1G1R mode / future of dats

[Bogy]

No idea where that thread was based in the old forum.....anyway...1G1R mode is now supported.



3.115

added: NoIntro's 1G1R mode (related to the regions/languages modes from 3.114) This can be enabled in settings (for region/language dats only)
added: set information shows set description or optionally set name now
added: Rebuilder Beep()
added: more support for sample-only sets

misc: set information tree is now sorted alphabetically after setdescription (not setname)
misc: renamed "Show All Missing" sets to "Hide Fully-Missing Sets" and inverted the behaviour
misc: sample parents which aren't listed (e.g. MAME's alphamc07) are added as sample-only sets
misc: settings import button is only available for rom/sample paths

misc: reading archives is done in an own thread
misc: hash calculators run calculation md5/crc/sha1 in parallel in 3 threads
misc: chd verifyer runs md5/sha1 calculation in parallel in 2 threads
misc: rebuilding with addpaths doesn't reopen progresswindows per addpath anymore ('minimize & forget')
misc: unneeded check detects sample-only sets in rompath and viceversa

fixed: very poor performance when background tasks exist running in IDLE mode
fixed: xml datfiles which may be parsable with a different engine.cfg aren't listed in the profiler
fixed: datfile's forcemerge mode didn't affect merger
fixed: addpath removes created empty rebuilder destination folder, so following addpaths fail
fixed: xml dats with size="-" are wrongly parsed

[alcoatjez]

Nice
Thank you, Roman.

[TinyBilbo]

Can someone please explain how to use the 1G1R options in Clrmamepro please?
I was using romcenter and a 1G1R .txt before, So I'm a little unsure how to use clrmamepro.
I've dl'ed a dat from the Dat-O-Matic loaded it into clrmamepro, set the profile to default, added in the RomPath.
Then I've tried to enable the 1G1R option - but it remains grayed out, before and after scanning.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Bogy]

Can someone please explain how to use the 1G1R options in Clrmamepro please?
I was using romcenter and a 1G1R .txt before, So I'm a little unsure how to use clrmamepro.
I've dl'ed a dat from the Dat-O-Matic loaded it into clrmamepro, set the profile to default, added in the RomPath.
Then I've tried to enable the 1G1R option - but it remains grayed out, before and after scanning.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

You need a datfile which provides region/language tags. Only then the 1G1R mode can be toggled. Regions/Language can be activated and ordered in the combo box at the top left of the settings window. Rest is common clrmamepro usage. So...first of all you need a datfile supporting the release/region/language tags (which were introduced with 3.114 and that long old thread on the old nointro forum....)

[TinyBilbo]

You need a datfile which provides region/language tags.....
So...first of all you need a datfile supporting the release/region/language tags
(which were introduced with 3.114 and that long old thread on the old nointro forum....)

I thought it might the .dat itself, but I was'nt too sure. Thanks for clearing that up.

Does the Dat-O-Matic provide a .dat with the correct tags?,
because I've already tried a few combinations of language, + regions.

If it does what should I be selecting? because I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks

[Bogy]

You need a datfile which provides region/language tags.....
So...first of all you need a datfile supporting the release/region/language tags
(which were introduced with 3.114 and that long old thread on the old nointro forum....)

I thought it might the .dat itself, but I was'nt too sure. Thanks for clearing that up.

Does the Dat-O-Matic provide a .dat with the correct tags?,
because I've already tried a few combinations of language, + regions.

If it does what should I be selecting? because I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks

well...I guess the Dat-O-Matic does the filtering for you on www server side.....and creates a datfile for your direct use. clrmamepro's language/region and 1G1R mode is like having the dat-o-matic inside cmpro. You load a general datfile holding all information and then you can either use the 1G1R mode to generate a new database internally based on your region/language selection or modify the prefered setname based on the order and activated languages.

So if you already have a filtered dat, it's simple the normal clrmamepro work (load datfile, setting up rom path, scan).

[TinyBilbo]

well...I guess the Dat-O-Matic does the filtering for you on www server side.....and creates a datfile for your direct use. clrmamepro's language/region and 1G1R mode is like having the dat-o-matic inside cmpro. You load a general datfile holding all information and then you can either use the 1G1R mode to generate a new database internally based on your region/language selection or modify the prefered setname based on the order and activated languages.

So if you already have a filtered dat, it's simple the normal clrmamepro work (load datfile, setting up rom path, scan).

Ok, I think I understand...., However I can't seem to achieve the same result as what I was doing before.

I used to load a full .dat into romcenter and then the US 1G1R .txt file and then select the sublist (1G1R),
This would filter out all the european, and japanese, (and other territories) (same title) games in preference of the US version.
I was left with a list with only the US version of any given game, unless that game did'nt exist in the US - in which case the game was J or whatever territory it came from.

Now when I select a .dat by language for lets say... English, French, + Japanese,
I am left with a .dat with all the versions of the same game,
also making a .dat by region of say... EU,US,+J - I have the same problem.
Is there any way to achieve what I was doing before?

Sorry If I seem to be having trouble with this - I have never used clrmamepro before and am finding it a little unfamilar

Thanks for your help (and quick replies )

[Bogy]

Now when I select a .dat by language for lets say... English, French, + Japanese,
I am left with a .dat with all the versions of the same game,
also making a .dat by region of say... EU,US,+J - I have the same problem.
Is there any way to achieve what I was doing before?

Well, without turning on the 1G1R mode you of course end with a dat with all version. In normal mode, the language/region settings will only influence the name of the set when using full merge operations.

Turning on the 1G1R mode will keep all parentonly sets and from parent-with-clones it either keeps the parent or one of the clones based on the region/language settings.

Hope you can see the old nointro messageboard thread soon...

[resxto]

Hi bogy, I have my roms compressed in 7z-format. I want to have my roms sorted like this:

parent folder
- parent.7z
- clone1.7z
- clone2.7z

Is there any way to get clrmamepro sorting my roms like this?

[Bogy]

There is a way to achieve this, however some restrictions:

- there is no 7zip WRITE support (only read is supported).
- this storing method doesn't fit in the supported standard storing method which is:
rompath/setname/file 1...file n for decompressed sets or
rompath/setname.zip (.rar/.7z) for compressed sets.

Since the folder layout differs, you won't be able to scan these sets.

However you could use the rebuilder advanced options "Destination Prestring" and the use of variables to define a prestring based on the parent setname...but then it will still create zip files or decompressed files only.

Your storing method is a way ...hmm...weird

[resxto]

Your storing method is a way ...hmm...weird

Currently I've got every game (from my DS set) in a separate 7z Archive for maximum compression.

I would use "rompath/setname.zip (.rar/.7z) for compressed sets" and then recompress each zip to 7z, but I haven't got enough HDD space to store the games only in zip archives.

If I'd use "rompath/setname/file 1...file n for decompressed sets" the HDD space too would be exhausted in a few minutes.

[kazumi213]

well...I guess the Dat-O-Matic does the filtering for you on www server side.....and creates a datfile for your direct use. clrmamepro's language/region and 1G1R mode is like having the dat-o-matic inside cmpro. You load a general datfile holding all information and then you can either use the 1G1R mode to generate a new database internally based on your region/language selection or modify the prefered setname based on the order and activated languages.

So if you already have a filtered dat, it's simple the normal clrmamepro work (load datfile, setting up rom path, scan).

Ok, I think I understand...., However I can't seem to achieve the same result as what I was doing before.

I used to load a full .dat into romcenter and then the US 1G1R .txt file and then select the sublist (1G1R),
This would filter out all the european, and japanese, (and other territories) (same title) games in preference of the US version.
I was left with a list with only the US version of any given game, unless that game did'nt exist in the US - in which case the game was J or whatever territory it came from.

Now when I select a .dat by language for lets say... English, French, + Japanese,
I am left with a .dat with all the versions of the same game,
also making a .dat by region of say... EU,US,+J - I have the same problem.
Is there any way to achieve what I was doing before?

Sorry If I seem to be having trouble with this - I have never used clrmamepro before and am finding it a little unfamilar

Thanks for your help (and quick replies )

First of all, I would like to thank you Roman for including 1G1R support on CMPro. I've tested it with both GBA and NDS P/C DATs and it works as expected, and it works really fast. Good job. Thanks again for your time

@TinyBilbo

I assume you are dealing with NDS P/C DAT and trying to reproduce the "old" USA 1G1R list using the new CMPro 1G1R feature. Steps:

- Download the NDS XML DAT. This is the new P/C DAT which includes the required region info to be able to merge by region preference or use 1G1R feature in CMPro.
- Load the DAT in CMPro as usual.
- Go to "Settings" panel and set your "ROM Paths".
- Now from the Settings panel dropdown box select "Regions". Click on "Select All" button (IMPORTANT) and finally use the tiny arrow buttons below to move up/down a given region (first click on it to select) and sort the region list according to your preference. Top of the list has the highest priority. So to reproduce the "old" USA 1G1R list, just be sure first 3 regions (starting from top) are USA, EUR, JPN. Finally click on "1G1R mode" radio button.
- Go to "Scanner" panel. When you perform a scan, CMPro will only scan the ROMs on the 1G1R list you've previously setup, as when you use an 1G1R DAT.

Hope this helps.

[Powerpuff]

Thank you Bogy/Roman and kazumi213 for your works and your explanations: very useful!

@resxto :
I undersand your HDD storage space problem. However I may be wrong but I don't think your solution is the best.
I do agree 7z is better than zip format! But if you want to save space, why storing each game (parents and clones) in separate files instead of merging them?
* I think a split set is efficient and saves space for "Chipset ROM" flies (such as MAME's) where each game is composed by a set of files reproducing the original hardware. In this case, parents and clones share common files and having a split set store the games separetly but only keep the files that differ between parents and clones in the archives.
* But if you apply this method for "single file" ROM set, it isn't as efficient and you lose space. If they are stored separately parents and clones shares informations that are repeted in each clone archives since ROM images are single files that can't be destrutured. In this case a merged set seems more efficient, for each games parent and clones are stored in the same archive. I don't know exactly how 7-Zip works but it's very great : an archive composed by parents and clones has almost the same size that the one containing only a parent or a clone.

[resxto]

@ powerpuff

Sure, if I merge the set I'd save even more space, but then again, I'm unsure about the size of the merged set (if I'd use zip archives).

Anyone tried this? At the moment, my nearly full DS set in 7z is 47.652.857.624 Bytes.