Help creating database site

InnocentSinner

InnocentSinner

CAGiversary!
I'm looking to create a sort of video game character database, which would also eventually work as a community site. Each page would have a brief character bio, other information, a list of the games they've been in, and a picture gallery. Users could save their favorite characters to their profile and there would be a page showing the most popular ones. Unfortunately, I'm only good at tweaking code, and don't really have any experience working from scratch.

If anybody here has experience with PHP/MySQL and has an interest in helping to create a pretty cool site, lemme know. I can't offer much at all in terms of money (Cheapassgamer, after all), which will likely be the hardest part about finding someone :p However, the site will have ads (Probably google adwords, if nothing else) and if the site ends up making money, I'd definitely send some your way.

Also note that I'm not currently seeking someone to input information. I'll do that grunt work on my own, unless I find people later who want to help with that. All I'm seeking is for someone to set up the bones of the site so I have something to work with. It doesn't have to look pretty, since I could tinker with that later on, but I'm wanting it to get to the point where I can easily input information for the individual pages.

If you're interested in helping at all or just throwing ideas around, please respond here or contact me on AIM at SardonicTrojan. I'm sure I didn't explain everything as well as I'd like, so I'll be glad to clarify anything. Also, for an example of a site kinda similar to what I'm seeking, check out comicbookdb.com
 
1: Hah! Even your dreams are square!
2: Hmm... I wanna say "talk to Blueshinra", but I'm sure he's a busy guy. Cool fucker - did the website for our Starcraft tournament.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']2: Hmm... I wanna say "talk to Blueshinra", but I'm sure he's a busy guy. Cool fucker - did the website for our Starcraft tournament.[/QUOTE]
OMG, yes, I'm really busy right now (and thanks, Crotch :D ). Also, I too am only good with tweaking code; I'm fluent in HTML and CSS and can work my way around any template, but the rest...

My suggestions are:
- Use phpMyAdmin for your MySQL database.
- Use a prewritten script for the character site itself. There's gotta be something out there that fits the profile of the site you'd like to have. A wiki script might work if you want multiple contributors at any point. If you can't find anything you like, only then would you want something custom-built.
- And yes, Google AdWords are awesome! Provided you get cheap enough hosting, etc. and you can get the word around, your site will pay for itself. (As for what to do with any extra cash [should it happen], I send mine to Child's Play.)
 
Hmm this sounds fun. Do you still need help? I'm a php and java programmer that uses mysql and oracle. If you can pass me some more information on how you want the site to work I can definitely help you out. Email me at [email protected] and we can discuss more. Also, I can provide you with some sites that I have done.
 
A new site wouldn't be too hard to code. But I wouldn't use MySQL. I would just store all the info in a PHP file on the server, using the built in variable export function, or a custom made one.

And actually, I was just thinking. Why not just use MediaWiki? Installs quick, allows others to input information, and it's damn good software. I think that'd be a lot easier.
 
Storing that much data to a php file would be bad. If it is just a couple characters then this route might work, but anything over ten entries would not make sense. Better yet, why would you store data on a file? I can understand constants, but real dynamic data should never be saved to a file. It would make the file size huge and slow loading.

I have not used MediaWiki before so you could look into that.
 
[quote name='trek813']Storing that much data to a php file would be bad. If it is just a couple characters then this route might work, but anything over ten entries would not make sense. Better yet, why would you store data on a file? I can understand constants, but real dynamic data should never be saved to a file. It would make the file size huge and slow loading.

I have not used MediaWiki before so you could look into that.[/quote]

Storing information on one character would only take a few kilobytes. (10 or 11) And it wouldn't load slow at all. But this is just my opinion. I just don't like MySQL.

And MediaWiki is what Wikipedia runs on. It's good software. And it would be a lot easier that coding software from scratch. This also allows anyone to edit, that way the site grows faster.
 
I have to give an apology to access_denied. After talking to my dba here at the office I was informed of a theory being thrashed out by computing scientists. With parallel computing some theories are starting, that it might be faster to store data in single files again. This is sort of a de-evolution of programming, but could in fact become the standard in the next five years. However, until hosting sites begin using quad or more core servers this will not happen.

So once again, sorry, I spoke before knowing the facts.
 
Thanks for all the replies :)

Yes, I would prefer to work from a script or template, but I'm not sure exactly what to look for. www.IMDB.com and especially www.comicbookdb.com are basically the best examples of what I want to make. I don't want to go nearly as hardcore as IMDB, though. Basically, the goal isn't just a database, but a site where you choose your favorite video game 'crushes'. Having got into many forum conversations about that sort of thing, I figured it could make a fun community website.

I saw the site gamehotties.com and figured I could do better than that. It would be a place to find various information about your favorite characters and also a bunch of pictures. This would include official art as well as the ability for artists to include their own fan-art. There would be a section detailing the most popular characters, since users could do a sort of "Add to Favorites" option. There would also be polls (Who is your favorite character from _____? Who is hotter, ____ or ____? And the ever-popular Who would win in a fight of _____ vs _____?). And, naturally, there would be a forum for people to discuss things and argue their own positions.

The user additions aren't what I'm seeking right away, but just an eventual goal. My goal now is just to get the database part set-up. At that point, I could start adding characters and pictures, and it would still be a site people could visit. I have a domain and I have hosting that I like, although I'd need better hosting down the road if the site really picks up.
 
[quote name='InnocentSinner']Thanks for all the replies :)

Yes, I would prefer to work from a script or template, but I'm not sure exactly what to look for. www.IMDB.com and especially www.comicbookdb.com are basically the best examples of what I want to make. I don't want to go nearly as hardcore as IMDB, though. Basically, the goal isn't just a database, but a site where you choose your favorite video game 'crushes'. Having got into many forum conversations about that sort of thing, I figured it could make a fun community website.

I saw the site gamehotties.com and figured I could do better than that. It would be a place to find various information about your favorite characters and also a bunch of pictures. This would include official art as well as the ability for artists to include their own fan-art. There would be a section detailing the most popular characters, since users could do a sort of "Add to Favorites" option. There would also be polls (Who is your favorite character from _____? Who is hotter, ____ or ____? And the ever-popular Who would win in a fight of _____ vs _____?). And, naturally, there would be a forum for people to discuss things and argue their own positions.

The user additions aren't what I'm seeking right away, but just an eventual goal. My goal now is just to get the database part set-up. At that point, I could start adding characters and pictures, and it would still be a site people could visit. I have a domain and I have hosting that I like, although I'd need better hosting down the road if the site really picks up.[/quote]

Go with MediaWiki. It allows you to do all of that. All you have to do is turn off user editing until you want to open that up.

But, if you want to make it similar to gamehotties.com, you can code it yourself. The site seems like it's not too complicated. You can also google for software, as I guarentee there's one that's perfect for you.
 
Well, I don't like the -look- of gamehotties, just the idea behind it. I've tinkered with MediaWiki a couple years ago so I'll have to check it out again. From what I remember, it would definitely work for the information and the pictures galleries. And like those links/groups at the bottom of Wikipedia, I should also be able to order characters by things like Redheads or Robots or Vampires, right?

Would the community/profile stuff still be viable using that platform, though?
 
I was at the OJUG (Orlando Java Users Group) back in September (business trip). The founder of Wikipedia was presenting. I stopped him after and got to ask him a bunch of questions, all of which I can't remember too well.

1. Main base is Tampa Bay, FL
2. MySQL and PHP
3. Can't remember how many servers, but it was not that many as they don't have much money: non-profit
4. Monthly bandwidth bill was either $30k or $60k and that was discounted for non-profits
5. 30,000 hits per second was average iirc and can't remember how many TBs per day/month it was
6. Can't remember the number 1 looked up / edited page, but I want to say it was G.W.
7. Only 5 full timers; all others are volunteers

I will ask my colleagues if they can remember. It was fascinating presentation on how they scaled their infrastructor on shit budget.

Oh and the guy is super cool and great guy.
 
Yea, I'm a huge fan of Wikipedia and think it's probably the best thing to come out of the Internet so far. It's just amazing how much information there is there. It's also amusing just how detailed some things are. I could research a city in my state or find information (likely even way more detailed than the city info) on a Star Trek episode. :p

Also, other Wikis out there are fantastic for even more specialized stuff, such as starwars.wikia.com
 
[quote name='InnocentSinner']Thanks for all the replies :)

Yes, I would prefer to work from a script or template, but I'm not sure exactly what to look for. www.IMDB.com and especially www.comicbookdb.com are basically the best examples of what I want to make.[/QUOTE]
If wiki isn't suitable, try looking for a content management system (CMS). Two good places to look are SourceForge and Hotscripts.

(There are several alternatives to MediaWiki, by the way. Many of them are listed here.)
 
I'd imagine Wiki works just fine, I'm just not sure how much I could customize it.

I could always add a forum and try to somehow implement the community features there if they don't exist for MediaWiki (polls, favorites, etc)

I've installed MediaWiki already and am tinkering with it a little, but I think it's what I'll go with.
 
So, the next question:
Is anybody here skilled with the wiki editing style (I've never really contributed to Wikipedia myself), at least enough to help create a basic template for the articles to all follow? Bonus points if you actually have an interest in a site revolving around video game babes :p I could work out something on my own, but I'd imagine that someone with experience could do it as if it were second nature :)
 
[quote name='InnocentSinner']So, the next question:
Is anybody here skilled with the wiki editing style (I've never really contributed to Wikipedia myself), at least enough to help create a basic template for the articles to all follow? Bonus points if you actually have an interest in a site revolving around video game babes :p I could work out something on my own, but I'd imagine that someone with experience could do it as if it were second nature :)[/quote]

If you want to become fairly good at it, just practice a lot, especially in the sandbox. It also helps to look at the sources of some pages. And as for a basic template, it shouldn't be too hard to create with the Wiki editor. Or you can just go to Wikipedia, find an article you like, then change around the source to your liking.
 
I'm working on creating a template for one of those info-boxes you usually see in the top-right of the page. What sort of information should be included? So far I have:

Appearances:
Gender:
Race/Species:
Origin:
Weapon:
Fighting Style:

I'm assuming that all categories don't need to be used, but that they should be included if they 'could' be used. For example, the last two will be more important for characters from Soul Calibur or Street Fighter, but not-so-much for characters from the Mario universe. Any other suggestions for things that should be included in the info-box? I'm considering Age, but it seems that it varies too much depending on which game in a series you're basing it off of.

Oh, and anyone who's interested in contributing and building up the site in any way, just let me know!
 
[quote name='InnocentSinner']I'd imagine Wiki works just fine, I'm just not sure how much I could customize it.

I've installed MediaWiki already and am tinkering with it a little, but I think it's what I'll go with.[/quote]

Mediawiki is great software. If you're looking for other any other wiki platforms to evaluate as well, I use JSPWiki a LOT and it is great as well. Both platforms are mature and full featured so it should be very easy for you to customize them to do whatever you want for your site.

[quote name='InnocentSinner'] I could always add a forum and try to somehow implement the community features there if they don't exist for MediaWiki (polls, favorites, etc)[/quote]

You can create almost anything you want by simply writing custom plugins. In Mediawiki they are written in PHP and I don't believe they are too difficult to implement.
 
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