openMenu Alpha 1

[mrneo240]

Just updated my 2015 GDEMU firmware to try this today! Very nice work! Thank you! I just wish you could use the 0GDTEX.PVR (like GDmenu) for random releases with no cover art, instead of the default image. But very cool!

Indeed, true. The above would need to be implemented to be a full-featured menu system or crowd-sourcing for the cover art or the ability to make your own auxiliary DAT file. Otherwise, it's best with retail gd-rom titles.

My thought is to make a community github repo people can submit images along with metadata along with mock-serials (e.g. "QUAKE_IAN" or "KZD_DRIVING") so that the community can help tag lots of homebrew and things.

I have a large amount of artwork saved but without knowing how to name and catalogue its mostly unhelpful.

As always, if anyone wants to put effort into this, i can invite you to the google spreadsheet if youd like to add homebrew and decide on these mock-serials

[CORE316]

You can already use Custom Artwork whether a Disc or Cover!

@mrneo240 has released the Tools to do so a few Posts Back so you can Make Your Own Auxilary DAT File.

Further more I think Correct me if im Wrong but Dat Files are used instead of having Folders or Groups of Images for example JPG/PNG because they would Fill RAM.

Besides it is still in Development and is turning out to be pretty Awesome.

[mrneo240]

i might have forgotten to give you the names but
ICON_EX.DAT and BOX_EX.DAT are what they need to be called. they live next to ICON.DAT and BOX.DAT
ICON image size is 128x128 pvr, and BOX image size is 256x256

also heres stbconv (linux + windows, 2 version (both identical-ish)), a simple to use libre replacement for pvrconv.exe from sega.
currently it supports a single conversion (just the format openMenu reads, how convenient lol)

use it like this

Code: Select all

stbconv_smallargs -t -5 -nm -gi 1001 *.bmp

it should/might read other things than bmp but i use bmp with it and no problems

[CORE316]

@mrneo240 Thanks for the Tools im currently Rebuilding my Collection Literally GDIs/CDIs and trying to learn bits n bobs as I go along I will Post back here if any issues with Tools or rather Help as it more than likely by my own Error lol

[mrneo240]

okay friends,
thanks to sonik-br new version of GDMENUCardManager and a call to action!

Look at all this empty space where your favorite Homebrew/Indie/Translation could be sitting!
We need your help!


GDMENUCardManager will now support editing the serial (or toss it in serial.txt next to the gdi to automatically load).
It has never been easier to simply tag your homebrew collection and get decent image/metadata without rebuilding or touching the image at all


viva!

[legolas119]

great! With this new version, i will be able by myself to add the missing covers of my collection?

[MoeFoh]

As a design thought, I'd like the unlicensed retail games (not cheat discs) to have official image and meta support.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... brew_games

I was looking at the info from redump.org. Found multiple titles using T0000. Not good. Maybe read CRC in IP.BIN to identify image.

http://redump.org/discs/system/dc/sort/added/dir/desc/

Another DAT of just the unlicensed could be created to handle this.

So we would have 3 dats for info:
1-Main DAT for gd-rom retail.
2-Unlicensed retail DAT.
3-User DAT for everything else (user could get info from spreadsheet).

mrneo would need to write a single Windows GUI app to handle the User DAT creation/editing part.

With this design there could be art and meta for ALL titles.

[mrneo240]

Ideally everyone would be using the same base metadata dat so it doesn't get fragmented. ANYONE is open to submit things or help.

Also there seems to be a minor disconnect between me and y'all.

Gdmenucardmanager and openMenu are separate things but related.

The functionality of either doesn't really affect the other. It just makes it easier/exposed in a graphical way.

The idea is for homebrew you "change" the serial to some common agreed moniker in a way that is nondestructive to the actual disc image. This way say there's 20 versions of a Genesis emulator all with different serials you could say the serial is HB_GENS4A and it would be recognized as Gens4All

Is that clear?

[MoeFoh]

Ideally everyone would be using the same base metadata dat so it doesn't get fragmented. ANYONE is open to submit things or help.

Also there seems to be a minor disconnect between me and y'all.

Gdmenucardmanager and openMenu are separate things but related.

The functionality of either doesn't really affect the other. It just makes it easier/exposed in a graphical way.

The idea is for homebrew you "change" the serial to some common agreed moniker in a way that is nondestructive to the actual disc image. This way say there's 20 versions of a Genesis emulator all with different serials you could say the serial is HB_GENS4A and it would be recognized as Gens4All

Is that clear?

There's no disconnect. Three DAT files is all we need. Make the user responsible for the ones not official in the release. But, we would need you to write an app to handle the user DAT case and to update the code to use all 3 DAT's.

It better than GDMENU, which has no way to add cover art if there is no PVR. You end up downloading a version with cover art i.e. the dubcity collection to get cover art with GDMENU.

[mrneo240]

At most I could see a main and a custom dat but ideally whoever would be interested in making a custom one would submit info back to the main source.
That way it can benefit everyone and everyone is using an agreed upon serial for it.

Currently in the spreadsheet there is:
Official usa (complete)
Official pal (complete)
Official jap (80/652)
Atomiswave (complete)
Unlicensed/homebrew/unreleased/translation (2/∞)