Imageshare Showcases/Story work

[wolfgrimdark]

I think Shelley might have been more referring to what about an image's composition they thought was good/bad as she was agreeing with Marmotte who was talking about constructive criticism. I.e. I liked the shadows in the background and the way the angle by the tree was used but didn't think the purple color tint worked very well in this shot. Plus if you don't like an image you simply don't endorse it or comment - that pretty much is all you need to express actual dislike.

[wolfgrimdark]

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Great shots, in fact better then most on the top images but they had two favs, why, they were unknown, new, shy, maybe a bit of a loner but they wanted to show off their game, their char who in their eyes is as beautiful as we think our are. They wanted someone, maybe just one person to say "omg what amazing eyes" or " Oh now that armor is perfect on her." "can really see him riding though the forest in that" words of kindness, to show them that what they saw is saw by others. Main reason I do not post often here anymore and those who know me know I used to post daily but I saw what had once been a great idea fall in the pit.

 

...

 

 

Well said Shelley and what I was trying to get at in some of my earlier posts but didn't express it as well. While it is hard to know what always motivate people I like to think most people post because they want to share their enjoyment of the game. I am sure some post for their ego's or shock value or what not but I think most do it for fun or as a way of creating art. Like you said we all love our own characters and world we make and do like to share it. Also many people like to high light a cool mod or ENB preset or some feature of the game. Many positive reasons for sharing an image.

 

Think I mentioned in past posts I am fine with removing top images myself and using endorsements and comments as a way to get feedback on images. But I also do like some of the other ideas suggested here by folks. The very detailed overhaul of the image share seemed pretty cool with possibilities. I like the idea of some random generation as well as limits on how often a post could be made or how many images by one person can exist at a time.

 

It is good to see people thinking about things, in a mostly positive way, to help improve the image share. As noted Skyrim tends to be the main problem but I noticed recently it is also creeping into FO4. It is just the way it is and people get there for different reasons. Quality can be defined in some limited ways but is still subjective as is beauty. To me that is a key point and I admit I am not overly fond of some of the ... well almost elite attitude towards art and quality as if only "real" artistic stuff should be in top images.

 

I prefer to just assume most folks just want to share their work - get some support, comments, and know others see a little bit of what they see in their world and characters that gives them pleasure.

 

As I also stated I do think people get way too worked up over this. It is an image share for a game not some real life crisis. Relax and just have some fun. While I think it would be great to improve the system I also think putting less emphasis on TI is also a smart thing to do.

 

For me the ideal situation is some way to highlight posts as a way of encouraging people to share and help people see some things they might not. Skyrim in particular gets a lot of images uploaded daily. Hard to keep up with that. Further I don't want to just look at random stuff every day. I have people whose work I really enjoy seeing. I have stories I like to read and don't want to miss new chapters. I also have friends I have shared many memories with of Skyrim and enjoy commenting back and forth on their posts as I have come to know their characters and personality.

[JimboUK]

I think Shelley might have been more referring to what about an image's composition they thought was good/bad as she was agreeing with Marmotte who was talking about constructive criticism. I.e. I liked the shadows in the background and the way the angle by the tree was used but didn't think the purple color tint worked very well in this shot. Plus if you don't like an image you simply don't endorse it or comment - that pretty much is all you need to express actual dislike.

 

You can give constructive criticism without saying you dislike something, in fact it's something you should actively avoid when giving constructive criticism, you should always try and stay positive.

 

"That's not bad but I think it can improved by (insert framing, composition, lighting advice here)" is positive.

"I don't like this because you haven't (insert framing, composition, lighting advice here)" is negative.

 

The post I replied to mentioned constructive criticism separate from saying that you don't like something, that's why I responded in the way I did.

 

On top images I think people need to be careful, what might work for the Skyrim imageshare could cause problems elsewhere, look at Fallout 3 http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/images/top/? it's looks like I'm spamming and keeping people out, the fact is I up one a day there at most and if you scroll down you can see the last of the top images has no endorsements at all (at the time of this post obviously), take all but one of my images away and do the same to others with more than one image in there and you'll be left with a bunch of top images that no one has even endorsed, either that or a half empty top images section. The more I think about it the more I think things should be left alone, I certainly don't think we should messing other sites up to take care of one dysfunctional imageshare and it just that one, Fallout 4's top images has 18 different authors at the moment, that's even better than New Vegas which is a much quieter site with 16 different authors.

[tetrodoxin]

Personally, I wouldn't miss Top Images alltogether if they'd be removed. But then again, I don't really mind them staying.

For people with less time or that simply aren't willing to browse through tons of pages, it >could< be a convenient way to check out a variety of well-received images from as many different uploaders as possible.

I used to frequent the image share, but I simply don't have the time anymore. So what I do (or rather did) from time to time is go to the top images and put people temporarily on my block list, simply to see a greater variety of images instead of the same stuff over and over again.

Not meant to be rude in any way, but it's simply the best way that works for me. That method is of course anything but convenient, frequently "abusing" the block system like that is a pain in the ass.

 

My suggestion for the TI area would still allow people to have multiple entries, but encourage them more to pack them into a single post, while making the process of doing that easier at the same time. Multiple entries would simply fade much faster.

Tagging would allow people to find the stuff they want to see much easier (like written content and stories). I know that there are filters in the current system... but who ever uses them? Imagine the Top Image section would also use these tags.

You could simply check current top 30 story posts, top 30 mod showcases, wallpapers, and so on.

 

Now, on constructive criticism: The past few years showed me that even a contructive post with the best intentions and fair criticism can and will be taken wrong by some people, so users have gotten really careful with that. Nexus feels like a "Safe Space" currently.

I think the main issue here is that we have two types of people: The ones that upload "just for fun", and the ones that take it more "seriously" (if not too serious sometimes). Now, issue sounds probably too harsh, as it just is how it is, and I can only speak for myself.

As much as people need to accept that some (or rather: the majority) are uploading "just for fun", we need to accept that others will invest more time/effort/energy into this and eventually take it more "seriously" compared to others. Maybe that's just their way of having fun?

 

The terminology "fun" and "serious" is a bit off here, as fun is subjective. My way of having fun with this is pushing my system/hardware and get the highest quality renderings I can make from this sloppy, old engine with downsampling (sometimes with insane resolutions), ini edits, external tools, shader adjustements and other crap.

Some people might call this a waste of time, but it's what I enjoy doing - and that is also what I like to endorse. It's content I enjoy. I am fascinated by people who can make Skyrim look like a 2016 game as I see myself failing more often than succeeding on doing that.

I appreciate every comment I get (Nexus in the past, now flickr/tumblr), but I must say that if someone tells me stuff like "yo, your shadows are blocky, might wanna try this and that" - that person is probably on the same page as me, and I will probably end up talking to that person a lot more.

 

At the same time, I realize that others enjoy the game in a different way - be it a way of expressing creative storytelling, showcasing a mod or simply enjoy sharing game experiences.

The only things I really dislike are clickbait and abusing a system that is flawed. But sadly, that's basically what Nexus is these days.

 

Might sound a bit weird of me talking like that since I basically stopped posting here quite a while ago for upload-size reasons (1.4mb per image ain't enuff!), but I kept reading and talking to people.

[Lisnpuppy]

You are right, that the system is..well not flawed but subject to abuse. The moderation staff does a bang-up job taking care of many issues including the worst of this. There have been more than one person (which is unbelievable to me) of members that have created (and their friends have created) accounts just to endorse the pictures. There are cliques of folks that endorse pics regardless of what they are, just due to their friendship with someone.

 

And yeah you want to help your friends and there isn't a rule about that. It just sometimes smacks of high school to see the same people, with the same boring type pics, with so many endorsements from the same people come piling on in 2 min of the thing being uploaded. It makes those that perhaps upload for fun, or that would in fact maybe wish to explore the more artistic side of things, to get very disheartened at the entire process.

 

It is difficult to get folks to have constructive criticism in the mod file threads much less images which many would find "less important" (and I am not saying they are just that they would be perceived to be by some) and therefore easy marks for their vitriol. Seeing those that take such things seriously often waves the red flag in front of the trolls faces.

 

Other than dumping the entire endorse system I'm not sure how to solve it. For sure it was discussed often and in great deal with I moderated. There is no easy answer or solution as, you can see from this thread, there are many valid opinions and concerns.

 

Perhaps one thing we could do is have those that get on the top images, have to pick some other image from a uploader that has never been on the top images to showcase someone else's work too (if they don't then they don't get to be on the top images for a time). Someone that they enjoyed so that other folks can begin getting recognized and appreciated. Funny, serious, game movement or a set up official screen archer shot. Yes I realize that this can also be abused but it could be more easily caught (I believe) and if there is any funny business then the Top Image author gets a temp ban from the image section.

 

Maybe you say, hey mod authors don't have to do this-and you are right. But we have been working hard to find different ways to recognize more and different mods than just those on the hot files lists.

 

I am just throwing it out there since they are rebuilding things. Don't take it to heart. I am not here to argue this I just thought it would be a way to get these other folks going and a way to pay it forward, so to speak. Give you something to consider.

 

Have fun!

[JimboUK]

 

Might sound a bit weird of me talking like that since I basically stopped posting here quite a while ago for upload-size reasons (1.4mb per image ain't enuff!), but I kept reading and talking to people.

 

It's 2mb now, enough for most 1080p shots.

 

You are right, that the system is..well not flawed but subject to abuse. The moderation staff does a bang-up job taking care of many issues including the worst of this. There have been more than one person (which is unbelievable to me) of members that have created (and their friends have created) accounts just to endorse the pictures. There are cliques of folks that endorse pics regardless of what they are, just due to their friendship with someone.

 

And yeah you want to help your friends and there isn't a rule about that. It just sometimes smacks of high school to see the same people, with the same boring type pics, with so many endorsements from the same people come piling on in 2 min of the thing being uploaded. It makes those that perhaps upload for fun, or that would in fact maybe wish to explore the more artistic side of things, to get very disheartened at the entire process.

 

It is difficult to get folks to have constructive criticism in the mod file threads much less images which many would find "less important" (and I am not saying they are just that they would be perceived to be by some) and therefore easy marks for their vitriol. Seeing those that take such things seriously often waves the red flag in front of the trolls faces.

 

Other than dumping the entire endorse system I'm not sure how to solve it. For sure it was discussed often and in great deal with I moderated. There is no easy answer or solution as, you can see from this thread, there are many valid opinions and concerns.

 

Perhaps one thing we could do is have those that get on the top images, have to pick some other image from a uploader that has never been on the top images to showcase someone else's work too (if they don't then they don't get to be on the top images for a time). Someone that they enjoyed so that other folks can begin getting recognized and appreciated. Funny, serious, game movement or a set up official screen archer shot. Yes I realize that this can also be abused but it could be more easily caught (I believe) and if there is any funny business then the Top Image author gets a temp ban from the image section.

 

Maybe you say, hey mod authors don't have to do this-and you are right. But we have been working hard to find different ways to recognize more and different mods than just those on the hot files lists.

 

I am just throwing it out there since they are rebuilding things. Don't take it to heart. I am not here to argue this I just thought it would be a way to get these other folks going and a way to pay it forward, so to speak. Give you something to consider.

 

Have fun!

 

Endorsements are a social thing as well and don't think there's any way to change that, it happens on other sites too, Youtube, Facebook, Flickr, anywhere with a "like" feature. Maybe people should be encouraged to be more sociable? commenting, replying to comments and that sort of thing gets your name noticed, then that name will also be noticed when it's under an uploaded image.

[Lisnpuppy]

<snip>

Endorsements are a social thing as well and don't think there's any way to change that, it happens on other sites too, Youtube, Facebook, Flickr, anywhere with a "like" feature. Maybe people should be encouraged to be more sociable? commenting, replying to comments and that sort of thing gets your name noticed, then that name will also be noticed when it's under an uploaded image.

 

 

I sure don't disagree with that one iota. But you know from the mod author talk how hard that all is. I still would love to have a way to encourage more of these things. I brought up years ago about having some silly thing to encourage folks to participate more. Like be really helpful on a forum and someone can not only give you a kudos (which need to be moved back to the forum also as the are really hard to find IMO) but perhaps nominate someone as "member" of the month and they get like a funny graphic or their PM box bigger or their name is cool, glittery hot pink (*cough*). That kind of thing to just push the idea along and show people that maybe are not the one's whose names we see and love everyday but those that still are out there doing good things here.

 

My idea was to have those that are getting the attention and votes, who perhaps spend the most time working on these shots to participate back. Some perhaps could be willing to hold a little tutorial on screen archery, make a bit of a video like a Gopher thing. Show techniques of GIMP or Photoshop as used in these images.

 

And once these other pics begin being seen they get better, people notice them and hopefully like their work too, sending them to the top images where the process of them giving a nod to yet another image maker happens again.

 

I mean it could be any idea really I just like the idea of having something that keeps on rolling down.

[RatherWindy]

 

 

I think marmotte is so very right , it should be ok to have constructive comments, not rude, but why not be able to say what we like and dislike!!

 

 

 

Constructive criticism is allowed but few people understand what that is and I rarely see any in the imageshares, instead of helpful comments about lighting, composition and that sort of thing you get worthless opinions on the subject matter.

 

As for telling people that you dislike their image, why would you want to do that? like or dislike is purely subjective, "I like that" is a positive thing, it can encourage the author to do more, "I don't like that" is the opposite, it's negative and may well discourage some people. As someone with 2000+ images here I've been on the receiving end of just about every type of comment from the positive to the downright abusive and "I don't like this" is one of the most annoying, it tells me nothing. I don't care whether an individual likes something or not so why tell me? I'm not going to convince someone to like something that they don't like and I'm sure as hell am not going to change what I do to please one person so the comment serves no purpose.

 

I agree with Jim_UK . I see constructive criticism not very often. I've received it a few times but only after me asking for it specificely.

I will not tell someone their work is bad either for the same reason as given by Jim.

I know that the idea i had for categorie's is a rather silly one,.. but my point is that you should not take an existing way for granted but think about the value of it and does it really add that much that we need to keep it.

If so,.. i do think the ideas that Tetrodoxin had for reshaping them are very good and fair,..

 

I do agree with Marmotte and Shelly that the joy of sharing should be the leading thing , but that is true for every image site and is mostly human driven and hard to control.

It's people that create the "mood" on a site,.. not the rules,..

[tetrodoxin]

 

 

Might sound a bit weird of me talking like that since I basically stopped posting here quite a while ago for upload-size reasons (1.4mb per image ain't enuff!), but I kept reading and talking to people.

 

It's 2mb now, enough for most 1080p shots.

 

 

 

Are you sure? It still says 1.5 for image uploads, which translates in roughly 1.4mb filesize for me. As far as I know, only the file image size limit is 2MB.

Doesn't really matter anyway, as my pics are usually way beyond that :P

[JimboUK]

 

 

 

Might sound a bit weird of me talking like that since I basically stopped posting here quite a while ago for upload-size reasons (1.4mb per image ain't enuff!), but I kept reading and talking to people.

 

It's 2mb now, enough for most 1080p shots.

 

 

 

Are you sure? It still says 1.5 for image uploads, which translates in roughly 1.4mb filesize for me. As far as I know, only the file image size limit is 2MB.

Doesn't really matter anyway, as my pics are usually way beyond that :tongue:

 

 

Positive, I upload images just under the 2mb quite often, it's obviously not enough for my 9mb Saints Row or 10mb Morrowind jpg JPEGs :D