Okay @FruUtter you know I love and respect you so I hope you can understand when I say I respectfully disagree with some of the points you are trying to make here. Yes, I do see how once someone's creation whether they have a big or small following will do impressively better regarding downloads/likes and gaining new followers. I have seen the system work for 2 of my creations but only barely and only when they finally earned enough downloads to get into the popular now section in the first place. I have found it so far in my personal case impossible even with a great sim creation to reach the amazingly high download totals you have been earning in this new system. I know it is not impossible clearly since you are reaching these huge numbers now but I will adamantly say the new system has made it overall harder for the majority of creators for all the reasons that have already been stated.
I do make my sims according to what I know the gallery likes and also I happen to love styling them for the gallery. This new system has made it much harder to receive the initial downloads to reach the popular now page. In the old system I would upload something and within the first few hours could realistically expect 50-100 downloads and sometimes more depending on the gallery variables like the number of people on line, titles, hashtags and followers likes. The biggest change I have noticed is in initial upload as I have already stated. I am waaaay under my typical mark for each upload and this is exactly what most of the gallery is experiencing right now in the new system. Especially new creators and great creators trying to be seen but have a lower following. You are speaking only regarding your personal experience and all of your personal variables that you feel are working for you. Those same variables are not working for me and it seems they are not working for most of us now.
I am happy for you and your love for this new gallery system. I agree about loving some of the changes as well and yes more patience to really live and breathe this new system is needed. I have that in spades ;) The biggest point we all should agree on is simply this ~ If the gallery popular now default remains as it is now (even if it doesn't) then EA/Maxis has the responsibility to immediately make the change to fix the method some simmers are using to cheat on download totals. That is unfair and even if only 100 simmers are doing it out of the pool of thousands all of their creations will take up all the spots available in the handful of lines that the gallery actually shows us now on the popular now section.
No one should have the ability to self download and make themselves more important than every other creator putting time, love, imagination and respect into their creations and the people here in the gallery. That is the problem, period. @FruUtter you know you are sharing the top of the popular now section with known self downloaders. Please acknowledge that at least and since that is the case just comparing you and this other known self downloading creator there is currently a 50/50 ratio of honest creators and self downloaders in the popular now. Yes, I know stats don't work that way .. I am trying to get the point across .. to me personally even 1 self downloader is too much to share the gallery with and now is the time we need to speak up since they are actively trying to make the gallery better. Thanks again for reading and caring everyone <3
