A new idea for a new GB64 web-interface

[markie]

Hi all,

I decided to start a new topic on this because it sort of
wanders away from the original topic I started about
making new contributions to the GB64 collection:

Missing EXTRAS-tab and new games for Gamebase64!?
http://www.gamebase64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=991

Speaking with Mayhem he informed me, that the current
process of checking about and including new games to
the current GB64 is in my view very tedious.
Inbetween releases of the GB64 database, there is no
way for the public to check if a new or unknown file is already
submitted or in the queue for the next release.

The only way to check such a probably quite common question
would be to ask by posting in this forum and then to hope for
an answer by one of the (busy) team members.
I'm currently not sure how many new games are to be expected
between releases. If it's only a few per year, the current process
seems fine, but if you read things like:

Please ONLY send us game files that are in our missing or bugged lists, as we still have a few hundred games to sort through already

(Taken from the Help us! - page)
Then it seems there are *A LOT* of games to include between releases.
To better handle this (and further incurage submitting new,
unheard-of games) I suggest handling this in a more automated way.
If you're interested, please read on...


If you have an unknown not-listed games and don't know if
you should submit it or not, asking about every single
game which is not in the current database, not in the missing
and not in the bugged list, wheather or not it is in the queue
of new games, is an awfullly tedious process.
And for the GB team members to check the
queue and write an answer also. - If that actually does happen.

My suggestion:
Why not make a web interface, together with a MySQL
database in the background, for uploading new files.
With such an interface, everyone could check himself, if
his not listed game is already in the queue or not.

I know HTML, PHP and MySQL and would be willing to help
with that or even try to do it all myself.
For this I probably would have to become a team member though
and learn a lot about how things are handled and how GB64
works.

In fact, it would be nice to have *ONE* single, major web interface,
for the entire project, where anyone can enter and search for
any game name, and the interface will tell him if the game is:
1: Already in the current GB64 database
2: Listed as missing (- Please upload with this form....)
3: Listed as bugged (- Please upload with this form...)
4: In the queue for the next GB64 update (please be patient...)
5: NEVER HEARD OF IT!!! (- Please upload with this form and supply
all you know about the game, Name, Screenshots, Publisher, etc...)

Wouldn't that be way cool, increase efficiency and lower the work-load?


I know a little about SQL and probably could make something
like that with PHP and SQL, but the current GB64 is Access, isn't it?
I don't know anything about Access.
(It probably could be converted to SQL just for this purpose though.)

What does the rest of the GB64 team think about this an idea??

Greetings,
Markie

PS: GB64 is an awesome project! If it wouldn't already
exist, I'd probably think about creating one just like it!
Keep up on the great and important work of preserving
the history of the C64 for future generations!


PPS (Edit):
As an afterthought:
I just saw that file in the gamebase distribution, where
help is asked for in creating a tool for merging two MS Access
databases into one, so more than one person can work on
the Gamebase64 database at a time...
Has this tool been written yet?
If not, I guess that means that still only one person can
edit and update the gamebase at any one time???
If that is the case, I would strongly like to suggest changing
the main database of GameBase64 to a SQL (MySQL)
database. These are made for this kind of use, for multiple
users, for easy web-access, etc.
Then anyone with the right privileges can work on the database
from home.
I'm not a *db or coding crack*, but for what I know about
SQL and Access databases (the later only updateable by one
person at a time), I think it's obvious that an SQL database
would be much more fitting to the demands posed by this project.
(Don't be afraid of SQL! It's easy!!)

[J2003C]

There is still no "merge database" program, so we send everthing to Michael, and he puts it into the database. We don't currently have anyone with time and the knowledge to modify or start over work on the GB front-end or tools.

As far as the idea for a web-based listing suggestion, it is a good idea for the future, but not yet. Until we empty our current queues, I personally do not want to have to deal with submissions of new games. I have over 1000 new games in my queue to add to GB, and thousands more to check. There are hundreds of better versions that need to be added, and lots of info to be updated. The next GBC update (v3) will have over 600 new games, but also tons of new original disks, original tapes and other extras.

Setting up such a web page could begin, but I would not want to enable submissions yet. Do you know how many people would submit "Antiriad" as a missing game?

[markie]

There is still no "merge database" program, so we send everthing to Michael, and he puts it into the database.

I thought as much. I don't think you'll ever get one.
Besides, setting up everything on MySQL harbors tremendous
advantages over an Access DB.

I have over 1000 new games in my queue to add to GB, and thousands more to check.

That's what I was afraid of...
Actually that's the whole point of my idea:
By creating a "professionalised" submitting system, most of
the work for those who need to check new games before adding
them to the GB will and should be eliminated.
#1) All alternative game names can be checked by an online MySQL
database which includes games in the queue.
#2) All uploads are handled by a convenient web-interface which allows
opload of archive files, along with screenshots, info on publisher, cracker,
instructions, cover scans, etc.

These measures should succeed in several things at once:
1: Drastically reducing time needed to add game to GB (screenshot,
version info, year, copyrightholder, etc. already available).
2: All submitted games are stored in one common queue.
Everyone with the right access privileges can add games from that
queue to the gamebase, thus distributing workload on available resources
and drastically decreasing queue size!
3: Motivate people to submit new better games, because it's so easy to
submit a game and because everyone can check themselves, if their
game is missing, in the queue, etc. --> Transparency motivates people
to chip in an contribute, and that's what you want if you're seriously
interested in making a as-close-as-possible-to complete archive of C64
games...

There are hundreds of better versions that need to be added, and lots of info to be updated. The next GBC update (v3) will have over 600 new games, but also tons of new original disks, original tapes and other extras.

Cool!
Once it's out, I'll double check if I still have stuff that's still not in it.
:-)

Greetings,
Mark

[Guest]

I think what you're asking is a bit of a logical condrum.

We can't tell you what we have in our queues until we check them, and once they have been checked then they go into the database anyway.

So to answer your question, by the time we figure out a way to display what we have in the queue to everyone, we may as well have put them into the database.

We're all doing this in our spare time. No kidding, it's A LOT of work! Simply assume that if you have something, and it's not in the database, then we MIGHT just need it and you should hang onto it to confirm later (drop us a message on the forum, thanks).

We *seriously* have to clear the backlog of games. There is no other solution to the problem until this is done.