LaunchBox Platform XML

The XML file used by LaunchBox is the local copy of all textual metadata, supported by LaunchBox, exported from our Master Database.

Data Types

The following data is stored within the XML for each game and viewable via the front-end

• #Game Title
• #Release Date (Year)
• #Release Type
• #Max Players
• #Genre
• #Platform
• #Developer
• #Publisher
• #Series
• #Region
• #Play Mode
• #Source
• #Notes\Description
• #Alternate Names
• Manuals
• Music
• #Images
• Video Snaps
• #Application Path
• #Configuration Application Path

Unused Data Types

The XML file is capable of tracking the following data, however it is unused within the eXo project.

• Controller Support
• Sort Order (used by a handful of games)
• Status
• Version
• Video URL
• Wikipedia URL
• DOSBox (eXo Projects use their own DOSBox versions.
  • Mounts
• ScummVM (eXo Projects use their own ScummVM version)
• Emulation
• Startup/Pause

Metadata Description

Game Title

Game title is derived from the actual title screen of the game. This is important, as there are instances where the box, manual, and actual title screen disagree with each other. For identical games that were released under different regional names, the U.S. name is chosen for the metadata. Often however, upon starting the game the user is given the choice to launch the version of their choice.

Release Date (Year)

As specific release dates were not very well documented (and quit often it was a slow roll-out as shipments arrived across the country in various store sat different times), the release date is primarily just the year the release year. A handful of well documented games have specific dates which are noted. When a games release date is unknown, the order of inspection (in order of priority) is:

• a date on any scanned printed materials
• a copyright date within the game
• the actual file date

A couple of games have none of the above and have been marked as 198x or 199x to indicate the decade they are from.

Release Type

Within launchbox, Release Type typically denotes

• DLC
• Homebrew
• Released
• ROM Hack
• Unlicensed
• Unreleased

For the purpose of the eXo projects, only Released, Unlicensed, and Unreleased are used.

Max Players

Max players is the total number of players a game supports. This is calculated by comparing the max local, max offline, max online, and max co-op player fields from the Master Database. The highest number of all of these fields is then assigned to the Max Players field in the XML.

Genre

eXoDOS uses the following genres

• Action
• Adventure
• Application
• Arcade
• Beat 'em Up
• Board / Party Game
• Casino
• Construction and Management Simulation
• Education
• Fighting
• First Person Shooter
• Flight Simulator
• Game Show
• Interactive Fiction
• Interactive Movie
• Paddle / Pong
• Pinball
• Platform
• Puzzle
• Quiz
• Racing / Driving
• Role-Playing
• Shooter
• Simulation
• Sports
• Strategy
• Text-Based
• Vehicle Simulation

While the genres may seem non-traditional my current standards, they are reflective of the types of games released for these platforms. Many games are cross genre, in which case multiple genres have been assigned to them. The #Series field further delineates the game type.

Platform

The operating system or platform the game was released on.

Developer

The developer of the game. This may be a company or the name of an individual. Values have been normalized to make it easier for cross referencing. eg: Sierra, Sierra OnLine, Sierra On-Line, and On-Line Systems would all be listed as just Sierra On-Line, Inc.

Publisher

For games that were released commercially, this contains the game's publisher. Self published games are often listed the same as the developer. Freeware games are simply listed as 'Freeware' within this field. Like #Developer, this field has been normalized to a common name for publishers that released under multiple names.

Region

This is not often used by the primary eXo projects, except in cases where a game is not in English. The Language Packs (Main_Page#Language Packs) however use this field to help denote the country of origin.

Play Mode

Cooperative, Multiplayer, or Single Player are the potential options for this field.

Source

Source is also used to denote the Business Model. Commercial is a catch all for any game that was "sold". This includes boxed games sitting on store shelves or games that had a nagging address at the end asking you to send them $20 (such as the shareware concept). Freeware denotes games that were released either totally free, or under the "Donorware" model, in which the software solicited donations but did not nag or lock content behind them.

Notes\Description

Quite simply, a description of the game. The descriptions are composed of a combination of original descriptions and those sourced\editted from websites such as Mobygames and www.old-games.ru.