Total DOS Collection naming convention. Originally based off what TOSEC is doing here: http://www.tosecdev.org/tosec-naming-convention Although some things were modified and a few new tags/flags were added into the mix to properly represent DOS gaming. The basic format for the naming convention is as such: Game Name, The (Year)(Publisher) [Genre].zip You'll notice that it looks a lot like this list from mobygames: http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/dos/list-games/ This is no coincidence. TDC attempts to tie game titles, year of release, publisher, and genre to mobygames. Tying this data to the mobygames database allows 1:1 lookups for game info, which can assist in fleshing out the overall TDC archive (screenshots, tech info, etc) The full title is mandatory for all games. "Quest for Glory 2" <-- No! "Quest for Glory II- Trial By Fire" <-- Yes! The full publisher name is mandatory for all games. This includes all punctuation. 3-D Helicopter Simulator (1987)(Sierra) [Action, Simulation].zip <-- No! 3-D Helicopter Simulator (1987)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Action, Simulation].zip <-- Yes! Sometimes a game is published in a different country by a different publisher, possibly with language changes. We prefer to track this information as accurately as possible. Maniac Mansion- Day of the Tentacle v1.1 (Es) (1993)(Erbe Software, S.A.) [Adventure].zip <-- Published in Spain Maniac Mansion- Day of the Tentacle v1.5 (1993)(LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC) [Adventure].zip <-- Published in USA Game titles may also change between countries- please use whatever is in the title screen. ¿Dónde está Carmen Sandiego_ ¡Búscala por todo el Mundo! (Es) (1991)(Brøderbund Software, Inc.) [Adventure, Educational].zip Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego_ v2.2 (1991)(Brøderbund Software, Inc.) [Adventure, Educational].zip [Note that after ten years of working with a US character set, UTF-8 support was recently added to TDC. Many titles currently in the collection still need to be updated to support extended character sets. This is ongoing- please report incorrect titles as you see them.] A game's title also can change entirely between different releases from different countries. TDC wants to collect ALL of them of course, so each one uses whatever the title screen says. For example, these are technically the same game: Time to Die [DC] (1989)(Mastertronic Group Ltd.) [Adventure].zip Borrowed Time [DC] (1985)(Activision, Inc.) [Adventure].img.zip [That ".img.zip" thing will be discussed in the [DC] tag below.] However, these were released as separate, distinct titles in their respective countries and even released by different publishers. This is one place where TDC and Mobygames can vary, as Mobygames lumps games such as the above under a single entry. Colons. Anytime a colon is used in the game title, it must be represented as a "- " (see Maniac Mansion above for an example). Since a colon cannot be represented in a DOS/Windows platform, this representation allows a colon to be symbolically placed at that location. On platforms that do support a colon in a filename, a search/replace could restore the proper naming convention. Dashes. If a dash is used in the title, then it shall be represented as " - ". 4D Sports - Boxing (1991)(Mindscape International Ltd.) [Action, Strategy, Sports].zip Question Marks. Anytime a "?" character is needed, simply replace it with an underscore. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego_ v1.2 (1986)(Brøderbund Software, Inc.) [Adventure, Educational][!].zip Version and Release numbers: The version number presented in the game is very important for TDC to distinguish between the various releases. TDC's goal is to track and archive *every* game, and that means every version of every game too. The version number, or in the case of Infocom games, the Release number is always included immediately following the game name. Links 386 Pro v1.30 (1994)(Access Software, Inc.) [Sports].zip Infidel r22 (1983)(Infocom, Inc.) [Adventure, Interactive Fiction].zip Many Faces of Go, The v8.03 (1992)(Ishi Press International) [Simulation, Strategy].zip Zork II- The Wizard of Frobozz r48 (1983)(Infocom, Inc.) [Adventure, Interactive Fiction].zip Version 1.0 of a title is not specified in the zip name, it is assumed. Even if a game reports v1.0, it is not specified in the zip name, as it would be redundant. [Philosophical Question: If a game only has 1 release, and does not report version 1.0 on the title screen, what version is it?] ---Flags--- Flags are used to identify a particular type or feature of a game. Flags are helpful for identification purposes as well as denoting the game's "Type". Eg, a Korean version of a game instead of a Chinese, a demo of a game instead of the full release, or perhaps the VGA version of a title. Languages are tracked by the language presented in the game, not the country of the game's origin. There's nothing stopping someone in Germany from making an English language game. If not specified in the zip filename, the language is English. (Hu) Hungarian (Kr) Korean (Id) Indonesian (Hw) Hebrew (Zh) Chinese (De) German (Es) Spanish (It) Italian (Fr) French (Ru) Russian (Jp) Japanese (Fi) Finnish (Sl) Slovenian (Sr) Serbian (Cz) Czech (Pl) Polish (No) Norwegian (Nl) Dutch (En) English (Da) Danish (Ua) Ukrainian (Pt) Portuguese (Se) Swedish (Be) Belorussian (Ar) Arabic (Gr) Greek (Multi-x) Where x is the number of languages supported. We are trying to deprecate this field for better overall accuracy, although there are some games that support 12+ languages, so it gets a little out of hand to have all those individual language flags in the filename. Rasende Reporter, Der (De) (1994)(Promotion Software) [Adventure].zip Reon-Ui Moheom (Kr) (1994)(Family Productions) [Action].zip Languages may be "stacked" to denote multiple languages supported. Rise of the Robots (En)(De)(Fr)(It)(Es) (1994)(Time Warner Interactive, Inc.) [Action].zip It is important to keep one space between the last language flag and the start of the Year/Publisher data. (demo) Self explanatory, however, if the title of the game contains the word "demo", then there is no reason to include it again as a flag. Beetris (demo) (1992)(Simsalabim Software) [Strategy, Action].zip Blues Brothers, The (demo) (1991)(Titus France SA) [Action].zip ChessBase KnightStalker Demo v1.01 (En)(De) (1992)(ChessBase USA) [Strategy, Chess].zip <-- Yes! ChessBase KnightStalker Demo (demo) v1.01 (En)(De) (1992)(ChessBase USA) [Strategy, Chess].zip <-- No! (CGA) A version of the game which only supports 1 graphics mode. Often grouped together with other copies of the same game which (VGA) support different graphics modes. Arkanoid (CGA) (1988)(Taito Corporation) [Action].zip Aspar GP Master (CGA) (Es) (1989)(Dinamic Software) [Racing - Driving].zip F40 Interceptor (CGA) (1989)(Titus Interactive S.A.) [Action].zip F40 Interceptor (EGA) (1989)(Titus Interactive S.A.) [Action].zip (Tandy) Similar to the above. A game that supports a specific platform. Tandy and PCjr are the most common, as these machines had (PCjr) hardware that differed from a standard IBM PC. Drakkhen (Tandy) (1990)(Infogrames) [Action, Adventure, Role-Playing (RPG)].zip Mr. Cool (PCjr) [DC] (1984)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Action].zip (Installer) A version of a game in a pre-installed (not immediately runnable) format. These are included in TDC for multiple purposes. Sometimes a game has different options that can be changed at install time, such as sound drivers or graphics modes. If TDC only included post-installed games, there may be no ability to have a CGA version of a game. Installers often identify themselves differently as installed games, such as a game in its pre-installed form may be a multiple of compressed files which will have different CRCs and filenames than the game in its post-installed form. 1942- The Pacific Air War (Installer) (1994)(MicroProse Software, Inc.) [Simulation].zip 3D Cyber Puck v1.1 (Installer) (1995)(Homebrew Software) [Action].zip Flags are not as restrictive as tags in what data they represent- anything that helps with identification to know what type of game is included in the zip file can be used. 688 Attack Sub (Maxell Special Edition) (Demo) (1988)(Electronic Arts, Inc.) [Simulation][!].zip Air Attack (Tandy 1000) [f1] (1988)(Brooks deForest) [Action].zip Maniac Mansion (Enhanced) (1989)(Erbe Software, S.A., Lucasfilm Games) [Adventure].zip --Tags-- Tags are specific in the type of information they represent. These typically do not represent the type of game included in the zip. [DC] DOS Conversion. Typically a "booter" game that was originally released on floppy disk or PCjr cartridge. Converted to run in a DOS environment. These are technically hacks and even more technically don't belong in a true DOS archive, but there's they are still games that we can't ignore! Adventure in Serenia [DC] (1982)(IBM) [Adventure, Interactive Fiction].zip Agent U.S.A. [DC] (1984)(Scholastic Wizware) [Adventure, Educational, Strategy].zip There are handful of games in TDC which have an odd naming with the file extension of ".img.zip". These are games that are not yet, or cannot be, converted into true DOS file formatting, and are instead included in the archive as image files. The actual image file may vary, from a stock floppy sector scrape (.img), teledisk (.td0), transcopy (.tc) or in the case of CD-ROMs, (.bin/.cue, or .ccd). This is due to either not having a file system, having original copy protection intact, or having audio tracks included as part of the game data that cannot be expressed as a DOS file. Whatever image format used is one that adequately allows the user to restore that game image back to a media in which the game can then be played. It is an unfortunate reality that not all games can be as neatly cataloged as the others. These files are named as such so that they can be immediately identified and the user is notified that additional handling will be required. [h1] Hacked version 1 [h2] Hacked version 2, etc - These are games where the game has been altered in some way, typically by the pirate/release group. The most common form of hack is a "Cracked by mr. cooldude" type message, often replacing the actual game's credits/copyright. Other forms of hacked files are using a loader to start the game, sometimes to show an ad for the pirate group before the game starts. The loader is sometimes a TSR which patches the game and therefore cannot be removed from the final release. An eventual goal of TDC is to repair hacked versions of games if none exist. All hacked tags should have an a corresponding entry in the notes wiki describing why this tag was applied to this title. Airborne Ranger v441.01 [h1] (1988)(MicroProse Software, Inc.) [Action, Simulation].zip Ancient Art of War at Sea, The [h1] (1987)(Broderbund Software, Inc.) [Strategy].zip Some hacks include changing the name of the original title, such as Sopwith getting changed to "Red Baron". Since "Red Baron" is at its core still the game Sopwith, the original title is retained, and only a note is provided in the wiki. In other words, if a hacker simply changed some text in a file, they don't get credit for creating a new game. The year of release shall still be set to the original date of the game's release, not the year the hack was performed. [a1] Alternate version 1 [a2] Alternate version 2, etc - Some portion of the game is different enough that it has been included in TDC. Some examples: 1) A data file in the game is different - not a config, high score, or save game file, but something substantial. Files may change due to simply playing the game, so some discretion is required before blindly adding anything. 2) The game may be cracked differently. Someday we can go back through these and using unchanged bytes from multiple version an *uncracked* version of the game may be reproduced. 3) Sometimes authors forget to change the version number when something is changed. A game may say v1.2 on two completely different versions (the .exe files might be vastly different) of the game. 4) Corruption. Game files might vary for unknown differences not related to cracking. The a file might then be corrupt, but until at least a 3rd copy of the game is available, we may never know which version is the correct one. 5) The same game released on 360k floppies as well as 720k and files differ. Sierra games do this. Resource.001 may be twice the size on the same game released on 720k diskettes. This should(?) be represented as a flag instead. (360k)(720k) 6) Compression. Occasionally an alternate version of a game is traced to compression differences. Once decompressed, if the files match exactly, then the compressed version is not included in TDC, but tracked as a compressed duplicate. Unfortunately decompression can sometimes create a completely different .exe file, which cannot be verified as identical. These files must be tracked as alternate versions even though gameplay is identical. All alternate tags should have an a corresponding entry in the notes wiki describing why this tag was applied to this title. 3-D Helicopter Simulator [a1] (1987)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Action, Simulation].zip 3-D Helicopter Simulator v1.10 [a1] (1987)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Action, Simulation].zip 3-D Helicopter Simulator v1.10 [a2] (1987)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Action, Simulation].zip [f1] Fixed version 1 [f2] Fixed version 2, etc - Something in the game has been patched slightly to make it run either in DOSBox or otherwise in a more user friendly way. An example would be removing the requirement for a game to run off a certain drive or subdirectory. This does not include simply cracking a game. Cracked games are the default for all games in TDC. All fixed tags should have an a corresponding entry in the notes wiki describing why this tag was applied to this title. Balance Of Power (Installer) [f1] (1985)(Mindscape, Inc.) [Simulation, Strategy].zip Bruce Lee Lives- The Fall of Hong Kong Palace v1.02 [f1] (1989)(Software Toolworks, Inc., The) [Action].zip [o1] Overdump version 1 [o2] Overdump version 2, etc. Typically only seen in very early software, occasionally a file contains garbage data at the end of the executable portion which doesn't alter gameplay at all, but does alter a game's CRC. These are technically useless, but tracked in TDC for identification purposes. Since these titles are often only a few k in size, these are still physically in the TDC archive. Overdumps may eventually be removed out of the archive and only tracked as duplicates. 3D Tic-Tac-Toe [o1] (1982)(Reza Beheshti) [Strategy].zip 3D Tic-Tac-Toe [o2] (1982)(Reza Beheshti) [Strategy].zip [b1] Bad version 1 [b2] Bad version 2, etc - Known incorrect/incomplete copy. Some examples of when this is used: 1) The most common form of this is a CD-RiP game, where intro movies, sounds, etc, have been removed from the game to reduce the size for distribution. CD-RiPs are usually completely playable, even in their bad state. As the project progresses, and full copies of CD games are discovered and identified, these games will be restored/replaced with complete versions and hopefully the [b1] copies will be deleted. 2) Sometimes a game is incredibly rare, and a known bad copy is the only is the only one that can be located. It will be included in TDC for identification purposes, even though the game is not playable. 3) A defect is discovered in a game and a better copy replaces it. An example might be a DOS converted game where the loader uses 386 instructions. When a better conversion of the game is available, the previous copy in TDC will be "downgraded" to [b1]. In this instance, there is technically no reason to include the game in TDC outside of identification purposes so it can be avoided. All bad tags should have an a corresponding entry in the notes wiki describing why this tag was applied to this title. Barney Bear Goes To School [b1] (1990)(Free Spirit Software, Inc.) [Educational].zip Beneath Apple Manor [DC][b1] (1983)(Quality Software) [Role-Playing (RPG)].zip [SW] Shareware [SWR] Registered Shareware [FW] Freeware Shareware, Registered Shareware, and Freeware are methods to denote the various methods certain games are distributed under. This tag can also be used to help track revisions of a game; for example a shareware game from 1997 may later be re-released by the author as freeware in 2005 without any other version identification. A tag of [SW] does not necessarily mean a registered version of that game exists, or that it would be any different if it did exist. [SW] simply means the author has mentioned the distribution method the title was released under, which is often accompanied with a request for money. This tag was introduced as a quick way to sort and filter "safe" titles which can be redistributed without worry of copyright infringement. SW/SWR/FW tags are not encapsulated inside parenthesis to avoid confusion with language flags. Bio Menace- Episode One- Dr. Mangle's Lab [SW] (1993)(Apogee Software, Ltd.) [Action].zip Bio Menace- Episode One to Three [SWR] (1993)(Apogee Software, Ltd.) [Compilation].zip Akiko and Minami [FW] (2004)(Roland Kunz) [Action].zip [!] Known good dump. This zip archive contains files that have been validated against a 2nd independently sourced copy. This is the highest status of any file in TDC, as it ensures that the game has been dumped identically from two (or more) sources and the CRCs of all the files match on both copies. This tag is appended to the *end* of the filename. It is important that proper care in obtaining two independent copies for comparison is observed. Getting one copy from a torrent and a second copy from an abandonware site is not reliable enough to ensure the two copies came from different source material. $100,000 Pyramid, The v1.3 (1988)(Box Office) [Trivia][!].zip Awesome Earl in SkateRock (1988)(ShareData, Inc.) [Action, Sports][!].zip Box Ranger (Kr)(En) (1992)(SKC Soft Land) [Action][!].zip ------------------- RFC: potentially new tag? [.] Mostly good dump. This zip file has been compared against an independently sourced copy, but one or more files do not CRC-match. An example here would be where all .exe and data files match exactly, but a save game or config file has been written to and a virgin copy has not yet been located. ------------------- Translated [tr No] Translated into Norwegian [tr En] Translated into English [tr Es] Translated into Spanish [tr Cz] Translated into Czech etc. A title modified to change the native language. This is most always an unofficial change in the game's data and typically done by simply changing ASCII text embedded in the game. Technically these are hacked, but more useful than simply changing the credits on a game or advertising one's cracking skills, so they are tagged separately. Alley Cat [tr No] (1984)(IBM) [Action].zip Bomb'X [tr En] (1993)(Mediagogo) [Strategy, Adult].zip California Games v1.01 [tr Es][h1] (1988)(Epyx, Inc.) [Sports].zip Cyrus [tr Ru] (1985)(Intelligent Chess Software) [Strategy, Chess].zip Dizzy- Prince of the Yolkfolk [tr Cz] (1993)(Codemasters Software Company Limited, The) [Action].zip Like hacks, some translations are done at a significantly later year than when the game was first released. The year should still reflect of the game's original release, not when the translation was done. Quest for Glory II - Trial by Fire v1.105 [tr Sp] (1990)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Adventure, Role-Playing (RPG)].zip Tags may of course be "stacked" to denote several variants at once. Adventures of Captain Comic Episode 1, The - Planet of Death [SW][h1] (1988)(Michael A. Denio) [Action].zip Alien Carnage (Installer) [SW][a2] (1994)(Apogee Software, Ltd.) [Action].zip BC's Quest for Tires [DC][b1][a1] (1984)(Sierra On-Line, Inc.) [Action].zip It is important to keep tags in the same sequence, so they list nicely. Archon- The Light and the Dark [DC] (1984)(Electronic Arts, Inc.) [Action, Strategy].zip Archon- The Light and the Dark [DC][h1] (1984)(Electronic Arts, Inc.) [Action, Strategy].zip <-- Yes! Archon- The Light and the Dark [h1][DC] (1984)(Electronic Arts, Inc.) [Action, Strategy].zip <-- No! Putting it all together: Title version (Flags) (Languages) [Tags] (Year)(Publisher) [Genre][!].zip Dune II- The Battle for Arrakis v1.07 (Installer) (Fr)(En)(De) (1992)(Virgin Games, Inc.) [Strategy].zip Fantasy Worlds of Tamrak, The v1.30 (Installer) [SW][a1] (1993)(Ray Johnson) [Adventure, Role-Playing (RPG)].zip Fields of Glory (Installer) (En)(Fr)(De) (1993)(MicroProse Software, Inc.) [Strategy][!].zip Pole Chudes v4.1 (demo) (Ru) (1994)(Dice Soft) [Strategy, Educational].zip Diamonds v2.0 (En)(De) [SW][a1] (1996)(Ralf Zwanziger) [Action].zip There are lots of naming errors in the current archive. Discipline has improved over the years, but errors remain. Feel free to file a bug report against them.