Wave/Revision case info?

[Spiff-O-Matic]

How can we add this info to the database? I'm thinking a whole new "tree" would be a way to go, listing for example "Generations (2012) Wave 1", and the items already in the database can be linked to it. In this case, 3 x FoC Jazz, 3 x FoC Optimus and 2 x FoC Shockwave. Or maybe just some way to mark each item in a specific wave/revision with that info so it can be searched that way?

[shmax]

One of the new features coming soon as part of the increasingly long-promised "toyline expansion" project is the ability to link products to multiple toyline categories, and I think that alone will be enough to cover this kind of thing. It will work like this:

• User spots a product that is not currently in one or more waves or revisions it belongs in.


• User checks the toyline widget to see if the wave category he wants is available as a subcategory of the category the product is currently in.


• If it is, he selects it.


• If not, he types the name of the wave into the "suggest a category" field


• go to 2

[engledogg]

How would entering something like "Generations 2012 > Deluxe > Wave 1 > Revision 2" affect the eBay appraisal system?  To me, that's a little bit too complicated/convoluted to be beneficial as I can guarantee that no users will mention waves or revisions in their eBay descriptions/titles.

Mentioning of it in the Notes/Comments section could work...sorta like spliff started to do. 

Or, if you wanted to get fancy, make it a text field that would display like a UPC or, better yet, like the clickable assortment #, showing all products within the same wave. 

But, I can see a problem in this since you could have, for example, Wave 2 in any line and if you entered a simple "Wave 2", clicking that link would give you ANYTHING in the DB designated "Wave 2".  You'd come up with Armada Super-Con > Wave 2, Universe > Deluxe > Wave 2, and so on.

So you'd have to input more than just "Wave 2" - you'd have to enter something more descriptive like "Generations > Deluxe > Wave 2" to keep it unique.  And, even then, what happens with a later revision? 

We could enter "Generations > Deluxe > Wave 2 > Revision 1", BUT since that's different text from "Generations > Deluxe > Wave 2", we wouldn't be able to see all the contents of Wave 2, including any revisions, all at once since the text in the box is not identical.

Also, and I'm not sure if something like this will happen in the future, but I'm betting it has at one point.

Bumblebee is in wave 1, with a package stamping of "1214553" (hypothetical number).  Now, I must say that not a lot of people pay attention to the stampings, BUT they do come into play more often than you'd think, especially when trying to figure out which variant you own (see DotM Deluxe Crankcase).

He reappears as part of wave 4, but with a different package stamping...say "3453525".  Everything else is the same - contents, package style, UPC, assortment #, id #, etc. 

But, someone with eagle eyes notices the difference in the stampings and wants to enter ANOTHER Bumblebee since his says "3453525" and not "1214553".

I certainly wouldn't want to have two entries for the "same" Bumblebee toy, but at the same time, we really couldn't accommodate both stamping differences on the same record since they are technically different.  If the stampings were identical, sure, but if not...then what?

Also, what about release info?  We'd have to have separate release dates.  With Wave 1 Bumblebee being 7/12/13 and Wave 4 being 9/18/13...

I agree that it would be sort of cool to see which figures came with who and when, but we've got to come up with something that won't further complicate anything and/or disable the eBay appraisal system.

MIKE
engledogg

[shmax]

How would entering something like "Generations 2012 > Deluxe > Wave 1 > Revision 2" affect the eBay appraisal system?  To me, that's a little bit too complicated/convoluted to be beneficial as I can guarantee that no users will mention waves or revisions in their eBay descriptions/titles.

Just tag them as "minor", same as we do with cats like "package 1".

clicking that link would give you ANYTHING in the DB designated "Wave 2".  You'd come up with Armada Super-Con > Wave 2, Universe > Deluxe > Wave 2, and so on.

So you'd have to input more than just "Wave 2" - you'd have to enter something more descriptive like "Generations > Deluxe > Wave 2" to keep it unique.  And, even then, what happens with a later revision? 

We could enter "Generations > Deluxe > Wave 2 > Revision 1", BUT since that's different text from "Generations > Deluxe > Wave 2", we wouldn't be able to see all the contents of Wave 2, including any revisions, all at once since the text in the box is not identical.

Yeah, I thought about those options, but your instinct is right in that it would be too general to rely on a text input. I think we'd need the unique id that a category node would get us.

Bumblebee is in wave 1, with a package stamping of "1214553" (hypothetical number).  Now, I must say that not a lot of people pay attention to the stampings, BUT they do come into play more often than you'd think, especially when trying to figure out which variant you own (see DotM Deluxe Crankcase).

He reappears as part of wave 4, but with a different package stamping...say "3453525".  Everything else is the same - contents, package style, UPC, assortment #, id #, etc. 

But, someone with eagle eyes notices the difference in the stampings and wants to enter ANOTHER Bumblebee since his says "3453525" and not "1214553".

I certainly wouldn't want to have two entries for the "same" Bumblebee toy, but at the same time, we really couldn't accommodate both stamping differences on the same record since they are technically different.  If the stampings were identical, sure, but if not...then what?

I dunno, I couldn't answer that question with or without waves and revisions.

Also, what about release info?  We'd have to have separate release dates.  With Wave 1 Bumblebee being 7/12/13 and Wave 4 being 9/18/13...

Well, you could certainly enter a release row for each wave, which is actually pretty cool, no? You could mention the wave number in the release "comment".

I agree that it would be sort of cool to see which figures came with who and when, but we've got to come up with something that won't further complicate anything and/or disable the eBay appraisal system.

I'm sure we'll find ways to screw things up, but the eBay thing shouldn't be an issue as long as you remember to tag these cats as "minor" (and even if you forget, you would only run into trouble when you have revisions--otherwise the matching algorithm would have no need to call out the wave name).

[Spiff-O-Matic]

Wow, I didn't realize it was so complicated! Sorry for the troubles...