Friday, September 28, 2012

Hardcore Lineage Tracing


I have been working on this project for so long that I honestly have no idea where to begin, so I'll start with this: Legacy Family Tree.

The free edition has a multitude of utilities which can be used to build an extensive database in which Norn lineage could be traced.  I've tried several methods of tracing Norn genealogy, but  combined with the free  LegacyCharting extension software, keeping track of Norn populations has never been so easy or efficient.   Fair warning: starting off is complicated. It took a lot of fiddling around before I finally figured out what the heck I was doing. Most features are only available in the paid Deluxe version, but for Creatures purposes the free version is more than sufficient.


My main family file is called Hyperborea and consists of 76 Norns at this time. I have merged several unrelated families, so there are several interwoven lineages.

At the start of generation 7, inbreeding is nonexistent to minimal. I have been diligent (obsessive) about breeding groups and strict with IQ testing. Literally everything gets documented in Microsoft OneNote and that data is entered into Legacy. It really is a beautiful thing. 

The charting feature is amazing. Here we have the ancestors of a little guy named Enu:

And here we can see all of the descendants of Enu's mother, Dyvia:
Going back even further, here are the descendants of Dyvia's grandmother, Brya:
There are several different types of charts, all with their own unique appeal. I highly suggest all Creatures genealogy buffs check out this program. I'd love to see some of your family trees!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing this tool and the ideas! I'm fairly terrible at keeping track of separate pictures, though we all know they're pasted all over my blog. Ha ha! This sounds like an excellent tool for plotting family trees out. I might try this out if I need a more detailed record. Great suggestion!

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