Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets (Get rid of Adult and Mahjong games!)

markwkidd · 3 Mar 2018, 04:08

What is Simple Arcade Multifilter?

Simple Arcade Multifilter is a Windows app that uses a "catver.ini" and an XML DAT file to filter and categorize arcade ROMs in one or more of the following ways:

Game genre
Adult content
Clones
Games requiring CHD files
BIOSes

Download

The most current compiled version can be found here: https://github.com/markwkidd/ahk-retroarch-playlist-helpers/releases

Sourcing the XML DAT file and catver.ini

In order to work correctly, the Simple Arcade Multifilter requires a XML DAT and a catver.ini that matches the version of the arcade ROM set exactly. Progetto-SNAPS XML DATs are recommended as the source for MAME DAT files. DAT files generated by the FB Alpha software are the recommended source for FBA XML DAT files.

libretro maintains catver.ini files for each of the historical MAME cores, which can be downloaded from their github repositories:

FB Alpha collections can be sorted by finding the catver.ini from the MAME set which your FB Alpha collection's ROMs were originally derived from.

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Simple Arcade Multifilter uses a two-step process. Step 1: Configuration

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Step 2: Filters

The selection boxes and manual filters provide "OR" search queries (on the left) and "NOT" queries (on the right). Three other filters may be applied in addition to the category filter:

Bundle BIOS files into the query (as indicated by the DAT, not catver.ini)
Exclude clones as indicated in the DAT
Exclude anything that is tagged Mature (necessary since games are tagged with multiple categories)

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Screenshot of the copy process:

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Example: Basic category filters for MAME 2003

Playlist: MAME - Action
Inclusion filter: Climbing|Multiplay|Platform / Fighter Scrolling|Shooter / Misc.|Shooter / Walking

Playlist: MAME - Beat 'Em Up
Inclusion filter: Fighter / 2.5D|Fighter / Versus Co-op

Playlist: MAME - Driving
Inclusion filter: Driving

Playlist: MAME - Fighting
Inclusion filter: Fighter
Exclusion filter: Fighter / 2.5D|Fighter / Versus Co-op

Playlist: MAME - Lightgun
Inclusion filter: Shooter / Gun

Playlist: MAME - Maze
Inclusion filter: Maze

Playlist: MAME - Pinball
Inclusion filter: Pinball

Playlist: MAME - Platform
Inclusion filter: Platform
Exclusion filter: Platform / Fighter Scrolling

Playlist: MAME - Puzzle
Inclusion filter: Ball & Paddle|Breakout|Puzzle
Exclusion filter: Maze

Playlist: MAME - Rhythm
Inclusion filter: Rhythm

Playlist: MAME - Shooter
Inclusion filter: Shooter
Exclusion filter: Shooter / Gun|Shooter / Walking

Playlist: MAME - Sports
Inclusion filter: Sports

markwkidd · 23 Feb 2017, 05:59

Hi @Rion , thank you for your message over in the libretro forums.

I think I have posted this thread in the incorrect RetroPie forum though. Maybe this should be in the Projects and Themes instead?

edmaul69 · 23 Feb 2017, 06:17

@markwkidd this is probably the correct place for it. Projects refers more to stuff that people modify or build to put their pi's in. I am definitely going to check this out when i get moved and settled and get my pi out. The mahjong games and quiz games do me no good as i dont know japanese.

Rion · 3 Mar 2017, 14:12

@markwkidd

I found out that the supplied catver.ini found on the Libretro github for Mame2003 is incomplete and some games will still go thru the filers. This is not Simple Arcade Multifilter fault.

This can be checked with Mame32 UI 0.78 for reference after sorting out a folder.

Maybe i will have a look at the catver.ini someday

markwkidd · 4 Mar 2017, 03:56

@Rion thanks for the report.

Do you have an example of a game that is incorrect or missing from the libretro catver.ini? Maybe it would be possible to correct the catver file.

markwkidd · 6 Mar 2017, 17:30

Some folks have been requesting an easier way to set paths. I just uploaded a new version dated 2017-03-06 which incorporates file browsing buttons for that purpose.

dudumaroja · 3 Mar 2018, 04:09

Hello, any change in making a preview list to check before copying the roms?

and maybe some filter for clones.. ex: i want the Simpsons clone for 2 players machine.. so you can select the chars.. not the 4 players one..

same for ninja turtles.. and etc..

markwkidd · 3 Mar 2018, 04:09

@dudumaroja said in Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets (Get rid of Adult and Mahjong games!):

Hello, any change in making a preview list to check before copying the roms?

and maybe some filter for clones.. ex: i want the Simpsons clone for 2 players machine.. so you can select the chars.. not the 4 players one..

same for ninja turtles.. and etc..

Thanks for your suggestion about the preview list, I have noted that for a possible future update.

Please note that the current version does already allow filtering out of clones -- this is based on the information in the MAME DAT file.

markwkidd · 3 Mar 2018, 04:10

Minor update: I better understand github now than I did a year ago. I've updated the download link to point towards a new v1.0 github release.

ismaelzsilva · 2 Apr 2018, 17:44

Dude this is awesome! Really simple way to cutdown my romsets. I tried hypersin tools, rom lister, etc, and Simple Arcade Multifilter is the best. Any chances to make a version for MAC system? I am running the .exe in Parallels and its ok, but a native aplication in Mac will be fantastic. Thank you very much!

markwkidd · 4 Apr 2018, 23:15

@ismaelzsilva said in Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets (Get rid of Adult and Mahjong games!):

Dude this is awesome! Really simple way to cutdown my romsets. I tried hypersin tools, rom lister, etc, and Simple Arcade Multifilter is the best. Any chances to make a version for MAC system? I am running the .exe in Parallels and its ok, but a native aplication in Mac will be fantastic. Thank you very much!

Thank you, and I'm glad to hear that SAM is working for you via Parallels.

About native OS X support: This tool came into being an unusual way -- I was studying a small console-based arcade playlist generator script for RetroArch that was written in AutoHotKey. I started learning AutoHotKey with the intention of creating an improved version of that script but over the course of a few months I wound up writing an AHK library for dealing with MAME DATs and catver files. Then I wrote two applications based on the library.

If I had any idea the project would wind up like this I would have started out with a cross-platform language. Now I need to rewrite the whole thing from the ground up in order to provide native support for Linux and OS X.

That's a project I'd like to do but it would take a fair amount of time and I haven't been able to get inspired enough to take it on, yet.

ismaelzsilva · 5 Apr 2018, 08:51

@markwkidd
Thank you for the response. No problem, I will use this with parallels, zero problems. I have no idea of programing, but if you need some help or test the a new version, contact with me. Again, SAM is amazing. Thank you very much!
A hug from Spain!

AndersHP · 4 Jun 2018, 20:58

@markwkidd said in [Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets \

FB Alpha collections can be sorted by finding the catver.ini from the MAME set which your FB Alpha collection's ROMs were originally derived from.

Is it correct that FBA 0.2.97.42 is based on MAME 0.187? And what catver.ini and DAT files does this correspond to?
As far as I can see here, none of the mentioned libretro cores match this. Does that mean I have to download a mega 0.187 romset just to obtain the catver.ini file ?!

markwkidd · 7 Apr 2018, 02:12

@andershp said in Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets (Get rid of Adult and Mahjong games!):

@markwkidd said in [Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets \

FB Alpha collections can be sorted by finding the catver.ini from the MAME set which your FB Alpha collection's ROMs were originally derived from.

Is it correct that FBA 0.2.97.42 is based on MAME 0.187? And what catver.ini and DAT files does this correspond to?
As far as I can see here, none of the mentioned libretro cores match this. Does that mean I have to download a mega 0.187 romset just to obtain the catver.ini file ?!

You need an fba dat file. The standalone version of fba can generate these from it's ui, but I think the RetroPie docs also have a link to download an fba dat.

FBA doesn't 'do' catvers, so in that case you want the catver from the equivalent mame version.

AntoPISA at the Progetto site maintains the current recent files. I'm having trouble looking to that site from the device I'm using now, but if you use those keywords you should find it.

AndersHP · 4 Jul 2018, 13:21

I cannot find a catver.ini file for MAME 0.187. In fact, I find the Progetto site very confusing. Should I just get the newest catver file I can find and cross my fingers? Aren't these files 99% similar?

markwkidd · 7 Apr 2018, 12:46

@andershp said in Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets (Get rid of Adult and Mahjong games!):

I cannot find a catver.ini file for MAME 0.187. In fact, I find the Progetto site very confusing. Should I just get the newest catver file I can find and cross my fingers? Aren't these files 99% similar?

I'm looking more closely at the Progetto site now and it does look like they're saying to use the current catvers for any version going back to 0.165.

My obsessive tendencies recoil from that kind of generalization, but AntoPISA knows a lot about MAME metadata so it's probably legit.

AndersHP · 7 Apr 2018, 14:23

OK, so you'd just use the file in the green link at this page?

markwkidd · 8 Apr 2018, 16:34

@andershp said in Simple Arcade Multifilter - app for MAME and FB Alpha sets (Get rid of Adult and Mahjong games!):

OK, so you'd just use the file in the green link at this page?

Yes, that will have to be the catver for your project. If there are unmatched romsets in simple arcade multifilter or other issues please do post here and I'll try to help.

AndersHP · 12 Apr 2018, 04:58

I think it got the job done pretty neatly, and it seems to work faster than clrmamepro and romsorter, and is definitely more user friendly. Thumbs up!

I'd love for an option to sort out NeoGeo games, since I like my NeoGeo folder to be separate, but I guess that comes down to the DAT file, right? So I'll have to use the MAME 0.78u5 'Lite' DAT File mentioned here right?

markwkidd · 12 Apr 2018, 06:00

@andershp I'm afraid that the catver doesn't know anything about Neo Geo. I'm worried that an old DAT like the 0.78u5 would be a poor match for a modern FBA but I have no idea if that would actually be a problem.