Hello,
Thank you for your replies.
Can you give us an example set originaly released as a read/write media then translated and converted to a ROM?
Well,if you don't mind, I'll give you an example of a catridge release whose rom image was translated as rom and dsk images: originally released in catridge format/media type:
catridge dump (original dump unknown so no [!])
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(MSX1)(JP).rom
rom format translation
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(MSX1)(JP)[tr en A&L Soft][ROM version].rom
flasROM format translation
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(MSX1)(JP)[tr en A&L Soft][flashROM version].rom
disk translation
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(MSX1)(JP)[tr en A&L Soft][dsk].zip
zipped files:
PARODIUS.0
PARODIUS.1
PARODIUS.2
PARODIUS.3
PARODIUS.4
PARODIUS.5
PARODIUS.6
PARODIUS.7
PARODIUS.8
PARODIUS.BAS
As you suggested I've been giving a close look at Nintendo Famicom & Entertainment System - Games TOSEC dat lists all videogames according to extension and places original as well translations together so...
Options I can think of:
1.- Place all MSX1 videogames, translations, patches, whatever in the same say TOSEC MSX/VARIOUS/ROMS folder so then...
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(JP).rom
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(JP)[tr en A&L Soft][ROM version].rom
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(JP)[tr en A&L Soft][flashROM version].rom
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(JP)[tr en A&L Soft][dsk].zip
However, can any user learn from the filenaming in the above 4 filenames what media type the videogame was released as? Definitely not. A rename like say:
Parodius - Tako Saves Earth (1988)(Konami)(JP)(Cartridge)[tr en A&L Soft][dsk].zip
would be definitely more informative. That's my point in say lobbying for the importance of the original media type. Please, observe, I do respect and highly appreciate the work you all have been doing here in TOSEC. So no angry views at all.
Take one more example from current TOSEC MSX/MSX/VARIOUS/DSK
Camelot Warriors (1986)(Dinamic Software)(es).dsk
Two issues about this filename: one, missing country code instead of language code so...
Camelot Warriors (1986)(Dinamic Software)(ES).dsk
second, from that filenaming and folder sorting you might think this videogame was released in disc format when it was actually released as a tape.
If I follow my criterium, I'd rename it to
Camelot Warriors (1986)(Dinamic Software)(ES)(Tape).dsk
That way, we know that even this videogame in this example is a .dsk image, the original one was released as a tape. I hope I made myself clear this time
Please, correct me if I'm wrong but maybe not so much importance has been given to an original media type since in systems such as NES, SNES, MASTER SYSTEM, NDS to name four that come to my mind now, software was/(is?) released in catridge format. So there is no doubt about original media type format in those systems. However, there was more variety in 8-bit computing and in the case of MSX I can think right now of the following media type formats:
tape
disc
catridge
soft cards, hardware by Electric Software, Reisware
beecards, hardware by Hudson Soft
laser disc
As I pointed to PandMonium I guess I'm casting a view of myself as being "more royalist than the king" as the saying goes but the issue is keeping record of original media type as being useful even for historical reasons, not trying to be pretemptious, if we want forthcoming generations to learn more about a particular piece of software by reading the filename, out of context, on its own.
In other order of things, I've seen in the TOSEC dats filenames like...
Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)[o].zip
Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)[o2].zip
TOSEC NC only mentions
[o]
. However, that unofficial [o2] is shorter than
Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)[o].zip
Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)[o][v2].zip
I've seen the same with with [h2]. Any opinions? I think it's unofficial but character-saving.Yes, I'm interested too in character-economy
Well I don't really see a need for the info of the original media type, if you do it in MSX we would have to do it in all DATs that got different file formats.
Well, please observe I don't want you to feel with me it's like "loosing a bull in a china shop". My view is definitely positive and constructive.
And yes, I should have made a difference between disk and .dsk .img .ima and so on. Your reasoning is sound Tkaos, no objections
As far as I know there's no flag in TNC for describing original media type. If you are 100% sure about it you can use the More Info flag if you feel it's essential.
Well, that's a a key issue from my viewpoint. Nothing that cannot be solved with current TOSEC specs, though. Maybe anyone feels that could be added as a new feature to TOSEC NC? After all, I don't think it'd be that difficult. Look:
Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US).zip
Use your preferred bulk filerenamer and rename (US) to (US)(Tape). How many countries in a dat? Then, that many renames. No need to go one by one at all. Just a thought, tough.
Greetings,