I often have my sims do some studying and socializing with townies - since I usually start in an empty hood.

Mind sending screenshots when you're done your modifications? I'm curious as to how it'll look.

Might... totally forgot how to unhide the extra columns though... and a lot of other stuff ><

You have any good instructions?

Check this out, though it might be a bit different depending on your version: https://support.office.com/en-us/ar...14-dde8443579f8

I'm using the 2007 version - and it's weird 'cause I did take Excel in college and I did quite well. Hate it when I lose stuff I learned

It happens. I used to be pretty proficient (maybe not particualrly skilled) with HTML and CSS. I've lost quite a bit of it now, although I can still understand some of the fundaments. There's a good reason why a lot of people use cheat sheets, though.

Only time I go through a set procedure is when playing an unknown household for the first time - like in the pre-populated hoods I like. VERY FIRST thing I do is look for any toddlers - like adults, they will need to pee - and have the closest Sim potty train them (after looking for potties and putting nearby). Then babies (they will be on the floor) and find an adult to feed & put them to bed. Often (in the games I have been playing) the toddlers will be in aspiration desperation, Sims have to work in shifts to help the little ones be happy/fed/bathed. Then everyone needs to go pee, and someone needs fix food. Then pretty much what everyone else does: bat box, etc. Set ACR. Get free clothes and change appearance according to LTW and personality. Get rid of fugly Maxis furniture, and fix routing stuff. Which takes me to a pet peeve: wonderfully ornate houses and yards - that are a nightmare to actually use.

Here's a version of Bulbasaur's spreadsheet template that I modified for those who like to do paranormal hoods and mega/uberhoods. You can roll the dice with a program or in real life and decide whether or not your sim will have any paranormal DNA.

Edit: Forgot the link

Here it is lol: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/486338/

Unhide - select over the hidden columns, right-click and select unhide? That's what I do anyway.

I just made an updated version of Bulbasaur's Sim records spreadsheet - added a page for possible restrictions and sections for creature rolls. Also included an optional 'Cowie' gene so descendants of Cow mascots might slack off more. Here it is: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/490518/

All the limits and rolls are optional as are the Cowie limitations and perks. This is still in beta, mind you, so critiques are welcome. @ihatemandatoryregister how does this one look?

Edit: Another update with more fixing:

http://www.simfileshare.net/download/490520/

Looks pretty good

Thanks! Sorry for getting a little excited XD just havin' an aspie moment ^^;

Get them a proper house

I often start them out Legacy style... then they appreciate things a little more :D

I spend way too long in CAS, which at least pays off in having a rough idea of who my Sims are by the time I move them in. I usually set up the essentials (FFS Debugger, Treeag's Book of Knowledge, SimBlender, Cyjon's pizza box, buyable sky, and the clothing tool whose name escapes me at the moment), and start off by clearing out trash memories, adjusting skills/personalities/interests/relationships for each Sim. If applicable, I give them a university degree via the Batbox, as well as some hidden/book skills and talent badges. Speed-play them for a Sim day or so, just to get them jobs and set them up before the long, tedious process of memory editing.

Excessive, I know, but I just can't get into playing a family unless I've got their past at least sketched out in memories. Counting in the time I spend in CAS, it takes me around three hours to properly initiate a new family.

The batbox and the simblender will be on the lot already before I move a new family in.
So the first thing: spawn the ACR adjuster, of course

Vaguely embarrassing confession: I've been using the batbox to set my Sims as 'smart' for years, possibly an entire decade or more, and I have no idea what it actually does.

I've considered the possibility that it does nothing, because that would in line with Pescado's sense of humor. But I always do it anyway.

It applies the "Smart Milk effect" to the Sim -- in other words, makes them skill up faster. It's the same effect as the Smart Milk aspiration reward for toddlers.

Over a decade? *lols at how old she feels now*

To be specific, it triples the skilling rate. You also can check how "smart" your sim is set to be with the batbox under Info > Test IQ. 100% is normal. 300% is from Smart Milk or from using the batbox to "Make me > Smart".

I have a bit of ritual, even if its premades in a neighborhood I've restarted a million times:

1. Establish a play order (for the Maxis hoods, I follow the one from the Prima Guides).
2. Change the seasons to Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (in that order, unless its a desert hood, than it is Spring, Summer, Fall, Summer)
3. Change the household to the first day of Spring
4. Read all the memories, and look at album photos
5. Roll for Freetime extras. 1-4 tells me what to select and a d6 decides what secondary aspiration they get if they rolled for one
6. Set up ACR. Roll a d4 for number of children for non family sims, a d12 for Family primary, and a d6 if family is a secondary
7. As long as it is in the morning, I max energy with the blender.
8. Play

Immediately start decorating and then get flooded with NPCs and the welcome wagon

Varies... sometimes I cheat

1. Place Batbox, Sim Blender, Visitor Controller, Clothing Tool.
2. Use the visitor controller. If they live in a city, no strays are allowed, desert, no penguins, and so on.
3. Study the Sims. Personality, memories, LTW, hobbies, check pyjama (=favourite color)... and write everything into my familiy notepad.
4. Use the sim blender and give everyone a few skillpoints according to their personality. (if they have none: kids 5, teens 10, adulds 15, elders 20)
5. Use the clothing tool to change their look once. (After that they have to buy or make them.)
5. Remove all furniture, doors, windows, wallpaper and floors. Redecorate the lot so it matches the neighborhood, their money, hobbies and personalities.
6. After 10 hours of decorating save the lot, get a fresh coffee, and watch my little Simmies until they need help.

Wow, I don't keep records or... anything like it. I just play a family or hood while it interests me, not as a game, but as a world, usually as some unplanned story develops, until the story arc is completed and I lose interest and start playing with some other random sims I noticed while playing the first ones. I tend to keep everything pretty tightly connected so I organically move from one to another. I practically never create Sims unless for some very special purpose. But, anyway, on entering a lot with a new household...

1. Turn aging off.
2. Delete or inventory Humble's computer.
3. Setup a VC, Insim Selectable, Insim Motives on the lot.
4. Make sure they have a fire alarm and a security system.
5. Sit back and watch what they do autonomously to get to know them.
6. Take advantage of any passersby to bring unplanned drama.
7. Change things only to enhance whatever unplanned drama occurs.
8. Follow up on whatever was revealed by 5.