VGCollect Forum
VGCollect Site Stuff => Video Game Database Discussion => Topic started by: hoshichiri on September 24, 2019, 09:03:20 am
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GBA Arctic White
https://vgcollect.com/item/107898
https://vgcollect.com/item/167424 <- dupe
I made that listing, and it WASNT a duplicate! I was trying to make a generic listing for 'Gameboy Advance', with no color attached to it (like this listing (https://vgcollect.com/item/117597) for the SP.) My newest GBA is a custom model that can't be listed under the specific options available now.
Can I set something like that up, or is it going to get removed again? I'd like to list all my consoles!
MOD EDIT: Topic split from Duplicate List 2019 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,9929.0) thread. (http://i.imgur.com/ho21rwl.gif)
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GBA Arctic White
https://vgcollect.com/item/107898
https://vgcollect.com/item/167424 <- dupe
I made that listing, and it WASNT a duplicate! I was trying to make a generic listing for 'Gameboy Advance', with no color attached to it (like this listing (https://vgcollect.com/item/117597) for the SP.) My newest GBA is a custom model that can't be listed under the specific options available now.
Can I set something like that up, or is it going to get removed again? I'd like to list all my consoles!
There should not be a generic listing. The one you linked to is a bad entry. It will eventually be modified to an actual release or merged if it is a dupe.
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GBA Arctic White
https://vgcollect.com/item/107898
https://vgcollect.com/item/167424 <- dupe
I made that listing, and it WASNT a duplicate! I was trying to make a generic listing for 'Gameboy Advance', with no color attached to it (like this listing (https://vgcollect.com/item/117597) for the SP.) My newest GBA is a custom model that can't be listed under the specific options available now.
Can I set something like that up, or is it going to get removed again? I'd like to list all my consoles!
There should not be a generic listing. The one you linked to is a bad entry. It will eventually be modified to an actual release or merged if it is a dupe.
Why can't we have generic listings for systems? Given many of these are being sold secondhand now, many people may not know the exact color or box variant their specific machine was sold as. Plus, there's a notable number of customized units now, especially for handhelds. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a generic listing for people to use, then put the details in the notes section? Or do I really have to add a listing for a backlit glow-in-the-dark turquoise GBA that no one but me owns, or will likely ever own?
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Why can't we have generic listings for systems? Given many of these are being sold secondhand now, many people may not know the exact color or box variant their specific machine was sold as. Plus, there's a notable number of customized units now, especially for handhelds. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a generic listing for people to use, then put the details in the notes section? Or do I really have to add a listing for a backlit glow-in-the-dark turquoise GBA that no one but me owns, or will likely ever own?
All Game Boy Advances cataloged on VGC should listed as they did when they were put on the shelf on retail. Even if the vast majority of people don't have the boxes for consoles, that's how they were sold. I agree with Trip that that GBA listing is bad; it should be combined into an actual retail release.
The way I think about it is this. I have a copy of Super Mario Sunshine. It's disc only, so I have no idea whether it was the original, greatest hits, or some other variant. I could make a "generic" listing of just the disc on VGC. But because I know I have an incomplete copy, I just picked one of the available complete listings. I don't think the systems should be viewed any differently.
I think any custom models like that should be put in the notes. Or a gallery photo.
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The decision in the past regarding custom builds have been, that the "end result" is not allowed to have an entry, but the product used is. It doesn't reflect situations where you were to buy something that had a custom thing inside of it. It is up to you whether you would put the individual part into your collection and note that it is installed into a console, or put a console into your collection and note there is a mod installed in the Notes section.
Heck I just realised I never put my consoles into my collection!
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All Game Boy Advances cataloged on VGC should listed as they did when they were put on the shelf on retail. Even if the vast majority of people don't have the boxes for consoles, that's how they were sold. I agree with Trip that that GBA listing is bad; it should be combined into an actual retail release.
The way I think about it is this. I have a copy of Super Mario Sunshine. It's disc only, so I have no idea whether it was the original, greatest hits, or some other variant. I could make a "generic" listing of just the disc on VGC. But because I know I have an incomplete copy, I just picked one of the available complete listings. I don't think the systems should be viewed any differently.
I feel like disc-only games are different. Many discs have physical differences from each other (PlayStation standard vs. Greatest Hits, for example). If not, then picking at random doesn't inherently make your listing wrong- if two case printings use the same disc, than it's not important which listing it's under becuase it's still the correct disc for that listing.
I don't know what model of GBA I have, I bought it custom. If I list it as Artic White, or Indigo, or Fuchsia, or what-have-you, I'm lying about what it is- it's clear at a glance it's not remotely similar to any official color. So what do I list it as?
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All Game Boy Advances cataloged on VGC should listed as they did when they were put on the shelf on retail. Even if the vast majority of people don't have the boxes for consoles, that's how they were sold. I agree with Trip that that GBA listing is bad; it should be combined into an actual retail release.
The way I think about it is this. I have a copy of Super Mario Sunshine. It's disc only, so I have no idea whether it was the original, greatest hits, or some other variant. I could make a "generic" listing of just the disc on VGC. But because I know I have an incomplete copy, I just picked one of the available complete listings. I don't think the systems should be viewed any differently.
I feel like disc-only games are different. Many discs have physical differences from each other (PlayStation standard vs. Greatest Hits, for example). If not, then picking at random doesn't inherently make your listing wrong- if two case printings use the same disc, than it's not important which listing it's under becuase it's still the correct disc for that listing.
I don't know what model of GBA I have, I bought it custom. If I list it as Artic White, or Indigo, or Fuchsia, or what-have-you, I'm lying about what it is- it's clear at a glance it's not remotely similar to any official color. So what do I list it as?
I would pick the most common entry.
I will have a similar situation to go through when I add my Saturn to my collection. While it may have originally been sold in a retail box, I will never know because it is a rental unit. So that means that I will have to pick a Saturn console to add, and I would probably pick a "core system" entry that wasn't anything special, no free games or extra accessories. After I add it to my collection, I would put into notes that it is the rental system. I already have the rental case added to my collection.
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I would pick the most common entry.
I will have a similar situation to go through when I add my Saturn to my collection. While it may have originally been sold in a retail box, I will never know because it is a rental unit. So that means that I will have to pick a Saturn console to add, and I would probably pick a "core system" entry that wasn't anything special, no free games or extra accessories. After I add it to my collection, I would put into notes that it is the rental system. I already have the rental case added to my collection.
I suppose that's what I'll end up having to do... but I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO!
I could handle it in your situation, becuase even if its a rental, the actual items would match the 'basic console' contents. I could handle it for almost any other console, because there is a 'base' machine that would match my non-unique parts. But in the case of the GBA, there is no 'base' machine- they all specify a specific shell color that will NOT match what I'm listing. Basically, I have to lie about what's in my collection... and I can't stand that! Seriously, this is the kind of stuff that's made me abandon collector sites multiple times in the past... I just want to list want I actually own & not leave things out. Is there really no workaround or exception to be made for the 5-6 machines this affects?
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...in the case of the GBA, there is no 'base' machine- they all specify a specific shell color that will NOT match what I'm listing. Basically, I have to lie about what's in my collection... and I can't stand that! Seriously, this is the kind of stuff that's made me abandon collector sites multiple times in the past... I just want to list want I actually own & not leave things out. Is there really no workaround or exception to be made for the 5-6 machines this affects?
Just add the launch day purple system to your collection, and make a personal note in the notation field that yours is a custom console. It's not that big of a deal.
If you want to be specific about what is in your collection and have full control, just buy Collectorz.com's Game Collector program. You can make custom entries and have your own photos, information, etc.
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What Hoshichiri is really asking for is a feature request and doesn't know it. And that is: rather than link an existing db entry to a personal collection, have the option to upload a custom image. That would allow you to add any stock GBA (you'd still need to pick one) but then upload a different picture to the entry. A picture that would only appear when viewing your collection.
Yet we do not have this ability yet, and instead we have offered the gallery option. That is what we have today. Perhaps in the future we can make a change to the site to accomodate this type of request.
Perhaps if you post some pictures of this mystery GBA you have, we can help you make a determination as to which item(s) to put into your collection.
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ahh, ok, that makes sense. So the ability to change the site's stock entry thumbnail to a custom one, that only displays for you.
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What Hoshichiri is really asking for is a feature request and doesn't know it. And that is: rather than link an existing db entry to a personal collection, have the option to upload a custom image. That would allow you to add any stock GBA (you'd still need to pick one) but then upload a different picture to the entry. A picture that would only appear when viewing your collection.
Well, sort of- what I want is the listing for this particular GBA to not specify a color it isn't. I don't care if the photo is of my specific unit or not- I don't mind pointing out the mods in the notes panel. I just don't want some hypothetical visitor looking at my collection to see 'HoshiChiri has 3 GBAs, 2 indigo & 1 fuchsia.' I want them to see 3 GBAs, 1 indigo, 1 fuchsia, 1 custom (since I don't know anything beyond that for its origins).
I can get proper photos up later, but the shell is here (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1309/0597/products/Product_dc1b6e79-b34e-4726-9a5a-9675b4f2644d_480x480.jpg?v=1542911344), which shows pretty well what my unit looks like. I bought it from retromodding.com, their custom build page is here (https://www.retromodding.com/collections/custom-build-to-order-consoles). Just to demonstrate the full origins of the unit to my knowledge.
(Also, thanks to whatever mod pulled this into its own topic, I appreciate that.)
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I see now, you have a custom shell. Indeed if you did not do the work itself, you would not know what color the sac was, unless some hardcore nintendo nerds know how to match up board markings to retail releases.
Using the color reference here: https://www.retromodding.com/products/game-boy-advance-replacement-shells
An entry can be created in the GBA hardware section with this information guide:
{manufacturer} = Retro Modding
{product} = Game Boy Advance IPS LCD or Game Boy Advance
{color} = **see color list**
layout: {manufacturer} {product} ({color})
Example title: Retro Modding Game Boy Advance IPS LCD (Clear Blue)
required release type: Unofficial Release
Example Description:
Build-to-Order Nintendo Game Boy Advance with custom shell and IPS LCD v2 from Retro Modding.
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How about we create a semi-generic listing that says something like “GBA SP (Custom Shell)”? That way, anyone can use the same listing, regardless of where it came from, or who made it. We could also put something in the description field about to use the notes to specify what exactly you have. If we go that route, we should make similar listings for other consoles. I’m also of the opinion that not everything needs to be in the database. I make those CD-I controller adapters, but there’s no listing for them on purpose. The only people who have them are the 20 or so people that bought them directly from me.
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Another quick thought.
Where do we stand on modded consoles in general? I mean, do I really need to create a listing for my TG-16 with region and AV mods? That sounds silly, but what is the difference between that and a case mod for a handheld? They’re both mods. So many questions...
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How about we create a semi-generic listing that says something like “GBA SP (Custom Shell)”? That way, anyone can use the same listing, regardless of where it came from, or who made it. We could also put something in the description field about to use the notes to specify what exactly you have. If we go that route, we should make similar listings for other consoles. I’m also of the opinion that not everything needs to be in the database. I make those CD-I controller adapters, but there’s no listing for them on purpose. The only people who have them are the 20 or so people that bought them directly from me.
Another quick thought.
Where do we stand on modded consoles in general? I mean, do I really need to create a listing for my TG-16 with region and AV mods? That sounds silly, but what is the difference between that and a case mod for a handheld? They’re both mods. So many questions...
You're thinking along what I was going/hoping for- I'll certainly do Tripredacus' suggested listing (& thank you for coming up with that!), but I am a bit concerned about that resulting in a lot of one-off custom listings (assuming I'm not the only one wanting to list custom colored Gameboys.)
As far as modded systems in general- the vast majority of them won't have the issues I'm having with this GBA. My PC Engine Duo-R also has a region/rgb mod, my Colecovision has a composite mod. With those (and with most systems), they're still clearly a specific machine already in the database. I used the existing listings and just used the 'notes' field to point out the mods. For systems with custom casing that can't be visually identified as a specific variant, there's almost always a 'base' model that the guts of the unit will match, so you can use that listing and note the case mod.
This problem is pretty much unique to Nintendo handhelds from the GBC on- systems that had multiple color variants from day 1, meaning there is no 'basic' version to act as a catch-all for visually distinct modded units. Based on what I've run into, only the GBA really sees a large amount of this custom modwork anyway... basically, this was never going to be a common occurrence.
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This has all been discussed in the past. Currently we do not allow for "modified" or "generic" entries outside of some cables that end up being in Accessory categories.
The reason that we can allow hoshichiri's custom GBA is because it is a complete product from a business. In addition, we can also allow each of the individual custom cases to be added as accessories (the ones I linked to referring to the colors) as they are separate products.
Region modded consoles would not get any additionals. You select the console that is closest to what you have, or pick whatever one to represent the thing you own, and put into notes that it is modded or what have you.
A chipped console would not get their own entry, although an entry for the chip itself is allowed to have an entry in the appropriate accessory category. Same would go for any consoles that get region or AV mods by way of add-on boards that get soldered directly to the PCB. Those items can get their own entry because they are products purchased from somewhere.
Homemade modifications are not allowed separate entries, but the individual parts are.
If any of the people had bought that adapter you made, then they could add it if they wanted, but there is no requirement that it needs to be added.
We (at VGC) can potentially do more, but not within our current design. It is possible to accomodate those with custom consoles without adding generic entries, but at this time we do not have support for that.
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Yeah, I know all that already, I was trying to make a point. I think it’s time to take this to the staff board to discuss further.