After a 7-year hiatus, I'm finally readying the latest version of Gamebase CPC.
For those who are not familiar with my project, I aim to reference every original CPC software I can put my hands on.
More info & download links coming soon(ish - it will take me some time to upload all the files)...
Welcome back !
Quote from: ldaneels on 22:26, 05 November 19
After a 7-year hiatus, I'm finally readying the latest version of Gamebase CPC.
For those who are not familiar with my project, I aim to reference every original CPC software I can put my hands on.
More info & download links coming soon(ish - it will take me some time to upload all the files)...
Great news!
Really looking forward to it.
Great news, thanks for the update!
The webpage is online & you can check it at:
https://www.cpc-power.com/gamebasecpc/index.php?page=accueil
That being said, the files have not been uploaded yet.
Cheers!
Which emulators will be included?
More or less all :) But I use mainly CPCE (big cheers to Cesar for his work) because it is extremely flexible & good enough for most games.
I am in contact with Megachur to use CPCEPower as the main emulator, but I'll take care of that all the files have been uploaded (it's really only a matter or writing the scripts & modifying/adding a few command lines to CPCEPower, but it's a pain to deal with...). I really want to do that well & not rush it. The advantage is that the emulator is a lot more accurate & in terms of structure, it is somewhat close to CPCE.
That being said, most of the known emulators are already included in GBCPC. It's just that, for various reasons, they were not as useable as CPCE and I did not bother scripting them in full (or rather some of them could not be scripted in Gamebase).
It is still possible to launch games by right-clicking on "Play Game" & selecting your favourite emulator. Heck, one can even add emulators by pressing SHIFT+F11...
I see what you mean and I also see how a simple interface like CPCE fits the whole concept. I wonder if RetroVirtualMachine would be an option, but I have no idea whether you can pass arguments to it.
Hmm, I didn't know about this one, it looks very nice indeed :) Speaking of nice emulators, JavaCPC (https://sourceforge.net/projects/javacpc/ (https://sourceforge.net/projects/javacpc/)) is also very nice & comes packed with apps.
Since there's no ini file or command line argument that I know of, I don't think I can have a clean integration in GBCPC, but it would be extremely easy to add the emulator & have it launch every time you launch a game (just add the emulator in the GEMUS & point to the exe file). Gamebase automatically uses the first emulator in the GEMU list. But you would have to manually insert the disk & launch it.
The advantage of using what's already implemented is that you just click on "Play Game" (or press ALT+P) & there you go, no fiddling with the emulator. Of course, you need to be aware of how to use the emulator, but that's the joy of emulation :) At least CPCE is fairly simple to use (I only use F7 to change disk, F6 to fast forward & ALT+F3 to change tape - the rest is nice but not vital).
Yes, RVM is somewhat similar to JavaCPC in terms of vision, though I think it's quite a bit ahead in terms of interface and workflow ("work"... heh :D ). And also supports other machines, but that's not relevant here.
Unfortunately the manual doesn't mention whether a filename can be passed to it...
Yeah, I really doubt it. Plus it's an X64 executable, so that doesn't bode well. Command line input is a relic of the past.
Eh, not really, just launched Outlook with some arguments not ten minutes ago :D
I work on the command line most of the time.
Regarding x64 executables, MacOS for example does not allow 32-bit ones anymore and 64-bit has been the norm for some time now.
Alright, all done :)
The files are up and you can start downloading them right now at https://www.cpc-power.com/gamebasecpc/index.php?page=accueil
(https://www.cpc-power.com/gamebasecpc/index.php?page=accueilPlease)Please only download one file at a time.
Don't forget to read the installation instructions and the README_EN.TXT.
*reaches for the laptop*
Why not a torrent? I can host on a seedbox if you're interested, at least for a while!
That would have been best, but for many reasons it is not feasible for me.
That being said, when it is downloaded, check back with me if you want to set up a torrent.
Torrent would be great.
Hm, https://www.cpc-power.com/gamebasecpc/download/full/gamebase-setup-v1.3-full.exe is offline?
Downloading - slowly, should be here by tomorrow but it doesn't matter, thanks for the files! :)
Regarding the torrent: the problem is that if there's not a torrent out there already I'd have a real issue doing it. I would have to up it to my seedbox, and on my 10Mb upload it'd take... more than I'd care to calculate :(
I'm having trouble opening zip.002 and zip.005 with 7-zip.
Are the files corrupted?
Everything extracted fine here...
You can only extract the archives when you have all of them. They are not individual archives but a split archive.
Quote from: Gryzor on 15:49, 10 November 19
Everything extracted fine here...
Did you download everything already? As I said above, you need all the archives to unpack the full Gamebase CPC, even if some of the files can be unpacked separately (I know the first one can, but you still would not get all the files in this archive if you did it this way).
Yes, got them all. After an initial 500KBps it went up to clog my line, even one file at a time ☺️
However the exe file does not exist on the server, only the zip parts?
Salut
Merci pour ce super boulot sur ma machine de coeur.
petite question : Quand je scanne, il me manque 21 jeux et 192 Extras. Normal (problèmes de droits ?) ? ou j'ai fait une fausse manip?
merci encore.
++
Nice, that was fast :)
I archived the executable in gamebase-setup-v1.3-full.zip.
Download that file instead. It worked for me...I'll see with Kukulcan if he can fix the problem with the exe.
Quote from: Philippe Lardenois on 17:00, 10 November 19
Salut
Merci pour ce super boulot sur ma machine de coeur.
petite question : Quand je scanne, il me manque 21 jeux et 192 Extras. Normal (problèmes de droits ?) ? ou j'ai fait une fausse manip?
merci encore.
++
J'espère que ça te plaira :)
Pour ce qui est des fichiers manquants, ce sont effectivement des logiciels toujours commercialisés pour lesquels je n'ai pas eu l'autorisation de leur distributeur (en particulier Poly.Play, Cronosoft, Psytronik and a few others).
Si vous avez des contacts avec ces distributeurs et pouvez me mettre en contact avec eux, n'hésitez pas à me le faire savoir.
Quote from: ldaneels on 17:12, 10 November 19
Nice, that was fast :)
I archived the executable in gamebase-setup-v1.3-full.zip.
Download that file instead. It worked for me...I'll see with Kukulcan if he can fix the problem with the exe.
Cheers, got it! :)
Quote from: Gryzor on 15:49, 10 November 19
Everything extracted fine here...
Everything was OK at my end as well, using PowerArchiver 2019. Here are the checksums I got when I ran
sha256sum:
1e57d1ece94f15b80f1c4392f785ca4a9231818748ba85eed2374d8fe615b53a *Amstrad CPC.zip.001
c05f52e57e87e341d3f740666b99896adcb3b2e25b314886090eaf747d1d865a *Amstrad CPC.zip.002
a9353addd9b8743154b66372316abeed16946a2bb408bea5b424ff4b6f08218d *Amstrad CPC.zip.003
b060a02d485f1bb7d80c69a736ffbf19a668c61fea4a89353c7a8bc3636303b8 *Amstrad CPC.zip.004
bf5bf851e4541e8731735471e2a530d053eecd4066d4530affb25a1647a69865 *Amstrad CPC.zip.005
6b50ff1ac3c8f17e92858352cc3f5fa2243a5777899437f5dae053543b03721b *Amstrad CPC.zip.006
6fc21643eeba3d7dc6849c55c684857efc973a025ccf984032ce68ea6dbfe1a2 *Amstrad CPC.zip.007
00699adf64814e5a3fcfdc777ae2970a74be0485a6ffe67b2afa3b05923df421 *Amstrad CPC.zip.008
313786c1364fcf1026e8c3df87af5a00e722f3a7fd3bf134fcd14e2182989789 *gamebase-setup-v1.3-full.zip
af88eeb09af9d90349296a64eafefef425b551333f560b78c701894fd3dc8e62 *README_EN.txt
Hi Nich,
Glad to have you on board :)I hope you enjoy GBCPC!
For some reason, it was impossible to download working files with firefox and windows 7,
so I tried windows 10 with Internet Explorer and now it works.
Thanks to Nich and Gryzor for verifying that the files work and thanks for a great database Loïc.
Nice.
Can't download with FF/Win 10 now...
I tried downloading with FF & it's working fine for me.
It might be that the site is overloaded, so try again a little later.
Also, please make sure you download only one file at a time.
Hi Johnny, long time no talk. Any news on your Gamebase project?
Yes about 1000, but it is time consuming to debug basic programs
and I only work with it when I want.
Quote from: Johnny Olsen on 14:01, 12 November 19
Yes about 1000, but it is time consuming to debug basic programs
and I only work with it when I want.
If you want aid, here we are :)
I appreciate that.
Problems with the gamebase project are that only one can work on it,
but if you have games or scans of magazines
not online, it will be perfect.
I am looking for games from the following magazines:
Computer Gamer (UK) - https://archive.org/details/computergamermagazine
Computronic (G) - https://archive.org/details/computronic_magazine
HC Mein Home Computer (G) - http://oldcomputers-ddns.org/public/pub/archiv/hc-meinhome-computer-archiv/index.html
Homecomputer Hefte (G) - http://tronic-verlag.50webs.com/
My first try to send a "own" torrent. Try this (will seed next few days evenings)
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:B61FF7C00E5858BEBCA90ADA8E6837634918B96D&dn=GameBaseCPCV33.7z&tr=udp%3a%2f%2ftracker.openbittorrent.com%3a80%2fannounce&tr=udp%3a%2f%2ftracker.publicbt.com%3a80%2fannounce&tr=udp%3a%2f%2fpublic.popcorn-tracker.org%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f104.28.1.30%3a8080%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f104.28.16.69%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f107.150.14.110%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f109.121.134.121%3a1337%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f114.55.113.60%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f125.227.35.196%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f128.199.70.66%3a5944%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f157.7.202.64%3a8080%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f158.69.146.212%3a7777%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f173.254.204.71%3a1096%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f178.175.143.27%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f178.33.73.26%3a2710%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f182.176.139.129%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f185.5.97.139%3a8089%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f188.165.253.109%3a1337%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f194.106.216.222%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f195.123.209.37%3a1337%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f210.244.71.25%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f210.244.71.26%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f213.159.215.198%3a6970%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f213.163.67.56%3a1337%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f37.19.5.139%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f37.19.5.155%3a6881%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f46.4.109.148%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f5.79.249.77%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f5.79.83.193%3a2710%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f51.254.244.161%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f59.36.96.77%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f74.82.52.209%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f80.246.243.18%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f81.200.2.231%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f85.17.19.180%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f87.248.186.252%3a8080%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f87.253.152.137%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f91.216.110.47%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f91.217.91.21%3a3218%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f91.218.230.81%3a6969%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2f93.92.64.5%2fannounce&tr=http%3a%2f%2fatrack.pow7.com%
Oh cool, I'll check my seedbox tonight for available space :)
(https://i.ibb.co/s6gB1Wj/111.png)
installed :) , very nice :o
I got stucked on v27. I supposse I have to delete that and download the entire thing again...
Got it on my seedbox, gonna leave it there for a while. So far it's upped exactly 1.000 copy :D
Thanks everybody for hosting a torrent, much appreciated :)
As a sidenote, I am currently working really hard to get CPCEPower into GBCPC & am linking all the original dumps (RAW & IPF) into the database. This is obviously going to be a long term endeavour, but it should make GBCPC much better.
There are two advantages to doing that: I am verifying every single entry (links, data,...) & the emulator is much more accurate, so no juggling multiple emulators as it is the case now. The only exception are the CPC+/GX4000 games which will still need to go through Winape.
Also, a quick tip: you can add extra columns in the database view (CTRL+H) so you can sort the software whichever way you like. Personally, I like Publisher, Year Published, Genre, Rating & Works in CPCE.
Enjoy!
Least one could do...
Quote from: Johnny Olsen on 14:01, 12 November 19
Yes about 1000, but it is time consuming to debug basic programs
and I only work with it when I want.
Hi Johnny,
Wow! That's a lot of work.
Are you planning on making your work public at some time?
Thanks for all your hard work,
Loic
Haven't tried it yet, but a friend sent me a list of the contents:
Quote
~ du -chs /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/* ✔ 10153 12:47:35
8.2M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Amstrad CPC.mdb
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Credits.ini
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Credits.txt
213M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Emulators
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Emulators.ini
23G /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras
1.2G /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Games
144K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Gfx
520M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Music
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/MusicPlayers.ini
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Paths.ini
9.6G /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Pictures
400K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Player
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/README_EN.txt
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/README_FR.txt
912K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Scripts
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Settings.ini
912K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Sounds
46M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Splash
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/TEMPLATE.master
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Text.ini
4.7M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/gamebase-setup-v1.3-full.zip
16K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/help.htm
560K /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/splash.wav
35G total
~ du -chs /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras/* ✔ 10154 09:37:09
5.2M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras/Cartridges
464M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras/Disks
13G /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras/Manuals
2.9G /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras/Misc
546M /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPCV33/Extras/Music
5.6G /Volumes/retro/GameBaseCPC
13GB for manuals??! I mean, this must have entailed a tremendous amount of work (and a couple of samples I saw were of really nice quality)!
Lol :) Yeah, it sure did... I don't really want to think about how many hours that represents, though.
Just for fun (& because I'm kind of a maniac), I also re-scanned most of everything, so the work you see has been duplicated for the most part. There is a very significant difference between scans made prior to 03/2013 & those made after (new scanner + much higher DPi).
I've been working on GBCPC for over 15 years & I intend to keep plugging at it for the foreseeable future. I also have many ideas on how to expand GBCPC in the future, but it's a long term thing.
The only issue I am facing now is the difficulty to source originals, but well, it is what it is...Cheers,
Loic
So... I was wondering, you really have all these titles?
Well, I had them at some point or another. I also had help from some collectors who lent me their originals (mostly Philippe Hernandez & Antoine Rozanski, but others have also helped in smaller ways - David Noble, Steve Jarrett, Christophe Creance...), but I'd estimate over 90% were owned by me at some point or another.
I did collect CPC software up until 2011, but real life got the best of me & now I have to sell back what I get for GBCPC to purchase new software.
Still that must be/was a pretty impressive collection...
By the way, can we donate to the project?
That depends on what you mean by donating. If you mean games, I would love that. I'm always looking for people who can lend me original software. If you mean money, I'd rather avoid that for various reasons.
I trimmed my collection a few years back, so I'm not sure I have anything you might have missed (highly unlikely!), but I could send you a list of the titles I have to see if something piques your interest...
Yeah, absolutely, I'd love to see your list. Since I'm rescanning & redumping everything (I already have about 2/3 done), even common software can be of interest to me. There's really no rhyme or reason to what I'm looking for :)
As a general rule, I offer to pay for shipping both ways & it takes around 3-4 weeks to process 100 games. I prefer to not work under strict timeframes but I can do it if absolutely necessary.
Anyone with originals & willing to lend them can feel free to contact me directly via PM.
Is there a way we could dump our stuff to your standards without having to send it back and forth?
Well, yes & no. The tapes would be alright I imagine, I'd have to check. For the disks, dlfrsilver uses the SPS hardware to dump the software, so I'm not sure there's much of an alternative.
But beyond the dumps, I am mostly interested in the scans & I'm super peculiar about how they're done, so it's typically easier if I do them myself. I have tried before to have some people help me with the scans & it backfired, so I'm not super keen on trying again.
Obviously I understand the trust aspect of doing it my way & there's not much I can say or do to prove I'm reliable... Only do it if you feel comfortable doing it.
That being said, as I mentioned before, I already have most of the rare stuff, so a lot of the software I'm looking for is typically common or uncommon at best.
Quote from: Gryzor on 06:16, 17 November 19
Got it on my seedbox, gonna leave it there for a while. So far it's upped exactly 1.000 copy :D
I thought you had upped 1000 copies! :) That would mean a real hit and run for most of the downloaders. I checked just now, 2 seeders.
Quote from: ldaneels on 21:02, 18 November 19I am mostly interested in the scans & I'm super peculiar about how they're done, so it's typically easier if I do them myself. I have tried before to have some people help me with the scans & it backfired, so I'm not super keen on trying again. Obviously I understand the trust aspect of doing it my way & there's not much I can say or do to prove I'm reliable... Only do it if you feel comfortable doing it.
Thank you for great work. I will be downloading it soon.
How do you scan magazines for best quality? Just wanting to learn...
Hi Ivarf,
Well, for one I always use the same scanner (a Canon Canoscan LiDE 400 or any model within that family) and scan at 400DPi. I never use any kind of image enhancement or correction. I also use the standard settings for brightness & contrast.
When it come to saving the scans, I prefer JPG and use as little compression as possible through the scanning software (including for the conversion to PDF).
I use the "Magazine (Color)" setting to scan pretty much everything.When scanning, I press on the scanned object with a hard cover A4 book of some kind.
Preferably the cover has a darker color & does not have any drawing.
In case you're scanning smaller items, I recommend scanning perpendicularly to the front of the scanner to minimize the appearance of folds (I'm not sure if I'm making much sense here. Let me know if you need additional info or a photo of how I do it).
There's a lot more to the way I do it, but that's the basics & should give pretty good results already.
Cheers,
Loic
Hi Idaneels,
Are you still working on this project? A V34 maybe? I have a few games that aren't in your database - are you interested in these?
Hi,
Yes, I am still working on the database & don't plan on ever stopping.
I am currently integrating all RAW/IPF files to the database, testing all software with CPCEPower & doing a big cleanup of the database.
It's slow going, but it was high time I did it.
As for games that are not in the database, I am most definitely interested, provided they are original physical versions. To be honest I have put scanning & dumping a bit on the back burner at the moment, but I really need to get back to that.
Cheers,
Loic
Great to hear Loic! It's an awesome project. So you're only interested in games that were released physically? So no type-ins, PD or anything like that? One example is "12 Lost Souls".
Also, have you had any thoughts about switching to one of the popular emulation "frontends", such as Launchbox? I think that would widen your userbase considerably. I use Launchbox already, have a number of systems in it and would love to add your collection, but don't know of an easy way to do this.
Quote from: extracampine on 09:15, 23 April 21
Also, have you had any thoughts about switching to one of the popular emulation "frontends", such as Launchbox? I think that would widen your userbase considerably. I use Launchbox already, have a number of systems in it and would love to add your collection, but don't know of an easy way to do this.
I hope not...Gamebase is much more flexible, and free too.
Launchbox is nice, but GB has all I need honestly... ok, LB may look somewhat better but it's not like I'm sitting there admiring the front-end!
I understand that there will be differing views. Would just be nice to have it as an option, and I think it would be good for the project overall given the size of the Launchbox userbase.
Another suggestion for Loic regarding Gamebase - currently the various box art images are grouped together under "packaging" - this tends to include front, back and whole cover scans. When opening this, the front and back appear very small because the artwork resizes to fit in the largest scan, which is the whole cover scan. It would be nice if these different scans could be separated out in the menu, so that you could just select the front, or whole cover for example.
Hi,
You got me :) I do include type-ins, homebrew, freeware, cover disks/tapes,... I do add them little by little as I find the time & motivation (typically if I enjoy the game). For your information, I have over 500 of these to add to GBCPC & I know where to find many more, so it's rarely an issue of finding these.
As a base, you can check CPC Power & the CPC Wiki forums: if you have something that's not there, you can let me know so I can add them to my to-do list, although I do have several other sources, but that should cover 99,9% of everything.
I focus heavily on physical software because they will be the first to disappear. Physical data will not last forever, so I need to deal with these in priority.
As for other frontends (or launchbox in particular), they are not flexible enough to encompass all the data I need for Gamebase CPC. I have tried many different options, but they are not adapted to my project. I do like Launchbox, though (which is entirely free, btw, you only have to pay if you want the Big Box feature, which is nice, but far from essential).
One of the roadblocks is the fact that it is not really possible to automate the transition to another frontend. I had tried with Launchbox & Hyperspin, but the results were really not satisfactory & the manual conversion was a pain to handle.
So I will stick with Gamebase until someone comes up with a useable frontend for the project. I do wish James continued working on Gamebase, but it seems this is a pipe dream. And forks of Gamebase are not really bringing anything to the project.
But, as always, I'm open to suggestions if they are really workable & bring something interesting to my project. One of the things I am interested in is the ability to play automatically small clips (akin to an attract mode) on the right side of Gamebase, above the pictures for the software.
As for the extras present in GBCPC, separating individual scans in the various PDFs would be an absolute nightmare in terms of useability & would not really add anything compared to PDFs. Also, the front cover is always present on the right side of the screen in Gamebase (I always have the front cover + title screen + 2 screenshots)
You can automatically resize images inside a PDF by selecting view/zoom/fit page in the menu (I use Adobe Acrobat, so the menu path may vary depending on the program you use).
I hope this helps,
Loic
Launchbox is not "entirely free". Big Box is just one of the extra features in the Premium version (https://www.launchbox-app.com/premium), most important of which compared to Gamebase is the ability to use custom filters.
I use it sometimes because it's set by default in eXoDOS. It's okay, but not something I'd pay 70US$ for, when there's a free and arguably superior alternative available.
Yeah eXoDOS is a main reason that I stuck with Launchbox rather than other platforms, including MiSTer. And Win3Xo of course.
When you say "automate the transition to another frontend" Loic, do you mean from Gamebase to another frontend? It's maybe not possible to have it entirely automatic, though it should be possible be editing the Launchbox XML and maybe doing some bulk file renaming if necessary. There is some talk about it on the Launchbox forums -
https://forums.launchbox-app.com/topic/29647-import-from-gamebase/page/2/ (https://forums.launchbox-app.com/topic/29647-import-from-gamebase/page/2/)
As you probably know, Launchbox can play game clips in the game details pane. Attached is a screenshot of my CPC games in Launchbox.
As an aside, does anyone know how to add Retroarch as an emulator is GamebaseCPC? I have Retroarch set up to output to my CRT.
That's a nice setup :)
Hi Loic
I want to add CPCEPower to the database but I can't get the script file to work,
do you have one that you want to share?
Hi,Sure, I thought it was already in the current version, but if not:
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||cpc||6128)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||crtc||0)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||mem||128)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Interface||gunstick||no)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||dsk0||)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||dsk1||)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||cdt||)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||auto||)
If Key_GUNSTICK CONTAINS(Yes)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Interface||gunstick||yes)
End If
If Key_CRTC CONTAINS(1)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||crtc||1)
End If
If Key_CRTC CONTAINS(2)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||crtc||2)
End If
If Key_TAPE CONTAINS(YES)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||cdt||%gamepathfile%)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||cpc||464)
Add_CLP( -e)
ElseIf Key_6128 CONTAINS(YES)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||cdt||%gamepathfile%)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||cpc||6128)
Add_CLP( -e)
ElseIf Key_6128+ CONTAINS(YES)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||cpc||6128+)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||dsk0||%gamepathfile%)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||auto||%autotype_value%)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||crtc||3)
Else
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||dsk0||%gamepathfile%)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||auto||%autotype_value%)
End If
If Key_MEM CONTAINS(64)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||CPC||mem||64)
End If
If Key_DOOMSDAY CONTAINS(YES)
Set_INI_Value(%emupath%\cpcepower.ini||Files||dsk1||E:\Gamebase\Amstrad CPC\Games\To Redump\D\Doomsday Lost Echoes (E) - Disk 1B.dsk)
End If
Run_Emulator()
Thanks Loic
Now I can start and load file to cpcepower but have problems with
auto start, my screen shows "% autotype_value%" and syntax error.
I have set default = no to be able to change in the "CPCEPower.ini"
file but can not figure out why it is not running.
Just wondering....is there any language preference in Gamebase CPC? I mean, if there are different versions of a game available in different languages, is a particular language prioritised?
Not German, still missing Gunship in German language. Once I had a copy - but that's gone for reasons.
Well, if I have the game, then it's in. That being said, there are so many variations for each game that it's really not a priority.As for games that are linked, they are always the original versions of the game, unless I don't have the original version or I made a mistake. It's the case with French, German or Spanish games, even though english versions exist.You can, however, find the alternate versions in the Games folder. You can see which language the game is with the letters after their name (in parenthesis):- E for English- F for French- G for German- I for Italian- N for Dutch- D for Danish
- S for SpanishI might be missing something, but as far as I know, there is no Gunhead on CPC. I assume you mistyped the name of the game?
Ehm... mean Gunship, the helicopter simulator of course... :-X
It's in there in other languages. Back the day I bought the original of Gunship in Germany, and they only had the French version. Beautiful language, but not that helpful.
Back the day we had many games in different languages, but some of them are not longer out there is seems.
@ldaneels (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=496) Many thanks for all your efforts with Gamebase CPC. I've just setup v33 and completed file verification. Just want to double-check that the missing reported figures were correct:
Games 21/3275
Music 0/1697
Pictures 0/3299
Extras 192/16287
Thanks for the cheer :)
When it comes to the missing games & extras, there are a few reasons for that:
- for games that are still being sold (like the games from Poly.Play, Psytronik,...), I do not share them (game files & scanned extras) since I never got approval. I tried to contact the stores but never got a reply... That being said, some of these games are freely available in dsk/cdt format, so it's a simple matter of linking them in the database, I just don't do it because it falls outside the scope of my project.
- some game disk or tapes are simply dead (most notably some disks) & I do not have a proper dump for them :( There are a few Micro C educational software among those.
Let me know if you need additional info.
Any sign of a GameBase v34? :D
I am currently at 3525 entries so things are moving along. I am also doing a lot of re-scanning & re-dumping.
I typically like to release the files when I reach a round number (so 3600 entries is the next milestone).
That being said, I am currently doing a full pass of the entire database to integrate source files (I'm starting with RAW files) & it is extremely time consuming, not to mention mind numbing.
All that to say I am working on it but as a one-man team progress is slow (but steady).
3600 will be a great number! Thanks a lot for your huge effort!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Great to hear work continues to be going on! I'm still using Launchbox as the front end and it's a shame that it's still not possible to release a Launchbox version, either as a switch or as an alternative. By the way, is there a DAT for the collection that can be used with ROM managers?
I am considering moving to Launchbox, but I won't do it until I have released the next version & I would still need to to make sure it makes sense (last time I tried was not very satisfying).
As for a DAT, it is not necessary as Gamebase itself has a file auditor (Tools>Verify Available Files) but be aware that commercial physical homebrew files are not included unless I have permission from their respective authors.
Well, if you even find something of interest from my work (TFM) then you have permission to include it. :) True for past, present and future(os)
@GUNHED:
Thanks for the help, it is much appreciated.
Speaking of which, if anyone has any contact with Psytronik, Poly.Play, Bitmap Soft & Cronosoft, I'd appreciate the help in trying to get their releases be made available in Gamebase CPC. I have tried to contact them but have not had any reply, so I can't make the files public :(
Any chance for an 8bml interface for it? Happy to guide you through it or even code it if you provide access to the structure.
I don't know what 8bml is but I'm all ears :)
Do you have a link that explains what it is (cursory Google search didn't yield any relevant result...)?
Basically an alternative to html for which 8bit computer browsers can render it more easily, but the site although simple looking works on both 8bml browsers as well as modern computer browsers if you used the provided SDK. 8bitology.net is an example of an 8bml website that works in html and 8bml. The SDK is there... and a cpc 8bml browser is in development. You can see what it would look like on a cpc if you look at the 8bml browser POC.
That seems interesting, but I am not sure how that relates to Gamebase CPC.
As I understand, that would enable the Amstrad CPC to access the database, am I right? But then the issue is you can't use most of the files (namely scans).
So, how you would use 8bml with Gamebase?
Yes there are some files that are not currently viewable on cpc. PDFs for example... but they can be used to fill up cpc sd cards until someone later makes a PDF viewer. This could later be achieved by converting PDFs to 8bml from the backend perhaps.
While I like the idea, I fail to see the practicality of this. If the scans are adapted to the CPC, they will not be of a sufficient resolution, which renders their use more of a curio than anything else.
Of course, if you wish to tackle the challenge, I will be first in line to try out the end result but I personally can't spend the time on this.
Either way, I hope to see some cool & out of the leftfield applications.
Why a lot of re-scanning Idaneels, if I may ask?
Also, how does this project handle games that had muiltiple releases for different regions/languages? If one language preferred, are they all added, or something else? Apologies if this has been asked already.
Well, for one I am a maniac & I can't stand having varying levels of quality in scanning. In 2013 I changed my scanner & have modified the settings I use as baseline & the results are of a much higher standard.
That being said, it also came with a need to redump most games, so it kind of worked out. If I ever get a new scanner that produces better results, I am not sure I would do this again as this was a massive undertaking (not to mention extremely costly).
There are several things I consider when I have multiple versions of the same game:
- Does the game have a different title? If so, I create a new entry for the alternate version (for example Super Ski & Super Ski Challenge).
- if it is a language version or reprint, I group it together with the main entry (for example Thanatos).
Of course I am only one person & certainly prone to making mistakes, so if anyone sees anything out of place or mislabelled, certainly do let me know.
How's the progress looking here?
Pretty good, I'd say :)
I finally finished linking all the original dumps (RAW / IPF / CDT) from dlfrsilver & maxit after many years of work, so that's a huge step in the right direction.
I have also added a considerable amount of software to the database. As of today, there are 3574 unique entries, with some of them having multiple variations of the same software.
That being said, I have had a complicated year so far & have had to cut back on the time I devote to GBCPC. I'm slowly catching up with what I want to do before releasing a new version, but it certainly is in the works.
We'll see how things pan out, but as stated previously, this is a project that is very near & dear to me, so I'll always keep plugging at it however slowly that may be.
Great news about the progress Idaneels. Looking forward to seeing the next version! Hope the complications have settled somewhat :)
How are things coming along with this?
Things are progressing nicely, I have reached 3600 entries.
I am drowning in software to re-scan & re-dump, so I keep pushing back releasing the new GBCPC version. On that topic, I wanted to give a shout out to David who has been lending me his originals & has been extremely helpful with my project.
Hopefully I can catch up & finally upload the new version soon(ish).
Sounds great! Are there any changes to the metadata fields, in terms of name changes or new ones? Thinking ahead to Launchbox integration :D
Not that I am aware of. The most that might have happened is that I added new "game genres" but I don't think so.
Could you post a couple pictures of your Launchbox integration? Does it retain all data fields? How much work is it to migrate to Launchbox?
I have been thinking of moving GBCPC to Launchbox for a while but I have very little time on top of scanning...
Hi Idaneels! I'm more than happy to help you out with this as much as I can.
I imported the games into Launchbox by using a Gamebase data importer: https://forums.launchbox-app.com/files/file/3385-gamebase-database-importer/
The creator of the importer is helpful and I'm sure would be happy to link with you if necessary.
Importing this way brings all the games in as well as the metadata. All data fields are/can be preserved. If there are new fields then these would presumably need to be added to the importer.
My main CPC window in Launchbox looks like this:
Screenshot 2024-01-28 161758.png
When I click on a game, I see the metadata in the game details pane (2 screenshots as you have to scroll vertically to see all the info with my current theme):
Screenshot 2024-01-28 161925.png Screenshot 2024-01-28 162023.png
The fields coloured orange are the "custom fields" which were created to accommodate the metadata in Gamebase. Launchbox allows any custom fields to be created. Please note that the above is using my custom theme, which is a slight modification of the default theme.
For the artwork, I have had to go through those manually - currently you have all "packaging" artwork for a game grouped together in one PDF. I used an app to batch separate each of these into separate images. I can them import them into Launchbox and have them show as separate images. You can browse them using the carousel, which also allows them to be viewed fullscreen. The manuals I have had to drop in manually.
Any further info you need, let me know!