Difference between revisions of "About"

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==Using GDRI==
 
==Using GDRI==
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If you are familiar with browsing [http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia], then browsing GDRI should not be a problem. However, there are some things regarding GDRI that you should know about before using it.
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===Viewing company entries===
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All company entries follow the same basic format: background information and company logo at the beginning (if available), game list in the middle, and links of interest at the bottom. However, there are some variations when it comes to disclosing what research methods were used to build our game lists.
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Most of GDRI is editable by anyone who wishes to contribute. All we ask is that you [http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Special:Userlogin register and log in]. Remember that anything you contribute may be re-edited by someone else.
 
Most of GDRI is editable by anyone who wishes to contribute. All we ask is that you [http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Special:Userlogin register and log in]. Remember that anything you contribute may be re-edited by someone else.
  

Revision as of 13:06, 11 May 2008

U N D E R C O N S T R U C T I O N !

As mentioned on: Insert Credit

Game Developer Research Institute (GDRI), officially established on August 26, 2006, is dedicated to finding out more information about the companies and the people that developed video games. Our specialty is researching contract developers that worked for larger publishers, but usually weren't given proper credit.

History

In 2005, future GDRI founder CRV noticed the words "PROGRAMMED BY SIMS CO., LTD." shortly after booting up George Foreman's KO Boxing for the Sega Master System. He posted his findings on SMS Power, jumpstarting a whole investigative thread which uncovered many other games developed by SIMS. The success of this investigation begot more investigations, including ones of Aicom and games published by Pony Canyon, both of which led to some grueling discussion.

As more development companies became discovered and more people became interested in helping, it no longer seemed practical to post only on message boards. CRV felt there should be one source for all of this information. SIT Developer Table, a Japanese site with listings for a wide variety of game companies, provided the inspiration, but he wanted something more dynamic. The solution he found was in the form of a wiki.

CRV asked for web space from SMS Power webmaster Omar Cornut, which he was soon given. In August 2006, the wiki software was installed and work began immediately.

Today, we have over 100 company entries and over a dozen interviews. Thanks to our small group of contributors, we are always growing and learning new things.

Research Methods

Main article: Research Methods

Read more about how GDRI determines the developer of a game by clicking the link above.

Using GDRI

If you are familiar with browsing Wikipedia, then browsing GDRI should not be a problem. However, there are some things regarding GDRI that you should know about before using it.

Viewing company entries

All company entries follow the same basic format: background information and company logo at the beginning (if available), game list in the middle, and links of interest at the bottom. However, there are some variations when it comes to disclosing what research methods were used to build our game lists.

Most of GDRI is editable by anyone who wishes to contribute. All we ask is that you register and log in. Remember that anything you contribute may be re-edited by someone else.

If you do not know how to edit a wiki page, please consult Wikipedia's Help section.

Finding out what methods were used

Most of our entries will feature one of the following "configurations" to display what methods were used in determining our game lists.

Configuration 1

The most common of the two configurations is essentially a straightfoward list at the top of the page like this:

Research Methods: Code comparisons, e-mail, online resources (see links), shared credits

If you need a reminder of what each "research method" involves, just click on Research Methods to be taken to this page.

Configuration 2

This configuration is more specific and more time-consuming to put together, so it will only be used with a few smaller developers. Instead of one general list, each game will have listed the methods used to figure out the developer. For example:

  • Sonic Labyrinth (under SIMS) (JP/US Publisher: Sega)
[Shared credits] [ROM text]

If a method listed has a link, you can click it to find out more. In the case of "[Shared credits]," you will be taken to a page containing the game's credits. Relevant staffers will be linked. Click the link and you can see other games that person has worked on.

Reading game lists

Platform

  • Game Name (role) (Publishers)
Other companies involved in development
Black means the company was the primary developer (or co-developer)
Gray means the company provided support development (ex: EIM doing only music/sound on Casino Kid II)
Red means we are unsure of the extent to which the company was involved

Contributors

CRV
Founder, administrator of GDRI.

Dimitri
Performs code comparisons and translates credits.

Idrougge
Contributes to entries and tries to contact Japanese game developers.

Others: Hydr0x, Jonny2x4, Kaminari, Manjimaru, NeoZeedeater

Contacting us

Any questions, comments, or other feedback can be sent via e-mail to smsgenny at vgrebirth.org.

You can often find us on IRC: popn.cjb.net #project2612