libretro / libretro/libretro-database

Redump metadats should reference internal serial, not disc serial

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Description

The Redump metadat files list serials for each game. As I understand it, when scanning disc-based ROMs with RetroArch, the internal serial is taken from the disc header and compared with the DAT. It appears that the Redump metadats list the disc serials, not the internal serials. This results in failures or misidentified games when there is a mismatch between the two.

For example, Street Fighter Zero 3 in Sega- Saturn.dat has the below entry:

game ( name "Street Fighter Zero 3 (Japan)" region "Japan" serial "T-1247G" rom ( name "Street Fighter Zero 3 (Japan) (Track 1).bin" size 621937008 crc E10DC642 md5 E9088A83E44B0ED2500597328A1EB391 sha1 B1CC45650B526ED88A82EFCD315EE73E89A658D1 serial "T-1247G" ) )

However, Redump shows shows that "T-1247G" is the disc serial, while "T-1246G" is the internal serial from the disc header.

The same problem occurs with Sonic Adventure 2: The Trial for Dreamcast, as described in this other GitHub issue.

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with metadat/redump/Sega - Saturn.dat and inspect the Street Fighter Zero 3 entry alongside the linked Redump record. Review issue #1444 for the related Dreamcast example, then identify whether other Redump metadata files use disc serials instead of internal header serials. Done means the affected entries consistently reference the internal serial used during scanning.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
data
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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