Salvaging Threads and Resources from NintendoAge

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

I was never a member of NintendoAge, but once they shut down, I kept hearing about all of the useful guides and resources that the site had. How would one go about salvaging a thread or a resource, such as an obscure collecting guide? Is there any way to surf the site "normally" throught the Wayback Machine? Does anyone have a backup of the site or secrions of the site.

Thanks for any help.

[Mega Tank | 956]

Ironic username for this thread.

 

Good luck!

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

11 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

Ironic username for this thread.

Yup, my username came from the Professor Layton games and missing out on NintendoAge before the, um, mess.

[Tulpa | 3,488]

Wayback has a little bit, but it's very hit or miss. The E-zines don't look to be accessible, nor the database.

I think GoCollect has pretty well scorched the earth.

[JamesRobot | 5,786]

Ah the goldeNAge. It was a veritable utopia.  Forever in our hearts and minds.

[DefaultGen | 5,400]

The most useful part (IMO) would be the full, searchable, sortable database, which even if the individual pages were backed up wouldn't be functional. Before it went down, I tried literally reading it from start to finish to copy/paste important tidbits, but it was absolutely grueling, going through one thread for a couple random version variants of a game no one cares about at a time. I quickly gave up. The bits and pieces you'd glean from discussions were the best part moreso than comprehensive compiled and edited guides. IMO it's probably easiest to move on from NA and start documenting things you're interested in when those tidbits come up again. Instagram, with its pictures of everything, has been an amazing resource, although again very random, disparate, and unsearchable information.

Edited May 19, 2020 by DefaultGen

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

40 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

Wayback has a little bit, but it's very hit or miss. The E-zines don't look to be accessible, nor the database.

I think GoCollect has pretty well scorched the earth.

What was in the database? Like, what kind of resources? I seem to be able to access it.

Personally, I just want to preserve this information for all to read. Surpriaingly, a lot of people seem to be against this because they fear it may lead to a rise in prices for certain items, but I'm more in it for the preservation than the price tags.

[Penguin | 198]

1 hour ago, Tulpa said:

Wayback has a little bit, but it's very hit or miss. The E-zines don't look to be accessible, nor the database.

I think GoCollect has pretty well scorched the earth.

I have backup copies of most of the Ezines if there’s a place we can upload them here.

[Penguin | 198]

It was tough losing the site.  I’m sad there’s so much information and so many memories on that site that are very hard to even navigate.  Not going to lie I shed a tear when the site closed.

[B.A. | 1,139]

45 minutes ago, LaytToTheParty said:

What was in the database? Like, what kind of resources? I seem to be able to access it.

Personally, I just want to preserve this information for all to read. Surpriaingly, a lot of people seem to be against this because they fear it may lead to a rise in prices for certain items, but I'm more in it for the preservation than the price tags.

As much as I'd like to, we simply aren't allowed to post the old database.  We don't own it. 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,055]

3 hours ago, Penguin said:

I have backup copies of most of the Ezines if there’s a place we can upload them here.

 

2 hours ago, B.A. said:

As much as I'd like to, we simply aren't allowed to post the old database.  We don't own it. 

I have all of the ezines as PDF's, I had a personal attachement to a few of them as I wrote for a few.  But based on what B.A. said it's not a good idea to post them here. Is that correct?

Edited May 19, 2020 by LeatherRebel5150

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

3 hours ago, B.A. said:

As much as I'd like to, we simply aren't allowed to post the old database.  We don't own it. 

@B.A. Why is that? And what was in the database anyway? I never had the chance to use NA. I just seriously started collecting around a year ago.

11 minutes ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

 

I have all of the ezines as PDF's, I had a personal attachement to a few of them as I wrote for a few.  But based on what B.A. said it's not a good idea to post them here. Is that correct?

@LeatherRebel5150I'm not sure why that would be. The internet archive has a few of them, but from what I've found it wasn't complete. Certain "preservation" sites that also preserve manuals and box arts through scans would also most certainly take them, if they don't have them already. I wonder if anyone has backed up the forums?

[B.A. | 1,139]

2 minutes ago, LaytToTheParty said:

@B.A. Why is that? And what was in the database anyway? I never had the chance to use NA. I just seriously started collecting around a year ago.

NA, and primarily the database was purchased by a for profit company for a lot of money. Could a person make the arguement that content they created and posted on NA they have the right to post elsewhere? I don't know, probably? Just transferring over large scale cumulative efforts is something we can't do.

As far as what the database was, it was lists of games with scans of carts, boxes and manuals along with other associated information. It continually added to and updated by many many contributors over the years. 

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

42 minutes ago, B.A. said:

NA, and primarily the database was purchased by a for profit company for a lot of money. Could a person make the arguement that content they created and posted on NA they have the right to post elsewhere? I don't know, probably? Just transferring over large scale cumulative efforts is something we can't do.

It isn't "their" content, though. It was created and maintained by many anonymous users collaborating to make a public resource. I seem to still be able to access the archives, I can try to salvage some stuff that isn't on this site already. It's honestly going to be long, tedious, and boring, but it's not like I have anything better to do right now.

[Tulpa | 3,488]

30 minutes ago, LaytToTheParty said:

It isn't "their" content, though. It was created and maintained by many anonymous users collaborating to make a public resource. 

It depends on what the terms of service of the site and what the agreement between GoCollect and Dain said.

It very well could legally be theirs.

At any rate, no one here wants to fight that fight.

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

7 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

It depends on what the terms of service of the site and what the agreement between GoCollect and Dain said.

It very well could legally be theirs.

At any rate, no one here wants to fight that fight.

I guess you make a good point. I'll ask around, but I fear we may have to completely rebuild from the ground up.

[Hammerfestus | 3,822]

 

[Tulpa | 3,488]

1 minute ago, LaytToTheParty said:

 I'll ask around, but I fear we may have to completely rebuild from the ground up.

People have asked for a database, but no one really wants to do the work. I don't blame them, the original database was something like fifteen years in the making, was built on earlier work (like the Etler list and others), and still had flaws and disagreements when GoCollect came along.

It was a nice resource, but I think a lot of people have moved on. 

[Gloves | 11,761]

1 minute ago, Tulpa said:

People have asked for a database, but no one really wants to do the work. I don't blame them, the original database was something like fifteen years in the making, was built on earlier work (like the Etler list and others), and still had flaws and disagreements when GoCollect came along.

It was a nice resource, but I think a lot of people have moved on. 

I'm considering providing a database that would be purely informational and fact-based. Something like the "100% complete NES game contents" list, provided by the crazy dudes that have been opening sealed games to get their contents documented.

I'd like to at least stay away from subjective and/or changing information, such as prices and "rarity", to make sure things are somewhat "eternal", as best we can.

[Tulpa | 3,488]

I know that the old database no one could even be bothered to get the developer categories right.

I never knew that Konami developed Mega Man for Capcom to publish.

Yeah, it was that level of screwed up.

[a3quit4s | 4,092]

8 minutes ago, Gloves said:

I'm considering providing a database that would be purely informational and fact-based. Something like the "100% complete NES game contents" list, provided by the crazy dudes that have been opening sealed games to get their contents documented.

I'd like to at least stay away from subjective and/or changing information, such as prices and "rarity", to make sure things are somewhat "eternal", as best we can.

Not worth it, since collecting games blew up and is now basically its own business there is plenty of information regarding it on the internet. 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,055]

10 minutes ago, Gloves said:

I'm considering providing a database that would be purely informational and fact-based. Something like the "100% complete NES game contents" list, provided by the crazy dudes that have been opening sealed games to get their contents documented.

I'd like to at least stay away from subjective and/or changing information, such as prices and "rarity", to make sure things are somewhat "eternal", as best we can.

Yes please! rarity and prices and subjective stuff is pointless. I just want basic lists of info!

[Gloves | 11,761]

 

1 minute ago, a3quit4s said:

Not worth it, since collecting games blew up and is now basically its own business there is plenty of information regarding it on the internet. 

 

1 minute ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

Yes please! rarity and prices and subjective stuff is pointless. I just want basic lists of info!

 

Well now I'm torn...

[a3quit4s | 4,092]

3 minutes ago, Gloves said:

 

 

 

Well now I'm torn...

Compromise and put a sub forum in for documenting and let people go nuts lol

[Gloves | 11,761]

9 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

Compromise and put a sub forum in for documenting and let people go nuts lol

Tbh it's not that hard to make a database, and it's easier that way to make the data more streamlined and user friendly, rather than every user deciding for themselves what to post and how.