Principles

1. The purpose of the project is to document all physical software releases for all computer and console systems

2. The documentation is evidence based by the ownership and registration by the members of the retrocollector.org community

3. Please do not change any information about the activated releases without consulting the admins in the chat

Guidelines

1. Releases

   1. What defines a release?

      1. General definition

         • A release is a physical media copy of a software product published by an organisational entity (publisher)

      2. What qualifies a new release?

         • Different publisher/label also including bootleg publishers

         • Different box type

         • Any variations on both the front, back and side box/inlay including minor text variations, language variations, barcode variations, colour variations. This does NOT apply for any of these variations due to stickers!

         • A sticker hiding a different system type (typically re-use of box/inlay for a different system)

         • Any extraordinary content in the box (t-shirts, posters, pins, stickers, etc.) typically part of special or limited edition releases

         • A new version of the game (not including loaders)

         • Different media type

      3. What does not qualify a new release?

         • Boxes with a distributor sticker

         • Boxes with a different barcode sticker

         • Inlays with different cropping (due to production process)

         • Boxes or inlays with slightly different colours (due to light exposure or production process)

         • Manuals in different languages

         • Media with different labels (except when it indicates a different publisher)

         • Homebrew releases. This can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from bootleg publishers. Please ask the admins for guidance if you are in doubt.

   2. Release fields

      1. Release title

         • The release title is the title written on the physical box or inlay. If no title is written on the box or inlay, then it is the in-game title. The title is written with language localized title and library standards. E.g. “the way of the exploding fist” is “Way of the Exploding Fist, The” in English.

         • If more than one title is reflected on the box/inlay and there is no compilation title, then add each subsequent titles with a “+”. E.g. “Kane + Human Race”. The exception from this, if a different delimiter (could be “/” or “&”) is already stated on the box

         • Subtitles are marked with a “:”. E.g. “Phantasie III: The Wrath of Nikademus”.

         • Limited or special editions can be written in [] at the end of the title.

         • Titles where a sport celebrity (or any other named person) is part of the title, then it should be stated as-is.

         • Author names are not included in the title (e.g. “Sid Meier’s Civilization” is just registered as “Civilization”).

      2. Publisher name

         • As several companies or organisational entities can be part of the publishing process, then it can sometime be difficult to determine the actual publisher. Please consult the admins in the chat if you are in doubt.

      3. Publisher year

         • The best source of documentation of this is usually magazine reviews, but it can also sometimes be documented on the physical box/media/inlay. Please notice that this can at time be misleading, as both boxes and instructions were often shared between different system releases. Dates of crack releases (e.g. on csdb.dk for C64) also provides a good indication.

      4. Multi System

         • Tick this box if the release includes the same software for different systems. A compilation with 3 x c64 games and 3 x ZX Spectrum games is not one of these, as this is considered a compilation.

      5. Bootleg

         • Tick this box if the release is a bootleg release.

      6. Region

         • This reflects the target distribution (not publishing) to countries or regions of the publisher.

      7. Box

      8. Media

         • Some releases have two different media. If it is a disk/tape release, then please add it as a disk release. If it is a 3.5”/5.25” disk release, then please add it as a 5.25” disk release. Always write in the comments field if it is a dual media release.

      9. Barcode

         • Either printed on the box/inlay or applied as a sticker. Please write in the comments field if it is a sticker. If you have a different barcode on a sticker, please add this in the comments field.

         • Write the barcode as stated – if it includes spaces, then add the spaces as well

      10. Product ID

      11. Complete

          • Preliminary: Release with at least one photo/scan/snippet as evidence

          • Possible complete: Release with front box/inlay scan and content photo by one submitter.

          • Assumed complete: Release with front box/inlay scan and content photo confirmed by at least one submitter.

          • Complete: Release with front box/inlay scan and content photo either from NIB or confirmed by two submitters. It is acceptable that the content photo does not include any registration/warranty cards.

      12. Comment

          • State any information of interest related to the specific release (not the game)

          • State minor deviations on box/inlay compared to other releases of the same game

          • State if the release is a multi-media releases and which media it is

          • State if the barcode is on a sticker

          • State if the back of the inlay is blank/empty

          • Optionally list the content of the box – especially if there are multiple items

          • State any missing content on the content photo

      13. Links

          • Any links that is can be referenced in the game information should not be added here. Only add release specific links (e.g. release specific adverts).

2. Games

   1. What defines a game / application?

   2. What qualifies a game / application?

   3. Game fields

      1. In-Game Title

         • The game title is the title written in the software program. If no title is written in the software program, then it is the release title on the physical box/inlay. The title is written with language localized title and library standards. E.g. “the way of the exploding fist” is “Way of the Exploding Fist, The” in English.

         • Software with multiple titles should be added and separated with a “/”. E.g. “ Galdregons Domain / Death Bringer”, which was released as Galdregons Domain in Europe and Death Bringer in the US. This does not apply for bootlegs.

         • Author names are not included in the title (e.g. “Sid Meier’s Civilization” is just registered as “Civilization”)

      2. System

      3. Year

         • The in-game year can sometimes be wrong, as the © year often reflects the first release on any system (including arcades).

      4. Game

      5. Comment

      6. Links

3. Publisher

   1. What defines a publisher

      1. General definition

         • A publisher makes software available to the public commercially or for free.

         • The publishing process includes development, acquisition, testing, production, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution.

         • The publisher often subcontracts various aspects of this process to specialist companies and/or freelancers.

         • As many companies can be part of the publishing process, then it can sometimes be difficult to determine the actual publisher. Please consult the admins in the chat if you are in doubt.

         • In many cases a publisher has licensed software from another published, e.g. for a different localized market or a budget re-release.

         • Bootleg publishers are also registered.

      2. Acquisitions and mergers

         • The software industry has had numerous acquisitions and mergers, and we do not attempt to accommodate for this. The implications of this are that even though a publisher becomes a subsidiary or label of another publisher, then we register the games of the original publisher. Two examples follows below

         • Even though Imagine was acquired by Ocean in 1984 and continued as a label, then all Imagine releases are registered under Imagine as the publisher.

         • Even though SSI was acquired by Mindscape, Mattel and lastly Ubisoft, then all SSI releases are registered under the SSI publisher.

      3. What is not a publisher?

         • It was common that country or region local distributors imported games, put on a distribution sticker on the box and sometimes added local instructions. We do not consider these as publishers.

      4. Exceptions

         • It was decided that the publishing labels of Telecomsoft should be registered as publishers and it currently the only known exception

   2. What defines a label?
      A publishing label is a brand owned by the legal publishing organisation.

   3. Publisher fields

      1. Name

         • The name of the publisher is the organizational legal entity – typically a privately owned company.

         • Company entity type (GmBH, Inc., Ltd, etc) is not included in the name, as it differs from country to country, and many publishers had legal entities registered in many different countries.

         • Country specific naming in the company name is not applied and is considered part of the overall entity. E.g. “Commodore Business Machines UK Limited” = “Commodore”.

         • It is not the purpose of this site to attempt to document the complexities of the many legal company entities, so do not include this in the title. Please document this in the “publisher information” field.

      2. Label

         • Often the brand is the same as the publisher name and should not be registered as a label.

      3. Region

         • The country of origin with the company head quarter.

      4. Logo

      5. Publisher Information

         • Document any information of historical interest.

         • This is an evidence based site, so please provide any sources for the information written at the end of the text field.

         • Copy/paste from other sites MUST state the origin site as a reference.