Author Topic: Amstrad CPC  (Read 2448 times)

Offline VDU

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Amstrad CPC
« on: October 02, 2020, 02:33:28 PM »
Hi.

How to contribute ?

TOSEC for Amstrad are very old.
I've time and I take a look for it for myself.

I use Romvault and I notice that there is a lot of miising roms.
Also missplaced, wrong name...

A lot.

I do a lot of corrections, modifications and adds to this TOSEC (ALL).

Is there someone who manage TOSEC for the AMSTRAD CPC ?

If not, I'll be happy to contribute.
I post for TOSEC-PIX about Amstradhebdo.
There is a lot of job to do also for french magazines.








Offline mictlantecuhtle

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2020, 02:47:03 PM »
Hey, thanks for your interest in contributing! I don't believe anyone is currently actively working on Amstrad CPC - the last person to make any changes was me and that was just to add a few submissions from another contributor.

If you have created updated DAT files with your changes and additions, just post a link to these here (note: please don't post links to any actual files here) and I'll download them and have a look and let you know of any feedback on them. If you need help with creating the DAT files, happy to help out with doing that too.

Look forward to seeing your work!

Offline VDU

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2020, 10:45:08 AM »
Ok, I prepare that.

I'm ok to work with XML file, but I'm not a programmer, I use Notepad++.
Using Clrmame_pro to build a temporary DAT file.
Copy/paste in the right place with notepad++

For my own purpose I split the Game DSK TOSEC into 5 different files. Files can be merge to create one.
Again, I create a special one, "Amstrad CPC - Magazines - [DSK]", because when I read an old magazine I want to know rapidely if I have the software.
I also post in TOSEC PIX about french issues Amstradhebdo (CPC and PCW).
This TOSEC will be join.

Thx to all the team for all the TOSEC to help me to make order in all my old stuff.




Offline mictlantecuhtle

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2020, 02:56:24 PM »
That sounds pretty much how I create my files as well, so no problem there - look forward to seeing them.

I don't deal with the PIX stuff but I will mention this to Aral who is in charge of that and see what he would like to do regarding the issues of Amstradhebdo.

Offline VDU

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2020, 04:33:29 PM »

It take time, but here you can find the files that I work on.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t4kavxkdmvaxfkr/TOSECAmstradCPC-2020-10-17.zip?dl=0

New TOSEC for HFE file (game).

1 game inside "Imperial Mahjong (2016)(CargoSoft)"
Found a lot of error, I correct them and move it if necessary.
Add lot of DSK, Lankhor, MBC....

All seem good.
I join a snapshot of my RomVault.
So you can see I miss some files. I try to found them when I can, but it takes time.

I'm testing a Command Shell Windows to rename files I found (Good Tool name If I'm right).
Use of Clrmamepro for creating the Dat for new entry.


I add a "Blank Disk", this is for my own purpose, you can delete it (OS DSK).
Need to improve that for (Data, CPM, etc...), so this is a work in progress.

I think my process is good to integrate new files, but I need to have them. So I take a tour on internet to found it.
I think I update again the files and share the result here.

Enjoy.

Offline VDU

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2020, 01:36:33 PM »

New versions.

Lots of change. Add some dsk.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1i184yv9kky3qro/Amstrad-TOSEC-20201102.zip?dl=0

In compilation, the compilation Dsk are useless.
It's piracy dsk of games and utilities, it take time to explore all the 306 dsk.
I put them in another dat file.

Same with Robot PD dsk.
Need to explore all of them to know what's inside.
Apparently, there is programs that are not for Amstrad CPC.
Big work to sort all.

Add a XXX dat file, this is for Adult Only, Adult content.
In my opinion this is important for people who want to avoid Adult Content for their children.

See you next big update.









Offline Maddog

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2020, 02:45:31 PM »

In compilation, the compilation Dsk are useless.
It's piracy dsk of games and utilities, it take time to explore all the 306 dsk.
I put them in another dat file.

Same with Robot PD dsk.
Need to explore all of them to know what's inside.
Apparently, there is programs that are not for Amstrad CPC.
Big work to sort all.

Add a XXX dat file, this is for Adult Only, Adult content.
In my opinion this is important for people who want to avoid Adult Content for their children.


Even if they are pirate, they are still compilations technically. It doesn't matter if they were not released officially, as these kind of pirate discs are allowed in TOSEC normally and we want them in the dats.

For adult titles, I believe that it's probably better to mark them in [more info] flag as [adult content] than making a separate dat for them. But if the majority prefers a separate dat, we can have one. So far in TOSEC we have not been separating this type of content.
Also very importantly, how exactly is adult content defined? Nudity? Porn? Violence? Drugs? Horror? All of them?

Again IMHO, it's hypocritic to separate nudity/porno titles but happily leave stuff like NARC or Mortal Kombat inside the regular dat, with all their blood and gore if we are supposed to be trying to protect children from viewing stuff not intended for their ages.
And what would you do with something like Jack the Ripper from CRL??? This game carries an official "18" rating. Should we try to protect our children from that as well and remove it from regular dat?

My opinion is that this is an endless rabbit hole and we should not go there at all.

Offline mictlantecuhtle

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2020, 03:15:50 PM »
I agree on both counts. If it is felt there is sufficient need for it on the compilation disks, it may be helpful for example to separate these into something like e.g. "Official" and "Unofficial" categories, but I would really only tend to do that where things are becoming completely unmanageable. I think duncantwain has had to do that a bit with the C64 dats for example just because there are literally hundreds of thousands of images.

In terms of adult content, absolutely we should not be separating this out. Our job is to preserve and database software as it was released, and part of the history of computing is that there was a lot of adult stuff released - some official, some unofficial. There are very rare cases where something is extremely illegal or immoral that we would want to avoid including it in (or remove it from) the dats, but in general it's not our place to make moral judgements. It is also impossible to judge, as Maddog says, what should count as adult content or not, so adult titles should stay in mainline dats.

Offline Cassiel

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2020, 04:55:04 PM »
Totally agree with both too...

Offline VDU

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2020, 04:12:44 PM »
OK.

I share a processs to help for have correct naming, so that's why I separate file.
This is not official TOSEC.
It's just more confortable to work for me.
Juste have more than 33.000+ files to analyse.... long work.

Maddog is true. How to evaluate.
For [XXX] the best way is to add something like it exist for game content classification :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_content_rating_system
like [18+]
Adapted from the original publication with the country.
I'm french and we have PEGI
So for a french production this will [PEGI 18], lot's of french production on Amstrad.
[PEGI 18] at the end of the name file.

Another way.

Slideshow ?
Where to put them, no game, no utilities, etc...
It's slideshow.
I suggest a DAT file for that.

Music.
Same Slideshow.
The DSK are just like a JukeBoxe.

Fanzine DSK
Same, they are "Digital Publication".
Not PIX. They are not PDF (or any other, txt, epub...)
Need also a separate dat file.

Books Content.
Compilation or Game or ?
Name of the book (it's seem that's current for what I've).
I've a DAT for that too, but for Work process.
Ex for book :
"Hacia la inteligencia artificial con Amstrad (1985)(Indescomp S.A.)(ES)(es)[bug].dsk"
Extremly rare DSK.

Magazines content.
Same books.
I've a DAT for that too, for work process.


Robot PD.
Need an external file for those who search for something.
But, some Robot PD are just simple copy of other publication.

Ex:
No 10200        Artificial intelligence
It's a compilation of "AI" programme like ELiza.
Ok for Compilation made by Robot PD.
Probably need to be renamed
Artificial Intelligence - Robot PD 10200 (19xx)...
like
XXXXX - issue NN ()....

19000 to 19311
They are just a redistribution of Fanzine (see above).

24200
XLisp, redistribution.

etc.


Work in progress.

Thx.
















Offline VDU

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Re: Amstrad CPC
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2020, 06:38:11 PM »
Some examples of what I mean and mictlantecuhtle suggestion :

Apple II - Magazines - [DSK] (TOSEC-v2020-10-26_CM).dat
Commodore Amiga - Demos - Slideshows (TOSEC-v2020-07-12_CM).dat
Commodore Amiga - Games - Public Domain - [ADF] (TOSEC-v2020-06-30_CM).dat
Commodore C64 - Compilations - Diskmags - [D64] (TOSEC-v2020-04-28_CM).dat
Commodore C64 - Diskmags - Commercial - [ARC] (TOSEC-v2020-02-01_CM).dat
Commodore C64 - Docs - [NIB] (TOSEC-v2018-12-16_CM).dat
Commodore C64 - Public Domain - [D64] (TOSEC-v2019-04-23_CM).dat

CPC DAT are poor.

I think we need to improove CPC DAT.


I suggest :

Amstrad CPC - Demos - Slideshows - [DSK] (TOSEC-v2020-mm-dd_CM).dat
Amstrad CPC - Demos - Musics - [DSK] (TOSEC-v2020-mm-dd_CM).dat
Amstrad CPC - Public Domain - [DSK] (TOSEC-v2020-mm-dd_CM).dat
Amstrad CPC - Diskmags - Commercial - [DSK] (TOSEC-v2020-mm-dd_CM).dat
Amstrad CPC - Magazines - [DSK] (TOSEC-v2020-mm-dd_CM).dat
...


Thx