N64 game case project - live!

Is there a box art difference between PAL covers and the US NTSC covers? Is the only thing that's different the color of the spine (which slash can change anyways)?

Nate
 
Check out the covers and you'll see. For example, the Banjo Tooie cover doesn't have the red bar on the front at all, and has a different rating on it (whatever they use in Australia - it's rated G8+). Also, it has some disclaimers about being intended only for Australia and how it won't work in Japanese or North American N64s. Not a huge deal, and I'm using that one right now, but it would be nice to get the US version eventually.

Edited for typos.
 
Ahhh, ok thanks - I concur =)

We'll work on getting a complete set first, then go back and try to make it a complete NTSC set.
 
Well, yeah, there's a few differences between PAL and NTSC covers. You mentioned a few, but also there's the fact that the Nintendo logo is circular rather than oval.

But the Banjo Tooie red bar actually does extend all the way around, it's just covered up by Banjo and the red bird for the most part. As for the black bars, for whatever reason it's like that on a very few games, but I can easily photoshop it red to match the others. We should leave both red and black versions for options' sake.

I'll upload the red-bar superman later today.
 
Can we lose the names on the scans? I just printed out 1080 Snowboarding and I see PHOTO: AARON SEDWAY on there twice (once on spine and once on back cover). As much as I appreciate Aaron and anyone else who helps out, I don't think this is the best way to be recognized for credit. These obviously aren't official cases, but I still want to keep it as original as possible, and even though it's small - a bunch of guys names on the sides of all my n64 cases isn't helping them look any better. Do they do this with the GBA project?

Maybe I'm just being too picky about this though, let me know. Thanks.

As a side note, I just bought some games w/boxes off eBay, so Dr. Mario & Army Men Air Combat should be scanned within a week.

Nate
 
[quote name='nate1749']Can we lose the names on the scans? I just printed out 1080 Snowboarding and I see PHOTO: AARON SEDWAY on there twice (once on spine and once on back cover). As much as I appreciate Aaron and anyone else who helps out, I don't think this is the best way to be recognized for credit. These obviously aren't official cases, but I still want to keep it as original as possible, and even though it's small - a bunch of guys names on the sides of all my n64 cases isn't helping them look any better. Do they do this with the GBA project?

Maybe I'm just being too picky about this though, let me know. Thanks.

As a side note, I just bought some games w/boxes off eBay, so Dr. Mario & Army Men Air Combat should be scanned within a week.

Nate[/QUOTE]
:rofl: Aaron sedway was the person who took the photo on the 1080 case. It's not the person who made the scan. It's on the original case.
 
Aaron Sedway is an 'extreme sports' photographer. He does a lot of magazine covers, as well:

http://www.exposurevault.com/services_portfolio/ads/pages/snowboarder cover4.htm

518332.jpg



As for credit for creating the covers, it worked like this on the GBA Cover Project: when a person uploads a cover, they input their name as well as the game title and type when they upload. It appends this information to the filename on the Snackbar server. SnowCone then takes this information and creates a thumbnail for the game, and adds it to the official online collection. He fixes the filename, but he puts the name of the person who created the cover on the online collection next to the thumbnail.

Until SnowCone creates something similiar like that for the N64 project, the way we're crediting covers is by keeping the name scheme in the filename of the covers. Which is acceptable to me for now, until SnowCone gets back and creates an N64 page (he's out of town till monday.)
 
I have 22 covers I can contribute to the project, some have already been submitted and 1 or 2 are probably too damaged to be used but either way I think you guys are looking for any covers you can get. The only problem is I'm not too great with photoshop and... either way the directions are a bit confusing but if you still want me to scan them and upload them to the raw scans photo gallery for someone else to perfect I can do that. I'm not actually going to be creating cases for myself so I'm not interested in purchasing any... so this one goes out to you guys and all your naked games!

But anyways, should I just upload what I come up with to the photo gallery or what?
 
Yeah, just upload your scanned covers (at least 300 dpi) to the raw scan image gallery linked to on the front page. Remember to log in (at the top right of the page). If they're creased or scratched, upload them anyway. Sometimes we can edit out the flaws.




In other news, I finally got a chance to upload this:




Superman 64 with red spine




=================================
 
Wow, don't I feel dumb about the aaron sedway thing then. I've just never seen that before, especially since it's on the back cover too I wouldn't have guessed it. It just happened to be the 1st cover I printed out so I was like what the heck.

By the way, these look awesome when printed on the color laser printer I have access to. Right now I'm just using plain legal, but I ordered some professional legal paper (25% cotton) and when I printed my friend's catalogs on 25% cotton paper they looked crisper so I'll see if the same is true for these covers.

crim - sorry about the confusing instructions, where did we lose you? We want to make this as simple as possible as to not scare anyone away. To answer your question though, yes, just scan them in and upload them to the raw scans photo album. I apologize if the photo album is confusing, I thought it would actually be simpler than an ftp since you don't need any additional software and it's very user friendly (at least I think so). Thanks for your help!

Nate
 
[quote name='crimsongeneses']I see that the gallery is empty, will you just remove the photos from the gallery when you're done using them?[/QUOTE]


Yeah, I (or whoever) will remove the raw scans once a final cover has been completed. The final covers are linked in the original post, but are also in the online album.



I guess, later tonight, I can write some very detailed and specific instructions on creating the covers from raw scans. I'll try to get around to that later today.
 
Basically I just kind of gave up when it came to cropping the spine and rotating logos and such... I think it would just be much easier and come out better if I just scanned 'em and let you guys handle the rest.

Also, on Pokemon Stadium (a cover I have I can scan) the case is awkwardly shaped because it includes the transfer pak, should I just skip that game or scan it like the others and let you guys figure out what you want to do?
 
[quote name='crimsongeneses']Basically I just kind of gave up when it came to cropping the spine and rotating logos and such... I think it would just be much easier and come out better if I just scanned 'em and let you guys handle the rest.

Also, on Pokemon Stadium (a cover I have I can scan) the case is awkwardly shaped because it includes the transfer pak, should I just skip that game or scan it like the others and let you guys figure out what you want to do?[/QUOTE]


Scan in and upload everything you have, even if it's oddly shaped (including Pokemon Stadium). Usually there's a way to photoshop the oddly-shaped boxart scans into the right dimensions.
 
Alright, I'll get a move on and upload yall some covers. Let me know if my methods don't work for you guys.

Edit: The official count is in: I have 17 covers that aren't listed nearly doubling the current list. Let's hope others get in on this action too.
 
Minor problem... The resolution you guys requested for the width of the front and back seems to be about 70 pixels (or so) larger than what my covers are scanning at. I don't know if that number is a typo or not but I'm not doing anything wrong over here... I'm going to keep scanning until someone tells me to do otherwise...

Edit: (Sorry I keep posting so much, I just don't want to screw anything up too badly) I've put 4 covers onto the raw upload site but I'm not sure if they fit the specifications because of the whole resolution problem... I'm going to cut it off there until someone tells me if that will do. Unfortunately they were scanned at the highest resolution my scanner has so if anything the pics might just have to be stretched. Anyways, tell me what to do *wink*
 
Don't worry, keep doing what you're doing. The original boxes are not the exact same ratio as the mediashelving cases, but they're very close. The scans don't have to be the exact size of the covers if they're being uploaded as raw scans. The purpose of the raw scan section is to give 300 DPI cover scans to people (such as myself) the images we need to create properly-sized covers out of them.

Just upload what you can, it doesn't have to be sized or cropped properly, it just needs to be 300 dpi. You're doing a good job so far.
 
[quote name='ryan838']Slash you did a great job editing the raw scans I uploaded. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

No problem :). They were all pretty good quality, thanks for the contributions.



Also, I just created covers for:

Smash Bros
Perfect Dark


I'll upload them tomorrow.
 
Raw scans uploaded so far:

Perfect Dark
Smash Bros
Kirby 64
007 The World is Not Enough
Mario Party 1
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3
Rayman 2

I'll upload the rest when I get some more time.
 
Just uploaded:

Perfect Dark

Super Smash Bros


I'll be gettin' to more of those today, so keep the raw scans comin'! I haven't written detailed instructions on this yet, though.. I want to make them clear, so it'll be a while before I have time. Plus I only use Paint Shop Pro, so Photoshop users might not be able to 'translate' my instructions. Meh we'll see.
 
Sorry I haven't had time to upload more today, I've been working, hanging out with friends, and buying games for my collection (by now you've probably seen the thread) and I only have enough time to post this message before I head off to Xbox Live where I'm meeting a friend for Halo 2 action. I'll probably be busy over the next few days as well but I'll do what I can.
 
I've been a bit busy myself trying to build my computer desk (from scratch, that is, from sheets of lumber). My upload not working puts a damper on my progress in converting the raw scans to covers too, but my classes start tomorrow so I can upload them from campus on the lightning-speed connection.
 
good find, definitely could be useful for customs or something...

I just received the professional legal paper (25% cotton) today, so I'm going to see how much crisper the color is. I'm also suppose to receive my 100 cases from mediashelving today or tomorrow.

Once we get some more covers I can sell printed finished copies to interested parties - I'm not in this to make money, I think $2 or $3 a case + shipping is fair.

I'm also always buying n64 games so I get duplicates so perhaps I'll throw some games w/custom cases on eBay (someone had mentioned about complete custom case + game).

For you guys w/ink jets, is the paper soggy after you print these? When I would use an inkjet to print a color picture on regular paper it would sometimes be pretty wet. What dpi are you printing them at too. I know they're scanned in at 300dpi, but from my experience I've noticed a difference when I print at a higher resolution even if the picture is of a lower dpi. Just curious since I'm using a color laser for now.

Nate
 
Inkjet is probably not a good choice for these - with that much color you really need a laser. I did notice that some of mine printouts looked a bit blurry where the letters are small (on the backs in the red stripe where all the warning/options/etc are). Not sure if it's my printer, the type of paper (regular crappy copier paper), or something else. It's not really bothering me for now though.
 
Personally, I'm using a really good, really new inkjet printer on regular printer paper. The teeny-tiny text on the red bar gets a little blurred, but everything else is great. I'm perfectly happy with it, but a laserjet or something might produce better results on the tiny text; maybe kinkos.

As for wetness of the printed page, well, most modern inkjets have fast-drying ink. I use one, and print on Normal (instead of Photo, for example) quality, and it dries in a couple of minutes.


Also, a good tip for cutting is to use a ruler to line up the edge of the cover, and an exacto knife to run it along the ruler to cut the cover straight and accurately. That's a tip we got for the GBA cover project, and it works well.


Hope to get some more covers done soon, :)
 
Just checked mine and even the tiniest font is perfectly legible. Although it should be for as much as the printer I'm using costs.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00073HQ5M/qid=1118760751/sr=8-11/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i11_xgl60/002-2385938-5183240?v=glance&s=home-garden&n=507846


I'll have to try the exacto knife thing - currently I have an actual paper cutter, but it's a cheap one ($30) and I notice at the end it's not perfectly straight - it never seems to stay even, what a piece of junk. Hopefully the few n64 games I bought should be here soon.

Nate
 
I'm using one of those paper-cutters with the rolling blade (as opposed to the sword-arm thing). I tried the one at Kinkos but the blade was dull and it ruined the paper, so now I use the one at my wife's office.
 
lol. Yeah, I've had mixed results with the sword-arm paper cutters. Since legal paper is so long, it has a tendency to sort of shift while I'm cutting it. Other times, the arm is not uniformly sharp or it doesn't cut as cleanly as I like. I've found that sort of putting pressure on the the blade inward toward the base of the cutter helps it cut cleaner, though, for anyone still using that type of cutter. Still, I prefer holding a ruler to the paper and using an exacto knife, since it's a clean cut that follows the exact line that I hold the ruler to.
 
Slash - once we get all the games you have I can print them out on professional legal paper and mail them to you if you'd like - free of charge.

Yeah I'm using the sword arm cutter - it's junk.

Nate
 
Recieved 2 N64 box games today and scanned those in (Dr. Mario & Army Men Air Combat). Still waiting on the cases from mediashelving, paid for them a week ago now.

I reviewed the 25% cotton paper versus regular, and to my surprise the regular paper had better quality. It's not noticable at all unless you look very very closly and only at certain things, but on the cover of goldeneye, his face looks kinda smudged on the professional paper, but more detail can be seen on the regular paper.

I'm not understanding why this is since when I recently printed catalogs for a friend cotton paper worked better. I'm going to try regular paper again on the same image to see what it looks like. We just switched from authentic HP cartridges to OfficeMax brand so that may be the case.

As for being able to read small letters, I noticed on the world is not enough enough game, under the Made In Japan, it's completly not legible. Guess 300dpi isn't good enough for that small, oh well - it will suffice I think.
 
[quote name='nate1749']As for being able to read small letters, I noticed on the world is not enough enough game, under the Made In Japan, it's completly not legible. Guess 300dpi isn't good enough for that small, oh well - it will suffice I think.[/QUOTE]


Actually, the text under Made in Japan is legible at 300 dpi. If you look at the text on your computer screen at 'full size', as in, 1 pixel of your screen resolution per 1 pixel of the image, it's easily read. The problem is that, the text is so small, that when printed out on the covers, it's too tiny to read. Especially since it's white and surrounded by red.

I'll post the piece of that cover tomorrow when I'm on campus at 1:1 so you can see. Anyway, it's no big in my book.
 
What I was saying earlier about the tiny text on the World Is not Enough cover is that although tiny, it is legible at 300 DPI when looking at the source image:

example17ye.jpg

(this was cropped directly from the cover that was uploaded, and rotated of course)

Although small, it's readable. When printed, however, it's tiny; and when the color red is printed around the white, it tends to blur a bit. Might not be the case with laserjet, I'm not sure.




Anyway:

Just completed and uploaded:

Star Wars Rogue Squadron
 
Yeah I looked at it last night and saw it was readable on the computer. It was that cotton paper I was using that was making it look worse. Looks much better on regular paper - on the laserjet w/regular paper I can make it out just as much (maybe a little worse) as I can on the monitor, with the professional paper it was really blurry though. These look great regardless =)

Nate
 
Does anyone still have extra cases they're willing to part with? I've got a measly 8 games (sadly, boxes for none), and although covers haven't been made for all of them yet, I'd still like to get about 8 cases, if anyone has extra. Thanks!
 
I did something cool with regards to this. I'll show you guys a little later.


Anyway, I think Backlash missed it, but I created:

Star Wars Rogue Squadron


I'm going to see if I can create an incentive for more submissions to this project at the Snackbar forum..
 
I think that's also because there are still some sitting in the raw scans directory. If we go awhile w/o a bunch of scans I'll spend a few hundred dollars and buy a huge lot of games off ebay (actually bidding on a 70 boxed games lot right now).

Right before I knew about this project there was a guy selling a huge lot of just boxes on eBay, since then I've only seen small box lots (a dozen).

Nate
 
I'd love to also get my SNES games boxed up. Just yesterday I was trying to figure out if I could make a half-decent cover using only box graphics I found on the web (which obviously weren't 300 dpi). I'd guess that the number of scans available for SNES is even less than for N64.
 
[quote name='nate1749']I think that's also because there are still some sitting in the raw scans directory. [/QUOTE]

Well we definitely need other ppl with image-editing skills so poor slash doesn't have to do all of the scans. I actually have some rudimentary Photoshop skills, so I could do some if I can talk to slash about how he is transforming the scans into finished covers (i.e. where he's cropping them, how he's recoloring the red parts, etc).
 
well i could help out with the photoshop end of it... i work with photoshop everyday its my job. I have a couple snes boxes... super mario cart, castlevania 4, zombies ate my neighbors. There in bad shape so id have to touch them up.
 
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