New Releases: Two Issues of Game Players PC Entertainment from OGM

[E-Day]

Retromags Presents!

 

Game Players PC Entertainment Volume 5 Issue 2

March 1992

 

Database Entry!

 

Download Directly!

 

 

Game Players PC Entertainment Volume 5 Issue 6

November 1992

 

Database Entry!

 

Download Directly!

 

 

Thanks to marktrade for scanning and editing these!

[marktrade]

Pretty sure these are my scans! Did you just create a download category for them now? Otherwise I would have uploaded them here.

 

I had been posting links in the forum while waiting for the database and download manager to be sorted out.

 

https://community.retromags.com/topic/10305-missing-magazine-game-players-pc-entertainment/

[kitsunebi]

I already thanked marktrade when he posted these to the forums, but thanks again.

 

I used to be able to edit the download section, which would have allowed me to correct the credits and show marktrade as the submitter/scanner/editor, but it seems those powers have been stripped away from me.

 

So since E-Day broke it, E-Day is gonna have to fix it.

 

edit: Oh wait, I DO still have that power for most mags, just not for the newly-created Game Players PC Entertainment or Game Players PC Strategy Guide, since no one has assigned anyone as moderators for those categories yet (I believe E-Day can fix that as well?)

[kitsunebi]

Btw, I'm curious about the little note saying they were given "general color correction."  The versions marktrade already uploaded looked really good to me, so I'm not going to download these, but I'm curious as to why this was done, since it would mean compressing the files again (assuming they're saved to jpg and not png).  Also, the file sizes here are significantly smaller than the ones marktrade posted in the forums.  (138MB==>90MB, 162MB==>116MB)  Again, I have to wonder why?

 

I guess the upshot is, if marktrade doesn't like whatever happened here, he can always replace these files with the originals by editing the download.

[marktrade]

I can provide very accurate color correction, especially on the darker ad pages, by using my flatbed and a calibrated color profile. If that's something anyone is ever interested in for a particular ad page or covers. I actually did that for all the PC Gamer covers I uploaded to the gallery. Doing it for the whole mag would take too long, though, and would not bring meaningful improvement.

 

I also have calibrated color profiles for my ADF which *can* be used for color correction but they aren't that great, particularly for the backside scanner. I plan to upload my profiles for others to use in making their own corrections, but I want to try to see if I can make multiple profiles and combine them in some way to improve them, which I hear is possible. There's more color fault variation with each scan in ADFs than flatbeds.

 

Anyway I was going to work on these mags once the database and download categories were made! I can upload another one today.

Edited November 2, 2016 by marktrade

[aloram]

Yes yes yes!!!!

[KiwiArcader]

Yeah, I released these at OGM as there hadn't been any progress in making them available here at the time. That was quite some time ago now and I fully expected marktrade would make them available here when the database was created eventually. By all means go for broke and replace these with super dooper versions if the urge takes you marktrade

[kitsunebi]

 By all means go for broke and replace these with super dooper versions if the urge takes you marktrade

 

I don't know if you're basing this off of what I said, but I wasn't referring to OGM.  As far as I can tell, all you did was convert the files to PDF, and the file sizes are the same as the ones marktrade originally uploaded to archive.org.

 

My concern is that the files E-Day uploaded are significantly smaller than the originals.  Perhaps he can clarify, but I suspect this happened when he subjected the files to the (unnecessary) "general color correction" mentioned in the OP and saved the files again, perhaps compressing them at a higher compression than before.  Compressing files that have already been compressed seems like a bad idea unless necessary (making lossy from lossy), and as I said before, the files as they were when marktrade first uploaded them to archive.org looked great, so I don't know why those weren't uploaded as is (with the addition of a RM splash page, of course).

[KiwiArcader]

Correct!!

 

As far as I can recall all I did with marktrade's scans was clean up the covers somewhat (if necessary) then repackage the files as a PDF so I think my PDF's were indeed pretty close in size to the CBR file on archive.org. I had no intention of submitting his scans, especially those that were not raw scans here as I assumed he would do so himself as and when the database got created.

 

Where things have gotten messy regarding this is that I made an offer to Phillyman to host whatever files OGM has over here on Retromags if he so desires as our sites are closely aligned (I'm here, I'm there) and I was happy to make my scans available if he wanted to use them (especially USA mags). He in turn bought a lot of UK mags and sent them to marktrade to scan with the view that OGM could use them too if I wanted. Although I haven't done so with mags like SuperPlay that were edited by Depressor that's mainly because I've been snowed just getting my scanning guys mags online and trying to get the site updated properly.

 

E-Day likely just saw the files in my Google Drive directory and seeing as they weren't here decided to grab them thinking they were mine. That's entirely my fault as WordPress doesn't have the ability to attach creator information into the image gallery so unless he waded through the front page posts he wouldn't have seen that I credited marktrade when I made the files available at the time. That's something I need to think on but given the sheer cost to purchase the software Retromags is using I can't see how I can implement anything like what we have here.

 

As for the smaller file size ... maybe he dropped the vertical resolution rather than higher compression?

Edited November 3, 2016 by KiwiArcader

[kitsunebi]

As for the smaller file size ... maybe he dropped the vertical resolution rather than higher compression?

 

Could be.  Like I said, I haven't downloaded them since the originals looked great.  I know some people here usually stick to 2200px high.  I usually go with 2300, marktrade used to go with 2400-2600 (although his latest uploaded here is over 3200) and you (Kiwi) are also usually something over 3000.  So I suppose they might have been reduced to 2200px high, which might account for the reduced file size.

[marktrade]

These files that E-Day uploaded are certainly readable and enjoyable. Older mags tend to have larger text and can be compressed much smaller, and there are only seventy-some pages in these issues. No need to be concerned about a drop in quality.

 

Anyone who wants higher quality because they really like smooth text can can go to archive.org where all my scans are being uploaded in 300 DPI now. I retain 600 DPI versions offline for the day when we all need glasses and want to read that small asian legal text as easily as possible.

[E-Day]

Here is what I did. I did not know that marktrade's scans were mixed in with Kiwi's scans. I grabbed the GamePros, and saw these as well as the Game Player's PC Strategy Guides. I adjusted the colour correction a GamePro scan and then applied it to the other scans, making small adjustments to each one. Looking at marktrade's scans again, they do not need any touching up or corrections.

 

As for the file size, I did resize these to the 2200 pixel height that is "standard" for releases here. I saved a full size version as well, as I do with all the scans I have.

 

That being said, I will replace the versions I uploaded with marktrade's versions.

[E-Day]

So I have replaced the downloads with marktrade's versions, and also uploaded the May 1992 issue as well.

[KiwiArcader]

Yeah, I released marktrade's scans over at OGM because at the time:

1. The mags weren't in the database even though he'd asked for them to be added and nothing much was happening, likely because of trying to figure out number/dates of issues released etc
2. He was okay with my making his scans available at OGM
3. In the case of his raw scans if I was doing the editing (PC Gamer, Play etc) it seemed reasonable to be able to make them available at OGM

I downloaded his files off archive.org and for the most part simply converted them to PDF. In my W.I.P page here I have always acknowledged when making his scans available as a PDF over at OGM. Nothing has been hidden. It's simply a facet of WordPress and the page format at OGM that I have no easy way to denote individuals to specific scans other than through the front page blog posts and given most of my scanning members are actually not worried about that side of things all that much it's never really been an issue until our current "cross pollination" brought it into focus.

 

The main issue I have now is that some files like VG & CE June 1991 issue was submitted I think by my scanning guy PirateDragon before the last rebuild of the website so the original blog post was lost. E-Day wants to make files available here and I simply cannot recall EXACTLY who submitted it. My personal view of this is:

• make any files available on OGM that are currently not on Retromags available here as you feel like it. Some scans form some members are not as great as I personally would like but something is better than nothing or mort's old scans so I tend to be a little more tolerant than I used to be. Assign the submitter as OGM but if marktrade or someone else says they were his simply change the information.

At the end of the day this is all about preserving magazines rather than some sort of pissing contest over who submitted what. I simply made everything on OGM available to E-Day and Phillyman because if someone has already scanned an issue it makes sense to save duplication of effort.

[marktrade]

No worries! I'm just eager we got a category made.

[kitsunebi]

I sure wish there was even a scap of evidence concerning vol.1 of this mag.  Even a crappy thumbnail pic would be nice.

 

I was trying to think about how to add GP PC SG to the DB. (we're down with the abbreviations), and I think I came up with a solution.  I can title the issues correctly (i.e. Volume 2 Number 2 May/June 1989), but getting them to sort correctly requires me to assign them an issue number on the back end.  I'm thinking of giving them numbers like this: Vol 2 no 2 = issue 202.  Vol 4 no 6 = issue 406.  That way they should sort correctly and give LOTS of wiggle room as any additional info comes to light on unconfirmed issues.  Those issue numbers won't actually be visible on the DB page, so it shouldn't cause any confusion.

 

I'll try to get that up tomorrow.

[marktrade]

Volume 6 Issue 1 is up and needs a database entry.

https://community.retromags.com/files/file/3976-game-players-pc-entertainment-volume-6-issue-1-january-1993/

Also the download links are not visible in the database entry for Volume 5 Issue 3.

https://www.retromags.com/magazines/category/usa/game-players-pc-entertainment/game-players-pc-entertainment-volume-5-issue-3

I think those are all the issues I have for GPPCE. I have some GPPCSG that Kiwi already scanned. I will make sure to check them before throwing them out or selling them.

Thanks for everyone's help!

Edited November 5, 2016 by marktrade

[kitsunebi]

Done and fixed.  I hope you or someone else is tracking this title on eBay in case any additional issues pop up.  I'd love to get a hold of them, but I'm allergic to auction sites.  They give me a bad case of too much clutter.