DESPERATELY need an upgrade

[crossover_chick]

Okay, I know the Von Braun/Shaw house has six people, but should it really take me two hours to play one day with them?
-VD: O.O THAT'S why you were on the Sims so long last night?-
Exactly. I ended up playing both Von Braun familes (Emily and Sabastian, then Doc and Holly), and blah, lag lag lag. I mean, the game PLAYED, but it was really slow in spots. I also had a bit of frustration with getting Doc and Holly to eat dinner -- Holly kept wandering away, and I accidentally canceled out the icon the first time around. Quite frustrating.
-M: And yet, you do this for RELAXATION.-
-.- Shaddup, smartass. Anyway, this brings me to the idea of getting some computer upgrades -- I currently have a non-supported video card (from a company named SiS) and about 480 MB of RAM. From what I've read, it's best to have about a Gig of RAM and a supported video card -- a "budget" one mentioned was the GeForce FX 5200, and it sounds okay for speed and graphics. All I really want are Sim fingers and reflections. And for the game to not freeze if my Sim opens the fridge door.
-M2: Yeah, I'd bet that would be useful.-
Yeah. Dad said he'd help, so that's nice.

Speaking of Sims, I had to do more Turn-On/Turn-Off tweaking last night. Here's the list from the Von Braun/Shaw house -- before the slash is what they had initially, after is what I changed it to:
Elias Von Braun
Turn-Ons: Stink, Glasses/Grey Hair, Glasses
Turn-Off: Face Paint/Vampirism
Sarah Von Braun
Turn-Ons: Cologne, Face Paint/Cologne, Facial Hair
Turn-Off: Vampirism/Fatness
Emily Shaw
Turn-Ons: Stink, Fitness/Black Hair, Fitness
Turn-Off: Brown Hair/Stink
Sabastian Shaw
Turn-Ons: Blond Hair, Black Hair/Brown Hair, Fitness
Turn-Off: Hats/Hats
After the tweaking, I was surprised and amused to see that both couples had two bolts of chemistry with each other (chemistry is indicated by little lightning bolt symbols on the Sims picture) and that Sabastian and Sarah had bad chemistry (bolts with an x). I guess I don't have to worry about in-law flirting.
-TD: Whew. My father would kill him if that happened.-
Yeah, no doubt. A weird thing, though -- I had Emmett Von Braun invite Jill over to gain chemistry -- he has no bolts with Jill, but two bolts with LORRAINE MCFLY.
-Martys: O.O-
-D: What?!-
I know! I'm gonna have to change some more stuff, I think.
-VuM: Yes! Change is good! Defintely change!-
More can be learned at revison_doc. When I play today, I'll probably be visiting Hill Valley and setting up the custom, multi-timeline downtown. May also play Elder McFlys -- kinda nervous about playing a big family at the moment. Blah at lag.

Well, I'm off to do some story updating (thanks to the slow Sims I didn't write much of anything last night), so I leave you with quizzes.

LJ Interests meme results

1. back to the future:
   Only the COOLEST movie trilogy ever. I saw this for the first time about 5 years ago, and I fell in love almost instantly. I mean, how can you not love these movies? They've got something for everybody.
2. christopher lloyd:
   One of the best actors to ever grace the silver screen. Gave us Reverend Jim Ignatowski, Uncle Fester Addams, Henry Sikorsky, Charlie Wilcox, Commander Krudge, and of course, Dr. Emmett L. Brown, the sexiest mad scientist ever.
3. dilbert:
   Despite the fact that I've never worked in an office, I still find this cartoon to be quite funny. I actually prefer some of the older ones, though, where we saw more of Dilbert's inventive side.
4. doc ock:
   It's all about the tentacles, baby! Spider-Man 2 made this character one of my top two Spidey villians (the other is Venom). He was just so cool -- and the tentacles just seem so useful.
5. fan fiction:
   It's what I DO. I love to write, and I love certain fandoms -- so why not write a story or two about them? I generally write Back To The Future Alternate Universe (ie, the VDCs), though I occasionally write canon stuff and other fandoms.
6. linkin park:
   One of my new favorite bands. I just like their sound. Easy to dance too, and their darker songs fit with my darker stories.
7. rpgs:
   Role-Playing Games. I don't actually play any, but I do like reading about them. I'm a fan of White Wolf games, both Old Universe (Vampire: The Masquerade) and New Universe (Werewolf: The Foresaken). Great for plot bunnies.
8. spider-man:
   My introduction to the Marvel Movieverse. My parents went to see it first -- I begged out, saying it wasn't something I'd be interested in.
   Boy, was I wrong.
   My parents took me on their second trip -- and I LOVED it. I immediately became a Marvel fan, starting with Spidey and progressing onto X-Men. So glad I decided to see it -- it's given me another universe to play with in my stories.
9. steampunk:
   Blame this on Girl Genius. I started reading the webcomic version just for fun, and I found myself getting really into it. So I decided to see what else was steampunk out there -- and discovered that apparently Back To The Future Part III had a bit of it in it.
   Well, I was sold. Steampunk is just fun -- it's more accesible, more gritty than regular stuff. Clockwork, steam, grease -- I just like it.
10. the sims:
    Oh boy. I came into the world of the Sims late in the game -- all the expansion packs had been released for Version 1 when I seriously started playing. For some reason, it's really amusing to tell these little people to go about their lives -- go to the bathroom, eat, fall in love, get married, have kids, get a job, etc. And with Sims 2, the world's so much bigger with wants and fears and Aspirations. I'm a total addict now.

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Comments

[applescruffs85.livejournal.com]

I currently have a non-supported video card (from a company named SiS) and about 480 MB of RAM. From what I've read, it's best to have about a Gig of RAM and a supported video card -- a "budget" one mentioned was the GeForce FX 5200, and it sounds okay for speed and graphics.

Well, since it's expensive to upgrade RAM and to get a new video card, I thought I'd give you some advice from my own experience. The amount of RAM you have doesn't really have to be in accordance to what generally "is best"--I have 512 MB and it suits me pretty well. I also have Sims 2 and it runs fine, but it's because I have a supported video card (nVidia, if you're curious). So before you go out and get more RAM, try getting just the video card first and see if it fixes your problem. I'd say to only get more RAM if your computer runs slower in general than you'd like it to. Your processor is also a factor in how fast your computer runs, but I don't know a whole lot about that. *shrug*

Hope that helps a little!

[docsgirl.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, you make a good point. I do have more than the absolute minimum of RAM. It probably is the video card that's the issue. Thanks! :)