[docwra]

This requires a database. Unfortunately Kodi's database code is in bad shape.

Anecdote 1:
Last week I tried to add a single boolean field to the video database. After 20 hours I gave up in frustration.

Anecdote 2:
Kodi recently achieved the accomplishment of lowering the video database's code count to under 10,000 lines. This is a single file.

The good news is that a new database base layer is in the works. It has its own branch in our github repo: https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/commits/feature_odb . It'll probably be months before it's ready.

So I would love to create a zero-configuration Hyperspin experience, but it will be a long time before this is possible.

How about hard coding the coverart/fanart to the same as the rom name as a temp measure to make it look pretty?

[garbear]

How about hard coding the coverart/fanart to the same as the rom name as a temp measure to make it look pretty?

That I can do. I'm headed away on vacation but i'll try to get this done when i return.

[evilsync]

Is it still worth going down the HyperSpin route and linking into Kodi through Advanced Launcher?

I'm try to sort through Hyperspin at the moment. But it's a monster task organising ROMs etc.

Can you choose your own emulators and it doesn't scrape game data?

So I would love to create a zero-configuration Hyperspin experience, but it will be a long time before this is possible.

So go ahead with the HyperSpin idea?

Out of curiosity, generally is this the shape of all of Kodi or just some aspects?

[garbear]

So go ahead with the HyperSpin idea?

You mean where the artwork is stored locally? This I can do.

Out of curiosity, generally is this the shape of all of Kodi or just some aspects?

Kodi has been around for a long time. Some parts of our code predate SVN (which predates git). Some old parts have been rewritten and many new things have been tacked on, so our codebase is a large combination of many working and many decadent parts. The video and music databases happen to be some of the worse. It's also pretty bad that we still use an application loop straight out of the xbox days. The half-life of code in projects similar to Kodi is probably 4-6 years, so as long as we keep the bar high the old code eventually gets replaced with the new.

[Anastrophe]

telling users about the Secret Cheat Code would be a good idea - I know I saw it somewhere but I'm going mad looking for it today

[dr88dr88]

telling users about the Secret Cheat Code would be a good idea - I know I saw it somewhere but I'm going mad looking for it today

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami_Code

[garbear]

I think we're gonna leave games hidden by default in v18. This is because we can't package emulators on every platform (looking at you, Android).

[garbear]

Scratch that, the plan is to enables games by default and  bundle 2048 (single player) and a Bomberman clone (multplayer). That way all platforms will have games, but some can download or install more emulations.

[Szymon_Zy]

Do you mean some of the scummvm freeware games could be downloadable from gui? I don't think you could bundle any of them ;-) Amlogic and rPi 1/3 including?

[garbear]

We can bundle whatever GPLv2-compatible games there are.

[docwra]

Great to hear! I think the more visibility this gets the more useful feedback will come.

Can't wait!

[Szymon_Zy]

We can bundle whatever GPLv2-compatible games there are.

 I don't think it is best solution while some of the games could be quite big.

[garbear]

We can bundle whatever GPLv2-compatible games there are.

 I don't think it is best solution while some of the games could be quite big. 

  
True, size and the GPL are our two limitations. Do you want to help compile a list of free (libre) games? I've found a few:

• Vigilante Ninja 2 for NES - https://nesdoug.com/
  
• Sheep it Up for Game Boy - https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DoctorLu...art_12.php
  
• ScummVM has a few I think
  

I'm open for contributions to the list!

[Szymon_Zy]

I'm mostly focused on ScummVM games and only few of them are free of charge (http://scummvm.org/games). Guess someone from 8-bit demoscene could compile list for 8-bit's.
I'm not sure if bundling more then one game per core (as filler for a core database usefull to show how each core games are stored and identified by retroplayer) is best idea. Maybe settings page for each core could include pop up with direction to places where user could find free legal games. Even don't know if those at http://www.c64.com/ are legal or not - but they are mirrored at archive.org (https://archive.org/details/2813_d64_C64_roms_wwwC64com)

[garbear]

I'm mostly focused on ScummVM games and only few of them are free of charge (http://scummvm.org/games). Guess someone from 8-bit demoscene could compile list for 8-bit's.
I'm not sure if bundling more then one game per core (as filler for a core database usefull to show how each core games are stored and identified by retroplayer) is best idea. Maybe settings page for each core could include pop up with direction to places where user could find free legal games. Even don't know if those at http://www.c64.com/ are legal or not - but they are mirrored at archive.org (https://archive.org/details/2813_d64_C64_roms_wwwC64com)

  
As far as legality goes, we only have to be able to distribute them. We probably won't ship more than a single ROM with kodi, but can host as many as we want on our add-on servers.