An Idea I had for a Partner Program to PCSX2

[evil cabbage]

Ah! It's almost like an .INI file. I see...

Note: Would this file be the same for all copies of a particular game or do you think that they may differ?

[Bositman]

Pretty nice idea, one our team has thought of as well but was never made due to the massive amount of work that will be needed on it.
Some comments:
-Any way the program fetches the game info (like cover,description etc) after it identifies it from some already created online database? That would cut the amount of info needed from the end user.
-For discerning games, the ELF will not be enough as you said (there have been cases of 2 different games with the exact same ELF filename). You could use the same CRC calculation method PCSX2 uses, for consistency too (patches and states use our CRC so why not this program too)
-Will the program fetch the plugin configurations from the ini files directly? That would be best, to minimize effort from the end user and to make sure the settings are correctly noted
-What about ISO files? I always keep my games in ISO format for faster loading times and faster switching. I don't think having the program work only with physical discs is going to prevent pirates in any way, you can always use a virtual drive anyway
-The biggest challenge will be content control. You need to find a way to weed out the false/crap input (and trust me there will be loads of it) from people who either have hacks on or are just plain ignorant and never found the proper configuration for a game. Not sure how to do that, I guess you will need huge red warnings for having hacks off (like that ever works ) and maybe the data should be moderated by you or a team you assemble before they enter the database.

All in all great idea and I really hope this works and grows

[evil cabbage]

Pretty nice idea, one our team has thought of as well but was never made due to the massive amount of work that will be needed on it.
Some comments:
-Any way the program fetches the game info (like cover,description etc) after it identifies it from some already created online database? That would cut the amount of info needed from the end user.
-For discerning games, the ELF will not be enough as you said (there have been cases of 2 different games with the exact same ELF filename). You could use the same CRC calculation method PCSX2 uses, for consistency too (patches and states use our CRC so why not this program too)
-Will the program fetch the plugin configurations from the ini files directly? That would be best, to minimize effort from the end user and to make sure the settings are correctly noted
-What about ISO files? I always keep my games in ISO format for faster loading times and faster switching. I don't think having the program work only with physical discs is going to prevent pirates in any way, you can always use a virtual drive anyway
-The biggest challenge will be content control. You need to find a way to weed out the false/crap input (and trust me there will be loads of it) from people who either have hacks on or are just plain ignorant and never found the proper configuration for a game. Not sure how to do that, I guess you will need huge red warnings for having hacks off (like that ever works ) and maybe the data should be moderated by you or a team you assemble before they enter the database.

All in all great idea and I really hope this works and grows

1.) I was actually planning to use an online submission form. This would make me have to review each and every submission before I process it. It doesn't work yet, but it can be accessed here:
http://www.pcsx2helper.byethost17.com/fo...orm_1.html. As for the database; this is how the program gets info. I have an attached an example of one of these .zip folders.
-It retrieves the "identifier" (currently the game's disc label) and checks it against a list.
-If it is not present on the list, the user is informed that there is no information available on the game and is offered the chance to submit a review
-If it is, the program downloads a small .zip file with the same name as the identifier which contains various .ini files and cover art.
-This is extracted to the "info" folder where it is read by the program and displayed to the user.

2.) Currently, the disc identifier is it's label, but I really want a better method. What is a CRC calculation (I'm not actually that familiar with the software in PS2 games)

3.) Not at the moment, but they could always copy/paste their configuration.

4.) As far as I know, the program that I am using to make this app can't extract ISOs. If you are talking about the ISO on the PS2 disc itself, then that may work for recognition purposes.

5.) All content will be sent to me for review before I post it, it will not be uploaded directly through the program.

[Bositman]

1) Yeah I was talking about using a third party database (already filled) with that info (if such a db exists and is public for PS2 games)

2) We basically get the ELF file and use a CRC calculation method on that file. The CRC for each ELF file is guaranteed to be different from any other (even if the ELF is the same). This is nothing PS2 related, just a common technique usually used for data integrity checks. I guess you'll find it easily if you look around PCSX2's source

3) Ah too bad. I'm sure most will be too lazy to post complete info

4) Yes I was talking about ISO images of the disc. Oh well, it can be easily fixed by mounting the iso image in a virtual dvd drive

5) That could work but if people start submitting a lot you'll probably find yourself clogged under a huge amount of reviewing. Also, there should be a way for people to submit corrections and ideally a reputation/ranking system so people who submit good or bad material can be found easily. I know it's too much to ask at this stage, I'm just throwing around ideas now

[evil cabbage]

I am actually using a different app-making program to PCSX2 entirely, so how would I perform a CRC calculation. Also, could the CRC calculation differ for each copy of the game (i.e: each disc?)

[k1net1cs]

What's your 'app-making program' that you're using btw?
I'm a bit curious...

It's better to use an MD5 hash rather than a CRC; less chance to get the same hash for different files.

[Bositman]

I am actually using a different app-making program to PCSX2 entirely, so how would I perform a CRC calculation. Also, could the CRC calculation differ for each copy of the game (i.e: each disc?)

I don't think the CRC calculations PCSX2 uses are platform specific or need anything special to work. You could probably get away by copy pasting the code even
Yes unfortunately each disc will have a different CRC.

Some other member suggested you fetch info from an already filled database for game details (as I suggested in one of my previous posts).
Check it out:
http://www.camya.com/gamedb/platform/son...st/?page=3&moduleFormId=62E71027

[pseudonym]

-For discerning games, the ELF will not be enough as you said (there have been cases of 2 different games with the exact same ELF filename). You could use the same CRC calculation method PCSX2 uses, for consistency too (patches and states use our CRC so why not this program too)

Okay, someone says this every time this is brought up by I still haven't heard an example of this for the PS2. PS1, yes. PS2, I'll believe it when I see proof.

This is Sony's own system for identifying games and it should be used unless there's solid evidence that there are duplicates.

[Bositman]

I did give you an example last time we were on IRC Check Dynasty Warriors 4 and Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires. Other testers have found other dups over the years but I don't recall em.

[pseudonym]

Dynasty Warriors 4 is SLUS-20653 and Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires is SLUS-20938. Not the same.

Maybe there's a hacked up iso out on the internet somewhere which just changes the game data, but it'll have the same compatibility issues and same crc if so.