Quick Forum update & new games/features poll! [OBSOLETE]

[The_gh0stm4n]

So after helping Sim Architect testing one or two small things regarding a Minecraft server - we probably won't be using it for G4TW, though it does give us a first glance of what that new 1.14 update "feels like"...a new general update/commentary for you.




1) The Sims 4 Island Living - a true disappointment ?

Yes.  So it is summer, and after some initial speculations about The Sims 4 ("Island Living will be a ground-breaking DLC!!"), the excitement seems to have worn down pretty quickly. Just like with all of these Sims 4 DLC. In fact, it wore down much quicker than I myself actually anticipated.

On that end, many thanks again for your Support on our release! Starting with the people supporting our ads (as un-pleasant as it can be at times), the people helping out on these Forums, the people who have helped seeding this thing right from the start, and the people who keep up seeding in general. This download spread very quickly. 

Brief comment on the adverts: those of you who downloaded from the beginning noticed the "video" that was part of bypassing these ads. After consulting with Admin ~Ann~, we are going to remove these videos one week after the announcement. The videos will only be present in the download links for new releases.

Slightly off-topic, people have also messaged me, "wishing they lived near such beautiful beaches as in TS4 Island Living". Well, I've been on many "beautiful beaches". And back in the days it was already getting pretty crowded and dirty. Today it's even worse. Unless you pay for some very expensive tour leading you to some remote location, you're not likely going to see images from TS4 Island Living in real life.



2) Quick notice on the download links

So yes, to our surprise the original direct download for G4TW's Island Living repack has its bandwidth depleted in no time, and it seems that despite best efforts to point to the tutorial about importing the item to your own GoogleDrives, it seemed a lot of people were still unfamiliar with this general format. 

It goes to show, however, that ISP surveillance especially in the so-called "Five Eyes"-countries (and I'm not yet even including Anglo-American vasall states like Germany or France), has become almost ubiquitous. A very effective anti-piracy means, I must credit the Anglo-American administrations for that.

We will be trying to keep up posting GoogleDrive direct downloads, maybe use MediaFire & Uptobox as well, but nonetheless I'd still urge people to consider saving up for a good VPN service, so that you can torrent safely. Examples include in our opinion NordVPN, Windscribe, VPN.ac, ProtonVPN & Perfect privacy.

You probably also noticed that we have now removed .torrent files for additional stability, and so far everything's looking fine on that end.

We've also put some safeguards in place, to make it harder for these "piracy takedown bots", to scavenge these Forums and report the download links. Again, so far so effective.





3) New stuff

So with that being out of the way now, is there anything else you people would like to see? I've added a poll to this announcement with a few options; more options can be added depending on what you post in the comments below.

Back in the days I used to play lots of the old GTA titles, so I suppose I can "boast" of some knowledge in that game series. People also used to bug us about a GTA V release here, a prospect though, that I'm not too thrilled about. It's basically a download that likely would be large in size...for a singleplayer campaign that is not even that great in my opinion. When I myself start up GTA V on Steam, then I mostly log onto the "GTA Online" part, though nowadays not even that often anymore. Too many cheaters on PC, and overpowered rocket bikes to have any fun in the game.  

I was going to do more on the Indie Corner as well, when people at first started complaining (and I assume reporting) the old G4TW Facebook Page, in consequence of which the page was eventually banned/deleted. It's to be expected that if we use Twitter or that new Games4theworldclub-YouTube channel, they may bear the same fate.

But as stated in the above paragraphs, a lot of the riff-raff seems to have been overcome, and now we can do more stuff (hopefully)! So feel free to vote in the poll and/or comment below on what (else) you'd like to see here. Multiple choices are possible in that poll as well.

P.S. because it has come up on occasion, we don't really want to do movies or TV shows. Unless in isolated cases and specific to a gaming-related topic, we won't be dwelling in that area. These items attract too much heat.

[Guest]

Potentially Cities Skylines and the various dlc?? Or is that too troublesome to pull off due to steam workshop stuff and the whole community custom content element? Is there a way to publicly distribute the most popular and essential mods? Kinda how y'all handled TS4 Gallery.

[Freezer Bunny]

Cool idea! I suggest we leave this poll/topic open for a longer period of time!  

Voted for more Indie Games.

[The_gh0stm4n]

Potentially Cities Skylines and the various dlc?? Or is that too troublesome to pull off due to steam workshop stuff and the whole community custom content element? Is there a way to publicly distribute the most popular and essential mods? Kinda how y'all handled TS4 Gallery.

Thanks for the input!

Aren't most of these "Steam Workshop"-only mods? Meaning that you can only download them if you in fact own the game on Steam? Which I don't, but I know people who could help out on that end if needed.   Edit: also, it's not necessarily clear whether you can even use Steam workshop mods in cracked games. I tried it with the latest The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, and at least in that particular game, the workshop mods don't work with the cracked games.

City Skylines has been added to the poll!

[Freezer Bunny]

Also, why are the usernames under the topics in white color, when you browse the Forum (while not being logged on) ?

[The_gh0stm4n]

Also, why are the usernames under the topics in white color, when you browse the Forum (while not being logged on) ?

I found this here:
https://help.forumotion.com/t157691-information-username-not-clickable-for-guests-in-the-last-messages-column

A.k.a. apparently some weird "SEO"-related reason. 

Pretty much anything that comes from the Forum host nowadays is at best "meh". See e.g. their idea of so-called "Forum Clubs", which in my view is really nothing more than an attempt to create a Reddit-knockoff.

Better stop now, I'm always getting annoyed when the Forumotion comes up with "new ideas".

[Guest]

Aside from the Sims, I love the Assassin's Creed games

[The_gh0stm4n]

Aside from the Sims, I love the Assassin's Creed games

Just started playing the pirate-themed one ("Black Flag"), and finished the first small mission!   Thanks for the input, and I've added it to the poll!

[Guest]

You're welcome ! Black Flag is the first I've played and my favorite so far, even though I had a complaining computer, way too weak for the games so it was just freezing all the time. x) I'm currently playing Unity, because of Notre-Dame's catastrophe. I mean, th games was free x)

[The_gh0stm4n]

You're welcome ! Black Flag is the first I've played and my favorite so far, even though I had a complaining computer, way too weak for the games so it was just freezing all the time. x) I'm currently playing Unity, because of Notre-Dame's catastrophe. I mean, th games was free x)

Always wondered about the fact that they don't seem to have proper documentation about the cathedral. Then again, when was thing finished...in the 1300s or something? Back then they did not have the same way of documenting everything like they do in modern times with floor plans, blueprints, of course digital scans and plans too, etc.

Another problematic issue is, they may not have as many stone artisans and painters anymore today. Or whatever you need for (re-)building such a cathedral. I mean, who still does that nowadays? Everybody only wants to study things like computers, medicine, law,... goddamn  modern people! 

[Guest]

green hell http://www.greenhell-game.com/

[Guest]

You're welcome ! Black Flag is the first I've played and my favorite so far, even though I had a complaining computer, way too weak for the games so it was just freezing all the time. x) I'm currently playing Unity, because of Notre-Dame's catastrophe. I mean, th games was free x)

Always wondered about the fact that they don't seem to have proper documentation about the cathedral. Then again, when was thing finished...in the 1300s or something? Back then they did not have the same way of documenting everything like they do in modern times with floor plans, blueprints, of course digital scans and plans too, etc.

Another problematic issue is, they may not have as many stone artisans and painters anymore today. Or whatever you need for (re-)building such a cathedral. I mean, who still does that nowadays? Everybody only wants to study things like computers, medicine, law,... goddamn  modern people! 

Well since I'm studying architecture, I guess I'm not like everyone x)
I won't start with all the historical things because it can be annoying. I don't have the exact finish date of the cathedral but yeah, it was realised during the second part of the Middle Ages, then it was partially destroyed, and restored during the 19th Century by a guy named Eugène Viollet le Duc. Basically, he was the specialist of the gothic style, like totally crazy about it if you ask me, and he drew the new plans and everything. So yeah, maybe it's because I'm an architecture student, but the fire and the destruction of the cathedral didn't really affect me. I mean, we're all crying a remade version of the thing, so... But yeah ! I only know one place which is still under construction at the moment, using old building techniques, it's the castle of Guédelon. It's been years and I'm not sure that it's near to be finished. It's taking quite some time, and I don't think this time is available for rebuilding Notre Dame (our president seems quite eager to see it done...). Besides, we're all about pure and fast things nowadays, like concrete building, with white paint, a flat roof... Nothing too fancy, and nowhere near the level of details and technicity of the gothic style. That knowledge disapeared, and with it, all the techniques passed down from generations to generations of artisans. We couldn't redo it the same it was for sure.

So that was my I-love-my-studies' monologue xD

[Guest]

The Sims 4 has been a total disappointment in gameplay for its whole run but Island Living was just ridiculous. I'd love to have some other games I'd enjoy to play but I have a normal laptop, no graphics card or anything, so can't play most of the new games. Some indie stuff might be interesting though!

[Guest]

Maybe 'Just Cause' game instead? It's a better alternative to GTA, for me.

[The_gh0stm4n]

Alright, thanks for the feedback so far everybody! I shall be leaving this thread open, and stickied. In the meantime I will re-arrange some Forum sections (again)...


#mfga
#maketheforumgreatagain

[Freezer Bunny]

You're welcome ! Black Flag is the first I've played and my favorite so far, even though I had a complaining computer, way too weak for the games so it was just freezing all the time. x) I'm currently playing Unity, because of Notre-Dame's catastrophe. I mean, th games was free x)

Maybe the cathedral was deliberately set on fire by the French Intel Agencies, to draw attention away from these protests...       That aside, I liked the third Assassin's Creed, the one (I think?) about the American Revolutionary War.

[The_gh0stm4n]

Maybe the cathedral was deliberately set on fire by the French Intel Agencies, to draw attention away from these protests...       That aside, I liked the third Assassin's Creed, the one (I think?) about the American Revolutionary War.

No, no: the fire was a result of negligence on the side of some construction worker during the (previously) on-going renovations, and no doubt a very unlucky coincidence. Indeed.  

Never really played that franchise, apart from the very first Assassin's Creed, and the "Black Flag". Thanks for the input!

[Guest]

Definitely GTA.  

How about stuff like Wolfenstein or other shooters too?

[Guest]

Doesn't Sim Architect also have a Minecraft-server...? Why can't we use that one?

[The_gh0stm4n]

Definitely GTA.  

How about stuff like Wolfenstein or other shooters too?

Hello!

The newer Wolfenstein games are very large in filesize, and super hardware-hungry too. Very difficult to seed, demanding on the individual player's hardware, and too story-heavy. Sure, some people like that. We'll think about it I guess.

Some more variety on the G4TW gaming list could indeed be interesting, but the focus has traditionally been on The Sims. Other games have seen mixed results. G4TW's Zoo Tycoon 2 for example is very popular, but the Indie releases so far...not so much. But I'm positive that will happen over time as well.

I want to do a few 'violent' games as well, like the oldschool GTA games, though I want to keep the number of these games rather small. We strive to be at least somewhat family-friendly, and having too many of these violent games will attract a certain type of audience that I'm not willing to deal with. Mostly angry male kids, and the occasional "man-kid" with the same belligerent behavioral patterns.

Make no mistake: it just takes me less than two seconds to get rid of any user on here, minus ~Ann~ of course.   But you know, why create a welcoming environment for these people in the first place? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", or something like that. So the basic direction will be on The Sims for as long as it'll be running, more family-friendly simulation & Indie games, and the occasional violent game.

Doesn't Sim Architect also have a Minecraft-server...? Why can't we use that one?

Hello! Sim Architect indeed has a Minecraft server of his own, but he has made it clear that random players will not be able to build on the server, to prevent abuse on the built creations in the world. We respect Sim Architect's wish, notwithstanding the fact that we will come up with our own MC server at some point, and on which everybody can build.

This future G4TW Minecraft server will utilize "reactive moderation": everybody can build/destroy, but there will be protected areas as well. And in case of abuse, the logs will be checked, and further actions taken if needed. Sim Architect's server uses the "pro-active moderation" model: abuses are virtually ruled out right from the start, at the cost of limited usability for normal players in the server. 

I have played on Sim Architect's server once or twice, and I admit I am not too familiar on the exact technical details, so it's possible I may have gotten something wrong. I shall tag @Sim Architect, maybe he will respond to this post too. But to the best of my knowledge, the previous paragraph should pretty much describe Sim Architect's server.

Thanks (again) everybody for the input so far & keep it coming, if you like!

[Sim Architect]

Hi. Thanks for tagging me. Yes, the server is up and running. I got a nicer Minecraft host.

My approach is mostly proactive, but since I have a plugin that allows me to roll things back and also can do backup and other things I might be able to relax things a little if necessary.

I usually give enough permissions to people when they log on, register their password and contact me. It's just not open for people to build from the start without talking to me or a moderator first, so we can check if they agree with the peaceful intentions of my server (it's non PvP, the bad mobs are disabled,TNT and water won't destroy blocks and so on).

The Nether is a bit more flexible, since it is, after all, the Nether...

Things can be changed if and when necessary, of course, but the idea is to have a place that looks nice and is pleasant to go around and have a nice family friendly / peaceful time with other players who like to build and interact on a positive note.

During this week I have built more than 200 Km (200,000 blocks) of the South bound lane of the South highway, for example. I like building infrastructure like that, then players can enjoy it, maybe build things not too far from it, so their creations can be seen. I even like to build train stations and / or highway exits or smaller roads when I see something nice.

You are all welcome to hang out with me there whenever you feel like.

[The_gh0stm4n]

So...because it's a Sunday at the time of me writing this post, I decided to fire up my qBittorrent to check up on the "state" of the G4TW torrents as a whole. And it almost made me want to turn off qBittorrent again.

For starters there are those dysfunctional torrents in circulation that the old Admin released back then like that cracked Counter Strike: Source, or Battlefield Bad Company 2 (doesn't allow you to save your progress during the singleplayer campaign). Then some torrents have become obsolete like Camtasia Studio 8 (crack has been rendered obsolete due to new program updates). Then there's issues with re-seeding some of these bigger games like The Saboteur and Guitar Hero.

Makes me scratch my head as to whether it's feasible to do more than The Sims on here and some smaller Indie titles.

Yes, I'm aware that part of the difficulty is due to the fact that people hate these ads and prefer grabbing as much as they can from The PirateBay or that old G4TW website. Another explanation are those "changing times" and those warning letters if people download or seed anything through torrents. I'm also aware of those valiant and idealistic volunteers who - in spite of these odds - keep pushing, and who keep even the older G4TW titles alive. I've looked at some seedbox services, but as of right now I'm not too excited about any of these. We'll keep looking though. And I don't really want to start posting direct download links for these items, because despite of some counter-measures on our part, these direct downloads would just get taken down in the long term.

I'll leave this topic open for now, though I'll re-organize a few more things shortly. If there are people who feel disappointed now (however few), then I apologize to them. Then again we have to be realistic, and recognize the moment the odds are stacked against us too heavily. At least as far as those Non-Sims releases are concerned.

#insertsadtrombone

[Guest]

I have been really into project zomboid, and would love to see it here. Because you guys really keep up with updates and thats like all they do considering its been "early" for like 10 years  . LOL

[Guest]

Project zomboid is like a weird altenative sims 1 where the maps overrun by zombies

[The_gh0stm4n]

I have been really into project zomboid, and would love to see it here. Because you guys really keep up with updates and thats like all they do considering its been "early" for like 10 years  . LOL

Project zomboid is like a weird altenative sims 1 where the maps overrun by zombies

Welcome to the G4TW Forums @creolejelly and thanks for the message,  

I've never played it myself, though I think I watched a few videos about it. Hasn't that been "in early access", in like...forever??   But it's an Indie game, so it's catching my interest.

And most Indie games are also small in their download size, so they can be (re-)seeded very easily too.

Will note it down, and since Halloween is coming soon, I was trying to do something there as well...

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