Author Topic: VgCollect new user questions: Anthologies, Archiving, Import, etc.  (Read 442 times)

Hi,

I'm trying to move off of my Google Spreadsheet, and after trying to rig up my own DB-like apps (via AirTable, etc.), I decided to see what exists. VGCollect looks really promising, but I have a few questions:

Custom Metadata
A lot of my questions boil down to custom metadata fields, etc. Can VGCollect do anything like that?

Location
I see a notes field, but is there any way to add specific location metadata ("In Black/Blue Bin #2 at the Storage Unit")?

Archiving
I purchased a Steam Deck, and part of what I'm doing with my collection is extracting ROMs from games I own to play on that. From ROM files hidden in Steam Games to reading NES/SNES/Genesis, etc via Retrode, I've built up a massive legal (or as legal as possible) ROM collection. Is there any way to save a file path to match up?

Anthologies / Titles vs. Releases
Many games are re-released as anthologies. In my spreadsheet, I was starting to separate a Game Title (ex, Galaga) from Game Releases (Steam version, NES Cart, NES Classic). This was especially useful in mapping when 1 'release' had 30-40 'titles' from older systems. I could map back to which games I owned in anthologies, so I'm not picking up a cart for a game I already own. How does VgCollect handle these anthologies?

Import
I see the import option under settings. What is it expecting in CSV formatting? Can I match up games from an import list? Can I import from Steam and other digital storefronts (something other sites/apps can do)?

API
Assuming a lot of these features aren't implemented, does VgCollect have a REST or GraphQL API we can call?

Steam Deck / Proton Compatibility
Steam Deck verified status and Proton DB compatibility for PC games - especially Steam games - is becoming a hot topic. Is there any integration to that sort of data?

Re: VgCollect new user questions: Anthologies, Archiving, Import, etc.
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2022, 08:10:29 am »
Archiving
I purchased a Steam Deck, and part of what I'm doing with my collection is extracting ROMs from games I own to play on that. From ROM files hidden in Steam Games to reading NES/SNES/Genesis, etc via Retrode, I've built up a massive legal (or as legal as possible) ROM collection. Is there any way to save a file path to match up?

Someone more knowledgeable than me can correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe that database currently has any effective way to log ROMs.

Quote
Anthologies / Titles vs. Releases
Many games are re-released as anthologies. In my spreadsheet, I was starting to separate a Game Title (ex, Galaga) from Game Releases (Steam version, NES Cart, NES Classic). This was especially useful in mapping when 1 'release' had 30-40 'titles' from older systems. I could map back to which games I owned in anthologies, so I'm not picking up a cart for a game I already own. How does VgCollect handle these anthologies?

Anthology releases are handled as if the Anthology itself is the title.  The listings do not include the names of any games that are included in the Anthology.

While there are sections for Steam, GOG, and digital PC Games the site is mostly structured to catalog physical products and the titles that you have.  You can use it to list what you have in those libraries but the features are pretty barebones, and in general does not include much information about what is in the game files - for physical or digital.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2022, 08:14:15 am by Cartagia »


tripredacus

Re: VgCollect new user questions: Anthologies, Archiving, Import, etc.
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2022, 09:37:04 am »
We do not currently track ROMs and do not cater to data collectors.

Import
I see the import option under settings. What is it expecting in CSV formatting? Can I match up games from an import list? Can I import from Steam and other digital storefronts (something other sites/apps can do)?

The import is only for CSV already exported from vgcollect. The primary issue is that the ID numbers from other sites will not match up here. And because we track variations, there is not any good way to get the ID numbers without manually searching for them on the site. Presuming you want accurate items in your collection.