Official policy on episodic games?

[glaymore]

I'm not sure how the episode-based games are handled right now -- should we have each episode as a separate database entry? Should we have a single entry for the full game? Both?

For example, currently we have db entries for Cognition Episode 1 and Episode 2. I've tried to add the full 4-episode game but it was rejected as a duplicate for Episode 1, which sounds kinda weird.

So, what's the right way to handle episodic games? The guidelines are pretty vague on the topics (only "significantly different" editions are allowed, whatever that means).

Thanks!

[alondero]

3 hours ago, glaymore said:

I'm not sure how the episode-based games are handled right now -- should we have each episode as a separate database entry? Should we have a single entry for the full game? Both?

For example, currently we have db entries for Cognition Episode 1 and Episode 2. I've tried to add the full 4-episode game but it was rejected as a duplicate for Episode 1, which sounds kinda weird.

So, what's the right way to handle episodic games? The guidelines are pretty vague on the topics (only "significantly different" editions are allowed, whatever that means).

I don't have any in my collection, but I suspect the way I'd want to represent it in LaunchBox would be to have a single entry with multiple 'applications' - a bit like a multi-CD game (something like the recent Back to the Future series would have 6 entries otherwise). I guess that way you do lose out on having the individual release dates for each, but eliminates the risk of having mismatched metadata across the series.

I guess though if an extra episode was added post-release as separate DLC then that may be different to if it's just an episode of the main game?

[glaymore]

Checked the database for Telltale games - Game of Thrones, Tales of Monkey Island, Tales from Borderlands, Walking Dead, Wolf Among Us - all of these games are episode-based and all of them were accepted into the database.

Why decline Cognition? This moderation doesn't make sense to me :)

[glaymore]

Looks like moderators are not responding to this.

Ok, I'll resubmit the entry and hope it is not rejected for weird reasons :)

[FistyDollars]

I don't know if we have an official policy on this, so here's my take (blah blah disclaimer blah blah my opinion only)

 

LaunchBox is, above all else, a frontend. Frontends launch games. If a game is divided into 5 separate programs that need to be launched to play 5 episodes of a season (like Sam & Max from Telltale), then there should be 5 separate DB entries to help scrape them when they're added to LaunchBox. On the OTHER hand; if a game has a central launcher, and the DLC episodes are integrated naturally into the main game (like American McGee's Grimm), there's nothing separate to launch, so an entry isn't needed.

This has been my policy on DLC from day one (standalone expansions vs. skin/weapon packs, etc) , and it's also my policy on "2-in-1" game releases where they were released on one cartridge/disc versus two.

 

I didn't moderate the Cognition change, so I can't speak for what happened there, but it seems like if there are separate launchers for each episode, they should have been allowed. (This is another reason @Jason Carr would be a super great guy if he could implement optional submission comments so that we could understand people's motivations for certain changes)

Again, this is just my opinion, but since no one else has said anything, I figured I'd tell you where I'm coming from.

[glaymore]

@FistyDollars, 

That's exactly what Cognition is: you run all episodes through a central launcher, you can't run them directly. Actually, you cannot even buy them separately, they're only available as a single package. Still, I'm okay with separate DB entries for separate episodes, why not? Maybe some people want to be able to rate each episode separately, or whatever. That's absolutely okay in my book.

But an entry for the full game is a logical thing to have in the database.

Well, we'll wait and see

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implement optional submission comments so that we could understand people's motivations for certain changes

Cannot agree more!

[spektor56]

If we don't have separate entries then the release date, rating, plot/summary, etc will all be wrong / missing even if they are launched through a central launcher.  On the other hand, episodes are basically DLC are they not?  How does LBGDB handle DLC currently?  Does it tell you which DLC packs you have installed for each game like steam does?.

 

Quote

Viewing Downloadable Content for Third Party games

Certain games on Steam have additional DLC that can be purchased and installed.  To view the additional content that is registered to your Steam account, please do the following:

• Log in to Steam
• Navigate to the Library tab
• Right-click on the game that has DLC.
• Select "View downloadable content".

 

Note:

Purchased DLC will not be listed under the Library tab.

 

[glaymore]

Cognition entry just approved with no problems, thank you guys if you're reading this.

Guess the first attempt was just a freak accident, 6 (six) moderators declining it nearly at the same time was a bit unusual :)

To avoid this, we really need an optional field for explaining the reasons for submitting or changing game data.

[Vlansix]

Heya @glaymore,

Just to clear up any confusion (in case there is any), moderators are... well, normal users, like you and i :). Once you've had enough submissions accepted into the database, you are then able to moderate changes (look at my account -> moderation), We're not called out in the forums in any way. The people with the red "Moderator" under their names are forum moderators (and could also be DB moderator) ;).

As for explanations / etc, i'm currently working on an extension that allows us to do that. Might take a bit to get it up and working, but it should tide us over until the games db gets a revamp.