Hi All,

In our regular examination of the way the site functions and the services that we offer to members and guests, along with the server and vBulletin backend, we have decided to make the following changes to the download view:

• Changing the Rating meanings so they are more indicative of the quality of the download

  
  The vast majority of downloads on MTS2 are rated 5 stars, and due to the prominance of the Ratings box, this is bound to increase. We would like to remind people to only rate 5 stars if the item or download in question is Spectacular, and to that end we have changed the text of the Ratings box to better reflect quality grades.
  

• Changing the default thread view to not show comments

  
  The vast majority of pages viewed on MTS2 are actually the download threads themselves, and the Comments (Replies) section generates the most bandwidth and uses up the most server resources out of the entire site. We figure that the vast majority of people are here for the downloads, and are too quick to comment with "Thanks!" when they could just as easily be using the Thanks button and the Ratings box. To that end we have decided that on initial thread view, unless specified otherwise, the comments will be hidden. To access them you must click the View Comments box.
  

• Ratings are now added to the download listing pages
• The list of who thanked that thread is now only available to thread creators - this saves a whole heap of HTML being generated that nobody but the thread creator is interested in anyway!
• The "Click here to thank.." link now disappears when the user has already thanked, just like the actual button did.

With regards to point 2 above, we realise that regular members of the site and thread creators will want to see comments enabled on thier threads. Thread creators will automatically see all comments for threads they own, but for other regular members who want to see this without having to click, do the following:

- Click User Tools -> Edit Options



- Tick the box marked "Always show comments"



That will enable the comment view for all download threads.

We hope that these changes (especially the comments one) will increase the response of the site and we hope you understand why we have made them.

Regards,
Delphy

i was wondering "why all the downtime" and when i did get access, i noticed that no comments were showing... Brilliant idea!!
. I'm still on dial-up, so it takes a really long time for a thread to load on my computer because of all the little comments.
Thank you so much for streamlining the modding process for us fans. :-D

I usually comment on everything that I like. (And that's a LOT!) So I will not be hiding the comments, as I also like to see what others have to say about something. But, good idea, Delphy, as it will help you and MTS2 in the long run!

Oh, and I also like it that you made a "thank and rate" button. Now I won't have to click twice anymore!

i have a question or 2.why when i come in and i get server busy? and the same goes for when i want to down. so why is it? i always use the thank button too. unless i forget and i sometimes make a nice comment. but not all of the time.

Quite happy to see the thanks option disappear after use.

Thanks ...

That's a very efficient idea. :salute:

Y'all are so on top of things here and always thinking of how to make things so much more user friendly. I thank you so much for that and for all that you do to make this forum such a great place to be.

I think a better approach would have been to make the replies the creator posted before any other user interrupted visible, too, as most community projects are multi-post releases. However, I think the checks required for that are not only hard to code, but also put more strain on the servers.

I think it is a fair idea, but I almost always read through all the comments before I download, sometimes if there's sometyhing wrong with it, it can be corrected in another thread by the creator, so I'll keep the comments on. But for downloaders only, or people that can't even read the creator's post and ask questions or moan and complain, this should help them focus

I only read the posts when I am interested in downloading something. Most of the time I just like to take a quick (closeup) look at a new object or clothing, and then move on. So this new system of not automatically seeing the threads is working good for me.
Nice work Big D

Honestly, I'd be surprised to see if anything is rated under a 3 for two reasons:
1. We're such a tight-knit community here and everyone is great at not wanting to discourage anyone (which is awesome with a board this size!) 2. I can't speak for anyone else, but unless I want something in my game, I normally don't go into the thread. So if I see something that I might rate a 2 or even a 1 star, I normally wouldn't even click the title.

I love that you put the Thanks and the vote button together. Now that it's so easy, I've been trying to do it everytime I download. I wish there were a button I could press that would take me back to the same page I was on in the download section. After pressing Thank and Vote, I have to click my back button several times to get back to where I was. Hmmmmmmmm.... that sounds incredibly lazy now that I reread it. Oh well.

Signing off as -

The Incredibly Lazy One :snore:

good idea to remove the thanks button once clicked
i am such an idiot i sometimes forget if i've done and click it again

great improvements all round....it's saturday afternoon and no probs with the site at all
thanks for the hard work

Thank you guys for your updates. This is quite a spectacular site and I appreciate all of the work and effort that goes into it.

Actually sounds pretty good to me. Except, I know people do post problems/solutions in "comments" especially in the "Testers Wanted" threads. I think not showing the comments (atleast for those types of threads) may end up leading to problems.

I like this new system- the site is running a lot faster for myself now. Cheers delphy

I haven't got a single "Server too busy" message since this was implimented. Thanks Delphy!

Hey I was wondering would avtar uploads be affected by this? Because for like the past week I click on the change avtar button in my CP and it says avtar uploading is currenty disabled?

Edit: I still cant change my avvie???

I think these changes are a great idea. Anything to help the site run better and save bandwidth is going to benefit in the long run.

As for thread creators who address problems further along in the thread, perhaps the option for them to make those additions to the thread show up for everyone would be a solution? I don't know if that's even possible, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Slythief, that's a totally seperate issue re: Avatars, and nothing to do with this thread whatsoever. They'll be re-enabled soon enough.

ok sry was just wondering...

I like it!

I can only speak for myself when I say that the "thanks" button is enough for me. I don't look at creators' ratings (including my own) because I feel that everybody will have a different opinion on our creations (and that everybody will rate according to their individual tastes). I also don't rate creations until I've seen them in my game first.

Before I download objects, lots or any kind of global mods, I'll look at the comments to see if there is a problem and, if so, if the problem is resolved. Otherwise, I don't worry about it.

Although I really do appreciate the kind compliments, I can do without them if it helps saves on bandwidth and am (again) very happy with the thanks button alone. However, if something I made causes problems or isn't done correctly, then I do want to know about it either in the thread itself or in a PM.

awesome guys, hopefully this will increase the load times a bit, great idea!

good idea, esp. since we have the option of activating comments automatically for ourselves, if we so wish.

However, right now, none of the DLs (careers) are working? Is it temporary, is it me or is it a glitch?

As a creator, I like to read the feedback and comments I get. It's part of the "feel-good" factor that makes me want to create; since I don't agree with charging money for these sorts of game addons, the reward is the pleasure I get from seeing that others around the world are enjoying my creations. I also like to know if someone has comments or feedback on how I can improve my work, this is also important.

I agree with the comment hiding, though, if anyone wants to read them it's just one more click. I've had a few "server busy" messages lately and anything that improves the site's throughput is most welcome! Mate, this site must have a HUGE membership for such a load to be thrown on the servers!

You know we all appreciate all of your hard work. The new changes are great, so give yourselves a pat on the back!