game elementΒΆ

The main purpose of this tag is to provide a unique internal name for the game. This unique name must follow these rules:

  1. No spaces, and no symbols.
  2. Use CamelCase for legibility.
  3. Always use numbers instead of roman numerals (or other representations of numbers), for sorting purposes.
  4. All versions of a game go under the same game tag. For example, the Deus Ex game tag contains a version for both Windows and PlayStation 2.

There are actually several variations on this tag, and you should try to use the one appropriate for your entry:

<expansion name=”MechWarrior4BlackKnight” for=”MechWarrior4Vengeance”> Use this if the entry is for an expansion pack, add-on or DLC for another game. In this example, Mechwarrior 4: Black Knight is an expansion for MechWarrior 4: Vengeance. The “for” attribute is required for an expansion, and MUST reference another game in the XML file. “Stand-alone expansions” do NOT get to be marked as an expansion. The term is an oxymoron, and makes no sense.

<mod name=”NamelessMod” for=”DeusEx”> Use this if the entry is for an MOD for another game. In this example, The Nameless Mod is a MOD for Deus Ex. The “for” attribute is required for a MOD, and MUST reference another game in the XML file.

<system name=”GamesForWindows”> Use this when describing system data.

There is a completely optional “follows” attribute that can be added to any of these variations:

<game name=”DeusExInvisibleWar” follows=”DeusEx”> It basically just indicates that the entry is somehow a follow-up (or sequel) to the indicated other entry. It’s not parsed or used anywhere yet, but one day maybe.

<game name=”DeprecatedGame” deprecated=”true”> If a game is marked as deprecated, it means that the information provided is no longer considered correct. It’s kept only for posterity and backwards-compatability.

Obviously your closing tag should match your opening tag. Other than this, the contained tags are all the same.