So far, I've not come up with a catchy name for this one, but here's what I'm trying to do: Create a system that can build a [semi-]realistic persona from mounds and mounds of raw data; one that can be used for tertiary characters in a novel, for example. It must:
- use a list of initial, middle, and final syllables to assemble unique names [Mostly done]
- use WHO height/BMI data to generate accurate height, weight, BMI values based on age [Done]
- use randomizers to assign profession to anybody above a certain age [needs data]
- use professions to modify WHO data [barely started]
- somehow accurately assign visual descriptions to each alibi [uhhhh...]
Any suggestions would be awesome, thanks.

[UPDATE] The Excel file is posted here. Note that it's done in Excel 2013 and that it's a garbled mess. I decided to ask the Cemetech community for help somewhat spur-of-the-moment, but organization is forthcoming.

If there's any true spreadsheet masters out there, I need a better method for the name system. I'm trying to use normalized distributions to randomize the number of syllables for any range between 1 and n. Except that it only works for between 2 and 4 now. Does anybody know how to do a string equivalent of Σ? Before resorting to VB godhood, is there any way to make for loops in a cell?

Ok, so I've come up with a conceptual idea for the visual description system. I was going to just randomize it with my ever-useful VLookup/Indirect/RandBetween system, but then I realized something: Unlikely blondes. If someone has a skin color of type VI on the Fitzpatric scale, then it's highly unlikely that they'll have type A hair on the Fischer-Saller scale. To that extent, I found it necessary to come up with something else: Genetic modeling. If I assume that a person's grandparents were perfect stereotypical models of any particular ethnicity, give or take, then I can create realistic-looking people. Currently I'm still trying to grab traits, but if anybody is a secret physical anthropologist, I'd be happy to have your help. Here's what I have in terms of traits:

Code:

*denotes outside factors can influence

It doesn't have to be totally realistic. I think a level of unrealism would actually improve whatever you're trying to do.

That sound really neat! I'm new to the community and don't really know what I am doing so I don't think I can offer much advice. I will say though a new name would help as I feel like the current one is a little confusing. Not that you should change it yet, but something like Random Person Generator is a little more descriptive imo.