Poll: Should No-Intro split unlicensed ROMs into separate DATs from licensed ROMs?

[Flashfire42]

Then you would need a strict licensed/unlicensed split. And for example for famicom there was no licensing programe as strict as in the West. Or you would have Tengen releases in both if they were sold as both. It just brings questions you need to answer before the split.

Hm, interesting, so Tengen used to sell unlicensed Famicom games, then they got a license later?

Yes. Licensed and Unlicensed isnt an easy split for a lot of systems

[Hiccup]

Licensed and Unlicensed isnt an easy split for a lot of systems

What other examples are there of this?

Btw, I think the split could just be putting homebrew and modern unlicensed carts in a separate dat. Since those make up the large influx of stuff that traditionally wasn't included in the dat.

For those that want combined dat, DoM could allow users to download one that's made from combining the two dats automatically.

[KingMike]

Hm, interesting, so Tengen used to sell unlicensed Famicom games, then they got a license later?

Tengen did not publish on the Famicom. They did publish in Japan on the Mega Drive, and maybe PC-Engine.
Though several Tengen games got "licensed" releases on the Famicom by other publishers (publishers that were endorsed by Nintendo).

Notably, Tengen did sell its first three NES games through a Nintendo license, before Nintendo revoked it.
(thus Gauntlet and RBI Baseball got redacted from the "official" releases list. And Pac-Man's USA release got changed from its original 1988 Tengen licensed version (dated 1987 but the Internet claims to have found 1988 to be more accurate) to the 1993 Namco reprint as the new "official" release date.)
Probably additionally since Tengen reprinted all three games on unlicensed black carts, is why Nintendo redacted them.

[omonim2007]

One of the typical cases of "transformation" of unlicensed games into licensed ones is the situation between Sega and Accolade. Everything is so confusing. It got to the point that some versions of the games came out before the court decision and are unlicensed, and the next revision of the cartridge is already licensed. Sega vs Electronic Arts and reverse engineering issue is also worthy of note. There were a lot of such cases in 1980-1990.

[Hiccup]

I think making the homebrew/aftermarket stuff separate would solve the issue for most people - we don't need to do a full unlicensed split, especially as unlicensed stuff has been in the DATs for a while.

Btw, I think it may be worth remembering that the previous status quo was to not have homebrew in the dat at all, so I don't think its that controversial to split it into separate dats.

[Loggan08]

Implement the split option, it would be useful for admin users who distribute these things.

[Arctic Circle System]

I think making the homebrew/aftermarket stuff separate would solve the issue for most people - we don't need to do a full unlicensed split, especially as unlicensed stuff has been in the DATs for a while.

Btw, I think it may be worth remembering that the previous status quo was to not have homebrew in the dat at all, so I don't think its that controversial to split it into separate dats.

I don't understand what the issue is. As I've mentioned, every issue with it I can think of can either be fixed by improving the website itself, has nothing to do with No-Intro as a project, or boils down to complaints about having to click one more time. If keeping homebrew in the main dats causes issues that have to do with No-Intro as a project and aren't problems with the DoM website rather than the organization of the dats themselves, then moving homebrew and/or aftermarket games from the main dats can be discussed. In addition, there's still significant controversy as to when the (Homebrew), (Unl), (Pirate), and (Aftermarket) tags should be used in the first place. If the very definition of homebrew is controversial, then I don't see how it isn't controversial to separate homebrew into a separate set of dats. ~Red

[dreimer]

Implement the split option, it would be useful for admin users who distribute these things.

If someone really thinks he has to distribute ROM-Packs, it's his doing and not ours. If this special person then complains about too many differences a day, it's his problem and not ours. And if he stops doing that then... Maybe it's better that way.

As I already said and now get a nice reminder here... If the split has a REAL reason, sure. If it's for these ppl mentioned here... I would prefer that we have EVEN MOAR updates in every dat per day.

I think that some splits we have in no-intro are quite questionable already. But do we need even more? These dats should go after the ROM type IMO, not if they are Betas, pirates, homebrews or whatever else. If it's a SFC file, there is ONE DAT to verify it and not a handful.

But I am just saying the same again I already did a while ago, so... I am silent now ^^

[Hiccup]

Implement the split option, it would be useful for admin users who distribute these things.

What do you mean?

[KingMike]

As I already said and now get a nice reminder here... If the split has a REAL reason, sure. If it's for these ppl mentioned here... I would prefer that we have EVEN MOAR updates in every dat per day.

I remember one fan translator, in response to GoodTools cataloging ROM hacks and fan translations, suggested distributing a patch through a custom patcher which would randomize some bit of junk data, just to help generate an infinite number of "variations".
(many years before Randomizer utilities were a thing, though I guess those have accomplished that now)

[Fugus]

My personal view is a bit different from this thread. The DATs should be split but not along those lines.

Have 1 DAT that is all the official and unliscenced games released on a system along with any beta's or prototypes on them, basically the stuff that was actually released on the system during it's lifetime.

Then have another DAT which is nothing but Aftermarket and Homebrew stuff.

The first DAT would eventually get completed and marked as such and pinned. The second DAT is one that realistically can never officially be finished as people still release stuff for them for fun.

[Arctic Circle System]

My personal view is a bit different from this thread. The DATs should be split but not along those lines.

Have 1 DAT that is all the official and unliscenced games released on a system along with any beta's or prototypes on them, basically the stuff that was actually released on the system during it's lifetime.

Then have another DAT which is nothing but Aftermarket and Homebrew stuff.

The first DAT would eventually get completed and marked as such and pinned. The second DAT is one that realistically can never officially be finished as people still release stuff for them for fun.

Is there any particular reason why it should be split, though? We probably won't find every prototype and beta of every non-aftermarket game either, there's always going to be more that are undumped. I doubt the non-aftermarket dats will ever truly be complete. ~Red

[Hiccup]

Does anyone object to putting thinks back how they were for many years? I.e. "homebrew" of any kind (digital stuff or small-print run physical stuff) in the main dat? I think that's a "conservative" split that could be made, especially as there wasn't a consensus for adding that in the first place. I think there are advantages both in terms of having a "clean looking dat", as well as preservation/organisational advantages, as the dumping and datting of physical stuff and digital stuff is quite a different process.

[Flashfire42]

Does anyone object to putting thinks back how they were for many years? I.e. no digital homebrew in the main dat? I think that's a "conservative" split that could be made, especially as there wasn't a consensus for adding that in the first place. I think there are advantages both in terms of having a "clean looking dat", as well as preservation/organisational advantages, as the dumping and datting of physical stuff and digital stuff is quite a different process.

So, our 2 options now are removing items from the dat or split the dat?

[Hiccup]

So, our 2 options now are removing items from the dat or split the dat?

I don't think anyone wants to remove the data from datomatic.