Re: Data Model: platforms
PostPosted:01 Oct 2018, 20:28
For a start, it looks okay. For the future, it might be that the HardwarePlatform is already in the database, so we wouldn't need to create it. And of course the SWP is mandatory, too, for a GE.gene wrote:I added a general and an exemplary "command flow" to my latest draft of the GamingEnvironment model. That looks ok to me.
Okay, but please don't simplify too much, or we'll end up with what's already out there.gene wrote:One thing that came to my mind when I wrote this down: I might strip out our complicated "transliterated string stuff" in the "first" (next) run. This would simplify development very much. We could later add transliteration features to the model. I want our software get up and running
I'm all for it, this is a regional connection with release date and probably local release name in it.gene wrote:Will we do this the same way? A release date on our "HardwarePlatform" level does not make sense. So I would try to define a "regional release date" on the HardwareModel level.
Everything seems possible, especially for older hardware.gene wrote:Is every release date a "full date"? Or may it also be "only a year" oder "year and month" ?
Indeed, thanks. And we don't have to click on "Show entry" after an edit any more which is very convenient.
Well, that's really a very important point.MZ per X wrote: ↑16 Feb 2019, 16:04What I would like to point out is the scope of the data level "HardwareModel".
This name sounds like we could use it for true hardware documentation, and thus add stuff like "European PlayStation 1 in green", "European PlayStation 1 in pink" and "European PlayStation 1 in black" to this data level. But no, it's different.
Maybe we should rename this data level back to sub-platform again, and add a fourth level beneath it for the true hardware model documentation. This fourth level doesn't need to be very sophisticated for now (i.e. name, picture, description), but people will understand everything better when it's there. And starting from this fourth level, we can later build our hardware documentation from the bottom up.gene wrote:But that also gives me a bit of a headache: How can we make this fact clear to our users?
When I modelled the first HWP's here, I already noticed that this is awfully complicated (Just take a look at the ARM world.). I think we just need to accept that fact. Modelling our GE's, HWP's and sub-platforms will be subject to many discussions, changes, try and error. When Oregami will start, there will be basically only experts around, but later we should offer a detailed onboarding experience for new users to introduce them to the depths of our data.gene wrote:And how can even experts distinguish between a "HardwareModel" that we do want here and and a "wrong HardwareModel" ?
It seemed like a natural fit to me, because if HardwareModels are defined for tracking game compatibility, this facility should be easily re-usable for emulator compatibility, so I thought. Problem here is that many emulators emulate more than one HWP, or HWP and SWP together like DOSbox, which boils down to m:n connections. So I suggest we leave them out for now, and define later how to fit them in. Thinking about game preservation and such, emulators might even be too important to hide them so deep within our data model.gene wrote:Are we really serious about entering emulator software as "Hardware Models" ? I do understand what you mean, but during development this seemed a bit strange to me.
We defined an additional attribute for emulator releases, so why not define something for emulator hardware, too?gene wrote:And: What about HardwareModels like the "C64 Mini" oder "SNES Mini" ? What type of HardwareModel are those? Do wa have to distinguish between "pure software emulator" and "specific hardware with included software emulator"?
This entry represents all published special hardware devices that make games, that were previously available on the original hardware (console or computer) playable on a specific new game hardware using an internal emulator.
Examples: NES Mini, SNES Mini, C64 Mini.