The GameEx Database Project

[Tom Speirs]

TOM: Please can you update the ScummVM loader download with the one released on this tread (post #222).

Have just checked the download on the main site and it is the old one. This one asks you to do uneeded work to get them working, that the new one no longer requires.. Pretty please.

One the same subject, have you updated the DB with the latest one from the same place?

Cheers

Yes, of course. Will do for the next release.

Cheers.

[greatflash]

Yes, of course. Will do for the next release.

Cheers.

Thanks Tom!

[greatflash]

HK:

Just and example of the triplicates.. Hope you can see what I mean about the way they should really match up automatically?

[Tom Speirs]

TOM: Please can you update the ScummVM loader download with the one released on this tread (post #222).

Have just checked the download on the main site and it is the old one. This one asks you to do uneeded work to get them working, that the new one no longer requires.. Pretty please.

One the same subject, have you updated the DB with the latest one from the same place?

Cheers

Have you uploaded the latest mdb to the FTP?

Ive updated the loader on the web site.

[greatflash]

Have you uploaded the latest mdb to the FTP?

Ive updated the loader on the web site.

No, I haven't as yet - I will do that for you now.....

HK: Posted here is the Atari 7800 full db in xml. Can you check, and mark it off on the first page pretty please....

EDIT: _Console__Atari_7800_v1.006__Flash_.zip received

[Tempest]

HK:

Just and example of the triplicates.. Hope you can see what I mean about the way they should really match up automatically?

I must be paranoid, every time you post, I think your taking a shot at me....

[greatflash]

I must be paranoid, every time you post, I think your taking a shot at me....

Look out.... Tempest ALERT!!!

Now why would I take a shot at you???

PS. Did you ever read the "Interests" field in my profile

[Tempest]

Look out.... Tempest ALERT!!!

Now why would I take a shot at you???

PS. Did you ever read the "Interests" field in my profile

I can't believe that I came before your wife!

What really hurts though, is that HK is a friend, and I'm not.

I also have to tell you, that when I posted that you should check out my profile, that only you, Chris, and Brian checked it out. I was expecting a barrage of traffic. Nobody seems to care about our B.S....

[greatflash]

I also have to tell you, that when I posted that you should check out my profile, that only you, Chris, and Brian checked it out. I was expecting a barrage of traffic. Nobody seems to care about our B.S....

I really think that is for the best. . . .

PS. Sort out your bloody avitar picture, or did you make it really small so that you could fit a picture of Asteroids in there as well?

[Tempest]

I'm pretty sure that ther is nothing wrong with my avatar... it just looks small next to my "Super Member".

[greatflash]

TOM:

While messing about doing the databases, I noticed the colecovision roms had 2 versions of both Burgertime and Bump'n'Jump by Mattel and Coleco/Data East. Knowing the the matching will use the full file name if entered in the DB, I made 2 seperate entries for each with the modified Publisher, Date, and Description.

In GameEx when using this, the Data and Publisher are matched to each rom correctly in the main rom list that you navigate to select a game to play. Great! But (you knew there was one), when entering the info screen with the description and the option to play the game - the data shown reverts to only showing the first match in the list (see picture). Somewhere the matching used for navigating the list (correctly displayed) is not used when displaying the games infomation (incorrectly). Bump'n'Jump will always show the details for the Coleco version as it appears first in the DB, and Burgertime will always show the Mattel details for the same reason...

Here is an updated Colecovision XML with the ammendments.

EDIT: Console__Coleco_Vision_v1.042__Flash_.zip

[greatflash]

Ok, here is the full Atari 5200 db (in XML format for HK).

I have also added 2 known complete 5200 games that have not been released but are on cartridge. Who knows, these may be released and this way the db will display the info if this happens. Not that anyone will be able to play them as they used a bicycle as a controller. The games are Tunbleweeds and Jungle River Cruise.

HK: Any thoughts on the ideas i pm'd?

Have started the 2600 one also.... Think I will finish the Intellivision one first though...

PS. Please mark me off on page 1

Tom: There is still someting strange in the general matching. For the atari 5200, I had to add ALL the bracketted data to the goodname/tosec/no-intro to get a match. For example "Atari Diagnostics V2.3 (1983) (Atari)" matches, but "Atari Diagnostics V2.3" does not. Yet "Beamrider" matches fine, though the filename is "Beamrider (1984) (Activision)". It must be something to do with the V part, something you do regarding the matching where version numbers are present? Anyway - got round it this time by putting multiple entries in for the same title and adding the "(1983) (Atari)" and "(1983) (Atari) [b1]" and "(1983) (Atari) [o1]" and so on.... It works, but hopefully there is a way round this other than increasing the size of a tidy db?

Thanks!

_Console__Atari_5200_v1.02__Flash_.zip

[headkaze]

Flash: I've done an update to GXDBM hopefully adding those features you wanted. I also made it a bit more prettier and easier to use by adding some tool bars.

I've added game "status" so now you can set a game to be red, amber or green. So you can use colors to help you remember what ones you have done and what your working on etc. You can select multiple games and change their status and you can also sort them by status. It should be easy to use.

- "Add missing" should now add the dat name to an exiting game if it finds it in the list

- "Use bracketed text" should now effect "add missing" and when you select a game from a dat list in the game edit screen

- Del button will now delete selected games

I haven't tested this much so give me some feedback on how it works

Hope that helps

[greatflash]

Flash: I've done an update to GXDBM hopefully adding those features you wanted. I also made it a bit more prettier and easier to use by adding some tool bars.

I've added game "status" so now you can set a game to be red, amber or green. So you can use colors to help you remember what ones you have done and what your working on etc. You can select multiple games and change their status and you can also sort them by status. It should be easy to use.

- "Add missing" should now add the dat name to an exiting game if it finds it in the list

- "Use bracketed text" should now effect "add missing" and when you select a game from a dat list in the game edit screen

- Del button will now delete selected games

I haven't tested this much so give me some feedback on how it works

Hope that helps

Looks much better now and the buttons are a boon. Nice to see you added the delete key option on a rom file.

Have had a play and all appears to work fine.

I can set the status of individual roms in the list, but what I really need is a status on the Database tab, so that I can see which ones I am working on. So I could set say "Colecovision" to red to show that it is complete. not so much on the roms themselves within, though this will be a constantly used feature tagging the roms individually. I just need a way to see what romset is complete or in a state of completeness.

Is there any chance of a info field to each system on the database tab, so that I can enter info to remind me what the last rom I checked fully was, and notes on what ones to check. etc. In the same way that description works on individual roms.

The whole package is looking and working really sweet now. You certainly know your onions! I wish I had time to get a bit further with programming. I just don't get time between the DB's, the theme, and vidsnaps.. There will come a day at some stage...

Leaving Spectrum, C64, and zx81 till LAST in the db's. By then you will probably have the editor doing all the work by itself

PS. Can you add Atari 5200 to page one of this topic for me.

PPS. Is there ANYONE else doing any of these db's? Or has everyone left the ship now. If they have all gone, then I would like to thank you personally for the software that you have writen just for me. Can you please call it "Flash's GXDBM" Oh well... Fingers to the grind-keyboard AGAIN!

[bkenobi]

Does moral support count as helping?

[greatflash]

Does moral support count as helping?

Tssch! Just about!

[headkaze]

Flash: Okay another update to GXDBM, this time I changed the biography to be stored in the xml files. I've changed all the current xml's but you will have to be careful when you update the ones your working on. You can just paste in the biography and save the database but the SysInfo.xml file is no longer used.

If you go Edit->"Biography and Notes" you can now edit the biography or enter notes.

Also added status buttons for the databases. I think you should use green to say the database is finished. They are red by default so make them green when you think they're done and amber while your working on them.

[headkaze]

GXDBM update. Fixed a bug showing the wrong columns in the gamelist. I'm suprised you missed that one Flash!

[greatflash]

GXDBM update. Fixed a bug showing the wrong columns in the gamelist. I'm suprised you missed that one Flash!

So am I?

Mind you, I would need an ultra-ultra wide monitor to see past 'publisher' in the columns I added a few new Saturn ones last night and all looked ok, but as I say - I cant see that far across unless I use the scrollbar, and I only really use that when a db is completed to check all is present... So... Um... I would have noticed eventually :) (you only spotted it cause you were looking at a db with little dat names :) )

Cheers HK.

[greatflash]

Ok...

Here is the Intellivision DB that I promised a while ago (IMBerzerk).

This has all tosec, nointro, and goodname entries intact. Spent quite a while researching the miss-named (here we go again) roms in the Goodname and Tosec dats. These revolved around the Soccer games. None of them could agree on the correct names. There are now made to list correctly when using database names. The correct names are from the rom code and the coders own words (and one release sheet from Intellivision). Another good reason to use the db's.

One thing struck me (and this time it wasn't the wife), things will never match up correctly when using goodmerged sets. I know this is obvious - but I had never given it a thought before. That is the problem of having several versions within one archive. What would be handy (Tom - looking at you here) is if when you have selected a goodmerged rom and the list of it contents were presented - if there was some way to display the info correctly based on which of the roms was highlighted. Just a thought? (also - why are the brackets not removed? and why does it not show the databae name when asked to in the emu's config?)

Anyway HK. Please give this a check and I will move on to the next.

PS. The columns in the editor no longer sort correctly when clicked on

Cheers All.

PPSSPSSSPPPPSSS. If anyone has any problems with roms not matching with the NEW db's (these are listed on the first page of this topic), please post here and let me know. I need the filename and system (and naming convention if know). Please don't post if you have gone BERZERK and named your roms manually

_Console__Mattel_Intellivision_v1.029__Flash_.zip

[headkaze]

I'm uploading a fix to the column sorting now. Changing all the columns around is what kept breaking things in other parts of the code. I also noticed that when I changed the status icons to be in the first column so you can search names by typing in letters of the alphabet it also meant you can't sort by status anymore which kinda sucks. Oh well I guess we can't have everything. I don't think there is a simple way to have the alpha searching when the text is in a different column unfortunately.

BTW You forgot to add the biography in the Intellivision database.

[greatflash]

I'm uploading a fix to the column sorting now. Changing all the columns around is what kept breaking things in other parts of the code. I also noticed that when I changed the status icons to be in the first column so you can search names by typing in letters of the alphabet it also meant you can't sort by status anymore which kinda sucks. Oh well I guess we can't have everything. I don't think there is a simple way to have the alpha searching when the text is in a different column unfortunately.

BTW You forgot to add the biography in the Intellivision database.

oh bollux!

Uploaded one with it in sorry....

GXDBM works fine now - thanks.

ps. Can I have another strike in Intellivision please boss!

_Console__Mattel_Intellivision_v1.031__Flash_.zip

[Tom Speirs]

Im wondering if I can do something with and implement the "other systems" data. We capture this data right?

What do you think HK and Flash?

[Tom Speirs]

Great. Let see what headkaze thinks. Im happy to have any descriptions youve created, if we know which ones. I would write the SQL update script so it would accomodate updates, so we'd be all set as more data becomes available. I agreee we should sort out a common "System Name" naming system. This will also allow me to do the online favorite lists in GameEx. Maybe we already have this, but it did occur to me to.

I still think GameExDBM is the best way to add/update the data, so I don't think we'd allow online updates by people initialy. Apart from perhaps any missing data, such as the descriptions. One of my ideas that we would eventually get our own data if we allowed folks to participate, but I think just missing data.

Im happy to go with the proptotypes and demos, like I said what will make this different I think is that it will be more "emulation" based.

[greatflash]

Great. Let see what headkaze thinks. Im happy to have any descriptions youve created, if we know which ones. I would write the SQL update script so it would accomodate updates, so we'd be all set as more data becomes available. I agreee we should sort out a common "System Name" naming system. This will also allow me to do the online favorite lists in GameEx. Maybe we already have this, but it did occur to me to.

I still think GameExDBM is the best way to add/update the data, so I don't think we'd allow online updates by people initialy. Apart from perhaps any missing data, such as the descriptions. One of my ideas that we would eventually get our own data if we allowed folks to participate, but I think just missing data.

Im happy to go with the proptotypes and demos, like I said what will make this different I think is that it will be more "emulation" based.

We do already have a common name in the db's that you call the database name. This (i am trying to) is generic across all systems, so that a game on one system will match with the same game on another. Using this, it should be really easy to cross reference them to create an "also on..." list.

Allowing people to add there own descriptions (not reviews) is a great idea. These must be moderated first before acceptance. And these could then filter into the offline lists. Once you know how this is all going, then perhaps and "add game" option would then be viable? with extensive matching checks etc.

It is an exciting project and I remember you & HK mentioning this when the new databases were mooted all that time ago, so I am sure HK will be thrusting himself behind this

I will warn him that I can already think of a handful of things to be modified in the Database Manager software when you get closer to activation.. (poor HK)