Game Template Page

The exact layout of this part of the page is up in the air.  It really all depends on how much info there is for the game, how big the series (if it’s a part of one) is, how much material is available for it, and so on.  For the purpose of this template, I will use King’s Quest V.  It was my first Sierra game, and is still my favorite.  It and the other King’s Quest games are also likely to have the most amount of info available for them out of all the other series.  As such, King’s Quest V is the most likely candidate for having a sample of everything that could be on these pages.  I’m still not 100% sure on the order of everything, but I will use KQ5 as the example for this template.  Above all else, I want the game pages to be as comprehensive as possible while, at the same time, being neat, orderly, and as easy to read and access as possible.  This template will also change as I actually start creating game pages and I see what works and what doesn’t, as I think of new things to take out or to add, and so on…I want this template to be as nice and easy to read and follow as the game pages themselves; right now, it’s kinda ugly. 🙂

On the real pages, this section of text will not exist.  It is here for information purposes only for both myself and whomever else might end up working on it.  The template for the main section of the page officially begins below here. This will be an introductory paragraph of sorts, most likely.  It’ll probably have a copy of the text on the back of the game boxes.  Underneath will be an introduction written by myself or someone else.  This section will usually be fairly short, mostly one to two paragraphs.  The exact contents are up to the writer. DOWNLOADS!  This will be the single most important and sought-after section on the whole page.  The main download will always be a copy of the game.  At a minimum, it will have a copy of the most common English-language version, though different and alternate versions WILL be included when possible.  This is also legally the weakest section.  Games will  always be included when possible, and if we receive a request to take them down, we will work as hard as we can to keep them on.  I mean, this IS the page for the two people who founded the company who’s games will be on here, so it should hopefully not be a big issue.  Since the vast majority of the games are from the 80s and a relative few from the 90s, that should also help us as well.  However, at times, we may have no choice but to take game downloads off.  Even when we do, though, we will continue to work tirelessly to work out a way to put the games back on.  As such, though game downloads will be the prominent feature on game pages, this feature should NEVER be advertised beyond the game pages or a select few areas of the forum.  Also, if there are ever alternate versions of games still in print and being sold, NEVER include them, except for a link to a page where they can buy the game.  Also, Gold Rush is still in print and being published by its original creator, so never include it for download under any circumstances unless they give permission.  If we can ever work out a way to limit how many games a person can download per day or per week, implement that.  Almost anything that will help us stay out of trouble should seriously be considered for implementation.  Finally, for the time being, do not include CD or DVD-based versions of games (especially the ‘talkie’ versions) as these risk eating up bandwidth and providing a whole host of problems.  If the CD or DVD-based version is nothing more than an anthology, it’s okay to include the individual games if it is possible to do so without having the whole CD or DVD.  If not, though, hold off on it for the time being.  Eventually, I’d like to include full CD or DVD-based games as image files, but not right now.

There will be several different download categories, as follows in no particular order (please note that some things will appear under more than one download category, such as ‘Essential Documentation’ being under both the Games and the Documentation headings).  Listed will also be what will generally appear under each category, though this can be flexible when necessary:

Games – games and documentation essential for playing the game
Documentation – non-essential and essential documentation
Materials – anything included with the game that is not documentation, such as inserts, posters, etc.
Scans – box scans, disc scans, floppy scans, etc.
Misc – anything else that might be necessary to make the game run on modern machines beyond DosBox and ScummVM; will also include any non-standard DosBox or ScummVM configs that may be necessary to get the game to run or for those who want to play the game on a machine like the ones that existed when the game originally came out
Help/Faqs/Walkthroughs – Self-explanatory

Of course, these are subject to change or exclusion, and I may think of other categories to add down the road. Game Title This will include a table of sorts containing basic information about the game.  I currently plan on including the following, in no particular order:

1. Full Game Title
2. Game Series (if any)
3. Company (Sierra, Dynamix, or any one of the other sister companies of Sierra)
4. Alternate names (i.e.- Hero Quest, the original name of QfG1; foreign names; etc.)
5. Anything else that I think might fit here. This will include the game’s version of the Sierra name and symbols, as well as any alternate versions there may be.  When there is more than one image, this will be a rotating gallery. This will most likely contain the same rotating gallery as the rest of the website. This will very likely contain a rotating series of quotes or dialogue sequences from the game. This will very likely contain a MIDI of one of the songs from the game.  MP3s of the music may be used as well. For now, this page serves no other purpose than to act as a template page of sorts for the game pages.  This is where I will be testing ideas, and so this page should not be accessible to the public. In this specific spot will be the game’s logo.  If there is more than one version of the game, or more than one language version, then they will be included here, too, in a rotating gallery of sorts.  That is the current plan.