SNK Neo Geo MVS - No artwork

[GrafUberwald]

Hi,

I use Launchbox for Android on my Odin and I am very happy with the first impression. However, when I load SNK Neo Geo MVS as a separate platform, (just as CPS1, CPS2 and CPS3) no artwork shows up for the games. When I investigated the matter I noticed that in the platform folder, the platform XML-file for Neo Geo MVS doesn't contain the string: <ScrapeAs>Arcade</ScrapeAs>. All three CPS' do have this string, so they can just scrape the artwork from the Arcade category in the GameDB. I tried to add the string manually, but unfortunately Launchbox resets the file to the default every time.

Question 1: Could the "<ScrapeAs>Arcade</ScrapeAs>" for Neo Geo MVS be added in a next update?

Question 2: Is there a way to manually change the xml files? (I would like to add Famicom and Super Famicom as a seperate platform in the future as well).

Any help is welcome

Edited June 19, 2022 by GrafUberwald

[Jason Carr]

@GrafUberwald Thanks for the feedback and notes. Admittedly, the Android app does trade some flexibility for simplicity and ease of use, which is largely what you're running into here.

The reason why LaunchBox for Android doesn't use Scrape As Arcade for SNK Neo Geo MVS, is because we do actually have a separate platform for SNK Neo Geo MVS on the games database. I'm guessing it's just not as well populated as the Arcade platform that also contains those games.

I do think you can probably get away with adding that to the metadata, if you make sure that LaunchBox is 100% closed before you change the XML. Android makes that tricky. You'll need to use the Exit option in the app, as well as making sure that it's not in the app tray at all (in the app switcher, swipe it away). Or, you could just reboot the device to make sure.

Otherwise, exporting from the desktop app should make it so that it works to honor that setting as well.

[GrafUberwald]

Hi @Jason Carr, thanks for the reply. I do think though that in the GamesDB the SNK MVS should be considered to the CPS I, II and III. Otherwise you have to basically put every Neo Geo MVS twice in the database. But that is not up to me of course  . I am trying to export to android right now, so I hope that works. One way or another I will get it to work  

Edited June 23, 2022 by GrafUberwald

[Jason Carr]

54 minutes ago, GrafUberwald said:

Hi @Jason Carr, thanks for the reply. I do think though that in the GamesDB the SNK MVS should be considered to the CPS I, II and III. Otherwise you have to basically put every Neo Geo MVS twice in the database. But that is not up to me of course  . I am trying to export to android right now, so I hope that works. One way or another I will get it to work  

Not exactly sure what you mean here. I don't believe the LaunchBox Games Database contains platforms for CPS 1, 2, and 3.

[GrafUberwald]

@Jason Carr Yeah, I can understand that... It seems that there were more words in my head than ended up in the reply 😅. Anyway, what I meant is that it probably makes more sense to delete the MVS as a separate system in the database and instead give it the same treatment as the CPS1-2-and-3. Because all information and artwork etc. for the MVS is allready in the database under 'Arcade'. So by having it as a separate system in the database, we are basically creating duplicate entries for each MVS game (one under Arcade and one under MVS, with the effect that MVS is not really filled).

Anyway, just my two cents, as it is not up to me to decide.

[Jason Carr]

5 hours ago, GrafUberwald said:

@Jason Carr Yeah, I can understand that... It seems that there were more words in my head than ended up in the reply 😅. Anyway, what I meant is that it probably makes more sense to delete the MVS as a separate system in the database and instead give it the same treatment as the CPS1-2-and-3. Because all information and artwork etc. for the MVS is allready in the database under 'Arcade'. So by having it as a separate system in the database, we are basically creating duplicate entries for each MVS game (one under Arcade and one under MVS, with the effect that MVS is not really filled).

Anyway, just my two cents, as it is not up to me to decide.

Yes, that is a very good point. The system probably should not have been added to begin with. We have that issue with a few Arcade platforms. I remember originally fighting to keep them out of the database, because technically they're all just Arcade. But I think ended up losing that battle way back when...and now that we have them, there'd probably be an uproar if we deleted them. Oh well lol.

[GrafUberwald]

@Jason Carr Well… the database contains only 3 (game) entries on the MVS, with 2 of them even pretty minimal filled. So I don’t expect anyone chasing people with pitchforks and torches when it gets deleted. That said, I noticed that Sega enthusiasts did a similar thing for several Sega Arcade cabinets and they are filled pretty accurate.

So perhaps it is worth considering assign multiple platforms to arcade games. I see there is an ‘Alternate name’ field, perhaps such thing is also possible with platforms. That way one can just add another platform to a game and game pops up in both “Arcade” and the other selected platform. I think this should be an Arcade-only option though otherwise the whole db can get messed up.

All in all it’s just a case of first world problems… but maybe it helps for future development of the db.

Edited June 26, 2022 by GrafUberwald