N64 game case project - live!

UPDATE


This thread is mostly dead (though the information below in this post is still very valuable). All discussion and cover creation has moved over to www.thecoverproject.net, a site set up just for these cover projects. Check the forums there.


Cases

We are using the generic game cases from MediaShelving.com. They can be bought cheaply, but only in bulk (100 at a time). So, unless you have a ton of caseless N64/SNES/Genesis games, you will probably want to have one person buy them and then split the cost.

They can be found here. Make sure to get the ones with Full Sleeve (to put the cover in, of course).

Existing covers

These must be printed on legal size (8.5x14) paper (in color of course!). Regular white paper should work fine, not sure about glossy or other stock yet.

Snackbar Games is the official hosting site for N64 game covers (as well as GBA, SNES, etc). (Click the N64 tab.)

4tygames is maintaining a full list of covers we have as well as what games are remaining. The list notes whether we have any cover at all, as well as differentiating between PAL and NTSC versions.


How can I help?

We need scans!
You can create a scan for any N64 game that we don't yet have. Scan the back, the front, and the top at 300 dpi or better resolution. Ideally, you would then crop and resize your scans to the correct dimensions and then upload it. If your Photoshop (or Gimp, etc) skills are lacking, then you can just upload the raw scans to our ftp site (graciously hosted by nate1749) and others can fix them up.

Right now we actually have quite a few raw scans waiting, and we also need help turning raw scans into finished covers. See the details in the next section (especially slash's guide).

Upload finished covers here:
http://www.snackbar-games.com/uploadcovers.php
Make sure to choose N64 for the format.


Upload/Find raw scans here:
http://ukbeats.com/n64/raw - this is a sort of photo album / ftp type thing

login: n64covers
pass: n64covers

You don't need a login to view any images, only to upload. You must login (link in upper right) to upload new images.


How do I turn my scans into covers?

We are keeping the horizontal orientation of the original boxes to a) keep the original art as perfectly as possible and b) make it much easier to complete this project. The spines will still look normal when the games are all lined up on your shelf.

Slash has created an excellent guide for converting raw scans to finished covers. It's based on Paint Shop Pro, but I use Photoshop and had no trouble using this guide. Download Slash's conversion guide here. (13 Mb)

The final dimensions are (in pixels at 300 DPI):

Front, Back:
1536 wide, 2100 tall

Spine:
294 wide, 2100 tall

Total:
3366 wide, 2100 tall

Red N64 Spine Logo:
294 wide, 384 tall

boxart spine image without logo:
294 wide, 1716 tall

The official spine logo (so that the red bar from the front and back will wrap all the way around):


Also, we have decided to use a vertical N64 logo (as noted above, created by slash000) instead of the normal one from the original box tops/spines. Thus, the scan for the top needs to be cropped to remove the original N64 logo. slash000 has also provided these handy tips for getting the correct ratio after cropping and resizing:

If you crop the top and bottom of the scanned spine box-art just a tad, then when you resize it to the pixel dimensions of the case covers they come out at the right proportion. Check this out:

The original spine art:


The original idea was to crop the spine art like this:


The result was that when resized for the case spine's dimensions, it squeezed it inwards a little bit.

However, if you crop the spine art just a little bit more inward to the art, you can resize it to fit the spines and the result is the spine art is the right ratio. Crop like this:


And you get good-looking spines.

Reserved for future use.

A plastic baggie works pretty darn well and cheaply.

But it looks crappy. Hopefully this N64 project will get off the ground and we will be able to create inserts for the generic cases using scans of the original boxart!

You didn't say anything about looking good.

honestly you dont really need them,mine sit in the open and they all work fine

find a mom and pop rental store because when i bought a few complete N64 games in the past, they put the game and manual in a clear case that is square. I believe i have 2 left if u want them.

The case in that link is what i have.

Aside from the excellent universal cases from MediaShelving (I have a bunch, and keep my really special stuff in 'em), I actually store most of my N64 (and SNES, etc) carts in these little plasic storage bins, about 9 inches wide, 6 inches tall, and about 16 inches deep, kinda like a shoebox made out of clear plastic. They have lids, so that keeps the games clean and free from dust and whatknot. I get 'em at the Dollar Store. Very useful, especially if you're looking to store a lot of carts on the cheap.

Thanks for the replies. I am probably going to use the cases from MediaShelving.com, with the hope that the N64/SNES art project gets rolling.

Just so you guys have some idea of what we're doing, we're making covers for boxes like this (here are 2 that I have done so far):












We're getting an N64 cover project going for the MediaShelving cases (not pictured). But first we need the actual cases.. which.. we'll need to split the cost for a 100 pack of (they only sell 100-packs).

100 for $40, divided by 4 = 25 cases for $10.

Pretty reasonable, if someone wants to order them, I and some other people are willing to 'buy' 25 cases from them.

Once we have the cases, we can measure them out, and start doing covers. Which won't be any more difficult than GBA cover project. (we'll be doing original, horizontal-based cover art as opposed to vertically-oriented art pictured above)

How did you get the cover in there behind the little plastic pieces that hold the game?

[quote name='Backlash']How did you get the cover in there behind the little plastic pieces that hold the game?[/QUOTE]

Well, these aren't the same as the MediaShelving boxes, they're a different kind linked to in the GBA/DS thread.

There isn't actually a holder for them on these, like DVD cases, but the Mediashelving ones look like they do.. I think..

Anyway, for these, what I did is a used a lot of glue stick to keep them on, then I laminated them onto the cases to protect the printed covers and to kind of seal them in.

I think Mediashelving has a type of case with clear cover-holders. Not 100% sure.

I got all mine in the original boxes. Keeps em nice and clean.

[quote name='addicted2games']I got all mine in the original boxes. Keeps em nice and clean.[/QUOTE]

Then perhaps, when this project is started, you could submit scans of your boxes..?

Have you guys ordered the mediashelving cases yet?

I'm interested in about 10 of the cases.

[quote name='dcfox']Have you guys ordered the mediashelving cases yet?[/QUOTE]

I did - I made a post about it in the GBA DS project thread. Maybe we should abandon that one as far as this project is concerned to keep all the posts in one place.


Link to my post

I officially completed the order today (when you order online they actually just send you a quote since shipping varies so much, then you have to call them to verify). It should be here by Wed next week.

The total was actually $56 for 100 cases, since they charged $14 shipping. Still, $0.56 a case isn't bad.

[quote name='slash000']Then perhaps, when this project is started, you could submit scans of your boxes..?[/QUOTE]

I still have a ton of N64 boxes (around 25) and if I can get access to a scanner (shouldn't be a problem), I'd be more than happy to assist in this project...

when you get the boxes.. start scouring Amazon they have a bunch of box art.

EDIT: to the post directly above mine.. you can get a cheap scanner that should have the proper resolution for around 30 bucks at wal mart.

Well Snowcone say's he'll host the images. All we have to do now is wait for the cases to come, make some measurements, and agree on a template.

Excellent - thanks! The cases should be here tomorrow or Thursday.

The cases arrived today and they are sweet. It holds my N64 and SNES games almost perfectly (the N64 fits perfectly but the SNES has just a bit of extra room). It also says Genesis on it ( I have no Genesis games to test in it) and - you guys will love this - it says Electronic Arts. All these words are just in slightly raised plastic so you can't really see them unless you look closely.

There is a clear plastic sleeve all around the outside, so it should be really easy to just slide the printouts right in - no need to shave any plastic or anything like that.

I'll get exact measurements asap so the project can begin! Those of you who want cases, PM and we'll work out payment and shipping details.

EDIT:

I tried to measure the case/sleeve. The sleeve is exactly 7 1/16 inches tall, but it isn't quite as high as the actual case - the case is another 3/32 inches taller. I think I'd rather the covers just fit inside the sleeve, but I'm not quite sure.

The spine is exactly 1 inch across. The whole width of the sleeve was kinda hard to measure, b/c the glue that holds it down on the edges is the real limitation. However, it seems to be about 11 1/8 inches total. It might be easiest to just call it 11 inches (I just slid a regular sheet of 11 x 8.5 paper in there and it fit pretty well lengthwise). So the front and back would each be 5 inches across and the spine would be 1 inch.

Maybe slash or someone else with experience from the GBA project could comment on this?

[quote name='Backlash']The cases arrived today and they are sweet. It holds my N64 and SNES games almost perfectly (the N64 fits perfectly but the SNES has just a bit of extra room). It also says Genesis on it ( I have no Genesis games to test in it) and - you guys will love this - it says Electronic Arts. All these words are just in slightly raised plastic so you can't really see them unless you look closely.

There is a clear plastic sleeve all around the outside, so it should be really easy to just slide the printouts right in - no need to shave any plastic or anything like that.

I'll get exact measurements asap so the project can begin! Those of you who want cases, PM and we'll work out payment and shipping details.[/QUOTE]
So the cases are EA :lol:

Anyways, I think I might grab some cases once the ball starts rolling on this project. I have 40+ N64 games and 20+ Genesis games so I might have to get an entire order for myself. How was it ordering from mediashelving? Good service, quick ship?

Ordering from Media Shelving was pretty painless. You place the order online (or I guess you could phone), and then they get back to you with the exact price, b/c shipping varies so much, You then call (or I think you can email) to confirm or cancel your order.

I confirmed my order Friday and got the cases Today. She said it would be 3 business days, so it was pretty close.

You might as well order another case of 100; I'm sure people will want the extras.

[quote name='dcfox']So the cases are EA :lol:[/QUOTE]

I think that EA is printed on the case to indicate that it will accomodate the EA-style Genesis cartridges, which were different from the standard Genesis cartridges. They mention the ability of the case to hold EA cartridges on the case's description.

[quote name='Wet Ninja']I think that EA is printed on the case to indicate that it will accomodate the EA-style Genesis cartridges, which were different from the standard Genesis cartridges. They mention the ability of the case to hold EA cartridges on the case's description.[/QUOTE]

That makes sense. The case does have little markings for Super Nintendo, CDs, N64, etc to tell you how to position the game (just in case you're a total idiot, I guess).

Can I exchange scans for cases? That would rock...

I'd like to make some measurements and templates for this project once I get the cases in myself.


Although, the measurements BackLash listed there are pretty close to the ones I already made.

So, if you want BackLash, you can try printing one of the covers I have posted. Although... I really want to make exact measurements and prints when I have the actual cases for myself.

Anyway, this project's about to take off.

YEah, I'll probabky take a shot at printing out one of yours and maybe try to adjust it until it fits. I would have done it yesterday while I was at work (and have access to nice printers - no printer at home), but CAG was down all afternoon

Backlash, YGPM.

The Super Nintendo games will fit perfectly in the cases if you have them in a plastic dust sleeve.

i made this a sticky, lets hope this thread takes off like the gba one has!

Thanks punq!

Good call about the SNES cartridges jkam - I tried one with the plastic cover and it fit much better.

I would be willing to chip in for some of the cases. Unfortunately, I never kept any of my N64 cases, so I cant help out in that respect. But if there's anything else that I could do, I'd be up for it. The good news is that the number of N64 cases that would be made is probably much less than the scans for GBA cases. This sounds like a great idea.

Anyone with cases and no scanner, here's a deal for a $5 scanner (after rebate, of course).

http://www.slickdeals.net/#p6106

The anticipation of waiting for these cases to come is killing me.

I really hope they get here today..

Any chance of a SNES CAse Project?

I have boxes for:

GoldenEye 007
Perfect Dark
Super Mario 64
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Pokemon Snap
Star Fox 64
and
The Expansion Pak

Let me know if we need scans of any of these. Also, which "panels" are being scanned for this project?

SIde note: I have boxes for Legend of Zelda:LTTP and Megaman X3 if there is a SNES project started.

I see no reason why a Super Nintendo project couldn't happen alongside this project, especially since they use the same cases. Once the official measurements and an initial template is created by slash, we can probably just create another thread and collect scans of the Super Nintendo boxes as well.

Of course, there were lots more good SNES games than N64 games, so it will probably be harder to get your collection totally boxed, but we could give it a go. I would guess that most people (other than hardcore collectors) have many of the same N64 games as compared to SNES games.

Hey guys, I finally got my cases in from BackLash. Unfortunately, I've been moving apartments the past couple of days, so getting ahold of an internet connection has been difficult. Should be able to get the ball rolling soon. The covers I posted above are very close, but not exactly the right size for these mediashelving cases.


Anyway, soon as I get some kind of internet access at this new apartment I'll be around here more often, because all we gotta do is decide on the case and we can start sending them in. SnowCone said he'll host them, but I need to ask him about how/where to upload the covers.

I looked through all of my old stuff today and unfortunately I was able to find only one n64 box and it was for Allstar Baseball. Luckily I held onto all of my manuals except I couldn't find my turok one. I'll scan mine and put it up on my website. If anyone needs me to host images I can cuz I got 2gb of storage and 50gb of bandwidth.

Here's the list of what I've got

- Blitz 2000
- Diddy Kong Racing
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Party
- Mystical Ninja
- Mystical Ninja: Goemon's Great Adventure
- Rayman 3
- Rogue Squadron
- Star Wars Shadows of the Empire
- Super Mario 64
- Wayne Greztky 3D hockey
- WCW/NWO Revenge

I've got a bunch of SNES as well, but I have to dig them out of the closet.

OK guys,


I created a prototype cover according to the dimensions of the MediaShelving cases.

I'll upload it a little later today, and we can critique and change it if necessary.

About the SNES box scans, you guys should talk to modcase (name on here) about getting some. He has quite a few "rare" boxed games up in his tradelist, maybe he'd be willing to help out.

Let's try to handle N64 games first...

I'll be uploading the prototype I made a little later tonight. I'm a little busy today, but I just want to print out and insert the prototype first, so I can post pics. I"ll also post the image file.

Hey guys,

I finally got a chance to create the first prototype cover for this project.


We decided to go with a cover design that doesn't require people who submit covers to do much extra work when creating the cover-- which means, the back and front of the covers are oriented sideways.

Everyone pretty much agreed they wanted the original box art, and it would make submitting covers much much easier. The only change you have to make is to add a small spine n64 logo. anyway, here's the first prototype:



This will print at the proper size of the mediashelving cases -- I hope. I haven't had a chance to print it myself like I wanted, because it's 11:00 pm and I left my legal size paper in another city.

What do you guys think? Comments/suggestions? Print it out if you like, esp. if you want to see how it fits into a Mediashelving case.



1 issue I wanted to ask about was this:
When sizing the spine, I was left with 2 options. One, to include all of the spine art, thus giving 2 n64 logos. Or to cut out the boxart's n64 logo in favor of the red wrap-around one. The problem with cutting it off is it kind of stretches the boxart spine a little.. sort of, squeezes it in a bit. With the original n64 logo in, as well as the red one, it fits normally. Let me post an example:



You can see that the spine art is the proper ratio, but it gives 2 n64 logos. Kind of redundant. I'm thinking we should stick with the first image I posted...

Unless we come up with a better idea. I mean, it stretches it just a little bit. Hardly noticeable.



If everyone likes the top image, and think we should go with that, then I can post the resolution and sizes of the front/back and spine, as well as some useful images such as the red n64 spine logo and some icon images (like 1-Player etc).

Check out the site below for a similar project involving neo geo carts. They of course use PDF's and take everything to kinko's to be printed on "Glossy Tabloid, Heavy Stock". This is probably the way to go once everything gets standardized. I'm going to order 100 from mediashelving now and see if I can help when I receive them. I've also got webspace. My host also allows for an ftp if you guys want to store them there too. I've got 1.5gigs of space (easily enough to hold hundreds of scans) and 50gb of traffic a month.

FYI - There are about ~265 n64 US titles

http://classic-shock.1emulation.com/printingtut.html
This is the KOF series, pretty impressive. There wouldn't be anything like this for the n64 project (unless someone did some totally custom work), but interesting to see what's out there.
http://www.netreach.net/~scop/bigryokof.jpg


Also, I agree - I like the first photo (only 1 logo, not redundant - plus it doesn't interrupt with the original art as much).

Nate

Those cased Neogeo games look awesome. I imagine our N64 collections will look similarly awesome when we're done.

Anyway, as for webspace, SnowCone from SnackBar Games said he's more than happy to host all of our images -- he's the same guy, of course, who got the GBA case project rolling. He's able to create an upload page where we select our image file, enter our name, and the type of cover, and it uploads it to his servers for him to create a thumbnail and post in an online collection. I messaged him about doing something similar for this project.


But only 265 n64 games? That's great! We've done over 600 (only 584 are posted) GBA covers, doing 265 won't be too bad. All depends on how many people still have their boxes, though... and anyone else (like me) who are able to photo-shop some good custom covers for boxes we don't have on hand for scanning.


Tomorrow I'll print the first pic I posted and take some photos of it inserted in the case. Hopefully it'll look proper in the insert. I think it will.

So is the ratio for the MediaShelving cases the same as the original box? That is, did you just have to scale your scan or did you have to do any cropping to get the ratio correct?

I can help do some of the Photoshop work (as far as scaling, cropping, etc - nothing like new custom art) when people start uploading their scans. When will SnowCone be ready to accept scans? Can we have two sections on his site - raw scans and ready-to-print art (for people who can't/don't do their own image editing)?