Options
Searchables
Zann Calcore (ISA)
✭✭✭✭
in Make It So!
So, you guys at DB have done a good job over the past couple of years updating how we can find our crew throughout our rosters. You’ve even given us the ability to search for keywords, though that doesn’t always work as expected. (Example: I recently searched for “Craft” and instead of one crew popping up, I had about 15 showing for that search.)
Anyhow, for the most part, the search feature is very handy. One thing it doesn’t include, that I’ve just realized it probably should and I’m certain others have mentioned it before, is the ability to search for crew according to which show they were in. I’m positive you guys could do this.
I mean, all you’d really have to do is add some keywords into your recognizable database, right? I know it may be a little more complicated when it comes to actual programming but I also think it’s doable. What keywords you say? Well, let’s think about that for a minute.
TNG = The Next Generation
TOS = The Original Series
TAS = The Animated Series
VOY = Voyager
DS9 = Deep Space Nine
ENT = Enterprise
STD = Discovery
It’s that simple; at least in my mind it is, so it seems like it should be for you guys as well. As for the movies, unless you’re doing a movie specific character, like Barak or Illia, that wouldn’t matter, and for the meantime, you could simply forego the movies. Eventually, you could add them too. Just another set of keywords, right?
STI or ST1 for Star Trek The Motion Picture
STII or ST2 for Star Trek The Wrath of Khan
And so on and so forth, depending on whether it would be preferred to use Roman numerals or numbers, up to movie six. Then we come to Generations, so we switch the keywords slightly.
TNG1 or TNGI for Star Trek Generations
TNG2 or TNGII for Star Trek First Contact
And so on, again, unless, of course, instead of being somewhat statistical about it all, you could use keywords that would have more flavor. Instead of what I’ve listed already, you could go with words that people are more likely to use when referring to that specific movie.
TMP = Star Trek The Motion Picture
WOK = Star Trek The Wrath of Khan
GEN = Star Trek Generations
FC = Star Trek First Contact
Etc., unless someone has better ideas for movie keywords. Anyhow, the point here is that for the TV shows, this is totally doable, and would help players out a LOT, especially during mega-events that focus on characters from a specific show, like the Discovery one going on right now. Well, that’s all I have to say for now.
Anyhow, for the most part, the search feature is very handy. One thing it doesn’t include, that I’ve just realized it probably should and I’m certain others have mentioned it before, is the ability to search for crew according to which show they were in. I’m positive you guys could do this.
I mean, all you’d really have to do is add some keywords into your recognizable database, right? I know it may be a little more complicated when it comes to actual programming but I also think it’s doable. What keywords you say? Well, let’s think about that for a minute.
TNG = The Next Generation
TOS = The Original Series
TAS = The Animated Series
VOY = Voyager
DS9 = Deep Space Nine
ENT = Enterprise
STD = Discovery
It’s that simple; at least in my mind it is, so it seems like it should be for you guys as well. As for the movies, unless you’re doing a movie specific character, like Barak or Illia, that wouldn’t matter, and for the meantime, you could simply forego the movies. Eventually, you could add them too. Just another set of keywords, right?
STI or ST1 for Star Trek The Motion Picture
STII or ST2 for Star Trek The Wrath of Khan
And so on and so forth, depending on whether it would be preferred to use Roman numerals or numbers, up to movie six. Then we come to Generations, so we switch the keywords slightly.
TNG1 or TNGI for Star Trek Generations
TNG2 or TNGII for Star Trek First Contact
And so on, again, unless, of course, instead of being somewhat statistical about it all, you could use keywords that would have more flavor. Instead of what I’ve listed already, you could go with words that people are more likely to use when referring to that specific movie.
TMP = Star Trek The Motion Picture
WOK = Star Trek The Wrath of Khan
GEN = Star Trek Generations
FC = Star Trek First Contact
Etc., unless someone has better ideas for movie keywords. Anyhow, the point here is that for the TV shows, this is totally doable, and would help players out a LOT, especially during mega-events that focus on characters from a specific show, like the Discovery one going on right now. Well, that’s all I have to say for now.
Weirdly enough, I’m also Vulcan Housewife. Also, RNGesus hates me, like really, REALLY hates me.
0
Comments
Would it be more reasonable for, say, Nexus Kirk to be declared a TNG character because he’s in a TNG movie or a TOS character as is the case for all other Kirks? Would Tuvok be a VOY or TOS character? Could there be room in the database for multiple series designations for the rare times when they may be necessary?
Amen. Especially considering none of the other shows use "Star Trek" as part of their acronym.
I agree with Dirk that the movies should be lumped in with their series. Nexus Kirk would be a TNG character just like the different Stocks and Sareks span different series and movies.
I’m guessing you’d have to have crosschecks, just as they do with crew already when they have multiple traits you’re searching, though admittedly I haven’t seen it work that well. In the case of Nexus Kirk, he’s a TOS character AND a TNG Movie character. You guys mentioned lumping things from the movies together, so maybe that would work. The movies might just be asking for trouble and complications. I’m sure some others could come up with workable solutions for them.
Anyhow, please remember that I’m spitballing here and that my primary idea is to first and foremost make people searchable via the TV shows. Also, as for Discovery, I’ve no idea what shortened version would be best and might satisfy most people. Sorry if STD offends some people but it IS the initials. They could always go with DSC, as was mentioned above, or DISCO or DISC or DIS or various other options.
Oh, and as for characters who span multiple TV shows; that seems pretty easy to me. Applicable shows would be searchable for applicable crew. For instance, Gladiator Spock would be searchable with TOS but not TAS or TNG, because that particular Spock comes from TOS alone. The tricky part, to me, would be concerning chronology.
In my mind, you’d label crew based on where they first appeared, so most Spock’s would be with TOS, but then you have Ambassador Spock from the two-part TNG episode. This I am unsure of; would he be TNG AND TOS? Or just TNG? I mean, I could see an earlier version, like Gladiator or Gangster having only TOS even though he appeared in multiple other series, before and after TOS, all depending on what chronological order you’re using. Real world or in universe? So if it’s real world, they’d (the above mentioned Spocks) be only TOS, whereas in universe might result in TOS and DISCO or even TOS, DISCO, TAS, and TNG.
I suppose a set of guidelines would have to be established beforehand so the searches would be reasonable, without overcrowding the player with info and crew. What do you guys think?