Another level to platform

[Mike Baker]

Hi,

I'm trying to include magazines in our group and we are having an issue as we really need another level to platform.

Can this be added to feature requests.

Thanks

Mike and the team

[brian]

Are you able to better elaborate on the specifics of your request.

[Mike Baker]

Hi,

We have over 45K of games in over 100 platforms but wish to expand to include manuals and more importantly magazines and comics.

I have used the Platform/playlist option but this is sort of a hack and has issues with parent.xml with other platforms.

So we ( a large group of us from CP ) would like a PLATFORM/SUB PLATFORM as apposed to the current sort of hack of PLATFORM/PLAYLIST

I hope i have made it clear.

Thanks

Mike

[brian]

Thanks for the explanation. LaunchBox has the ability to have Categories, which you didn’t mention. Are you able to explain the pitfalls of using categories for what you want to accomplish?

Something like:

Category > Platform

Magazines > Nintendo Power

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[Mike Baker]

Hi Brian,

Just checking with the team, will confirm what we have tried shortly

Thanks

Mike

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[Mike Baker]

HI,

Me again…. Here is what was siad when we dicussed it.. “ The issue is it would need to be platform > sub-platform
Magazines - Nintendo Power otherwise you would have a million mags mixed with your gaming platforms and I use a platform view if that makes sense “

So basicly trying to keep Comics and Magazines and any printed matter separate from ROMS… else you will just have a jumble of ROMS with PDF etc…

The Magazine platform is over 40K with 100+ Playlists and the Roms are at 42K with over 100+ Platforms..

Hope this is clear.

Thanks

Mike and the Team

[brian]

Hi Mike,

Still not fully understanding the situation yet. I might just be missing something here.

In my scenario there, there’s no link between games and magazines. You’ve essentially created an entirely new section (aka Category) called Magazines, and created a platform called “Nintendo Power”, and the only thing inside of there would be Nintendo Power magazines. Then you create another platform called “Computer Electronic”, and import all your Computer Electronic magazines into that platform.

I assume what you guys are wanting is some kind of link between magazines and platforms? or Magazines and games?

If the link is Magazines and platforms, what if the Magazine in question covers 4 or 5 different platforms?

I guess I don’t fully understand what your end goal here is with your project.

[Mike Baker]

Hi Brian,

I have used Platform Category (Comics)/Platform (eg 20000AD)/Playlist (eg 2000AD issue 1-100)

So when I display Platforms , which is the default way we use this, it would show not only the game platforms but also the individual magazines.

What we would like is the Platform list to have Systems including Comics but then comics having a sub platform of individual titles and then playlist of types of comic.

Is that clear ?

Got to be honest, not the best writer in the world :)

Mike

[brian]

Are you able to give me some very specific examples of actual items and their organizations you’d like to see?

[Mike Baker]

Hi Brian,

CURRENT SET UP EXAMPLE:

Platform Category Platform Playlist File

Consoles NES Game 1

Comics 2000AD Issues 1 -100 Issue 1

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REQUIRED SET UP EXAMPLE:

Platform Category Platform Sub Platform Playlist File

‌ Consoles NES Game 1

‌ Comics 2000AD Issues 1-100 Issue 1

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As Platforms are the typical way we show/use/display the setup the comics would be treated as systems when using Bigbox.

Thats the idea…

What you think ???

Mike

[Mike Baker]

Humm, the formatting did not come out well…

Mike

Will have to try and reformat it

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[Mike Baker]

CURRENT SET UP EXAMPLE:

Platform Category……….. Platform………. Playlist……………..File

Consoles……………………….. NES ………………………………………Game 1

Comics …………………………..2000AD ……..Issues 1 -100 …….Issue 1

‌

REQUIRED SET UP EXAMPLE:

Platform Category ………….Platform ……………….Sub Platform ……………..Playlist ……………..File

‌ Consoles ………………………..NES ………………………………………………………………………………………Game 1

‌ ……………………………………….Comics ………………….2000AD ……………………Issues 1-100 ……….Issue 1

[Mike Baker]

CURRENT SET UP EXAMPLE:

Platform Category……….. Platform………. Playlist……………..File

Consoles……………………….. NES ………………………………………Game 1

Comics …………………………..2000AD ……..Issues 1 -100 …….Issue 1

‌

REQUIRED SET UP EXAMPLE:

Platform Category ………….Platform ……………….Sub Platform ……………..Playlist ……………..File

‌ Consoles ………………………..NES ………………………………………………………………………………………Game

Printed…………………………….Comics ………………….2000AD ……………………Issues 1-100 ……….Issue 1

[brian]

Thanks for that. Let’s use your Comics example. What happens if you try this:

Printed (Category) > Comics (Category) > 2000AD (Platform) > Issues 1-100 (Playlist)

[Mike Baker]

Hi Brian,

the problem with this approach is that 2000ad is still a platform and I need comics as the platform

[brian]

I’m not quite following of why you need comics as a platform. Did you try and set up a few different comics up like my example and check out how it acts inside of LaunchBox and Big Box? Once you do that, you can maybe better articulate the issues with a setup like that.

If all it is is where things are appearing in your Platform Category hierarchy, well that’s entirely modular. For example, you can set it up like this:

Level 1………………………..Level 2……………………...Level 3…………………..….Level 4……………………………… File

Consoles (Category)…..NES (Platform)………………………………………………………………………….…………… Game

Printed (Category)……..Comics (Category)……2000AD (Platform)…….Issues 1-100 (playlist)……….Issue

‌

If it’s just the position of your hierarchy, then it’s all just semantics that we are talking about at this point, but if there’s something more than that, let me know.

[Mike Baker]

Hi Brian,

Maybe I am not explaining myself very well.

I understand you can have your Category like this, but the 2000AD will always be a platform, so when I use bigbox and show Platforms it will show all the systems under platforms and also 2000ad etc which are comic titles, we need them to be a 2nd tier category…

OR am I missing the point completely ?

Mike

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[brian]

Yeah, I think you might be missing something. You might just not know that our Platform Categories section is more modular than you realize, and you can already accomplish the hierarchy that you are wanting to achieve inside of Big Box by setting things up the way I’ve explained.

I would give it a try on a fresh copy of LaunchBox. Set up the hierarchy. If you need help with setting up the hierarchy that I’ve laid out, let me know. Once you do, then in Big Box, you’ll be able to navigate in the exact way you are wanting to within the Platform Categories section in Big Box, which will be the view you will want to use (not the Platforms section inside of Big Box)

[brian]

Here’s another way you can accomplish the same hierarchy inside of the Platform Categories section:

Printed (Category) > Comics (Platform) > 2000AD (Category) > Issues 1-100 (Playlist)

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In Big Box you would navigate the Platform Categories section and you’d be able to navigate in and out of each section in the same way as my first example (which I still assume is what you want?).

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[Mike Baker]

Hi again Brian,

Still wont work with your setting, sorry.

Ive been playing with this and in LB no issues with Cat..Plat..Cat..Play

But when I move over to BB then the system does not take the Cat as a tiered platform.

so what I need is Platform…Platform which you can’t have.

Can you help ?

Thanks

Mike

[Mike Baker]

MIGHT have sorted, I will ask you now to cross your fingers :)

[Mike Baker]

No, still not sorted…

What we do is display platform only/downwards so using catagory is not something we can do, I want platform/platform and then playlist if required..

What can I do other than request Platform/platform ??

Hope this is clear

Thanks

Mike

[brian]

tbh, I still don’t really understand your issue within Big Box.

Especially when you are saying this: But when I move over to BB then the system does not take the Cat as a tiered platform.

Are you saying inside of Big Box, when you go to the system menu and navigate to the Platform Category section, you are not seeing your hierarchy that you set up in LaunchBox?

[Mike Baker]

Hi Brian,

Lets start from the start.

Our build is over 14TB and 50K in size.

We use LB and BB but mainly BB.

We use only the parameters of Platform setting in LB, we have just 2 patform catagorys which is never shown or used.

So when we run LB or BB the main game system we see are based on Platform .

SO when I try and add my magazines the main setting is Catagory for the title and platform for the comics and playlist if required.

This is not compatable with the system we use as if I install it as a system the tiltles of the magazines would show up with all the gaming systems and look confusing.

As a result I need to have the titles of the magazines as platforms and then when I come to individual comics titles I need another platform to occodate the magazine titles.

Is that a bit more clear ?

Thanks again for your help

Mike