Platform labelling on game thread titles [XO, NSW, PC, etc]

Shifty Geezer

uber-Troll!
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After the game announcements for PS5, we have an interesting situation where the labelling of game platforms is becoming very odd. At it's most ridunkulous, we have:

Little Devil Inside [PS4, PS5 Console Exclusive for limited time, PC] [Later: XO, NSW]

...where the platform info is twice the length of the game title!

What actually is needed/wanted in platform tags? Are we to have speculative platforms such as Witcher 3 being labelled NSW long before it was announced for the platform on the expectation it'd get there eventually? Do we need 'timed exclusive' mentioned? Should we just stick with the platforms officially announced and then update when officially announced?

Personally I'm for the latter as the cleanest, most straightforward solution. There's no second guessing. I suppose the downside is people interested in a platform ignoring a game because it's not announced for their platform.

Or maybe we should just ditch the tags now because basically everything that's not first/second party is cross-platform eventually anyway? Don't tag anything unless it's platform exclusive.
 
Letting users know it's slated for other consoles is useful.

Putting a "$" in the thread title isn't suitable either.

However, there is usefulness gained in knowing is this "Current-Gen or Next-Gen"? Or after Holiday 2020 is this "Current-Gen or Last-Gen"?

Though it is cleaner to ditch platform tags entirely. I think we initially had them as the PC Gaming forum was more popular back then so we needed a way to differentiate PC INI File Editing and What Driver to Use versus Gameplay discussions.

And going forward, we can assume a game thread is about GamePlay and if there is something specific for PC tweaking we can spawn that into PC section with a "Tweaking" or "Config" or "PC Settings" tag.
 
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However, there is usefulness gained in knowing is this "Current-Gen or Next-Gen"? Or after Holiday 2020 is this "Current-Gen or Last-Gen"?
I think that info should be in the content, the first post (which can be updated), rather than the title.
 
I think that info should be in the content, the first post (which can be updated), rather than the title.

I really don't want to be editing the first post of threads to bring new and updated information to attention.

Personally, I wish we had more meta-tagging capabilities on threads to indicate more out of bands information, like respective platforms and their release date as well as scheduled platforms and their release date.

Or some ability to bring attention to it after the first post. Almost like the other forums Thread Announcements functionality.
 
Place only the platforms that are confirmed.
So
[PS5 LTE, PC] until you know others then it would Become for example
[PS5 LTE, XSX, PC]
Drop LTE when the LTE is over.
 
So in the situation of Little Devil that has the Public Funding drive and they have specified Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, but that's set for later, what would the title as of 2020-06-15 be?

Changed this title as well.

upload_2020-6-15_20-34-16-png.4099


Series X is not mentioned in their webpage, Nintendo Switch is being left out. The game is a console timed exclusive as well.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ldi/little-devil-inside/posts/2864089
 
So in the situation of Little Devil that has the Public Funding drive and they have specified Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, what would the title as of 2020-06-15 be?
Any form of cross gen should just be platform with X
So for instance.

[PSX LTE, PC, XBOX, NSW]

if you want to get hardcore, you can lower case the platforms that are confirmed but not yet active.
 
The more I think about this and the future, the more I want to just drop platform labels all together. After all, if a person is interested in the game, a quick Ask Jeeves and they will find out.

What will we use for Microsoft Game Streaming (xCloud), or Sony Game Streaming (PSNow) when they're expanded even more and usable on iOS, Android, TVs or other media app platforms?
 
I agree. I don't really see the value in platform labels and they are less and less meaningful. Unless something is clearly platform exclusive, but what's the value in advertising that? It'll just serve to polarise platforms, with people avoiding a game thread because its labelled as on a platform they don't own.

If we're going to use tags, we need to answer the question, "why?" If we can't find a good reason to use them, there's no point in having them. ;)
 
As long as everything can fit on the title, supposing there is a reasonnable size limit for the threads titles.

/creating a fake thread in order to test the title characters limit...hey why can't I create a thread ? What have I done to deserve such treatment ? I am even a gold member ! :oops:
 
Not true. Some are worrying about having to redecorate their living and gaming rooms to fit around their next console.
I am genuinely rethinking my living room layout. It's been the same forever. I would love to move the TV from the corner but the missus knows the only reason I want to do this is to get a bog AV cabinet and a bigger TV to boot. Unfortunately the room is not a good shape.

First world problems!
 
Why not use the actual xenforo thread tags with an established format for each platform, one for limited exclusive etc
 
I think the title should include the platforms for which the game has already been announced. In the case of Little Devil, the game is coming to XBO and NSW, even tho it's coming at a later date. Then, for the other games, when new platforms are announced, change the title. Either that or don't include any platforms at all.
 
I need platforms in thread-titles since I'm not interested in visiting threads of games I will never be able to play. If it's timed exclusive even more useful because that's something I might be interested in later. Why can't we use icons for each platform? And have a clock icon for console-timed-exclusives?

Tommy McClain
 
Why not use the actual xenforo thread tags with an established format for each platform, one for limited exclusive etc

Does anyone even look at those or use them?
 
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