Spec-Sheet ~ Prefixes & Suffixes (v2).txt

# ****************************************************************
# IUPAG Nomenclature (Naming Convention):  (v2025-01-17)-(rev3.5):
# ****************************************************************
# - By Gamers, For Gamers:
# ..Committed to the Organization, Preservation, & Development of Romhacks.
# ****************************************
# IUPAG Prefixes:  (v2025-01-17)-(rev3.5):
# ****************************************
#       1R:  (1)-dimensional (R)un-N-Gvn:  Platform SH00T3Rs.
#       2R:  (2)-dimensional (R)un-N-Gvn:  Overhead SH00T3Rs.
#       3R:  (3)-dimensional (R)un-N-Gvn:  FPS & Gallery SH00T3Rs: {LG} suffix indicates Light-gvn compatible.
#       4S:  (H)ybrid (S)H00T3R with multiple game modes (like 1R/2R, 1R/5H, or 2R/3R (etc), but NOT 5H/5V).
#       5F:  (S)H00T3R (F)lying:  1st & 3rd Person, 3D SIM &/or Action Arcade style.
#       5H:  (S)H00T3R (H)orizonal.
#      5HV:  (S)H00T3R (H)orizonal & (V)ertical:  Multiple game modes: 5H & 5V.
#       5V:  (S)H00T3R (V)ertical.
#       5Z:  (S)H00T3R Miscellaneous(Z): Isometric scrolling &/or Multi-directional without auto-scrolling (etc).
#       6O:  (O)lympic (G)ames.
#      720:  Skating, Skiing, & Snowboarding games w/ 180, 360, [720], & 1080 tricks.
#      841:  =BALL: Dodgeball, Kickball, Volleyball, & other Misc Sports, like Speedball & Rugby, etc.
#      964:  Rhythm & Action games: (P)ower-Pad, (G)uitar, & Controller Rhythm & (A)ction games.
#       BG:  (B)oard (G)ames & TV show games: e.g. (Monopoly)/(Wheel of Fortune).
#      BMC:  Fishing games: (B)ass (M)aster (C)lassic.
#      DIS:  Disney, Warner, & Hanna-Barbera cartoon based games (except sports).
#       F1:  (F)ormula-(1): 1st-person & 3rd-person Racing games with a 3D view.
#       F2:  (F)ormula-(2): 2nd-person Racing games with a birds-eye, overhead view.
#       F7:  (F)amily (T)rainer: All other Power-Pad games (except sports: 6O & 964).
#     FIFA:  Soccer games:  (F)ederation (I)nternationale de (F)ootball (A)ssociation.
#     K0EI:  Koei (& Koei-like knockoff) strategy games:  Aerobiz, Gemfire, Genghis, Nobunaga, Romance, Sangokushi, etc.
#    Mario:  All Mario, Wario, & Yoshi games that take place in the Mario universe (except sports).
#      MLB:  Baseball games:  (M)ajor (L)eague (B)aseball.
#      NBA:  Basketball games:  (N)ational (B)asketball (A)ssociation.
#      NFL:  Football games:  (N)ational (F)ootball (L)eague.
#      NHL:  Hockey games:  (N)ational (H)ockey (L)eague.
#      P1N:  Pinball games: IFPA: (I)nternational (F)lipper (P)inball (A)ssocation.
#     P88I:  Table-top (P)ool, (8)-ball, & (B)(I)=Billiards games.
#      PB4:  Bowling games:  (P)rofessional (B)owlers (A)ssociation: PBA.
#      PG4:  Golf & mini-golf games:  (P)rofessional (G)olfers (A)ssociation: PGA.
#  Pokemon:  All Pokemon & Pikachu games that take place in the Pokemon universe (except sports).
#       PZ:  (P)uzzle games:  Like Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Panel de Pon, etc.
# Simpsons:  All Bart & Krusty games that take place in the Simpsons universe (except sports).
#    Sonic:  All Sonic & Tails games that take place in the Sonic universe (except sports).
#      T3N:  Tennis games: Association of Tennis Professionals: ATP.
#     TMNT:  All (T)eenage (M)utant (N)inja (T)urtles universe games (except sports).
#       VS:  [Versus], Two-Player Fighting games & Boxing games (VS BX), but NOT "Beat'em-Ups".
#     WSOP:  Gambling games:  (W)orld (S)eries (O)f (P)oker.
#      WWF:  Wrestling games:  (W)orld (W)restling (F)ederation:  (aka WWE).
#    Zelda:  All Zelda & Link games that take place in the Hyrule universe (except sports).
# **********************************************
# IUPAG Symbols & Tags:  (v2025-01-17)-(rev3.5):
# **********************************************
# The default ordering of Tags can be read as:
# ..."by, for, on, as, in, flagged, with, and".
# ..."(@BY), (#FOR), (vON), (revAS), (T-IN), [flagged], {with}, (and)".
# ..."by Author, for Region, on Date, as Revision, in Language, dump-flag, with Attributes, and MetaInfo.
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# PR3F1X Title - Subtitle (@Dev,Pub)-(#Region)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(rev10)-(T-En) [!]-{Attributes}-(MetaTag).ext
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#    PR3F1X:  One of the above IUPAG "Sports" prefixes.
#     Title:  Rules:
#          :  (1) "Title" is the name of the "Series" (if one exists):
#          :  ..in which case the original "Title" becomes the "Subtitle":
#          :  ..e.g. "Soul Trilogy" 1,2,3: Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma.
#          :  ..e.g. "Zelda" 1,2,3: Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past.
#          :  (2) When all Regions have a different release name:
#          :  - then the "Title" is the shortest name (with exception), of all the Regions:
#          :  ..e.g. Sanguozhi, Tenchi wo Kurau, Destiny of an Emperor:
#          :  .."Sanguozhi - Destiny of an Emperor (@Capcom)" (North American ROM).
#          :  .."Sanguozhi -; Tenchi wo Kurau @Capcom)" (Japanese ROM).
#          :  .."Sanguozhi -; Ying Jie Zhuan (@Waixin)" (Chinese Pirate ROM).
#          :  Exceptions (with preference given to the North American release title):
#          :  .."Streets of Rage - Bare Knuckle".
#          :  .."Earthbound 0 - Mother 1".
#          :  .."Earthbound 1 - Mother 2".
#          :  .."Earthbound 2 - Mother 3".
#Separators: (between Title & Subtitle):
#       "-":  Parent.
#      "-;":  Clone (or official Translation).
#      ";=":  Unofficial, 3rd Party Translation.
#       "~":  Hack.
#    "~[X]":  SMW Hack with difficulty "X": 0-9, P (Puzzle), T (Troll).
# "~_[GP];":  Optional, Gameplay Patch (aka "QoL" Patch).
#  Subtitle: Rules:
#          : The Subtitle is generally the Hack Name.
#          : ..the "subtitle" (hackname) can be prefixed with difficulty, patchtype, &/or Holiday Theme, etc.
#          : - invalid filename characters: \/:*?"<>|\t\r\n\0
#          : Dashes & Colons:
#          : ..replace dashes & colons with semi-colons.
#          : Slashes: (backslashes & forward slashes):
#          : ..replace slashes with the percent-sign (%): Mostly used for Randomizer URLs.
#          : Parentheses:
#          : - because these denote "Tags",
#          : ..they are generally discouraged as valid characters in the title & subtitle:
#          : ..except when the 1st Tag is a "Named Tag" (a Tag with a consistent prefix):
#          : ..e.g. (@Author), (#Region), (vDate), (revZ), (T-Lang).
#          : ..Not allowed when the 1st Tag is "unnamed", like (Region) instead of (#Region).
#          : ..Not allowed inside any (Tag), like (@Authors).
# (@Author): Author, Publisher, Developer, Hacker, &/or Translation Team.
#          : - For ROMs, this is typically (@Developer,Publisher).
#          : - For Hacks, the order is chronological: So, if you hack a preexisting Romhack,
#          : ..then you would just append your name: e.g. (@pacnsacdave,YourName),
#          : ..in order to retain credit for the original author.
#          : - Exception:
#          : ..exception is given for Romhacking Communities that share a common "base hack",
#          : ..where potentially many, many people contributed:
#          : ..And each "fork" deviates substantially in goal & theme (like completely different levels):
#          : ..in which case, credit is given via the {Patches Tag} (see below).
#          : ..However, the chronological append rule still applies if it's just a small update to the "base hack".
#          : - Maximum of 3-4 credits (depending on length):
#          : ..if the number of contributors (or length) gets too long, then:
#          : ..designate either a team name identifier (or "(@Authors=25)"), then
#          : ..list the credits in the (MetaTag): [$]-{--}-({@Auth1,Auth2,Auth3,Auth4,Auth5,Auth6}).nes
# (#Region)/(#Base-Code):
#          : (#Region) for Parent/Baseroms (and their "clones"):
#          : (#Base-Code) for Hacks & Translations.
# (#Region): Fully-Qualified, comma-separated list of supported Regions: i.e. (#USA,Europe).
#(#BASE-00): This is the Region-Revision number that was used as the BASE for the Hack/Translation:
#          : ..e.g. (#USA-00) / (#Europe-10) / (#Japan-11).
#          : ..a List of Regions (#USA,Europe) (rev12) can be shortened to: (#USA-12)
#          : If the Parent/Baserom is unknown, then it can be determined with the following command:
#          : for file in Example\ -*; echo "$file"; cmp -l "$file" 'Example ~ Hack.ext' | wc -l; done
#          : ..note, however, that the above backslash is NOT a directory:  It is a SPACE.
#   (vDate): Guidelines:
#          : Date of Publication/Compilation: ...with "Unix Time Zero" (v1970-01-01) as "Unknown Date".
#          : - For Official, Licensed releases, the Date of Publication is favored (with exception).
#          : ..One exception being that the Pub Date is before the Build Date, which is impossible & incorrect.
#          : - For Romhacks & Translations, the Date of Compilation is favored (with exception).
#          : ..ideally, the Pub Date & Build Date should match.
#          : ..if the Build Date is after the Pub Date, then it means either:
#          : ..(1) The original patch was lost to time & remade & uploaded by someone else (not the Author).
#          : ..(2) The "Pub Date" likely only signifies the 1st release:  Not the current updated version.
#          : Ambiguity: "Langrisser 2 English Patch - 3/21/2001 (released 9/16/2004)"
#          : https://www.romhacking.net/translations/70/
#          : https://www.romhacking.net/translations/genesis/patches/70readme.txt
#          : ..Use Build Date, since the patch was created with 2001 tools (if any existed).
#          : ..Pub Date is deceptive as the patch was not created with 2004 tools.
#          : ..Furthermore, Romhackers can claim that it was never officially published, but...
#          : ..once they hand it off to other Team Members (Testers/Devs), then...
#          : ..it means that the "private release" could be floating around in the Wild..
#          : ..causing massive confusion having the exact same file with two different Dates.
#    (revZ): Guidelines:
#          : (1) ROMS:
#          : - Generally, "(rev10)" (pronounce "One-OH", not "ten") defines the initial release.
#          : ..this is equivalent to "(Rev 0)" in a no-intro set.
#          : ..while "(rev11)" would be equivalent to "(Rev 1)" in no-intro.
#          : - "(rev00)" is normally a prototype (Proto),
#          : ..while 01-09 are reserved for Alpha/Beta/Demo/Sample releases.
#          : - This system ensures an easy reference to the Parent/Baserom for patches & auto-patchers.
#          : ..which reduces the computational strain at runtime & speeds-up the execution for patching entire Sets.
#          : (2) Romhacks & Translations:
#          : ..(revZ) tag is their "version number", which can be absolutely anything,
#          : ..but generally, below one is an Alpha, Beta, or Demo pre-releases (previews).
#          : ..while greater than one signifies a polished, bug free, finished state.
#    "TEXT"/Language:
#    (T-Ln): "Text-IN": "T dash" means "Text-IN" for all ROMs (except translations).
#          : ...Prevents "Naming Collisions" for ROMs released in more than one Language.
#    (T+Ln): "Text+TO": "T plus" means "Text+TO" for translations.
#          : ...This is primarily a Translation Project only (with minimal QoL patches).
#   [flags]: "Dump Info Flags":
#       [!]: Verified Good Dump (except hacks):
#          :   Title - Subtitle (@Dev,Pub)-(#Region)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(rev00)-(T-En) [!]-{Genre}-(MetaTag).ext
#          :   Title -; Subtitle (@Dev,Pub)-(#Region)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(rev00)-(T-Lx) [!]-{Genre}-(MetaTag).ext
#       [$]: Verified Good Hack (or Translation):
#          :   Title ;= English (@Auth)-(#BASE-10)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(revZ)-(T+En) [$]-{--}-(MetaTag).ext
#          :   Title ;= English (@Auth)-(#BASE-11)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(revZ)-(T+En) [$]-{Optional.ips}.ext
#          :   Title ~ HackName (@Auth)-(#BASE-10)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(revZ)-(T-En) [$]-{--}-(MetaTag).ext
#          :   Title ~ HackName (@Auth)-(#BASE-11)-(vYYYY-MM-DD)-(revZ)-(T-En) [$]-{Optional.ips}.ext
#       [x]: Unverified ROM dump.
#       [h]: Unverified Hack:
#      [tr]: Unverified Translation:
#          : ..These are hacks/translations from unknown &/or untrusted sources,
#          : ..that haven't been tested & verified to work on at least one emulator.
#          : - Basically, this system of [h] & [tr] to [$] ensure that patches were verified to be applied correctly:
#          : ..designate [h] (or [tr]) when adding, and later, change to [$] when verified as good & working.
#       [o]: Over dump.
#   [b].mia: placeholder for an undumped game: "Missing In Action".
#          : ..In order to be processed by Rom Managers, cannot be an empty, zero-byte file:
#          : ..Can write anything to the file, like a unique number OR simply the filename (or both).
#   [p].ips: means "Patch" & signifies to Auto-Patchers to retain as patchfiles.
#          : .."Pirate" goes under the (MetaTag).
#       [a]: Deprecated: Use (MetaTag) for tagging "Alternate"/"Alt" dumps (see below).
#      [f1]: Deprecated: Use {Attributes/PatchList} tag to denote "fixes" (see below).
# {Attributes}:  A List of Attributes for a ROM (or romhacks & their patches).
#          : For Parent/Baseroms/Clones, the {Attributes} tag lists:
#          : ..{<Number of Players>,<Genre/GameTypes>,<Controller Support>}
#          : Romhacks (& Translations) inherit all these attributes, and instead, list:
#          : ..all the extra patches applied to the romhack, or none via: [$]-{--}.ext
#   {Genre}: {Attributes/GameTypeList}:
# [!]-{X,Y}: Comma-separated List of L33TC0D3 GameTypes for the Baseroms (and {Patches} for hacks).
#          : ..These L33TC0D3S are easier to parse with and are listed in the "Suffixes" section.
#          : - Becomes a csv List of Internal, Optional, & External Patches for Hacks.
#          : ..In the rare case where the hack genre differs from the Baserom genre,
#          : ..then use a "prefixed Subtitle tag" to denote this difference: e.g.
#          : 2R BattleCity ~ [1R]; Star Wars (@TLT)-(#Japan)-(v2007-07-06)-(rev1.4)-(T-En) [$]-{--}.nes
#   {patch}: {Attributes/PatchList}:
#  [$]-{--}: Comma-separated List of patches that were:
#          : (1) applied by Author during development (internal patches),
#          : (2) applied by Player with release (optional patches),
#          : (3) applied by Player after release (external patches).
#          : These patches are Listed IN THE ORDER that they were applied.
#          : UNLESS an actual verification process was used to determine 100% compatibility & zero conflicts:
#          : (a) address verification during compilation.
#          : (b) address verification before being applied.
#          : (c) hash code testing on the binaries.
#          : ...In which case, Alphabetical Order is preferred for each category:
#          : ...1st, internal patches listed in Alphabetical Order.
#          : ...2nd, optional patches listed in Alphabetical Order.
#          : ...3rd, external patches listed in Alphabetical Order.
#      {--}: Means that optional, or external patches were applied to this Hack.
#          : ...Example: One patch applied, with abbreviated initials "IC" (Improved Controls): [$]-{+IC}.ext
#          : ...Example: Multiple patches applied: [$]-{+BF,IC}.ext
#       {%}: Means Unknown: Documentation doesn't state which [GP] patches were used in development.
#     {=BF}: Patch definition: Defines an abbreviation "BF" for the named patch ("Bugfixes").
#          : ...A popular & common combination of patches defined (or released as a Set): [$]-{+AC,BF,IC=ABC}
#          : ...{+ABC} can now be used to refer to an entire LIST of patches.
#     {+BF}: An eternal patch, abbreviated with the initials BF ("Bugfixes") has been applied to the hack.
#          : The {=BF} patch file encodes all meta-info: Author, Date, Revision, etc.
#      [fN]: The GoodSets designation for the number (N) of optional patches (fixes) applied: Deprecated.
#          :
# Finally, since Tag separation is done differently in no-intro (spaces) & TOSEC (no spaces),
# IUPAG Parent Spec will use dash separators, with a space in between the Tags & [Dump-Info-Flag].
# ..This is a nod to our IUPAC heritage that signifies "A Chain of Carbon" atoms that makeup a molecule.
# ..As well as signifying that, while we take inspiration from our predecessors, we don't play favorites,
# ..and THIS (as well as other issues) is something best left to the players individual preferences,
# ..which is unfortunately lacking in the current standards.
#
# **********************************************************************
# IUPAG Genre & GameType Attributes (Suffixes):  (v2024-09-06)-(rev3.5):
# **********************************************************************
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# - Order: {<Number of Players>,<Genre>,<Controller Support>}
#        : ...e.g. "{2P,3A,LG}":
#        : ...Means "{2-Player, 3-dimensional Action/Adventure, Light-Gvn}"
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
#     {1P}: 1-Player Game: Required for games with a "Sports" prefix (otherwise, optional as its assumed by default).
#     {2P}: 2-Player Game: Mandatory for all games with multiplayer functionality: e.g. {2P,4P}.
#   {B34T}: Beat'em up.
#   {PL4T}: "1-dimensional" Platformer with Linear Progression (on a single "axis" left-to-right).
#     {1A}: (1)-dimensional Platformer with Adventure & requiring exploration to progress.
#     {2A}: (2)-dimensional Action Adventure with an Overhead, Birds-eye view.
#     {3A}: (3)-dimmenional Action Adventure with a 3D (Dungeon Crawler) view.
#     {4A}: (A)ction or (H)ybrid Adventure with multiple game-modes.
#     {5A}: (S)trategy Adventure: e.g. (Starflight).
#     {6A}: (S)pace Adventure (with alt-gravity &/or alt-physics).
#     {7A}: (T)ext-based Adventure: e.g. (Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken).
#     {8A}: (B)eat'em up view / isometric perspective Action Adventure: e.g. (Time Lord).
#     {9A}: (P)ower-Pad (A)dventure game: e.g. (Street Cop - Manhattan Police).
#   {1RPG}: (1)-dimensional Platformer with RPG elements (like xp & level-ups).
#   {2RPG}: (2)-dimensional RPG with an Overhead, Birds-eye view: Traditional JRPGs.
#   {3RPG}: (3)-dimensional RPG with a 3D (Dungeon Crawler) view.
#   {4RPG}: (A)ction (H)ybrid RPG with multiple game-modes, like 1/2 or 2/3 (for example).
#   {5RPG}: (S)trategy RPG (Turn Based Strategy): e.g. (Shining Force).
#   {5RTS}: (S)trategy RTS (Real Time Strategy): e.g. (Command & Conquer).
#   {1S&P}: (1)-dimensional (S)trategy (&) (P)uzzle: e.g. (A Boy & His Blob).
#   {2S&P}: (2)-dimensional (S)trategy (&) (P)uzzle: e.g. (Quinty)/(Mendel Palace).
#   {3S&P}: (3)-dimensional (S)trategy (&) (P)uzzle: e.g. (Portal).
#   {4S&P}: (A)ction (H)ybrid (S)trategy (&) (P)uzzle: e.g. (Spy vs Spy).
#    {S1M}: Simulation: e.g. (SimCity),(The Sims),(Flight Simulators), etc.
#   {$SIM}: Strategy Simulation: e.g. (Koei Historical Warfare games).
#     {QZ}: Quiz Game:  e.g. (King of Kings by Wisdom Tree).
#  {Mouse}: Controller Support: Mouse compatible game.
#Power-Pad: Controller Support: Power-Pad compatible game.
#    {Rod}: Controller Support: Fishing-Rod compatible game.
#     {LG}: Controller Support: Light-Gvn compatible game.
# ***************************************
# IUPAG MetaTag:  (v2025-01-17)-(rev3.5):
# ***************************************
# The (MetaTag) can be used for a variety of extra information:
# - Like (Alpha), (Beta), (Demo), (Proto) releases.
# - And nsfw designation: "Not Safe For Work":
# ..The nsfw tag is primarily used to denote nudity,
# ..since blood, violence, & language are pretty common in most games.
# For Parent/Baseroms,
# - (Unl; Aftermket) &/or (Pirate).
# - including re-releases from (Virtual Console), (Switch Online), (Steam), (GOG), etc.
# - Order of Precedence:
# ..highest priority (first): Unl, Pirate, Aftermarket.
# ..lowest priority (last): Proto, Alpha, Beta, Demo, Sample, Reprint, Alt.
# ..e.g. (Unl; Aftermarket; Steam, Itch, GOG; Windows, Mac, Linux; Demo)
# For Romhacks:
# - The number of Exits in a Super Mario World romhack: (Exits=100)
# - The number of Stars in a Super Mario 64 romhack: (Stars=120)
# - The Mapper number of an NES Hack with multiple versions: (M#001)/(M#004)
# - The "Brand", like 'TMNT of Rage': 'Turtle Power', 'Remix', 'The Final Shell Shock', etc.
# ..as if you put this into the sub-title, then they're not sorted in chronological order.
# - And other MetaInfo, like ('Special Edition'), for example.
# For Translations:
# ..in rare cases, some Translation Teams have released two versions,
# ..with different "types" of translations:
# (1) a more strict, "literal" translation, and
# (2) a more creative interpretation with "localization":
# ..Here, the (MetaTag) can be used to differentiate between the two.
# For Patches:
# - Can also be used for "Dependency Declarations": aka "Addendum" ("&") patches:
# ..that says you need to apply another patch first.
# ..e.g. "-(&{for Stef's [PCM] Driver Fix}).ips"
# ..or, "-(&{for Stef's Sound Driver Fix; [PCM]}).ips"
# ..where [XYZ] is the abbreviated initials of the required patch,
# ..and can appear anywhere in the comment "-(&{...})":
# ..beginning, middle, or end... doesn't matter.
# Rules:
# ..Obviously, the (MetaTag) cannot start with characters:
# .."(@","(#","(v","(rev","(T-","(T+"...
# ..as these symbols already denote "Named Tags" for,
# ..Authors, Region, Date, Revision, & "Text" (Language).
# ..However, the (MetaTag) can be used to list additional credits:
# ..(when the list is too long for the (@Author) tag):
# ..[$]-{--}-({@Auth1,Auth2,Auth3,Auth4,Auth5,Auth6}).ips
# *********************************************************************
# IUPAG Rating/Ranking/Percentile Tag: (v2025-01-17)-(rev3.5-SNAPSHOT):
# *********************************************************************
# - OPTIONAL, NOT DEFINED, NOT IMPLEMENTED, PROPOSAL ONLY:
# ..Either filename Tag or DAT Element Tag,
# ..for searching, sorting, filtering, trimming:
# For example,
# ..to trim Sets down to the "Top 100", "Top 80%", "TOP 2gb" of games.
# ..to provide a mechanism to sort games by rating/ranking.
# **************************************************
# IUPAG Sets:--------------------------------------
# **************************************************
https://pastebin.com/u/IUPAG
# **************************************************
# IUPAG DATs:---------------------------------------
# **************************************************
https://github.com/IUPAG
# **************************************************
# IUPAG Archive & Repository:-----------------------
# **************************************************
https://archive.org/details/@iupag
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# IUPAG Discord server:-----------------------------
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https://discord.gg/kEe3aUzJ5D