Software and app updates related to 'game hardware'

Fixed:

• Edit Multiple could give an access violation
• Edit Game could give an access violation
• Edit Multiple would set the Completeness field to N/A
• Edit Hardware: Collection Status field is now a dropdown field

Fixed:

• Crash when opening the edit screen on certain hardware items

Fixed:

• Add by Platform list was messy on some devices (platform names showing)
• Add Hardware / ‘Search for’ – popup did not show up right on devices with large font
• On devices with intermittent internet connection, app could revert to trial mode
• After down-syncing updated cover images, the list could still show old cover
• Improved error messages in case of core search problems

Now live in the App/Play Store, a huge 5.3 update for your CLZ Games app, introducing two big new features:

• Add games by checkboxing from a full platform list.
• Add game hardware by searching our new Core hardware database.

IMPORTANT:
Both are new premium online services, so require an active CLZ Games subscription!
If you are still using CLZ Games in the grandfathered “Unlocked” status, you will have to subscribe before you can use these new services. To do so, just open the menu and near the top, tap “Subscribe for more”.

Add Games by Platform

(in the Add Game screen, use the new “Platform” tab)

Add by Platform is a new 3rd tab in the Add Games screen, for quickly adding all games you own for a platform.
Just select a platform top left, then checkbox the games you own from a full list of games for that platform. Use the US/EU selector to choose which version of the game you want to add.

The list also clearly highlights in the games you already have, making it a perfect tool for platform completionists. Use the filter top right and select “Not in collection” to make the list show only the games that are not in your app yet.

Add Hardware from Core

(In the menu, choose “Add Hardware from Core”)

Search our new Core online hardware database, to easily add consoles, controllers and other accessories. Automatically get descriptions, box images, device images, backdrop images, sometimes even YouTube promo videos.

Use the platform selector top right to search within a platform. Limit the search results to consoles, controllers and other accessories using the “Search for” filter.

Fixed:

• When downloading new entries from CLZ Cloud, previously cleared fields could get filled in.
• In the Add from Core screen, when adding a game that is already in your app as ‘On Wish List’ or ‘On Order’, the app will now offer to change its status to ‘In Collection’.

Now live in the App/Play Store, a huge 5.3 update for your CLZ Games app, introducing two big new features:

• Add games by checkboxing from a full platform list.
• Add game hardware by searching our new Core hardware database.

IMPORTANT:
Both are new premium online services, so require an active CLZ Games subscription!
If you are still using CLZ Games in the grandfathered “Unlocked” status, you will have to subscribe before you can use these new services. To do so, just open the menu and near the top, tap “Subscribe for more”.

Add Games by Platform

(in the Add Game screen, use the new “Platform” tab)

Add by Platform is a new 3rd tab in the Add Games screen, for quickly adding all games you own for a platform.
Just select a platform top left, then checkbox the games you own from a full list of games for that platform. Use the US/EU selector to choose which version of the game you want to add.

The list also clearly highlights in the games you already have, making it a perfect tool for platform completionists. Use the filter top right and select “Not in collection” to make the list show only the games that are not in your app yet.

Add Hardware from Core

(In the menu, choose “Add Hardware from Core”)

Search our new Core online hardware database, to easily add consoles, controllers and other accessories. Automatically get descriptions, box images, device images, backdrop images, sometimes even YouTube promo videos.

Use the platform selector top right to search within a platform. Limit the search results to consoles, controllers and other accessories using the “Search for” filter.

IMPORTANT: both are premium online services, so require an active CLZ Games subscription!

Fixed:

• In the Add from Core screen, when adding a game that is already in your app as ‘On Wish List’ or ‘On Order’, the app will now offer to change its status to ‘In Collection’.
• When scanning barcodes the “beep” sound would only sound on the first scan

This is the CLZ News for July 2019, with several big updates that we have been working on for months, now finally arriving on your computer or mobile device:

• CLZ Movies 5.0 for iOS and Android
• Game Connect + Game Collector for Windows: Add Hardware from Core
• Comic Connect + Comic Collector for Windows: Automatic comic values

Read more

The Game Collector software has allowed you to add your gaming hardware (consoles, controllers, etc…) to your database for quite a while. However, that has always been manual entry. Not surprisingly, one of the top feature requests for our game database solution has been the ability to add hardware automatically by searching an online database.

So… that is exactly what we created for you!

• First, we set up a separate database in our Core for gaming hardware, with all the right fields.
• Then, we created a in-house CMS tool for actually filling that hardware database.
• At that point, the big project started for our content managers: finding console and accessory information online and manually filling the database with as many consoles, controllers, light guns, etc.. they could find. All with descriptions, box images, device images, backdrop images, sometimes even YouTube promo videos.
• After many months work, our hardware database now lists 1500 console editions and just over 500 controllers.
• So it is finally time to release our new “Add Hardware from Core” feature!

Active subscription required!

IMPORTANT: To use the “Add Hardware from Core” feature you need to have an active subscription for your Game Collector software (previously called “Update Plan ” or “Service Plan”).

Add Hardware

Find the new Add Hardware screen by clicking the Add Hardware button on the toolbar.

Add Hardware by title

This screen should be familiar to you as it works the same as the Add Games screen. Start typing the title of your hardware item, and pick it from the Search-as-you-type” suggestions.

Or refine your search by setting the type of hardware and picking a platform:

Add Hardware by barcode

You can also find hardware by scanning barcodes via the “Barcode” tab. Scan a bunch of hardware items and add them!

TIP: Use CLZ Barry to quickly scan a bunch of barcodes here!

Add Hardware Manually

If you can’t find your hardware item, you can click the “Not found? Add this hardware anyway” entry at the bottom, and add that to your collection.

Or just use the old menu Edit > Add Hardware Manually to do so.

Find Device and Box Image

Use the “Find Online” buttons in the Edit Hardware screen if you want to find a different device or box image!

Hardware in your collection

Hardware has been a part of our Game cataloging software titles for a while. You can edit a hardware entry the same as you can edit a game entry, and you can now add two images (device and box image) to them as well.

TIP: To quickly group on hardware, click the folder button and select “Games / Hardware”.

New: Sync your own back covers and audience ratings

Back Covers

With this big update for Game Collector we have another surprise for you: Syncing Back Covers!

We introduced a new checkbox “Custom Image” in the Edit screen for back covers of games. This checkbox will be automatically checked when you replace the Core image, e.g. by using Find Cover Online, by dragging and dropping or by using the Browse button to add a local image.

Once this Custom Image box is checked, that cover will automatically sync to and from the CLZ Cloud.

Same as with custom front covers, you can automatically check your database for custom images by clicking menu Tools / Maintenance / Auto Mark Custom Images.

Also, they will always stay marked as custom, so that even if you clear your cloud and sync everything again, they will re-upload automatically.

Audience Ratings

One of the top requested fields to be added to the sync is Audience Ratings… so this field now syncs to and from the CLZ Cloud.

What about the mobile apps?

We’ll be adding the audience rating and back cover fields to the sync of the CLZ Games apps (Android and iOS) within 3 months. Back covers (editing and syncing) will also be added to all Collectorz.com Movie, Book, Comic and Music products.

The Game Connect software has allowed you to add your gaming hardware (consoles, controllers, etc…) to your database for quite a while. However, that has always been manual entry. Not surprisingly, one of the top feature requests for our game database solution has been the ability to add hardware automatically by searching an online database.

So… that is exactly what we created for you!

• First, we set up a separate database in our Core for gaming hardware, with all the right fields.
• Then, we created a in-house CMS tool for actually filling that hardware database.
• At that point, the big project started for our content managers: finding console and accessory information online and manually filling the database with as many consoles, controllers, light guns, etc.. they could find. All with descriptions, box images, device images, backdrop images, sometimes even YouTube promo videos.
• After many months work, our hardware database now lists 1500 console editions and just over 500 controllers.
• So it is finally time to release our new “Add Hardware from Core” feature!

Add Hardware

Find the new Add Hardware screen by opening the menu and click “Add Hardware”

Add Hardware by title

This screen should be familiar to you as it works the same as the Add Games screen. Start typing the title of your hardware item, and pick it from the Search-as-you-type” suggestions.

Or refine your search by setting the type of hardware and picking a platform:

Add Hardware by barcode

You can also find hardware by scanning barcodes via the “Barcode” tab. Scan a bunch of hardware items and add them!

TIP: Use CLZ Barry to quickly scan a bunch of barcodes here!

Find Device and Box Image

Use the “Find Device image” and “Find Box image” buttons if you want to find a different image!

Add Hardware Manually

If you can’t find your hardware item, you can click the “Add Manually” button top right and fill in all details of the hardware item yourself.

Hardware in your collection

Hardware has been a part of our programs and Game Connect for a while. You can edit hardware the same as you can edit game, and you can now add two images (device and box image) to them.

TIP: To quickly group on hardware, click the folder button and go to Main > Type.

And the result:

New: Add your own back covers

With this big update for Game Connect we have another surprise for you: Back Covers! That’s right, a brand new back cover field you can modify yourself!

Use the “Find Back cover” button to find one, or upload one yourself:

New: Edit the Audience Rating field

Audience Rating is now a field you can edit yourself. So for all your games, you can edit and modify the Audience Rating field now, to anything you like.

We’ll be adding the audience rating and back cover fields to the sync of all other Collectorz.com game products in the next couple of weeks. Back covers (editing and syncing) will also be added to the Collectorz.com Movie, Book, Comic and Music products.

This is CLZ Alwin, with the CLZ Newsletter for June 2019.
Sytske and I just returned from a 7-day road trip to the south of France, so this newsletter is arriving in your inbox a few days later than normal. But we’re back at the CLZ HQ now and ready to roll!

These are exciting times, as we have finally started releasing the version 5 updates for the CLZ mobile apps (CLZ Music 5.0 and CLZ Books 5.0 are live, with the other 3 coming up soon!).

Next to that, we are close to the launch of two huge updates to our Core online databases for comics and games, which will enable us to finally release THE most often requested features for our comic and game database solutions. Read on for the big news!

Today’s topics:

• Version 5.0 for all CLZ mobile apps:
  • Starting with v5, these are subscription apps, at $1.49 / month
  • Now live: CLZ Books 5.0 and CLZ Music 5.0 for Android and iOS
  • Coming up: v5.0 for CLZ Movies, CLZ Games and CLZ Comics
• Coming up: Get Comic Pricing from Core, powered by GoCollect.com
• Coming up: Add Hardware from Core & Add Games by Platform

Read more