[geopgin]

, Guess I didn't think that through.

Zips make complete sense, the're just less strict in what and how attributes are stored. I guess i don't understand fully how retroplayer parses/launches libraries/roms. It seems to me that there is some cross over with how games are scraped, presented and launched in respects to how they're stored. Maybe there is already some standard with naming, structuring and defining that is documented somewhere?

Below is how I would in vision games being stored within a zip

Code:

game1.zip
  game1.nfo
  artwork
    boxfront
    boxback
    cartridge
    fanart
    screenshot
  game1.bin
  game1.cue

game2.zip
  game2.nfo
  artwork
    boxfront
    boxback
    cartridge
    fanart
    screenshot
  game2(disc 1).bin
  game2(disc 1).cue
  game2(disc 2).bin
  game2(disc 2).cue

game3.zip
  game3.nfo
  artwork
    boxfront
    boxback
    cartridge
    fanart
    screenshot
  game3(disc 1)(track 1).bin
  game3(disc 1)(track 2).bin
  game3(disc 1).cue
  game3(disc 2)(track 1).bin
  game3(disc 2)(track 2).bin
  game3(disc 2).cue

the nfo (stolen from RCB) might look something like

Code:

<game>
  <disc mask>"\(disc\s\d\)*\.cue"</disc mask>
  <savestate />
  <cheat codes />
  <title />
  <originalTitle />
  <alternateTitle />
  <platform />
  <plot />
  <publisher />
  <developer />
  <year />
  <genre />
  <detailUrl />
  <maxPlayer />
  <region />
  <perspective />
  <numController />
  <controller config />
  <version />
  <rating />
  <votes />
  <thumb local="path\to\art" type="boxfront">http://url/to/thumb.jpg</thumb>
  <thumb local="path\to\art" type="screenshot">http://url/to/thumb.jpg</thumb>
  <thumb local="path\to\art" type="boxback">http://url/to/thumb.jpg</thumb>
  <thumb local="path\to\art" type="cartridge">http://url/to/thumb.jpg</thumb>
  <thumb local="path\to\art" type="fanart">http://url/to/thumb.jpg</thumb>
</game>

I guess my only point of reference for how games are presented and launched is through RCB/RetroArch. Maybe its the scrapers responsibility to construct and organize this data but it seems to me that there are different groups and communities that do it differently. And maybe this ties into this

Just the point of view of a novice that has spent way to much time on this so he can force nostalgia onto his children