Emrys3177
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Something I haven't bothered to ask, and maybe you don't know as you are in more of archive mode than testing mode, but how many of these platforms are actually useable on Big Box? I have been researching front ends a bit, and one of the dilemmas I am encountering is that each one tends to only support a limited number of cores (emulators). Each one tends to be a bit different. So, with you having over 700 systems now, are there ones that you have that currently don't run on Big Box?
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I'm guessing here, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but it may depend on the generation of the game files. I know there is some wizardry out there for file compression, but I suspect ultimately it boils down to what generation your game files belong to and what percentage are newer vs older files! I cited the Retrobeast a few posts back, and that catalog is 100K+ titles at 96TB of space. Of those 100K+ titles, at least 10% or more is comprised of PS3 era and newer games. That's a significant amount of large file titles. If the OP has 650K+ but most of what he has archived is for older computers, calculators, consoles AND it includes hacks or mods of those titles, that will utilize a lot less space. This is my theory anyway!
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It's not for sale. That's not the OP's agenda!
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The one unique thing about your collection that will make you an outlier is your inclusion of 'hacks & mods'. Purists will not see any benefit to this. And, it's a devisive strategy. However, I consider things like "Mega Man 3 for the PC, Nudalities for MKII, and level packs for Doom 2" to be examples of this same type of material. These have had and still have a place in our gaming history. The biggest challenge will be how one decides to organize and market that material. In the right light, I think this material can genuinely add flair to people's archive and playing experience.
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I wrote to them inquiring about access parameters to their archive about two months ago. I never received a response. While not the answer you were looking for, I do understand. Their board members are comprised of people that run other companies with a heavy hand in the gaming industry (Digital Eclipse being a big one). They're trying to change the game from the inside out, but the litigation surrounding copyrights and ownership for gaming in whole or part of digital media has been extremely wide and vague in scope for the first 40 years of gaming. It's a tumultuous undertaking to say in the very least. Barring some very creative piece of legislation being created in the near future, preservationists best bet is to acquire and save ROMs until the copyright license gets rendered open use. Sadly, that puts media created in the 1960s as only 'potentially' available in about 20 years from now! So, to the underground for the rest of us!
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Well, I finally ordered a replacement to a 14 year old laptop. I have been digging around on where to jump in for some time now. The new machine is still a laptop but a pretty beefy one with a mobile 4090 and Ryzen 9 7945HX. So, once I get it in and set up, I'd be very interested in connecting with you on how to add to this archive. I've read this thread a few times, and to be honest, there feels like a greater thrill in me at the prospect of organizing and collecting the data more than utilizing it. So, if you are open to some support, let me know. Maybe we can connect on where to put the archive and start working in different directions for compiling material you haven't archived yet?
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I have been researching different front ends to use for starting my own library. Several forums have posters commenting that Launchbox/Bigbox becomes increasingly slower the larger your library is. Examples mentioned were staggered loading of meta data in the menu select screens, slow to complete updates for Launchbox, responsiveness in loading a game to play. With having as large of a library as you have, could you share your experiences, if any, with Bigbox as a front end?
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I'm looking to get into game archiving as well at some point. I kind of have the same aspirations of "Gotta 'collect' them all". One of the earlier posts mentioned something about having ROMs for systems that aren't playable. Take this suggestion with a grain of salt as I'm a total noob, but have you tried networking with another archiver that goes by KrisCoolMod? He has a setup that spans over 100K+ titles (used to be 200K), with over 800+ wheels on a custom Hyperspin backend. It's called the Retrobeast. His platform spans a wider range of more recent platforms and consumes 96TB of space. The legality of what he offers aside, he is actively and ongoing providing tweaks and optimization for the whole platform. He might be a solid resource for getting or finding a way to make those more obscure platforms playable. That's kind of his specialty. He has his own website, Discord, and posts videos of his setup on YouTube. I've thought about getting his setup just as a jumping off point, but life and finances keep getting in the way, lol.
