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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 2:09 AM Last edited by TheJessaChannel : 10th Sep 2016 at 2:25 AM.
Default How I track my Sims ~ Easy and Visual with no databases or spreadsheets ~ Using Trello
I have been reading through this thread, Share Your Spreadsheets, by @vampiresam9097 and have been very impressed with the level of detail that some of you genius folks delve into when tracking your Sims data.

But I wanted a method that was a lot simpler. I essentially wanted to track the story - to make little note about the Sim's personality, quirks and habits as they came up in game. But I needed it to be something I could do on the fly, while recording an episode, without breaking the flow. The solution I found is Trello. (http://trello.com) Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. Here's a picture:


You can create as many columns as you want and move cards into any column. You can add pictures, as I did, you can move cards from one column to another.

Here is a video I did showing how I set mine up:


But if you do not want to watch a video, then you can ask questions here and I will do my best to answer.

Here are some inspiration on how you can use Trello in many different ways: https://trello.com/inspiration

Oh one last very important thing: Trello is FREE.

~Livestreams and Livesimming served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.~

http://www.youtube.com/TheJessaChannel

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Link Ninja
#2 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 2:15 AM
OMG. This is a brilliant idea I have never seen before, and I have been using Trello for the past year and a half for business tasks. This never occurred to me. Holy wow. I love this. Thanks for opening my eyes.

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

Alchemist
#3 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 3:10 AM
Thanks for the tip. I've never heard of Trello, but it looks easy and convenient.
Mad Poster
#4 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 3:13 AM
That looks cool!

...But I think I'll stick to my Excel spreadsheets.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Scholar
#5 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 3:28 AM
Is this a program you install or in browser?


"It is easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled." - Mark Twain
Truth will not fear scrutiny.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#6 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 3:35 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Bubblebeam
Is this a program you install or in browser?


It is just in browser, an online site.

~Livestreams and Livesimming served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.~

http://www.youtube.com/TheJessaChannel

Theorist
#7 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 9:59 AM
This tool sounds interesting. I don't use spreadsheets and overall I'm not great at tracking my sims and things with tools.
@TheJessaChannel
Do you play in windowed mode?
Theorist
#8 Old 10th Sep 2016 at 10:01 AM
This is awesome...will definitely be trying this out. Never would have thought of using this for the game. Thank you.


“Seize the time... Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” ― Jean-Luc Picard
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#9 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 2:06 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Essa
This tool sounds interesting. I don't use spreadsheets and overall I'm not great at tracking my sims and things with tools.
@TheJessaChannel
Do you play in windowed mode?


Yes, I have played in windowed mode for many years. Much easier to multi-task and helps my framerate. Also easier to record.

~Livestreams and Livesimming served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.~

http://www.youtube.com/TheJessaChannel

Mad Poster
#10 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 2:11 AM
Quick question: Where do you get the Sim thumbnails with the blue backgrounds? Is it an option somewhere in SimPE?

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#11 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 4:31 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ihatemandatoryregister
Quick question: Where do you get the Sim thumbnails with the blue backgrounds? Is it an option somewhere in SimPE?


The thumbnails are just the photo that come up when you "change appearance" on a mirror. I use a screenshot program to take the picture, while the game is running, and then drag and drop it into trello.




Photo I took.

~Livestreams and Livesimming served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.~

http://www.youtube.com/TheJessaChannel

Mad Poster
#12 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 5:00 AM
Thank you.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Theorist
#13 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 10:52 AM
Quote: Originally posted by TheJessaChannel
Yes, I have played in windowed mode for many years. Much easier to multi-task and helps my framerate. Also easier to record.

Indeed. I used to use windowed mod when I was doing contests but I'd rather play in full-screen mode unless I wanted to test out CC.
Field Researcher
#14 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 1:08 PM
I immediately started using this instead of my spreadsheet! It's literally amazing. I just thought of the fact that if you play in rotation, you could make a column that says: Already played and put all of the families after that one and another column with 'to play' and you can arrange them in the order you want to. I'm already obsessed hahaha.
Field Researcher
#15 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 1:12 PM
Great idea Jessa!
Alchemist
#16 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 2:04 PM
Does anyone know if there's a way to use Gadwin in full screen mode? I saw it in TheJessaChannel's video and liked the way it allows you to take a picture of a small portion of the screen, but windowed mode is not for me. If not is there another program with that capability that works in full screen mode?

I made my trello board the other day. Now it just needs pictures.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#17 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 10:34 PM
Quote: Originally posted by omglo
Does anyone know if there's a way to use Gadwin in full screen mode? I saw it in TheJessaChannel's video and liked the way it allows you to take a picture of a small portion of the screen, but windowed mode is not for me. If not is there another program with that capability that works in full screen mode?

I made my trello board the other day. Now it just needs pictures.


Well, you could just use the printscreen key and crop it in a photo editing program. Otherwise, maybe google full screen screenshot program or some such? I know that Gadwin, at least the older version I am using, does not capture fullscreen. You just get a black photo.

~Livestreams and Livesimming served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.~

http://www.youtube.com/TheJessaChannel

Mad Poster
#18 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 10:55 PM
PrintScreen wouldn't work - with fullscreen DirectX bypasses everything to talk to the graphics card directly (to put it into simple words), so the PrintScreen would just copy a blank screen.

Look into FRAPS or Dxtory; both cost, but I'm told FRAPS will take BMP screenshots without paying. You'll have to convert them yourself if you want a JPEG or PNG though.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Field Researcher
#19 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 11:00 PM
Could try Irfanview too. Not sure if it takes full screen screenshots, but it should. I use it in windowed mode though.
Mad Poster
#20 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 11:06 PM
I don't believe IrfanView can capture DirectX/OpenGL in fullscreen. I may be wrong though.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#21 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 11:25 PM
I just grabbed a picture I had in my story telling folder in game format and that dropped into a card okay. Whichever way I try it would still be done later since I never use window mode. If I use my print screen program (Fraps) that would take even longer since those are BMPs and last thing I want to be doing is converting them to jps or pngs...

In game picture taken with just the C key

I think I would just get a closer shot, but that's fine since it's only for record keeping not uploading.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Forum Resident
#22 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 11:48 PM
Fraps has the ability to take screenshots in JPEG/other formats in the free version. Just to let you know.

"God created dinosaurs. God destroyed dinosaurs. God created Man. Man destroyed God. Man created dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs eat man...Woman inherits the earth."

- Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park


My Simblr | Hadi Family Tree
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#23 Old 11th Sep 2016 at 11:52 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
In game picture taken with just the C key

I think I would just get a closer shot, but that's fine since it's only for record keeping not uploading.


So you can rename that card, Jo. Just open it and click on the snapshot_blahblahnumbers and change it. You can name it the name of the Sim, or the event, or whatever.

~Livestreams and Livesimming served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.~

http://www.youtube.com/TheJessaChannel

Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#24 Old 12th Sep 2016 at 12:03 AM
Okay I renamed him to Braxton Fisher.

What is 'remove cover'? Does that delete the card?

That was just under welcome board which I guess is a testing area.

@Ather How do you get it to do that? Anytime I have tried anything but a BMP it asks me to pay.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#25 Old 12th Sep 2016 at 12:29 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Ather
Fraps has the ability to take screenshots in JPEG/other formats in the free version. Just to let you know.


I stand corrected then. I've heard both "BMP only" and "other formats as well" and wasn't sure. I have a full version, as I also record videos with it. Shame it's so expensive (close to $40), I imagine if the developer dropped the price down to 10-15 dollars more people would... legally acquire it. Especially for a bit of software that hasn't seen any updates in three years (Despite...playing a game that hasn't been updated in 7-8 years?)

@joandsarah77: What version do you have? The current version is 3.5.99. Either you or Ather are using a different version, I would think.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
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