Author Topic: PS Network Categories Question  (Read 1954 times)

Re: PS Network Categories Question
« Reply #15 on: January 06, 2021, 02:28:41 pm »
The problem is that there are games that are only released digitally in certain regions.


dhaabi

Re: PS Network Categories Question
« Reply #16 on: January 06, 2021, 03:20:53 pm »
The problem is that there are games that are only released digitally in certain regions.

Why is that a problem? These titles would simply have their own specific entry number as-is and would only appear in their proper sub-category, if I'm understanding tripredacus correctly.

pzeke

Re: PS Network Categories Question
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2021, 08:43:37 am »
Yes and no. It would be in a single category in reality, but wouldn't appear as such to a user. Basically, we do not need to have multiple entries for say... the digital version of Fortnite. There could be one entry that "appears" in multiple categories or under multiple contexts. Where the item entry itself, be it viewed in PC Digital Downloads, the various PSNs or XBL categories, all link to the same entry. It would appear in each category because it would be linked to them.

I too believe multiple entries for digital games are quite unecessary, so I think I can get behind that since I've had a similar idea swimming in my head for the longest time now. Personally, I think for these games in particular, when a user adds them to their collection, instead of the box that gets prompted asking the user to check if their game is complete, as in has the box or manual, those options could be changed to reflect the platforms/stores where these games are available on so that the user can check where they purchased the game from.

Example:


Granted, there are more places to buy games digitally for PC than "GOG", "Steam", and "Epic", so maybe a few others could be added to the list, or leave it as-is and in the event a game was bought from somewhere else the user could tick "Other" and specify where exactly the game was purchased from in the notes field.

Overall, I think this would help keeping things simple and, above all, organized.

The problem is that there are games that are only released digitally in certain regions.

It really isn't a problem, as the PC section, for example, could be divided into two: "physical" and "digital", with digital entries getting assigned their respective regions just like it's done for physical entries. In other words, "Digital [NA]", "Digital [JP]", and "Digital [EU]". Or, instead of following the same formula for digital releases, it could be done so that the user themselves specify what region the game is upon adding it to their collection either by a checkbox or drop-down list.

As already mentioned, it's really unnecessary to have multiple entries for the same digital releases, so categorizing them this way not only makes it simpler, but it's practical.

I know your every move behind this face; I have control over expendable slaves.
When confrontation comes down to the wire, I'll use my cyclotrode to commence the fire.
You're never gonna get me!

dhaabi

Re: PS Network Categories Question
« Reply #18 on: January 07, 2021, 11:40:02 am »
I too believe multiple entries for digital games are quite unecessary, so I think I can get behind that since I've had a similar idea swimming in my head for the longest time now. Personally, I think for these games in particular, when a user adds them to their collection, instead of the box that gets prompted asking the user to check if their game is complete, as in has the box or manual, those options could be changed to reflect the platforms/stores where these games are available on so that the user can check where they purchased the game from.

The mockup is a good start, but I don't think this really solves anything. What does this solution offer that the Notes section doesn't already provide? For all of the digital PC games in my personal collection, I already specify which platform the item is connected to through this feature.

pzeke

Re: PS Network Categories Question
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2021, 03:24:18 pm »
Well, originally I intended to propose that when the user ticks "Other" an additional field could appear where the user fills in where the game was purchased from, which would in turn replace "Other" with whatever the user wrote, but it kind of seemed like a wild "spitball" so I figured I'd keep it to myself. Just for clarification, in this scenario when the user checks the platform the game is from, the others would disappear, leaving only the one that was chosen when they add the item to their collection. And yes, I'm certain others use the notes field the same as you do, I reckon it's there and it's meant to be used any way we see fit; but if the website were to follow through with what we're discussing, I believe that it should have a concrete way for its users to classify their digital collection just the same way it's done for physical items. Plus, not for nothing, but it's odd for digital releases to keep the same fields physical ones have; and by that I mean, "Cart/Disk/Item", "Case/Box", and "Manual". Sure, some digital games tend to include a manual (PDF), but that's where I think the notes field would come into place, especially when we consider some also include artbooks, soundtracks, and other extras.

Nonetheless, like I said above, I'm just spitballing; I'm sure there are other ways to go about doing this. Like, for example, all four checkboxes could be replaced with a field where users themselves write down where they bought/got the game from; however, there's the probability of it being used improperly. Another possible option is a drop-down list—I'm sure we can come up with more.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2023, 04:33:49 pm by pzeke »

I know your every move behind this face; I have control over expendable slaves.
When confrontation comes down to the wire, I'll use my cyclotrode to commence the fire.
You're never gonna get me!