As is apparent from the missing platform thread on here, sometimes platform releases are missing from the database. Other times, unofficial ports (e.g. Cave Story on PSP) cause the platform I play a game on not to be available.
Thus, I’d like to suggest the option to add a platform not present on the list of platforms attached to the specific game to be added when adding a game to a shelf, perhaps hidden behind an extra click. This would allow users to register the correct platform information when the platform is missing from the DB or when playing an unofficial port. You could even add the platform to the official list if enough users add it to their shelves.
I am making some assumptions here about how platform information is laid out in the DB schema, so if this is harder than it looks, ignore this.
I’ll let @peter handle the back end part and whether that’s easy or not from a site structure perspective.
As for the request, it’s a fair one. The main issue is a combination of the data pulled from GiantBomb and the time that we have as admins to make the changes. As of late we have been a bit overrun and as a result I’ll admit that we are behind in some updates like missing platforms. Ideally we would like to update them as quickly as possible.
As for allowing individuals to add platforms the primary issue I see with it is that that aim on grouvee is to have accurate release data about games. That means if a game was officially released on a platform we want to include it. However if it’s available on a platform via hacking, homebrew ports or emulation we want to closely monitor what is added. If we open it up to those categories we run into examples where we need to add PC, PSP, PS Vita and so on to every NES game entry. Not only is this an extensive amount of work, it’s not wholly accurate. Those games were never officially released on platforms other than Nintendo consoles, so it is misleading to allow platform categories based on emulation. It muddies the accuracy and usefulness of the database. Additionally there are often debated about ports or versions officially released on various platforms. Sometimes there are versions of a game that are on one set of consoles and then a different version or port that is on a different collection of consoles. We often have to carefully curate which platform is attached to which version or port of a game to remain accurate in the data archived.
I appreciate the reasoning behind your request, and also the usefulness of having more hands updating missing platforms. And there may be a way to do it while maintinging the accuracy I mention above. @peter May have thoughts on it (and will maybe even disagree with my stance) so anything is possible in the long run.
yep. earmarking platforms helps the sorting process with the way grouvee presents information about whats on a shelf because of the way filters work. its very useful! to those who actually do it and tag every game in any list to a platform this can be annoying when you can’t do it for the handful of games that dont have what you want to tag it to.
I would recommend having a custom shelf for ‘grouvee doesnt not have a proper platform (yet)’ You can add these games to that and also have it on ‘wishlist’ or backlog or whatever and do a private status saying ‘play this one on MSX’ that way, you can kinda track it/find it/alert yourself to whats up. I have had things in said list and gone back to it in six months and saw that they were available on PC finally (usually the issue for me personally) so sometimes they fix themselves. maybe.
Another thing slightly relate to this issue with Giant bomb is that sometimes they will get the platform info right but they wont have releases. somtimes none at all lol but many platforms. (That’s not a big deal since it doesn’t affect sorting)
being able to modify the site a bit to your own fields and stuff would be a subscribe-worhty feature. If you could say add games to any platform outside the database or have a TEN STAR rating system just for you and stuff like that which is just invisible to the rest of the world but tied only to that user, i think some would go for it. especially a 6-to-120-star rating, lol I dont know if the two are related but thought i would mention it!
That’s a pretty good idea actually! Everyone always asks for a different rating system, but I can see putting a custom, hidden rating system being a Gold feature.