I'm back and having fun

[Bdub01 201]

So, I've been away from ST for like a year and started playing a region for the first time in over two years. I'm been in college and frankly got burned out on the game and took time off. But now between semesters I got the sim city bug and started playing again. It's like riding a bike lol!!! I'm actually doing better with this new region than I have in past since it's all fresh to me. It looks like we can add pics now without having to go through photobucket or whatever it is. Anyway I'll probably have some pics at some point of my new cities. 

[CorinaMarie 29,566]

Hiya, Bdub.

Welcome back to the game and ST. Yes, you can attach pictures rather than using an image hosting site, however, I'm pretty sure that eats up part of your 4mb allotment for attachments. (Someone'll correct me if I have that wrong.) One thing to note, if you edit your post with an attached image it will duplicate it. And if you edit it again, it will make another. So, if that happens be sure to delete the extras before saving an edit. In the long run, I feel it's best to simply use an image site and post the direct URL to display images. YMMV.

[jmsepe 2,038]

Welcome back! I hope you had fun in college. One is never too old to get back and play SC4 again. I recommend that you still upload your image off-site though for better quality.  

[Bdub01 201]

53 minutes ago, jmsepe said:

Welcome back! I hope you had fun in college. One is never too old to get back and play SC4 again. I recommend that you still upload your image off-site though for better quality.  

Ok. So is it still photo bucket or something new?

[Ichigo951 22]

Welcome back! I'm new here but you seem like a great dude. 

[CorinaMarie 29,566]

15 minutes ago, Bdub01 said:

So is it still photo bucket or something new?

Any you like. Most peeps recommend imgur. I use PB myself. Others use flckr. As long as you can get a direct URL, it'll work.

[MeMyself&I 379]

59 minutes ago, CorinaMarie said:

Any you like. Most peeps recommend imgur. I use PB myself. Others use flckr. As long as you can get a direct URL, it'll work.

I've been meaning to ask this for a while but always forget but, now that we're on the subject. . . can you use Google photos or, should I say, is there a reason NOT to use Google photos??

[Cyclone Boom 16,846]

Welcome back to the community! This game hobby sure has funny ways of doing that.

Currently the site allows up to 100MB of attached storage, with 4MB per file. However, for the purpose of storing photo collections, it is limited in capacity and functionality. Attachments are really better suited for sharing the odd file on the forums, if not suitable for a full STEX upload.

Of all the external hosts, I personally use Imgur, which has so far proven to be reliable and sufficient for my uses. As mentioned, any of the big names will do the job really, but just remember that free storage doesn't carry assurance of longevity. We've seen this all too commonly in previous years, where a service closed free accounts if people didn't buy an upgrade subscription. Or worse still, the site completely went offline for good. There were deletions which resulted in many lost images -- for the SC4 community and the wider internet. Especially for image-heavy content like CJs and tutorials, it's sad to say the least.

So just remember to make backups in case (ideally on local external storage).

The canvas awaits, and we look forward to seeing your progress, or help with any questions you may have again going forward.

[CorinaMarie 29,566]

8 hours ago, MeMyself&I said:

can you use Google photos or, should I say, is there a reason NOT to use Google photos??

I have no experience with this, but as you prolly know by now that doesn't stop me from replying.

I suggest just giving it a try. Paste a direct link for a pic and if it resolves itself into an image then I'd guess it's just fine.

[rsc204 21,805]

1 hour ago, CorinaMarie said:

I suggest just giving it a try. Paste a direct link for a pic and if it resolves itself into an image then I'd guess it's just fine.

One thing people don't always consider is the cost of bandwith in addition to storage for hosting images. Generally speaking, file-sharing services such as Google Drive, OneDrive and DropBox do not support embedded images, due to the bandwith. You can link to the images and people can go to Google's site to download them. But realistically, if you want anyone to pay attention to your efforts, I'd use a proper image hosting service.