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I have been bored stupid fixing bugs for the last few months so I thought I'd bring forward one of the more interesting things in the todo pile. Over the last couple of weeks I have put together a nifty wargaming store finder that heavily utilises google maps. The current plan is to let you add your stores here before I put it up as part of the site navigation. That way, any remaining bugs can get sorted out fairly quickly before they become too serious.

I'm not going to add any new features to it in the near future, just bug fixes. Plenty of features on the todo list but that gets dull rather than fun and there are bigger priorities for now.

I am not going to automatically scrape every single GW store address from their website and add it in because I dont think it would have the same personal touch with decent descriptions that a slow drip feed from users adding their stores would have.

So here it is:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/core/store_finder.jsp

All changes (Adding, editing stores) are not automatic like the forum or articles - they must be mod approved using the 'Store Moderation' link in the top right. This will leave an audit trail in case of abuse so we can ban users who misbehave on purpose. Once a moderator approves an edit or addition, it will take up to an hour to appear on the map. This can be a bit annoying, but means that the database never has to be touched by the map, so no matter how popular it gets, no significant extra load will be placed on the server from this feature. Basically, if you submit a new store or edit a store, expect it to be a day or so before a moderator reviews it and approves it.

The only known major bug right now is that google's address lookup code is different to the google maps lookup code, so if you add a store that is in a shopping mall or has a UK postcode, be sure to zoom in and make sure it points at the right place as there have been a few instances of it screwing up. If it mucks up, you'll have to look up the mall address and try different combinations until it sorts itself out. Putting a comma at the end of every line of the address and removing any unnecessary street names (abbreviating the address) tends to fix it.

Enjoy anyway, and hopefully we can make a really useful resource that will be great for anybody who finds themselves travelling and wonders where the nearest FLGS is and what it sells.

Thanks!

That's a freakin' great idea! Loving the Dakka touch!

Valete,

JohnS

Looks good, already added my local stores

and is this going ot get a spot next to the gallery etc. or wheres it going to be?

All hail the mighty Lego Burner!

Amazing idea. I live in a gaming mecca but not everyone is that lucky. Anything that helps people find games/stores is awesome!

very cool feature. does it include the ability to specifically list what dakkites play at which store? that way someone new to an area could pm another dakkite who is already familiar with the gaming nights/habits of the particular venue (i.e. 40k is thursday, warmachine tuesdays, etc).

warboss wrote:very cool feature. does it include the ability to specifically list what dakkites play at which store? that way someone new to an area could pm another dakkite who is already familiar with the gaming nights/habits of the particular venue (i.e. 40k is thursday, warmachine tuesdays, etc).

That feature is an eventual goal, but to start with, we'll just get the stores entered and then we can always implement user profile/store integration at a later date.

What an awesome idea
I'm always struggling to find games so this could prove REALLY useful

yeah,
Nice tool. I added bromley to the database.
Where will this show up on Dakka?

Panic...

yakface wrote:

warboss wrote:very cool feature. does it include the ability to specifically list what dakkites play at which store? that way someone new to an area could pm another dakkite who is already familiar with the gaming nights/habits of the particular venue (i.e. 40k is thursday, warmachine tuesdays, etc).

That feature is an eventual goal, but to start with, we'll just get the stores entered and then we can always implement user profile/store integration at a later date.

sweet! i'll be adding my FLGS tonight.

Panic wrote:yeah,
Nice tool. I added bromley to the database.
Where will this show up on Dakka?

Panic...

For a little while, the only way to get there is going to be via this thread...that way we get a good amount of store data entered to look for bugs/issues without the 'casual' reader finding it. After a little while (and when we figure out the best place to put the link), there will be a major link to the map on the site.


And then down the road, you'll probably have a 'my stores' (or something like that) button showing up beneath each post that people can click on to see 'your stores' (if you've taken the time to identify which stores you play at)...but there's certainly no time-table yet for that implementation as Lego is a busy man.

Stuff like this is one of the many reasons why Dakka is my favourite wargaming sites. Well done, great idea.

I've added the 3 stores in my area. The official GWS Pamplona and two independent ones. I'm not sure if the location of the independent store is clear enough, but I've tryed to be as accurate as possible.

Nice addition to the website!!

Well done! I've added my local stores.

I've added GW Cambridge, GW Warhammer World, and my independent FLGS. I love the map!

That is a good idea. Will you a sort feature or is just a big list?

Added all the pending stores. Keep 'em coming, I hope to add the site navigation link for the store finder early next week once the Mantic contest is done.

Way cool. Nice work!!

Hi Lego! There's a small problem with the location of one of the stores I added. The map show a point that it's actually wrong. It's the closest point to the actual location that I've been able to achieve, but I guess it can be a problem if somebody is looking for the store. The store is called Super-Ocio Pamplona. The correct location is the building in the green circle, instead of the google token. That building is a mall named "La Morea".

Added 2 local stores that supported us at Origins.

Just submitted a bunch of CT stores. I hope this takes off. It's a great idea.

Great Idea Lego and everyone else, should be another good way of bringing the Dakka Community together!

As for location in the Forums, IMHO I'd put it as it's own Link in the main Forum Index (appearing akin to Discussions etc.), possibly in the More Dakka section?

Otherwise, the Discussions and Find A Game section would work too. But yes, great idea guys!

i just entered in the store address and info but it didn't give me the chance to properly place in on the mini map. was it supposed to or did it just autofind it once i hit submit? (treefort games in fayetteville, georgia)

Added my FLGS. The owner seemed pretty happy about this feature. Kudos, Legoburner!

Well I submitted a ton of NoVa stores, we really are blessed around here.

I manage to locate my favorite Beijing and Hong Kong shops. Hopefully someone can add the 2 Zark shops in Shanghai (assuming they're still around).

I really, really think we should focus on getting places outside Northam/Europe, those are the areas where info is really hard to come by.

Erasoketa wrote:Hi Lego! There's a small problem with the location of one of the stores I added. The map show a point that it's actually wrong. It's the closest point to the actual location that I've been able to achieve, but I guess it can be a problem if somebody is looking for the store. The store is called Super-Ocio Pamplona. The correct location is the building in the green circle, instead of the google token. That building is a mall named "La Morea".

Unfortunately, this is out of my control as it is an error in google's address lookup service. Quite a few UK addresses are buggy as well, the only thing I can recommend is searching for slightly different addresses online for things in the area and just use trial and error until you end up in the right spot. If you really cant get to the right spot, then use the 'store description' field to explain how to find the store in more detail and how it does not quite have the right location on the map.

warboss wrote:i just entered in the store address and info but it didn't give me the chance to properly place in on the mini map. was it supposed to or did it just autofind it once i hit submit? (treefort games in fayetteville, georgia)

It should automatically place it on the mini map when you click away from the address field. Every time you change the address field and click outside the text area box, it will look up the address and put it on the mini map.

Got this error when adding the Trafford Center's (Manchester) address:

Could not find latitude/longitude of the store for the following reason:
ZERO_RESULTS
Please edit the address and try again or PM a moderator for help.

The address is:

The Trafford Centre,
1c Peel Avenue,
Manchester,
M17 8BN,
United Kingdom.

Is this a GW address error (that's where I got the info from), or is this because the store is in a mall (or both). Also wondering if this avenue is in the mall itself. Thanks again lego for the map!

No, just checked it on Google Earth, everything's cool, the address works just fine, don't know whether Google Maps has a bug or not. You can check for yourself, but those are my findings.

YmeLocSquirrel256 wrote:
The Trafford Centre,
1c Peel Avenue,
Manchester,
M17 8BN,
United Kingdom.

Is this a GW address error (that's where I got the info from), or is this because the store is in a mall (or both). Also wondering if this avenue is in the mall itself. Thanks again lego for the map!

No, just checked it on Google Earth, everything's cool, the address works just fine, don't know whether Google Maps has a bug or not. You can check for yourself, but those are my findings.

GW have a lot of invalid addresses on their website. The trafford centre is listed elsewhere as this address:
130 Peel Hall Road
Manchester, Greater Manchester M17 8BJ, United Kingdom

Google earth and google maps (on their website) use a more refined lookup service to that which they provide to developers. The one we get to use is very vague and needs exact addresses, especially for shopping centres. Try that address or look up some other stores nearby for their addresses and try to add again please

Very cool! Thanks for adding this!

Nice touch.
Could this be done for clubs aswell