Overhaul MAME Scan for Added/Removed ROMs

📋 Summary

LaunchBox’s Scan for Removed ROMs and Scan for Added ROMs features currently do not work accurately with MAME, particularly for CHD- and TTL-based arcade games that don’t have a traditional ROM file. This results in many false positives when scanning for removed content. An overhaul of the MAME import and scanning system is needed to improve accuracy and reliability.


🎯 Feature Overview

Revamp the MAME import process to support:

  • Proper handling of non-ROM based MAME games (e.g., CHD-only, TTL)

  • Smarter detection logic during “Scan for Removed ROMs” that does not flag games as removed if they never had a ROM file to begin with

  • Accurate “Scan for Added ROMs” detection when adding these types of games


🛠 Example Use Case

  • A user maintains a curated MAME set, including both ROM-based and CHD-only arcade titles

  • After syncing the ROM folder, they use the Scan for Removed ROMs feature

  • LaunchBox incorrectly flags several CHD-only games as “missing” because they don’t have traditional ROM files

  • The user is forced to manually re-add or ignore these false positives, which is time-consuming and error-prone


📦 Benefits

  • Makes scanning tools accurate and usable for MAME libraries

  • Reduces false positives and confusion for users managing complete arcade sets

  • Aligns LaunchBox’s behavior with the unique structure and metadata of modern MAME distributions

  • Lays the groundwork for future MAME-specific improvements (e.g., version awareness, CHD management, alternative emulator support)

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Upvoters
Status

Open To Community

Board
Custom icon

LaunchBox for Windows

Date

10 months ago

Author

dukdukgoos

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