Modernize and Enrich LaunchBox Games Database Structure

📋Summary

Revamp the structure of the LaunchBox Games Database to better reflect modern metadata standards and improve import accuracy. This includes adding more relational fields (e.g., franchises, ports, characters), integrating cross-references with major preservation sets like No-Intro and Redump, improving EmuMovies linking through automated matching, and introducing a system for users to flag incorrect or missing associations.

❗Problem

The current structure of the LaunchBox Games Database is somewhat limited by flat metadata fields, making it difficult to express complex relationships such as:

• Which games belong to a larger franchise

• Which games are ports or alternate versions

• Which characters appear across titles

Additionally, the import process can be error-prone when working with large ROM sets or varied naming conventions. Media downloads also suffer from inconsistencies across regions or platforms. Currently, there’s no built-in mechanism for users to flag or report mismatches in ROM or media associations, which slows improvement and data accuracy over time.

💡Proposal

Add Modern Relational Metadata Fields

Introduce structured fields for franchises, characters, ports/remakes, and shared universes—similar to how IGDB handles complex relationships.

Integrate Preservation Set Cross-Referencing

Allow LaunchBox to recognize and optionally detect naming conventions from No-Intro, TOSEC, and Redump sets. Optionally use file hashes (e.g., MD5) to ensure more accurate identification during import.

Improve EmuMovies Linking Accuracy

Enable LaunchBox to periodically sync with EmuMovies to pre-map media to database entries—even across platform variants (e.g., Atomiswave under Arcade).

Introduce Community-Driven Association Feedback

Add a feature allowing users to:

• Flag incorrect ROM or media associations

• Flag missing associations for review

• Submit verified associations that can be added to the LaunchBox database after validation

This system could include background tables to track:

• Media origin (EmuMovies, LB DB, community packs, etc.)

• Media source path and hash

• Associations between media and multiple games

• Duplicate or redundant media entries (e.g., same video in different qualities)

✅Benefits

• Enables richer playlist creation, filtering, and discovery through deeper metadata

• Improves import accuracy, especially for curated ROM sets

• Enhances EmuMovies integration with fewer mismatches or missing assets

• Empowers the community to contribute to metadata and media accuracy

• Reduces user frustration from incorrect or missing associations

• Builds a smarter, more scalable database structure for the future 🔍📚