Dziuber's WIP

[dziuber]

Hi

I am back and renaming. I have done some work (corrections and additions) on following dats:

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Applications - [SCL]
Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Demos - [SCL]
Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Educational - [SCL]
Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Games - [SCL]
Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Magazines - [SCL]
Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Sources

I also started work on:
IBM PC Compatibles - Diskimages - 3.5''
IBM PC Compatibles - Diskimages - 5.25''

Latest will be merged to:
IBM PC Compatibles - Games - [IMA]

And I have two questions:
1. Should I keep information about disk size (3.5 or 5.25) in new dat? Other IMA dats keeps it only if software was available on both types of disks.
2. What is best:
    Wolfenstein 3D (1992)(id Software).ima
    Wolfenstein 3D (1992)(Apogee Software).ima
    Wolfenstein 3D (1992)(id Software - Apogee Software).ima
    id was developer, Apogee publisher.

dz

[Maddog]

We go with publisher, not developer.
Apart from some relatively rare cases where the developer co-published the game or just used another company as a distributor, usually to reach a faraway market. Eg Rayman 2 for Dreamcast in Japan was published with an UbiSoft publishing code, but with the help and distribution of Sega. In these cases, both companies are mentioned. In your case, it's probably Apogee only. If you have information that makes it proper to go with co-published, companies go in alphabetic order so it should be (Apogee - ID) and not (ID - Apogee).

I agree that if software was only available in one type of disk, adding the 3.5" or 5.25" to the filename is not necessary. It doesn't add anything to the functionality or provide any additional help in telling the dump apart from any other dump.
BTW, it's nice that someone is working on PC Floppy dats again.

[dziuber]

Thanks for answer.

I need some more advice. I working now on IBM PC Compatibles - Operating Systems - [IMA] and I am not sure how to rename IBM PC DOS images. Due to ver command versions from 1 to 3 were released as IBM Personal Computer DOS, The, versions 4 and 5 as IBM DOS, version 6 and later as IBM PC DOS. Can I rename all of them to IBM PC DOS?

dz

[Maddog]

I am not very familiar with this, so maybe not understanding fully.
What do you mean by "Due to ver command..."? There is some command that will display the version and the names you mention come from that?

In my opinion it is always better to go with what is displayed on the front cover of any software. There are many examples where the front cover title and what is displayed when running the software are not the same. My opinion is that what takes precedence is what you would see displayed on a store room when buying the software. Others might think otherwise, so probably using best judgement is the best advice.

If cover is not known/available, go with what the software reports. Don't arbitrarily change it because it seems "nicer" or more convenient.
If the software was first named IBM Personal Computer DOS, then IBM DOS, filenames should reflect that difference. Even if it feels silly, it is what the maker used, so we use the same.

[dziuber]

I am still not sure if
IBM PC Compatibles - Diskimages - 3.5''
IBM PC Compatibles - Diskimages - 5.25''
should be merged.
Keeping above sets disjoined makes collection a bit clearer. If I put all files in one directory it looks bad because flag with image size in at the end of name add files from different sets are mixed, for example:
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 1 of 4)[vid thcemv][720k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 1 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 2 of 4)[vid thcemv][720k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 2 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 3 of 4)[vid thcemv][720k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 3 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 4 of 4)[vid thcemv][720k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 4 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 5 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 6 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 7 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 8 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima
Code Name Iceman (1989)(Sierra On-Line)(Disk 9 of 9)[vid thcemv][360k].ima

If there are also [a] sets it goes much worse.

So I leave these sets splited. I will only change their names to:
IBM PC Compatibles - Games 3.5'' - [IMA]
IBM PC Compatibles - Games 5.25'' - [IMA]

Any comments?

dz

[Maddog]

If it's more proper or more convenient for any reason to keep them separate, by all means do so. If they have a different property like inches of the disc, it can be used to differentiate, even if they are all floppies.

Other datters have done basically the same thing in cases like C64 Games - Boulder Dash and C64 Games - SEUCK. They are all Games, but since they have another common attribute (like being all Games created with SEUCK), dat creator decided to keep them in separate dats.
I did the same with Dreamcast Games, where dat was splitted in JP, US and PAL games due to massive size of dataset.

[PandMonium]

@dziuber sent you an invite to our chat so all people working in Spectrum can get in sync