CPCWiki forum

Hi all,


For several months I have been having an idea about a "CPC Scene" website, a concept that quite never managed to live very long or satisfy everyone in the past decade(s).


I have made a quick design (with an already working server and front page), which I'd like to present to you and gather your opinion. Basically, the concept is as follow:
- CPC scene would be a simple website showing all the latest productions of the scene, sorted by year.
- No forum, no texts, no trolline, nothing else!
- It is not meant as a replacement of any existing website such as CPC-Power, CPC Wiki, or anything else, but as a complement.
- It does not store any data. Only links.


Here is a first design. Please note that the layout is not finished at all (logo, icons, colors, etc.). It is also zoomed out to show a maximum of productions. However, the functionalities are there:


(http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene.png)




The icons at the bottom of each production include, if possible:
- a direct download link.
- a website link (if the authors have one).
- a link to CPC Power.
- one or two videos.
- link to Pouet page.
- one or two links to reviews (CPC Game Reviews, Amstrad Today, etc.).


So you may ask, what would be the purpose of this website? Well, it occurred to me that many people simply "miss" news. CPC Wiki is fantastic, but no one updates the front page with the latest productions, and forum topics often get over-sighted. CPC-Power is invaluable, but did any of you used the search engine only to see the latest productions? I didn't, yet I use it a lot.
Imagine a casual CPC user, or simply someone interested in retro gaming/scene. How can he/she easily know what was released recently? This website is the answer. Simply keeps it in your bookmark, opens it once it a while and quickly know the latest productions. If you're interested in games only, you can use the related filter.


Some more information:
- Though I said everything is ready, I still need some work to add the real design, and I also have to install all this on a real server. This will cost me time and money. I will only do it if it shows some interest. So make your opinion known.
- I intend to populate the database by myself, but if someone want to help, you're welcome to do so. The admin page is very easy to use. One click and you can add a production.
- This website is selective. I do not intend to add all 2-line basic productions, or half-baked games. Only finished productions. For example, in my opinion, only about 7-8 productions from the latest RetroDev competitions should be added here. All the buggy games should be discarded. For a comprehensive list of productions, check CPC-Power.


So, tell me what you think about all this! Even if no one is interested, well, I would still have learned a bit about Django server and Semantics-UI web development :).

I think it's a great idea!


I'm the missing-the-news and didn't-have-time-to-try type. So having a comprehensive list of CPC scene productions would make it easier for me to sit down from time to time and enjoy the cool CPC developments.

Hi Targhan,

It would be a very good idea to have such website and I agree with all the good reasons you listed above. Actually, it is not an easy task to look for the last prods and news are slightly different from a site to an other...

On the over hand, I think it would be also a good idea to change its name; the "CPCscene" still sounds like a closed area for a lot of CPC users...

Please add RSS support and I'm in!

(Actually, that's something CPC power could have and that would be perfect, is unfortunate that CPC power is not more collaborative)

Also, please no direct link if there's a website for the game. People miss instructions because of that.

I had to fix up the Main Page on the CPCWiki once, after someone decided to remove a whole bunch of updates (one of which was a game I spent months working on), and not update in the Older News feed.

So perhaps something like this will mean no-one can just go in and remove stuff.

I went with "Yeah, would check this every 6 months." - because I would.
But I gotta admit I don't see a reason for a new site.Why not "just" decide to put productions on Pouet?It's already there, designed for the purpose, and seems to offer the same things.

A new site would definitely get visitors, no doubt. But I'm fairly sure it'll mostly be CPC users. If Pouet got more CPC productions added, it would show non CPC users that the CPC is an active platform, which would probably result in more people gaining an interest in the CPC.
My weeks are very busy with job and family, so I know I don't personally need to be able to check new CPC releases every week, since I don't have the time for it anyway. I could settle for some yearly compilation release containing all CPC releases that year.Currently I think I check "New creations" every 4 months or so. Then downloads but never find the time to actually look at it. It's almost as if "1 download" is too little to fire up the CPC for.My "Downloads" folder has lots of CPC stuff, that I haven't even checked out yet.  :(
Getting a compilation every 6 or 12 months would mean needing to set aside time for it, just like you do when wanting to watch a movie (or 8-bit Memoirs  ;) ).That would rock.Some package with a menu and maybe a short story for each production, and then click to start in an emulator. Or click somewhere else to just watch a video.
Actually this could all be done with web-tech now, couldn't it?

For a website like this, I'm also a bit against only using links.Links are bad in my experience. They die all the time! It would become a maintenance nightmare.(Lots of (bad) experience maintaining IndieGameMusic.com here).
So my wishlist looks different:1: Use Pouet for this idea2: Create a yearly compilation thingy too  8)

Thanks all for your comments.


@mr_lou (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=96): Pouet is very well suited for demos. But there are many games missing. Once again, who among you goes to Pouet to check the latest games or tools on CPC? No one I bet!
As for links, this website would only be an aggregator, I don't want to hold any data. And some people want me to disable the direct download, so...


I feel pretty confident that many people would find this CPC Scene site useful, even if they wouldn't feel they need it right now. Just like people asked what Facebook was about before getting addicted to it :).

It would be interesting.

I can provide my database of programs if you want it to help, I try to create new programs when they are out since a moment, but for older titles they could be missing.

If needed, I can propose the pages on my site with a web interface to update it.

Quote from: Targhan on 13:01, 29 May 18
@mr_lou (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=96): Pouet is very well suited for demos. But there are many games missing. Once again, who among you goes to Pouet to check the latest games or tools on CPC? No one I bet!

It's possible I'm misunderstanding something about Pouet, but there is a Game category there, and it's used exactly for "scene" games.
As I said: Why not "just" decide to be more active on Pouet and add CPC creations there? It's designed for it, and there's room for both demos and games. I've asked this before.
I don't think many people goes to Pouet looking for CPC games either - because everyone knows that only few people adds their CPC productions there. Hence why I keep asking; why not just decide and agree in the community to start using Pouet more. So what is the answer to this question? Why avoid Pouet? Why the need to create a new website instead of using Pouet?Instead of adding new creations to a new site - add them to Pouet - even if you didn't create it yourself.

Quote from: Targhan on 13:01, 29 May 18I feel pretty confident that many people would find this CPC Scene site useful, even if they wouldn't feel they need it right now. Just like people asked what Facebook was about before getting addicted to it :) .

I have no doubt that your site will be great.I just don't understand why we're turning out backs to Pouet, when that site is exactly the place to look for productions for a specific platform, and offers a lot of other search criteria as well.

I know there is a game section on Pouet. It is just not convenient/natural to use it. To me it is as simple as that. The same for CPC Power. If you want to find a specific game, or all the role-playing game of 1989, it is fantastic. It is just not straightforward. In this day and age, having direct information is key.

I've been knowing Pouet for two decades, and I almost never used it for games or tools. And people don't add all their productions there. Asking people to "use more Pouet" will not work. Are the spanish devs putting their games there? Well, no.



The guy from CPC Power is not passive: he finds the software by himself (by reading forums, etc.), which is how he gets all the prods. By asking people to "use more Pouet", you *rely* on people putting their prod here. And many don't care. So you are a Pouet user, you will simply miss them. With CPC Scene, I intend to be active too. If people can notify me of their prod, great, but they don't, I can find about them by myself because I browse forums quite often. So you can be sure news will be fresh and the list comprehensive.

Quote from: Targhan on 14:15, 29 May 18In this day and age, having direct information is key.

I may have to see your site before understanding what you mean by that.

Quote from: Targhan on 14:15, 29 May 18People don't add all their productions there. Asking people to "use more Pouet" will not work. Are the spanish devs putting their games there? Well, no.

No. A group of people will have to add productions for other people.

Quote from: Targhan on 14:15, 29 May 18The guy from CPC Power is not passive: he finds the software by himself (by reading forums, etc.), which is how he gets all the prods. By asking people to "use more Pouet", you *rely* on people putting their prod here. And many don't care. So you are a Pouet user, you will simply miss them.

Yes someone has to be active. That's what I mean too with Pouet. Someone has to add productions there that they didn't create themselves.

Quote from: Targhan on 14:15, 29 May 18With CPC Scene, I intend to be active too. If people can notify me of their prod, great, but they don't, I can find about them by myself because I browse forums quite often. So you can be sure news will be fresh and the list comprehensive.

Well, I'm looking forward to see your site.

Really, the website is only the page shown in the first post. There is nothing else. It's just nicely (hopefully) presented cards of productions, with links. Nothing else.


>No. A group of people will have to add productions for other people.
Yes. Optimus used to do that. I don't think he does anymore (and we can't blame him). I don't think he does it for games or tools. But to me, Pouet is not the right tool for "cpc scene". I personally also like the fact of a dedicated place for the CPC productions, not just "any website" for all platforms.


In this day and age, having direct information is key.

>I may have to see your site before understanding what you mean by that.

It was only a general remarks. For good or bad, people wants the right information right away, right now, without navigating twice. By having a CPC Scene website showing right away the latest productions, this is exactly what I intend to offer.

pouet is for demo scene productions. The few games that are hosted there are games which were released on parties (mostly ... it is chaotic). Moreover, if you search for a "prod" it will return results which are indiscriminately demos and games which sucks big time if you search for one or the other.
pouet's intention never was to be a games announcement and hosting platform, neither is it a platform to host scene graphics, for example, which are nevertheless counted as scene material.

Other retro computing platforms also use their own sites to announce their games, close to none of these productions to my knowledge make it to pouet.

Great idea.
I hope it will be a simple page so I can visit it with my Amiga too  ;D

QuoteI hope it will be a simple page so I can visit it with my Amiga too

HTML, CSS and Javascript. Nothing too fancy in this day and age.

Quote from: Kris on 07:32, 29 May 18
On the over hand, I think it would be also a good idea to change its name; the "CPCscene" still sounds like a closed area for a lot of CPC users...

Mhhh... Call it CSDB. CPC Scene Data Base.  :o

Honestly... I really like the idea. A few days ago I thought how useful a blog would be, just dealing with actual (more or less) CPC games, as I often lose track of the releases. But I had to realise I lack knowledge, time and probably sustainable motivation. I always admire guys like Octoate and Emmanuel for running their projects for years. What I just wanted to say: thumbs up, @Targhan (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=110)

QuoteCSDB. CPC Scene Data Base

It does not sound very "fun" :). I like "CPC Scene", because it is really CPC-related. Like @Kris (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=175) mentioned, it may sound "a CPC restricted area", but it is exactly what it is. If you're intersted in CPC, go to CPC Scene. Else, move out!

The design looks great, and it sounds a good idea, I tend to hear about the latest releases on here, or twitter... but it would be superb to check up on releases I've missed, or when I know there was a game I wanted to play, but can't remember the name!

The layout looks easy to use, and the big pictures really show off the games, which may encourage people to play games they had previously overlooked.

Here's my 2 cents: A filter would be nice. Say you list all of the games, then filter by year (or month) then filter by category (games, utilities, demos). If the website doesn't host the software itself, a link to the original site would be great, like for example for commercial games.

I might add, the emphasis of my previous post should be the list, perhaps switching back and forth between tiles and list views (and then the other things which are mostly realised in the picture of the first post anyway.)

Yes, most of what you asked for was in the first post. I don't think a list should be done. A thumbnail is much better. Lists are not fun. No one wants to see a dull list on a webpage. The purpose of the site is to show productions under the best light possible, so a nice screenshot is worth a thousand words. Plus, there aren't that many productions per year, so, along with the use of the filter, scrolling shouldn't be a problem.

Quote from: Targhan on 16:28, 29 May 18
Really, the website is only the page shown in the first post. There is nothing else. It's just nicely (hopefully) presented cards of productions, with links. Nothing else.

This is a good idea because it won't need a huge personal investment to update/manage the website
I prefer to know that you do something else  ;D

Indeed, my aim is not to waste too much time on this, but do this as a small side-project. The most demanding part will probably to populate the database of the past years productions. But once again, not all of them will be present.

Speaking about new productions and creating an overview should not forget other things than software. A scene overview should also include new hardware, new fanzines etc.


Just my 2 cents...

QuoteSpeaking about new productions and creating an overview should not forget other things than software. A scene overview should also include new hardware, new fanzines etc.

I kind of agree with you, but the availability of hardware is so much more finite that software that whilst good for new releases it's use would soon be obsolete when looking back at past releases. Also, the method of acquiring CPC hardware can be a little haphazard - it's normally a 'me too' or a PM on these forums :)

It's a good idea actually, I didn't think about it. Problem with hardware is the availability, like Skunkfish said, but I see no problem in adding that kind of category. Fanzines... Do they still exist?? I'd glad to be proven wrong.

Some categories may have too little content.
Maybe have a "Other CPC related stuff" category instead.

Selfish point of view:
If you really do it, it will be nice that the page remembers the chosen filter, because:
- I don't care of games- I don't care of CPC tools- I only care of CPC demos
For the same reason, unless you provide RSS, the website will not bring me more information than pouet.
Something important is to track dead links. There are plenty of dead links on pouet for cpc as previous cpc demoscene site do not lived long.
In my opinion, the missing thing for CPC is something similar to ada: http://ada.untergrund.net/?

Quote from: Targhan on 16:27, 30 May 18
Fanzines... Do they still exist?? I'd glad to be proven wrong.

http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Colour_Personal_Computing  ;D

A live preview (http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene/front/html/index.html)!


The basic is here, except the database has only 2018 (not fully filled, and a few prods in 2017, 2009, 2004), and not the final design. As my web skills are limited, I hope this will work on all browers. I just found a free Python server yesterday evening, never thought it would work so easily.


Things are likely to break as I make more tests, but don't hesitate to tell me if something goes *really* wrong.

Damn, I have to turn on my Pi to give net access to my Amiga and I'm sick.


Brb.

Nice, and made me realise I missed a couple of those demo releases!

QuoteNice, and made me realise I missed a couple of those demo releases!

See?? And that's only the beginning, the database isn't even complete!! :)

Would be great if this page also gets an Tool/Application part. I don't care much about demos / games.  :)

I don't have any interest in DEMOS, HARDWARE or TOOLS... only new GAMES! ^_^It looks like an advanced filter is something that would probably be useful to all concerned!

Indeed, good filtering or sections.

Or both, good filtering and sections.

The web page looks very nice.I would delete the dropdown menu on the right in favour of having buttons for all the possible years at the top. That should be no more than two, maybe three lines in the future.I would also still like to have a switch for a list format, the current big pictured view would be standard and the list format as option.

Of course, Targhan, this is only meant as suggestions! :)

.... and *I* would put it all on Blu-ray!  8)

Quotethe web page looks very nice.I would delete the dropdown menu on the right in favour of having buttons for all the possible years at the top.

I'm against it, in ten years we would require 4 lines, and so on :) . But I can put more years visible. As for the "line list", maybe in a future release!

Quote from: Targhan on 11:58, 31 May 18
A live preview (http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene/front/html/index.html)!


The basic is here, except the database has only 2018 (not fully filled, and a few prods in 2017, 2009, 2004), and not the final design. As my web skills are limited, I hope this will work on all browers. I just found a free Python server yesterday evening, never thought it would work so easily.


Things are likely to break as I make more tests, but don't hesitate to tell me if something goes *really* wrong.

Looking good! Nice neat design that does exactly what you need it to do!

My one ask is that you try and make sure it's as secure as you can. In the past some CPC websites have been victim to hacking and ended up hosting some pretty nasty malware. Keeping components up to date to avoid this is critical but obviously time consuming.

The live preview (http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene/front/html/index.html) now has all the entries for 2017 and 2016. Not so long to do, and rather pleasant. I hope some of you can check for productions he/she could have missed.

8-bit Memoirs is missing.  ;)

You're right!!!! Sorry. It doesn't appear in CPC-Power, so I overlooked it. I'll correct that.

Quote from: Targhan on 13:35, 03 June 18
The live preview (http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene/front/html/index.html) now has all the entries for 2017 and 2016. Not so long to do, and rather pleasant. I hope some of you can check for productions he/she could have missed.

Looks fantastic! Well done!

Quote from: Targhan on 15:41, 03 June 18
You're right!!!! Sorry. It doesn't appear in CPC-Power, so I overlooked it. I'll correct that.

I see it's added now.  :)

A few corrections:

Minor detail: I've always written "Issue #1" everywhere. I don't mind that you write "Issue 1", but just wanted to mention it.
8-bit Memoirs is "A Blu-ray Discmag-like eBook (with 9 hours of supplemental video and 5 hours of background music)". (I'm sure some will complain that it's not a discmag, hence "discmag-like eBook"). (And some will of course complain regardless).
It was created by "LuBlu Entertainment" - www.lublu.dk (http://www.lublu.dk) (now called LuBlu Media).
And sponsored by IndieGameMusic.com
This picture might be a better icon?
http://www.8bitmemoirs.com/8-bit-memoirs-ebook-blu-ray-disc.png (http://www.8bitmemoirs.com/8-bit-memoirs-ebook-blu-ray-disc.png)

Thanks!  8) 

Your wish is my command.

Quote from: Targhan on 20:02, 03 June 18
Your wish is my command.

BEST
SITE
EVAH!
;)

Good work Targhan!
But you missed http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/demos/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-!/ (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/demos/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-!/)

Great job! While I liked the idea, I was a bit skeptical about it; but after looking at the prototype I love it. I think this will provide real value for the community.

Not sure if anyone has suggested something similar in the thread, but one thing I miss is a way to report broken links or any other problem with a particular card.

Quote from: adolfo.pa on 10:56, 04 June 18
Great job! While I liked the idea, I was a bit skeptical about it; but after looking at the prototype I love it. I think this will provide real value for the community.

Not sure if anyone has suggested something similar in the thread, but one thing I miss is a way to report broken links or any other problem with a particular card.

Broken links can be autodetected, to a certain degree. And I strongly recommend implementing some kind of autocheck.

Quote from: mr_lou on 11:01, 04 June 18
Broken links can be autodetected, to a certain degree. And I strongly recommend implementing some kind of autocheck.

That's true, but you still need some manual fallback to fix the weird cases. While less common these days, there are still sites that do a redirect+200 or display a filler page without returning the correct HTTP status.

Quote from: adolfo.pa on 11:18, 04 June 18
That's true, but you still need some manual fallback to fix the weird cases. While less common these days, there are still sites that do a redirect+200 or display a filler page without returning the correct HTTP status.

True, but there are other ways of checking. You can check for size, for example. I use that a lot on IndieGameMusic.com because links die all the time. Often results in a error page - but still a page - e.g. the link isn't technically dead. But very small filesizes obviously means it isn't linking to the music anymore.

QuoteGreat job! While I liked the idea, I was a bit skeptical about it; but after looking at the prototype I love it. I think this will provide real value for the community.Not sure if anyone has suggested something similar in the thread, but one thing I miss is a way to report broken links or any other problem with a particular card.

Thanks! I will probably not make a "broken link" report button, because it will clutter the interface. People can contact me in case of problem. And as Mr.Lou said, I can implement an auto-check, it is quite easily to do.

Quote from: Ast on 08:53, 04 June 18
Good work Targhan!
But you missed http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/demos/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-!/ (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/demos/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-!/)

I think you missed this post too  ;D

@Ast (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=573) No no don't worry, it's just that I won't create new entries until I got home. Is it done now!

@Targhan (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=110) : it seems iMPdos is missing in your website  :o


Enfer & Damnation !!!!

It will be soon. But that's good to tell me about the missing prods, thanks! You can also PM me or send me a mail.


The Reset (in two weeks) will be the occasion to find the graphist, then the website will become "official".

Ι love the idea!


Who knows, maybe it'll make my life easier copying adding info to the wiki, since nobody seems to be willing to update it except (and not even then) creators themselves...


As far as layout goes, I think the guys over at https://sonarr.tv/ have nailed it (I mean the app itself, not the web site). The first page of the app is beautiful and very well presented, andcan be suited to most tastes.

So the kid is having a sleep-over at the school with the class today, which means the misses and I finally have some time to look into some retro gaming this evening!  :)

A site like this is very useful for such situations where you need to find a bunch of latest releases fast.


P.S.: Regarding the entry for 8-bit Memoirs, you can add the following two videos too, if you want:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKadWBm9CQA
and / or

https://vimeo.com/244872093

One suggestion: Make the author-name clickable, linking to a page that shows all creations by that author.
From that page, one can click on to a website of that author.

QuoteOne suggestion: Make the author-name clickable, linking to a page that shows all creations by that author.

Well... It is. But it links to the website of the author. I don't really want to have a second page with sub-content, and all. CPC-Power is here if you want a more thorough search.

Quote from: Targhan on 13:35, 03 June 18The live preview (http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene/front/html/index.html) now has all the entries for 2017 and 2016. Not so long to do, and rather pleasant. I hope some of you can check for productions he/she could have missed.

"Get The Cash" from 2016 is missing despite me adding a page about it on the CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Get_The_Cash).


I wasn't sure if you're also going to add any Mini games from the BASIC 10-Liners Competition (http://gkanold.wixsite.com/homeputerium/kopie-von-games-list-2018-work), which has been holding an annual competition since 2015. CPC-POWER and CPC-RULEZ seem to have them.

I will add Get The Cash, no problem. However, I won't add 10-liners and stuff like that. There is CPC-Power for that, CPC Scene is not made to be fully comprehensive.

I don't know if this has already been mentioned (I haven't read through the whole thread), but do you intend to create a CPC-Scene application for mobile phone devices?
I, personally, use this site (CPC-Wiki forum) for new game development and POUET for new demoscene productions. Having a notification on my mobile device of a new game/demo/whatever would be great (especially if I miss a thread here! ^_^)

Hi,


Sorry I didn't see this message. I actually didn't even had the thought of doing a CPC Scene mobile phone, but it's actually a great idea, since I'm an Android developer :) . I'll keep that in mind!


About CPC Scene, I am now needing a graphist. I had two leads, but neither are interested, and I don't want to have to whip people to work with them. Therefore, I'm looking for a web graphist. As you can see from the live preview (http://www.julien-nevo.com/cpcscene/front/html/index.html), there is not much to do. The site is meant to be simple. I just need a logo, a few colors, some icons and that's it! Suggestions about the overall design are also welcome. So PM me if you're interested, with links of what you can do. I will not update/deploy CPC Scene before I have a real design.


Thanks!

Happy to give a hand with some graphics, as long as you're happy with a more cartoonist/modern look; as that's what I do. Links to examples are: alloverthehouse.net, nobmouse.net and inkproofcannon.com

Thanks for your offer! I'll consider it.

Is this release website "up-to-date"?
It's just that I am a good few months behind everyone else and I would like some CPC gaming (seeing as the demoscene is quite dead at the moment)...
Or, should I just download the new releases from CPCPower (http://www.cpc-power.com/) or CPCRulez (https://cpcrulez.fr/)?

Not updated for a few months, because the design is not ready yet. But I've found a designer, so maybe an update will be done soon, but I can not give any deadline! But don't be afraid, the project is still alive. I'll update this thread when it is ready. Thanks for your interest :)

Please take my web designer back ! He has many and many works on iMPdraw v2.
;D

Well, he's the one who offered his help :).

Quote from: Targhan on 22:48, 26 August 18
Well, he's the one who offered his help :) .

...and i am very happy he did it :)