Oric Database

Want to talks about games you like, would like to see developed on the Oric, it's here.
soft-bug
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Oric Database

Post by soft-bug »

Well,

I have noticed that the projet named Oric Gamebase v.30 was now ended ...

I'm curious and wanted to know more about Games & Programs known for Oric in general.



Here a shared online doc about this huge work, and i admit that i have myself already added 15 entries ...

I must admit too that i dream to have dat o matic files for Oric...

Nowadays, projets like Recalbox (Raspberry PI + Emulation station Frontend) has added oricutron to their 5 or 6 release version (i do not remember).

5 years ago i took part of the Kodibox projet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOiQRd10_Gk), which is now dead ....

Recently i have tried JGamebase which allows me to launch oricutron and in the same time, i could look at all related advert, map, cheat ....

http://www.vassalfactory.org/DD/rod.JPG

But, the most important indeed is to have the original datas ...

I do not expect anything, just wanted to share this and i will probably see more about these datas.
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Dbug
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Dbug »

How much of this is not present in oric.org?
{"name_software":"1337"
,"type_software":"Elite-like"
,"programmer_software":"Chema"
,"date_software":"2010-9-9"
, (...)}

{"name_software":"1815"
,"editor_software":"Cobra Soft"
,"type_software":"Strategy"
,"date_software":"1984-0-0"
, (...)}
Personally, I think we should just maintain one single database, everybody contributing to different systems, different classifications, etc... is not super productive, and ultimately leads to people who lose motivation and the project stop.

Granted, it would be nice if oric.org was a bit more flexible, and possibly some people could help the maintainer in adding features to query the database, build some clean listings, etc... but on the long run I think we should try to get the oric.org software category authoritative, and from that be able to generate this type of gamebase listing.
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Re: Oric Database

Post by soft-bug »

Hi,

You got dawn right !

Because meanwhile, the retrogaming comunity (lot of organized people with dedicated tools and validation process) are lurking the oric.org and start to define day by day a copy and certainly with improvements i think too.

On ScreenScraper you have 583 games https://www.screenscraper.fr/gamesinfos ... &numpage=0

Look at the Zx spectrum now (same state as Oric, 3 years ago ) : https://www.screenscraper.fr/gamesinfos ... &numpage=0

You have also Mobygames with currently 103 games https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/oric/. Very simple and intuitive interface.

I think that the problem is not to loose datas ... but will oric.org will be able to keep as a reference in 2 or 3 years ?
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Dbug
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Dbug »

Mobygame is unusable, the process to add things is more complicated and lengthy than revising an article of a country's constitution, it's like a wikipedia on steroids that tries to achieve perfection with moderators who's going to refuse screenshots because they are the same on other site... even if you did make the stupid screenshots in first place.

The Oric.org database contains most of the things you want, the main problem is that the main code of the site has not been updated in years, and it's missing some basic features like advanced queries to return software based on multiple criterias, it's a bit complicated to add stuff when you don't know how to do it, and difficult to remove things when a mistake was done.

But at least it's a pure oric ressource, not something managed by multi-platform people who rarely get things done correctly when you go in the little details like hardware compatibility, additional data, patches and bug fixed versions, etc...
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ibisum
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Re: Oric Database

Post by ibisum »

>but will oric.org will be able to keep as a reference in 2 or 3 years ?

Its been here already for decades.

I think any and all attempts to document Oric are worthy, as there is always room for improvement. I don't find as complete a community on any of these other sites, at least not with the same calibre of posts as is the case on multiple Oric.org top-100 games/programs.
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Chema
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Chema »

Yep, but still Pinforic is not there, despite all my efforts for years ;)
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Re: Oric Database

Post by soft-bug »

Well,

Found my original Durendal box ... and decided to scan and to add. Now i know that the release was 1984 and impossible to find this information over the internet ...

The inlay and cassette are not present at oric.org, it will be a future new add with pinforic :wink:


http://www.vassalfactory.org/DD/durendal.JPG

JGamebase uses a Derby database and i use something to extract and to share into the googlesheet ! Special thank to the developper of JGamebase who made the v70-3 new release after that i discovered a bug for exporting datas.

Searching (but not loading !) for Durendal information, i found the Stress Cobrasoft inlay and cassette at http://dcmoto.free.fr/programmes/stress/index.html

The Ordi-Tierce Cobrasoft too .. with chance on https://www.system-cfg.com/ a nice guy give me the WAV file.

http://www.vassalfactory.org/DD/ordi-ti ... _atmos.zip . But unfortunatly seems to load with Oricutron problem.

I admit that i am rusted since my last transfer 20 years ago. I tried to use wav2tap and wavclean (last version on the Github). Even if i convert to 41... frequency and mono.
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Dbug
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Dbug »

Chema wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 12:47 pm Yep, but still Pinforic is not there, despite all my efforts for years ;)
Have you asked access to the database?
I've been adding some stuff when I had time, but this takes time.

Alternatively, you can also send me a complete package with the programs, read me, some screenshots, authors, credits, compatibility, bla bla bla andI can add it.
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Chema
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Chema »

Would you, please? You can download it from here
http://isa.uniovi.es/~chema/bin/pinforic.zip

And also (just in case) here (at the end of the page)
https://www.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-ar ... focom.html
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Dbug »

Chema wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 8:11 pm Would you, please? You can download it from here
http://isa.uniovi.es/~chema/bin/pinforic.zip

And also (just in case) here (at the end of the page)
https://www.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-ar ... focom.html
Hope that works for you:
https://www.oric.org/software/pinforic-2502.html
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Chema
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Chema »

Thabk you so much, Dbug! I love the picture :)
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Dbug »

Good :)

So, for other people, if your favorite game is missing or incomplete, I'm ok to do the updates, but make sure to give me as much material as possible, including 240x224 screenshots if you can, because this stuff is time consuming. Same thing for inlays, manuals, etc...
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Steve M
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Steve M »

Having a database is useful as you can sort the programs in different ways. Sometimes you want the programs listed by title. Other times you might want to see all the Loriciels titles together. Then you might want them listed by author.

The problem with Oric.org is everything is lumped in together. Type-ins from magazine, tapes, non-commercial software, type-ins from books etc. If you're interested in things like tapes it can be a bit misleading when you have type-ins and other programs in the one place.

The problem with Gamebase was there is no record of where the software came from - you just have the title. So you can have Invaders and then Invaders - but is it from PSS or IJK or Diand ????
I think the Gamebase project could be improved by adding things like the software house and whether it is Oric-1 or Atmos software.

Some years ago I tried to get the commercial releases (i.e. tapes or disks) listed and then had a separate list for type-ins. Then a further list for the other programs like the PD software that OUM had available and .

My lists are now terribly out-of-date and have a lot of information missing. I have some improved versions but I can't upload.
And of course, it's just a database with no actual software.
http://www.48katmos.freeuk.com/lists.htm
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Dbug »

Steve: For Oric.org, it's just a UI problem, inside it's a real DB, everything can be properly queried with multiple criterias.
The main issue really is that the search page has not been updated since it was made... decades ago?
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Re: Oric Database

Post by Symoon »

All this has an impact on how to fill the database.
Ideally, we should think about the search criterias first (or more generally, what does users want to do), then designing the tables and UI, and THEN letting people how to fill the base with game.
And there can be MANY criterias and different user wishes - I think we had this discussion before ;)

Example: Oric.org was designed initially to have details about each game, so rather a "game by game" approach, but it appeared soon after that many users were hoping for "how do I download everything in one click".

Criterias example:
Program name (there can be different ones for the same program! Two program entries? Two fields ?)
Language
Game version (some games were sold with bugs, silently corrected later; or improved, or Atmos compatible, ...)
Developer
Editor
Distributor
Release date
Original physical support (disk, tape, magazine)
Digital support (dsk, hfe, tap, WAV, …)
DOS (FT-DOS, Sedoric, Oric Dos, …)
ROM (1.0, 1.1, Hyper-Basic, …)
Machine (Oric-1, Atmos, Telestrat, …)
Original or modified version (cracked, adapted for disk, home-translated …)
Joystick compatibility
Vocal synthesizer compatibility
Required extensions (real Oric, Minitel, Modem, cable, printer, …)
Existing patches (Joystick compatibility programs for instance, upgrades in magazines, …)
Related to other programs ?
+ docs (in each language, for each version), inlays, previews/reviews/interviews, ...
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