Database almost ready...

[knitro]

I'm definitely intrested, my lab notebook is a bit tedious, and looks cluttery on my desk

[BeckerCheez]

I'd try this out.  I have an odd family tree going at the moment and would like something to keep up with my Sims.   

[skandelouslala]

Ah lovely idea!  I would also be very interested in trying this.

[SaraMK]

That looks like it would be very useful! I would love to try it out.

[speedreader]

I guess I should have known I wasn't the only one with a method for tracking my Sims.  I use large index cards for each household.  I also have a sheet of legal paper folded like an acordian where I track generations so that I am sure I am aging them uniformly.  Oh, and then there are the symbols for each generation.  I also keep track of attractions/crushes so that at a glance I will know Tom shouldn't flirt with Angie in front of Amanda with whom he already has a shared crush. 

And then there is my jobs cheat sheet - letter sized paper folded in quarters.  On the various quarters I have:  careers for each aspiration, total skills needed for each career, which degree for which career and, which careers for each degree.  The last ingredient to my play records are the three index cards with career chance cards and their outcomes.  I refer to those every time a chance card pops up so that I know what to expect.  Surprisingly I still get new ones occasionally.

I need all this information at my fingertips, so a database on my computer wouldn't work unless I bought a second computer and ran it next to the current 'puter...hmm...it wouldn't need an expensive Pentium...might be possible...(off to check Sunday ads).

My family thinks I am nuts.  Now I can point out to them that I'm not alone.

[Pegasys]

In reply to Lauraglenn: yes there will be printable reports available. There is one semi-customizable Excel-like view (called a table view) where you'll be able to position and resize columns and this can be printed. I also have a couple of other printable reports but this is is kind of the tricky part because there are so many possible ways to present the data. I fully expect that these reports will be tweaked and more reports added.

I think the way I'll personally use the database is to print the reports and use these also as a form to add more data. Or just review it before I start playing. I don't think I'll switch back and forth during play but take notes and then enter in afterwards. It was kind of weird I started playing yesterday after a 10-day hiatus and I had no idea to do with the one family I was playing, I'd sort of forgotten who they were and had lost momentum.  Previously I'd been playing (not just that family) at least a couple of hours a day every day.

[Twibil]

I really have been in need of something like this, but have been too damn lazy to do it myself.  I just have post-it notes strewn all over my desk.  I would love to do some testing on something like this.

Printable reports?  Ooooh, now I am getting chills!

[Lynda]

This sounds great (I LOVE databases) but I have no printer and I too need info at my fingertips, so I'm not sure it'll be practical for me (I do have two monitors on my computer, so technically I could run TS2 in window mode on one monitor and the program can be up on the other one, but I don't like playing games in window mode)

It looks like SimPE does have an export feature, sort of.  It's manual and it uses a bunch of codes, so that would need to be translated into plain English, but it could theoretically be done to import and/or update Sims one at a time.

[cwieberdink]

I'd love this.  It would be great for reconstructing things when I fubar my game!

C

[LK]

This looks really cool.  Can't wait to try it.

I can't install SimPE because my computer refuses to install NET Framework 1.1, and I refuse to care why.  While I'm sure this doesn't have all of SimPE's features, this looks to be sweet nonetheless.

[witch]

I don't mind that this wouldn't import data. Sometimes if I have to restore a n'hood or change a storyline in some way, I don't want an automatic update in my records. I want to be able record sequentially, separate from the game.

[Bangelnuts]

I wouldn't mind trying it either.

I will try it it would certainly come in handy in my game

[smcnic]

Any chance for a status update?  I've got a free evening and would just looooove to spend it databasing my Simmies.  On a Saturday night.  My life is sad.

[Brynne]

I am in desperate need of something like this! I keep buying spiral notebooks for this very reason, and my son keeps ripping all the paper out so he can draw.

[RainbowTigress]

I am in desperate need of something like this! I keep buying spiral notebooks for this very reason, and my son keeps ripping all the paper out so he can draw.

You should buy him some drawing paper just for him so he will leave yours alone!

[Brynne]

I am in desperate need of something like this! I keep buying spiral notebooks for this very reason, and my son keeps ripping all the paper out so he can draw.

You should buy him some drawing paper just for him so he will leave yours alone!

I do! He goes through a huge pack of printer paper every 2-3 days.

[RainbowTigress]

I am in desperate need of something like this! I keep buying spiral notebooks for this very reason, and my son keeps ripping all the paper out so he can draw.

You should buy him some drawing paper just for him so he will leave yours alone!

I do! He goes through a huge pack of printer paper every 2-3 days.

Dang!  When I was a kid, I was only allowed two sheets of paper to draw on, and I had to use them both front and back.  My mother was very frugal with paper.  But I've seen kids take a tablet, scribble once on every page, then say the needed a new one.

[Pegasys]

I am in desperate need of something like this! I keep buying spiral notebooks for this very reason, and my son keeps ripping all the paper out so he can draw.

I can TOTALLY relate...

I was hoping to have it up by yesterday evening, and then I realized I had to find a place to host the darn thing, because Geocities Free won't cut it. (It's not a really big file, about 4 MB zipped, but obviously I can't upload it to the official Sims site, etc.) No worries... my plan is by this evening!

[AllenABQ]

I am in desperate need of something like this! I keep buying spiral notebooks for this very reason, and my son keeps ripping all the paper out so he can draw.

I can TOTALLY relate...

I was hoping to have it up by yesterday evening, and then I realized I had to find a place to host the darn thing, because Geocities Free won't cut it. (It's not a really big file, about 4 MB zipped, but obviously I can't upload it to the official Sims site, etc.) No worries... my plan is by this evening!

Is there an appropriate section on MTS2 that you could put it?

[LK]

There are only 2,000 sections on MTS2.  I'm sure they could find one.

[Brynne]

Dang!  When I was a kid, I was only allowed two sheets of paper to draw on, and I had to use them both front and back.  My mother was very frugal with paper.  But I've seen kids take a tablet, scribble once on every page, then say the needed a new one.

Oh, yeah, me too! My son has that artistic/autistic creates-like-a-madman thing going. No time for silly erasers. He works in pen, anyway. I can't tell what the mistakes actually are, they all look the same to me. Some sheets of paper will have a circle or line or something, then be discarded. He'll then draw a new circle or line on a new sheet of paper and it will satisfy him. I have tried to get him to be a little less wasteful, but no go. I, however, put his "mistakes" to good use. I use the scrap paper for my shopping lists, sim notes, etc.

[witch]

I was hoping to have it up by yesterday evening, and then I realized I had to find a place to host the darn thing, because Geocities Free won't cut it. (It's not a really big file, about 4 MB zipped, but obviously I can't upload it to the official Sims site, etc.) No worries... my plan is by this evening!

If you get stuck, I could put it up on my home page for about a week or so till you get it sorted. I have a 10MB limit. My webpage is not current but am thinking of resurrecting it in the next few weeks.

[Zeljka]

 I love the idea of this database and will be eager to try it. I thought I'd posted earlier but can't seem to find my thread.
I wonder if there would be a way in SimPe to export useful info from the N00X_Neighbourhood file to it. I've considered trying it with Access, as some of my neighbourhoods have over 90 families, and I am still a little crazy with twoJeffs trips/quads mod, so none are small families.
I wonder if even running Clean Installer and trying to convert the character list to a text file which could be imported... bah, I talk too much.
I would be delighted to test this. I seem to have a lot of time on my hands lately and will do anything to further procrastinate cleaning out my neighbourhoods to install the EPs.

Oh, yeah, me too! My son has that artistic/autistic creates-like-a-madman thing going. No time for silly erasers. He works in pen, anyway. I can't tell what the mistakes actually are, they all look the same to me. Some sheets of paper will have a circle or line or something, then be discarded. He'll then draw a new circle or line on a new sheet of paper and it will satisfy him. I have tried to get him to be a little less wasteful, but no go. I, however, put his "mistakes" to good use. I use the scrap paper for my shopping lists, sim notes, etc.

A coworker has 5 kids under the age of 10 and keeps a crate beside our 'to be shredded' bin. Anything not confidential goes there so she can take it home for them to draw or colour on. It's no any special effort to throw it in her box vs. the one we pay to have removed, so it's working well for her.
I am a bit jealous though, my mom never bought paper and my sister used to snag her pantyhose so we could draw on the cardboard from the new pair. We weren't extraordinarily poor, just not something she bought, never occured to us to ask.
Must have scarred me because in college I bought a box of computer paper.  It wasn't very expensive, and though I give my nephew packs to colour on, it's been over 10 years and I still have over half left. 

[lauraglenn]

In reply to Lauraglenn: yes there will be printable reports available....
I think the way I'll personally use the database is to print the reports and use these also as a form to add more data. Or just review it before I start playing.

Pegasys, thanks so much for the reply.  I am really excited about your database.  I will probably use the reports just as you mentioned, to keep notes while playing and update the database regularly.  I can't wait!