How do I Limit the Number of Copies of Each Game?

[IDDQD]

I'm sure this is a question that has been asked before, but I don't have any idea what to search for to find the answer (I've tried). Instead of having six versions of Missile Command, for instance, is there any way to get MaLa to display just one called "Missile Command"? I don't even care which version it picks, as long as it works, I just don't like having to scroll through so many copies of the same game. I tried checking "master copies" only or whatever it's called, but that didn't do it. This answer is probably going to be really easy or really hard to implement -- if there isn't a checkbox somewhere, I'm stuck sifting through thousands of files and hoping I'm deleting the right one. Please help!

The answer may be that I just need to create a favorites list and use that, but I'd prefer to do it this way, if possible.

[Space Fractal]

That is what Mame works. I never liked that features, because it just take the original one. It might wont work for some games, but there is a gamelist editor, you can pull out doubles.

Otherwice this is the direct reason I have started development on my own FE, based on MultiJuke GUI and code. No annonces yet and no date, and hence I wont show planned features.

[slsimon]

I'm sure this is a question that has been asked before, but I don't have any idea what to search for to find the answer (I've tried). Instead of having six versions of Missile Command, for instance, is there any way to get MaLa to display just one called "Missile Command"? I don't even care which version it picks, as long as it works, I just don't like having to scroll through so many copies of the same game. I tried checking "master copies" only or whatever it's called, but that didn't do it. This answer is probably going to be really easy or really hard to implement -- if there isn't a checkbox somewhere, I'm stuck sifting through thousands of files and hoping I'm deleting the right one. Please help!

The answer may be that I just need to create a favorites list and use that, but I'd prefer to do it this way, if possible.

Hello!  I had the same problem.  I did keep the defaul all games list as an option to switch between game lists but what I had to do was to download romlister, http://www.waste.org/~winkles/ROMLister/ and use the option to remove "no clones", "no samples", "and playable" with all category list and that pretty much removed all duplicated games in the list.  Once you have selected your options, you have the option to save the file in a mala compatible gamelist file.  Place that file in the mala installation directory.  You should now have the option to select between multiple gamelists.  I kept the default all games just in case I run into a game that I really want to play on the newly created game list that does not like to play for one reason or another.  I should then be able to jump back to the all games list and find the listing and play the game.  Hope this helps.  Thanks, Shane

[NOP]

thanks for the plug slsimon!

yeah, romlister will help weed out that stuff, plus you can do things like remove all the games that use a spinner or trackball if you don't have one, and all the mahjongers or anything else you don't want, not to mention monitor orientation and # of buttons, etc.

The "no clones" checkbox is the important one, however, be aware that some clones are the games we're used to (ie, pacman is a clone of puckman) so you may have to add in a few by hand, using mala to do that: switch to your all games list, locate pacman, then right click and add it to your new trimmed down list that romlister generated.  I also think some of the clones are kind of fun/interesting, like pacman hearts or gangly man, so don't just blindly nuke them.

(you could also use romlister to give you a mala gamelist of ONLY clones, then play around with those and selectively add them to your favorites list)


It used to be part of the fun in earlier MAMEs to go through all the games by hand and see what's available and what to play, but it now supports so many games that it's an overwhelming task!   I'm right now in the process of revamping my vertical cocktail cabinet, and I ended up with ~450 games to check out, and that's without clones!  I've been working at it for a couple weeks now and I'm only up into the R's at the moment.  I guess that's better than >6000 games to weed out, so yay for romlister. 

-jeff!

[IDDQD]

Romlister sounds like the answer to my problem, thanks a whole bunch.

That is what Mame works. I never liked that features, because it just take the original one. It might wont work for some games, but there is a gamelist editor, you can pull out doubles.

Otherwice this is the direct reason I have started development on my own FE, based on MultiJuke GUI and code. No annonces yet and no date, and hence I wont show planned features.

I'm interested to see how this turns out, keep me posted!

[Space Fractal]

Good luck to sort your roms. These type of utilities is greate and sort out games. I remember used this to remove mature and unworkable games to save harddrive space.

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Utilities have great page about these utilities as well, but RomLister is the right in this one.

[OnezerO]

If you don't care about the number of roms stored on your machine but instead just want an easy way to clean up your menus; then from the MaLa menu you can highlight the game you want to get rid of and then just right click and remove it from the menu.

It's always a good idea to create a new category list and then modify that list.  I hope this helps.

[Havok]

+1 for Nop's util!

 

It's very powerful and easy to use. Plus, it can generate native gamelists for some of the more popular front ends. One thing about the clones: PacMan is a clone, PuckMan is the original. So, if you want the English version, you'll have to put it back in there...

[slsimon]

Can anyone else think of anymore clone games, the more commonly used classic games that have clones as such (puckman - packman) that will need to be added after a clone removal with Romlister?  I will have to make sure that I add both back in the gamelist. 

[NOP]

I think make trax and crush roller fit into that category.  I don't remember which one was common here in the states, but it seems like it wasn't the name I'd remembered.

I tried convincing romlister to give me a list of only the clones and then eyeball it to see if any names were familiar, and wow, there's like 3000 clones!  I think I might be able to come up with a way to weed out all the (set x) and other tripups and make romlister provide a better way to filter it down, but that might be awhile.

My problem is that my childhood arcade memories are slowly being stomped out by newer MAME memories (which are just as good!) and I can't tell if the titles of games I seem to remember are from way back when, or just a couple weeks ago. 

-jeff!

[Ummon]

Another game is Pole Position. You want the NorAm version, it has to be one of the Atari sets.