Neo Kobe hdi database useful?

Much like the DOS pc collections, the pc-98 is not represented on the database because there is no authoritative dumping group (that doesn't restrict itself to 'not installed' cds anyway, like redump), because to auto-launch games requires post-install configuration and a DOS on the hdi and because HDI/fdi/hdm images are writable and so the games wouldn't be recognized after a write from the emulator.

I'm a bit fed up with this situation (especially since i'd like to PR hacks of pc-98 games on romhacking.net).

Unlike dos, the situation is not exactly hopeless for pc-98 hacks, because recent patches are released with a filesystem aware patching tool that works with 'any' version of a dump/hd image. This means that i could contribute pc-98 hashes for hdi (discounting dumb emulators changing the hd image on running the game), but it's better for users to have a guideline for which dump is expected for the original hdi image so their hashes match the dat (if the tool, or in the cases where a manual patch is necessary the fdi editor, don't screw up with nondetermism).

Except that recently (2017), the Neo Kobe project is releasing hdi dumps that can start the games with a inbuilt dos if mounted to the internet archive. Neko Kobe also has the advantage that on some not updated in years translations they already have translated hdis on the dumps.

Can i PR the pc-98 hdi hacks on romhacking.net with the assumption that users are using the Neo-Kobe hdis? Is it also worth it someone downloading the whole collection for the 'complete' dat?

And is there any plans for the retroarch versions of pc-98 emulators gain copy on write so a scan can still identify the game after the hdi is ran once?

BTW a similar situation exists for amiga, but good emulators (like fs-uae) have frontends that do a cache copy before starting the game so hashes aren't modified. Similarly this idea makes every whdload archive hashes stable if the emulator supports them (without loading the emulator and unzipping them on the amiga filesystem) because emulators that launch whdloads directly unzip the contents first to create a amiga filesystem for the emulator and don't rewrite modifications (if they are sane) and just keep using the cache.

Start with the repository’s existing content data files and comparable DOS and Amiga entries, then review how PC-98 HDI hashes are expected to remain stable after emulator writes. Done means a maintainer decision on Neo Kobe as the assumed dump source and on whether a complete dat or emulator copy-on-write support is in scope.