Cyclone Boom

I've fixed this now. As Cori said, it was a bug caused by me modifying the column widths. I've made sure they don't keep changing width between each page of the table now. In the Activity Log, I've added a few extra filters such as "Note Related" which lists all new notes and replies. I figured that might help to check those in one place. Also I created a new "File Logs" option inside the File Actions menu. That allows viewing all logs from a given file entry. For the links issue, it might be they were already broken before the site crash. We can always fix those if worthwhile while at it.

(The above does not represent the current progress. It is a hypothetical representation only!) STEX Restoration Tracker Info & Discussion Good news! The real-time page to track restoration progress is now (finally) completed and available. Preview pic: It can be viewed at the following URL... https://community.simtropolis.com/restoration/stex/ This topic serves as a mini guide, and also as a place where you can ask questions about it, report any issues, or suggest improvements. It's taken a good couple of weeks to develop this, and during this time we've seen a remarkable number of files already been restored. This is actually a very good thing though, because what the tracker provides is a real-time overview of what's been completed, and what still needs to be done. The info on the tracker will be updated every 5 minutes, so it'll be an accurate snapshot of the current restoration efforts. Layout Overview Firstly at the top, there are summary panels which total how many files have been: Restored Verified Still Missing And then the "Tracked Total" which includes any STEX file uploaded or updated after June 17, 2024. (Which was the date of our last full STEX backup.) Pretty self-explanatory for those, and then we have several filter options: STEX Tracker Search & Filter Options Filter / Control Description Author Search for an individual author's file entries. Category Filter by a specific STEX category (the main ones are listed first). Restored by A dropdown menu to filter by any files restored by specific staff or volunteers. Thumbnail Allows choosing between Small, Medium (default), and Large thumbnail images, which show in the table. Display Switch between Full (default), or Compact for the table, which allows fewer columns to appear. Search Allows searching for any particular file entries. You can also use the id:# prefix to find a file by its ID number (e.g. entering id:26793 will find the NAM). "Filter by" Specific Criteria Sub-Filter Description Any Missing Entries which have anything missing on them (files or images). Missing Files Entries with only files missing. This is the default option. Missing Images Entries that have only images missing. Duplicate Files Lists any entries which are duplicates of others, or have the same file uploaded. All Restored Lists all files which have been restored (whether verified or not). Restored (Unverified) Lists only files which haven't been verified. Restored (Verified) Lists only files which have been verified. With Message Banner Entries which have a "file missing" message banner still. With File Notes Lists any entries in the tracker which have 1 or more notes added. With Files Claims Lists any entries in the tracker which have 1 or more file claims added. All Tracked Files Lists the complete selection of entries, corresponding to the overall Tracked Total. Note: See more info below about File Notes and Claims. Table Columns Each of the columns are sortable when clicking the headings. This allows viewing entries by most files/images missing, or other combinations. Here is a summary of the individual columns and what they represent: File Entry: The title, author, date uploaded, and status text of what's needs restoring. Files List: Totals of how many files and images there are. These will be colour coded for red if missing, orange for partially missing, and green once everything is orderly and restored. The Notes total will be orange if there are any which need responding to. Click each of these to view a dialog which show the precise files assigned to the entry. This lets us see what's present or still missing. Found: The total number of File Claims. This represents how many people have a file, who can help with restoring if needed. Clicking this opens up a dialog with a summary of who has claimed what (files and/or images). We may wish to contact any of these people to assist with sharing them. Files: Indicates with a green checkmark or red crossmark, whether downloadable files for an entry have been restored. If partially restored, it will represent the current live status for how many are available. Images: Similarly will represent the status of how many screenshots on the entry are valid or missing. Verified: Whether the file has been approved or not. Shows a green checkmark once confirmed. Updated: The date when the file has been restored. Hover over to see the precise time. Restored By: Displays who restored each file. This will only be shown once a file has all entries in place, since we anticipate partial restorations will represent a work in progress. If the author does this, it will say File Author as the name. Volunteer / Staff Only column: Manage: There is a "File Tools" option with a range of functions. This includes copying the file ID number, adding notes, marking files as verified, and clearing message banners. Options will be greyed out if unavailable, with a message shown when hovering over each. There are also checkboxes beside each row, which then allows performing batch actions on applicable file listings. Other Options There are also a few extras to mention... Sticky Header: Allows the table columns to always remain in view when scrolling down. (Default is checked) Export CSV: Saves the current filtered data to a CSV file, which allows it to be imported into a spreadsheet. Some of you might be interested in this. Activity Log: Opens a dialog window with a list of actions as part of the restoration efforts. Reset Filters: Clears any filters you've set or table sorting, so everything returns to the initial display view (filtered by Missing Files). File Notes On the "Files List" column there is a total of notes for each file. This allows anyone to add a comment about the file in question. Then staff or anyone part of the ST Recovery Team can "check off" a note to acknowledge what it says. Notes can only be added on files which haven't yet been verified. Also, files can only be verified once all notes have been checked off. In effect this system is a way to mention any important details about each file. Perhaps there are additional entries which need adding. Maybe there is a Dark Nite version the author originally added. Perhaps something in the description isn't quite correct. It's a way to make anything like this known, so then we can collectively fix up issues as part of the process. File Claims No, this is not an insurance claim. (It's a way to express how you have content which can be restored.) Sometimes certain files might be especially difficult to locate. Maybe you have an older version which is worth restoring to the previous versions. Perhaps you've got saved copies of images which used to be on the STEX file entry, or have taken some screenshots yourself. For any files you might have locally and wish to help restore, feel free to submit a claim. Upon clicking the button: It'll open up a dialog like this: Then check any files you might have, and click the Confirm button. Even files which are "Present" you can check too, since sometimes there might only be lower resolution images or thumbnails. Once doing this, your username will be added to a list at the bottom. You can always return to the dialog and uncheck any files, to then remove your claim to have them. Verifications What does it involve for a file to be Verified? It means 2 people as part of the ST Recovery Team (including staff) have checked over to make sure a file has been restored properly. We'll be following a process to do this the best we can, which adds assurance to the restoration efforts. A file which has been verified means at least 2 people have downloaded all files on an entry, and checked out to ensure everything is in tip-top shape. In the event a file still needs something addressing after being verified, please let us know and we'll take another look. ---------- So that concludes a brief overview of the Restoration Tracker. Given the first phase of the project is focused around the STEX specifically, for now we're only keeping track of missing file entries. In time I'll expand this for an Attachments Tracker and perhaps other site areas like the Gallery, etc. Feel free to reply with any comments or questions you may have, and I hope this will be a useful resource for the restoration efforts.

Sharer HQ File Sharing Collaboration Hi everyone! This thread is a place to discuss sharing files ST may have lost due to the destruction of our old server. In here is a place to coordinate efforts to find certain items of content, particularly those which are harder to find. At some stage, we might need to make a public appeal for particular files, but it depends what we still need. This is to cover STEX files, attachments (files and images), or other images from the Gallery, CJs, or other site sections. Additionally, for anyone who might have saved posts or topics from the ST Dark Age (after 28 Feb), please post those below in a format which is easiest for you. You may share links to files collections you may have (e.g. to Google Drive, OneDrive, etc). If someone else has already uploaded the same files you have, no worries at all. In actual fact, we encourage doing so, especially for files that haven't yet been restored. We imagine for some, there will be older uploads which are harder to locate, since the ultimate aim is to restore previous versions of content along with the latest iteration. Anyone who shares files may proceed with the processing efforts, but there is no obligation. Thanks all.

Thanks everyone for the continued help with restoring STEX content, it's greatly appreciated! We just reached 90% restored and almost 75% of files are now fully verified: For the final few dozens of STEX files to restore, the process might slow and that's to be expected. Some files will be harder to locate, and at which point we might need to make community appeals for specific items. Excellent progress made, and it's been even faster than I anticipated. Next will be a separate previous versions tracker, followed by attachments. I'm hoping to get at least one of these up and running before the next heatwave strikes...

Got some ideas? Here's a place where you can recommend any improvements to Simtropolis. It's about time we had one of these. Even though the site continues to develop, we'd love to hear your thoughts on how it can be further refined and made better for everyone. Whether it be a simple layout/design tweak, or a completely brand new feature, post away in this thread! While we can't promise everything will be possible or implemented, each idea will be read and considered. I'm sure you'll appreciate there are limitations, both technically and financially. To report any issues with an existing site feature, or something not working as intended, please instead use the Bugs Thread. Guidelines For clarity, please keep one idea per post. Double posts are acceptable if you've more than one idea at once. Note: To prevent successive replies from auto-merging, you may need to wait 5 minutes. Give a subheading, describing briefly what the idea is. Explain the idea -- it helps to give as much detail as possible. Pictures or diagrams are acceptable, but not required. Why would this be of benefit to the community? If you value anyone's idea, please Like it to show your support. This helps to give a rough indication of how well an idea is received. If commenting on an idea, please quote/copy the subheading so it's clear what is being discussed. Progress Status Once processed, ideas will be tagged with one of the following: NOT PLANNED - The idea is appreciated, but at this stage, is not feasible to implement. INTERNAL REVIEW - We like the idea, and will pursue whether it's currently feasible to implement. PLANNED - We have decided to implement the idea, and are finding the best ways to go about it. IMPLEMENTED - The idea has been added as a new site feature! This will change depending on ongoing progress with implementation. Thanks all! -The Admins

Processor HQ File Processing Info & Discussion Hi all! As part of your ST Recovery Team privileges, you have editing access to all STEX files which were lost. By now a number of these have already been restored, but there are still numerous which we need help to restore. Additionally, there might be some existing restorations which need an extra file, or more images, etc. For any file which has been restored and yet to be verified, you're most welcome to edit. I'll walk you through a series of steps to help with editing STEX files... Stage A: Preliminary Check 1) First determine what needs restoring: One or more downloadable files Any files and images Only images (no files) Note: You can use the Restoration Tracker to identify this per file (using the "All Missing" filter). Stage B: For Files (to be downloaded) 1) On a file entry, inside the "File Actions" menu, choose Upload New Version. 2) Keep the checkbox checked for saving the previous version. 3) Add a brief note into the changelog such as: Restored file entry for the Simtropolis Recovery Project. 4) Click Delete on any "0 bytes" files shown attached to the file. These would be old entries representing missing files. By deleting them from there, this ensures broken files won't appear under the Download button. Important Note: Keep any files which are intact and still worth being available. 5) If needing to restore images as well as files, proceed to Stage C below. 6) Otherwise, click Save to process the new version. Stage C: For Screenshots (images on the file entry) 1) Since you are uploading a new version, you can add images on the same upload page. 2) Click to Delete any images which have a missing main pic (thumbnail only), or for any images not displaying entirely. 3) Upload the new images in place. These can be originals from the upload, or ones you've gathered in game showing the item of content. 4) Once everything is uploaded, click Save to finalise the new version. Stage D: File Description Details 1) This won't always be necessary, but what we're looking for here are major oversights or omissions in a file's description. 2) Click Edit Details and open the editor, which allows you to edit the description. 3) Make any amendments as needed to the description text. 4) You may also replace attachments in this step, by deleting them at the bottom of the editor, and then re-uploading and inserting them in place. 5) Usually there won't be need to correct the title, but the option is there if necessary. Also you may add/remove tags too. 6) Once everything is finalised, click Save to confirm. You can repeat this process as needed, if worth editing again afterwards. Quick-ish Questions I want to add/replace images on a STEX file. Do I choose to Edit Details or Upload New Version? If only images are missing, Edit Details is the best option. A few weeks before we lost the old server, I added a new feature which allows managing images via the Edit Details page. This allows replacing images, and adding new ones, without needing the updated timestamp to change. The advantage of edit details is it becomes a silent edit, which is desirable unless we need to add a physical update to the files available to download. What's the difference between a thumbnail and a main image? Thumbnails show in the square boxes above a file's description. Main images appear when clicking a thumbnail, where they load in larger form. If a thumbnail only exists on a STEX file, it'll initially look fine. However, the placeholder image will show in place once viewing the main pic. I accidently created a duplicated version. What should I do? Yikes! That would be an absolute utter disaster. So in this scenario, there is only one option... You must quickly panic by running around in circles. Then as fast as you can, flee for the hills! I might not have much time to help due to RL stuff, but I can upload a few files now and then. Is this acceptable? Yes, that's completely fine! In fact, we imagine it's the case for many of you. There is no obligation of minimum needed to help out at all with anything. We appreciate every individual effort, which collectively will combine to completing the overall jigsaw puzzle. Even if you only want to post and discuss the logistics, that's fine too. Is there a timescale for when files must be restored by? No, there aren't any deadlines here. We also emphasise how speed isn't essential with the restoration process. It's more important to do an accurate job than a fast job, even though we've been amazed at the rapid process already from staff and file authors combined. So consider this a relaxed do-it-at-your-own-pace type project. Is there any limit to how many files I can restore? Yes, the exact limit precisely corresponds to the total files which need restoring. In other words, of the total available, there is no limit at all. The more the merrier. What about elsewhere than the STEX? Is there a way to restore forum image attachments for instance? There will be in a subsequent phase in the project. For now our focus is primarily on STEX files, to restore as many as we can within the next few months. However, attachment images and files will be a key priority. Any of your own attachments you're welcome to individually restore (see your list here). Understandably though, this process would be very tedious to do. As such in due course, my hope is to add controls onto the attachments list which allow you to easily replace files and images, without needing to individually edit items of content (e.g. forum posts or CJs). ---------- I'll stop rambling now. I think that's about everything. Do reply if you've any questions about the above (or anything related to uploading content). Thanks!

I feel to clarify, there is actually much better news on this front. Long before the site crash, we specifically allowed the Internet Archive to index ST pages. While there may sometimes be crawl failures on certain URLs (typically those with long query strings), we were certainly not blocking the Wayback Machine intentionally. You may have observed the few weeks prior didn't have many pages saved. Aside from this it was actively indexing the site, and still does frequently. I also know some people had been manually indexing pages, which all helped. A summary of what the Internet Archive was able to restore can be seen from this post: Using the automated import, it allowed us to salvage over 6,000 images. We might also be able to find certain STEX files too from prior years, which could be especially helpful in restoring previous versions. These would be saved from the ?do=download URLs which fetch each STEX file.

Adding to the files collections people have kindly shared, @Wiimeiser posted on Discord the files they'd downloaded between June 2024 and April 2026. Here are the Google Drive links to each 7z archive: 2024 Jun 2024 Jul 2024 Aug 2024 Sep 2024 Oct 2024 Nov 2024 Dec 2024 2025 Jan 2025 Feb 2025 Mar 2025 Apr 2025 May 2025 Jun 2025 Jul 2025 Aug 2025 Sep 2025 Oct 2025 Nov 2025 Dec 2025 2026 Jan 2026 Feb-Mar 2026 Apr 2026 This amounts to about 10 GB in total. We may already have a number of these restored by now, but it'll still be worth considering when we get around to sorting previous versions of files. Some of these might be older iterations of files that we'll still want to re-upload later on. It's worth mentioning how previous version restoring will be done using a separate tracker page (which I'll be developing sometime). So for now, I'm just noting if you see any previous versions, please keep track of them in some way. It might be some file names specifically include version numbers, or to look inside the zips for when files were modified. It's also possible that Readme files could contain useful info. Thanks very much to Wiimeiser for sharing these. Also let me know if you'd like to free up space on your Google Drive, as I can get these ported over to the ST server. (Note: Any rep points this post receives I'll switch over to Wiimeiser's account.)

Verifier HQ File Verifying Info & Discussion Hiya, y'all! (As Cori would say.) You might be wondering, what exactly should a Verifier do? Well, that's what this post aims to clarify, and this thread serves as a place to ask anything A-to-Z about verifying. The basic principle is to check over what's already been uploaded. We realise with so many files to restore, there is always potential for a few mistakes to happen. We anticipate there will be a number of corrections we'll need to make, and that's all part of the process. No one will be held accountable for errors. We just need to focus on fixing anything which isn't quite right. ---------- By this point, we recommend reading the Restoration Tracker topic, which features an overview: On the Restoration Tracker, for a file to be marked as Verified, it must be checked by 2 volunteers. These don't have to be staff members, but just 2 independent people. The qualifying criteria is you must download all file entries first. This then makes the Mark Verified option available in "File Actions" on each tracker row. Additionally, you can use the checkboxes to mark multiple files as verified in one go (assuming you've downloaded to test them all). Here is a series of steps which we recommend you do to check each file: 1) Check all the images at the top. Click them each and use the arrow keys to navigate to them all. Ensure they each load fully. 2) Read the description and look for any missing images. If there are any attachment files, make sure they download. A description which has broken attachments won't prohibit us from verifying files, but if able to fix them we should attempt to do so. 3) Make sure any attachments aren't meant to be the actual files under the Download button. Otherwise we'll need to upload them properly. This applies to anything in the description, or even in the Changelog section. 4) Remove the message banner (if not already). This can be done via the Restoration Tracker under the "File Actions" menu. Alternatively you can remove message banners using the batch controls. Message banners may only be removed once a file has been restored to the entry. 5) Click the main Download button. If there is only a single file, it should download. Otherwise if multiple are available, you'll be shown a dialog panel where each individual file can be downloaded. Check that each file downloads fine. 6) Check to make sure the download(s) match what's expected from the file entry. For example, if there is a commercial set of midrise buildings, you shouldn't have downloaded a rural themed set of shanty houses. It's pretty common sense, but worth making sure. 7) If you've downloaded a zip, rar, or 7z archive, open it up (you might need 7-Zip for this task). The key is to ensure the file opens as expected, and if you can, make sure the file extension matches the archive format. A handy option 7-Zip has is the "Test archive" function when right clicking. This will then tell you whether the archive is indeed a zip file, or if it's been incorrectly named with another file extension (I've made that mistake before). 8) Should there be a Readme file, open it up and check to make sure the description matches (at least partially). Not all files will have such documentation, but for those that do it can be a handy way of cross-checking. ---------- At this point there's hopefully complete confidence the file is as it should be, and you can then click the Mark Verified option. If at any stage you notice issues with the file, stop and click Add Note for the file on the Restoration Tracker. This allows you to specify anything you've noticed which isn't right. It then can be the task of Processors to go through and make sure everything is in order before a file can be verified. Alternatively you can post in this thread to ask for a second opinion. Someone can then take a look and see what might need correcting. As with the other 2 threads, please post below if you've any queries or comments. Thanks everyone for the help!

I've made a couple of tweaks: The With File Claims filter now sorts by entries with the most missing files, so the more useful rows are first. This helps to prioritise files people have claimed to have which need restoring. Any config.bmp files are no longer flagged as duplicates. There were a few map files where this was happening. For partially verifying an upload, the dilemma is it would require quite a significant rewrite of the logic. The system checks that you've downloaded all files on a STEX entry. So as Cori said, the main task of verifying is to make sure each file downloads and ideally opens (not a corrupted archive). Absolutely no worries about testing anything in game. The focus on verification is what's intact and complete, not for quality standards of content. I remember the LEX used to have a "LEX Certified" badge for items, but that isn't the same as what we're doing. Verification is only known from the tracker page, not anything visible on a file entry itself.

Great! It just occurred to me, and figured it'd help for motivation with seeing the totals increasing when verifying the 1 of 2 files. That seems odd. I presume you've downloaded those files before trying to Verify them? That's built into the system as a prerequisite before the option is available. If a file entry has more than one download, it'll also check that each file has been downloaded.

I've just added a new filter option: One More Verification This lists all files which only need 1 other person to verify, before becoming Fully Verified.

/me arrives and sees his secret editing is still in the bag... Originally I thought to not show who'd partially restored files (as in those with file entries, but still missing images). I felt it might cause embarrassment to those who'd be listed, thinking they've only done half the work. But considering what @Kel9509 said about wanting to find items they'd restored, I think that's more important. So yes @CaptCity you're right, and just the naming you saw was after I'd done the editing, while still working on the functional tweaks. To surmise, what I've done now is: Renamed the "Restored By" column and filter to be "Processor" instead. Made the filter list show all the files you've processed, even if not fully restored. It now lists them all per user like so. By the way... Please note as a formal point of order, there has been the addition of a graph to the upper portion of the tracker.

Just to note, the system only allows clearing message banners once all recorded downloadable file entries are restored (excluding images). Another quick tip for clearing message banners... Firstly, filter by With Message Banner. This sorts first any which can have banners removed. Then click the corner checkbox: Then click Clear Banner from: And finally the confirmation of how many will actually be cleared: It sure saves a few clicks this way.

New Server Backup System I'm pleased to confirm that ST now has fully functional daily offsite backups. This means the backed up data is entirely separate from the ST server. Each day the system creates a fresh database export to 2 different storage vaults, and syncs across the entire site files. This includes system files, and everything inside the /objects directory, containing all user uploaded files from the STEX and the site. We've made this work by only copying what's new, so the process is very efficient. If for any reason a backup fails, the process will send us an email, so we can promptly rectify any issues. As of this post, the system has been functioning flawlessly for 5 days. The backup is on a Hetzner storage box, and we're making use of their automatic snapshots feature. This allows us to easily rollback to a previous backup if need be. Additionally, Cori and I will be making periodic local backups of the files, and copying them to external HDDs. We've learned from the mistakes of not having full offsite backups. This now means the future of Simtropolis has rock solid foundations. There's a notable difference:

A read-only topic to view FAQs, latest information, and key progress updates for the Simtropolis Recovery Project. Quick Links Simtropolis Returns! Initial topic commemorating the return of our beloved home. Calling All Volunteers! Interested in helping out with the project? If so, we invite you to post and join the SRT! Delete My File Message Banner! Have you updated a file and need the banner removing. Post here and we'll take care of it. Project Updates A list of posts noting important milestones about ST's road to recovery. Project Discussion Topics Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Q: What measures are you taking to ensure such data loss never happens again? A: This is of utmost importance. Dirk has already setup a full daily SQL database dump which is copied externally. We will be implementing full backups of all site content, which is synced to an offsite cloud location I've purchased. Additionally, Cori and I will be making regular local copies of this, which we'll keep updated. We can assure you there are harsh lessons learned from this ordeal. We will not let this happen again. Q: So what data is missing, and what do we have preserved? A: To understand what's safe and what needs recovering, there are three time periods: All Lost: After 28 February 2026 to 26 May 2026: Unfortunately, because 28 Feb corresponds to our most recent database backup, any new member accounts, posts, or files created during these final three months are lost entirely. At best we'll be able to re-post files, and possibly some other site content. Text Only: 17 June 2024 to 28 February 2026: The text-based details of the site are safe. This means all forum posts, member accounts, and the actual STEX description pages are intact. However, the physical download files (e.g. zip) along with image attachments were lost, meaning we will need to restore them manually or programmatically. All Safe: Before 17 June 2024: Everything is completely intact. This includes all forum posts, member accounts, PMs, images, and STEX files. Q: How are we going to rebuild all the missing files? A: This is already in progress, but there's much more to do. Some authors have been diligently working to re-upload their own files, and we estimate ~20% of the files lost have been restored. Then for additional missing files, I'm currently working on a dynamic list known as the Restoration Tracker, which will help us view what still needs doing. This will be revealed soon, and we'll have a dedicated discussion topic where you can ask questions and post feedback. Q: If I see one of my own uploads missing from the STEX, should I just re-upload it myself? A: You're most welcome to re-upload your own content yourself, but please feel under no obligation to. The Recovery Team will be working to go through files and restore as much as we can. Other harder to find items we might need to make a community appeal for. If you do restore your own content, that all helps as part of the process. If you'd like any assistance or unsure what to do, please let us know! Q: I have backups of files but I'm not the original author. Can I still share them? A: Given these unprecedented times, yes. But best hold off for right now, as the Restoration Tracker will have a way to notify us of any files you have. Then as the volunteers begin the restoration, they will contact you if they need your copy. (We have big zips already offered which may or may not cover everything.) Q: Can you tell me about the new host? A: We've since acquired a new server from Hetzner (in Germany), which is at least 10 times more capable than our old one, with twice the RAM and a much more powerful processor. All this too for no more than our old host cost per month, which makes it excellent value for money. Additionally, Hetzner's tech support have been outstanding. When Dirk reported the instability issues, they presented a range of options. When we asked for the hardware replacement, the technicians completed the process within mere minutes (and free of charge). This gives us confidence we're on a much more robust platform. Q: How can we support Simtropolis financially to help cover costs of the new server? A: We want to emphasise how this isn't a crisis, but if you wish to help Dirk fund the hosting, there are 2 options: Donate via Gumroad which gives you access to download the STEX Collections. Donate via PayPal either as a one-off or recurring monthly amount. All donations are appreciated! They each help keep Simtropolis open and freely available.

(By the way, I've moved all our posts here to the Processing thread. This one had no replies in yet, so was feeling lonely!) I think initially we can have a new thread where any info about files after Feb 28 can be compiled. These will be the most challenging, since there's no database record of them, and unfortunately the Wayback Machine hasn't archived many ST pages from March or April. A few authors have re-uploaded content since, but we'll have to try and identify any gaps. Perhaps I could develop a slightly different tracker once we have some info. That'll be a big help @CaptCity for the collection of files you downloaded. That will build strong foundations of a files list. Once there are no more missing downloads, at that point it's fine to remove message banners, to make the download button available to click. Images might take longer indeed to fully restore. Longer term the more images we can get added the better, but I think the key is visually communicating what a file is so downloaders are aware. As long as we achieve that with what's seen (for one or several images), that'll be a success I believe. Yeah, that sounds reasonable. The verification can only be completed once there are no missing downloads or images. As Cori said, the idea with the banners is to prevent people clicking Download and running into File Not Found errors. So this way whenever seeing the Download button, it gives confidence it should work. Very much so, and we ought to be mindful about that. While it'd be ideal to restore all images we can, the key is presenting file entries in a well enough way for the downloader to fully appreciate the creation prior to downloading. Of course for many very old STEX files, they only have tiny thumbnail images. I believe that was due to the small file size limit at the time, or perhaps something got lost for the originals? For files which have a main pic but missing thumbnail, it'll be because the Wayback Machine restoration only found one and not both. On entries with a full sized image, I'm inclined to create something to fix those up in batch. So I think for now, best focusing on replacing missing files and full sized images. It might be a future project to add better images to older content. But for sure, one thing at a time...

@Kel9509 All at your own pace with this, and you (and others) are doing a fantastic job. Slowly but surely we'll get there! The Activity Log has a running list of who verified what, but I just added this to the table: So then it's clear who did the verifying when hovering over.

@Propfam Yes, I created a higher resolution version for modern favicon standards. The original still shows in 16x16 size on browser tabs. Here they are:

Hi everyone! This is the official place to report any bugs and glitches you may notice with the site. When reporting issues, it always helps to be as descriptive as possible, such as by including the following info: A summary of the issue. Screenshots or a video to highlight what's wrong (with annotations if applicable). Note: Images are best uploaded to an online image host, and the direct link pasted into the editor. Your basic system info (e.g. browser version / operating system, device type). When the issue started, or how often it can be reproduced. Any error messages shown? This can help us to reproduce the problems, and then work on finding solutions. Thanks all for your help!

Just adding to what @CaptCity said, you might find it helpful to search for your files using the author box. For example: https://community.simtropolis.com/restoration/stex/?filter=all&author=Kel9509 Then as you have done, it'll allow verifying any files you've downloaded.

@nos.17 Thanks, good catch! I've fixed it now: And also on a few other confirmation dialogs which likewise weren't rendering the bold formatting.

A little tip for removing message banners... Using the checkboxes on the right side, and then use the Clear Banner option. They'll then be removed in one click.

Yes, that's intentional. Anyone who is part of the Restoration Team (or staff) can verify their own files. Those who restore their own content should have a vested interest, and first-hand knowledge of what should be present. But as Capt said, it does require 2 people to verify before a file is marked as Fully Verified (and at which point it receives the in the list). In the event we need to later revisit a verified file, this can be done after discussing it.