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What Happened In Your Game Today, The Non-Serial Story Version

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  • CatzillaCatzilla Posts: 1,181 Member
    edited February 2022
    Hi, OP here,

    It has come up again that this thread has a lot of posts using a longer story telling format with long recaps and too image heavy per post. It was also expressed that this thread was hard to keep up with and pop in for a quick read because of the above. This thread's original intent was meant to be a one off, single or shorter vignette kind of sharing thread rather than a long form storytelling, long recap or super image heavy posts kind of thread which is definitely where it has drifted.

    I know there are some players who have long running serial games or games they've played for years (which is very cool!). There are also players who want to share the more involved recaps or who have a longer style of storytelling. The original What Happened in My Game Today thread is a great fit for those longer posts that may be a little outside of the scope of this thread.

    The other issue is that the images posted on this forum only have one size option, huge. This means that when you post a bunch of them in one post it makes the page load time really slow (at least is is doing so for me tonight). It also makes one have to scroll down miles and miles to get to the next post or to the latest posts. And, large batch pic spam wasn't really the intent of this thread either.

    This thread should move back to the original concept of snippets, snapshots, one off, small pieces or incidents, anecdotes and go lighter on the images per post. As always, bonus points if your post is funny, I think we could all use a little more humor in our lives these days.

    What we can also do is look into is creating an in between length sharing thread or even a long game legacy game players storytelling thread or something like that, the only caveat is that it can't be done in a way that is too similar to this Non Serial What Happened in Your Game Today or the original What Happened In Your Game thread or the mods will likely delete it for being a too similar or a duplicate effort. Do you have suggestions or ideas?

    ETA: I'm not jumping on anyone, trying to make anyone feel bad or drive people off but only redirecting the style back to the original idea behind this thread. We can also get input into what exactly is too long as well. That said, this isn't Twitter so it doesn't have to be crammed into one liners either.
  • cynciecyncie Posts: 4,548 Member
    edited February 2022
    Yeah, I can see that. When I first started posting gameplay, the things I wanted to share weren’t full story serials, but weren’t just single screenshots, either. This was the only thread that seemed to work. I usually write a little bit on the post… not elaborate stories, just enough to provide context… and try to keep the screenshots to 3-4 pix. On a few occasions they’ve run to 6, but then I try to use spoiler tags to reduce load time. Obviously, in anything but a screenshot thread, some narrative is going to emerge. Even if we aren’t intentionally sharing epics, our games are our stories and sometimes we have to share at least part of those stories.
    Post edited by cyncie on
  • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
    The reason I liked to post here is because I can't remember what is going on in all the serial stories. I usually only post one or two pictures (often none at all). But I do tend to write more than five sentences. I also play many different Sims and sometimes take breaks when I don't play at all.

    I liked being able to respond with just a like or an awesome or sometimes a quick sentence. On the serial thread I felt like you had to keep up and comment on everyone's updates.

    I do agree that there have been too many pictures on this thread. I can see limiting it to two. (I actually felt bad that my last couple of posts had none.) But I would have a hard time always keeping it to five sentences. Maybe ten?
  • GlacierSnowGlacierSnow Posts: 2,301 Member
    I've had a hard time finding a good thread to hang-out on. I play a huge variety of different saves, and often rotate households in many of those saves, so threads where people share continual updates on a single story don't feel right for me. I typically want to share a lot of screenshots for a single event, usually with pretty minimal explanation, but my subject-matter for the screenshots is all over the place, so screenshot threads with specific themes don't fit either. I also don't really want to read much in other players' posts, and honestly, I skip most of the text if it's more than a sentence or two, but I do love looking at all their pictures, regardless of whether the pictures tell a story or not. When this thread first started it felt like a good fit for me.

    Recently, though, @Nate_Whiplash1 started this awesome thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/995196/the-screenshot-spammers-thread/p1 and I think that might be the right place for me. Just mentioning it here because it's still fairly new and some people might not have seen it.

    The rule there is basically post as many pictures as you want, of whatever thing(s) you want to share, but keep the explanations very short. Sort of "more pictures, less talking". :lol: So, I think I may make that my main hang-out going forward.
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    My name on AHQ (and the upcoming sims forum) is "GlacierSnowGhost".
  • BookBearBookBear Posts: 488 Member
    I generally don’t post many updates on my game, anywhere really. I enjoy writing them, but I hate taking pictures, and actually putting them out for other people to see is stressful. I feel like I’m just bothering people with my long picture-less stories, without any context. Every time I try to add pictures, and make it seem nice, I get tired of it, and abandon that save file. But I do want to tell the stories of my sims! I have a lot of contradictions.
    Offering free hugs for your time of need.
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  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,294 Member
    @Catzilla I know you're trying to be as diplomatic as possible in your opinion on what this thread has become, and I have to say I had a thought in mind just yesterday of possibly starting a "My Wedding Stories" thread, but alas, my young couple has only just met, finally. I want to take my time before they waltz down that isle. My story would ultimately come in parts. So, since they aren't married yet, not all of the parts are there. Why start a thread that is inherently incomplete by the OP, right?

    Also, I used to be on the original "What Happened In Your Game Today" thread, but my game kept breaking. I had to keep starting over and that made me feel bad. So, I jumped over here, instead thinking that nobody would mind so much if I had to stop writing about one save and jump over, instead to another save.

    By the time I got here, however, it was already very much like the first thread. I used what I learned from the first thread, to put my pictures under spoiler tabs. And if my tale is on the longer side, I will break it up into anywhere from 1-3 parts. So far, I haven't heard any complaints. That is, until now. I have to be very honest here. Just in reading your post I felt like I should leave. Or, perhaps, I'll try to start a new thread with a different name for those who are now feeling like I am. Unwanted. I'll stick around long enough to see if a compromise is reached. I've also noticed that some are using the Picture Spamming thread to tell stories, too. Face it, we all play this game to tell stories of one sort or another.

    If you need to trim the entire thread I would volunteer to remove my story posts. I've already done so with a one I posted very recently of which I was quite displeased in the long run. I'm a writer by trade, and am very used to deleting or redrafting until the story is right. Give the word and I'll start removing my posts to make more room.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
    http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
  • cynciecyncie Posts: 4,548 Member
    Well, there are many kinds of books. Photo albums, novels and epic tales are well represented on the forum. Maybe we need a thread for short stories.
  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,294 Member
    edited February 2022
    There is a new thread I noticed. The rules are very constricting. We can only post two photos! And the text must be short. I use photos to help illustrate what happened. I try to keep the explanation for the photos to a minimum. And they are only there if they fit the story! Also, I put them under the spoiler tab. If I don't have photos to share, I will put text under the spoiler tab to help keep help the page load easier. I also make my pictures smaller than they are when taken in-game. I have Paint since I use Windows.

    Basically, I don't fit this other new thread and I never will. Since it appears I no longer fit here, either, I have no home. I could try to post in the Creative Corner, and indeed I was moving my entire Erik Cantrell story over there, but I ran into a huge snag. You can't post pictures there at all! I'm at a loss. I tell these stories since I'm in between novels at the moment, just to keep my skills honed. Plus, it's fun, or it used to be. I know some other players enjoy them, so that's something at least. I just don't understand why this is happening.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
    http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
  • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
    @GalacticGal , I think the creative section of the forum was bugged earlier. You should be able to post there now. But there is still a bug that doesn't allow photos in the first post of a thread.

    I was thinking about starting a no apologies story thread where the only rule is you can't say you're sorry for either not reading or writing consistently. And maybe one that suggests spoilers for more than a couple of screenshots.

    I'm not home today though.
  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,294 Member
    telemwill wrote: »
    @GalacticGal , I think the creative section of the forum was bugged earlier. You should be able to post there now. But there is still a bug that doesn't allow photos in the first post of a thread.

    I was thinking about starting a no apologies story thread where the only rule is you can't say you're sorry for either not reading or writing consistently. And maybe one that suggests spoilers for more than a couple of screenshots.

    I'm not home today though.

    I came to that thread just this month, so I'm deeper into the thread. Unless, when I began, the bug was just initiating? I like your idea of a No Apologies thread, though. I only post when something interesting happens in my game, that I can create a worthwhile story from. I may have gone a bit picture "happy" but it was only because for the first time ever, my Sim was winning a Starlight Accolade for his music! I'm not fond of snapping pictures in game, it's intrusive for one, and I have to pause the game to line up a shot, for another. It hampers gameplay, effectively. But I do so, because while I have read novels for decades without pictures, they do enhance the stories told over here. I try to read and like/awesome as many of the stories that I come across, and when I'm moved to do so, I'll even make a comment. But I have to confess, I've never gone to the beginning of a thread in progress to play "catch up". There's just too many to do that.

    I will look for your thread, and if you don't start it, let me know and I will. :)
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
    http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
  • haneulhaneul Posts: 1,952 Member
    edited February 2022
    @GalacticGal You can post in the original What Happened in Your Game thread.

    Most people in that thread do not comment on everyone else's posts and all kinds of posts seem welcomed.

  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,294 Member
    haneul wrote: »
    @GalacticGal You can post in the original What Happened in Your Game thread.

    That's where I started, frankly. But as I already posted, my game kept breaking. All of the patches we've been swamped with since March 2020! I kept having to start over and it began to feel like a nuisance. Then this thread came about, so I started posting here. I no longer feel comfortable here, I'm sorry to say. I believe the poster who directed their post to the OP of this thread had a valid statement to make, but whether or not individuals were targeted, the effect is the same. This whole thing has just left me sad.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
    http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
  • PenguinFoopPenguinFoop Posts: 1,582 Member
    I think maybe a few rules like:

    1) One to Two images per post ONLY
    2) No more that ONE paragraph for description
    3) Use spoilers*

    *Steps on how to tag something as a spoiler listed here.

    Those are the suggestions I have to keep it short and easier to navigate.
  • PenguinFoopPenguinFoop Posts: 1,582 Member
    I rarely even come in this thread anymore because it has gotten too heavy for a quick minute read. I personally know that I have a tendency to post long books so I get the struggle. But it's important to make this succinct for maximum enjoyment
  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,294 Member
    edited February 2022
    I think maybe a few rules like:

    1) One to Two images per post ONLY
    2) No more that ONE paragraph for description
    3) Use spoilers*

    *Steps on how to tag something as a spoiler listed here.

    Those are the suggestions I have to keep it short and easier to navigate.

    Sorry no can do. This is far too restrictive. I think I'll go in search of a blog post online. And just for the record, I don't read every single post, as that IS too much, but there are some I follow avidly.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
    http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
  • PenguinFoopPenguinFoop Posts: 1,582 Member
    I think maybe a few rules like:

    1) One to Two images per post ONLY
    2) No more that ONE paragraph for description
    3) Use spoilers*

    *Steps on how to tag something as a spoiler listed here.

    Those are the suggestions I have to keep it short and easier to navigate.

    Sorry no can do. This is far too restrictive. I think I'll go in search of a blog post online. And just for the record, I don't read every single post, as that IS too much, but there are some I follow avidly.

    This wasn't directed at you personally. I'm just saying that maybe set some rules for everyone. Maybe not this strict but something.
  • StormkeepStormkeep Posts: 7,632 Member
    Regardless of any 'rules' for a thread, if a thread survives more than a few weeks it is going to have a lot of people who post outside of those rules, simply because they have forgotten the exact specifics of what the rules are. The forum doesn't have a way to repeat a specific post on every single page, and most people will only read the first post (where the rules are most likely specified) the first time they open the thread.
    This post will be edited by StormKeep at some point.
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  • haneulhaneul Posts: 1,952 Member
    haneul wrote: »
    @GalacticGal You can post in the original What Happened in Your Game thread.

    That's where I started, frankly. But as I already posted, my game kept breaking. All of the patches we've been swamped with since March 2020! I kept having to start over and it began to feel like a nuisance. Then this thread came about, so I started posting here. I no longer feel comfortable here, I'm sorry to say. I believe the poster who directed their post to the OP of this thread had a valid statement to make, but whether or not individuals were targeted, the effect is the same. This whole thing has just left me sad.

    I don't think there are any rules about what has to be posted in the original thread, so I think it's actually fine for you to just post there. Multiple people have started over and others just post random bits from their game... the posts don't have to be serial.
  • PenguinFoopPenguinFoop Posts: 1,582 Member
    Yeah, I get your point, @Stormkeep . But I'm thinking maybe a reboot and let this one fade away...
  • UniqueKhaosUniqueKhaos Posts: 470 Member
    edited February 2022
    The other thread wasn’t made and the rules here weren’t reiterated to ostracize anyone. Yes, some people that want to post one offs have slower internet connections and it’s hard for them to load lengthy posts but they should be able to have a thread to call home just like those that love screenshots and story telling.

    I don’t have slow connection issues but scrolling lengthy posts on my phone, which I use for the forums about 99% of the time, is tedious. Those of us that wanted a new thread or just to have this one back on track simply wanted a place for the one offs just like those that want a place to express everything. Neither party is wrong. Nothing was done with the intent to make anyone feel sad. We all deserve a thread to call home.
  • StormkeepStormkeep Posts: 7,632 Member
    edited February 2022
    Just mho, but it seems to me that the main concern can be solved by people having common forum etiquette and putting their images inside spoiler tags, at least if they have more than one or two. Just mho again, but I think that should be a rule for the entire forum.

    Or do all the images still need to load even if they are inside spoiler tags? (I don't know because I don't have a slow internet connection, I just like spoiler tags so the thread isn't so darn long to scroll through each page)
    This post will be edited by StormKeep at some point.
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  • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
    edited February 2022
    I think maybe a few rules like:

    1) One to Two images per post ONLY
    2) No more that ONE paragraph for description
    3) Use spoilers*

    *Steps on how to tag something as a spoiler listed here.

    Those are the suggestions I have to keep it short and easier to navigate.

    But I hate long paragraphs. And that is what we would get. I can deal with a ten sentence limit, maybe. But if I want to divide those sentences up into three paragraphs to make them easier to read, why ever not?

    Ok, I went back and looked at my last two "story" posts. One had seven sentences; the other eleven. No pictures in either. About two separate families. I wanted today to post a couple of pictures about the second family with a simple caption for each one. So where should I post from now on?
  • PenguinFoopPenguinFoop Posts: 1,582 Member
    telemwill wrote: »
    I think maybe a few rules like:

    1) One to Two images per post ONLY
    2) No more that ONE paragraph for description
    3) Use spoilers*

    *Steps on how to tag something as a spoiler listed here.

    Those are the suggestions I have to keep it short and easier to navigate.

    But I hate long paragraphs. And that is what we would get. I can deal with a ten sentence limit, maybe. But if I want to divide those sentences up into three paragraphs to make them easier to read, why ever not?

    I agree about long paragraphs. But isn't the point of this thread to be about what's happened in our game today and not over a period of time?

    If we want to tell a whole story the we have this category https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/categories/the-sims-4-stories-and-legacies for that. At least that's my understanding.
  • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
    edited February 2022
    @PenguinFoop My posts are not whole stories. They ARE just what happened in my game that day. They are exactly what I would expect to find in a thread labeled like this one. And they are about separate families. One was about what happened at the Goths; the other what happened at the Spencer-Kim-Lewises. On two separate days. I am not going to post in a legacy thread, because I don't do legacies. I do have a Not So Berry family, but I just play them on occasion.
  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,294 Member
    telemwill wrote: »
    @PenguinFoop, my posts are not whole stories. They are just what happened in my game that day.

    Same here.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
    http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/

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