Ultra game players (database)

[E-Day]

The measurements put it at slightly smaller than an EGM from 1995.

[Sean697]

I think for clarity's sake, we should just jump from number 27 to 48 on Game Players and leave the gap vacated when it wasn't published. And leave the Nintendo Strategy guide alone. Then all the issue numbers work for game player/game player's. It's obvious game player 48 June 93 was numbered as vol 6,6 and directly followed the Nintendo guide the following month of volume 6,5. And they somehow at issue 71 decided that was 71. Making the June 93 issue 48 of a continuous run of the same mag.

Alternately we could just make the gap at 71 and start calling it at 71 and that issue. But I think it makes less sense as the previous month they published the same magazine. May as well keep the whole run of that version of game players 48 and up, and leave the numbering gap vacant the years it wasn't published when it went from game player's to game players.

[aloram]

Chris Slate, former editor-in-chief of Nintendo Power, was there in 1993. He seems to be the most accessible of the former Game Players crew, at least out of the ones who were there in 1993. I'm not on Twitter, but his page is linked below. I have a feeling he'd be happy to answer any questions, as he comes across as a really friendly guy.

https://mobile.twitter.com/chrisslate

[TheRedEye]

I think you guys are making this more complicated than it needs to be. We're talking about two separate publications here:

Game Player's was a multiplatform magazine from Signal Research that ran from 1988 to 1991. It has a clear beginning and end.

Game Player's Nintendo Guide was a Nintendo-only magazine. After it was acquired by Future, the magazine became multiplatform as of issue 6-6, dropping Nintendo Guide from its title.

Ultra Game Players is the same magazine, same numbering scheme, same focus, but with a title change.

Game Buyer immediately follows Ultra Game Players, but has its own numbering scheme.

If it's important to separate these magazines, I suggest the following:

Game Player's (the original Signal Research magazine, stands on its own)

Game Player's Nintendo Guide (covering 1-1 through 6-5) becomes:

Game Players (starting with 6-5), becomes:

Ultra Game Players

Game Buyer is then its own separate publication.

Whichever way this database handles the change from EGM2 to Expert Gamer/Electronic Games to Computer Entertainment/Electronic Fun to Computer Fun/VG&CE to Video Games should be the same way it handles Game Player's Nintendo Guide to Game Players and Game Players to Ultra Game Players - same publication and numbering scheme, but a title change.

Whichever way we handle Electronic Games (90s) to Fusion to Intelligent Gamer should be the way we handle Ultra Game Players to Game Buyer - continuity of publishing schedule/staff, but new numbering scheme.

[Sean697]

I'm on board with all that.

[E-Day]

But didn't Nintendo Guide and Sega Guide become Game Players, hence its name Game Players Nintendo Sega at the beginning?

On one hand it is confusing to see a different issue number in our database than what is on a cover, but at the same time having gaps in our issue numbers will probably confuse some people who think we are missing entries. Either way is confusing. GamePro has the same issue where they bumped their issue count by 10 when they started putting the issue numbers on their covers.

[Sean697]

But didn't Nintendo Guide and Sega Guide become Game Players, hence its name Game Players Nintendo Sega at the beginning?

On one hand it is confusing to see a different issue number in our database than what is on a cover, but at the same time having gaps in our issue numbers will probably confused some people who think we are missing entries. Either way is confusing. GamePro has the same issue where they bumped their issue count by 10 when they started putting the issue numbers on their covers.

Personally I find it very confusing when trying to find game players 75 or ultra game players 102 and our database says totally different issue numbers than those on the cover. Especially when it's in your collection and you open Ultra game players 100 or something and the cover says a different number.

If you have two separate databases for game player's and game players (or ultra game players as theredeye suggested) you don't have any gaps. That database just starts at 48 and goes up from there. Our magazine database should have descripitons on the history of magazines for all who want to know. Like where 1-47 went. It's certainly less confusing for a user looking for an issue that way. (As well as historically correct.)

Edited December 22, 2015 by Sean697

[E-Day]

Each magazine has a "home page" where all that wiki type stuff lives.

Having two separate databases for Game Player's and Game Players makes sense to me though. Whatever makes the most sense is how we should organize this nuisance publication.

[aloram]

I'm surprised that so many issues from the (Ultra) Game Players/Player's run are missing from Retromags. I subscribed to EGM, GamePro, Game Informer, Next Generation, and Game Players/Ultra Game Players back in the mid to late 90s, and after revisiting all of these magazines in the last couple years, I feel that Game Players was one of the top video game magazines, at least starting in 1994 or 1995. I'm curious why it's (seemingly) so low on the acquisition priority list.

[Sean697]

I think they are a little harder to come by. Especially earlier Game Player's.

[E-Day]

I am about to start scanning an issue of Ultra Game Players and Tips & Tricks. I would like to get the database/numbering issues for these two publications straightened out before I start editing them.

Tips & Tricks June 2005 and UGP June 1998 to be exact.

[E-Day]

Okay, so what if we do with Game Player's what was done with Electronic Games, where the 1980s magazine and the 1990s magazine are separate? So what about "Game Player's (1989)" and "Game Players (1993)". We can number them the same as what is on the cover, and we can even create separate publication pages for them and split the content if people think it will make it less confusing. Ultra Game Players can stay in its own section in the database or be moved to Game Players (1993) since it's the same magazine with the same numbering scheme, just a changed name.

So everything from 1989 to October 1991 would go under "Game Player's (1989)", which are all Signal Research published, and the rest of the Game Players and maybe UGP would go under "Game Players (1993)", which were all published by GP Publications, and later Imagine.

[Sean697]

Okay, so what if we do with Game Player's what was done with Electronic Games, where the 1980s magazine and the 1990s magazine are separate? So what about "Game Player's (1989)" and "Game Players (1993)". We can number them the same as what is on the cover, and we can even create separate publication pages for them and split the content if people think it will make it less confusing. Ultra Game Players can stay in its own section in the database or be moved to Game Players (1993) since it's the same magazine with the same numbering scheme, just a changed name.

So everything from 1989 to October 1991 would go under "Game Player's (1989)", which are all Signal Research published, and the rest of the Game Players and maybe UGP would go under "Game Players (1993)", which were all published by GP Publications, and later Imagine.

That would work for me. And easy to number.

[aloram]

Okay, so what if we do with Game Player's what was done with Electronic Games, where the 1980s magazine and the 1990s magazine are separate? So what about "Game Player's (1989)" and "Game Players (1993)". We can number them the same as what is on the cover, and we can even create separate publication pages for them and split the content if people think it will make it less confusing. Ultra Game Players can stay in its own section in the database or be moved to Game Players (1993) since it's the same magazine with the same numbering scheme, just a changed name.

So everything from 1989 to October 1991 would go under "Game Player's (1989)", which are all Signal Research published, and the rest of the Game Players and maybe UGP would go under "Game Players (1993)", which were all published by GP Publications, and later Imagine.

Hi. Great ideas. Regarding Ultra Game Players, I vote for the second option (move it to Game Players). I was a subscriber back when it changed to Ultra, and in the last couple years I read through every Game Players issue till the end (plus the four Game Buyer issues), and going from Game Players to Ultra Game Players felt like a smooth transition, in the sense that it was the mostly the same people writing and the weird humor was still there. While it had a different layout and appearance after the name change, it still felt like the same "spirit" was there. Chris Slate remained Editor through the switch (though he later left to start PSM), and it really feels like it's the same magazine -- just with a new look.

[E-Day]

It was a lot of work, But I did the following:

• renamed Game Player's to Game Player's (1989) in the Gallery, publications and magazine databases.
• created Game Player's (1993) in the Gallery, publications and magazine databases.
• moved everything that belongs in Game Player's (1993) to those categories in the Gallery, publications and magazine databases.
• renumbered everything in Game Player's (1993) to those categories in the Gallery, publications and magazine databases.

With that completed, what should be done with Ultra Game Players? It was a name change and redesign, but was still the same magazine. As far as I know the format remained the same (unlike EGM2 transitioning to Expert Gamer). Should it be left on its own, or should its content be moved into Game Players (1993)?

And then what of Game Buyer?

[Sean697]

As a person looking for an ultra game players magazine I would want a separate ultra game players database. it it of course makes sense to include it with Game Player's. I guess Imdont have an opinion either way. I'd be happy with either.

[aloram]

As a person looking for an ultra game players magazine I would want a separate ultra game players database. it it of course makes sense to include it with Game Player's. I guess Imdont have an opinion either way. I'd be happy with either.

That's a good point. I'm sure plenty of people see it as its own magazine. PC coverage was added, for one, so I'm sure that brought some new readers on board (and cast others off).

EDIT: Either way, I think there should be something pointing viewers to the other magazine if they're separate, perhaps with a brief explanation as well.

[E-Day]

I think I will leave it where it is then. Maybe a name change warrants a new category, as people will look for the magazine with the name that is on the cover.

After some editing of issue numbers and links, the Game Players/UGP would be solved.

[aloram]

I think it would be helpful to point to Game Buyer from Ultra Game Players, in some capacity, and vice versa.

[E-Day]

That can be done. I can set what the previous and next issues are. That is what there green buttons under the cover images on the issue pages to. I will have to do it manually, but will do it nonetheless; hopefully tonight.

[aloram]

That can be done. I can set what the previous and next issues are. That is what there green buttons under the cover images on the issue pages to. I will have to do it manually, but will do it nonetheless; hopefully tonight.

That's great, thanks. I recommend doing it from Game Players to Ultra Game Players as well, for all the reasons discussed 24 hours ago.

[E-Day]

It's all been done. That last issue of Game Player's (1989) goes to the first issue of Game Players (1993). The last issue of that goes to Ultra Game Players, and the last issue of UGP goes to Game Buyer.

The only thing left to do is fix the download links. Most of the "official" links for all the Game Players stuff (issues, guides, special issues, etc) are file factory links. I will be adding direct download links to all the issues like this over the next several days.

[aloram]

Great news, thanks a lot.

[E-Day]

I am currently uploading the renamed Game Players from the second run and will replace the existing files. The links from the first run of Game Players have been restored to direct downloads.

[E-Day]

Everything has been sorted, re-uploaded after corrections, and restored. With Game Player's/s done, time to try and fix Tips & Tricks.