🗳️ POLL: Help make this batter! -- First published on 12/1/2024.

I devote a lot of time to trying to figure this out. Help me, please! 😹

Tick a box!

Tick multiple boxes!

It's multiple choice! I didn't !@#$ it up this time!

And if you've got an idea that isn't covered by the poll, let me know in the comments or do it "privately" via Discord. My name is the same.

The poll includes some of the things I'm always considering.

⚡//⋆ PROGRESSION:

⚡ 5/29/2025 - SOME THINGS BE BUGGIN' ME...

I love my new two-line "RELEASE INFO" at the top of every post, but it's been getting unruly.

I've been adding little bits of what I consider to be important info to it, but it's not supposed to be that long!

So, here's what I've been thinking:

• A new section for "important info".

• A new "INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS" section so I can shorten my "RELEASE INFO" entry.

• I'm still toying with the idea of using a divider, but text-based dividers don't work well on Patreon and the problem with an image like the one featured in an earlier PROGRESSION entry is that it won't change color depending on your personal light/dark settings.

• I need to settle on formatting for "PROGRESSION" entries.

I know, short mod posts are "the goal", but there's so much that I think you need to know! Maybe I start doing "companion posts" for long posts?

Let's use "CAS Filters" as an example.

I could cut the main post down to just:

• RELINFO

• "SHORT" DESCRIPTION

• RELATED MODS

• PERSONAL REQUEST

• ADDRESSING CRITICISM - This stays in the mod-post. 🙉🙈🙊

• CONTAINS

Then dump everything else in a "companion post"?

I've been considering "companion posts" for a while. Technically, my big, dusty, CAS Overrides post is a "companion post" for my "CAS Overrides" mods and I've been thinking about doing "introduction to these mods" posts for each of my Collections.

I dunno... something has got to give. And the internet needs to work, catdammit!

⚡ 1/28/2025 - TAGS ARE ALMOST CLEANED UP!

I've retired my "PENDING" tag, but the Collection remains - https://..//911148?view=condensed

I think the only straggler remaining is an old "Bug Alert" post that needs an overhaul and to be absorbed into "BUGWATCH". It's a [FIXED] one though, so I'll get to it when I get to it.

This doesn't mean that all posts are properly tagged yet. Pack tags are a new thing and I've still gotta add them to some older posts.

I'm also changing "TS4 Rants" to "Creator Rants" for consistency. My rants aren't strictly about the game or the gameplay or the bugs, and I want to keep the "TS4" prefix for posts that concern mod/game-related stuff. I might regret this later if I ever decide to share non-TS4 mods here, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I also need to change the way I format my BUGWATCH posts to include a section for BUGFIXES and BAND-AIDS so they can be easily found, and i need to add links to the BUGWATCH sections of my Update Notice posts.

I need to overhaul a lot of posts with the current formatting, but I'm prioritizing the Neurodiversity SGFX Override posts and the Third-Party Neurodiversity Patch posts. I want to include a new section that identifies which works with which and how to mix and match. Hopefully this should happen in the coming days unless the internet !@#$s off completely. I might also do an All-in-One ARCHIVE for my Neurodiversity SGFX Overrides (not including DISMISS/PIN). I kinda don't want to because of those third-party conflicts. I also need a SGFX Overrides Collection separate from the SGFX "Neurodiversity Friendly" Collection.

⚡ 1/22/2025 - SAY GOODBYE TO...

I'm doing away with bold Header text and "RELEASE NOTES" text, however, with my internet skulled "💀", you should not* expect a mass overhaul anytime soon. I had a hell of a time today trying to get my Wearables™ Brows post updated 'cause the internet and Patreon decided to bug out the post.

The horizontal line works for posts like this, and it might help with my "Attack on Titan" post the next time I overhaul it. I don't see much use for it in my mod posts, but for things like "DIY", "Rocket Science" and "Rants", it might come in handy.

I spend a whole TEN (10) minutes (or less) on this thing. I'm VERY proud of my little line. Does it even show on white backgrounds? 😹

I'm adding a disclaimer to all of my "🔄 Compatibility" entries under my "RELEASE NOTES" - something, something, something, "check the pinned "Announcements" post if the update date listed doesn't match the current official update date". For now I want to hold onto my "RELEASE NOTES" as it is, but that's a ton of posts to update every time a patch drops, and I already have "in-line" compatibility in the "Announcements" list. I have little intention of doing "Mod Update" posts, but I like the idea of "Update Notifications" posts that discuss what's changed - to the best of my understanding anyway. I can even consider incorporating the "Mod Update" idea into a section in my "Update Notifications"... yeah, that's not a bad idea. All I'd have to do is copy the bulleted list as I update new stuff! Yeah! We can do that!

Oh right! I might add a new little section to the end of all my mod posts. I need links to the corresponding mod posts on other websites, and I don't want to bloat the "SENPAI" section. This isn't so much for you as it is for me to help me manage and overhaul easier. I have mods posted in a Creator Studio on the Sims4Studio wesbite and a few on Nexus Mods and I need to make sure everything is always updated at the same time. Linking myself around helps. Can't be criticizing other creators for this !@#$ while doing the same.

CTRL+Z, the keyboard shortcut to "undo" doesn't work on Patreon if CAPSLOCK is on. It's quite unusual.

⚡ 1/18/2025 - DO I WANT A HORIZONTAL LINE?

We need a horizontal line. I noticed another creator attaches an actual image of a line to the body of the post. I might copy the idea. I could just do a longer version of my old heading prefix and PNG it so it doesn't line break.

I pop in here every so often to check the poll. In hasn't changed in a while, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten why I did it in the first place.

Another overhaul is planned to bring all posts to heel under the newest layout, but fixing post formatting takes time, so don't expect it to happen overnight.

• I still have a lot of emojis, I know! Baby steps!

• I'm slowly doing away with text formatting where applicable. No bold text outside of the HEADING text and no underlines or italics anywhere. I'm considering purging bold formatting from RELEASE NOTES, and I've started purging it from NOTICE ME sections. If HEADING text was actually bigger than regular CAPS for Visitors, I'd purge it from there too.

• As I work through my old mods, my Tags will get cleaned up, and I've also introduced new pack tags that match the internal data, e.g. EP02_GetTogether and SP48_GothGalore - I'm considering making Collections for all of them but at the rate EAxis is going, it would mean damn near ONE HUNDRED (100) new Collections. I don't mind doing it if it's something we want. I intend for my CAS Overrides to eventually cover every pack, and now that I have a working solution for Bloat™... I'm not gonna fix errthang, but some of that Bloat™ needs to die. The problem with Tags is, they only seem to work for Members, whereas Collections work for Members and Visitors, and the goal is to make it as accessible as possible for everyone. I know not everyone has a Patreon account or wants a Patreon account, and some folks even despise Patreon, thanks in no small part to exploitative and toxic content creators... <SQUINTS> I'm the good kind of toxic! 😹

• Shorter posts... I'm still working on. I can't promise shorter posts but I'm trying to make the "intro" (the area from the title to the RELEASE NOTES) as concise as I can, so you don't really need to read past that if you don't want to.

• As for the fluff... YOU'LL NEVER BE FREE OF THE FLUFF! <CACKLES MANIACALLY> 🐑 #NeverSayNever

There were a couple more things but my brain needs a rest. TWENTY-SEVEN (27) posts and the hours it took to complete those SIXTY-EIGHT (68) wigs... <BLOWS RASPBERRY> They're not difficult to do, but it's a lot of tedious and repetitive clicking to do so many in succession. ONE THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO (1,632) clicks just to commit changes to every swatch (24 swatches x 68 wigs), which doesn't include fixing flags/tags. That's the reason I initially only did SIXTEEN (16) wigs back in 2024 when I actually wanted to do about this much.

F.Y.I. that ONE THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO (1,632) clicks is part of my PERFECTION™ process, it ain't actually "necessary", but I'm meticulous, and if I don't do it, it gon' bug me.

Oh yeah! Google Drive is getting TLC! Not everything on SFS is in the GDrive yet, but eventually it will be. I'm also considering duplicating my folder hierarchy in an "Outdated" folder in the root of the "The Sims 4" folder. I want to keep some old versions of mods available but I also want you to have the ability to download my entire GDrive using GDrive's "Download" feature without the extra "Outdated" bloat. Right now there are a couple "Outdated" sub-folders to keep things organized. The beauty of GDrive is I can rename and move my folders and my ARCHIVES without having to update any of the download links. With SFS, I can only move ARCHIVES around.

🙀//⋆ I'VE HAD MY FIRST FORMATTING COMPLAINT:

I can be very "toxic and off-putting, etc.", but y'all can tell me anything.

You won't get 🎙️ this nightmare I've become unless it's some irrational !@#$.

I'm totes a very pleasant person to converse with when I'm not being a royal !@#$. 😹

—

If you've been paying attention to my rambling you'll know I'm always concerned about the formatting and I'm always tweaking and reformatting my posts.

In case the author of the feedback reads this, I don't want you to think I'm upset at you in any way. I'm not irritated by the feedback, I'm irritated because of how much time Patreon is making me waste trying to navigate their half-arsed formatting. Also, I would not have shared a link to the feedback if your account was attached to it - thanks for doing it anonymously - because I know how badly that can go and I'm not going to pretend I don't understand how the internet works. I'm a toxic !@#$, but I'm not that kind of toxic !@#$. 🐱

I need to know what works for you as the audience. If something I'm doing with my formatting isn't working for you, I need to know so I can adjust. The extent to which my formatting needs to work for me is limited because I am not my audience, you are.

After responding to the feedback on Tumblr, I popped into Patreon's Discord and vented about their nonsensical design choices. Don't expect this to change anything. A bunch of us already sent feedback directly to Patreon concerning the recent formatting changes and they've done !@#$ all, which means they're likely not going to do !@#$ all, which means it's up to you and me to figure this !@#$ out:

I had my first formatting complaint - https://www.tumblr.com/sejianismodding/768632684114329600/ - so I'm here to vent, and yes, I did put all the blame on Patreon in my response.

First, why as the creator is my formatting not the same as a visitor's/member's formatting? Do you know how annoying it is having to figure out how to format my posts in a way that I can read it properly AND visitors/members can read it properly, independently of each other?

Second, why after so many years are our formatting options still so limited and why would you give me formatting options just to take it away shortly after? I totally forgot about the "Subheading" formatting, but I did use it once, here - https://www.patreon.com/posts/99833884 - though I've had to reformat that post since then because it went through at least two Patreon formatting changes and was completely bonkers.

You're making me spend more time trying to figure out and navigate your formatting and then RE-FORMATTING ALL OF MY POSTS MULTIPLE TIMES than the time I'm spending making content.

You're giving me anxiety because it's been at the back of mind ever since you changed the formatting again, "I need to figure out this formatting! Does this work? Does it make it more confusing? Are my posts getting too long? Do I need to split my 'mega-posts' into single posts?! I don't want to make 50+ posts for Drama Node Overrides! WHAT THE 🤬 AM I DOING HERE?!"

That's it, I'm done. "I just woke up. I have this thing where I need a few minutes to acclimate to my reality after I wake up. If within that time frame someone starts nagging me, my PATIENCE MOTIVE immediately drops to zero and I get real irritated... [...]", and the first thing I saw when I woke up was a complaint about formatting on Patreon, but I'm not going to respond to my "audience" with that irritability, because they're not the root cause of it.

My cat has come over for head-pats. Bye.

🃏//⋆ LAYING MY CARDS OUT:

I tweak and reformat as often as I do because I know something isn't right, I just don't know what it is. I'm okay with some of my formatting choices but overall I just want to torch everything. If I do a short "body" description, I could do away with most of my formatting frustration and I've considered it multiple times.

• 1️⃣ I truly don't know how to post things - that's not a joke - and it's exasperated by Patreon's limited formatting and their insistence on !@#$ing with that formatting. The only things I'm certain about is that I need proper "RELEASE NOTES" and a short and to-the-point opening "DESCRIPTION" 'cause !@#$ gets complicated when I start explaining, and yes, I know not everyone cares to know how !@#$ works.

• 2️⃣ I've been using lyrics as my "subheadings" following my return from 💀 no internet. I'm having a lot of fun with it but I don't intend on continuing it for very long. I made the statement "I have the perfect song for this... that I might have preferred to use Elsweyr." in my last content post because "Miss Negativity" is one of my "there's a song for me" songs (the other that has been used is "The Future") and I was considering ending the musical run with it in a different content post but now I've used it and I don't know what to do with myself. 😹

• 3️⃣ All of these ☠️🎁🔄⚔️🔗🌠🚀🎀🥀🌸⚙️ emojis is me overcompensating. The emojis are meant to break up the monotony of a wall of text and to ensure you see the bits that are really important. I have stripped them multiple times from "☠️ DOWNLOAD OPTIONS" and "🎉RELEASE NOTES", but I put them back in every time to ensure the important bits of info grab your attention. I'm not ever going to do the "well if they can't read it's their problem" because you didn't notice you have to download 🔗 XML INJECTOR or something else. I rather overcompensate than hand-wave the potential pitfalls. As someone who also helps other simmers troubleshoot their issues, I've seen a lot of instances of simmers just not realizing they had to download a third-party thing like XML INJECTOR simply because they skimmed over it or because it was placed poorly in the description.

• 4️⃣ I had to AFK and I've forgo... oh right! I started using 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ etc. emojis in my long notes like my most recent 🦄 note because of the recent change to formatting that completely !@#$ed up the way Bulleted Lists are shown on my end, but it appears that they look fine for - at least for - visitors! Whereas for me, everything just looks huge and spaced out as !@#$! Don't ask me, this was Patreon's doing!

This is what I see - everything looks bad to me from my side:

Compared to how it looks for visitors: