Hacking CreateCat: PC app to write WiiFlow categories

Wiimpathy

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Here's a PC application that scrapes databases and sort the games in categories. For those who never use that feature, look at the wiki first. Note that in WiiFlow Lite, the categories_v4.ini file is now called categories_lite.ini.

CreateCat 0.2


Source Code & README
 
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Tetsuo Shima

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Here's a PC application that scrapes databases and sort the games in categories. For those who never use that feature, look at the wiki first. Note that in WiiFlow Lite, the categories_v4.ini file is now called categories_lite.ini.

CreateCat 0.1


Source Code & README
This is wonderful. Thanks Wiimpathy! Will this require a particular WFL beta?
just a couple notes about the included platform.ini:
I just noticed that it's missing BBCMICRO in the [FLOWS] section, and SGFX and TO5 are entirely gone. Also missing, the last two alt cores for mame2003+, from the compatibility list.
 

Wiimpathy

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You're right, I totally forgot. Fledge68 already implemented the plugin's categories but no release yet.

You can download the latest WiiFow here : click 'Clone or download', 'Download ZIP' then you'll have the beta in the out folder.

The platform.ini may need adjustments too. I'll add the missing ones later.
However, in the PC app, there shoudln't be any FLOWS in platform.ini. Only the magic# and real platform name.
 

Tetsuo Shima

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However, in the PC app, there shoudln't be any FLOWS in platform.ini. Only the magic# and real platform name.
Sorry, I was confusing it with the platform.ini from your latest database update.
I thouht they were the same, now I understand. The one for Createcat only needs the real platform names.
However there is a discrepancy for the Game & Watch name in the two platform.ini files, it's GAMEWATCH in Createcat and GAMEANDWATCH in the database.
 
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Tetsuo Shima

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yes, it should be GAMEWATCH in both. I should have asked you to check before release. Too many things to check. Oh well...
Don't worry :)
Here I ran the linux script with the debug option on.
A very few games weren't recognized, but I must say that not all of my games are getting info from the Database too.

Edit: It seems that I cannot post the debug output. It's very big and it exceeds gbatemp's character limit
 
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Wiimpathy

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When you say they're not getting info, you mean the info exists and you can see the genres in Wiiflow's game info?
Just to be sure, there's no category at all for those games or something's failing at identifying them.

You could redirect the output with ./GOLINUX /YourPAth > log.txt. And upload the file.
 

Tetsuo Shima

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I mean, the info for one game exists but is not displayed pressing + ("no info for this game") because maybe the rom is having another crc, or I have to change the filename according to the database.
I was saying that surely many of the games not recognized by Create Cat could be them.

edit:
log.txt
 
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fledge68

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I mean, the info for one game exists but is not displayed pressing + ("no info for this game") because maybe the rom is having another crc, or I have to change the filename according to the database.
I was saying that surely many of the games not recognized by Create Cat could be them.

edit:
log.txt
Maybe do a reload cache for game n watch so id is included in the gamelist headers
 

Wiimpathy

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The missing.txt file is helpful too. Every missing titles are appended to this file. You'd have to delete it first if you've already done several scrapings.

Off course, around 100% results is impossible. The game's detection is a bit better than in Wiiflow since there are more available checks.
The fuzzy search helps a bit, a few more titles are found like in your 2d log.
For most platforms, it's around 80% found categories I think.

It's reasonably fast and light now. One way to improve would be using all known rom names and extra hashes(md5). This is what makes screencraper the most comprehensive database. I don't like having to rely on a online and slow db though and an offline would be too big.

By the way, it's pure c++ and most of the code could be adapted to a Wii homebrew.

Nand channels aren't parsed. I'll add them too.

One thing's missing too regarding that hidden cat. If you make your own cat and the hidden cat number changes, the hidden_categories= value must also be edited manually.
 
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Wiimpathy

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CreateCat_0-2

- Add Wii channels parsing and update data.

A lot of games genre has been added. The moby search isn't very useful anymore, it should already be part of the data(and moby fuzzy isn't platform specific so possible wrong results).

You may have to run WiiFlow first with the updated plugin's databases so that the games are identified and new lists generated.

Here are genre statistics per platform :
=================== AMIGA ===================
1630/5488 missing
70.29 % found genre

=================== AMSTRAD ===================
1282/4284 missing
70.07 % found genre

=================== APPLE2 ===================
437/1571 missing
72.18 % found genre

=================== ARCADE ===================
1356/6182 missing
78.06 % found genre

=================== CPS1 ===================
0/36 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== CPS2 ===================
0/41 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== ATARI800 ===================
676/3153 missing
78.56 % found genre

=================== ATARI2600 ===================
423/1304 missing
67.56 % found genre

=================== ATARI5200 ===================
0/106 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== ATARI7800 ===================
0/79 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== ATARIST ===================
8/2604 missing
99.69 % found genre

=================== BBCMICRO ===================
693/1580 missing
56.13 % found genre

=================== C64 ===================
7843/17160 missing
54.29 % found genre

=================== COCO ===================
1/261 missing
99.61 % found genre

=================== COLECOVISION ===================
0/178 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== CREATIVISION ===================
1/21 missing
95.23 % found genre

=================== DOS ===================
191/6004 missing
96.81 % found genre

=================== DRAGON3264 ===================
145/539 missing
73.09 % found genre

=================== FDS ===================
0/256 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== GAMEGEAR ===================
0/384 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== GAMEWATCH ===================
1/67 missing
98.50 % found genre

=================== GB ===================
41/1292 missing
96.82 % found genre

=================== GBA ===================
488/1795 missing
72.81 % found genre

=================== GBC ===================
172/1224 missing
85.94 % found genre

=================== INTELLIVISION ===================
0/179 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== LYNX ===================
1/105 missing
99.04 % found genre

=================== MASTERSYSTEM ===================
61/478 missing
87.23 % found genre

=================== MEGACD ===================
0/220 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== MEGADRIVE ===================
0/1224 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== MSX ===================
654/2471 missing
73.53 % found genre

=================== N64 ===================
0/406 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== NEOPOCKET ===================
19/135 missing
85.92 % found genre

=================== NES ===================
105/1858 missing
94.34 % found genre

=================== openBOR ===================
319/348 missing
8.33 % found genre

=================== PC8801 ===================
738/1268 missing
41.79 % found genre

=================== PC9801 ===================
416/725 missing
42.62 % found genre

=================== PCENGINE ===================
1/342 missing
99.70 % found genre

=================== PCENGINECD ===================
0/378 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== PCFX ===================
1/83 missing
98.79 % found genre

=================== PS1 ===================
1152/3833 missing
69.94 % found genre

=================== SG1000 ===================
1/101 missing
99.00 % found genre

=================== SUPERNES ===================
0/1857 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== TO5 ===================
254/510 missing
50.19 % found genre

=================== VECTREX ===================
1/76 missing
98.68 % found genre

=================== VG5000 ===================
0/89 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== VIDEOPAC ===================
11/139 missing
92.08 % found genre

=================== VIRTUALBOY ===================
0/47 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== WONDERSWAN ===================
0/219 missing
100.00 % found genre

=================== ZX ===================
3501/11935 missing
70.66 % found genre
 

NayoMays

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Hey all, long-time lurker and first-time poster here... just have to say thank you so much for all the work you've done on Wiiflow! Really is an amazing piece of software. Finally got around to hacking my Wii the other day, and I'm coming up on the finishing touches. The last thing I want are game categories, but for the amount of players supported. I checked the docs folder to see the available categories, but didn't see what I was looking for. I want a 1-Player, 2-Player, and 4-Player categories. Is there anyway to automate categorizing the +1,000 games I have with those categories? Thanks in advance for your time!

EDIT: I noticed in categories_lite.ini there are categories for 1 and 2 players. Is there a way to add a 4 player category as well? Thanks!
 
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Wiimpathy

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Player info is only available for plugins.

To add 4 player category:

- Insert a new cat in /data/categories_lite.ini :
Code:
cat14=2 Players
cat15=4 Players
cat16=Cooperative
cat17=Hidden
category_on_start=no
hidden_categories=0
numcategories=18
Don't forget to add +1 to numcategories when you add a category.

- Modify /data/cat_plugin.ini so that 4P+ (what about 3?) is parsed separately:
Code:
cat14=2
cat15=3,4,5,6,7,8,8+
cat16=Coop
cat17=Hidden

Well, you get the idea. You could do the same thing for Wii/GC games by editing cat_wiitdb.ini and the [GENERAL] section in categories_lite.ini.
 

Wiimpathy

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Hey @Wiimpathy ! Appreciate your help before. How do you overwrite categories? I'm getting "[xxx] is already in categories_lite.ini" errors. Thanks!
You don't overwrite them. If your categories_lite.ini has already been parsed, you must delete it first(or delete the specific games/plugin sections). It's highly recommended to know which custom genres/categories you want first.
The app is not intended to work with categories you've manually assigned in Wiiflow. It's a one time program.

Maybe do a little test and see if all is ok in Wiiflow.
Then start fresh and launch createcat. If all is right, you'd be able to edit and add some missing categories in WiiFlow as you want.
 
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