We all know the "How big is your mods folder" topics, here is "How big is you screenshots folder"!
I'm in the process of backing up my files for an eventual migration to a new computer and a look into my "Sims Chronicles" folder made me not exactly question my life choices, but it still was a little shock.
Since 2016 I have saved (not taken) 38,163 screenshots in 473 subfolders.
Sims 2 - 2 GB
Sims 3 - 197 MB
Sims 4 - 60 GB
Out of these 60 GB are...
47 GB - Rotational save
8 GB - Legacy attempts & Challenges and Landscapes
5 GB - Also Legacy attempts & Challenges, but all related to the Villareal/Renegades premades (who are also present in the rotational save)
Edit: Out of the 62 GB, 14 GB are pictures for stories, family trees and lookbooks. The rest is gameplay (although my gameplay saves often include story passages, too).
So, is that as crazy as it appeared or am I on the lower end of screenshot collectors?
Wooooow omg that's a lot! I actually don't have that many because I do a routine clean out of screenshots.
I may keep some special ones in folders but I don't want another out of control mods folder in the form or screenshots. ๐ ๐คฃ
@Stormkeep Mine gets emptied after every play session, too. Let me rephrase the question to "How much space do your screenshots take up (in the place you saved them)?".
@Oldeseadogge Non-english speaker here, I don't understand what you think would put my screenshots in danger. Moving them to a flash drive? So far I haven't encountered problems with older photos kept this way, but of course no tech will be forever. I also can't think of a good offline storage alternative - any suggestions?
On the bright side, I managed to part with 2 GB of the 62 GB by deleting pictures that were too similar.
@Enkischmidt, ahh, in that case my answer is "I have no idea" because I keep them mostly on Tumblr which, as far as I can tell, doesn't have a limit on the total of what you can post. The only limit is on how many posts you can do per day and what size the images can be.
I don't keep the in-game folder full, and I regularly cull older shots that I don't really care about keeping, but the Sims 4 folder in my multi-game screenshot archive is currently under 5,000 shots and about 6GB. That's after converting the PNGs to JPGs, but even so they currently make up roughly a 10th (size-wise) of the archive, which is comprised of over 300,000 screenthots taken from 27 different games in all. The whole thing is about 64GB right now. If I hadn't taken the time to convert most of them to higher-compression formats that folder would've been... SO much larger than that.
FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off.
The main folder (not the game folder) I have on my hard drive for everything to do with TS4 is a little over 97 GB, which includes 57,074 files in 754 folders. My actual screenshot folder in game is empty. I always clean it out and save those I want after every play session. I have a TON of screenshots saved in folders so it would take way to long to check the size of each one to give a number for just those. I would guesstimate at least 2/3rds+ of that number is screenshots though.
I have a folder for every Sim I've ever created for TS4 that didn't get deleted when I was finished playing them. Inside each of those is subfolders for; screenshots, tray files, notes/rules about the challenge they were created for and a few other miscellaneous items. However, I also have folders for miscellaneous scenery screenshots, build challenges, etc. The biggest folders, of course, are for my One Month One World One Year challenge Sims.
I think it's safe to say I love taking screenshots and I love this game! I play and take screenshots every day.
And I thought I have a lot
I'm still in the middle of cleanup with my ts4 folders
so i probably have some replicate photos i could erase from doing photography and such
ts1 and 2 files are all lost to computer changes and such so I don't have those
(I mean i don't think i knew how to screenshot back in ts1 days anyway )
TS3
524 files, 1 folder (254 Mt)
from which most are from my vlad goes to ts3 save anyway its not really all that much old pictures
Sims Medieval
20 files, no folders (13,3 Mt)
few self made sims and vlad strikes again
TS4
10 405 files, 138 folders (16,5 GB)
I have one older vlad save folder that I'm too scared to explore left from before this save
The Book of Shallow Stories save related is most of it since thats all i really play
but there is also some simself profile pics stuff and scenario save and the neighborhood stories test thing
+obviously whole loads of stuff I have not posted yet but its there waiting to be told
yes... things have happened...
All of sims things including save backups and trays?
18,8 Gb
(I have it all on flash drive which can do like another 10 Gb)
aand I'm also working on arranging it so i have backups of my posted stories somewhere
just in case they choose to disappear mysteriously like Bella Goth
Should also help with figuring out where I'm at with the stories
Post edited by Simmingal on
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Two thirds of 97 GB, 6 GB after compressing and especially "Tumblr has no storage limit" confirms that I may be crazy, but at least not alone
@VeeDub I rarely take screenshots in other games, Elder Scrolls takes second place, but it's not even close to the Sims games.
@Karababy52 Some of the files included in my count are docs/txt, too, but not many. My plans and rules are scattered on scratch paper for the most part. I tend to chronicle only my world's overall story on paper, not everything that happened to each family. That's what the screenies are for.
It's hard to tell with Sims 1, 2, and 3 because I have screenshots included in a folder with everything relating to that version.
Lots, cc, cas, mods, S2 patches, etc.
My Sims 1 folder is 183 MB.
Sims 2 folder is 24.9GB.
Sims 3 folder is 25.4 GB
These are all stored on an external hard drive.
All of my Sims 4 photos are on my Imgur account. By the time 4 rolled around I decided to stop chronicling my gameplay as much and just play. I never take any pics except for the few I occasionally post on the forum. I have 1584 photos on Imgur but again it's hard to say how many of those are sims' pics because I use Imgur for other photos also. If I had to guess I'd say about 500.
@Stormkeep Mine gets emptied after every play session, too. Let me rephrase the question to "How much space do your screenshots take up (in the place you saved them)?".
@Oldeseadogge Non-english speaker here, I don't understand what you think would put my screenshots in danger. Moving them to a flash drive? So far I haven't encountered problems with older photos kept this way, but of course no tech will be forever. I also can't think of a good offline storage alternative - any suggestions?
On the bright side, I managed to part with 2 GB of the 62 GB by deleting pictures that were too similar.
What I meant is that I have about 1/10 as many screenshots as you do. After a game session they get moved to separate folders set up elsewhere on the computer for storytelling purposes. The survival comment refers to my current collection, those taken prior to 2019 having been deleted. Did not mean to even imply your collection is remotely in danger. Apologize for any confusion caused.
Greetings and salutations!
I tend to empty out my folder after editing and saving the ones I need.
For sims 3, I am sure I have deleted everything.
Sims 4, about 1GB saved the rest are uploaded to imgur for sharing here, in the forums.
I always accidentally press C to open the calendar as an impulse, making me make a screenshot of the stupidest things. 1% of my screenies have to be genuine photos.
@Stormkeep Mine gets emptied after every play session, too. Let me rephrase the question to "How much space do your screenshots take up (in the place you saved them)?".
@Oldeseadogge Non-english speaker here, I don't understand what you think would put my screenshots in danger. Moving them to a flash drive? So far I haven't encountered problems with older photos kept this way, but of course no tech will be forever. I also can't think of a good offline storage alternative - any suggestions?
On the bright side, I managed to part with 2 GB of the 62 GB by deleting pictures that were too similar.
What I meant is that I have about 1/10 as many screenshots as you do. After a game session they get moved to separate folders set up elsewhere on the computer for storytelling purposes. The survival comment refers to my current collection, those taken prior to 2019 having been deleted. Did not mean to even imply your collection is remotely in danger. Apologize for any confusion caused.
Ah, now I get it! Phew. I don't understand the first thing about hardware, so my first impulse was to assume I had overlooked something again.
@RandomizedSimmer That's me with the "G" key in build mode! Somehow when I try to hit "G" to remove the grid, my finger ends up on "C" instead (probably because I take so many screenies that muscle memory leads me to C when I move the hand vaguely into that direction, lol.)
We balance. I know nothing about software, a little about hardware. Computers are sneaky. The only safe assumption is that there are no safe assumptions. I have been using them since the 1980s and still mess up. We need to be careful all the time.
My Archive folder for TS3, and TS4 is 422 GB
But I am sure some of those are duplicates because I backup my screenshots folder. So maybe around 250-300GBs
I use to do a lot of story threads and I keep a Simming moments thread to document my game play. I take a lot of pictures.
I would do YouTube let's plays if I had the voice for it. I am a bit of a monotone. I'd probably put people to sleep.
My Archive folder for TS3, and TS4 is 422 GB
But I am sure some of those are duplicates because I backup my screenshots folder. So maybe around 250-300GBs
I use to do a lot of story threads and I keep a Simming moments thread to document my game play. I take a lot of pictures.
I would do YouTube let's plays if I had the voice for it. I am a bit of a monotone. I'd probably put people to sleep.
wooah thats a lot
I don't think anyone would mind monotonous talking though
and I mean even if it did put people to sleep would that really be bad thing with insomnia scrollers everywhere
if talking is only thing keeping you you could even do mute lets plays with snazzy music and text commentary
โญ๏ธ AHQ Champion ๐ฆ Vlad Advocate ๐ Team Dragons
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
I periodically delete mine, so I don't know how many GB of photos I have. However, all the ones I've ever shared on the forums equal around 7000 photos, according to my Imgur account.
Names withheld for myself. I think I take a lot, but this is all my folders of Screenshots put together for each game, The Sims 1 and anything I printscreen not included.
If I include my ShareX saved ones we're probably talking 5000+ by themselves. I just like taking screenshots, over 4000 on Fallout NV alone.
I don't even know how many more screenshots I have of non PC Sims since I often take pictures with my capture card like this silly case of the GBA Sims 2!
Adding onto that, before my old laptop crashed and wiped all Saves in April 2021, I had 1400 Screenshots total, and when my old laptop finally gave up the ghost in October 2021, I had sixty screenshots. Out of the 1400 screenshots at least 77 survive (With at least three more in my One Drive) the ones from March-October 2021 survive though, albeit on my Discord. In fact, the very first screenshot I took in The Sims 3 still survives.
Comments
I may keep some special ones in folders but I don't want another out of control mods folder in the form or screenshots. ๐ ๐คฃ
The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
@Oldeseadogge Non-english speaker here, I don't understand what you think would put my screenshots in danger. Moving them to a flash drive? So far I haven't encountered problems with older photos kept this way, but of course no tech will be forever. I also can't think of a good offline storage alternative - any suggestions?
On the bright side, I managed to part with 2 GB of the 62 GB by deleting pictures that were too similar.
The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off.
I have a folder for every Sim I've ever created for TS4 that didn't get deleted when I was finished playing them. Inside each of those is subfolders for; screenshots, tray files, notes/rules about the challenge they were created for and a few other miscellaneous items. However, I also have folders for miscellaneous scenery screenshots, build challenges, etc. The biggest folders, of course, are for my One Month One World One Year challenge Sims.
I think it's safe to say I love taking screenshots and I love this game! I play and take screenshots every day.
I'm still in the middle of cleanup with my ts4 folders
so i probably have some replicate photos i could erase from doing photography and such
ts1 and 2 files are all lost to computer changes and such so I don't have those
(I mean i don't think i knew how to screenshot back in ts1 days anyway )
TS3
524 files, 1 folder (254 Mt)
from which most are from my vlad goes to ts3 save anyway its not really all that much old pictures Sims Medieval
20 files, no folders (13,3 Mt)
few self made sims and vlad strikes again TS4
10 405 files, 138 folders (16,5 GB)
I have one older vlad save folder that I'm too scared to explore left from before this save The Book of Shallow Stories save related is most of it since thats all i really play
but there is also some simself profile pics stuff and scenario save and the neighborhood stories test thing
+obviously whole loads of stuff I have not posted yet but its there waiting to be told
All of sims things including save backups and trays?
18,8 Gb
(I have it all on flash drive which can do like another 10 Gb)
aand I'm also working on arranging it so i have backups of my posted stories somewhere
just in case they choose to disappear mysteriously like Bella Goth
Should also help with figuring out where I'm at with the stories
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
@VeeDub I rarely take screenshots in other games, Elder Scrolls takes second place, but it's not even close to the Sims games.
@Karababy52 Some of the files included in my count are docs/txt, too, but not many. My plans and rules are scattered on scratch paper for the most part. I tend to chronicle only my world's overall story on paper, not everything that happened to each family. That's what the screenies are for.
Lots, cc, cas, mods, S2 patches, etc.
My Sims 1 folder is 183 MB.
Sims 2 folder is 24.9GB.
Sims 3 folder is 25.4 GB
These are all stored on an external hard drive.
All of my Sims 4 photos are on my Imgur account. By the time 4 rolled around I decided to stop chronicling my gameplay as much and just play. I never take any pics except for the few I occasionally post on the forum. I have 1584 photos on Imgur but again it's hard to say how many of those are sims' pics because I use Imgur for other photos also. If I had to guess I'd say about 500.
What I meant is that I have about 1/10 as many screenshots as you do. After a game session they get moved to separate folders set up elsewhere on the computer for storytelling purposes. The survival comment refers to my current collection, those taken prior to 2019 having been deleted. Did not mean to even imply your collection is remotely in danger. Apologize for any confusion caused.
I tend to empty out my folder after editing and saving the ones I need.
For sims 3, I am sure I have deleted everything.
Sims 4, about 1GB saved the rest are uploaded to imgur for sharing here, in the forums.
Ah, now I get it! Phew. I don't understand the first thing about hardware, so my first impulse was to assume I had overlooked something again.
@RandomizedSimmer That's me with the "G" key in build mode! Somehow when I try to hit "G" to remove the grid, my finger ends up on "C" instead (probably because I take so many screenies that muscle memory leads me to C when I move the hand vaguely into that direction, lol.)
But I am sure some of those are duplicates because I backup my screenshots folder. So maybe around 250-300GBs
I use to do a lot of story threads and I keep a Simming moments thread to document my game play. I take a lot of pictures.
I would do YouTube let's plays if I had the voice for it. I am a bit of a monotone. I'd probably put people to sleep.
wooah thats a lot
I don't think anyone would mind monotonous talking though
and I mean even if it did put people to sleep would that really be bad thing with insomnia scrollers everywhere
if talking is only thing keeping you you could even do mute lets plays with snazzy music and text commentary
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
If I include my ShareX saved ones we're probably talking 5000+ by themselves. I just like taking screenshots, over 4000 on Fallout NV alone.
I don't even know how many more screenshots I have of non PC Sims since I often take pictures with my capture card like this silly case of the GBA Sims 2!
my goth story is already at like 4 GB+ on its own and I'm barely done with the part before bella disappears
I'm in for real puzzle when I actually post this
so conflicted whos POV I should even start from and where does it start where does it end should i connect should i divide
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free