Sick of boxshots!

[Steyr27]

As useless and unexciting as they are, do you really need to swamp the daily news with these?

Im reluctant to ask, but what exactly are they for? does anyone around here use them, and use them enough to make them a weekly mention?

I dont mean to sound insulting here, but i think they are a lame excuse for a daily news update, get rid of them! im\we are here to play games im sure, not look at there lame covers, which can be reproduced even better thesedays imo. So all we are looking at is some stupid nostalgic image ...... who cares?

[Tracker]

Unfortunately we have barely anything else to pretend as an update. Most of the abandonware games that exist are already on-site or protected by ESA or GoG or Chuck Norris. So, if we want the world to think we're functioning (I mean the part of the world which just don't register, only leeches games from here or simply doesn't come here), we have to post news which make them assume we're actually doing something, when we're not.
And we're kinda lazy too, you know.

This was the answer you might wanted to hear. The real answer is, some people might want to print those covers. What for? There are folks out there like me, who often want to burn a certain game to a disc, and as we know, blank discs have ugly, common boxes. Why not spice it up a little to resemble an original one more?

Besides, then you could ask that why the cat do we have manuals when nobody bothers to read them? Why do we have reviews at all? And such. But...

We're the people who volunteer to save the glory of a past gone with the wind, to let the future generations remember our lives filled with simple means of having fun, which we thought couldn't be any better. We want to share the sheer joy of the very first experiences with computer games both in history and in a person's life, and this also includes those ugly boxshots too. That's the point of their existence. Remember we kids, and don't forget to finish all the games we offer. Class dismissed.

[Pex]

I am probably never going to print a boxshot, but I still like to see them. I find it nice to see what sometimes used to pass for a cool picture, and let's face it, those pictures used to sell games. Also, more than once, with a boxshot update on site, I discovered a game that I somehow missed while browsing the game list.

So, although I would stll prefer an update telling that Warlords II is no longer protected, I like to see a good boxshot as well.

[Luchsen]

Dear Mr. Steyr27,
please go to another site or make your own if the types of content of a site don't suite you. We don't need people who tell us that our work is useless, unexciting and stupid. Though, if you are ready to write reviews for the games you want so bad, you are welcome - we'll appreciate your work and just ignore further whining (except that you'll miraculously get warning points if you go too far).


Yours sincerely,
Abandonia,
a video game preservation programme
(not a stupid warez site that rapes games)

[arete]

If you're going to moan about site content, first remember that those currently running site updates are volunteers. It's a complicated process and takes time. What reviews we have need checking for spelling errors, and then we won't have anything to update if no one wants to add reviews. So pardon the crew if they aren't impressed by your snotty commentary, k?

[dosraider]

The real answer is, some people might want to print those covers. What for? There are folks out there like me, who often want to burn a certain game to a disc, and as we know, blank discs have ugly, common boxes. Why not spice it up a little to resemble an original one more?
Seconded.

[arete]

Ze eater of ze fwogs legs haz szpoken :mhh:

[Eagle of Fire]

Let me play devils advocate for a moment please.

I agree with Steyr27. In fact, I thought exactly the same since several years now. But I know nobody would want to hear it.

There. Nothing more to add.

[Japo]

Steyr, only because this is the Internet you think it's OK to talk like this? Do you really act like that face to face? No you don't. If you should have expressed yourself with a bare minimum of civility, your proposal would have been worthy of discussion.
___

Nevertheless I'm going to seize the opportunity to discuss this, because I also have a personal opinion.

Of course the staff is perfectly aware of this sentiment, even since we started adding extras and having news posts--even though we don't know how many people value extras news posts, that is how many people would be on each side of this discussion.

We have discussed this among the staff in the past, and actually we did agree on changing our policy and on making a forum poll to ask the users what kind of events and content updates would they like to see in news posts, and which ones they wouldn't. But all that was abandoned or overridden. Now is as good a moment as any other to raise the question anew.

What about making this poll?

[arete]

I think this could work. Maybe people can suggest ways to encourage more reviews for the site as well. We need them.

(As far as eating the frogs goes, they are poor, innocent little green creatures that go ribbit. You should be ashamed.)

[cdnp]

I really enjoy the Boxshots and I am really happy when I see in an update that new boxshots have been added to the site.

[Eagle of Fire]

even though we don't know how many people value extras news posts,
To be frank, I stopped reading the news altogether several years ago when all there was to it was extras...

[Lulu_Jane]

This is a community driven project, if you want more or different content then help.

[Eagle of Fire]

You say that now, but the last time I submitted a review it took a full week (if not more, I don't remember) of useless updates before it got up.

That's not an excuse. It is not even a valid point...

[The Fifth Horseman]

It had to pass through the Grammar Squad's tender mercies, you know. :)

[arete]

Very, very tender *fanged smile* And as I recall it was an incredibly long review, too. Grr.

[Luchsen]

I don't think it is an option to not mention the extras in newsposts. You can summarise several in a weekly newspost and clearly state in the title that it is about extras. I really don't know where the expectations come from that there has to be a daily game update and nothing else. I prefer to have one game update and three extras updates a week than one game update and period. Then you see that there is work done, and the contributors get recognised.

[Lulu_Jane]

A full week. Wow, such a long time.

[Geezer]

Archives, boxshots, manuals, maps, ads. They all combine to create the complete package. A package that is designed to help create a game experience that is as close to the actual original experience as possible.

I you feel the need to bitch about the fact that news is posted about such things then do yourself (and us) a favor and don't read them. Certainly you don't expect a new game update every day? If you do then you have no idea the amount of work that goes into it.

[TotalAnarchy]

You say that now, but the last time I submitted a review it took a full week (if not more, I don't remember) of useless updates before it got up.

That's not an excuse. It is not even a valid point...

You're the last guy who should complain. It took you 3 years to write that review :bleh1:

[Lulu_Jane]

http://www.opinion-maker.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/nuclear-explosion.jpg

[Eagle of Fire]

Stop overexagerating... It took me little less than a year, and it was because that game is extremely complex. It would probably take a lifetime for anybody to master it, let alone play enough games to write a review.

Beside, you all seem to be missing the whole point. Why ask me to contribute when the problem doesn't rely there at all? I'm already contributing: I'm stating a problem I have with the site. Just like Steyr27.

You might not care in the least but I really did stop to even visit the main page of this site years ago because I was fed up with what I consider useless updates. That is a problem. Most of the crew just choose to ignore it by hiding behind "if you want it fixed then contribute" shenanigans...

[Luchsen]

But that's the solution of your problem. If so many reviews are contributed that we have to do daily game updates, there is no place to annoy you with extras updates daily. And the more game updates the more readers according to your theory. And we want more readers, don't we? Actually, not necessarily. We make a site about old DOS games. If nobody besides us would be interested in old DOS games, we would still make this site. Since we like these games, we wouldn't switch to Wii games just to get more readers. And, honestly, if someone comes here to simply download games and away he is (perhaps coming back for five minutes to ask questions because he didn't read the manual we have as an extra), and this visitor doesn't like boxshots or the like - then I don't care. We are here for the whole gaming experience, and someone who doesn't want or understand that isn't our main target audience. He is welcome, but he has to find his stuff between all the useless extras by himself. We won't place only his favourite articles in our supermarket.

I don't consider you as a visitor. That was just an example for our largest audience since you seem to want to do hard calculations.


P.S. Back when I did a daily boxshots update, we surely had more readers than we would've had if there weren't updates at all.

[Maxor127]

If you don't like them, then ignore them. I like them and I use them. Box shots are like art to me. There's more to the site than just game downloads and reviews. News is news. Whether or not you care about it. Reminds me of PC hardware sites where people bitch because there's mention of an Apple product, and they feel news should be tailored specifically for them.

[Eagle of Fire]

Well, that's exactly the point. Why not tailor the news specifically for everybody? Make it so you have an option to remove the news about specific things.

It is not that I don't like boxshots... It is simply that there is now almost only that in the news and, sorry to break it to you all, I didn't come to this site to look at art... So when I go to the front page and see 90% boxshot news, I completely lose interest.

Also, for contribution... You know very well that most good games are already reviewed. There might be a gem left here and there, but most of what we have left to review is crappy games. Add to that the fact that as much as I'd like to do more reviews I just can't seem to be able to find the time to do it... And you end up with a little amount of reviews. I don't think that will ever change either: we all have a life outside this site.

My own contribution is more forum related. I have been the mod of Troubleshooting for a long time now. I do try to readily help people who can't play those games we have on site. That's not nothing either... But it won't be a factor in solving this problem either.

That's pretty much the main point I'd like to introduce. You can add secondary points all you like, the main point still remain. Even if we had 100 reviews to suddenly fall in our hands, I know we would not see them the day after. Updaters would feel like those updates which were already planned have to be given priority, then we'll want to keep a reserve of reviewed games to make sure we have something to show people on the front page for a while, etc.

[jesters.ice]

Keep the boxshots coming. The games feel more complete this way. That's all I have to say.

[Pex]

We could obviously make a poll whether or not people want to know about updates regarding boxshots, but I don't think that should change anything. I, for example, don't even bother reading an update if it's for a game that I don't care about and it doesn't make difference if it's an update about the game itself being put on the site, or about a manual or a boxshot. But that doesn't mean everybody else feel the same about that game. Same is with the boxshots.

The whole point is that this is a non-profitable site run, managed and contributed to by volunteers. We are not trying to sell a product and therefore trim updates to attract special target group. We are not trying to win some prestigious award of a forum with most of the active members. As someone said, we would keep running thing the way we do whether we had 1000 members or 10, because that's what the site is made for - preserving abandoned games and all that comes with them, whether it's an award winning title and the crapiest game ever.

So, if someone desides to stop visiting the site just because the news are (lately) only about the boxshots, that's their choice and no one's loss but theirs.

[Alexis78]

I think that the box is a valuable thing.

Thanks to the scanned boxshots some people can do posters from games, mostly using that shotboxs, like these here:

This one is printed on canvas, it´s expensive, 200 dollars! but it´s amazing
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Troll69/zak_wall1.jpg

compare the size with a CD
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Troll69/zak_wall2.jpg

This one hasn´t the letters, only the drawing (here is a lot of work).
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Troll69/miphoto.jpg

No words...:pirate:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Troll69/mi2.jpg

And so on
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Troll69/LECdig.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j45/Troll69/dscn3073-scaled.jpg
:hello:

Besides all of this, I like to see the boxes, remembering it, or comparing with other editions, languages, formats, etc...why not?

And about the latest news is only showing boxes is because the people uploads what they want/can, so if they "only" have boxes, manuals, etc...that´s the news!

And if you complain about it, look it in the other languages, there are some "latest news" from years ago, so, at least you have news in english.

[Eagle of Fire]

You guys are still no closer to understanding the point... This is kind of sad.

[Aramazon]

The issue being: the news has been swamped with box shots recently...yeah I've noticed that too...the site's been a real drag lately with updates that get me excited...I mean game updates.

I'm not denouncing box shots, I appreciate them and one day when I've got tons of cash to burn I'll make epic posters of my favourite games thanks to them.

I think the issue is that lots of people check the website frequently because they like to see the game updates...I know I love reading every single new review out.

Lately I haven't been so active, but I do check every day, and there haven't been a good number of game reviews over the past couple months.

Now let me propose a solution:
Clearly we need more game reviews...what if a new forum section was created JUST for reviews...the needing reviews list thread seems a little bit...dry, there's some reviews on there that have been TAKEN for a long time now, games that I would happily write a review for.

Admittedly, I still have War Wind 2 taken, but I couldn't bring myself to keep playing it long enough to get a good review, it drove me up the wall.

Also Conqueror wasn't on the list, but it was in the ISO cellar.

Make an entire section just for reviews so that we can renew the whole review list. Also, so that we can have a place to put up our reviews unofficially for critique and proofreading. I know I would love that.

Make people aware that lots of great games in the ISO cellar need reviewing, I did Blood and Magic a while back, I'm finished writing my review for Conqueror so that game could be made as an update real soon.

I've tried to review that one game on the reviews wanted list called Discovery: In the steps of Columbus, but I found I couldn't play it and I couldn't find any help online...that's the kind of thing we could post about in the reviews section..."I'm trying to review a game, anyone know how to play it?"

I'd be more than happy to get back into Mechwarrior 2 and write a review for that as well.

What I'm suggesting is put more focus on encouraging reviews, and then let's get those good ol' game updates coming in.

[KrazeeXXL]

I understand both sides here. For one, I really like the daily news updates whether it's big or minor news. It simply shows that this community is active, thriving and alive.

For some ppl the boxshots are important, for some not... same for reviews. you can't satisfy anyone.

But you can't have big news each and every day... perhaps the boxshots shouldn't be published as they were big news? Or mark these news somehow so that ppl know it's about a boxshot or something else.

So at least, you could and should (be able to) differ between news you're interested in and news you aren't. (same like r-l-news -> you read what you're interested in)

that's the only solution I have for this "problem". better then some ppl not reading the news at all. that'd be sad... because I like the style of how some ppl write them.

[Alexis78]

Maybe a solution is do if you click on "the latest news" then you can choose from a menu, that displays lastest news in boxes, then below, latest news in manuals, lastest news in new games adittions, latest news in maps, latest news in reviews, and so on.

But then you quickly comes to realize that your "latest news" favorite section is mostly out of news because nobody do anything in that section (uploading games or reviews?).

And then we are again in the starting grid (that´s complaining again about that I don´t like the latest news).

So, it´s not Abandonia problem, it´s a matter of the uploaders/reviewers, who they don´t works for pleasure enought times for you to enjoy the latest news.

And I am with you that the best news are about new games and reviews, of course (and the forum, and the boxes :what: and the manual,...)

[TheChosen]

I think there should be a more agressive "recruiting program" or adds or stuff mentioning that this site needs more reviewers.

On a side note, it would be more nice to watch the boxshots if the ads wouldnt get in the way.

[Romano]

„Im Grunde geht es dabei um die Konservierung“, sagt Kosta.

[Basically it is about the preservation.]

(c) ZEIT.de, 10.05.2005