ] just a month ago.  Because I come over to ST look at threads I'm interested in from time to time, and despite the day-to-day difficulty of accessing this site on a reliable basis, I got interested and worked up some textures over at SC4D.  I then worked with Tarkus and memo, who are members of both sites, to get the curves pathed and turned into puzzle pieces.  I'm now working with members of the NAM team to get these and other curves into the NAM.

Not ST's NAM.  THE NAM!

I have found things such as the Simtropolis NAM over at sc4devotion without even one such link back to here. I don't quite like that at all.quote>

That is, bar none, the most poorly informed and simply stupid comment I have ever seen anywhere on on any SC4 fansite.  Where stuff goes on in this community apparently only matters to folks whose minds are so small that such a microscopic concern would seem overwhelming.

If you care about things like "whose NAM it is," you don't deserve membership anywhere in this great community.  Not on ST, not on SC4D- Oh, I don't know, maybe they should still let you in to the EA site.

If jeronij (or for that matter, me) left ST for the love of power, and out of some desire to do ST harm, why aren't we wielding that power to do so?  The answer's really, really easy.  There isn't any such power- there's just the love of the game.

Dirk, staff, good luck to you folks.  You've got some members asking some pretty pointed questions here.  You've got some other members who are completely out of line.

I long (unrequitedly, I'm more and more sure) for the day when ST will regain its focus.

David

[hamsterTK 93]

I split my time between simtropolis and sc4devotion and both seem about the same in terms of activity.

right now sc4devotion has more batters participating the in community, but on simtropolis the community is more established. I think in time a combination of RLS and people forgetting the BSC feud will cause things to even out. And when that happens maybe its a good thing, since running a simcity site takes a lot of bandwidth for one webmaster on a budget to handle and splitting the load keeps the costs down.

I think any problems can be attributed to the simcity community as a whole starting to slow down because of the age of the game and the fact that lately some stores have stopped selling it. For this reason I cant wait for 5 to come out even if it is a step backwards at first

As for the being treated like children, that's a matter of opinion, but I've never noticed it at all on this site, and I hang around a lot.quote>

well everyone's different. Im an independent thinking person that doesnt like being told my opinions are wrong by strangers on the other side of the world if there's no good reason for it. So I can relate to the feeling, though its hard to put my finger on what exactly about this place causes it.

More when I get back

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Geeze, what is people's problem?  Every time some little thing happens everyone freaks out with the "Simtropolis is dying" thing.  A thread like this pops up, what, every two months?  And they've been popping up for years now, and Simtropolis is still here, and still doing fine.

First off, the STEX is not dying, it is not turning into the official site's exchange, it is doing just fine.  Actually look through the last few weeks of the STEX, and pick out all of the good uploads.  Someone says something about the STEX, and then everyone is liek OMG teh StEx is dyeng!!!!~~  but does anyone even bother to look through the STEX and see if it's actually true?

Second, there is just as much whining as there has ever been (which is minimal and very bearable).  It's the same whining that any site of this nature can expect, and like I said, minimal and bearable.  I find it hard to believe that some people actually exist in real life.  If someone can't handle some random person from the internet occasionally saying something mildly disheartening about their little Sim City building, then they need to go back into their bubble.

As far as SC4Devotion goes, it's a new site (which is why it's growing so fast now, as any new site of that size in this community would), and as it grows, it will face most of the same problems Simtropolis does, and it will have to choose how to deal with them, and when it comes down to it, I don't think there will be much of a difference in the end.

What this comes down to is the "liek OMG teh BSC m00ved ST is DOOOOOOMMMMMEEEd!!~~1"  and "liek OMG teh SC4DeVoTiOn is were teh GOOd stuff is its the p0wnz" and then the sky is falling and everyone freaks out.  SC4Devotion is doing fine, Simtropolis is doing fine, and considering how old the game is, the SC4 community is doing great.

And finally, like Andreas has said many times, no one owns the NAM.  FireBird, you need to understand this and stop bringing it into these discussions.  If I make a BAT, I can put it on whatever site I want.  If the NAM team makes a NAM, they can put it wherever they want.  No one "owns" it.

[masochist 111]

Ahh...not to ignore an entire part of this discussion (okay, actually I'm purposely ignoring an entire part of the discussion), but I don't ST's dying at all. Every time I log on, there's almost always one or two new threads by people who are new to the game and looking for help. I think that in itself can attest to the life that still teems here. I mean...just because a forest burns down doesn't mean it's dead. Sometimes it just needs a fresh restart. I know this point has been made numerous times in other threads, but who knows what these new people could do for the game. Maybe the life of ST is shifting now towards the seeds of the future, but it's life nonetheless.

As dedgren has shown, there's still stuff that we can change in the game, still stuff we can discover. And as long as there's all that unexplored territory and people willing to traverse it, the game won't die. And if the game doesn't die, than Simtropolis (as the game's largest supporter) won't die. Even having multiple fan sites won't kill it...if anything, I think it'll help it survive. Maybe you could look at it like a giant city, where ST is the hub and the other fansites are suburbs. People (like me) go to the suburbs to foster a stronger sense of community, but the big city is where (most) everyone gets together and where so many of the ideas are born. At least, that's how I see it. Just my opinion....

[+Guest]

SC is getting up in it's years and so is ST but it's still here.

      Look if you have a problem with getting the speed of ST maybe you should donate once in awhile instead complain.Running a site of this size isn't "Cheap" and it doesn't cost you a dime to join.

    So please grow up and shut up.Dirk and staff are doing everything they can with the resources they have so be happy there is even a ST.

[castironpigeon 1]

It really scares me to think that a site like ST could just up and die one day. I can understand that people need to go start other websites because they want to do their own thing. Anytime you work together with others on a project, you need to compromise on many things including organization, content, rules, etc. If you look at SC4Dev you'll notice how much differently it's structured.

However, I really wish there was just one giant SC4 fansite rather than several. We'd just have one forum to go to, one *EX, one login name.. There would also be less of a chance of the site going down permanently if several people were in charge of a website and had local backups and access to the database. I know, that's easy for me to say considering I don't actually have to organize a website with 164k+ users. Would anyone consider a transition like that? I can see it working if the site as a whole is divided into many smaller sub-sites, one for each major contributor.

[homeandaway 1]

Mclehr -What? - you seroiously think that? - you should be ashamed of your self! - Simtropolis is mega!, there are almost 165,000 members, 40 pages of CJs; its the largest online sim city 4 community!

Simtropolis is like my second home!

~alex~

(homeandaway)

[pnorrell 4]

Nah - ST's not dying. In fact, it's attracting new members in record numbers lately...

For example, fans of "JRun Error" have been logging on from all over the world to check out ST's unrivaled content... 

Meanwhile, the best BAT-ers and the most talented CJ-ers are taking their activity elsewhere.

People are in denial if they're claiming the STEX is as good as ever. I still check it daily, mainly out of habit, but rarely find anything to download anymore. In terms of finding quality BATs to download, it's now roughly on a par with Capital SimCity or SimCity Force...

[mjig_dudy 11]

I personally am an active member of both Simtropolis and SC4D (not to mention Simcities.com)

I run a CJ at SC4D, but not at Simtroplis. Reason: i Find the SC4D CJ Section far more user friendly than the Simtropolis CJ Section.

I Upload MY Mods and such to the STEX not the BSC LEX (obviously, not everyone can upload to the LEX, although in theory i think i could seeing as i already have content on the LEX which was moved there from the old SC4D exchange. hmm... i should probably look into that someday...). Reason: I am personally not a big fan of the BSC LEX, for reasons of usability (is that even a word?), E.g: the search function is very specific and the categories are even more badly organized than those at the STEX (yes it is possible )

See my point... I my opinion each site has some better qualities than other sites, and genrally it pays of to be an active member at both sites. Simtropolis is not dyeing.... Even it were shut down over night (which will not happen) The community spirit would live on, even the website itself was no longer around.

Sc4Devotion is not a threat to simtropolis, it is a reinforcement of the simcity community, and helps keep the SC Community active even after Maxis/EA have lost interest for years.

[paperboy15 4]

Simtropolis is very much alive...hmmm, probably time to donate again!

Castiron.....There should be multiple fansites, not just one big conglomeration, in my opinion. As for other English speaking fansites, the only one (that I know of) besides Simtrop that has a decent exchange is SC4devotion. SC4devotion also tags each download with *LEX 

Exclusive* if it wasn't uploaded elsewhere, so that helps.

[patriots_1228 51]

you know what i find funny??

i havnt had one Jrun error in a week. whenever someone wants to justify there leaving ST, they claim that there are too much Jrun errors.

but back on topic, why is everyone so paranoid. I dont see the problem with people getting there own site. were still a community! If i post somthing over on devotion people still will treat me like they do here.

I think ST is still number one, Devotions in second but gaining every second, and PEG is in third.

but really, if i could have it my way, i would like everyone to belong to one site. my CJ/BAT searches have gone from one site to 3 sometimes 5.

[ilikehotdogsalot 307]

The NAM is not a Simtropolis product, but a product of the NAM team.  When Dirk couldn't be arsed to upload it for Xmas, other sites were happy to, so check your facts please.

People go to the other sites for a number of reasons, least of which is they are treated with a bit of respect and not like children.  If you compare the sites and the types of comments, you will notice there is a lot of development and construction going on, whereas here there just seems to be a lot of whining..maybe that has something to do with it.

Power has nothing to do with it...You have to be a very small person to feel big about wielding power over an Internet fan site.

The biggest problem with this site is it's ability to stay online and not crap out after 30 seconds...but you seem to have lost your capitan, so you could be headed for the rocks.

Have a nice day y'all...

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

Your attitude is really getting on everyone's nerves. EDIT:

 

There is no need to be rude, sarcastic, and bitter, Your tone is inacceptable, If you have a problem with ST, Please, nobody is keeping you here so you might aswell take off.

I am a proud member of SC4 devotion, Simtropolis, SCC Central, and many other Simcity Fan sites, I go on all daily, Each have their flaws and advantages...

IE: Simtropolis has thousands of files to download, Although many aren't being produced now, Going searching on it reveals many buildings I've never seen before.

SC4 devotion is constantly getting new material to download so it's always a pleasure to see what's the latest lot on the LEX.

SCC Central is the home of many talented City Journalists that first set the standard of Custom Content and Journaling.

There are obvioulsy many more, but those are what I can think out of the top of my head. I agree with Jason, Every little thing triggers a 'ST is dying thread' There are like 2 every month, It's pretty old now,  If you think it's dying, Take a look at the member cont while you're browsing, There are usually at least 50 members online at all times. Just chill before this becomes another drama board.

[patriots_1228 51]

haha hotdogs you should get a patent on that term "board Drama"

[belfastuniguy 18]

Of course this site is not dying. Please remember that many are in the middle of exam periods, hence why some areas may appear quiet.

This site continues to grow with new threads being created, some wonderful new CJ's being uploaded and updated and some fantastic new BAT's. The server problems is something that does annoy myself and others but this site is a free site that depends on donations that members make to maintain everything. Dirk has done a fantastic job with this site. I'm an active member of several SC sites but ST is the most comprehensive and the place where alot of those SC sites link back to or in some cases where the started life.

I believe this site will continue to flourish and these will be seen once the summer starts and people have more free time to contribute.

[Mike the Mayor 51]

I agree with belfastuniguy completely. There is going to be a lull before the summer. I'm busy at school even now, hence my 'Bristol' thread in AU&B not being updated in a week. Simtropolis is great and it's going to continue that way!

[ilikehotdogsalot 307]

You know what they say Patriots, 'Save the drama for yo Mama.'