Import Arcade ROMs Without Mandatory MAME XML Cross-Check

📋 Summary

Add an option to the Arcade ROM import process that allows users to import all ROM files in a selected folder, even if they do not exist in MAME’s -listxml output. This would improve support for non-MAME arcade emulators such as FinalBurn Neo, HBMAME, and other derivative or alternative arcade setups.

❗ Problem

Currently, LaunchBox’s Arcade (or Scrape-As Arcade) importer cross-checks ROM filenames against MAME’s generated XML (mame.exe -listxml). Any ROMs not present in that list are silently skipped during import.

This causes several issues:

• Arcade games removed from official MAME (e.g. certain Cave titles) cannot be auto-imported.

• ROMs supported by other arcade emulators (FinalBurn Neo, HBMAME, Fightcade sets, hacked ROMs) are skipped entirely.

• Users are not informed which ROMs were missed during import.

• Adding skipped ROMs requires manual one-by-one entry, including browsing to each file individually.

For users with large or mixed arcade sets, this significantly reduces the usefulness of the importer.

💡 Proposal

Enhance the Arcade Import Wizard with one or more of the following options:

• “Import all files, even if not found in MAME XML”

  • When enabled, LaunchBox imports every ROM file in the selected folder.

  • ROMs that match the database receive metadata automatically.

  • ROMs without a database match are still added, allowing users to manually fill in metadata or merge later.

• Optional toggle to skip XML cross-checking entirely during import.

• (Future enhancement) Support for alternative DAT/XML sources provided by other arcade emulators, when available.

🧩 Use Cases

• Importing FinalBurn Neo or HBMAME ROM sets that include games not present in official MAME.

• Managing hacked, prototype, or community arcade ROMs alongside standard releases.

• Verifying which ROMs lack metadata instead of having them silently excluded.

• Reducing the need for repetitive manual game creation after an import.

📦 Benefits

• Makes the Arcade importer more flexible and transparent.

• Improves compatibility with non-MAME arcade emulators.

• Saves significant time for users managing large arcade collections.

• Aligns Arcade importing behavior more closely with other platforms, where unmatched files can still be imported.