Atari ST games database

[ldaneels]

Hi Skeezix, from another thread, we discussed the possibility of my building a database for ST games.
Do you still need my help to do it ? If so, I will need the program to create the basic listing.
Here is the last message I posted on this topic:
Sure Skeezix, send me the file by email (LDANEELS@SPEAKEASY.NET) & I will give it a spin.
Just ot make sure I understand:
- the filename is not important as the MD5 code is unique
- the filename I have can then be another format than Joliet (ie: long file name)
- in the blank space, do I need to input each name within the compilation separated by a space or should I use an undescore ?
- Any way you could then implement a search by game name in the emu ? Or could it split the database by name (so you have a alphabetically sorted list of games) & automatically load the corresponding compilation ?

As for TOSEC sets, I tend to really like them as they are a convenient way to have files organised. Kind of like the good tools from cowering but more organized & precise (although the goodtools are far more thorough).
There are a few sites where you can get them, but mostly you can find them on the newsgroups (ABEM & ABET) or IRC (I don't have access to IRC personnally but I could probably find some channels that would work).

Once again, feel free to contact me by email.

Loic

 

[skeezix]

Hi Skeezix, from another thread, we discussed the possibility of my building a database for ST games.
Do you still need my help to do it ? If so, I will need the program to create the basic listing.
Here is the last message I posted on this topic:
Sure Skeezix, send me the file by email (LDANEELS@SPEAKEASY.NET) & I will give it a spin.
Just ot make sure I understand:
- the filename is not important as the MD5 code is unique
- the filename I have can then be another format than Joliet (ie: long file name)
- in the blank space, do I need to input each name within the compilation separated by a space or should I use an undescore ?
- Any way you could then implement a search by game name in the emu ? Or could it split the database by name (so you have a alphabetically sorted list of games) & automatically load the corresponding compilation ?

As for TOSEC sets, I tend to really like them as they are a convenient way to have files organised. Kind of like the good tools from cowering but more organized & precise (although the goodtools are far more thorough).
There are a few sites where you can get them, but mostly you can find them on the newsgroups (ABEM & ABET) or IRC (I don't have access to IRC personnally but I could probably find some channels that would work).

Once again, feel free to contact me by email.

Loic

I've not looked into TOSEC much; the database may be useful, but the files I don't think are. I've got original disks, and I've got piles of the compacted disks. The TOSEC stuff is newer and less common, and also is not the originals (or the original compacted as it weere). I like the demos at the front of the compacted ones .. a big part of the ST scene. *shrug*

So we need a database that works for TOSEC and non-TOSEC both. md5 seems the way to go.

I've just not had tiem to worry about it yet.. only been a day I gota a yard to fix today

Email me to skeezix@skeleton.org so I can find you when we get this far; I need to build the tools first for you, so it'll take a couple days to get set up

Then we can get a few people going.. you and a couple others with big collections, so we can keep efficient.

Thanks fior holding on.. it'll rock ocne we get it done Maybe useful for other ST emus too.

jeff

 

[Belgarath]

the tosec atari st files aren't "new" and they certaintly aren't uncommon. we don't create the disks, we simply rename the files that are already out there, theres a lot of st disks that havent been renamed yet but if you ran them past a rom renamer with a tosec db, i'm sure a fair percentage of them would be recognised

 

[skeezix]

the tosec atari st files aren't "new" and they certaintly aren't uncommon. we don't create the disks, we simply rename the files that are already out there, theres a lot of st disks that havent been renamed yet but if you ran them past a rom renamer with a tosec db, i'm sure a fair percentage of them would be recognised

"We"; as in, you're part of the TOSEC crew? Thats good to know someones around then, so we got some local expertise I'll be checking the TOSEC DB out.. if I can avoid creating a new DB, thats the way to go

I'm not a fan of renaming though.. ie: A_097.ST is a godo name, since we know its Automaiton 97 Filenames don't seem like the best place to put meta data like the content. IF only the .ST format had a header at the fornt, like an mp3, that we could stuff meta data :/

jeff

 

[Belgarath]

yup i'm a member of tosec

a_97 is all well and good but theres 3 automation 97's in the tosec db. its always possible that 1 copy of a game wont work but another will, normally non-workin games have bad flags but of course there will be plenty of games that do work on st emus that dont work properly on castaway, if ppl test a game and one gets it workin and another doesnt it could be different disks, givin the tosec filename helps identify which exact disk it is

all the info in the tosec filenames isn't staying there forever though, things are being worked on..

 

[Tobriand]

Well, you could always write a proggy to add the tosec filename as a header, and "snip" it before the disk actually gets sent to the emu. First 100 bytes or something.

That'd be pretty nice (except for having to run all the roms through a mod proggy on Windows before transferring them, of course)