More Awesome Than You!

These are two totally separate questions, but I suspect that the first is easily answered, so I combine them here to save space. Yes, I know that the internet has plenty of space...

I run TS2, Uni, and NL with all patches.

1) When sims move in together after college, if I have them put their diplomas up on the wall, they always clone the first one to go up. i.e. Sally and Sorkie Sim move in together. I put both diplomas up, but thereafter they both read as Sally's diploma no matter what. Sorkie's diploma is gone for all time. I seem to remember there is a fix for this, right?

2) On the other hand, I'm pretty sure this second feature does not exist. I would love a tool that can bring up a quick list of everyone a currently-controlled sim has ever woohooed. When I'm pushing my Romance Sims up to 20 woohoos and beyond, it's a horrendous pain to cycle back through a lifetime of memories just so I can see whom they've already banged! Would this hack be of interest to anyone else?

Don't put two diplomas up in one session, and only for the selected sim. Select a sim, place his diploma, go back to live mode, select other sim, place his diploma. Don't place them both from the inventory at once, that will break it.

If your diplomas have been corrupted, you can shift-click the Lot Debugger to re-give your diploma, if it has gotten lost, eaten, or damaged.

I have such a tool.

It's called a spiralbound notebook.

It comes complete with a Papermate Widemate blue ink pen.  (Note: other pens may be substituted if you cannot find a Papermate Widemate blue ink pen, but your results may vary...)

Works wonders for tracking such things.  You must put forth the effort between the notebook and the pen.  *How* you do this is up to you.

The best part? You don't even have to have your game running to view it! And it's portable...take it with you anywhere you go!  Imagine comparing notes with others while waiting in line at the checkout! Have time to spare at the doctor's office? No problem, pull out your handy-dandy tracker and check in on your simmie's latest conquest! 

 ;)  ;)  ;)
Ivy *giggles*

Will do. That's an easy fix to remember.

As for Ivy's help, I can use that same helpful notebook to play every aspect of The Sims 2. I don't even need a computer! Wow!
You know what? We can even play the game outside! Together! Quick, you go first, and I'll be right there! No, really. I'm right behind you.

A slightly more tech version of Ivy's notebook is Sims2DB (http://www.sims2db.com/)

You can import a good deal of the data from SimPE.  Some data does need to be entered manually.  On the social tab you can manually add all the sims your sim has woohoo'd with.

I usually play my game in windowed mode with Sims2DB running in the background, and alt-tab to the database as needed.  I also print the household plan reports for handy reference.  There are many other reports available in the database.

That is serious gaming, my friend.  :o I would be accused of obsession if I did anything like that, and maybe a little worried about myself. I hasten to add that this is not an inference that you are off your trolley; I'm really impressed you are that dedicated.

I know it's not quite what you're asking for, but squinge has a hack on the insimenator forum to count things like number of woohoos that may be useful.

http://www.insimenator.net/showthread.php?t=7139

I freely admit I am off my trolley, so infer away ;)

Yeah I suppose I am an obsessive-compulsive simmer.  Before Pegasys wrote Sims2DB and shared it with us I had lots of notes about my sims all over my desk, overflowing onto my dressing table (which is adjacent to my desk), and often falling onto the floor.  Sims2DB = a neater desk for me.

Wasn't the diploma issue fixed in one of the early patches (like one of the university patches or something)?
I know I don't have that problem anymore.

Resin...apparently my humorous way to say "no, I wouldn't be interested because I already have something that works" was lost in translation on you.  A lot of folks do use notebooks to remember such items, and often simple things like that are overlooked, which is why I bothered to mention it.  It doesn't take that much effort to jot down a list of names, and it is quicker than scrolling thru your memories, which is what seemed to be bugging you the most. A 3x5 (or other-size) card file system would work as well, that way you could alphabatize your simmies and it would take up less space on your desk.  Both would require input and thus effort on your part which doesn't seem like anything you are interested in doing...fair enough, you don't seem that far obsessed with keeping track of your simmies like some of us are. 

As far as meeting you outside to play, sorry, I'm not allowed to play simmies with strangers :o (more humor if you hadn't guessed!)

Thanks Kyna for bringing up the Sims2DB.  It's on my to-do list as the next thing to get organized with! :D

:) :) :)
Ivy

Actually, I did think your response was funny. I also thought it was kind of jerky and had way too much potential to completely derail the discussion. I thought a similarly jerky (but funny!) response was appropriate. Sorry if you thought it was too much.

I generally don't mind writing things down while playing games, but keeping an active file on my desk seems a bit much, you know? Sims2DB sounds like a good solution, though.

Here...have some cajun buffalo jerky and we'll sit and eat it together :D

Then we'll get to know each other some more and maybe we'll get to go play simmies together ;)

(And a good thing came out of this...now you know about the Sims2DB...woohoo welcome to the DarkSide! hehehe)

:) :) :)
Ivy

Mmmm...jerky.

*Homer Simpson drooling sound*

Playing simmies is very good. Fighting over simmies is totally Jelenedra.

*frowns*

Anyways, thanks for pointing out the s2db. I'll use it...eventually... *cries over missing object*

*gives Jelenedra a cookie 'cause all the jerky got eaten already*

I don't know if the diploma thing was fixed or not...shows you how long it's been since I've actually tried to hang a diploma on the wall...lol.

:) :) :)
Ivy

Here's a hypothetical question:
If "a friend" of mine kept an excel document that had a worksheet for each of the little things that obsessive simmers obsess over, could "that friend" import most of the data into s2db?
Would "that friend" be off of her/his rocker?

*innocent blinking smile*
I said it was hypothetical, dammit!

Paper Mate? No no no no no. That will never do.

Other than that minor detail, though, I'm totally on board with becoming a more obsessive-compulsive simmer. Thanks for the encouragement and pointers! Switching to windowed mode may be just the ticket to get me finally using Sims2DB.

Hypothetically, I don't think "your friend" is off their rocker...sounds like fairly normal simming habits to me wanting to keep track of certain things and all...

I don't know if they can or not, since I don't use the program myself.  

It would however take a lot of the pain out of having to hand type in stats like names, ages, etc, since it can import it over from SimPE for you.  

I'd advise "your friend" to take a look-see at the forums there to see what information they can gather.  I bet they could find something there to make it worth their time!


Yay! More PaperMate Widemates for me!!!

:) :) :)
Ivy

I used to play RPGs and text adventures a lot, and those required a good deal of note-taking. I don't think I'd ever be so attached to a hood that I'd be taking detailed notes of sim's lives.  :P

*croi looks at the stacks of combat sheets, monster stats , and roll records falling on the floor on top of the litter of simmie names and histories, looks at the many many many gaming and char files on her computer, looks at her overflowing bookcases full of gaming books, and crawls back under her geeken rock*

Bah.

You people are making me all sad now.  While when I sit down to a computer game, I don't want to be bothered to need to take notes, since frankly, that's IMO, a lot of what the hell we have the 'interface' for in the first place.  It's supposed to be doing that stuff for me, so I can just relax and play.

I do however have binder upon notebook upon binder full of notes and records from my lost RPG days.  Tons of books from several systems I'll probably never have a chance to play again...  *sigh*

Growing up sucks, but what's far far worse is when all your friends somehow seemed to grow old instead, and just can't seem to find any time to play anymore.  :(

-Kitt

I like being an adult. I can play what I want, read what I want, watch what I want, wear what I want, and don't care any more what anyone will think. No more stupid hormones, no more Drama, and no more trying to "find myself"; the only person who gives permission to me is me. Growing up rocks.

Meh.

I had all that long before I was technically an adult.  Only now, I also have a whole ton of bills and responsibilities that means I don't have the time to go out and hang around game shops trying to meet people and get into a game group I feel at home with, where back in my teen years, that wouldn't have been any problem at all.

The point, which you seemed to have missed either by intent or by reading too deeply into what was only meant semi-seriously was that we all eventually have to grow up to some degree, but whether or not we grow old is really a matter of choice.  You can be any age and still enjoy sitting down to play (whatever it is you enjoy playing), but so few of us seem to really be able to hold onto that.

As a result, I no longer have friends who have time for or are interested in things like RPGs, which makes me sad.  Those days were good times, and I often miss them, even at my age.  :P

-Kitt

I think I got your point. I just disagreed with it ;D.

Seriously, I do feel bad for people who had actually good teenage years, because they seem to miss them. (Then there's the one freak I work with who misses middle school most of all.) Not that my teen years were especially bad -- but this is so much better. I know more people with my interests now, and I don't have to try to get along with people who annoy me unless I'm actually being paid for it. I don't really have less time now than I did as a teenager either, and I have more time than I did as a young 20-something, with none of it spent at loud, long parties I don't actually enjoy.

Anyhow, if you haven't already, try the internet to find people who want to play RPGs. If nothing else, you'll find some people who can play on IRC with you.

Now I must go play Disgaea and continue my large sketchbook full of notes on it ;).

Kitt, try

http://www.macrayskeep.com/ihtml/publicmenu.ihtml?main (http://www.macrayskeep.com/ihtml/publicmenu.ihtml?main)

I GM and play there, and I love it. It does require a paid membership for some of the cooler features, but not for basic play, and it satisfies my RPG needs very well.

Now, who could that friend be, I wonder? Surely not...nah...maybe... BUT definitely a tad on the obsessive, your "friend".  ;)

Yes, "my friend" is a tish obsessive and a skosh compulsive. Yes, "my friend" is a complete control freak about the sims in her/his game. ;)

I'm more of a complete control freak than your friends will ever be. My sims are born, live, and die without a moment of free will. I am such a control freak I have an entire command and control system to let me control them. It's not enough for me to merely control them, I have to also control the controls.

But I don't use no notepads.

I tend to be pretty obsessive about my Sims too, but not that much.  I find that if I stick to too many formulaic strategies, playing The Sims 2 becomes about as fun as playing Progress Quest (http://www.progressquest.com/).

I love progress quest!
"Fetch me porn golem loop!"

The puppet master doth speak... And I agree, notepads are for wusses.  ;D