Don's Hyperspin Tools list generation issue

[replaysMike]

Hey all,

 

First post. I've got a bunch of Atari 2600 rom's that the names don't match the hyperlist. In an attempt to regenerate the xml database I'm trying Don's Hyperspin Tools. However, it doesn't find any of the games.

 

My Atari 2600.ini looks like:

 

[exe info]

path=D:\Hyperspin\Emulators\MAME\

rompath=D:\Roms\Atari2600\

userompath=true

exe=mame.exe

romextension=a26

parameters=

searchsubfolders=false

pcgame=false

winstate=HIDDEN

hyperlaunch=true

 

and I'm using the latest Hyperlist for Atari 2600.

 

Any ideas or would another tool be more useful? If I can't figure it out I may just write my own that uses the checksum to do the match. I find all the various tools for Hyperspin (and the setup of Hyperspin itself) to be very convoluted and a mess of a setup. I guess this evolved over a long period :-/

[replaysMike]

Hi agent47 - I'm using the List Generator. The rename tool works fine, and can serve as a temporary solution however I have around 2500 rom's, and the official hyperlist only has around 600. I figured generating a new database would be the way to go, rather than rename based on the smaller list and having to manually add the rest somehow.

 

I noticed some reddit threads about the same issue, but no one posted a solution.

[replaysMike]

Gotcha thanks. It appears to work for Sega Genesis and Playstation roms, just couldn't get it to work with Atari 2600.

 

It seems to be working for all now, I don't know what I did. Perhaps an issue with the Atari Hyperlist file ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[wesfranks]

replaysMike,

 

I don't know much, but I do know this. It is best to use the proper tool for the job. Agent47 is simply trying to assist you in avoiding future compatibility issues with HyperSpin. Of course, you can do what you want. Seems like you have some experience.

 

Just for information purposes, look at this site for a history of the Atari games that were released at that time. http://www.atarimania.com/atari-vcs-2600.html . One quote from that site is:

 

 

I found out that, although there were only a little more than 500 different games made for the Atari 2600, almost all of these games were re-released many times, in many forms, under many different names and by many different companies, creating an incredible range of more than 10,000 different cartridge releases (of which more than 8,000 are now archived in our database).

 

Assuredly, similar to your experience the folks around here have done their research. The XMLs, while many are WIPs, their current state was based on very specific criteria. Normally, the intent is to be as complete as possible, without dupes and only the best playable option selected. Regional preference for dupes is USA-->Europe-->Japan-->Other, with exclusives inserted from that hierarchy. Protos and unlicensed used to be excluded but have been added if fully playable. The XML folks are very meticulous and while there may be errors, most attempts by end users to correct an "oversight" is usually met by pointing out that the game in question is a clone of a game already included. Please note that the A2600 Hyperlist XML total is very close to the "a little more than 500 different games" as attributed by the Atarimania site. 

 

As one of the proper tools to use in the case of Atari2600, I would recommend Don's Rom Renamer as Agent47 suggested. The main reason in this case is that with a set I just tested, it crc-matched all but 100 games (548, I think). The remaining were all (Unlicensed), but available if you dig.

 

As to the "convoluted tools" you noted, all them are purpose driven and many fit a special "use case scenario" that you have not come upon yet. You just have to realize that the situation you are in calls for a specific tool and then use it properly. That takes experience. Many of the tools are "quirky" and are not appropriate for other situations, but if you are aware of their "limitations" you can usually achieve the end result you anticipated.

 

Specific to the most popular "renaming" utilities used around here and some relevent "quirks". My choice of use order. My experience only-

     -Don's Rom Renamer- CRC mode. CRC is king when file matching. Caveat-subject to correct CRC hash information being included in the XML. The bigger the set, the less likely the CRC hash will be included. Do not use on bin/cue, ccd/sub/img sets.

     -Tur-Matcher- default mode aka zero mispellings. Scans with Boolean logic, either right or wrong based on spelling so consequently you know if it is right or wrong. Caveat- ignores information in parenthesis. Usually prep my set, splitting parenthesis by folder and scan separately, then manually verifying information from each folder to the files. Normally only the 3 regional options, so usually not a big deal. Zero misspelling mode most effective, dependent on your rom set. If it has a crazy naming convention, unmatched results will be too unwieldy. Choose your sets wisely. Use on bin/cue, ccd/sub/img sets only in a specific workflow I won't go into here.

     -Don's Rom Renamer- Fuzzy Mode/FatMatch/FuzzyMatch/etc.- Scans with Fuzzy Logic. Results given with a percentage scale of accuracy. Only use on small sets that you can manually verify. If the set is too big, your eyes will cross. There will be errors. Your Barbie game will be mis-labeled. Incorrectly chooses wrong versions for multi-version sets. Manually choose only the latest version and delete all other options prior to scan.

 

One global warning is to rename based on a backup set of your games, not your originals.

 

Lastly, I went through all of this- suggesting you rename your roms, knowing you intended to keep them as is. You can do what you want, but rather than generate a new XML based on your current rom naming convention, then renaming 3+ files (wheels, themes, videos, instruction sheets, etc) for each of your 2000+ games, you could just rename one file per game based on the HyperList XML. All related files officially available here will match that of the Hyperlist XML. Either way, all the file names must match. Your choice. And if you choose to go to a different front-end later, just revert to the originals of your roms.

 

Good luck and sorry for the wordy opinions.

 

Wes

[replaysMike]

Wes - good info thanks! I've got a bit of experience but I'm kinda relearning the whole HyperSpin environment which can be perplexing at times. I'll stick with the official lists as I'm probably better off.

[wesfranks]

Mike,

 

Noticed you posted about either generating an XML or renaming Playstation roms. Those are likely bin/cue (Redump) or ccd/sub/img (Trurip). As I mentioned, the renamers have problems with these files specifically the information in the cue files, as well as unpredictable naming of the files themselves. Would caution you with these. Here is a video about dealing with them and advising a manual method of renaming. Alternatively, you already know the option of just generating your own list for now.

 

[royaldansk999]

I'm trying to transfer my games from the retropie emulation station set up, to a HyperSpin setup. Games run just fine on the pi(emu station). but According to HyperSpin and to Dons re-namer I don't have a single rom! I realize that it's a naming issue thanks to the video above but man going through each of my games and renaming them will take awhile.  Am I thinking about this the right way? (my roms are all in compressed folders) one thing I tried to do was extract one of my roms and see if the re-namer picked it up. it did. But when I go to select it, it literally disappears when selected.