Who Moderates the Games Database? - Proposed Changes For the Game/Collection Database

FriskyTanuki

CAGiversary!
Feedback
36 (100%)
I've been a big supporter of the collection feature by submitting new games, adding info when needed, and reporting duplicates and such that need to be deleted since it launched. But recently, I've noticed that none of the duplicates that I've reported have been deleted (like the many games with "[import]" in their title that were copied from GamesRadar's database) nor have changes to the wiki been approved, which I saw one particular wiki submission that had been waiting for approval since December. It seems like whoever is generally in charge of keeping track of this stuff has dropped the ball big time and I would like to ask for some transparency on the situation to see why this has happened and what will be done to fix this issue.

While I'm here, I've got a list of suggestions for changes to the database that I think would improve the overall experience:

-Allow for multiplatform submissions without needing to resubmit the game for each platform.
-Allow for multiplatform titles that can be played on multiple systems (PlayStation Minis that can be played on both PSP and PS3) that aren't separate games.
-Add a field for a link to the official thread to make it easier to find the main thread to talk about the game with others. Maybe allow for additional links to clan/league threads.
-Make the extra info that doesn't appear on a game's profile appear on the profile or get rid of it from the wiki page.
-Remove all Wii versions of Virtual Console games and PS3/PSP versions of PS1 Classic games since they're just rips of the original cartridge or disc and have not been upgraded for the Wii, PS3, and PSP.
-When submitting a new game, it deletes the release dates from the wiki if you put that in there, so that needs to be fixed.
-Add a link to submit new box art since the original box art may be out of date, wrong, or low quality.
-Allow for a list of Now Playing games and Beaten games so that you can better manage the list and for the former to be a more persistent list that includes games you may or may not still own.

I think that's everything, so I look forward to some official response to the request for transparency along with some feedback on the ideas that I've presented. Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've tried to stay somewhat active with editing pages and adding some games myself. I definitely agree that support seems to be lacking on the other end.

I don't really have anything to add in the way of features, though Frisky's list looks like it would be a great addition.
 
I like the ideas. There used to be a button on the game pages to change/update the box-art on games but that was removed a while back for whatever reason after it has box art selected. Instead of full-out getting rid of Virtual Console and PS1 Classics, maybe allow that to be an option to select when adding the game to your collection.
 
[quote name='Jobbercho']Nobody.

I like most of the OP's suggestions except for removing the Wii versions of VC games.. and a link to submit new box art (cheapassgamer.com/forums/games.php?do=uploadboxart&gameid=GAMEIDNUMBERHERE). I'm not sure if it currently happens, but I would like a notification if a game I have in my collection is deleted from the db for whatever reason so I can make the necessary adjustments.[/QUOTE]
Wow. This is even worse than I thought it was. Over eight months of negligence is crazy for a huge feature on CAG to go unchecked.

Having to find another game without boxart to get the link and paste the original game's id number is a terrible way to do that. There was a button at first but was removed without explanation.

[quote name='JP']I like the ideas. There used to be a button on the game pages to change/update the box-art on games but that was removed a while back for whatever reason after it has box art selected. Instead of full-out getting rid of Virtual Console and PS1 Classics, maybe allow that to be an option to select when adding the game to your collection.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the option was there but was removed at some point for no reason.

[quote name='JasonTerminator']Yeah, don't remove the VC and PSOne Classics from the listings. Some of us own both, and as such, it should be represented in the database.[/QUOTE]
I can see the point, but they're just digital versions of the original games and don't need to be listed as a PS3/PSP or Wii game. There could be a way to add an option to designate these games as the Virtual Console/PS1 Classic version under the options menu like region, condition, etc. that would be a more elegant solution. Then you could just add the game to your collection twice as the PS1 version and designate one as the PS1 Classic version.
 
Hi, I'm Negligence, nice to see everyone!

As far as I know, it's just John, Cheapy, and me that moderate the database. We probably need to get someone on there that can spare more time. I'll admit that I haven't had the time to keep up with everything.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Cheapy and John assumed that you had things under control so that the moment you fell behind, you were fucked in trying to catch up with submissions. Since the trading marketplace depends on the database being in good shape, falling behind affects more than just those of us that want to keep our collections up-to-date.

Community mods just for the database would be a good idea if a good set of guidelines for what's good or not can be set since they're just unwritten rules that each person has right now. Getting John back on board to revamp the things that need to be fixed would also be great.

Thanks for at least explaining the situation.
 
[quote name='shipwreck']Hi, I'm Negligence, nice to see everyone!

As far as I know, it's just John, Cheapy, and me that moderate the database. We probably need to get someone on there that can spare more time. I'll admit that I haven't had the time to keep up with everything.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']Community mods just for the database would be a good idea if a good set of guidelines for what's good or not can be set since they're just unwritten rules that each person has right now. Getting John back on board to revamp the things that need to be fixed would also be great.[/QUOTE]

I think that's a good idea. Get a group to chip in and take care of it.
 
I'd be willing to help out with this. Been browsing the game collection recently and wanted to fill in price holes but realized I couldn't. I definitely say we get a game moderation group going.
 
No official reponses from CheapyD or John yet? Shipwreck, can you poke them to at least make a post here so that we know that they acknowledge the issues that have been mentioned here? If they need some motivation, tell them that this affects the marketplace as well and sorting this stuff out quickly would be beneficial for everyone.
 
Thanks for the criticisms and suggestions.

John and I have discussed in the past some of these problems, and I know we talked about automating more when it makes sense (like adding new releases to the db).

I think we also need to decide what type of information we really want to be user submitted. Is having publisher, developer, genre info important to what goes on here? Should we focus on more shopping related information?

But yes, I agree we need to have some kind of community moderation system in some form. I think I discussed this already with John and seem to remember there was a technical holdup. We'll get somekind of improvement in place.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The extra info is worth it if it's displayed on the page but most of the info (players, release date, number of media, publisher/developer) isn't. Publisher, developer, and release date are important for me, but you'd have to show that on the game's page, possibly under Game Information on the side. There's no need for Date Added since nobody would really care when the game was submitted and the ID number can identify the first submission in case of duplicates.
 
Here's a couple suggestions/ideas:

Open the edits to everyone with a year or more at CAG to ensure it stays updated (if necessary ban if anyone messes with the database)
Or if you want people to moderate, make sure it's a good amount. I would help, it sounds like frisky would, and I'm sure there's plenty of others that would help.

Get rid of the 'average cag valuation'

get rid of 'number of media'

when searching, ensure the games take precedence in the search results. For example I search Uncharted 2 and the game is 8th on the list behind 2 blog posts and some other games which are not Uncharted 2

As frisky said, let us change the current picture of a game. It annoys me when I'm trying to make a list and the box art is either not there at all, or some old pic

Have a 'best deal' area where people can add in the best current deal on a game

Another thing that should pop up along with the game info is the UPC

Add a tab for 'CAG Marketplace' and get rid of the 'other' tab unless there is some other use for it besides goozex
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I definitely think a moderation team would be needed instead of open edits for over a certain membership length. The TIV database has had to deal with people trying to get their lulz out of putting bad data in. Granted it is more the newer people but there are users that have been around for a couple years that end up just trying to put Halo 3 in with $3,000 TIV at GameStop. I see the problem being worse on the games database mainly because there are so many things to edit.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']The extra info is worth it if it's displayed on the page but most of the info (players, release date, number of media, publisher/developer) isn't. Publisher, developer, and release date are important for me, but you'd have to show that on the game's page, possibly under Game Information on the side. There's no need for Date Added since nobody would really care when the game was submitted and the ID number can identify the first submission in case of duplicates.[/QUOTE]

I agree. All the info is valuable to some of us. I enjoy researching and looking back on older games and sometimes it helps to know who it's made by. I spend most of my time on this community nowadays so I get a lot of my info from here.
 
glad to see that you guys are working on updating that, there are a few psone classics for ps3/psp that I own and I cant add because they aren't in the database and it was annoying.
 
For the past month or so I've been actively updating the Marketplace whenever I run across a game that needs it. However, like the OP, I've noticed many of my changes have yet to take effect. This has diminished my enthusiasm, but I do still have high hopes for the Marketplace's future.

To add to the 'what info is important' discussion: Publisher, Developer and Release Date are very important when identifying a particular variation of a game. But the selections for Publisher and Developer is a hot mess. The ability to manually add a Publisher / Developer needs to be removed, and the entire list needs to be verified by the proper authority.

Number of Players probably has little use to the masses.
 
I would particularly like the number of players feature being I do search sometimes for some old school games I can play with the younger ones in my family. Lets me teach them about the old school games and play with them:)
 
[quote name='Spanky']I would particularly like the number of players feature being I do search sometimes for some old school games I can play with the younger ones in my family. Lets me teach them about the old school games and play with them:)[/QUOTE]

I have no problem following CAG rules, but heard that some got scam. That sucks for that person because the time, effort, and cost of shipping. I think I did alright with my first guide run, but regret that I left some good guides behind like Sly, God of War, etc.


@ Spanky- U got a trade list? I can't find it.
 
[quote name='The Punisher']I have no problem following CAG rules, but heard that some got scam. That sucks for that person because the time, effort, and cost of shipping. I think I did alright with my first guide run, but regret that I left some good guides behind like Sly, God of War, etc.


@ Spanky- U got a trade list? I can't find it.[/QUOTE]

Your replying in the wrong thread my friend. This thread is about the game database:D Off topic but you can find my trade list by clicking on that little CML icon by my avatar. Mods feel free to move this to the appropriate thread.
 
Can we get the consoles on there as well? Been looking for a DS Lite, but can't use the Marketplace and I have to search the forums
 
[quote name='wune']Can we get the consoles on there as well? Been looking for a DS Lite, but can't use the Marketplace and I have to search the forums[/QUOTE]

Hardware and accessories were recently removed from the Marketplace, but I think there are plans to implement a proper Hardware category in the near future.


ps. I don't have a DS Lite, but I do have an original (fat) DS.
 
[quote name='nCogNeato']Hardware and accessories were recently removed from the Marketplace, but I think there are plans to implement a proper Hardware category in the near future.


ps. I don't have a DS Lite, but I do have an original (fat) DS.[/QUOTE]

Your post was actually one of the ones I saw in the forum. My only offer would have to be hardcore lowball.
 
John has another decent sized update to put up on the marketplace and then we will tackle this. Thanks for your patience!
 
I was just going to ask what the deal was with updates and came across this thread.

A few weeks ago I got a decent amount of N-Gage games and tried to add all the information I could to the date base but havent seen anything I submitted added. I don't mind submitting stuff as long as it eventually gets updated I'm just curious if its worth it. I still have a crap load of Intellivision things I can add.
 
As someone who has added tens if not 100+ game cover arts to the database (and who checks regularly to see if they are updated), I would like to volunteer my services to moderate the queue.

:bouncy:
 
I want to be able to change the non-US cover art that's been posted. I want my covers in American.

USA! USA! USA!

Honestly, though, they should be the US releases since the vast majority of users here are US-based. Also, I was surprised to realize that release dates aren't part of the listed information. Or is it and I'm just missing it? I saw the "first added" date but I don't see the point of that.
 
First, I second most of FriskyTanuki's suggestions except for removing VC/PS1 Classic games. It would be better if there was a separate way to designate the game as the VC/PS1 Classic version.

Second, I would like to request an Import Collection feature where a CAG can import a file of their collection. This would be useful for CAGs that have large collections so they don't have to enter each title manually. I know there is already a feature to import a collection from IGN, but I don't have an IGN account. I have my game collection in other software. The ability to import a CSV file with multiple fields (title, platform, publisher, etc) would be great, but to start this could be kept simple and just require that the import file be a .txt file containing the game titles of your collection, with each title on it's own line.
 
One more thing I noticed.

You can not add regular Neo Geo AES games, only Neo Geo CD games. Is there a way to fix that, or add the cart versions?
 
I just started trying to build my collection on this site since the IGN and Playfire sites have gone to hell. I used the import from IGN feature a few days ago and it hasn't made any progress in adding titles. I was wondering if I should keep waiting or has it failed and should I just start manually adding games to my list? When I click on import it still says "Your games have been scanned and added to a processing queue - this can take up to an hour to complete."

I also found a game that's not in your database, I'll try to submit it if I can figure out how.
 
[quote name='KneeKnee']One more thing I noticed.

You can not add regular Neo Geo AES games, only Neo Geo CD games. Is there a way to fix that, or add the cart versions?[/QUOTE]

It would also be nice if we could add MVS carts.

Dunno if that would be too confusing or not though.
 
[quote name='KneeKnee']One more thing I noticed.

You can not add regular Neo Geo AES games, only Neo Geo CD games. Is there a way to fix that, or add the cart versions?[/QUOTE]

I brought this up before but i guess we're going by what Shipwreck owns; hence, the Neo Geo CD.
 
Looking at the DQVIII page that remains, the original page that was made first was deleted, which doesn't make any sense. Unless it was poorly made and full of errors, I don't see any reason that the duplicate should be kept over the original when it only serves to hurt the people who have added those games to their collections and won't be able to easily figure out what this empty entry used to be.
 
dfg what exactly did you search for to figure that out? I have 8 games that are blank in my collection now and I came here looking for answers. I'm pissed because I just checked all my games about a month ago to make sure that I had everything listed that I own.
 
[quote name='raarar']dfg what exactly did you search for to figure that out? I have 8 games that are blank in my collection now and I came here looking for answers. I'm pissed because I just checked all my games about a month ago to make sure that I had everything listed that I own.[/QUOTE]

Well, if it says "No Art" then you can get the game's database # and paste that into a URL for a known game. Then I pasted the whole URL into Google.

The ones I listed above had results, and those others didn't return anything via Google, the Wayback Machine, or any other search engine I could think of.

It's great that we can download a CSV of our collections, but there's no field for the dbID#. I guess I could compare against an older version, but that would be really tedious, especially since previous CSV is over a year old.

I wonder if the person who maintains the database is able to check the records and let us know what was deleted. Pretty please?
 
bread's done
Back
Top