================================ GameBase v1.3 (23 November 2010) ================================ == NEW FEATURES == - New Documentation: http://www.bu22.com/wiki/ - You can now stick .wav files in your database's /Splash folder. GB will play a random one as it displays the splash screen - Can now specify how long (in seconds) each splash screen is displayed (see updated docs) - Clicking on the splash screen will now close it - Can now set the default Picture sizes per database - Added new fields: Artist, Developer, License, Rarity, Original, Playable, TitleScreen, Info WebLink, Version WebLink, CloneOf, Review Rating - Views can finally show more than 2 columns! - Now able to set the order of custom views - Added new Default View: to complement the new CloneOf field - Can now hide/show/re-order fields in the details tabs (tabs themselves will be hidden if no fields are shown on them) - Added 2 new 'Extras' types: URL (opens extra in default web browser), and MUSIC (uses the configured Music Players) - Added new Sidebar, showing all "launchable" items such as game file, music file, weblinks and extras - New "Import Personal Info..." feature under Tools menu. You can import personal data (favourites, highscore, difficulty, rating, times/last played etc) from another (e.g. previous) database - Added 2 fields for database settings: "DatabaseName" and "GameBaseWindowTitle", editable from the GBToolbox (right-click the mdb file and select "Database Settings...") - Can now edit the FirstLoadGemusAsk and FirstLoadMessage fields from the GBToolbox (right-click the mdb file and select "Database Settings...") - RomLister Export - Now you can export GB databases and run them in a variety of popular arcade cabinet frontends - New App: GBLauncher.exe - runs games using GEMUS silently via command line - New App: GBRegRun.exe - re-registers required COM dlls and runs GameBase.exe (can be used to register other DLLs and run other apps too) - Added per-database option to show 'image' extras (png/jpg/gif/bmp) in the screenshots area GEMUS: - Archive unpack/repack routines completely reworked employing 7-Zip command line utility to do all the hard work. :) - Can now unpack the following archives (thanks to 7-Zip): .7Z, .ZIP, .GZ, .GZIP, .TGZ, .BZ2, .BZIP2, .TBZ2, .TBZ, .TAR, .LZMA, .RAR, .CAB, .ARJ, .Z, .TAZ, .ISO, .LHA, .LZH - Can now repack the following archives (with/without sub-archives) (thanks to 7-Zip): .7Z .ZIP .GZ .GZIP .TGZ .BZ2 .BZIP2 .TBZ2 .TBZ .TAR - Dropped legacy support for .LNX and ZipCoded files (C64) - Now keeping the folder structure intact when extracting archives - Can now use environment vars in key=value pairs (values only). E.g. foo=%emupath% - Can now use empty values in key=value pairs and Set_* functions - Added following environment vars: %dbdriveletter%, %storedgames(x)%, %storedpictures(x)%, %storedextras(x)%, %storedmusic%, %storedphotos% (see updated docs) - Introduced global key=value pairs, and key=value sets (kvsets) for grouping related key=value pairs (see updated docs) - Updated per-game "key=value" editor to manage kvsets and batch-update key=values for all games in the current view - Can now (officially) put comment lines where you enter key=value pairs (lines starting with ; are comments) - New script function Show_KV() added to let you see the key=value pairs applicable to the running GEMUS script (see updated docs) - New script function Run_Emulator_Send_Keys() added to enable sending of keystrokes to the emulator after is has been launched (see updated docs) - New script function Kill_Process() added to kill all running processes matching a given filename (see updated docs) - New script function Wait() added to pause the script for a specified number of milliseconds (see updated docs) - Can now specify the location of the "GBGame" folder - Can now specify the runnable file in archives for GEMUS-based Extras - Now logging all GEMUS activity (when running a game) to Gemus.log - Added "Discard Script changes?" warning when quitting the GEMUS Script edit window if the script has changed == CHANGES == - Split Options window into "frontend" options and "per database" options - Removed the "File Not Found or not PSID" message on the Music details tab - Now saves/retrieves last-browsed picture path in the Picture Selector (when adding games, or when current game has no picture file assigned) - Changed tab 3 in About screen to the loaded database's name, instead of "GameBase" - Increased field sizes to 255 chars for: Cracker, Difficulty, Language, Musician (+Nick, +Grp), Programmer, Publisher, Genre, ParentGenre, Comment, Version Comment - Yes/No fields are now Yes/No/Unknown for the following fields: Loading Screen, High Score Saver, Included Docs, True Drive Emu - Various UI tweaks to account for new fields (and field sizes), and 7-Zip integration - Removed CRC checkbox on "Verify Available Files" as it is currently unused - Picture Selector is now resizable, plus added refresh buttons - Game Selector is now resizable - Extras Properties Window is now resizable - Increased size of "Select Folder" window - Increased size of Database Paths window - New default "no picture" images - GameBase main window title changed to utilise custom database name field (if set via GBToolbox) - Added panel to the main window status bar showing the ID of the currently selected item - Moved game name and icons out of the details tabs, so they still show when details tabs are hidden - All Registry settings now saved to HKEY_CURRENT_USER instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - Zoomed screenshots stay in-front of main window properly now if the option is checked - Updated credits in about screen (sorry if I forgot anyone!) - GameBase documentation removed from install, now points to http://www.bu22.com/wiki/ instead == FIXES == - Fixed crash when adding 20th filter for a custom view - Fixed issue with custom gfx GameTab4_16x16.gif, now tab 4 is working (use GameTab4_16x16.gif [no text] and optionally GameTab4a_16x16.gif [some text]) - Fixed crash when checking if a file exists, when the full filepath is over 128 chars long (limitation of winapi function OpenFile()) - Fixed "Could not open file. File already open" error when a D64 file had an empty Dir Entry or Disk Name - Fixed bug where LightPen was not being read correctly in GEMUS scripts - Fixed bug where list font/colour changes were not happening on all views - Fixed bug where files larger than 2GB could not be linked via the Game Selector - Fixed crash when selecting to edit a linked "extra" and there are some invalid paths set in Paths.ini - Fixed Text.ini bug where Field_ParentGenre was not being loaded - Fixed crash when pressing OK when editing fields after "filtering" returns no results ============================== GameBase v1.2 (18 August 2007) ============================== == NEW FEATURES == - Added filter functionality in 'Select' window for setting the Programmer, Musician, etc., and included new button label in GBText.ini - When adding a new game/SID the name is automatically extracted and copied to the 'Add' dialog - At startup the frontend can now detect drive letter changes. If a directory from paths.ini can not be found the actual drive letter will be used as a fallback. - Support for relative paths within the INI files == CHANGES == - Moved registration of GameBase DLLs into the main executable (no longer requires regsvr32.exe for GBFuncs.dll, GBSql.dll, Gemus.dll, PNGLib.dll) - Better filename extraction from D64 images (capital characters, tailing spaces, etc.) - Improved readability of D64 images (capital & special characters) in 'Game Selector' - Improved the set and clear links mechanism and removed checkbox from the 'Set Game Link' window and GBText.ini - Database selection window now visible in task bar == FIXES == - Fixed bug where PNG images would incorrectly be displayed as a white screen (new PNGlib.dll) - Fixed bug in custom views that prevented the proper combination of Extras with other game filters (games without Extras are now searched) - Increased timeout when converting images from BMP to PNG/GIF prevent incorrect conversion failed message - The 'Picture Selector' will now be refreshed if a screenshot conversion timeout occurs - Added space between delete button and other buttons on Extras dialog box to prevent accidental deletions - Removing an entry from the 'Manage Emulators' dialog will now affect the EMULATOR.INI file ============================= GameBase v1.1 (23 June 2004) ============================= == NEW FEATURES == - Added a GEMUS var %emupath% that points to the path of the selected emulator - Added a GEMUS var %dbpath% that points to the selected GameBase database folder - Added a GEMUS var %gbgamepath% that points to the GBGame folder - Added an optional version check on startup with option to send anonymous usage statistics - Added 'Find Game/Music by ID' option under the Edit menu (for locating games/music by their GA_Id field) - Added option to show the currently selected game/music ID in the Window Title Bar == CHANGES == - Changed GEMUS functions Run_Program(), Set_CFG_Value(), Set_CFG_Item() and Set_INI_Value() to allow absolute path names as well as file numbers for the first parameter (useful if used with the new %emupath% / %dbpath% variables). - GEMUS Comparison QUESTION( ) function now accepts script environment vars == FIXES == - Fixed crash when searching for emulators in GEMUS Wizard when only one emulator definition existed in a section - Fixed bug where "(Simultaneous)" was not shown in a view's 'No. of Players 'second column under certain circumstances - Fixed the 'datafile was not found to be version 2.00' bug in RomCenter Dat File Import (thanks to Manfred Wassmann for his help in locating the problem) ============================= GameBase v1.0 (23 March 2004) ============================= == CHANGES == - Now Open Source under the GNU General Public License - Increased No. Trainers field to accept values up to 5000 =============================== GameBase v0.95 (12 August 2003) =============================== == NEW FEATURES == - Added a startup message when databases are loaded for the first time (editable in MS Access only) - Added option to run the GEMUS Setup Wizard when databases are loaded for the first time (editable in MS Access only) - Added internal support for recognising C64 Sid files with the RSID header - Customisable Help Menu now available per database == CHANGES == - Option to hide/show splash screen on startup - Can now place GBText.ini into your database folder to override the one in the GameBase folder - Game Length field now has more types than just Blocks/Disks (configurable in Text.ini) - Minor interface changes == FIXES == - Fixed crash when selecting music items from the recent menu - Fixed Tab key not working in GEMUS script editor - The GEMUS "NumPlayers" comparison field should now work properly - No more overlapping field-text in the details tabs ============================= GameBase v0.94 (22 July 2003) ============================= == NEW FEATURES == - Added an 'Auto Syntax Check' option when writing gemus scripts == CHANGES == - auto-calculation of supported emu file types - no longer need to manually specify them (can still use them as defaults tho) - Now shows musician photo when clicking on the music details tab for a game - Minor interface changes - Amended licence/disclaimer == FIXES == - Fixed crash when minimising the gemus script editor window - Fixed bug where GB wasn't saving associated script files when adding new emulators - Fixed bug when assigning photos to musicians when a game is selected - game controls now properly changable via the text.ini file (keyboard/joystick/mouse/paddle etc.) ============================== GameBase v0.93 (20 March 2003) ============================== == NEW FEATURES == - Added a popup menu (the Edit menu) when right-clicking games/music in the list - Added option to allow Custom Views based on a Game Extra's name - Added game-rezipping support - Added an expand window for game notes - Added a Credits tab to the About screen :) - Can now import a RomCenter v2.0 dat-file into an existing GB database (right-click an .mdb file in the GBToolbox) == CHANGES == - Moved Gemus "key=value" pairs from a game's Notes field to a new field (accessible via the Edit menu) - Changed various hyperlinks in the details tabs to filter any matches instead of exact matches - Minor interface changes == FIXES == - fixed incomplete screenshot 'Auto Rename' function bug - fixed bug in Set_CFG_Value() and Set_CFG_Item() functions when matching existing keys in file - fixed game-version [v...] being cut off in status bar when game-filename is too long - Extras editor now lists the extras in the correct order - Fixed small bug in Romcenter Dat-file Import - Fixed occasional path/file access error in Extras selector ====================================== GameBase v0.92 Beta (16 December 2002) ====================================== == NEW FEATURES == - Added GEMUS script variables to the CONTAINS() comparison function (e.g. 'If %gamefile% CONTAINS(128k)') - Added option to delete game/music/picture/extra files when removing games/tunes from a database - Added GEMUS function Add_CLP2() which acts like Add_CLP() but doesn't auto-add quotes around filenames containing spaces - Added function to export the current view into a text file - Added an Emulator/GEMUS Setup Wizard! - Added field "Version" to keep track of game-file versions (use CTRL+"+" and CTRL+"-" to change version) == CHANGES == - startup database selector window can now be viewed in 3 different styles - double clicking a zoomed-in picture will now close it - clicking in the area under a picture now puts focus back to the game list - Setup of Paths moved from Options window to seperate window - Find/Find Next changed to include optional scan of the game comment field - Splash Screen now only shows image (no bottom bit) and can be a transparent gif - Changed Game-Length dropdown selector to a text edit field in the edit-version-info window - Notes icon is now greyed out if there are no notes set for a game - Swapped Keyboard Shortcuts for Add Game and Add Music (due to popular demand) - Now shows warning if notes not saved when clicking another game - Now possible to select 0 players for a game (e.g. if it's a preview) == FIXES == - 'non stop music' and 'sound on classic game' in the status bar now update correctly when clicked - resolved frequent crash when adding new games (aargh!) - resolved crash when entering a version comment that is too long - [uncategorized] genre now selectable from game-info edit window - fixed crash if you set 2 musicians/publishers/programmers to the same name - fixed bug in game selector when asking to select a file from an archive twice - fixed crash when linking to an adult sequel/prequel/related game from a non-adult game when the adult filter is on - fixed screenshot autorename bug where long-filenamed screenshots weren't getting renamed =================================== GameBase v0.91 Beta (04 March 2002) =================================== == NEW FEATURES == - Added RomCenter datafile importer for v2.00 datafiles (with TOSEC [TNC v1] filename parser and CRC/Size rom-scanner) - Now possible to assign a specific emulator to a game by using the key=value pair 'emu=xxx' - 'Extras' functionality added. Now possible to store any number of files (including extra game files) per game - MAME-style pictures engine added (can now view snaps/flyers/cabinet/marquee etc at the same time) - adult game icon added next to rating/precursor/sequel/related icons - Implemented Database version check on startup, plus auto-update from previous database versions - Set_CFG_Item() GEMUS function added to allow advanced ini/config file editing - Added ability to Delete records from various database tables == CHANGES == - Increased lengths of all Filename fields (from 128 chars to Memo) - Years table now starts from 1970 and includes ????, 19??, 20??, 197?, 198?, 199?, 200?, 201? and 202? - now disallows selection of simultaneous play if players is set to 1 player only - now shows the database version/official-update in the About screen - Added CRC and Filesize fields, but not in use yet - Run_GameFile() GEMUS function changed to run non-executable files by using Windows file associations - Focus is now set back to the game-list when clicking the GB window title-bar (or by pressing F5) - Tweaked the game-renaming algorithm to support names like 'Bards Tale, The - Tales of the Unknown' and 'Run, The [Preview]' - Changed the word 'Prequel' to 'Precursor' due to constant nagging! ;) - 'Play Sound on Classic Game' is no longer activated if 'Non Stop Music' is enabled - Minor cosmetic changes == FIXES == - Deleting emulators via the Manage Emulators window now works (updates the GEMUS menu correctly) - auto-removal of leading/trailing spaces in High Score field - no longer crashes when linking an invalid picture file - Fixed bug where Run_Program() GEMUS function would cause an occasional crash - Fixed minor bug in the Browse-for-folder dialog - Now trapping the DEL key correctly in the Notes tab - Fixed bug where view title was wrong when filtering by PAL/NTSC from version tab ===================================== GameBase v0.9 Beta (22 December 2001) ===================================== - Renamed to GameBase from gamebase64 - Completely rewritten - Now supports all systems not just C64 - Loads of other stuff - Pretty much a completely new frontend! =================================== gamebase64 v1.3b (06 December 1998) =================================== - Added 3 custom views to complement the All, P and S views - Added a Classics menu for quick access to your favourite games - Added a Recent menu that stores the last 10 games you played - Added a Find/Find-Next function to the main gamebase64 window - Added support for multiple screenshots per game - Various minor cosmetic changes/bug fixes ===================================== gamebase64 v1.21.1 (01 November 1998) ===================================== - Fixed bug where program would crash if you didn't set your ccs.exe emulator path ================================== gamebase64 v1.21 (28 October 1998) ================================== - Added support for VICE v0.15.0 ================================= gamebase64 v1.2 (24 October 1998) ================================= - Runtimes updated to VB6 - Changed the 'Play Game' button to 3 Play buttons (one for each version of CCS64) - Possible now to resize the gamebase64 window vertically to show more games - Added Scroller for the Game Comment - Added another 10 slots for your C64 Favourites - Changed the P and S buttons to show games/sids you actually have on your HD, rather than games/sids referenced in the database (whether you have them or not) - Changed support for GZ files to use Winzip instead of Gunzip (fixes bug if game has "+" in name) - Fixed bug where gamebase64 would not be visible after loading, (if closed while minimized) - Included some animated gifs in various screens for fun! - Other small minor adjustments ========================================= gamebase64 v1.1 (soon after 01 June 1997) ========================================= - Fixed a few minor bugs, can't remember what they were! ============================== gamebase64 v1.0 (01 June 1997) ============================== - Released v1.0 to the unsuspecting public!