MAME: how to update it in LaunchBox?

[wallmachine]

44 minutes ago, sundogak said:

@wallmachine Yes, I didn't get into that in above description but suspect the numbers differed because of of way LB does imports if don't remove platform. So not something you did wrong.  The full proof method always is to delete the platform and re-import each time (I should have noted this).  If you don't do a platform delete then there is potential that you have games from prior selection in there (hence the 4273 where there were ~50 games "extra").  From what I can tell it doesn't keep anything where ROM is deleted from official set and no longer in XML.  But, if the game is still valid it will keep the game on a subsequent imports even if it was part of a set where you subsequently checked "skip" (hence why playlists stay intact).   

For example, I used this to my advantage in that I only wanted some of the Casino games, but didn't want to wade through them each time.  So I did a full import of casino games, deleted all the ones I didn't want (only from LB, roms leave them as is). Then on subsequent imports for monthly updates I check the "skip casino games" and it doesn't ADD any casino games I deleted back, but it also doesn't remove any casino games I left from the first import as long as they are still valid in MAME set.  That would be example of where numbers in my platform wouldn't match what the import numbers would be since those "others" remain.  So my guess is as you saw there are 4273 in the selection you made but before you did a full platform delete there were some "left overs" from within the "unplayable" or the "non-arcade" category....or....  

Or..... based on what Jason said in prior thread if the catver.ini and other INIs making up the LB MAME.XML lag behind each other (i.e., like now where main is at 221 and ini data is at 220) then you could get a glitch I hadn't thought about prior where the categorizations are not quite up to date and game is imported since doesn't know category yet.  But, it would only ever impact the (few) new games and if imported soon after MAME update and/or where the XML data isn't in sync with the INI categories.  A lot of edge cases for most people who don't update that often.

All conjecture, but I could see the numbers getting out of sync if doing like I noted above.  From my end, I typically go in right after import, hide anything that is new that don't care about and done. So if something came in accidentally then really I won't notice after that anyway.  But I could see it might confuse people with numbers not matching.  Ultimately, I am okay with any minor issues since the benefit is my import happens quickly and retain my overall setup with playlists, hidden, and favorites but something to be aware of. 

Thanks for that, just don't know what to do because I'm not 100% on how the process in LB works for MAME completely (some documentation would be good) and I want to be able to update it when the LB team update it and really don't want to always have the 4 hr import time without any scraping of media (import times might be different time for others).

But like you said it might leave a game that is now "unplayable" or whatever game it is in the platform and doesn't check your current import and prompt to delete if its not in the new database. I don't know tbh.

Edited May 21, 2020 by wallmachine

[Jason Carr]

9 hours ago, wallmachine said:

Thanks for that, just don't know what to do because I'm not 100% on how the process in LB works for MAME completely (some documentation would be good) and I want to be able to update it when the LB team update it and really don't want to always have the 4 hr import time without any scraping of media (import times might be different time for others).

But like you said it might leave a game that is now "unplayable" or whatever game it is in the platform and doesn't check your current import and prompt to delete if its not in the new database. I don't know tbh.

If you want to re-import everything from scratch, you can do so quickly. It won't take 4 hours. Remember that you can always remove games without removing any media, and then just not download any when re-importing.

[Jason Carr]

17 hours ago, TheNewClassics said:

Hey Jason, thanks for explaining the process. With regards to the importer, any chance it can remember the location of where your MAME roms are?

Not something I can add right away, but I do see the benefit. Probably would be best to put in a BitBucket ticket for it.

[legolas119]

19 hours ago, Jason Carr said:

Yes, I'm the main developer and the original creator. Good to hear.

I just updated the MAME metadata for 0.221, but none of the third party sources are updated yet, so those are still on 0.220. You can go to Help > Force Update Games Database Metadata in LaunchBox to force a download of the updated MAME metadata.

 

thanks

well, I have just updated the games database metadata. Strangely, the date/time is 01:00...but here (in italy) now it is 5:30pm...

 

In any case, when I imported the first time the mame fullset 0.220, with all metadata, in this way:

I imported 2912 games.

Some days after, when I updated to 0.221 my mameUI fullset and i tried to re-import again the fullset (Tools --> Import --> Mame fullset Import) and no new roms were added. Someone here explained the reason here in the forum

Now, could I try to reimport again the full set in this way Import --> MAME fullset import, in order to verify if it will add some roms? 

thanks!

[Elhora]

I take advantage of this topic for a similar question. 

I've updated my mame 0.220 roms to 0.221 roms by replacing the  content of roms folder in mame with the new set (roms + chd).

How can i do in LB now to "update" my game list (in case some mame games were added or removed)  without loosing my playlists and my "favorites" selected games ? i'm afraid if i go to the import process again, i'll have to redo all my favorite selection and playlist....

 

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Elhora

[neil9000]

6 minutes ago, Elhora said:

I take advantage of this topic for a similar question. 

I've updated my mame 0.220 roms to 0.221 roms by replacing the  content of roms folder in mame with the new set (roms + chd).

How can i do in LB now to "update" my game list (in case some mame games were added or removed)  without loosing my playlists and my "favorites" selected games ? i'm afraid if i go to the import process again, i'll have to redo all my favorite selection and playlist....

 

 

Just re-run the importer. Dont delete your current platform, just re-run it.

[legolas119]

I have done what i wrote in my post above and now my roms set is increased, from 2912 to 2944 games. So it seems that LB has detected the new roms

[wallmachine]

6 hours ago, Jason Carr said:

If you want to re-import everything from scratch, you can do so quickly. It won't take 4 hours. Remember that you can always remove games without removing any media, and then just not download any when re-importing.

Not sure im understanding correctly. See the below process i take to reimport and to try and reduce import time but takes me about 4hrs to reimport. Should i be doing it another way?

1) remove platform

2) reimport via MAME fullset importer

3) uncheck lb db metadata, uncheck lb media, uncheck emumovies media

[wallmachine]

55 minutes ago, legolas119 said:

I have done what i wrote in my post above and now my roms set is increased, from 2912 to 2944 games. So it seems that LB has detected the new roms

I think doing it this way lb doesnt removes games already imported that are now not playable in the current db?

[neil9000]

1 minute ago, wallmachine said:

Not sure im understanding correctly. See the below process i take to reimport and to try and reduce import time but takes me about 4hrs to reimport. Should i be doing it another way?

1) remove platform

2) reimport via MAME fullset importer

3) uncheck lb db metadata, uncheck lb media, uncheck emumovies media

Dont uncheck LB metadata, but uncheck all media, should only take a couple of minutes to import.

[wallmachine]

1 minute ago, neil9000 said:

Dont uncheck LB metadata, but uncheck all media, should only take a couple of minutes to import.

Okay ill try without unchecking that shortly, i would do a video but dont think i have enough space for a 4hr vid of recording 

[legolas119]

10 minutes ago, wallmachine said:

I think doing it this way lb doesnt removes games already imported that are now not playable in the current db?

ah...really? If so...how I can remove games not playable in 0.221?

[wallmachine]

Just now, legolas119 said:

ah...really? If so...how I can remove games not playable in 0.221?

Im not 100% but lb always gives you a prompt if you are deleting games so i doubt the import process is removing currently imported games?

From the notes going in here seems to be delete the platform and reimport again, see above what to uncheck and leave checked.

[DOS76]

yeah if its taking 4 hours to complete and you aren't getting any media you have some other type of issue.

[wallmachine]

9 minutes ago, DOS76 said:

yeah if its taking 4 hours to complete and you aren't getting any media you have some other type of issue.

Thats what i thought as im not grabbing anything and should just be reading the game location and what games are in it.

[Jason Carr]

26 minutes ago, wallmachine said:

I think doing it this way lb doesnt removes games already imported that are now not playable in the current db?

This is correct. Currently there is no way to 100% properly update everything without removing your existing MAME games and re-importing. I rarely ever update my MAME games (only do it if there's a new game available that I actually want to play, which is rare), but these are the steps that I take when I do:

1. Save my favorites by creating an auto-populate playlist that has all of my favorites, then convert it into a manually-populated playlist
2. Delete all my MAME games
3. Re-import using the MAME full set wizard, but don't import any media
4. Open the favorites playlist previously created and batch edit them all to be favorites
5. Run the Download Metadata and Media wizard on the new games if desired

It certainly could be an improved process, but if you want a perfect set, this is currently the best way to do it. I don't recommend updating MAME games every month, because it's usually a waste of time, but I'll assume that you have a good reason for doing it.

[legolas119]

thanks.

Currently I still not know how to create an auto-populate playlist and then how to convert it into a manually-populated playlist...So, in my case, I have to perform only these 3 steps now:

1) Delete all my MAME games: it means right click on the platform MAME and Delete it

2) Re import using mame full set, and uncheck both "download images from database" and "download media from emumovies"

3) Tool --> Download metadata and media, in order to download media for the added new games.

Usually i update my mame romset every month, but i think that i will not do the same thing in LB too...

I have a question: if I delete the MAME platform, I will loose all the playlist automatically creaded. When I will reimport all the fullset, LB will re create them again, but i think that I will have to rename all the playlist in this way, as I have done the first time. In this way I'm sure that i can take separated the Final Burn Alpha playlist from the MAME playlist. I mean, I named every MAME playlist with "Arcade" prefix, and with "FBA" prefix for Final Burn Alpha playlist. Here an example:

If I delete MAME platform, do you think that I will have to rename all the playlist...again?   I think so...

Edited May 21, 2020 by legolas119

[wallmachine]

11 hours ago, neil9000 said:

Dont uncheck LB metadata, but uncheck all media, should only take a couple of minutes to import.

 

11 hours ago, DOS76 said:

yeah if its taking 4 hours to complete and you aren't getting any media you have some other type of issue.

 

@Jason Carr Just took over 2 hours this time, is this normal? Also just like the auto scroll to platform in pane when lb opens again, should when adding a platform it highlight that platform that just added too?

 

I believe I narrowed it down for you, see my trials of today: (is this some type of scanning that can't fully utilise HDDs?)

• 10TB HDD - This is the HDD the LaunchBox software and MAME games are located. I then re-imported and it took roughly 2 hours
• 4TB HDD - Moved the LaunchBox software to this HDD and the MAME games stayed on the 10TB HDD, then re-imported and this took roughly 2 hours
• 4TB HDD - Moved the LaunchBox software to this HDD and the MAME games stayed on the 10TB HDD, then re-imported and this took roughly 2 hours
• 4TB HDD - Moved the LaunchBox software to this HDD and the MAME games stayed on the 10TB HDD, then re-imported and this took roughly 2 hours
• 128GB SSD - Moved the LaunchBox software to this SSD and the MAME games stayed on the 10TB HDD, then re-imported and this took roughly 30 seconds

10TB HDD 2 hour import time:

Edited May 22, 2020 by wallmachine

[DOS76]

When I do it it minutes (in the single digits)

 

 

[wallmachine]

16 hours ago, Jason Carr said:

1. Save my favorites by creating an auto-populate playlist that has all of my favorites, then convert it into a manually-populated playlist

How do you convert it into a manually-populated playlist? Is that just to un-check the auto-populate list again?

Edited May 22, 2020 by wallmachine