I just got this Windcharger...
http://www.shmax.com/product_details/1010/windcharger
And I notice that the minispy is specified as the 4WD type. I know we've had this discussion about minispies (and Decoys) as kinda not-really going to be in the database because of how they were released. The only exception for Decoys is the Japanese releases since they were in special multipacks. For those who do not know, Minispies were included just like Decoys as in they were randomly inserted. So I would think that Windcharger's minispy shouldn't be implicitly specified as it is in this case.
Yeah, that record was created long ago, likely before we really had any discussion about how to handle the decoys or Mini-Spies.
The way the database is set up now, we'd have to create a product record for every possible Windcharger/Mini-Spy combo (Windcharger with blue 4WD Decepticon, Windcharger with blue 4WD Autobot, Windcharger with yellow 4WD Autobot, and so on) , which just isn't feasible as people complain enough about variants as it is, let alone getting into something complex like that. That's why the category, as a whole, is so lacking:
http://www.shmax.com/products/614On the opposite side, for handling Decoys, it doesn't even show up as a part on Wideload:
http://www.shmax.com/product_details/1161/wideload
And this one was created after we realized that we were going to run into problems with stuff like this, so we left it out of the contents.
So now what about some ideas on how to handle these two types of products. I still think they should be included in the database. So some ideas about how it could be done and maybe you have some ideas too.
Definitely, the Mini-Spies and Decoys will be included in the database in some form or other - the problem is how to do it while still adhering to the way we present the other 10 bazillion products. Oh yeah, one other fun fact: for the Mini-Spies, there are also wheel-spoke variants - thick vs. thin, so an additional layer of awesome.
Have either Minispy or Decoy as the label for a part or figure. I would first think as a part, but Targetmasters are listed as a figure right?
Both would count as figures, Mini-Spies even more so.
But I also think that the Decoys and Minispies should be listed separately in their own category in the database, and the ones that would appear in the product records for the Hero Collection, Throttlebots with Decoys and Minicars and Special Teams with Decoys are just links to that product.
Unfortunately, the database isn't set up that way - that would almost be backwards to how we have it now. Everything is based off of "products" - how those items were initially sold by the manufacturer, and then their contents.
Now, if we ever found out that the decoys were available individually, like in capsule toy machines (which I have heard rumors of, but they turned out to be nothing more than that - rumors), that would help a lot, but alas, no such luck.
What other ideas do you guys have?
Long story short, I believe the plan is to have something along the lines of the following:
We'll have a "Wideload with Decoy" package, with an additional option of choosing which Decoy yours came with (likely from a dropdown menu or some sort of picker).
Ideally, if you owned two "Wideload with Decoy" products, each with a different Decoy, the system would recognize that and credit you with owning two different products, or versions...something like that such that you would be rewarded with owning more than one product.
MIKE
engledogg
