The purpose of this thread is to suggest a change to the current database structure which will allow for more flexible cataloging of game music, and to invite comments or additional suggestions.
I'm going to make this short and simple, so here's a diagram:
(the internal boxes represent examples of table entries and are not meant to be exhaustive)
Essentially, two additional tables will be inserted between tracklists and albums; one for individual tracks and one for media.
Rationale for separating tracks and tracklists:
- The tracklength field is repeated across different tracklists. This is not necessary, plus we only take the tracklengths from the default tracklist anyway.
- To ensure that each unique track gets one single entry. We're going to expand upon this aspect in the future with full pages for (selected) individual tracks and inter-track relationships... and track-specific artist credits.
- Partial translation capability. There's no need to reproduce a track title that's originally in English.
Rationale for the media table:
- Albums can have different media types packaged together (for example, CD + DVD). There's currently no way to specify this.
- Media can be directly associated with products (such as game releases) instead of albums. This means game discs with redbook audio can be registered with their own tracklists.
- Media can have individual catalogue numbers and titles. This can be helpful for searches.
This comes with the implication that certain enclosures which were packaged as part of a game (such as the second disc of a special edition DVD case) should now be directly associated with a product entry rather than an album entry. The album listing display will also be affected (supplemented by non-album media entries). I hope to implement this in such a way that the current album submission procedure will remain largely unchanged.
Questions and suggestions are welcome!