GameDB2 User Manual - Games

Description


Games are the whole reason that GameDB exists!

You may enter any number of games into the system. Each game may be associated with any number of categories, publishers and designers. The first item of each type is known as the primary item. Along with this information, core information about the game, such as the expected play time, supported number of players, and a description may also be entered.

If game collection controls are enabled in the global configuration options, it is possible for users to modify their collection information by adding and removing games from their collection of games.

Once games are in the system, Session Reports can be entered for them, allowing game play statistics to be gathered.

Viewing the game list


The list of games that are currently registered with the system is available by clicking on "Games" in the main GameDB menu. The list of games is displayed alphabetically, and may be subject to one or more view filters, which allow fine control of exactly what games are displayed.

The list of games contains the following information:

Game list view filters


It is quite common to have several hundred games or more entered into GameDB, so that full coverage of all games owned by members of your Game Group, or all of the product in your On line store is possible. With this many games, the game list can take quite a long time to download and display.

For this reason, GameDB provides you with a series of View Filters, which allow you to display only small portions of the complete game list at once. Some of the view filters are available directly in the Game List, while some of them are available from other pages throughout GameDB, where they make the most logical sense.

Some filters are available based on the system wide configuration options, while some are always available. The list of possible Game List View Filters is: In addition to these filters, each list may be further filtered according to the names of games, restricting the list to games which begin with a number or any letter of the alphabet.

Viewing game details


The game list displays minimal information about games known to the system. In particular, it shows only the primary Category, Publisher and Designer for the game, and how many players can play the game.

To display more detailed information about a game, click the name of the game. This works in the game list and also anywhere else in the system that a game name appears as a link.

The resulting page displays all of the known details for this game, including any information that may have been calculated as a result of Session Reports for this game. The information displayed is:

Game detail control panel


The Game Detail page for a game contains a small control panel that allows for the display and modification of information on the currently displayed game that is held elsewhere in the system.

Depending on the current system-wide configuration settings, some of this information may not be displayed. In particular, when extended game fields are not turned on, the control panel will not display that information, and when collection controls are turned off, the control panel will not display collection information.

The control panel displays:

Adding a new game


To add a new game, click on "Games" in the GameDB main menu to open up the game list, and click the "Add a Game" button that appears at the top of the page. This takes you to a page that allows you to fill in the information for the new game.

For Categories, Publishers and Designers, drop down boxes are provided that allow you to select existing items to add to this game. Initially only three of each item are displayed. If more items than this are required, you can add them in after the game has been added to the system.

If you have permission to add new categories, publishers or designers to the system, then those parts of the game addition form will also include text fields, which you can use to add new items of each type directly. Entering the name of an item that already exists sets that item into the game without adding in a new entry (case does not matter).

If you do not have permission to add games, the "Add a Game" button will not appear at the top of the game list.

Editing game details


To edit the details for a game that already exists in the system, click the "Edit" link which appears on the game detail page or in the game list next to the game you would like to edit.

You will be taken to a page very similar to the game addition page, which allows you to modify any of the game information. This page works identically to the game addition page.

If you do not have permission to edit games, you will not see the links that allow you to edit games.

Removing an editing game


To remove a game from the system, check the check boxes for the games that you would like to remove in the game list, then click the "Remove" button at the bottom of the page. You will be asked to confirm that you want to remove the games before the removal actually occurs.

You are not allowed to remove games for which there is at least one session report in the system, so those games will not have a check box next to them in the game list.

If you do not have permission to remove games, you will not see the check boxes or the Remove button.