What's your view on 'filesharing' on the Exchange.

[cheekylilgirl]

I had a look around and couldn't really find a thread with this sort of info, and am curious what are the 'pirates' views on filesharing of pay items on the exchange.   I personally have not done it as yet, but am surprised not to see more of it.

Does EA pander the complaints from sites regarding 'their prized pixels' being uploaded, do they scream theif and get their way.

Do you consider it a viable way to share items and or annoy these paysite owners.   I know it leaves most people open to being identified if they have a similar username and all or not, but I was wondering what the views here are on this.

[Lhop]

I see no problem with file sharing on the exchange, but I personally hate the exchange.  The only things I use it for are: uploading my legacy chapters, uploading my simself over and over because it gets culled all the time, and uploading specific legacy characters that readers of mine have requested me to upload.
It is so hard to navigate the exchange, a lot of the stuff that people put up there is total crap, stories included.  It is sort of the Community Receptacle.  Some good stuff ends up in there, I've read a lot of great stories, and I've downloaded some friend's simselves, and used to download houses, but besides that, I don't touch the exchange with a ten foot pole.
I stopped when I downloaded a house some lady made that had that mailbox hack in it.  I was very annoyed that a hack that I did not intentionally install got into my game from her houses.  It didn't even have that yellow exclamation thing next to it.  I am not one of those people who is scared of hacks, I have an assload of Awesome hacks (like 15 or so) and the InSimenator.  I also had the Kitten Killer, but haven't reinstalled it since I got the Seasons EP.
But in a nutshell, I think that if someone wants to share pay stuff on the Exchange, that's fine by me.  I don't care how you share it, if you wanna share pay stuff, do it.  I really don't care if they don't want their shit shared, because they are ripping people off.
I have put up sims with CC from the booty.  A lot of my legacy characters have at least one item from the booty.  And, one of my recent simselves had hair from the booty.  I changed it to a pink hairdo from XMSims, though, because I actually have pink hair, but I could only find hair that slightly resembled mine in red until I found that other hair.
I think it probably pisses off paysite owners if they find out their shit is on the Exchange, and I am sure they've complained, but I have never heard of someone's sim or house being taken down for using someone else's custom content, whether it is pay or free content.

[Marhis]

I don't see any problem in uploading stuff on the Exchange: it's exactly what it's meant for.

Any other site is, however, better organized, and way more pleasant both for uploads and downloads.

Anyway, I would bet whatever you want that the only reaction EA may have at alleged complaints by paysites might be a laugh, if they have some time to spare, at best.

[Ieliminate]

I think it's fine, paysites are illegal and I think it's funny that their precious artwork that they care so much about end up stuck on someones sim.

I don't like the exchange. I can never find the right meshes for the stuff and end up with a bunch of crap I don't want.

Wasn't there a change where meshes were included in uploads? If so, that kind of shows EA's stance on it.

[JFederated]

The Exchange is huge, a mess to navigate, and has been screwed up for years (people's creations are constantly credited to others).  I can't imagine going there to find specific pay items unless you know exactly what page(s) to go to, so I don't know why many creators are loathe to have their stuff to wind up there.  Don't worry!  We'll never find it!  

I think it's fair to give credit where it's due in the description (as it likely won't show up correctly in the parts listing anyway), so I'll do that, but I'm honestly sick of people trying to run my life in tiny, itchy ways.  You don't want your sim stuff uploaded elsewhere, then don't upload it in the first place.  Otherwise, chillax and appreciate the fact that people liked your stuff enough to use it in their games.  Be flattered, for crissakes, and stop stressing yourself out.

And yes, the Exchange went 'all your mesh are belong to us' around Pets, I think.

[Kitiara]

S'easy to find Peggy and Rose hair and clothes on there (if you really want them  :? ) just by using the search function.  People seem to upload the latest hairs as soon as they come out and even put 'Rose/Peggy donation hair' in the description.  I've put up sims with donation clothes and hair and they've been on my simpage for a coupla months now.

I think it happens more than people realise.  Yeah, if you're not actively looking for stuff, how would you ever spot it on there?

I might do some more redistributing, to help the cause  :wink:

[missangelica]

Why is file sharing in quotes?  Are you trying to be facetious?  Do you think it does not exist?  Do you think it should be called something else?  Same goes for the pirates quotage.

I don't like the exchange because whoever uploads it first gets the credit for it. However, some have suggested that paysites upload the files then delete them to still receive credit.  

The bandwidth problem is also solved by using EA's servers so people using that excuse nowadays is nonsensical.  (This is excluding mts2 and the like which they could also use.)

EA forcing meshes to be included in both lots and sims ever so subtly shows their want for CC to be available for everyone.  (Also, I think they were sick of the BBSers complaining about not having the mesh to make the CC work!)

So, I like the idea of the exchange and like that pay items are uploaded there.  There just needs some quality control and inevitably a lot of the paysite items would be deleted as a result because most of it is so bad!

[cheekylilgirl]

Why is file sharing in quotes?  Are you trying to be facetious?  Do you think it does not exist?  Do you think it should be called something else?  Same goes for the pirates quotage.

I added quotes I suppose to represent a tag or label, as loathe as I am to label things it is a term used negatively by some.   Definately not trying to be facetious.  Again pirates was used in a same way, as a cynical way of refering to a mindset.   What's one person's insult is another's battle cry.

[Clementyne]

I think the Exchange is like a giant box of free stuff set out in someones front lawn.  You have to sift through tons of crap to find a gem or two.
It is also EA's not so subtle way of defending their EULA.

[Plum]

Clementyne summed up the Exchange pretty nicely.  I like the place just fine, but it is a bit like going down to the local thrift store.

I don't think EA takes stuff down for "thievery" though, do they?  If they do, I haven't seen it, and it's a lost cause because you can get pretty much any Peggy or Rose hair at the least.

[darkling]

I used to only download from the Exchange before i discovered MTS2, and I was left with this pile of CC...and some of it's really nice. Trouble is, because stuff gets deleted so quickly, there's no way of tracing it back to its original creator.
It doesn't help that most of the Sim descriptions are something like,
"plzzz download and rate high no CC by me no meshe needed it worx fyne 4 me!11!!1", when something obviously needs a mesh. Or even worse, "all meshes from MTS2".

[Alphess]

I've never fully understood the problem some creators have with the exchange. Well, I get why paysiters object, but for me, I figure the biggest compliment is to see my stuff used. For free creators most of it seems to be an issue of getting credit for making whatever it is you've made. I've never thought that the CC I see on the exchange was made by the person who uploaded that certain sim or house, and I rarely see people trying to take credit for stuff they didn't make. Though they like to share it, I don't often see credit actively trying to be taken. My general policy is "Yes, please splatter my stuff all over the Exchange, so that I may be one day be famous."  :lol:

[cheekylilgirl]

double post

[cheekylilgirl]

My general policy is "Yes, please splatter my stuff all over the Exchange, so that I may be one day be famous."  :lol:

LOL, I like the healthy attitude in a policy like that.

Well, if I was to share anything on the Exchange apart from a self sim, it would be CC by paysites that have irritated me the most, or have been the rudest in their dealings with people.   Not sure if there would be any reprimand as a result of this though.

[chemistrycourtney]

i think loading things to the exchange is perfectly acceptable.  I load things to the exchange exclusively.  I'm kind of computer retarted, so i don't know how to upload sims to, well, anywhere, beyond out of bodyshop right to the sims2.com.  I can say that although I upload exclusively to the sims2.com, I don't download from there much anymore.  I used to, but I spend more time picking and choosing things off a sim that I want/don't want, like I like that shirt, but not the hair, makeup, eyes, skin, or pants.  I didn't know they've included the meshes now.  That's certainly handy, and would explain how I got some donation hair into my game that I didn't get from the booty.  

So If you have an item that's donation that you can attractively display on a sim, then I say display away.  Mention it came from the booty.  Say it's donation.  Tell the world it's free now, but it used to not be.    
My sims usually don't get culled.  They stay up until I delete them.  I know a lot of creators get very hyper about credit and the exchange, and maybe it's cause I've only seen one of my eyecolors and liners on another sim, but i don't care.  glad they liked it.    I'm getting rambly now, so I'm going to quit typing and push submit.