STEX 7.0 development

[Simcitler 84]

There seems to be a discrepancy on the listing of Stex uploads -

The side block "Recent STEX Files" sometimes shows more items than the listing on the Stex Startpage (/files/category/1-simcity-4/)

The links in STEX descriptions appear black and it is hard/impossible to tell they are links,

just wanted to highlight these two points!

Thumbnails do appear for search results now.

Result list looks much better now!

2.) I noticed that there is a little option bar that says Simtropolis 7 in the bottom left corner of each page. Is there going to be an option to switch back to Simtropolis 6 if we wanted to?

As far as I know about IPB Board Software, you may select different skins there. (don't know if other skins are planned)

I not happy with the pictures on the STEX, the quailty when down and I do not like that, and it seems to be smaller.

I pretty like the new system, allthough the primary screenshot is smaller (in description) than in STEX 6; but therefore you have the possibility to enlarge the Screenshot by one click. Additionally you can add now more then 2 Screenshots!

Maybe a limitation of 180x180px for primary screenshot would be fine, to focus on the LOT/BAT/MOD ??

Hope you know what I mean!

edit: quotes could be little bit darker

  Edited March 13, 2011 by Simcitler  

[paeng 2,510]

Okay, just made my first upload on the Stex... went pretty well, except I forgot to click that 'Attach' button once and the ZIP was not uploaded... So everything else showed as a successful upload (pics, desc, etc.) on all the blocks and overview pages - except one could not download any file... LOL... Should there not be an error message in such a case?

Another thing I noticed - as long as the ZIP was missing, when I tried to download the pack (as part of my 'quality control') I got this screen popping up saying 'Your download is below', prodding me on to leave a rating and/or a comment... I thought this to be pretty neat - however, I never see that screen anywhere else, every download I call up starts immediately.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Just read through the arguments since I was last on this thread. I have two comments:

Alex: I think the best way to handle multiple NAM extensions beyond the basic download is to include links in the Read-me as a new category called Supplements.

On the idea of a gigantic dependency set, I think this is wrong. It changes too often as more developers create more props and textures. If you were an object oriented programmer, would you accept the overhead in your program of loading all existing classes, including the ones you didn't use? The idea of dependencies surely comes from the object oriented design and programming principles of reuse.

Let us encourage developers who make heavy use of dependencies to be more active in editing the dependency sets, and keeping these to a minimum number. It is not for us to do more than encourage them, not to adjust their karma.

[tonyr 926]

Thanks Dirk for taking the time to keep us informed step by step ...makes for a less painful transition!

[spa 968]

Also, has anyone noticed a screenshot quality hit in the conversion? I checked my uploads and when clicking on screenshots, the images are fuzzy/blurry, and not of the same quality as the exact same screenshots which are contained within the .zip files, though they are seemingly the exact same size...

I have noticed that now too. I updated one of my files the other night (Halifax Boxes) with new screenshots to test out the new format. All of my old jpgs look terrible since the new stex grabs the preview screen for oversized images from the centre instead of the top. When I was updating, I chucked out the old primary image for my Halifax box and replaced it with a new one. The new image look blury wheras the old one didn't. Might be that even though the image preview only shows 180x180 pixels on the new stex, my old image were all 250 across. Somethings probaly getting streatched.

[welawlilly 0]

Their should be a place to put mods for other simcity games, such as Societies, and Simcity 2000.

[The_Funky_Monk 1]

Now that mobile phones are now mini computers, and app for iPhone/android O/S.

[warrior 169]

@The_Funky_Monk

there is a web app, that comes up automatically (at least on iPhone) when you visit simtropolis.com

And there is this app: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ip-board-communities/id372597645?mt=8

Which works with all IPBoards, which is the software ST7 uses.

  Edited March 14, 2011 by warrior  

[tonyr 926]

I agree Mithrik ,what a great suggestion.

A category for Automatas maybe?

[Dirktator 2,312]

I'm looking into revising the screenshot sizes to the way they were in ST6. So more info on this will come soon.

As promised, all STEX star ratings now show detailed values like they did before, e.g. 4 stars / (4.31)

[+Guest Baliam12]

The server seems fragile, and the Omnibus won't appear. Other than that, it's okay. Also, I thought that STEX needs a search area, because it gets SO nerve racking! The search button should be brought back, because I don't want to waste an hour of my life searching for a map or supermarket!

[+Guest Baliam12]

I pretty like the new system, allthough the primary screenshot is smaller (in description) than in STEX 6; but therefore you have the possibility to enlarge the Screenshot by one click. Additionally you can add now more then 2 Screenshots!

Maybe a limitation of 180x180px for primary screenshot would be fine, to focus on the LOT/BAT/MOD ??

Hope you know what I mean!

edit: quotes could be little bit darker

[iowndiscti 141]

Might just be me, but sometimes i can't remember if I've downloaded a certain dependency file or not, so maybe some feature whereby I'm notified if I have downloaded something before?? Just a thought...

THIS!

its so helpful, i cant tell you how many times i've double downloaded buildings by accident

[paeng 2,510]

On the STEX startpage there is that left column - Categories, Recent STEX Files, Top Downloads, Top Authors - I wonder if the block 'Top Downloads' could rather show (instead or in addition) something like 'Top of the Month'? Otherwise that block will soon feel like an immortal lot - never moving, never changing... ;-)

[aaaling 83]

I can't see all the files uploaded by mrtnrln or any user. Just the most recent ones.

[sasukenic 10]

I believe that the connection time from my computer to the server should be faster. Ever since the change, its been more slower ...

[Dirktator 2,312]

On the STEX startpage there is that left column - Categories, Recent STEX Files, Top Downloads, Top Authors - I wonder if the block 'Top Downloads' could rather show (instead or in addition) something like 'Top of the Month'? Otherwise that block will soon feel like an immortal lot - never moving, never changing... ;-)

Yes, this is in the works.

[Rogue Leader 2]

"3-letter search terms should work. Search should show results since the dawn of Time (ST Time anyway)."

THEN WHY DOES THE SEARCH STILL NOT WORK!!!

It STILL gives the least accurate responses possible. MTP Super Pack should give not me over 2000 incorrect results that have nothing to do with what I'm searching!

[beebs 129]

"3-letter search terms should work. Search should show results since the dawn of Time (ST Time anyway)."

THEN WHY DOES THE SEARCH STILL NOT WORK!!!

It STILL gives the least accurate responses possible. MTP Super Pack should give not me over 2000 incorrect results that have nothing to do with what I'm searching!

After a quick test, I believe it searches for each word individually. So if anything has "Super" or "pack" or "MTP" somewhere in the description/title, it displays it. Putting quotation marks around the phrase you're searching for (in this case, "MTP Super Pack") tells the search to look for that exact phrase. In this case, 30 results.

[DCMetro34 576]

Question.....does the descriptive, new STEX rating system average in the ratings before the upgrade? I ask this because this file was a 4.93 before the transition, and it now sits at 4.04..

I then tried voting 5.....but I don't think it registered in the rating, although it says I voted 5.

Just wondering...

  Edited March 16, 2011 by DCMetro34  

[RageDownRodeo 0]

Hello! I'm new to Simtropolis and I am having trouble downloading new maps. I tried to download the nice one of Hong Kong, and that monster one of Los Angeles... But both those links and all the others I've tried to download have taken me to just a greysclae picture of the maps... Am I just doing something wrong or is there some sort of problem?

[beebs 129]

Hello! I'm new to Simtropolis and I am having trouble downloading new maps. I tried to download the nice one of Hong Kong, and that monster one of Los Angeles... But both those links and all the others I've tried to download have taken me to just a greysclae picture of the maps... Am I just doing something wrong or is there some sort of problem?

Nope, that's exactly what should happen. Take a look at this thread for a tutorial on how to install the maps.

[SimFox 802]

Question.....does the descriptive, new STEX rating system average in the ratings before the upgrade? I ask this because this file was a 4.93 before the transition, and it now sits at 4.04..

I then tried voting 5.....but I don't think it registered in the rating, although it says I voted 5.

Just wondering...

I second that! All the rating had been downgraded en mass quite a lot!

in addition "new" numerical system doesn't work when results of a search are presented - all one sees are stars. Generally the whole transition has been a mild disaster! One can't help thinking what was the point? To fix PFB?

Now the whole site is less stable (all those Driver errors), possibility of even basic formating of the messages is gone! But there are tons of useless bells and whistles like all those "like" buttons and selection of Fonts - Why on earth? And what is the deal with "HTML code" in style pull down menu? What on Earth is it supposed to do?

Links to the dependencies in at least STEX descriptions are not links anymore! It is a HUGE problem! There are bad formating errors in some description rendering them (quite literally) useless.

There are still NO managed way to specify stats of the lots/Bats. ANd it doesn't look like anyone doing the STEX coding bathers about it at all; or may be simply not understanding what it actually is and why would it be good idea..

Behavior of scaling function for thumbnails on STEX is illogical and resulting in wrecked images - it scales images that it in it's "wisdom" deems as too small, up... It seems that people writing code don't think it is important at all. Or they don't even bother to check the result of their work - so obvious are shortcomings.

What was the criteria was used for automatic picture scaling in forum messages? Why after clicking on the scaled picture once it is restored to the original size there is no horizontal scrolling bar?

Why messages formating completely goes out of windows when one opens them for edit even if NO editing had been performed, but it has been saved?

I know it may be quite a bit of ranting , but it seems the whole thing is now completely geared to those who just like to come to press different buttons . While those who can actually contribute to the site and community are left with severely cut toolset! If this practice will continue/will not be reversed all you gonna have here are just users and not contributors. And that would be death of Simtropolis! So while trying to be "popular" and "fancy" it isn't a bad idea to keep an eye on that category of users too...

[Dexter 40]

I actually prefer the new forums over the old ones; they are faster and offer some nice new features, not to mention the PFB has been zapped .

However, I agree with everyone that the STEX is not quite there yet, and I do think we need the way the thumbnails are displayed reverted to the way the previous STEX versions had, which displayed the topmost portion of the image rather than the middle, because it has screwed up the previews of many legacy files.

I also had awful trouble with the text formatting when I uploaded my Bus Stop pack recently. I pasted the description into the text editor, where it appeared fine, but however after I had uploaded it, I quickly went back to correct a mistake. lo and behold, once I saved it, many of the spaces were missing, and things like hyperlinks appeared in black text, and so I had to manually correct the whole thing again.

[Cleaner475 150]

I actually prefer the new forums over the old ones; they are faster and offer some nice new features, not to mention the PFB has been zapped .

However, I agree with everyone that the STEX is not quite there yet, and I do think we need the way the thumbnails are displayed reverted to the way the previous STEX versions had, which displayed the topmost portion of the image rather than the middle, because it has screwed up the previews of many legacy files.

I also had awful trouble with the text formatting when I uploaded my Bus Stop pack recently. I pasted the description into the text editor, where it appeared fine, but however after I had uploaded it, I quickly went back to correct a mistake. lo and behold, once I saved it, many of the spaces were missing, and things like hyperlinks appeared in black text, and so I had to manually correct the whole thing again.

Totally agree, STEX needs much improvmenet but I love the forums, can't wait till we get a homepage back too

Richard

[elavery 1,013]

As others have said, I think the STEX needs its own search feature, separate from the general search for the entire site. At the moment searching the STEX for anything is very time consuming as you get so many results.

[rossw3020 3]

I agree with others on the search feature. Good Luck!

[StanislavSoltys 47]

I don't know about you guys, but the Search Engine is horrible, I searched "SimFox Dark Night", some random BATS came up.

[CaptCity 4,705]

Some Search hints...

Be sure when you want to search the STEX, you actually choose "ST Exchange" in the drop-down menu next to the search box.

Use quotation marks if looking for phrase. If not, then all words are treated as separate search items.

You might try the Advanced Search features. For example, if you know the name of something (or part of it), check the "Search Titles Only" box.

I have found that the ST7 search is much more reliable than the previous one. As with anything new, it just takes time to figure out the ins-and-outs. Hope this helps.

Just some thoughts...

[twinsfan14 36]

You should move the "Featured Download" where the "Recent STEX Files" is. The recent STEX files are already the main focus on the page, and putting the featured download there would cause less confusion. The featured download right now looks like it was the most recent file at first glance.