READ ME

[fastbilly1]

This forum is for Guides made by the forum members of Racketboy.com. These are guides made to benefit the retrogaming community and can be about most anything. There are however some rules we are going to enforce on this forum.

1. Keep the guides clean. Keep all troubleshooting questions in the appropriate other forum (ie Tech Help or Hacks and Mods). You can however post in the guide with suggestions on how to make it better or with questions about the guide.
2. Keep the guides in the KISS format. The goal is to write guides to help everyone. We have all had problems with something and could not find an easy answer, this is an attempt at alleviating that for retrogaming.
3. Anyone can write the guides - just follow the rules.

More rules may be added as needed. Pretty much this all boils down to, lets keep this forum clean. If you have any questions, ask away.

[CRTGAMER]

A Great idea! Not sure if this is the same. Ziggy started a Guide list here:
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=202347#p202347

I think parts of certain guides actually spread out over several pages. Different Replies offering new ideas and solutions to a given situation. Perhaps a list of OP GUIDE LINKS either on Ziggy's page or this one STICKIED? Mod to determine suggestions from members what should be included. Might help prevent a lot of repeat questions concerning say Cart Cleaning, Game Disc Read Error, Video Connections, Import Issues, Shipping Costs, Power Requirements, HDAdvance/HDLoader/Free MC Boot Issues, Mods etc.

As example often asked about import issues, the N64 Region Mod guide. I added to it with an alternate method with a Rotozip bit, cutting in place. Another member offered another solution of using a soldering iron to melt the tab. Should it stay there in hacks section? Or just the OP gets moved without additional ideas from replies or does the entire thread get moved? Or perhaps just a Front page sticky of good GUIDE LINKS for various previous posted and different area topics?

N64 Region Mod guide (currently in Hacks and Mods)
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=287400#p287400

Not trying to kill this great idea just some concerns of the hows.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, my collection of guides thread was made just before the idea for what ultimately became this forum was hatched. That's why I've massively neglected the collections of guides thread. However, I have an idea. Since the new Guides forum will be for guides that members have posted as threads on this forum, perhaps my stickied collection of guides thread could be only for guides that are note on this forum (links to other sites). Guides that are in my collection of guides thread that where written on the forum can either be moved to the new Guides forum or rewritten to fit the guidelines of the new forum. Sound good? Question is, should the thread stay in the tech help forum or be moved to the new guides forum?

And just putting the word out there, I'm almost finished with a new burning guide to be posted soon. I just have to finish up one or two things.

One suggestion I have for anyone that's down for making a guide: An informative guide explaining what a disc image is, a run down on the different formats, why certain formats where chosen as the preferred format for a particular console (CDI for Dreamcast, CCD for PS1, etc) and whatever else would be useful information on the matter. The goal of the guide, to inform "n00bs" a little about the topic in hopes to make the idea of burning games easier to understand. I've been compiling information whenever I come across it, in hopes to make this guide myself, but I lack time right now. Eventually I'll get around to writing it up, unless some one beats me to it (which would be nice).

edit: Sorry, I posted this while I was watching TV. It isn't worded very well lol, but I'm too lazy to reword it all.

[fastbilly1]

Ziggy, it is up to you if you want to move the thread. You say the word and Ill move it. Personally I would like to leave it there, and as we get more guides to prune that list down to just the advance topics.

CRT we are planning on rewriting those guides so they all follow a picture heavy format. This forum will grow slowly, but every post should be dynamite. MY N64 guide was supposed to be the third to be added to it, but it will be the first once I clean it up.

[CRTGAMER]

Ziggy, it is up to you if you want to move the thread. You say the word and Ill move it. Personally I would like to leave it there, and as we get more guides to prune that list down to just the advance topics.

CRT we are planning on rewriting those guides so they all follow a picture heavy format. This forum will grow slowly, but every post should be dynamite. MY N64 guide was supposed to be the third to be added to it, but it will be the first once I clean it up.

Really like this idea. Is there a chance of a front top sticky link page as Ziggy's page? It'll make finding guides easier as the guide monster grows.

I think members who took the trouble to write up a guide maybe might be allowed to adjust their babies themselves to fit Guide Format with a Mod approval? Trick is all the replies also offer useful information.

Would the guides be allowed to be added to as Replies are now? I think the flexibility of allowing replies will present new ideas to a given problem. The N64 Guide for example, a different perspective may come up from another member at a later date.

I'll be posting a Digital Twinstick guide soon.

EDIT
Its Done! Would like to be able to always access it though, for future add ons and improvements.
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=290325#p290325

[Hobie-wan]

I'll try to comb through the power brick thread again and add anything else others added (and credit them) and maybe make something a little nicer. Perhaps I'll go bonkers and add pictures and make it a table like the shipping one. My shipping chart could be copied and put in here too. Or do I need to make a new thread?

[fastbilly1]

Its up to you hobie, if you want me to just move the thread or do you want to make a copy. Either works since that is an important chart.

CRT - yes members who wrote the guides would always have full control of them. As long as the topic is in your name you can edit it, and if for some reason you no longer want it in this forum we can erase it. However if someone who wrote a guide previously does not want to rewrite it and does not mind if someone else does it, we will try to rewrite them.

And yes the guides will have replies enabled. We are just going to try and keep side discussion to a minimum. To use the N64 guide for example, the talk of pal mods will have to be removed.

[CRTGAMER]

Its up to you hobie, if you want me to just move the thread or do you want to make a copy. Either works since that is an important chart.

CRT - yes members who wrote the guides would always have full control of them. As long as the topic is in your name you can edit it, and if for some reason you no longer want it in this forum we can erase it. However if someone who wrote a guide previously does not want to rewrite it and does not mind if someone else does it, we will try to rewrite them.

And yes the guides will have replies enabled. We are just going to try and keep side discussion to a minimum. To use the N64 guide for example, the talk of pal mods will have to be removed.

Thanks!
Especially good to be able to update, I am constantly fixing my threads.

I think Ziggy's list has a good start of what guides might be included. Please let me know if any ones I wrote that you would like to move needs fixed. Duplicates of guides may be a pain to update, maybe only one post? This will prevent someone reading an older non-updated duplicate post. Tricky to delete another's reply without offending. Perhaps non-pertinent replies to a given guide could be deleted after a month or two as topic gets old?

Kinda for a specialized audience, but maybe of interest of this lost older gameplay.
What do you think of the Twinstick Guide moving here?

[Hobie-wan]

Its up to you hobie, if you want me to just move the thread or do you want to make a copy. Either works since that is an important chart.

Ok, if you want to copy out my shipping weight chart (and replies after or not) into the guide thread that sounds great to me.

[fastbilly1]

10-4. However we are gong to be getting started alot slower than I had thought. The forums are now blocked at work. So Ill start moving and updating things as soon as I can.