[garbear]

no he didn't

[enen92]

My really small contribution to the cause:




It lists and downloads games for dosbox emulator from archive.org. My idea was to make it executable (to be run from programs) but I found out if the addon does not provide video (in the addon.xml) we can't set the content type to movies and take advantage of the movie views. So, decided to make it a plugin video despite it doesn't provide video at all.

PS1: I'm not really interested in making and having to maintain another plugin. Made this really quick just for the fun of it and to have something to play after retroplayer is out
PS2: If you find the images to take a lot of time to load you can reduce the resolution on the addon settings
PS3: The database has over 2000 games so as a tradeoff between load time and information the game plot is only a preview. You can read the full details by selecting the context menu of a game.
PS4: I have no idea how to feed games to retroplayer and dosbox seems to have some problems in the version I have (it doesn't accept zip files). If anyone knows how to pass games to retroplayer let me know.
PS5: The code has literally no license. Feel free to take it, use it, change it, eat it, whatever.
PS6: So many good memories looking at the list of games

Hope you enjoy
Download here (no depends): https://github.com/enen92/script.retroga...master.zip

[natethomas]

Nice work, enen!

[Scourge]

That looks really nice. Just remember this 'store' will be limited to homebrew, free-/shareware and abbandonware.

[zag]

Very very cool. And not bad games either!!

[RockerC]

It lists and downloads games for dosbox emulator from archive.org.

Very nice! Used archive.org digital library for old movies and music before but didn't know they hosted public domain software, never mind have games to download!

https://archive.org/details/software

Looks like archive.org have downloadable games libraries for many more game consoles and computer platforms

https://archive.org/details/consolelivingroom

https://archive.org/details/tosec

Any plans to add games for other emulators to your plugin, or other public domain sources?

Just remember this 'store' will be limited to homebrew, free-/shareware and abbandonware.

Archive.org (Internet Archive) is a registered non-profit organization that only host content that is believed to be in the public domain, such as abandonware

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Archive

Doesn't that mean that anything available to be downloaded from their digital library should be fully legal to be downloaded from there for free?

[Scourge]

As far as I know, the answer to that question is somewhat ambiguous. The rights to certain brands / titles have been sold to their current owners. Sim City, PoP and Street Fighter are all owned by publishers nowadays. The games themselves are often developed by studios that no longer exist, and that makes the question of ownership difficult.
A nice read on the subject can be found here: http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2009/0...sentials/1

[enen92]

As far as I know, the answer to that question is somewhat ambiguous. The rights to certain brands / titles have been sold to their current owners. Sim City, PoP and Street Fighter are all owned by publishers nowadays. The games themselves are often developed by studios that no longer exist, and that makes the question of ownership difficult.
A nice read on the subject can be found here: http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2009/0...sentials/1

Nice read, didn't know there was such an ambiguity with abandonware. Since it is on archive.org and it is a legit organization I think any issues with content providers regarding any of the titles they have on the website will be their problem first. They'll remove it and this plugin can't list them. This simple plugin doesn't use any hack to download the media, I thought it was necessary at first but found out they have an api where they list all the files/metadata.
In my opinion if this is not published on the official repository nor distributed by kodi we shouldn't have any issue at all. There is however an archive.org video plugin in the repository, I assume most of the videos belonging to studios that no longer exist will fall in the same category, am I right?
If there is any concern, some moderator will most likely trash the post. For me, there's no problem with doing it at all

[Solo0815]

@enen92:
Nice one!
Looking forward to use it together with the first retroplayer release from garbear

[enen92]

It lists and downloads games for dosbox emulator from archive.org.

Very nice! Used archive.org digital library for old movies and music before but didn't know they hosted public domain software, never mind have games to download!

https://archive.org/details/software

Looks like archive.org have downloadable games libraries for many more game consoles and computer platforms

https://archive.org/details/consolelivingroom

https://archive.org/details/tosec

Any plans to add games for other emulators to your plugin, or other public domain sources?

Just remember this 'store' will be limited to homebrew, free-/shareware and abbandonware.

Archive.org (Internet Archive) is a registered non-profit organization that only host content that is believed to be in the public domain, such as abandonware

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Archive

Doesn't that mean that anything available to be downloaded from their digital library should be fully legal to be downloaded from there for free?

I in fact had a look at most of those public domain/homebrew games websites the problem is:

1) That should be done for a game store addon and for that to happen the game library and new content types should come first to kodi otherwise it's a terrible waste of effort making specific xml for loads of skins or a xml interface that falls completely out of the bonds of kodi UI/UX. This script is not intended at replacing or making the game store idea a reality. It is really a simple, simple script for us to have something in the meanwhile.

2) Most of those websites lack either metadata or simple information about the game and you end up with a name and a link. You don't know anything about the game you're browsing in the big screen...

3) pdroms is in fact really nice but it's a complete mess. It's just a blog aggregator of another blog posts that redirect to another blog post. Terrible and almost impossible to scrape

Nicely done finding all those platforms, I haven't noticed them before. Just used the post from natham on the other thread to do "something" and to contribute to this amazing project. Adding a few more platforms to the addon is really easy. In fact I just added genesis, gamegear and atari 2600 since they have really sweet games there:



Code changes: https://github.com/enen92/script.retroga...670526ea80
Download (same place): https://github.com/enen92/script.retroga...master.zip

There are also a lot of other platforms according to your links. Let's do something like this: you or someone else investigate which platforms do have libretro cores available and I'll make the changes needed to add all of them to this plugin. Most of them I haven't heard of to be honest, my first video console was an atari (don't ask me the model cause I had 3 years old) in 88 or 89 and then the sega genesis in 94/95.

Cheers

[Ragnarok]

So I might be wrong, but just to be safe...

If memory serves, Sony and Nintendo have both won suits against folks distributing 'backups' of their games. The way may public domain sites get around that is to post a disclaimer to the effect of "By downloading this ROM you affirm that you own a physical copy of the game blah blah". To avoid legal trouble, it might not be a bad idea to put something like that in, just in case. We have a lawyer on the board that can shed some light?

[enen92]

Well let's wait for someone with knowledge on the matter to deliberate. Wost case scenario...bin it
Even if this is in a grey are I don't know how in the end this is a kodi's problem. Archive.org is a legit site and by reading the terms of use I havent found anything there that might be violating them. The big majority of game titles that lead to Takedown notices arent there (mainly NES/snes).

But as written before, did this just for the fun and it was not my intention to develop it more or turn it into a complex plugin.

[natethomas]

My impression is very much that Internet Archive is a fairly well respected non-profit institution that works pretty hard to remain on the up and up. For the purpose of us using them as an Addon source, I think we're fairly safe. If a copyright dispute does arise with a content provider, they'll be the first to remove the game without our needing to worry about it. Overall this is substantially different than relying on something like one of the piracy addons, but for games.

[RockerC]

Looks like archive.org have downloadable games libraries for many more game consoles and computer platforms

https://archive.org/details/consolelivingroom

https://archive.org/details/tosec

Any plans to add games for other emulators to your plugin...

Nicely done finding all those platforms, I haven't noticed them before. Just used the post from natham on the other thread to do "something" and to contribute to this amazing project. Adding a few more platforms to the addon is really easy. In fact I just added genesis, gamegear and atari 2600 since they have really sweet games there:



Code changes: https://github.com/enen92/script.retroga...670526ea80
Download (same place): https://github.com/enen92/script.retroga...master.zip

There are also a lot of other platforms according to your links. Let's do something like this: you or someone else investigate which platforms do have libretro cores available and I'll make the changes needed to add all of them to this plugin. Most of them I haven't heard of to be honest...

Latest version RetroPlayer have or will have support almost all libretro cores with exception of a few of the newer platforms which would require that RetroPlayer first support OpenGL.

Upstream there are currently libretro cores for; 3DO, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Atari Jaguar, Bandai WonderSwan, Sony MSX, Sony MSX2+, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Super Famicom (Super NES), Nintendo N64, Nintendo Game and Watch, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo Virtual Boy, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, NEC PC-Engine (TurboGrafx-16), NEC PC-FX, Magnavox Odyssey 2/ Philips Videopac G7000, MESS, SNK Neo Geo Pocket (NGP), SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC) , PlayStation (PSX), PlayStation Portable (PSP), Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega 32X, Sega MegaDrive, Sega MegaDrive CD, Sega Saturn, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Vectrex,

Then there is also libreto cores for multi-platform emulation via MESS (Multi Emulator Super System), MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator), UME (Universal Machine Emulator), and Final Burn Alpha (FBA) multi-platform emulation engines, plus DOS (DOSBox), LucasArt Game Engines (ScummVM), Quake (TyrQuake), and Doom (PrBoom). With MAME and FBA alone can emulate additional systems like Capcom CPS-1, Capcom CPS-2, Capcom CPS-3, Cave, Data East DEC-0, DEC-8 and DECO IC16, Galaxian, Irem M62, M63, M72, M90, M92 and M107, Kaneko 16, Konami, Neo-Geo, NMK16, Pacman based hardware, PGM, Psikyo 68EC020 and SH-2 based hardware, Sega System 1, System 16 (and similar), System 18, X-Board and Y-Board, Super Kaneko Nova System, Toaplan 1, Toaplan 2, Taito F2, X, Z and others. While MESS and UME supports even more computer platforms.

http://wiki.libretro.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
https://github.com/libretro
https://github.com/kodi-game

I think that it's now safe to assume that there are libretro cores available for almost all or at least most game consoles and computer platforms available on archive.org


Anyway, here is a list of systems that it all looks to already have emulator engines as libretro cores today:

Atari 8-Bit
https://archive.org/details/Atari_8_bit_...2012_04_23

Atari ST
https://archive.org/details/Atari_ST_TOSEC_2012_04_23

Atari 2600
https://archive.org/details/atari_2600_library

Atari 5200
https://archive.org/details/atari_5200_library

Atari 7800
https://archive.org/details/atari_7800_library

Bandai Wonderswan
https://archive.org/details/Bandai_Wonde...2012_04_23

Magnavox Odyssey 2 & Philips Videopac G7000
https://archive.org/details/Magnavox_Ody...2012_04_23

NEC PC-Engine & TurboGrafx 16
https://archive.org/details/NEC_PC-Engin...2012-04-23

NEC SuperGrafx
https://archive.org/details/NEC_SuperGra...2012_04_23

Neo Geo Pocket (NGP) & Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC)
https://archive.org/details/ngp_library

Nintendo Super Famicom
https://archive.org/details/Super_Famico...2012_04_14

Sega Mark III & Sega Master System
https://archive.org/details/Sega_Mark_II...2012_04_13

Sega MegaDrive / Sega MegaDrive CD & Sega Genesis
https://archive.org/details/Sega_Megadri...2012_04_13
https://archive.org/details/sega_sms_library
https://archive.org/details/sega_genesis_library

Sega 32x
https://archive.org/details/Sega_32x_TOSEC_2012_04_13

Sega Game Gear
https://archive.org/details/Sega_Game_Ge...2012_04_13

Sinclair ZX Spectrum
https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_ZX_...2012_04_23

Sony MSX MSX2+
https://archive.org/details/MSX_MSX_Plus...2012_04_23


And here below are additional systems that I'm not sure if they have emulator engines as libretro cores today (but have not checked with MESS, MAME, or Final Burn Alpha):

Acorn Archimedes
https://archive.org/details/Acorn_Archim...2012_04_23

Amiga CDTV
https://archive.org/details/Amiga_CDTV_TOSEC_2009_04_18

Amstrad GX-4000
https://archive.org/details/gx4000_library

Amstrad CPC
https://archive.org/details/Amstrad_CPC_...2012_04_23

Apple II
https://archive.org/details/Apple_2_TOSEC_2012_04_23

Apple IIgs
https://archive.org/details/Apple_II_GS_...2012_04_23

APF-MP1000
https://archive.org/details/apfm1000_library

Bally Professional Arcade & Astrocade
https://archive.org/details/Bally_Profes...2012_04_23

Camputers Lynx
https://archive.org/details/Camputers_Ly...2012_04_23

Coleco ColecoVision
https://archive.org/details/Coleco_Colec...2012_04_23

Commodore C64
https://archive.org/details/Commodore_C6...2012_04_23

Commodore C-128
https://archive.org/details/Commodore_C1...2012_04_23

Commodore VIC-20
https://archive.org/details/Commodore_VI...2012_04_23

Commodore C16, C116 & Plus-4
https://archive.org/details/Commodore_C1...2012_04_23

Commodore Amiga
https://archive.org/details/Commodore_Am...2012_04_10

Emerson Arcadia Library
https://archive.org/details/emerson_arcadia_library

Epoch Super Cassette Vision
https://archive.org/details/Epoch_Super_...2012_04_23

Epoch Game Pocket Computer
https://archive.org/details/gamepocket_library

Entex Adventure Vision
https://archive.org/details/adventurevision_library

Fairchild Channel F
https://archive.org/details/channelf_library

Mattel Aquarius
https://archive.org/details/mattelaquarius

Mattel Intellivision
https://archive.org/details/intellivision

Mega Duck WG-108
https://archive.org/details/megaduck_library

Sinclair ZX81
https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_ZX8...2012_04_23

Sinclair QL
https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_QL_...2012_04_23

Sega SG-1000
https://archive.org/details/sg_1000_library

Sega Visual Memory System
https://archive.org/details/Sega_Visual_...2012_04_23

Super A'Can
https://archive.org/details/superacan_library

Socrates
https://archive.org/details/socrates_library

Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer
https://archive.org/details/Tandy_TRS80_...2012_04_23

VTech Creativision
https://archive.org/details/vtech_creativision_library

[Scourge]

My impression is very much that Internet Archive is a fairly well respected non-profit institution that works pretty hard to remain on the up and up. For the purpose of us using them as an Addon source, I think we're fairly safe. If a copyright dispute does arise with a content provider, they'll be the first to remove the game without our needing to worry about it. Overall this is substantially different than relying on something like one of the piracy addons, but for games.

Thanks for settling this debate If that's the guideline, we're in the clear for this.