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Gathering your suggestions about Mods/CC use with the Gallery!

Hello to all the mod/CC creators and users out there! I know there are other great communities of Sims modders and creators across the internet, so please share a link to this on your own websites so we can hear from everyone.

This thread is to gather your feedback and suggestions on how we can improve the way mods and custom content interface with the in-game Gallery in The Sims 4. We want to continue to evolve the Gallery, but as it's a tool to help you share between each other, the most important thing we can do is listen to how you want to be able to use it. One caveat... I can't promise that we're working on anything posted in this thread; we're in the phase where we're putting together ideas and seeing what we want to do next.

For mod/CC creators, I'm looking for your ideas on how we can improve the Gallery to get your creations out to more players who are interested in using them. How can we help expose your creations? How can we make it simpler for you to share? Currently you can see CC in Gallery screenshots, but there's no way to download CC, and no way to share/download mods whatsoever - do you want that to change?

For players who simply enjoy using mods/CC in your game, I'm looking for your ideas on how you'd like to use the Gallery to improve the way you add mods/CC to your experience. What would help you find the content you want? Are there things we could add to the Gallery to make the in-game mod/CC experience better? What would make you feel safe about using mods/CC in tandem with the Gallery?


The only specific thing I ask is that you keep your replies in this thread on topic to mods/CC and how we could improve your experience with them via the Gallery.


PLEASE FOLLOW THIS FORMAT WHEN REPLYING:
To help with gathering feedback (and to get the ball rolling with some of my own ideas!), please post your feedback in the following format... List out an idea or feature you'd like, and then give a short explanation of why you'd like it. For example:

1. Increase the character limit of text descriptions.
Currently the text limit that you can write about any content you upload to the Gallery is fairly short. It doesn't allow me to adequately describe what the creation is, especially if I want to let people know about what custom content was used in the upload.

2. Allow copy/pasting text from descriptions on the Gallery.
Even if I include a link in the description to let players know where they should go to download any custom content that was included in my Gallery upload, other players aren't able to copy/paste that text. This makes it really difficult because players have to write it down outside the game, or go back and forth between the game and the browser to manually type out the entire link.

3. Automatically make web links in descriptions and comments clickable to open a web browser.
Even potentially more handy than being able to copy and paste text might be having links in text automatically become clickable so that players can easily get to my mod/CC creations and then download them from my website. If it opened an in-game browser so I don't have to leave the game at all that could be even better!

4. Install/Uninstall CC while the game is running.
It'd be great if I could easily install cool looking CC that I see on the Gallery, and then download that Gallery creation and immediately start playing with it without having to leave the game. If I didn't like that CC after downloading it, it'd be very convenient if I could uninstall it from in-game as well.

5. List CC that was attached to any Gallery upload.
It can be difficult to tell from the picture alone if something like a Sim that's on the Gallery has any custom content. It'd be helpful if the game detected any custom content and provided a list of which parts of an upload use custom content, even if the creator didn't choose to provide any additional information in the item's description.

6. Etc...
Etc...



OK, you get the idea! Post away!

Comments

  • pboxpbox Posts: 630 Member
    edited October 2014
    1. Enable/disable CC from within the game
    Some users find it difficult to move files/folders around – in order to differentiate whether an issue (such as crashing) is actually an issue with the game itself or with outdated/incompatible CC, it is important to make sure people test with vs. without CC. Being able to disable all CC from within the game would make that a lot easier for anyone who tries to troubleshoot such issues (like creators who get feedback about "i installed your mod five days ago and now my game has crashed HALP"). NB I only mean temporarily disabling – not uninstalling (that would be a different feature that I'd also like to see though).

    2. Being able to upload from the internet
    Because why not? I also don't actually see how it should work to upload say a script mod from within the game .. so that would be more a prerequisite rather than a feature. But once that works, why not make it work for lots and sims as well?

    --

    Also, before I'd upload anything to the Gallery I'd like to know from the horse's mouth what the legal situation is w/r/t intellectual property. You may or may not know that there is currently a third party site outright selling CC (or "reserving the right" to sell it) copied and pasted from elsewhere, and one of their excuses for that is "all CC are belong to EA anyway, so nyah nyah". As far as I can tell, this true to some extent when using EA services (which of course doesn't mean "nyah nyah" for everybody else), so if you want more creators to use the gallery for distribution I think some sort of official clarification on that might be quite helpful. =)

    See here if you don't know what I mean .. there are many creators who are extremely opposed to the commercial use of CC in general, even more so when it happens without their knowledge or consent.
    Post edited by pbox on
    Stuff for TS2 · TS3 · TS4
  • ruthless_kkruthless_kk Posts: 3,987 Member
    1. Have custom content or modified files automatically indicated on any Gallery offering that contains it.
    Many times creators do not specify that a lot or sim contains custom content when it does. There should be informed consent when downloading things from the Gallery that contain CC.

    2. Have a way to select a screen shot from the screen shots folder as the cover shot for Gallery items.
    This way the creator can show what the CC actually looks like in game. The auto generated pictures do not always do a good job of showing CC and in the case of objects created for lots, they wont show in the cover shot at all. This way the creator could take an image in game and use it to show the creation clearly and Gallery users would be better informed on what they are downloading.
  • nurnynurny Posts: 1 New Member
    edited October 2014
    1. Find and list attached CC
    It's in the example list, but I think the gallery would greatly benefit from a system like the one used at Mod The Sims. For every piece of CC used in the upload, the sharer has to describe the package and cite its creator. The gallery already has a separate tab for DLC used.

    2. Web links to gallery creations
    I see so many people sharing their creations on Tumblr or whatever with a picture and "it's under the hashtag with my username" or "Origin ID is junglejim4322". It would be so much easier if they could just share a link to the upload! Send clickers (that's the word right? :) ) to a page with the photos and description and a magnet link that opens the item in game.
  • FogityFogity Posts: 122 Member
    edited October 2014
    Okey, I have one:

    1. Uploading a custom content description.
    This is intended as a compromise between not uploading content and uploading content. An ability to create a description of the content that actually do not contain the content itself, but the instance id of the content. So when a user uploads content with the custom content the content description is automatically added to a list for that uploaded content. This would allow checking if the content is installed and a link to more information about the content. And for it to be connected to the mod creators profile.
    Played since The Sims 1 and now makes mods for The Sims 4:
    Gender Less - Gender neutral pronouns and titles
    Hidden Highlight - Removes the white outline
    Unlocked CAS Parts - Unlocks hidden CAS items
  • burnsy142burnsy142 Posts: 3 New Member
    edited October 2014
    I think it would be a good idea to try and make it so when there is a sim on the gallery with custom content, if somebody downloads it but doesn't have that custom content, they should get it when they download the sim, otherwise it gets replaced and you don't get the sim you want. :)
  • brytewolfbrytewolf Posts: 144 Member
    1. An option to separate cc from in-game content.
    I usually upload quite a few things at once, and oftentimes I'll forget what I added if I don't use it immediately. Also, having to dig through all the swatches to hopefully find the one that was just added (especially if you don't know exactly where the creator hid it) is a headache in and of itself. If there could be some way (a button to hide regular CAS items, or tabs for "regular" and "downloaded" maybe?) to easily differentiate between the two while in CAS, I would love that.
    5xgM8XF.gif
  • simfeetundersimfeetunder Posts: 2,260 Member
    1. We need a way to id CC in the game, some stuff is obvious but not always. The asterisk from before or something would help (I've seen people say they didn't use CC but they did, I guess they forgot?)
    2. Uploaders to the gallery need to maybe check a box for #WithCC or #NoCC... hardly anyone is actually using the keywords
    3. Maybe when someone does the WithCC some additional fields can pop up that we can paste in where they came from? Especially since description field only allows so many characters, we could link to the item's page vs just "find it on simfeetunder.tumblr.com"
    4. More screen shots? If browsing the gallery I can tell if a sim has cc on it's upper half (not really for shoes n stuff) if it's used in the everyday outfit but none of the others... makes things trickier than they need to be. Sims3 was cool because we could see each outfit.
    HSon1Mq.png
  • KitOnlyHumanKitOnlyHuman Posts: 2,586 Member
    I have a few things that might have already been said, might not have. But you know, late night. XD

    1. Tag and link various CC.
    CC can be tagged with a small series of boxes. Check "Custom content" box when saving an item on the gallery, then once checked, a small series of text boxes can allow us to post urls (or even shortened urls) that will be able to be copied. Kinda like a spoiler tag on the forums, you can click the CC marked "Dress" and it show the link below where they can copy and paste it in their browser. I would suggest using a copy and paste method to avoid the whole being blamed for viruses and stuff. And a warning in red of course that says "This object contains CC not approved by EA."

    2. Small tag under username.
    A small tag under the username can let people post a link to their CC website (in text form) or their name. The downfall to this would be monitoring the tags to make sure that they are EA appropriate.

    3. Asterisks on CC content thumbnails.
    This could also be a filter. Such as Sims 2 and Sims 3, we could tell what was not EA created and downloaded from another source. In this game, it would make sense to have a filter in the gallery (and in CAS) that let's us see the content easier so that when uploading/downloading to the gallery, we can know for certain there is CC instead of relying on the person that posted the sim/lot/room upto remember to put a hashtag on it.

    4. Host an EA CC site.
    I know this is farfetched and unlikely, but if you'd like to integrate with the CC community, the easiest way would be to directly attach the origin id to a CC site of EA's monitoring. As I know, EA has taken a stance against approving and monitoring any outside CC. But it's a suggestion nonetheless. =)
  • auntielyndsauntielynds Posts: 3,071 Member
    1. On your profile, an area you can list the CC & Mods you use in general with the ability to link to the creations.
    Similar to many tumblr blogs that have a wcif (Where Can I Find) section.

    2. A CC & Mod index where you can register your creation with a link to where it is hosted at.
    This could work somehow with the internal naming of said CC when it's detected in the gallery?

    3. The ability to change the picture on your upload to the gallery.
    Repetitive, yes. Generally speaking, if someones taken the time to do a nice cover for their work, it's a good indication of the quality of the upload.






  • leefishleefish Posts: 15 Member
    I think it is great that you are maybe allowing us to share content from our own sites via the Gallery. Of course, the gallery is vast so a lot of us also share CC elsewhere. It would be very useful if we were able to quickly identify all the tray files that belong to a single lot or sim rather than all the files being in a big "blob" together and make it so we are be able to easily package those up and share them between friends.
  • 3fansforever3fansforever Posts: 1,421 Member
    1. I would love an option to get the CC from lots or households in the gallery or at least see what they used.

    2. I would like it if lots that have the new hidden objects from the latest patch that are on the gallery, if those objects can show up in our games once we download them... I hope that makes sense.

    3. I would also like it if individual cc, such as new clothes or hair could be uploaded to the gallery. That way we could be able to see what creations used those individual item and we would not have to exit our game to get them.


    Thank you for listening to our feedback and suggestions.
  • LewisLMLewisLM Posts: 13 New Member
    1- Being able to download/upload/install/uninstall CC from within the Gallery, without having to leave the game.
  • Damienf519Damienf519 Posts: 6,988 Member
    LewisLM wrote: »
    1- Being able to download/upload/install/uninstall CC from within the Gallery, without having to leave the game.

    Only if the game is going to automatically warn you which items include CC. I don't want that in my game.
  • mahlikmahlik Posts: 3 New Member
    I think it would be good idea as a new career too be able too work for the Grim reaper it would make for awesome story telling and with the new emotions I think it would be cool >:) >:)
  • netguystevenetguysteve Posts: 470 Member
    My biggest concern with adding automatic download of CC is that it will scare some people away from the gallery, much in the same way some people were adverse to using the exchange in TS3. Perhaps a warning dialog requiring the user to specifically give permission for the CC to be installed, maybe with a checkbox to "Always Allow Custom Content From This Creator" to make it less of a hassle for people who have favorite CC creators that they commonly download from.
    "UR" is NOT a word, it's the sound stupid people make when they try to spell "You are".
  • UtopiaUtopia Posts: 164 Member
    Speaking as a CC/Mod end user..

    Firstly Mods & CC mean two different things to many of us that use them. I often see people using the two words interchangeably.
    Custom Content refers to objects, recolours, clothing, sims, houses ect..
    A Mod refers to a file that changes the behaviour of the game.

    1. I'm not sure about using Mods uploaded to TheSims Gallery, since many Mods require frequent updating after patches & expansion packs. I trust ModTheSims and a few other sites because I can see when that creator last logged in, which means they are more likely to keep that mod up to date. Also because MTS in particular is a little picky about what gets uploaded, quality tends to be rather good. They have a thread for each mod, where we can feedback to the creator and receive responses. Additionally, I trust that Mods won't get purged from MTS for example.

    2. When it comes to Custom content, I wouldn't mind seeing recolours of official objects on the exchange. I would be happy to download them. I'm fussy about my downloads, I like to see clear pictures up close of various angles, so I can see the ingame quality of the item. I also like to see pictures of a Sim using the item, to tell if there are clipping issues or any other problems. I use other downloaders feedback to help guide my choices, if an item has caused crashing or glitching I want to know about it. It would be important therefore that the creator not be able to delete any feedback!


    4. CC included with Lots or Sims on Gallery. This one is tricky. I think there should be a tick box to eliminate any and all CC for those that choose to do so.

    4. If CC or Mods were being downloaded with Sims or Lots/Rooms on the Gallery without my knowledge, I would be concerned and stop using The Gallery. I love CC/Mods but only those I carefully select!

    5. I wouldn't mind downloading some CC with Sims/Lots/Rooms but I would want to be able to click on the item name and be led to its information page. (See 2.)
    Mysticalmaid
    <3 Tweet me @samwitts2 <3
  • KittifizzKittifizz Posts: 6 New Member
    1. Create a filter to show only custom content and/or put the star back onto the thumbnails.
    This was so helpful in TS3. When I download a bunch of things, I like to go through and check them all out once I get in game. This is made difficult since a lot of the CC out right now consists of recolors, and I can't always remember what I downloaded. It made browsing all your content much more quick and easy.

    2. Allow (maybe via a cheat to enable?) file names to be shown in-game.
    I don't remember exactly how it was done before, but there used to be a way to hover over thumbnails and view the actual file name. This would make things SO much easier. It would allow for easy deletion of problematic files or just things you don't want anymore. It's a huge hassle to figure out what file is associated with what item in game, especially if they're not named accordingly or if the in game item doesn't have a special image or something. I have tons of content in game that I haven't gotten rid of simply because I can't be bothered to go through all my content and remove something, start the game, see if it was correct, etc. /:
  • pboxpbox Posts: 630 Member
    1. Subfoldering of /Tray
    This is perhaps already possible but nobody seems to know how. It would be hugely helpful sometimes to be able to manage files directly, making backups etc. Ideally, downloads from the gallery should also end up in their own subfolder to work in conjunction with this.
    Stuff for TS2 · TS3 · TS4
  • LewisLMLewisLM Posts: 13 New Member
    > @Damienf519 said:
    > LewisLM wrote: »
    >
    > 1- Being able to download/upload/install/uninstall CC from within the Gallery, without having to leave the game.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Only if the game is going to automatically warn you which items include CC. I don't want that in my game.

    Sure. It wouldn't be automatic.
  • TwoBeeDooTwoBeeDoo Posts: 3 New Member
    1. Increase the character limit of text descriptions.
    So we can add a link to any CC that was used to create a Sim or Lot.

    2. Allow copy/pasting text from descriptions on the Gallery.
    Some URLs are complicated or long. People would be more likely to add links to CC they used if they could copy the URL from their browser and paste it in the description.

    3. Automatically make web links in descriptions and comments clickable to open a web browser.
    That way when we find a Sim or Lot that contains CC we can click the link, check out the comments to ensure it's not glitchy and looks good in game, and download the CC if we want it. We can also browse that creators other creations.

    4. Do not allow mods to be attached to Sims/Lots and do not allow them to be hosted on the gallery.
    CC and mods are not the same thing. Mods require updating too frequently to be safely hosted on or downloaded from the gallery. Also, it would be difficult, if not impossible to ask the creator question and get support.

    5. Add a custom content filter
    This would be great for those who don't want CC to search for Sims/Lots that don't contain CC.

    6. Have custom content or mods automatically detected and on any Gallery offering that contains it.
    People sometimes forget that they used CC in a Lot or on a Sim. Sometimes they are in a hurry. Either way, I don't want CC or mods in my game that I didn't choose, download, and install myself. The gallery should detect CC on a Sim/Lot and show an icon or give a pop up warning.
  • BreeMilesBreeMiles Posts: 8,903 Member
    1. Automatically make web links in descriptions and comments clickable to open a web browser. To make it easier for to find specific creations on the Gallery. Give our lots a web link so we can send people directly to the specific lot!
    2. Have a way to select a screen shot from the screen shots folder as the cover shot for Gallery items Please.
    3. Increase the character limit of text descriptions.
    4. Install/Uninstall CC while the game is running.
    5. List CC that was attached to any Gallery upload.
  • KittifizzKittifizz Posts: 6 New Member
    > @BreeMiles said:

    > 5. List CC that was attached to any Gallery upload.

    YEEEESSSSS PLEEEEASSSEEEEE!!!! Just like on The Exchange, people are REALLY (I mean REALLY) bad at posting what CC they use, and being unable to get the content when downloading from the gallery and then having no idea how to get it is REALLY upsetting.
  • MeestorMarkMeestorMark Posts: 865 Member
    1. Make it so any CC or Mod that comes with a build, sim, room, etc, I have to actively take steps to allow it in my game when I install the creation. No automatically installing a bunch of junk (and let's face it some creators out there don't always pay attention to quality) in my game just because I dig someone's cool, funky, modern house, or pack of simlings as a whole.

    2. As stated by others, control over the pictures that show in the gallery. The automatic ones the game takes often suck and don't show much useful information at all. And not just the first picture generated, all the pictures. Nobody is going to want to use up the first picture that they can potentially control to show the CC involved with the upload. Give us a tool to control all of them with our own screenshots.

    3. More picture slots, specially if you want users to show pictures of contained CC. Think a range like 10-15, instead of only 5.

    4. Access to The Gallery from outside the game. It all being integrated within the game is a cool as fruit implementation. But lack of access from outside the game isn't so much. When I am in "file managing" and "creation finding" or "see something cool on Facebook" modes, I don't want to have to take five minutes to load up my game just so I can install it, let alone the time it takes to search and find it once I get in game. Downloading the files just puts the appropriate things in the "Tray" folder anyway. No real reason this can't be done without the game open. TSR is doing it. Would also allow for easier noticing/removing CC files that potentially travel along with the basic stuff.

    5. Being able to link directly to creations in The Gallery on other web sites, Facebook etc. On the surface, this comment is about The Gallery in general, but CC creators being able to directly link to a room with their fancy sofa on The Gallery would make it uber easy to get a look at that sofa as it functions in game. And yes, in the process, this direct linking from the outside to a Gallery creation would also benefit all players and allow for those of us who don't get favorited by EA to actually have a feasible method of promoting our creations besides just hope. You good, talented folks that bring this amazing series to us have better things to do than try to find all the needles in the haystack that are worthy of being shown off. And us talented, creative types that use your game, deserve a better shot at purposely, confidently showing our own stuff off; CC or not.

    6. And as others have stated, longer description boxes. As I have just demonstrated, some of us can get wordy. ;) Explaining all the CC we might use, would take up valuable description real estate.
  • SchweighsrSchweighsr Posts: 3,342 Member
    1. Please, PLEASE disallow Mods on the Gallery. Mods alter the behavior of the game and need constant updates - the LAST thing I want to do is accidentally add a Mod to my game. So, please, absolutely no Mods.

    2. Allow players to view the Gallery outside of the game - I'd like to be able to see what people have made even though I haven't gotten the game - who knows? It might actually convince me to buy.

    3. The ability to DELETE CC in-game is very important to me. It bothers me that I can't do this with TS3. I know that I'll be downloading a ton of recolors if and when I get TS4 and I'd like to be able to get rid of one if it doesn't look good in the game.
    4. I agree with the others who have suggested longer description boxes

    5. I agree with the others who have suggested the ability to use their own picture instead of the one that is automatically generated.

    6. I agree withy everyone who want CC clearly marked on downloads.
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