Mame ROM+CHD game not imported on LB

[mgtroyas]

Hello,

I've imported a full MAME set and I noticed a game that isn't being imported, Chaos Heat, which has a romname "COH3002T.ZIP" and also have a CHD under "chaoshea" folder (http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_mame.php?game_name=chaoshea&search_id=2). I have both on my ROMs folder, but the game isn't included on the ROM import.

Reviewing the LBs "MAME.xml" file i see it expects the file to be "chaoshea". I've reviewed the name of the ROM for this game on all the MAME versions and it never had that name, so seems to be refering to the CHD folder.

Anyway I tried importing the folder, even checking the "use folder name instead of romname" option, but the game is never "detected".

I'd bet the problem is related to the ROM name being different than the CHD folder. I'm not sure how many games are like this on MAME, but at least this one. 

Quote

 

<MameFile>

    <FileName>chaoshea</FileName>

    <Name>Chaos Heat</Name>

 

[Retro808]

Chaos Heat is one of the CHD only games I believe. So it actually does not have a zip. Much like a couple of the Golden Tee Fore games. The coh3002t.zip is the bios. If you used the LB full set Mame importer it does not actually import games at all. It just links the games. Do you have the Chaos Heat chd inside your Mame rom folder and is it in its own folder named chaoshea?

[mgtroyas]

Oh, interesting, didn't realize that was the BIOS. I have a folder named "chaoshea" containing the files "chaosheat.chd" and "chaosheatj.chd". Note neither CHD names match the name LB is looking for.

[neil9000]

10 minutes ago, mgtroyas said:

Oh, interesting, didn't realize that was the BIOS. I have a folder named "chaoshea" containing the files "chaosheat.chd" and "chaosheatj.chd". Note neither CHD names match the name LB is looking for.

Launchbox itself isnt looking for any file names, it gets its list of games to import from MAME itself. My guess, as there is no rom Launchbox is skipping the game as it's not in the game list extracted from the mame.exe.

[Retro808]

Create a blank/dummy zip file and call it chaoshea.zip and drop it into your rom folder and add the game. That will at least get it added. I think that is how I did it, but that was quite a bit ago. I have not used the fullset importer in a while.

[neil9000]

Yeah, as Launchbox is not passing the file and just giving MAME the filename, any blank zip with the correct name should be all Launchbox needs to tell MAME to start that specific game.

[mgtroyas]

Yes, creating a dummy file works, but people not aware of this problem will have these games missing when doing a full import.

It's even stranger, Chaos Heat is a game I've added recently to the Roms folder, and has this problem of not being imported. But in my full initial import some weeks ago, similar Taito G-NET games Night Raid, Shikigami no Shiro, Psyvariar, Ray Crisis, Super Puzzle Bobble, were added without problems, and now if I run the "Search for removed Roms" menu option, it suggests to delete all these games. An in these cases the CHD file has the same name than the folder (because they have no clones).

I think some enhancement to the import/scan logic is needed to treat this cases consistently, for instance checking the folders names, as they all have the same name as the game in the LB/MAME DDBB but are not being recognized even with "use the folder name instead of the file name" option enabled on import.

Edited July 3, 2021 by mgtroyas