The GameEx Database Project

[Tom Speirs]

I thought you would.

I estimate -- given the amount of time it took me to go through all the Publishers and Developers and the larger number of game names, that I could do a clean up of the names in 5 days. The matching names (based on the cleaned names) would be much easier and only a day or two. The series names would be the easiest (as I would use the simpler matching names to make the series names) would take a day. So about a week for me to do this. And it would really make GameEx stand out -- no one else has this.

What I would need from Headkaze to do this is to open up the search and replace -- right now the name list only shows 'cached' names, games that have been set to yellow or green. I need the red ones too. So I need a way to make the database program to cache everything for the names. Then I can easily clean up all the names -- and since I speak Japanese I can clean up the Japanese titles a lot (NONE of the naming conventions are consistent in how they romanize the Japanese titles). Then after I've finished going through all the names and cleaning them up, I would need something in the program to take all the names across all the xml files and dump them as they are into the matching name column. Then I could clean that up. Then the same process for the series name column -- take everything from the matching column and dump it into the series column. I think that shouldn't be too complicated.

If you want to go for it, Im happy to do my part of the work.

By the way, Im probably going to release some of your updates to all soon. How do you want to be referred to in the release notes?

[Lawrence]

It's a deal then. I have started the renaming.

Just Lawrence is fine for the credits. Is it possible to change my username on here to Lawrence or LawrenceP as well?

[Tempest]

Speaking of renaming, it would be cool if there were a way to rename the psx stuff.

[Lawrence]

Didn't you get the file in your hotmail?

[Tom Speirs]

It's a deal then. I have started the renaming.

Just Lawrence is fine for the credits. Is it possible to change my username on here to Lawrence or LawrenceP as well?

Thats done. I changed your "display name" to Lawrence.

Thanks.

Tom.

[Tempest]

Didn't you get the file in your hotmail?

Sorry, I didn't check my mail, the last time we talked, you mentioned posting it... My bad.

Thank you!

[Lawrence]

Just an update on progress...

I grossly underestimated the amount of time it would take to clean the names across the databases. I'm hoping now to have it done by Sunday night. I'm getting faster at it as I go -- and have discovered having the TV on in the background helps a lot as well (the renaming is not nearly as fun as the normal database updating is -- I love research and that kind of thing). Finding lots of horrible messes in there and smoothing them out. Once this is done the "Also on" other systems feature should work *much* better -- and of course everything will be primed for doing the series lists. I have been keeping MameUI open on half of my screen and the Database program on the other half, ensuring that the GameEx database names match the Mame names.

[Lawrence]

Finally finished cleaning up the game names. More than 5000 games were consolidated, so matching should improve dramatically.

Everything is ready now to start making the series lists.

[Lawrence]

My email to Flash with the database files bounced. Has it changed?

[bkenobi]

It might be too big for his email? Maybe you could upload to his FTP or send a link to Rapid Mega Ultra Share?

[greatflash]

Finally finished cleaning up the game names. More than 5000 games were consolidated, so matching should improve dramatically.

Everything is ready now to start making the series lists.

It should accept?

Can you try flash at greatflash.co.uk?

[rabidpuppy]

I seem to be having a problem with the Gamecube database. I have it enabled, and my disc names match what is in the database (Alien Hominid, Ikaruga, Pac-Man World Rally for example), but no database info is displayed in GameEx even though it is present in the database.

[Emulator_36]

Enabled=True

StartPageName=Nintendo GameCube

TitleText=Nintendo GameCube

StartPageLogo=nGameCube

RomFilter=*.gcm

RomPath=C:\ngamecube\discs

SnapPath=C:\ngamecube\snaps

TitlePath=C:\ngamecube\titles

BoxPath=

CartPath=

ManualPath=

ControlPanelPath=

WorkingPath=E:\emu\Dolphin

MapKeys=True

WaitBeforeKeys=

SendKeys=

ReplaceDash=False

ReplaceUnder=False

Capitals=False

RemoveBrackets=False

ShowDesktop=True

Debug=False

MapFile=

AlsoLaunch=

Command=DolphinLoader.exe "[ROMPath]\[RomFile]"

LaunchBefore=

LaunchAfter=

configFile=[Mapping Off] Exit (Process Close)

ExcludedFiles=

CustomBackground=ngamecube.png

PlayMusic=False

DontShowInfo=False

PlaySelectionMusic=False

SelectionMusicFolder=

PCGame=False

DATABASE=[Console] Nintendo GameCube

GamesIn7Zips=True

PlayInScreenSaver=False

ShowMostPlayed=True

RandomMostPlayed=True

CDCheck=False

CDCheckFile=

RomsInFolders=

InstructionsPath=

UseDbName=True

MergeSets=False

CustomArtName1=

CustomArtPath1=

CustomArtName2=

lastgame=

[greatflash]

I seem to be having a problem with the Gamecube database. I have it enabled, and my disc names match what is in the database (Alien Hominid, Ikaruga, Pac-Man World Rally for example), but no database info is displayed in GameEx even though it is present in the database.

The entries are present in the database, but.. there are no dats associated with the names as yet..

These will come soon... (I may add a few today) but I have no idea when the next DB upload will be.

[frosty-theaussie]

do the database files update automatically when GameEx updates?

[bkenobi]

No, you have to download the new database when it's updated. You can do that by manually downloading the GameEx installer as far as I know.

[headkaze]

GameEx DBM v2.0 Released!

- New status flags (see attached image). I hope this will prevent any confusion about what the status flags are.

- Added a new "Export Stats" feature which will output a .txt file that can be pasted into the first post of this thread. It shows the progress of all the databases and totals. I had to add table support into the BBCode for this as IP.Board doesn't have built in support for tables.

- Update to latest NoIntro databases (thanks Lawrence)

I'm really happy to see how far this project has come and now everyone can see the statistics of each database and the progress being made.

Flash is doing some last minute updates to the databases and then I will be making an official release of DBM.

[Magus]

Where can I get the GameEx DBM?

[headkaze]

Where can I get the GameEx DBM?

Why do you want it?

[Magus]

Why do you want it?

I would like it so that I can add in the few PS1 games I have to my local database, so that it will display the info for them.

[headkaze]

I would like it so that I can add in the few PS1 games I have to my local database, so that it will display the info for them.

Unfortunately we don't make DBM available publicly. You can edit the databases in Microsoft Access or I'm sure there are freeware apps around that allow you to edit .mdb files.

[Magus]

Unfortunately we don't make DBM available publicly. You can edit the databases in Microsoft Access or I'm sure there are freeware apps around that allow you to edit .mdb files.

Ah I see, well I have tried editing my database using Access, however I'm having a strange problem. Depending on the combination of the games in the folder, some descriptions do not show up. For example, I have these four games in my iso folder: "Crash Bandicoot", "Ridge Racer", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI - Awakening of the Dragon", and "You Don't Know Jack - Mock 2" (I added in my own line to the DB for YDKJ: Mock 2, as it was missing). All descriptions and other info for all 4 games displays as normal. Now if I add the game "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" to the folder, when I reload GameEx now "Crash Bandicoot" info does not display. Then if I add the games "Kings Field" and "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire - 3rd Edition" to the iso folder then the info for "Ridge Racer" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI - Awakening of the Dragon" also does not display. Then if I add in the game "Road Rash" and go back into GameEx the info for Ridge Racer and ROTK:AOTD will now display again, but Crash Bandicoot still does not. I though maybe using your official DBM to edit the database might remedie the problem, probably not, but at this point I did not know what else to try. I filled in the exact names for all of my game ISOs into the Goodname block. I also tried also putting them in the NoIntro and TOSEC block to see if that fixed the problem. Don't know if this is a problem with the database itself or just a GameEx bug. Can you shed some light on this?

[headkaze]

Ah I see, well I have tried editing my database using Access, however I'm having a strange problem. Depending on the combination of the games in the folder, some descriptions do not show up. For example, I have these four games in my iso folder: "Crash Bandicoot", "Ridge Racer", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI - Awakening of the Dragon", and "You Don't Know Jack - Mock 2" (I added in my own line to the DB for YDKJ: Mock 2, as it was missing). All descriptions and other info for all 4 games displays as normal. Now if I add the game "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" to the folder, when I reload GameEx now "Crash Bandicoot" info does not display. Then if I add the games "Kings Field" and "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire - 3rd Edition" to the iso folder then the info for "Ridge Racer" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI - Awakening of the Dragon" also does not display. Then if I add in the game "Road Rash" and go back into GameEx the info for Ridge Racer and ROTK:AOTD will now display again, but Crash Bandicoot still does not. I though maybe using your official DBM to edit the database might remedie the problem, probably not, but at this point I did not know what else to try. I filled in the exact names for all of my game ISOs into the Goodname block. I also tried also putting them in the NoIntro and TOSEC block to see if that fixed the problem. Don't know if this is a problem with the database itself or just a GameEx bug. Can you shed some light on this?

Perhaps you need to do a list update after making changes? Perhaps try deleting the *.cache files from the GameEx\DATA folder. I'm really not entirely sure if GameEx caches the database info or not. Perhaps Tom can give a definitive answer here as there have been a few questions related to this lately.

[Magus]

Perhaps you need to do a list update after making changes? Perhaps try deleting the *.cache files from the GameEx\DATA folder. I'm really not entirely sure if GameEx caches the database info or not. Perhaps Tom can give a definitive answer here as there have been a few questions related to this lately.

I tried deleting the cache files but no dice. It looks like maybe it does cache the Database though, as the files are named "EMU_*.dbcache". What do you mean by a list update? Is that in GameEx?

[Tom Speirs]

I tried deleting the cache files but no dice. It looks like maybe it does cache the Database though, as the files are named "EMU_*.dbcache". What do you mean by a list update? Is that in GameEx?

Hi, this might be fixed in the latest release. Can you try?

[Magus]

Heck yes it it is! Man you're the heat Tom! Thanks for developing and fervently updating such a great piece of software. I don't think my wife ever would have warmed up to my HTPC without it.