I haven't posted in this thread yet because mainly I was trying to sort through my feelings and emotions about it. I'm not happy mainly because I really, really hate change, and at my age I dread the idea of getting used to something new. AHQ isn't completely new to me as I have posted over there asking for help, but I really don't care for it. My main hope is that our avatars will transfer over eventually, and hopefully sooner rather than later. I will not know who is who without the avatars that I'm used to.
Thanks, @FatTribble23. I hope the avatars transfer, too. Like you, I recognize quite a few of you from your avatars. I would do fairly well on a quiz that asked me to match avatars from the forum to the members who created them. I might not get the user handle exactly right (I wouldn't have remembered the "23" in yours) but I'd know who was who.
I think such quiz would be so funny
especially when one would get it wrong despite thinking they had it all right
same with some iconic comments like who said this dragon quote? * gasp* it isn't by Gordy?
If Answers HQ is the new forum for The Sims then that's really bad news for me. The few times I've looked at it I was glad to get back here, its general look and feel just turns me off, and several things we have here seems to be lacking there like the ability to upload our own avatar image.
If Answers HQ is the new forum for The Sims then that's really bad news for me. The few times I've looked at it I was glad to get back here, its general look and feel just turns me off, and several things we have here seems to be lacking there like the ability to upload our own avatar image.
I hate to see this forum die. Problems and all it is still better than AHQ, but that said getting the hang of those forums is a matter of perseverance. I feel like I know how it works and I only have 11 posts over there. It isn't as natural as this place, but I've spent years here and less than a day there(3 hours maybe) and I already feel like I know how that forum works. It's not as good as what we have here, but having my forum friends and family around me is more important.,
I see other simmers from this forum over there who have custom profile pictures, so I know we'll all have them eventually. Most of them were granted special status because of their involvement here for so many years, but there are one or two who weren't granted that status who have custom profile pics so I know we'll all get there eventually. Sadly they're making us re-earn little perks like that and signatures even though we've already done so on an EA sanctioned forum. That means it's going to be chaos for a few days until everyone gains enough XP and posts to regain those perks they have here.
The biggest issue is the floor to earn those perks is really, really high. I've started posting a little over there and I have 11 posts and 33 points and I still can't have my own profile pic. I would have had one here already with those totals so I have no idea when you get one over there. There are 6 or 7 member levels, I'm an Apprentice(lvl 3 member rank with two of five stars) so it's baffling to me that I still can't do anything at all to personalize my posts. I will say it's probably not a big deal in the end because the most active sub-forum over there only has five threads that have any activity in the last 24 hours. Once we all migrate over and bring our level of involvement we'll level up pretty fast. I mean that place is dead, dead, dead. The most active sub-forum has less posts in the last 24 hours than most single threads here have in the same time. And most of that activity over there is by members from here who've gotten a head start on learning how those forums work.
Hang in there and hopefully EA brass will eventually realize that this community deserves another stand alone forum. The Sims isn't an average game and we as a community aren't average gamer bros and we deserve another place like this one that's only about The Sims, just more up to date.😁
Custom Signatures and Avatars at AHQ are currently only for those of Champion/Hero/Guardian rank which are all ranks handed out by the CM.
I really hope they let everyone at least have custom avatars at the new forums cause it's so hard to distinguish between users when they all have the same avatar.
Sometimes I start helping someone and then someone else comes in with the same avatar and it takes me a while to realize they are not the same person cause I just look at the avatar and not at the user name
For those wanting to join us at AHQ while we wait for the new forums to be open, I've wrote a little guide about it here: Welcome to the Sims Section of AHQ
Gives you a bit of an overview of the features AHQ has and what goes into which forums.
Custom Signatures and Avatars at AHQ are currently only for those of Champion/Hero/Guardian rank which are all ranks handed out by the CM.
I really hope they let everyone at least have custom avatars at the new forums cause it's so hard to distinguish between users when they all have the same avatar.
Sometimes I start helping someone and then someone else comes in with the same avatar and it takes me a while to realize they are not the same person cause I just look at the avatar and not at the user name
That would have been a really high floor. Needing to reach level four member status to earn those little, but oh so valuable perks is...well...unreasonable. I think the current forum guidelines are just about perfect to weed out spam accounts but allow a full level of engagement to new members as early as possible.
@simgirl1010@crinrict@EA_Cade I'm happy to see that AHQ is only a temporary stop on the way to our new home and I apologize for any posts I've made that may have created the impression that it was anything other than that.
I think the signature/avatar perks at AHQ was mainly introduced to encourage to help out fellow players. Didn't necessarily have to do with people being inappropriate.
It's just how AHQ came to be as a players helping players platform. Now that we're being all combined, I really hope they re-evaluate those rules but personally I also hope that they don't allow flashy/overly large signatures. I have them turned off here cause they give me issues.
So something between everything and nothing would be good.
I think the signature/avatar perks at AHQ was mainly introduced to encourage to help out fellow players. Didn't necessarily have to do with people being inappropriate.
It's just how AHQ came to be as a players helping players platform. Now that we're being all combined, I really hope they re-evaluate those rules but personally I also hope that they don't allow flashy/overly large signatures. I have them turned off here cause they give me issues.
So something between everything and nothing would be good.
Profile pics are more important than signatures. My signature is only about giving members any easier way to access that one particular story. Profile pictures are such a personal form of expression and a small, yet huge, gesture to the community because, as you said earlier, it makes finding a member so much easier.
I'm not seeing it clearly stated that the new Sims Forum is NOT on AHQ, but if that's the case then great. Then I'm not sure what all the flap was about syncing user names, emails, etc. between this site and AHQ. Guess I can go back to ignoring AHQ, if I somehow lose everything in my case not much was really lost.
I'm not seeing it clearly stated that the new Sims Forum is NOT on AHQ, but if that's the case then great. Then I'm not sure what all the flap was about syncing user names, emails, etc. between this site and AHQ. Guess I can go back to ignoring AHQ, if I somehow lose everything in my case not much was really lost.
This was in the original post by EA CADE If you have an AHQ account, you will be able to use it on EA forums when the new site goes live.
I think the signature/avatar perks at AHQ was mainly introduced to encourage to help out fellow players. Didn't necessarily have to do with people being inappropriate.
It's just how AHQ came to be as a players helping players platform. Now that we're being all combined, I really hope they re-evaluate those rules but personally I also hope that they don't allow flashy/overly large signatures. I have them turned off here cause they give me issues.
So something between everything and nothing would be good.
Profile pics are more important than signatures. My signature is only about giving members any easier way to access that one particular story. Profile pictures are such a personal form of expression and a small, yet huge, gesture to the community because, as you said earlier, it makes finding a member so much easier.
Agreed! And not just because they're personal. Like Crin said, they help with recognition of who you're talking to. It really is easy to get confused by all the duplicated avatars at AHQ (which I wouldn't have noticed before starting to do some support there, but it's a real thing). We'd be better with *no* avatars than a limited selection to pick from.
EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
I'm not seeing it clearly stated that the new Sims Forum is NOT on AHQ, but if that's the case then great. Then I'm not sure what all the flap was about syncing user names, emails, etc. between this site and AHQ. Guess I can go back to ignoring AHQ, if I somehow lose everything in my case not much was really lost.
The syncing of the emails with AHQ is required to transfer pre-October-2022 threads you started here to the new non-AHQ site, which seems likely from that to be using the same login as AHQ.
EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
Wellll, I just spent nearly an hour reading all of the 13 pages in this topic xD Got a bit too invested, I think. It's kinda funny how that message has been blinking red at the top of the forum for multiple days and I just didn't bother looking at it, not even noticing the forum is closing 🥲
I've mostly been a lurker, writing and publishing my own stories, sometimes popping up in threads to help out, then vanishing again, ... But I made multiple friends at this forum and I will forever be thankful for that. Of course I hope these friends will hop to the new forums with me. I'm not really scared of changes. I'm actually looking forward to what's coming. Yes, it's the end of an era, but I'll keep the memories in my heart forever, and embrace this new chapter.
Thank you all for sharing the love of the Sims 4 Forum, may this continue forward for eternity
@DaniRose2143 I recognize so much of your frustrations. AHQ has a terrible format. Everything is so small and scratchy that it is difficult to read without a magnifying glass. I have a rank of Apprentice and have been using AHQ since 2016 to report bugs and get help with issues. I have achieved 34 Badges but still I am nobody. Not being able to have a personal avatar feels very degrading. I don't like this idea of ranking people, in more or less important. @simgirl1010 I'm very relieved to read that AHQ is only a temporary stage before a new Forum. I hope the developers will use some of the bad and good experiences from the current Forum as a foundation for what is to come. @crinrict I'm glad you support custom avatars.
Regarding personal signatures, I would like to say that I see them as a creative business card that makes me curious to investigate more about what a person contributes. I orient myself primarily visually more than with words. For me, The Sims is a game that speaks to my creativity and urge to create. I will therefore really miss them.
I understand your resistance to flashing banners, but I think an option to opt out of banners in the settings would represent the best of both worlds.
@EA_Cade I can't find it again, but I seem to recall you saying the new forums will use HTML codes. Is that right? I can't find the post again to save my life.😊
I'm asking because I have an idea for how to keep posting chapters on my story thread here after March 12th. I make copies of those before I ever post on here anyway, so from 3-12 on I want to make one copy with BBCode tags for the screenshots here, but another copy where I insert the HTML codes instead so that I can just copy and paste the content that won't be coming along back in once we're moved.
@luthienrising I can't tell you how many times everyday I go back to a thread here looking for a specific post, and unless it's a screenshot my eyes are glued to the lefthand side of the page looking for the poster's profile pick. Even if it's a screenshot as I'm searching I still glance over looking to spot the avatar. It's one of the best tools on here.
@MonaSolstraale The ranking thing reminded me of something else over there that I think most people would say we don't need is posting a list of who's racking up the most XP right out in the open. That can mess with people who have battles with self esteem issues. I don't have a problem with the forums tracking points and that. I don't mind them posting those numbers, but the way it's done on here is the only way it should be done if you're going to do that, it's hidden away and you can't see it unless you go looking and clicking. It's very hard to accidentally see it, but over there if you're on a sub-forum main page you can't miss it. It's in your face. I have days where my depression kicks in and seeing something like would have the very real possibility of breaking me. No doubt I'm far from the only one that deals with mental health issues, and has days where we aren't ok. I will take this moment to respectfully ask that something like points trackers are kept behind a wall. Nothing against those who want to look, but to promote a fun and welcoming environment let those who want to see that information make one or two extra clicks to get there. It will spare someone who isn't ok from becoming even more not ok.
@DaniRose2143 Yes, I think that might be what triggers me with the avatars. If your self-esteem is in balance, you don't care about the points and grades, but if you already feel a little less valuable, it's just a slap in the face. You are not valuable enough to leave your personal mark.
I see on the new page that you linked to that there is a rich text editor, but also a html option, so basically instead of BBcode we can use HTMLcode? But we can't post anything there until July?
I wonder about spoiler tags, will they work the same?
And just to clarify, If I have a thread started after October 22 it will be automatically migrated, but only posts that are posted before March of this year? Can I still post in this forum between March and July and migrate posts that are posted later than March over manually?
HTML on AHQ is limited for security reasons, but functional to a degree. I imagine this will be the same for EA forums.
Spoiler tags/blocks will be on the EA forums, they already exist on AHQ.
Any thread started after Oct 2022 that has has activity on it (comments) will be migrated automatically. You can "migrate" your own posts made after March 12th to AHQ by copy pasting the content of those posts but they won't be eligible for us to move.
@DaniRose2143 Yes, I think that might be what triggers me with the avatars. If your self-esteem is in balance, you don't care about the points and grades, but if you already feel a little less valuable, it's just a slap in the face. You are not valuable enough to leave your personal mark.
It is nice that here you're a new member or a member. AHQ really isn't setup for this kind of community. Like our game, as simmers we're just wired differently. I can't speak to how it was, I've been a member here since 2015, but I didn't start being active until basically this time two years ago. I've heard it mentioned a time or two that it was kind of different, competitive, combative, and the like. It's hard to imagine this place being like that but we all change over time. I know guys that I work with that are gamers and they thrive on that kind of thing. They love cutting each other down and worrying about ranks. It's a different crowd. Having the Sims crowd over there is kind of like having the sewing circle gather at a Hell's Angels biker bar. We're really out of our element.🤣
@haneul Thank you, that is exactly the post I was trying to find. I'm sure I looked right at it a couple of times too.😁 So my memory was right (that doesn't happen often). Now I know which codes I need. The only thing I'm thinking about now is the image tags.
I want to see how much hassle it is. I don't think it'll be bad, and at least I won't have to sit out that entire time from the 12th until July whatever. It'll just mean I have to keep track of which copy gets which code and it will be a little slower since I have copy one code from Imgur then go back and get the other one before I close that image. I still don't think it will slow things down that much.
The xps being posted I think are by day? I know I have more than is showing publicly and I agree they don't need to be 'out' there. I hate point systems anyways. Most times it just means a person is popular and not that they are helpful in any way.
I dont need to see points to know when someone is being helpful or friendly or not. I wish they would just elimate them or keep them private for whatever reasons they have them for in the first place.
Some of the appropriate "champions" that have been chosen from here do not have the points etc that used to be required on the hg site. They earned that rank from here and by being helpful and oh so very nice to everyone.
"Every child matters. If we fail our children, we are bound to fail our present, our future, faith, cultures, and civilizations as well."
I'm with all of you about being able to customize our profile pictures
and even if I might get to keep my own profile due to the recent champion rank
I really wish to see everyone have access to the feature regardless of ranks
for one to be able to tell people apart as I have much better memory of pictures than usernames
but also because I take profile pictures as sort of art form
that immediately tells us things about poster that simple username wouldn't tell us
take @mcrudd for example
I might draw blank at username first
but profile picture immediately reminds me its the person with cool mods and baby onsies!
also I adore the forum tradition of changing our profile pictures to match holidays
or packs we are excited about or seasons we are in
these are all things that make the site feel like community
its gonna be so lonely if its just me jumping around the forums in reindeer hat 😢
This may have already been answered but I just want to get it clear in my head - if we have an ongoing story that would normally be posted to the forums, are we able to post anything between March and July? Or will there be a big gap when we can’t access either forum?
Comments
I think such quiz would be so funny
especially when one would get it wrong despite thinking they had it all right
same with some iconic comments like who said this dragon quote? * gasp* it isn't by Gordy?
🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
I hate to see this forum die. Problems and all it is still better than AHQ, but that said getting the hang of those forums is a matter of perseverance. I feel like I know how it works and I only have 11 posts over there. It isn't as natural as this place, but I've spent years here and less than a day there(3 hours maybe) and I already feel like I know how that forum works. It's not as good as what we have here, but having my forum friends and family around me is more important.,
I see other simmers from this forum over there who have custom profile pictures, so I know we'll all have them eventually. Most of them were granted special status because of their involvement here for so many years, but there are one or two who weren't granted that status who have custom profile pics so I know we'll all get there eventually. Sadly they're making us re-earn little perks like that and signatures even though we've already done so on an EA sanctioned forum. That means it's going to be chaos for a few days until everyone gains enough XP and posts to regain those perks they have here.
The biggest issue is the floor to earn those perks is really, really high. I've started posting a little over there and I have 11 posts and 33 points and I still can't have my own profile pic. I would have had one here already with those totals so I have no idea when you get one over there. There are 6 or 7 member levels, I'm an Apprentice(lvl 3 member rank with two of five stars) so it's baffling to me that I still can't do anything at all to personalize my posts. I will say it's probably not a big deal in the end because the most active sub-forum over there only has five threads that have any activity in the last 24 hours. Once we all migrate over and bring our level of involvement we'll level up pretty fast. I mean that place is dead, dead, dead. The most active sub-forum has less posts in the last 24 hours than most single threads here have in the same time. And most of that activity over there is by members from here who've gotten a head start on learning how those forums work.
Hang in there and hopefully EA brass will eventually realize that this community deserves another stand alone forum. The Sims isn't an average game and we as a community aren't average gamer bros and we deserve another place like this one that's only about The Sims, just more up to date.😁
I really hope they let everyone at least have custom avatars at the new forums cause it's so hard to distinguish between users when they all have the same avatar.
Sometimes I start helping someone and then someone else comes in with the same avatar and it takes me a while to realize they are not the same person cause I just look at the avatar and not at the user name
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
AHQ Tutorial
This migration is independent of the AHQ forums.
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/18351956/#Comment_18351956
Gives you a bit of an overview of the features AHQ has and what goes into which forums.
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
AHQ Tutorial
Thank God. I mean, AHQ isn't impossible to learn, I did it in only a couple of hours and I'm technologically impaired. but...
That would have been a really high floor. Needing to reach level four member status to earn those little, but oh so valuable perks is...well...unreasonable. I think the current forum guidelines are just about perfect to weed out spam accounts but allow a full level of engagement to new members as early as possible.
@simgirl1010 @crinrict @EA_Cade I'm happy to see that AHQ is only a temporary stop on the way to our new home and I apologize for any posts I've made that may have created the impression that it was anything other than that.
It's just how AHQ came to be as a players helping players platform. Now that we're being all combined, I really hope they re-evaluate those rules but personally I also hope that they don't allow flashy/overly large signatures. I have them turned off here cause they give me issues.
So something between everything and nothing would be good.
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
AHQ Tutorial
Profile pics are more important than signatures. My signature is only about giving members any easier way to access that one particular story. Profile pictures are such a personal form of expression and a small, yet huge, gesture to the community because, as you said earlier, it makes finding a member so much easier.
I'm not seeing it clearly stated that the new Sims Forum is NOT on AHQ, but if that's the case then great. Then I'm not sure what all the flap was about syncing user names, emails, etc. between this site and AHQ. Guess I can go back to ignoring AHQ, if I somehow lose everything in my case not much was really lost.
This was in the original post by EA CADE If you have an AHQ account, you will be able to use it on EA forums when the new site goes live.
Agreed! And not just because they're personal. Like Crin said, they help with recognition of who you're talking to. It really is easy to get confused by all the duplicated avatars at AHQ (which I wouldn't have noticed before starting to do some support there, but it's a real thing). We'd be better with *no* avatars than a limited selection to pick from.
The syncing of the emails with AHQ is required to transfer pre-October-2022 threads you started here to the new non-AHQ site, which seems likely from that to be using the same login as AHQ.
I've mostly been a lurker, writing and publishing my own stories, sometimes popping up in threads to help out, then vanishing again, ... But I made multiple friends at this forum and I will forever be thankful for that. Of course I hope these friends will hop to the new forums with me. I'm not really scared of changes. I'm actually looking forward to what's coming. Yes, it's the end of an era, but I'll keep the memories in my heart forever, and embrace this new chapter.
Thank you all for sharing the love of the Sims 4 Forum, may this continue forward for eternity
@simgirl1010 I'm very relieved to read that AHQ is only a temporary stage before a new Forum. I hope the developers will use some of the bad and good experiences from the current Forum as a foundation for what is to come.
@crinrict I'm glad you support custom avatars.
Regarding personal signatures, I would like to say that I see them as a creative business card that makes me curious to investigate more about what a person contributes. I orient myself primarily visually more than with words. For me, The Sims is a game that speaks to my creativity and urge to create. I will therefore really miss them.
I understand your resistance to flashing banners, but I think an option to opt out of banners in the settings would represent the best of both worlds.
I'm asking because I have an idea for how to keep posting chapters on my story thread here after March 12th. I make copies of those before I ever post on here anyway, so from 3-12 on I want to make one copy with BBCode tags for the screenshots here, but another copy where I insert the HTML codes instead so that I can just copy and paste the content that won't be coming along back in once we're moved.
@MonaSolstraale The ranking thing reminded me of something else over there that I think most people would say we don't need is posting a list of who's racking up the most XP right out in the open. That can mess with people who have battles with self esteem issues. I don't have a problem with the forums tracking points and that. I don't mind them posting those numbers, but the way it's done on here is the only way it should be done if you're going to do that, it's hidden away and you can't see it unless you go looking and clicking. It's very hard to accidentally see it, but over there if you're on a sub-forum main page you can't miss it. It's in your face. I have days where my depression kicks in and seeing something like would have the very real possibility of breaking me. No doubt I'm far from the only one that deals with mental health issues, and has days where we aren't ok. I will take this moment to respectfully ask that something like points trackers are kept behind a wall. Nothing against those who want to look, but to promote a fun and welcoming environment let those who want to see that information make one or two extra clicks to get there. It will spare someone who isn't ok from becoming even more not ok.
It is nice that here you're a new member or a member. AHQ really isn't setup for this kind of community. Like our game, as simmers we're just wired differently. I can't speak to how it was, I've been a member here since 2015, but I didn't start being active until basically this time two years ago. I've heard it mentioned a time or two that it was kind of different, competitive, combative, and the like. It's hard to imagine this place being like that but we all change over time. I know guys that I work with that are gamers and they thrive on that kind of thing. They love cutting each other down and worrying about ranks. It's a different crowd. Having the Sims crowd over there is kind of like having the sewing circle gather at a Hell's Angels biker bar. We're really out of our element.🤣
@haneul Thank you, that is exactly the post I was trying to find. I'm sure I looked right at it a couple of times too.😁 So my memory was right (that doesn't happen often). Now I know which codes I need. The only thing I'm thinking about now is the image tags.
I want to see how much hassle it is. I don't think it'll be bad, and at least I won't have to sit out that entire time from the 12th until July whatever. It'll just mean I have to keep track of which copy gets which code and it will be a little slower since I have copy one code from Imgur then go back and get the other one before I close that image. I still don't think it will slow things down that much.
I dont need to see points to know when someone is being helpful or friendly or not. I wish they would just elimate them or keep them private for whatever reasons they have them for in the first place.
Some of the appropriate "champions" that have been chosen from here do not have the points etc that used to be required on the hg site. They earned that rank from here and by being helpful and oh so very nice to everyone.
AHQ Champion
and even if I might get to keep my own profile due to the recent champion rank
I really wish to see everyone have access to the feature regardless of ranks
for one to be able to tell people apart as I have much better memory of pictures than usernames
but also because I take profile pictures as sort of art form
that immediately tells us things about poster that simple username wouldn't tell us
take @mcrudd for example
I might draw blank at username first
but profile picture immediately reminds me its the person with cool mods and baby onsies!
also I adore the forum tradition of changing our profile pictures to match holidays
or packs we are excited about or seasons we are in
these are all things that make the site feel like community
its gonna be so lonely if its just me jumping around the forums in reindeer hat 😢
🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
Sim Legacy Site
Brindleton Family Tree
Star Wars Family Tree
but whatever is posted during the time will not be transferred/copied to new forum
think of it as the thread was transferred march 12
so any changes made after will not be applied to it
🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
Only what has been posted before March 12th will be migrated over.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase