Style Guide for European / Multiple Language / Country games [WIP]

[foxhack]

This is a work in progress!

This contains information on how to add these specific game versions to complement the information on our standard Style Guide.

1a: The game title must be written in the language written on the box artwork. Some examples:
Tintin: Objectif Aventure.
Avonturen van Kuifje, De: Het Geheim van de Eenhoorn

1b: The English name of the game should be written in the Alternate Title field if one exists.
If the game never received an English language release, then you should use the original language title. For example, all the Japanese games that were released in Europe on the PS2 as budget games but that were never released in America would have their original Japanese title in the Alternate Title field.

2: Whenever possible, the product codes and barcodes information must be entered when adding the game.
This is to make sure that regional or box art variants are kept separate from each other. Note that sometimes there are games that share the same EAN or product code information even if they're released with different packaging or manuals for specific countries. This is especially important in the case of the Nintendo Entertainment System since games were released in various countries with different languages on the packaging, and were region locked for the area they were distributed in.

3a: Whenever possible, add information about the languages in the game, packaging, and manuals to the Description field. This is preferred. For example:
T2: The Arcade Game

3b: You may optionally add two letter country codes to the game's title as needed. Example:
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike [NL][IT][DE][FR]

A localized game title does not always mean that the game itself will be localized to the country's language.

This thread is a work in progress. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

[pordox]

Maybe not so much an addition to the style, more of suggestions for item submissions...

If there's already a version with the same title but without a specific version/item/lang code, you should submit the game as new item and don't edit the existing one.
This way you don't mess up other users collections.
http://vgcollect.com/search/advanced/80/T2+The+Arcade+Game/no-filter
//Edit: The problem with this, it may produces a lot of duplicates

And if existing entries have a code, you should go through and edit all the titles according to the style guide, in order to keep the search results clear.
http://vgcollect.com/search/advanced/80/Killer+Instinct/no-filter

Especially if the covers are kind of similar, users don't have to click on every single entry to find out what version that is.

[foxhack]

Maybe not so much an addition to the style, more of suggestions for item submissions...

If there's already a version with the same title but without a specific version/item/lang code, you should submit the game as new item and don't edit the existing one.
This way you don't mess up other users collections.
http://vgcollect.com/search/advanced/80/T2+The+Arcade+Game/no-filter
//Edit: The problem with this, it may produces a lot of duplicates

And if existing entries have a code, you should go through and edit all the titles according to the style guide, in order to keep the search results clear.
http://vgcollect.com/search/advanced/80/Killer+Instinct/no-filter

Especially if the covers are kind of similar, users don't have to click on every single entry to find out what version that is.

We may eventually have a way to send a PM to everyone who owns a dupe and say "Guys, we now have separate listings for regional variants, please add the one you actually own, kay?" This would also be used for games that have been merged.

Editing existing entries might be a problem because of our "do not modify existing game listings unless absolutely necessary" rule.

[fazerco]

The style guide is for this. To make sure you dont get doubles.

But working with FAH, or EUR only works for nintendo games. What do you suggest for other games?

[pordox]

3b: You may optionally add two letter country codes to the game's title as needed. Example:
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike [NL][IT][DE][FR]

A localized game title does not always mean that the game itself will be localized to the country's language.

So the country code means the region where that game was released - means according to the rating? Like this?
http://vgcollect.com/item/65403 or
http://vgcollect.com/item/65404 or
http://vgcollect.com/item/65400 -> Only USK (Germany), NO PEGI

Man this is madness take a look at this, there's also a version of that item with PEGI. Now how to handle this? xD
//Edit: http://vgcollect.com/pordox/xbox360eu

Name [DE][CH] -> for example, version with dedicated ratings to some countries
Name [DE][CH][EU] -> PEGI version with additional rating
Name -> "Normal" PEGI only Version

Tintin: Objectif Aventure [FR]  (has only FR rating, non PEGI)
Avonturen van Kuifje [NL][EU]
Random Game Zombie [FR][EU]
Random Game Racing [DE][CH][EU]

This is more complicated than it should be
But maybe this can work - instead of putting all those codes in a title [NL][IT][DE][FR]

[razorbeamz]

Since this style guide was written, is support for USK ratings on the horizon?

[fazerco]

3b: You may optionally add two letter country codes to the game's title as needed. Example:
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike [NL][IT][DE][FR]

A localized game title does not always mean that the game itself will be localized to the country's language.

So the country code means the region where that game was released - means according to the rating? Like this?
http://vgcollect.com/item/65403 or
http://vgcollect.com/item/65404 or
http://vgcollect.com/item/65400 -> Only USK (Germany), NO PEGI

Man this is madness take a look at this, there's also a version of that item with PEGI. Now how to handle this? xD
//Edit: http://vgcollect.com/pordox/xbox360eu

Name [DE][CH] -> for example, version with dedicated ratings to some countries
Name [DE][CH][EU] -> PEGI version with additional rating
Name -> "Normal" PEGI only Version

Tintin: Objectif Aventure [FR]  (has only FR rating, non PEGI)
Avonturen van Kuifje [NL][EU]
Random Game Zombie [FR][EU]
Random Game Racing [DE][CH][EU]

This is more complicated than it should be
But maybe this can work - instead of putting all those codes in a title [NL][IT][DE][FR]

You have to make it different then others. USK is usual German, are there many different ratings for one game? Or are those the provisonal scans the publisher sends to the shops. Ive seen a few of these on VGC.

Problem is, i dont know what a game in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, etc could look like. So i put the country code's in as they are on the box. But that doesnt mean the game i have is also sold in Italy, or Germany. They might have another box.

And on VGC they want to see the difference in the title. I dont like it also, but ill live with it.

[foxhack]

And on VGC they want to see the difference in the title. I dont like it also, but ill live with it.

... this rule set isn't final, you know. I made this post so we could discuss this. However it's really difficult to come to a consensus of what to do when I'm basically the only person other than you two (or three) that is trying to find a solution.

As for USK ratings... that isn't up to me. Matt's the only person that sets all that.

[fazerco]

I know, but if you dont want your game in the doubles list you have to.

Problem is more that alot of people only put the title in and a picture from the internet and nothing else. We need the EAN to be filled in. That way you can see if you have the right game

[pordox]

You have to make it different then others. USK is usual German, are there many different ratings for one game? Or are those the provisonal scans the publisher sends to the shops. Ive seen a few of these on VGC.

Problem is, i dont know what a game in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, etc could look like. So i put the country code's in as they are on the box. But that doesnt mean the game i have is also sold in Italy, or Germany. They might have another box.

And on VGC they want to see the difference in the title. I dont like it also, but ill live with it.

USK is only in Germany (and Switzerland, we also got mostly the german USK version), doesn't matter what language the game is. If the USK rated something, the cover can be differentiated because of the big ugly logo. In the worst case, you get 2 different german version. One with ONLY USK, and one with USK+PEGI.

Same thing - I think, but don't know for sure - happens in other EU countries. - If so, this maybe can work...
So I thought adding region codes only according to the involved "rating-institutes" is maybe a good idea.

"[DE][CH]" (means only USK)
"[DE][CH][EU]" (USK + PEGI)
No code or "[EU]" (PEGI, overall Europe Version, incl. UK and stuff)

So if there are other, dedicated, ratings in other countries like france, it will look something like this: (someone who knows that should tell us ^^)

"[FR][EU]"
"[FR]" ... Like THIS game here, it has no PEGI but some other logo on the bottom left.

Meh... 

[fazerco]

Same thing - I think, but don't know for sure - happens in other EU countries. - If so, this maybe can work...
So I thought adding region codes only according to the involved "rating-institutes" is maybe a good idea.

"[DE][CH]" (means only USK)
"[DE][CH][EU]" (USK + PEGI)
No code or "[EU]" (PEGI, overall Europe Version, incl. UK and stuff)

So if there are other, dedicated, ratings in other countries like france, it will look something like this: (someone who knows that should tell us ^^)

"[FR][EU]"
"[FR]" ... Like THIS game here, it has no PEGI but some other logo on the bottom left.

Meh... 

Rating wont work, you have your base coverd (for now), but im screwed in this way. You have UK games, French games, Dutch games, but they all have the same PEGI cause PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information.

Oh, almost forgot, most have the same title also.

[pordox]

Rating wont work, you have your base coverd (for now), but im screwed in this way. You have UK games, French games, Dutch games, but they all have the same PEGI cause PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information.

Oh, almost forgot, most have the same title also.

I know, but... are the, lets say PEGI games in the netherlands, different then from the other PEGI-only-rated version? Aren't they exactly the same as the UK games for example?

[pordox]

Ah well, I see, found something in your collection http://vgcollect.com/item/63120
You're right, for those items, ratings won't work. Damn

[pordox]

Haha I found something on the disc from what I called before an oh-so-only-PEGI/USK Version - this is stupid

[foxhack]

Haha I found something on the disc from what I called before an oh-so-only-PEGI/USK Version - this is stupid

Wait so that has PEGI, USK, that Australian rating system and... what's the other one?

My European copy of Risen (PC) has PEGI rating and warnings in the case artwork, and a USK rating on the disc (no PEGI). So judging from that and the disc scan, we can't always choose a region based on the game ratings alone because manufacturers will use the same disc among various regions, and only change the packaging and manuals (if any, remember that many PC games have multiple language versions of the manuals on the disc.)