WHDLoad Dat Release v0.1

[CodyJarrett]

After much work by BippyM and Antiriad, release 0.1 of the WHDLoad Dat is here!

This Dat is for ClrMamePro at the moment and will sort your collection of images/files for WHDLoad.

The installs with subdirs aren't supported at the moment, but will be added when ClrMamePro supports subdirs.

Remember - the WHDLoad Dat creators won't supply the images and files - but you can find them on FTPs or other weird places.

Bippy has uploaded a file to the Zone which contains the DAT, as well as icons which were fixed because of tooltype problems and other files.

And... if you haven't registered WHDLoad yet, but use it, then REGISTER NOW!

[adolescent]

How/what does this compare? I have a lot of WHDLoad games but I'm not sure what this would do? Does it simply check the DISK.1.. etc files, or the complete installs, or ???

[CodyJarrett]

It sorts your installs into zip files containing all that is necessary to run the game.

e.g. for 1943...

1943 - The Battle For Midway (1987) (Probe) [pa BSL] [pv 1.9]

...the zip would include:

1943.bin
1943.hsc
1943.info
1943.readme
1943.slave
1943.readme.info
1943_newicon.info
Disk.1

[adolescent]

Ok, that makes sense. What about things like save games, and changed tooltypes? Does it just do a filename compare on the .info files and a CRC on the disk images?

I might have to give this thing a try.

[CodyJarrett]

Your own save game disks and changed icons won't be recognised - only the original save disks and icons produced by the install (unless the installed icons had problems e.g. bad tooltypes and were changed by the DAT compilers - in this case, they are available in the archive in the Zone).

It works on CRC - it's simply a DAT like the ones used in ROM Renamers.

[BippyM]

Basically the dat will recognise a complete install for a game.

You will need the following to accurately rebuild the games:

The correct install from the WHD website
The image file for the game (the one supported by the dat)
The icon file contained within the dat archive.

How it worked was we took an installed game and deleted the WHDload part, just leaving the imagefiles, next we downloaded all the WHDInstalls from the WHD site and copied over all the needed files (slave, icons, readme etc..).

We then tested the game, if it worked we included it in the dat, renamed it and hoopla.

Some games didn't work, they were either not WinUAE compatable or the imagefiles were broken, or simply the icon didn't point to the slave, or in the case of AGA and ECS games we had to rename the slave, which resulted in us having to change the icon tooltypes.

Either way any EDITED/FIXED icons are included within the datfile archive.

So basically once you rebuild and then unpack the archives the game should run (depending on WinUAE configs).

Any game we couldnt get working has the {b}ad flag (note this will be changing to the more recognised [b] flag in the next release).

----

We are hoping to get every proper installed/working game and every version of each game in the datfile. Yet at the same time we don't want to include games that have simply had their images changed by dubious saved games and hiscores.

You will note in the current dat there are alternate versions of some games (usually foreign versions). If we find an alternate version is included is simply different because of a highscore or whatever it will be deleted from the next release, this is to stop the dat being over-polluted with duped crap (like tosec), and will only reference proper working installs

----

Finally we wont host the actual imagefiles on our FTP's but they will be available on other FTP's I'm sure and alot are scattered about the net in general!

----

Any other questions don't hesitate to contact us.

Hope this clears 1 or 2 things up for you

[adolescent]

How are you guys handling old/new versions of the installs? (ie. have you cataloged the older versions of current installs using an [aX] name???)

[BippyM]

When we rename the game we use whichever version of the install is available on WHDLoad, if it gets updated we will simply update the archive respectivly and delete the older stuff.

For example

1943 - The Battle For Midway (1987) (Probe) [pa BSL] [pv 1.9]

is version 1.9 and the current dat says it is 1.9

if it gets an update the next dat release will also be updated so you might have

1943 - The Battle For Midway (1987) (Probe) [pa BSL] [pv 2.0]

instead.

Unfortunately we are unable to release the dat before the updated patch is released.. Basically it'll always be a waiting game!

There is no need (in our eyes) to support older installs as the newer ones should fix bugs etc.. We will however use an older install if the new one doesn't work or has bugs that interfere with the game

[[idoru]]

A nice first release of the dat Keep up the good work !

Don't hold your breath for subdir support in CMP, this was mentioned over a year ago. From what I gather there's not likely to be much work on CMP for a while either as Bogy is spending most of his time on his education. It'd be nice if I'm wrong though and it pops up soon(ish) - there's a lot of dats that could benefit from subdir support

[BippyM]

Thanks for your positive remarks [idoru] much appreciated, its good feedback that will keep this dat file going

I also hope CMP will get sub-folder support soon, I sent the dat and an explanation as to why nearly 600 games are missing to roman, and am awaiting a reply

I hear that Rom Centre supports sub folders, pit I cant find the program Dat Centre (which is meant to be on the site) so I can create a proper RC datfile

Thank-you

Bippy, Anty, Cody

[adolescent]

Where else can I obtain the dat? I didn't grab it before and it's gone from the Zone.

[Ian]

www.clrmame.com

In the datfile section

[Jambo]

Also on Jambo!

http://jambo.abime.net/downloads.php?viewdetail=19