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Mad Poster
#51 Old 1st Jan 2022 at 4:38 PM
Quote: Originally posted by AndrewGloria
1) Establish a proper backup regime on my new computer. On my old one I had a general back up to an external hard drive (including a system image). This allowed me to recover the computer after a hard disk failure. I also copied regular backups of my game to DVD-R discs. On the new one, all I have at present is backing up my game to a folder on the same computer. This of course offers no protection at all should anything happen to the computer or its disk. The new computer has a solid state disk (SSD), which gives me the fast load and response times that I love, but it is a technology that is new to me and I don't know how reliable it is in the medium or long term. My subscription for Microsoft Office 365 includes One Drive, which I understand is a virtual disk in the "cloud". I hope I can use this for a full backup. If not, i suppose I have to buy a new external hard drive, as I want to keep the old external hard drive for the old computer.

Otherwise my goals for 2021 are largely my 2020 ones carried forward:

2) To learn how to mesh Body Shop clothes, so I can make some of the stuff that I want for my Sims to wear, instead of having to ask other people to make them for me. In some cases that might mean making proper meshes for things that at the moment are just "painted on" to a nude mesh.
3) I was going try to learn how to use Photoshop Elements, which came bundled with my old computer. However, I'm not sure if I can move it to the new computer. (It's probably an OEM licence that's only valid on the old one.) I recently downloaded GIMP which is free software. So it might make more sense for me to learn GIMP rather than Photoshop Elements. For most of the real recolouring I've done, I've used Windows Paint and (sometimes) MS Office 97 Photo Editor -- two very simple and easy to use programs. If I can master both Milkshape and Photoshop Elements GIMP, I should be able to make most of my Sims new clothes.
(3a. I'll also try to find my sewing machine, so I can fix my own Real Life clothes!)
4) There's still one long-delayed wedding to celebrate in downtown Veronaville -- that of Tom Cornton to ex-Downtownie Audrey Tsang. They've been engaged for about seven years now. Before the start of his relationship with Audrey, Romance Sim Tom woohooed with ten different Sims (of both sexes) inside a fortnight. Any return to that sort of behaviour might still endanger the wedding, but Tom has been trying to be good for a long time now. Audrey is undoubtedly a good influence on him,
5) Spend a bit more time playing students at LGU (attached to Baldrair Bluffs) so I get more familiar with Sims' universities. (Also hopefully try to make a mod to address the problem of unaffordable bills for students living in dorms.)
6) Finish building the school in Baldrair Bluffs, so the dozens of teenage townies there can get decent grades before they try to go to university. I feel that anyone with a grade below (say) B might struggle in Higher Education.
7) Attach Academie la Tour to Veronaville so Andrew and Julian, and some of their friends, can get the education (and the fun!) that they deserve. I might rename it to "University of Veronaville" as I know Andrew will be happier if he knows he's still near his mum. :lovestruc

How did I get on?

1) Establish a proper backup regime on my new computer. On my old one I had a general back up to an external hard drive (including a system image). This allowed me to recover the computer after a hard disk failure. I also copied regular backups of my game to DVD-R discs. On the new one, all I have at present is backing up my game to a folder on the same computer. This of course offers no protection at all should anything happen to the computer or its disk. The new computer has a solid state disk (SSD), which gives me the fast load and response times that I love, but it is a technology that is new to me and I don't know how reliable it is in the medium or long term. My subscription for Microsoft Office 365 includes One Drive, which I understand is a virtual disk in the "cloud". I hope I can use this for a full backup. If not, i suppose I have to buy a new external hard drive, as I want to keep the old external hard drive for the old computer.
SUCCESS - at least partial. I've got a Windows 7 backup running , backing up the computer to an external hard drive. I still can't get Windows 10 backup to work.

2) To learn how to mesh Body Shop clothes, so I can make some of the stuff that I want for my Sims to wear, instead of having to ask other people to make them for me. In some cases that might mean making proper meshes for things that at the moment are just "painted on" to a nude mesh.
FAIL I've barely opened Milkshape.

3) I was going try to learn how to use Photoshop Elements, which came bundled with my old computer. However, I'm not sure if I can move it to the new computer. (It's probably an OEM licence that's only valid on the old one.) I recently downloaded GIMP which is free software. So it might make more sense for me to learn GIMP rather than Photoshop Elements. For most of the real recolouring I've done, I've used Windows Paint and (sometimes) MS Office 97 Photo Editor -- two very simple and easy to use programs. If I can master both Milkshape and Photoshop Elements GIMP, I should be able to make most of my Sims new clothes.
FAIL I haven't opened GIMP at all
(3a. I'll also try to find my sewing machine, so I can fix my own Real Life clothes!)
FAIL I still can't find my sewing machine.

4) There's still one long-delayed wedding to celebrate in downtown Veronaville -- that of Tom Cornton to ex-Downtownie Audrey Tsang. They've been engaged for about seven years now. Before the start of his relationship with Audrey, Romance Sim Tom woohooed with ten different Sims (of both sexes) inside a fortnight. Any return to that sort of behaviour might still endanger the wedding, but Tom has been trying to be good for a long time now. Audrey is undoubtedly a good influence on him,
SUCCESS Tom and Audrey are married! There were a few glitches, and they didn't go on honeymoon because Audrey wouldn't get into the Limo. (I think I had to delete it to get it off the lot.) But they are married!

5) Spend a bit more time playing students at LGU (attached to Baldrair Bluffs) so I get more familiar with Sims' universities. (Also hopefully try to make a mod to address the problem of unaffordable bills for students living in dorms.)
SUCCESS Not as much as I might have, but I did add an extra dorm, and actually sent a couple of teens to University. Still no graduates of course -- that's still years away. (I mean it takes at least four years to do a degree.) Of course I haven't even looked at the bills problem.

6) Finish building the school in Baldrair Bluffs, so the dozens of teenage townies there can get decent grades before they try to go to university. I feel that anyone with a grade below (say) B might struggle in Higher Education.
SUCCESS Of the two first pupils one (the paper girl) ran away. She's now been adopted by a gay couple. But the other pupil is now at uni!

7) Attach Academie la Tour to Veronaville so Andrew and Julian, and some of their friends, can get the education (and the fun!) that they deserve. I might rename it to "University of Veronaville" as I know Andrew will be happier if he knows he's still near his mum.
FAIL I'm not sure that I even want them to go! I just love playing them as teens. But as Andrew and Julian and some of their friends go into their tenth year as teens, I have to admit that Andrew for one very strongly wants to go to uni. "You will get, Andrew. -- Eventually!"

So four successes (at least partial) out of seven. I suppose that's not all that bad. Still a lot to carry forward to this New Year!

So my Sims and I wish you all, and all your Sims, every possible happiness and success in 2022!!

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
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