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Updated for OFB 4/08/06: Sims2DB Version 1.2 - Database for your Sims

by Pegasys Posted 2nd Dec 2005 at 12:23 AM - Updated 27th Nov 2013 at 9:23 PM by Nysha
 
134 Comments / Replies (Who?) - 128 Feedback Posts, 5 Thanks Posts
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Test Subject
#2 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 12:29 AM
this looks preaty cool im going to download right now. thanks
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 12:42 AM
Hmm...looks pretty usefull...I guess Ill try it.
Test Subject
#4 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 4:53 AM
don't really understand whats it for or how to use it. I'm willing to try it once I understand it until then I shall keep on using SimPE.
Faster kill pussycat
#5 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 5:21 AM
Nice Job!! Looks like you put much time and thought in to this program! Thanks

Now I'm not looking for absolution. Forgiveness for the things I do. But before you come to any conclusions. Try walking in my shoes. You'll stumble in my footsteps.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#6 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 5:24 AM
It's not really comparable to SimPE. For one thing, it makes no game modifications at all. Sims2DB is more for the people who might have started keeping data about the families they're playing in Excel spreadsheets or genealogy software because their neighborhoods are getting out of control.
Inventor
#7 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 6:05 AM
The ability to extract the data rather than input it will make this much more useful for many people. Nice work.

*♥.¸Here we go again .♥*
Field Researcher
#8 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 6:31 AM
Very interesting, thank you very much.
Test Subject
#9 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 6:52 AM
Default This database rocks!
I've been using this for a while now, and this really is a wonderful database. It keeps tracks of all the Sims in my 'hood, and with over 400 Sims I'm gonna need it.

Who was born in which genaration and which Sims are related and how. Things like that. Fantastic if you have a Neighborhood like Pleasantview with 4 generations. Yes, you do have to enter all the data manualy. Better than writing it all down in a notebook I can tell you that.

Thank you for all your hard work Pegasys :salute:
Space Pony
#10 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 9:28 AM
What a great gift for us, thank you. I don't play the sims much, and I've NEVER even got to the 3rd generation, but I still have to have this, lol!

If at first you DO succeed, try not to look so astonished!
Test Subject
#11 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 11:41 AM
This is a great little program, I wish it had a download, but it gives me a good way to track at least a fair amount of my characters.

I've already entered in 40 sims and I have a lot more to go, it's a really useful program for me since this way I can track the generations, relationships and what house I've put for who and where.

The ability to mark the adopted characters is greatly appreciated since I use them as sort of random draw cards to add into the genetics on the game.
Lab Assistant
#12 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 7:27 PM Last edited by bluemoonKIT : 3rd Dec 2005 at 1:37 AM. Reason: tested it and......
wow this beats my notebooks i have so many it is rediculous just last night i lost a page on how i wanted to marry off one of mysims. this will help alot. i usually play in window mode anyway to go between tutorials when doing new things. THanks


well i have tested it. and some of your sims are in the database. rather interesting that they live in smallville very cute. but i digress... anyway i have tested it. i added in all of my families in pleasant view. well at least just the ones that i have created myself. just thought i would shoot an idea to you if you decide to interface with SimPE to at the very least import the updates to the database so that i can plan stuff our and keep track of the generations and mostly the day and time i left the house and the semester in university. and the stuff in the personal inventor for sims in the lots bin. just ideas. :salute:
Field Researcher
#13 Old 2nd Dec 2005 at 10:56 PM
Thanks a lot

CESTMOI
...................FANFAN


http://teamfriends.jexiste.fr/portal.php
Lab Assistant
#14 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 12:29 AM Last edited by mosbyte : 3rd Dec 2005 at 12:36 AM. Reason: gram
Pegasys, I really appreciate your contribution and applaud your efforts in creating this unique program. For some time I've been contemplating the idea of creating a data base for my 400+ sims using Microsoft Access, but to be honest, the idea of manual data entry is discouraging to me. Not so much because of initial time spent, but more for the additional dedication required to keep it updated.

I've really been thinking of your future plans to enable Sims2DB to extract data from SimPE. Some time back I made a request to Quaxi for a SimPE feature which would generate a text file of basic sim data I could use as input for Microsoft Access, and he replied that SimPE was already capable of that. The list SimPE generated had around 4 useful bits of info per sim, definetely not enough, and tons of redundant headers which made for hours of extra editing. So, my point is that since Quaxi gets a lot innovative ideas for improving SimPE from various users around the world, maybe you could strike a sort of partnership with him, since neither of you intend on releasing a commercial or shareware program. In any case, thanks again for your interest in this concept; as TS2 matures and users create more and more sims a database program is called for, or rather, has become a necessity.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#15 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 2:40 AM Last edited by Pegasys : 3rd Dec 2005 at 8:17 AM.
Thanks all for your comments. Yes, Bluemoon the Smallville neighborhood is just meant to be sample data - feel free to delete (or create a new neighborhood based on it!)

I want to just mention that right now, as I have been working on the next version, the ability to extract data from SimPE is very limited. The database can only read text data and SimPE exports only a limited amount of data as text. I am hoping, as Mosbyte suggests, that a future version of SimPE or a plugin will have the ability to export more data as text.
Test Subject
#16 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 5:17 AM
uhm..for some reason I cannot install it.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#17 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 8:16 AM
Izzy,

Do the files unzip okay? What happens when you click on Sims2DB.exe?
Lab Assistant
#18 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 8:34 AM
Wow what a great Idea! Glad I stumbled across this. Great work.

I climb this tower inside my head
A spiral stair above my bed
I dream the stairs don't ask me why,
I throw myself into the sky
Test Subject
#19 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 6:35 PM
I clicked on the Sims2DB.exe when I downloaded the database, and it said that I was missing FMCOR10.dll. Is this a bug?

"And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep." Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughterhouse-Five
Test Subject
#20 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 8:47 PM
unbelievably fantastic, gr8 stuff
Test Subject
Original Poster
#21 Old 3rd Dec 2005 at 9:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by zenorama
I clicked on the Sims2DB.exe when I downloaded the database, and it said that I was missing FMCOR10.dll. Is this a bug?


You need to leave the Sims2DB.EXE in the folder with the other .DLL files. If you move the Sims2DB.EXE out of the folder you'll get that message. Make a shortcut to the .EXE instead.
Lab Assistant
#22 Old 5th Dec 2005 at 9:05 AM
I downloaded this program a few days ago, shortly after it was uploaded. I must say, it's truly fantastic! I'm using it to keep track of my major 4 generation family and I no longer need the mile-high stack of note paper I've been using to keep track of everything! Then again, I am a planner extraordinare. I'm finding the places for notes to be the most helpful, there's just too much to keep track of.

Since I know the program is still a work-in-progress, I have some suggestions on how it could be improved:
1. Obviously, a way to get information directly from the game. It was extremely tedious to enter in all the info by hand. Then again, I did it anyway... But the fact that it doesn't is useful too because I can customize the menus and such. Do you think it would be possible for the user to specify what information they want to get from the game or SimPE and what information the user wants to enter themselves?
2. A way to seperate complete neighborhoods. What I mean by this is, currently I'm using the database for Ravineville and Ravineville University (my custom neighborhood). But I'd kind of like to add in Pleasentview too, and I don't want to have to look at the sims of both neighborhoods at once. If I could load one neighborhood (and the info from the associated downtowns and universities) at a time that would be nice. I suppose I could install the program multiple times, but that sounds like too much work.
3. Do you think it would be possible for the program to get the pictures of the sims directly from SimPE or the game? That would be great! Some of my sims I know better by their appearence than their name, but I don't want to fill up my hard drive with additional sim snap-shots either.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#23 Old 5th Dec 2005 at 7:58 PM
Avalikia,

I'm glad you find the program useful! To respond to your questions:

1. As I mentioned in a previous post, the amount of data that can be extracted from SimPE is quite limited. Just to give people a heads up, here are the fields that will be able to be imported (for the next release of Sims2DB):

Name,
Age (except Young Adult, this is listed as Adult)
Horoscope
Career
Major
Main Neighborhood
Package ID

And that's it. It won't be a seamless import, unfortunately you'll still have to go in and edit every record, for all the missing fields and to connect the relationships.

Sims2DB is made from a database development tool (specifically FileMaker) and, like an Excel spreadsheet, it cannot interface at any low level to a program such as SimPE, nor can it directly read package files since they are not text.

2. About your suggestion for separating the neighborhoods - that has been requested and I'm thinking about how to do this. Of course you can perform searches so that you only have to look at one neighborhood but I may try to set up a more automated way.

One user has made separate copies of the Sims2DB folder for each neighborhood. Not exactly the recommended way, but it seems to be working for her. If you do this I would just say please do not run the different copies at the same time to prevent conflicts.

3. About getting pictures directly from SimPE. There is no easy automated way BUT you can go into SimPE, open the package file for the Sim, and extract the picture as a JPEG (not .png, it doesn't read .png files.) In the next release you will be able to click on a link and open up the Sim's package file in SimPE.
Field Researcher
#24 Old 6th Dec 2005 at 5:43 AM
Thank you so much for this program. This has already made it so much easier to keep track of my sims.
Lab Assistant
#25 Old 6th Dec 2005 at 10:10 PM
Very cool stuff. I've needed a sim database setup. thanks for the great work and especially for sharing it
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