Backloggery

[SkyPikachu]

I noticed we don't have a topic for this. I know nearly everyone here uses it.

I'll keep a list of everyone below.

TONe Users - Backlogger Username
A Beta Fu7ure - Betagam7
Kong Wen - KongWen
MerlinDrazziw - MerlinDrazziw
pdSlooper - pdrydia
Sharecrow - Sharecrow
Sinnthro - TidesofChaos
SKTTR - SKTTR
Skullomancer - SnakeEyez
slangman - slangman
SkyPikachu - SlurmNator
Yasume - Yasume
Yossarian - y0ss4ri4n

Backloggery now has a patreon now to help support the new website development.

https://www.patreon.com/backloggery/overview

Welcome!
I'm Drumble. In 2007, I created a website called the Backloggery to help users keep track of their video game collections and backlog progress online. With the help of Try4ce, Lyndis, and a generous community, we've kept things running for over a decade and counting. Long story short, I'd like to start devoting more time to improving the site. If that sounds good to you, or you just want to help keep the server bills paid, you've come to the right place! If you'd like to know more, read on.



Where We Are
Those that have been with us the longest might remember the early years of the site. Things worked differently then. Updates happened often, with many new features, refinements, and bug fixes coming each year. But to cut another long story short, all that faded away as health problems took over my life. For years since, The Backloggery has been in stasis, useful to many but slowly becoming more and more out of date.

This came to a head in April 2019 when our web host, HostGator, botched a simple update and caused the site to be unusable for 5 days. To be clear, how HostGator handled things was extremely incompetent on many levels and I would like to switch hosts as soon as possible, but I can't place the blame entirely on them. The Backloggery's current code and server hardware is old and HostGator's standard workflow just didn't know how to handle it. We're long overdue for an upgrade, in more ways than one.


WIP image of the site remake, details subject to change

Where We'd Like to Go
While I'd love to say I'm back to 100% and ready to code up a storm, life isn't that kind. But where I've not been able to heal, I've learned to adapt my setup and I believe I'm at a place where I can code full-time again.

As many of you already know, the first step is a big one. The foundation of the site is old and it badly needs to be completely rebuilt, both to update the interface and so that we can move to a more modern infrastructure. The end result for users will be a nicer UI that works well on anything from phones to 4K TVs. But that's just the beginning. Once an updated backend is finished, there are all sorts of new features and improvements that will become possible:

• Aggregated game data for users to browse, from game completion rates, to review scores and difficulty ratings (what % of our users have beaten Super Mario Bros?)
• Username changes
• Tag your games for even more sorting options
• Export your collection data for backup and personal use
• Larger friend lists and better privacy settings
• Use "beacons" to let your friends or anyone know you're looking to play online multiplayer in specific games
• And much more!

Another WIP image

Why Patreon?
I loathe ads. I've turned away 11+ years of ad revenue on the Backloggery because I hate ads that much. We briefly tried putting them on the site for about a month, but I just couldn't stand it. We make a bit off of affiliate links, but the vast majority of our revenue has always been donations straight from the community. So in some ways, Patreon isn't much of a change for us. But I'm hoping it brings us more stability and predictability. Community fundraisers have been great (and we'll definitely keep doing marathons for charity), but they're hard to plan around financially. With a predictable monthly income, I'll know exactly where we stand and can plan my time accordingly. I'd love nothing more than to be able to shift my focus away from other obligations and spend more time improving the Backloggery for everyone.


What's in It for Me?
For now, all we can offer is access to the Backloggery Discord server. I use the Discord server to bounce ideas off people and brainstorm how site features should work. If you're looking to help shape the future of the site, it's the place to be!

After the site remake is finished, I plan to roll out premium memberships on the Backloggery to give our patrons something more tangible in return for their support. While I don't have many concrete plans for what that will entail yet, we're definitely not going to be locking away a bunch of existing features behind a paywall. Premium membership perks will likely be cosmetic in focus, like expanded profile color options, a supporter badge, and the ability to save and load your own color schemes and banners.

Patrons will also be able to vote on which upcoming site features should be implemented next and have heightened access to the staff to brainstorm ideas for the site and discuss the specifics of how new features could work.



I want to make the Backloggery as polished and useful as I possibly can. Even after all these years, so many people get so much use and enjoyment out of it. With your help, I'll be able to dedicate more time and energy to supporting, maintaining, and upgrading it. Together, we can help ensure the Backloggery's best days are yet to come.

-Drumble

[SkyPikachu]

Now for the real reason I made this thread. Didn't really think it deserved it's own thread plus having a backloggery topic seemed like a good idea.

I purchased the Mario Kart 8 DLC and I was curious to how I should add DLC to my backloggery as this is really my first introduction to DLC.

[Kong Wen]

I purchased the Mario Kart 8 DLC and I was curious to how I should add DLC to my backloggery as this is really my first introduction to DLC.

I generally only add DLC as its own entry if it has its own playable content instead of just add-on items—so, if it's something I could see putting in my "now playing" list on its own. But, since everyone is free to use Backloggery in whatever way they want, using it as a catalogue of all the game-related content you own is legit too.

When you go to a game's information, hover over the "How to add DLC" question mark. It'll show you how.

You just make your main game a compilation with its own title as the compilation title. Then when you add the DLC, you use the main game's title (Mario Kart 8) as the compilation.

[Kong Wen]

PS: The abbreviation is TONe

!!!

[SkyPikachu]

I purchased the Mario Kart 8 DLC and I was curious to how I should add DLC to my backloggery as this is really my first introduction to DLC.

I generally only add DLC as its own entry if it has its own playable content instead of just add-on items—so, if it's something I could see putting in my "now playing" list on its own. But, since everyone is free to use Backloggery in whatever way they want, using it as a catalogue of all the game-related content you own is legit too.

When you go to a game's information, hover over the "How to add DLC" question mark. It'll show you how.

You just make your main game a compilation with its own title as the compilation title. Then when you add the DLC, you use the main game's title (Mario Kart 8) as the compilation.

Well the DLC coming in November has new GP's so that in my mind is playable content. I won't be adding in the new vehicle free DLC though

PS: The abbreviation is TONe

!!!

What's with the e?

[Kong Wen]

PS: The abbreviation is TONe

What's with the e?

The symbol for Neon is Ne!

[A Beta Fu7ure]

It was my six year backlog-iversary the other day so I gave myself some cake and decided to choose six cookies to focus on between now and the Christmas period.

The games the cookie chose were:

Unmechanical (Steam)
Spirits (Steam)
Super Meat Boy (Steam)
Toki Tori (GBC)
Probotector (GB)
Puzzle Bobble Mini (NGPC)

Some quite nice choices. I will have to play Contra instead of Probotector as I didn't bring the cart with me to China but it's really only a palette swap and is fortunately built into my GB Boy Colour

I got a little way into Meat Boy last year so will resume where I left off.

Toki Tori and PBM look like fun puzzle titles and the other two Steam games are two I haven't even played yet. Should be a fun challenge.

[Sinnthro]

[Unsure of Ton Username] - TidesofChaos

Please tell me if I've made a mistake also anyone know if Tides is on ToN? If so what's Tides username?

Hi there! I am me. Er, I am Tides.

Also, my Backloggery is woefully unkept, so please disregard if I ever seem to be playing one game for years at a time or seem to purchase dozens of games all at once.

[The Shoemaker]

I just joined today. Is there any way to set what your backloggery shows in your signature? Like I would rather just show what games I am playing over games I haven't finished :p Also how do I set it so that it shows more than one game at a time?

My Backloggery user name is TheShoemaker

[MerlinDrazziw]

Don't think you can set it anywhere on BL, but it's 3 max. Usually it show's the 3 recent updates (that are not saved with stealth), but can go wrong when you add a new game. Don't worry about it, the signature image will change soon enough.