Tips & Tricks Database Issues

[E-Day]

I know it was mentioned somewhere, but I can't find it. Anyhow, I have an issue of Tips & Tricks scanned and ready. However, I want to fix the issue with the numbering before I upload it. Our count is off by two, starting with or before the December 1998. I am guessing the issue occurs before May 1995 because after that they are monthly according to our database. Before that it looks quarterly, but perhaps it was bi-monthly before going monthly. Does anyone know what issues are missing. Is it safe to assume that the May 1995 issue is issue 7 and not issue 5?

[marktrade]

A May 1995 issue exists (I found this cover on eBay)

We have the cover for issue 4 in the database already clearly labelled "Vol. 1 Number 4" above the bar code. Maybe the problem occurred right after issue 5 because someone assumed the magazine went monthly at that point.

Billmarioman sold the entire first year on eBay several months ago but the auction is too old to look up now. Wish I had saved the photo. Anyways, I can ask him.

[E-Day]

It looks like the database is based on magweasel's spreadsheet, since he has vol1 issue 1-4, then may 1995. But he didn't have any of the early issues when he made his spreadsheet.

Maybe they went monthly before May 1995? Or maybe it was afterwards indeed. This might end up being trickier than Game Players if we can't find images of the other covers or something detailing its history.

[marktrade]

There's a possibility that T&T's own numbering system is not completely accurate. Recall that T&T is a spinoff from Video Games magazine. The first three issues were known as "Video Games presents Tips & Tricks" and the fourth issue was shortened to "Video Games Tips & Tricks." A year later it was simply "Tips & Tricks." Maybe a couple of those earlier issues were considered supplements to Video Games magazine and weren't published on their own or weren't available for subscription on their own? So they weren't included in the T&T's later numbering system? I don't know, I'm just guessing, but I bet billmarioman would know.

[E-Day]

Is he willing to help us figure it out though?​

[marktrade]

Is he willing to help us figure it out though?​

I sent him a message yesterday but I haven't heard back from him.

[marktrade]

Ebay Item #191802448560

Okay, well there's a new listing on eBay for some of those earlier issues and while the photo isn't enough to verify every single issue the seller lists them as

may 1995

july 1995
september 1995
october 1995
november 1995
march 1996
october 1996
december 1997

I've already asked the seller if he knew when exactly the magazine went monthly but he said he didn't know and that he could not tell me which issues were missing.

But given that those issues exist and numbering later, I would say the magazine went monthly in September 1995 and that the June and August issues do not exist and are very likely the ones that should be removed from the database.

[E-Day]

I wonder if he is willing to take a picture where all the covers are visible. I don't know why he didn't do that initially considering what he is asking for those magazines.

[marktrade]

A best offer price was accepted around the time another auction ended for the first three issues at $56. Billmarioman's auction last year also ended pretty high, something like $170 for the first year.

On the off chance that one of those collectors is out there reading this, can you at least help us with the issue numbering here?

[BalloonFight]

A best offer price was accepted around the time another auction ended for the first three issues at $56. Billmarioman's auction last year also ended pretty high, something like $170 for the first year.

On the off chance that one of those collectors is out there reading this, can you at least help us with the issue numbering here?

I was the winner of the auction of the first 3 issues. Here's some help regarding numbering from those issues:

Vol 1. Issue 1 - Spring 1994 (Raiden from MK II cover). On page 6 at the bottom: "Tips and Tricks is published quarterly by L.F.P. Inc."

Vol 1. Issue 2 - Summer 1994 (Street Fighter II cover)

Vol 1. Issue 3 - Fall 1994 (Mortal Kombat II cover) On the bottom right white square of the cover it reads: "Display until Jan. 10, 1995"

I believe the quarterly issues stopped at issue 5, and then it went to Bi-monthly for a few months, then to a typical issue a month mag.

Issue 50 of Tips and Tricks (Street Fighter Alpha 3 cover) has a really handy list in the back of the magazine detailing all 50 of the first issues, as well as showing covers for all of them. Unfortunately it's in black and white. That is essentially the best resource to document the first 50 with correct months and dates.

Completely random supplement to this post, but I'm really happy to see a miniature guide to one of my favorite games of all time in issue #1. That game being Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

[E-Day]

I was the winner of the auction of the first 3 issues. Here's some help regarding numbering from those issues:

Vol 1. Issue 1 - Spring 1994 (Raiden from MK II cover). On page 6 at the bottom: "Tips and Tricks is published quarterly by L.F.P. Inc."

Vol 1. Issue 2 - Summer 1994 (Street Fighter II cover)

Vol 1. Issue 3 - Fall 1994 (Mortal Kombat II cover) On the bottom right white square of the cover it reads: "Display until Jan. 10, 1995"

I believe the quarterly issues stopped at issue 5, and then it went to Bi-monthly for a few months, then to a typical issue a month mag.

Issue 50 of Tips and Tricks (Street Fighter Alpha 3 cover) has a really handy list in the back of the magazine detailing all 50 of the first issues, as well as showing covers for all of them. Unfortunately it's in black and white. That is essentially the best resource to document the first 50 with correct months and dates.

Completely random supplement to this post, but I'm really happy to see a miniature guide to one of my favorite games of all time in issue #1. That game being Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

1. Do you have a scanner that you can use to scan the cover for issue 2 for the cover gallery? Or at worst, a good camera?

2. do you have issue 50 with that list? If so can you scan/take a picture of it?

[BalloonFight]

I don't have a scanner unfortunately, but I do have a decent camera. I'll take a picture of both issue 2's cover, and once I locate my copy of #50, I'll take pics of that as well.

[E-Day]

That would be great, thanks. I want to put his issue to bed so we can have a proper database

[marktrade]

Okay, I have in my hand issue 50, but the back issues aren't listed all on one page. They're listed across many pages in one of those bars at the bottom of the page. I can scan the whole issue and show you, but I'm telling you that I'm looking at it right now and it says,

#4 Winter 1995

#5 May 1995

#6 July 1995

#7 September 1995

#8 October 1995

#9 November 1995

#10 December 1995

and monthly thereafter. You can delete the June 1995 and August 1995 issues from the database and number accordingly.

[E-Day]

I am prodding Phillyman to work the back-end magic to get rid of those two issue and renumber the ones that need it.

[BalloonFight]

Just chiming in that I haven't forgotten about this. Been traveling for work for the last week, and will be back in town on Tuesday. I'll take some cover photos of the issues I own that are missing from the T&T database.

I also have a DieHard GameFan #1 that I'll take a cover photo of for the database.

[Phillyman]

First 100 Covers.....took me a while to stitch it all together as it was spread out over 13 pages

Click on the images to zoom in

1-51


52-99

 

[Phillyman]

This has been on my list for far too long

Anyhow I put together a list of dates, so far stuff is falling in line, just need to work the 149-167 side of this publication and I will be able to fix everything up.

Items on this spreadsheet have sources, as long as information between two sources fall in line, I assume it is correct.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1prIRQqiTADLid2CcPkmExXkRWf7cEhDbBzwHkHz1Z4g/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Phillyman]

Which brings me to my next question, were did we get 167 issues from? Was it the Magweasel information? I found this article that says 150 issues.

http://gamelosers.net/blog/2014/07/23/tips-tricks/

 

Edit: Going back to the Wayback Machine shows that Magweasel never had a T&T page set up. I found this via Watback, from our old Wiki...

https://web.archive.org/web/20100508053419/http://www.retromags.net:80/wiki/Tips_%26_Tricks

 

[Phillyman]

And now we have GameSetWatch showing the 150th issue, but claiming it to be the next to last. I don't think this is correct, if someone can find me a Tips and Tricks 151 September 2007 let me know!

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/07/column_game_mag_weaseling_mag_25.php

 

Ok went to his next month of posts and found this entry.....so what most likely happened is someone counted the codebooks as a continuation o Tips and Tricks. Need more coffee after all this hunting around the web

[Phillyman]

Ok so Tips & Tricks became Tips & Tricks OLD, and Tips & Tricks REDO became Tips & Tricks. If in doubt the one with 167 issues is old and wrong!

So what is left....

Go into the new Tips and Tricks section that has 150 issues and start matching covers from the Gallery section

Then we can copy the few records that had a synopsis filled in, from the old section to the new

Then fix up the Download Manager so the dates and issue numbers are correct

Finally delete 90% of the issues in the T&T OLD section rename it to T&T Codebook, and figure out the 2007-2011 records.

 

[E-Day]

I would suggest deleting all the issues in the download manager. If I have them all, there should be nine of them in there. Once everything on the site is fixed, I'll rename the scans and their pages and re-upload them. That way the issue number for the scan and its pages match everything on the site. Then I will upload the four that have been waiting for this issue to be resolved. Some for more than a year

[kitsunebi]

I hope a lesson has been learned about applying arbitrary issue numbers to magazines that don't actually have printed issue numbers.  If these had been titled exactly as they are in the magazines themselves, there never would have been a problem.  Luckily, the new software allows for number sorting to be done on the back-end, and issues without printed issue numbers can be titled correctly (by volume/number or simply by date) while still sorting correctly.  Plus, even if a heretofore unknown issue is discovered and needs to be inserted into its proper place, the ordering adjustment can all be done on the back-end, and none of the files will have to be renamed like we're having to do here.

[KiwiArcader]

That's exactly what I was saying all along. Sort by date with issue numbers a secondary feature ........

[kitsunebi]

53 minutes ago, KiwiArcader said:

That's exactly what I was saying all along. Sort by date with issue numbers a secondary feature ........

We can sort by how many times the letter 'e' shows up on the cover if we like.  That's the beauty of the new software.  We don't even need issue numbers or dates (so hopefully we'll stop making them up if there aren't any).  Everything gets assigned a sorting number on the back end (which isn't visible unless editing the entry) that can easily be adjusted without affecting the issue title or filename.  I know some people were resistant to your method of sorting by date using numbers (i.e. 1994-03, 1994-04, etc) but now they can be titled March 1994, April 1994 and still sort in order since they sort via their sorting number and not by issue#/alphabetical order.

Now, granted, your method is still best for filenames of the files available to download, since Windows or whatever is still going to sort alphabetically.  But at least now we can keep everything in the database titled correctly, which is my main concern.  People can change the filename to whatever they want after they've downloaded it.