A legal Mega-download of ROM's for the Pandora

[ibisum]

This thread here:





Was recently closed down pretty hard, for good reason since it discussed the idea of having a monster ROM archive ready for Pandora users to download and use.


Well, *This* thread is about the idea of having a monster download with a lot of emulators pre-configured and ready to go (just add BIOS files and whatnot) with a lot of *LEGAL* ROMS for use.


For example, the Oricutron emulator for Oric-1/Atmos machines can be set up with a lot of legal ROM's, really truly and honestly, ready to go. And there are a sub-set of ROMS for a lot of the other emulators that can be legally re-distributed, since they're open-source or freeware.


Anyone got any interest in creating a list of such ROMs with the purpose of, one day, getting a really complete set of legal-to-distribute ROMs for various emulators, already pre-configured, ready to roll .. ?

 

[Blue Protoman]

www.pdroms.de


[/thread]

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

many amiga games are free to download now.sites like dream 17 and back2roots.org have them.They got permission from the original publishers.

 

[Prometheus]

Anyone got any interest in creating a list of such ROMs with the purpose of, one day, getting a really complete set of legal-to-distribute ROMs for various emulators, already pre-configured, ready to roll .. ?

Whilst I haven't looked at the redistribution part of it, I'm going to point to that list in my signature, which I've been compiling for years. For those with signatures turned off, it's here.

 

[skeezix]

There is something to be said for it; ie: not "ROMS" per se, but freel distributable games, there are many.


Consider homebrew -- your download could include, ready to use, dozens or hundreds of homebrew and open source things -- OpenTTD, Freeciv, etc.


Consider.. ScummVM, where quite a few of the games are readily available fully legally; they're also quite big


Also consider .. text adventures; still being developed and small, but many also are legally available (Scott Adams, for instance.)


Some emus -- consider Vectrex, where the whole library is free to distribute and use (unmodified.)


I'm not sure of the legality of 'truly orphaned' machines like Atari ST and most Amiga software, or most Commodore 64 software, for instance. Some countries have laws that permit 'dead software' to be converted/emulated, others do not. ITs not a blanket thing either, since stuff like Monkey Island is actively supported and sold to this day, as well. So for 'truly legal' you have to be careful and it does limit things.


You could roll in Doom and Quake type packs with publicly distribuable levels (not using iD assets), and so on.


It would be pretty easy to make it many GB; hell, standardize -- make one pack for downloading executables, and another for data-files, so the same data-pack coudl be used for Wiz, Caanoo, Pandora, Dingux, etc.


pdroms.de goes part of the way..


The trick is, its all just making it 'easier to find' and 'easier to install'; for ScummVM, its as easy as just going to the main scummvm site, for instance. So if you're going to make it easier than clicking weblinks, then a big torrent.. or go and make a portal for finding all this stuff, I dunno.


I'm tired and a wreck right now, but there is some merit to the idea, I'm just not sure what the idea 'should be' if at all One big 10GB torrent, or a dozen by category, or ... just dl.openhandhelds as always -- the homebrew and emus and such are there, slap some downloads of legal files there, and good to go?


*shrug*


jeff

 

[Viking]

Didn't my post wich had the exact same question get heckled by you guys because It's against the "forum rules" to talk about downloading illegale ROMs?


EDIT:


My new year's resolution is to read before asking

 

[Blue Protoman]

I find fun in ROM hunting.

 

[Prometheus]

Didn't my post wich had the exact same question get heckled by you guys because It's against the "forum rules" to talk about downloading illegale ROMs?


EDIT:


My new year's resolution is to read before asking

You may want to read the post again. This one is about *LEGAL* ones. They do exist, you know - both in the form of formerly commercial games whose creators have given the right to redistribute to preservation sites, to ones made to be legally distributed from the get-go.

 

[second exodous]

You may want to read the post again. This one is about *LEGAL* ones. They do exist, you know - both in the form of formerly commercial games whose creators have given the right to redistribute to preservation sites, to ones made to be legally distributed from the get-go.

I'm thinking he realized that due to what he said in his edit.

 

[Viking]

I'm thinking he realized that due to what he said in his edit.

That's right buddy, here, have a cracker!

 

[gadgetoid]

I'd love a massive starter pack for the Pandora, including basically all of the games and software currently available in a single download. It would be a pain in the behind to keep up-to-date, though. Would be nice if dl.openhandhelds had a sort-of "build your bundle" feature.


As for ROMs, I just consult my external hard drive. If you haven't already got all of the ROMs you might ever want to play ready and lined up for your Pandora... then what the hell else have you been doing for the last 2 years?


Oh, and don't forget to buy Descent 1 & 2 from GOG.com for $5.99. http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/descent_1_descent_2 - a Pandora essential.


It's a shame that Retrode isn't still alive and kicking: http://www.retrode.org/

 

[Prometheus]

I'm thinking he realized that due to what he said in his edit.

Haha, whoops. I misunderstood.


My apologies to Viking.

 

[Matthias_H]

It's a shame that Retrode isn't still alive and kicking: http://www.retrode.org/

Says who? The first batch may be sold out, but it's aliver and kickinger than ever

 

[gadgetoid]

Says who? The first batch may be sold out, but it's aliver and kickinger than ever

The website doesn't make it very clear that there's ever going to be a second batch- I headed over there a few days ago to buy one on impulse/out of curiosity and BOOM it was all "duh duh duuh duuh that's all folks *crunch*"

 

[Matthias_H]

The website doesn't make it very clear that there's ever going to be a second batch- I headed over there a few days ago to buy one on impulse/out of curiosity and BOOM it was all "duh duh duuh duuh that's all folks *crunch*"

It says, I've got a bunch more, so if you want one, subscribe. That's what it says.

 

[timothee]

I'd love a massive starter pack for the Pandora, including basically all of the games and software currently available in a single download. It would be a pain in the behind to keep up-to-date, though. Would be nice if dl.openhandhelds had a sort-of "build your bundle" feature.

setting up a rsync server might be a solution (provides easy sync for additions/removals/updates). sync-ers can manage their local copy with include/exclude filters. The issue might be to know who manages the authoritative repo and under what structure.


openhandhelds certainly would be a good place for that, since it already have all the packages, but given it enforces license agreements to downloads, a free to access rsync server is probably not an option there (same issue for a large torrent, or a massive pack)


[bTW: This thread made me realize I can have subfolders under the folders menu/apps/desktop. Cool! I had been dumping all my pnds directly under these 3 folders so far, now I can organize ]

 

[bzar]

^ Cool idea

 

[ibisum]

What I'd really love to have is a .torrent file I can drop on my Pandora and get this "Mega-Pack" of legal ROM's/EMU's, already pre-configured and ready to go ..


Okay, this thread is the idea, time to put some effort into creating a really viable release.

 

[ashdjones]

Looking forward to this

 

[skeezix]

Before any action can be taken, a list of candidates needs to be prepared; is someone actively going to track this task? If so, they need to set up a wiki page (or something) for tracking the requests, so people know what is already in, etc.


Much debate will ensue


Could categorize by size and 'type'/genre perhaps, since when you're talking things like Wesnoth (huge!), you coudl easily start to see people wanting to piecemeal it out (or maybe one giant torrent, and let people piece it up on their own).


For my part, to kick off ..


-- Include Gargoyle (I already ported and pnd'd it up on the download sites)


--- include a pile of Inform/Infocom style adventure games -- if maintainer likes, I can provide a list of free new really good adventures


-- ScummVM


--- a select choice of distributable ScummVM titles; hit up the scummvm website to pick .. dozens of great (And huge!) games


-- a vectrex emu (do we have one ported yet?)


--- vectrex roms are all freely distributable nowadays


-- all the homebrew you can lay your hands on -- FreeCiv etc.


But is anyone going to track? We can all make prety big lists pretty quickly


jeff