GoodTools
Cowering's GoodTools[1] is a suite of 35 ROM auditing applications for Windows that contain a database listing known software for various video game consoles and home computers.
These tools, released as freeware, have established themselves as an important reference for ROM collectors, especially for older systems that don't have similarly authoritative sources and that have a perfect or almost perfect coverage in GoodTools.
The popularity of GoodTools originated the practice of distributing, instead of single or arbitrarily collected ROMs, the so-called "goodsets", packaged archives of every ROM for a particular platform that GoodTools recognizes.
List of systems covered by GoodTools
Name | System | Version | ROMs listed | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Good2600 | Atari 2600 | 3.14 | 7,216 | 22 September 2007[1] |
Good5200 | Atari 5200 | 2.01 | 284 | 6 April 2004[1] |
Good7800 | Atari 7800 | 3.28 | 932 | 3 April 2016[1] |
GoodChaF | Fairchild/Luxor/Zircon/SABA Fairchild Channel F | 3.1415 | 88 | 18 March 2010[1] |
GoodCoCo | Tandy Color Computer | 3.27 | 184 | 13 March 2016[2] |
GoodCol | ColecoVision | 3.14 | 459 | 24 November 2007[1] |
GoodCPC | Amstrad CPC | 3.1415 | 27,103 | 11 March 2010[1] |
GoodGB64 | Commodore 64 | 3.00 | 17,067 | 13 January 2006[1] |
GoodGBA | Nintendo Game Boy Advance | 3.27 | 37,145 | 13 March 2016[1] |
GoodGBx | Nintendo Game Boy/Game Boy Color | 3.14 | 9,333 | 10 November 2007[1] |
GoodGCOM | Tiger Game.com | 3.27 | 40 | 13 March 2016[1] |
GoodGen | Sega Mega Drive/Genesis/32X | 3.21 | 8,563 | 20 October 2012[3] |
GoodGG | Sega Game Gear | 3.20 | 1,020 | 20 September 2012[4] |
GoodINTV | Mattel Intellivision | 2.03 | 238 | 1 July 2004[1] |
GoodJag | Atari Jaguar | 2.01 | 139 | 27 February 2004[1] |
GoodLynx | Atari Lynx | 2.01 | 300 | 4 March 2004[1] |
GoodMO5 | Thomson MO5 | 3.1415 | 391 | 14 March 2010[1] |
GoodMSX1 | Microsoft MSX | 0.999.3 | 589 | 3 October 2003[1] |
GoodMSX2 | Microsoft MSX2 | 0.999.3 | 166 | 3 October 2003[1] |
GoodMTX | Memotech MTX | 3.1415 | 98 | 14 March 2010[1] |
GoodN64 | Nintendo 64/Nintendo 64DD | 3.27 | 5,282 | 13 March 2016[5] |
GoodNES | Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom | 3.23b | 22,096 | 26 April 2014[1] |
GoodNGPx | SNK Neo Geo Pocket/Neo Geo Pocket Color | 3.27 | 452 | 13 March 2016[1] |
GoodOric | Oric/Atmos/Telestrat | 2.01 | 1,236 | 3 March 2004[1] |
GoodPCE | NEC TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine | 1.09a | 1,565 | 25 August 2003[1] |
GoodPico | Sega Pico | 3.15 | 178 | 28 February 2012[1] |
GoodPSID | Commodore 64 PSID music | 3.22 | 37,499 | 8 November 2012[6] |
GoodSAMC | Miles Gordon Technology SAM Coupé | 2.03 | 796 | 27 June 2004[1] |
GoodSMS | Sega Master System | 3.20 | 1,516 | 20 September 2012[7] |
GoodSNES | Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Famicom/Satellaview | 3.27 | 24,508 | 13 March 2016[1] |
GoodSPC | Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SPC music) | 3.22 | 57,154 | 8 November 2012[8] |
GoodSV | Watara Supervision | 3.27 | 69 | 13 March 2016[9] |
GoodVBoy | Nintendo Virtual Boy | 3.1415 | 179 | 16 March 2010[1] |
GoodVect | General Computer Vectrex | 1.06 | 287 | 17 July 2003[1] |
GoodWSx | Bandai WonderSwan/WonderSwan Color | 3.27 | 377 | 13 March 2016[1] |
Hosting license
Cowering allows only GoodTools with a version number below 3.00 to be hosted online. Those of a higher version number are only obtainable legally from the author's site.
Ancillary tools
Several utilities depend on GoodTools:
GoodGUI is a graphical front end to GoodTools.
GoodMerge is a program that organizes and optimizes the compression of ROM collections by placing all versions of a particular game into one archive, reducing the number of files and significantly increasing compression when using solid file archivers such as 7-Zip.
UnGoodMerge is a program to extract ROM images from archives (such as those created by GoodMerge, hence the name) according to rules, such as only one variant of a game and no bad dumps, in order to leave behind redundant ROMs.
Good codes
The following are codes and naming schemes given to the majority (some system specific) ROM image sets for various home computer and video game consoles. Please note that some codes (such as the Sega Genesis country codes) are only on old GoodTools versions and only remain for reference.
Standard codes
Good code | Meaning of code | Explanation |
---|---|---|
[!] | Verified good dump | The ROM is an exact copy of the original game; it has not had any hacks or modifications. |
[a] | Alternative version | The ROM is a copy of an alternative release of the game. Many games have been re-released to fix bugs or to eliminate Game Genie codes. |
[b] | Bad dump | A ROM image which has been corrupted because the original game is very old, because of a faulty dumper (bad connection) or during its upload to a release server. These ROMs often have graphic errors or sometimes don't work at all. |
[f] | Fixed dump | A fixed dump is a ROM that has been altered to run better on a flashcart or an emulator. |
[h] | Hacked ROM | The ROM has been user modified, with examples being changing the internal header or country codes, applying a release group intro, or editing the game's content. |
[o] | Overdumped ROM | The ROM contains more data than the original game. This extra data is useless and doesn't affect the game at all; it just makes the ROM bigger. |
[p] | Pirated version | A dump of a pirated version of a game. These ROMs often have their copyright messages or company names removed or corrupted. Also, many ROMs contain "intro" screens with the name and symbols of the pirate group that have released them. |
[t] | Trained version | A trainer (special code which executes before starting the actual game) has been added to the ROM. It allows the player to access cheats from a menu or ingame. |
[!p] | Pending dump | This is the closest dump to the original game to date, but the proper ROM is still waiting to be dumped. |
Country codes
Country code | Country |
---|---|
(A) | Australia |
(As) | Asia |
(B) | Brazil |
(C) | Canada |
(Ch) | China |
(D) | Netherlands (Dutch) |
(E) | Europe |
(F) | France |
(G) | Germany |
(Gr) | Greece |
(HK) | Hong Kong |
(I) | Italy |
(J) | Japan |
(K) | Korea |
(Nl) | Netherlands |
(No) | Norway |
(R) | Russia |
(S) | Spain |
(Sw) | Sweden |
(U) | United States |
(UK) | United Kingdom |
(W) | World |
(Unl) | Unlicensed |
(PD) | Public domain, free software and freeware |
(Unk) | Unknown country |
Universal codes
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
(NG-Dump Known) | No good dump has been found |
(REVXX) | Revision number (00 is earliest) |
(VX.X) | Version number (1.0 is earliest) |
(M#) | Multilanguage; # of languages (selectable by a menu) |
[T+XXX] | Most recent translation |
[T-XXX] | Obsolete translation |
??-in-1 | Pirate multicart |
(Vol #) | Official multicart |
(GCN) | GameCube rip |
(VC) | Games from Nintendo Wii Virtual Console (mostly LCD/epilepsy patches) |
[h#C] | Hacked internal cartridge information |
[h#+#C] | Hacked internal cartridge information; #th variant |
[hI] | Hacked dumping group intro |
[hIR] | Hacked dumping group intro removed |
[M] | Mono-color game |
(Alpha) | Alpha version |
(Beta) | Beta version |
(Prototype) | Prototype version |
(Pre-Release) | Pre-release version |
(Kiosk Demo) | Demonstration version available at Kiosks |
(Hack) | ROM hack |
(Menu) | Multicart menu, unselectable options |
ZZZ_UNK | Unclassified ROM |
BIOS | Copy of console's basic in/out system |
(N64DD) | Nintendo 64DD ROM |
(##MBit) | ROM size in megabits |
(##k) | ROM size in kilobits |
(19XX) | Release year (20th Century) |
(20XX) | Release year (21st Century) |
(Atmos) | Atmos ROM (GoodOric only) |
(Telestrat) | Telestrat ROM (GoodOric only) |
[R] | RSID format (GoodPSID only) |
(old) | Old version |
[R-XXX] | Language |
(SC-3000) | SC-3000 cartridge (GoodSMS only) |
(SG-1000) | SG-1000 cartridge (GoodSMS only) |
(SF-7000) | SF-7000 cartridge (GoodSMS only) |
(GG2SMS) | Master System mode (GoodGG only) |
(Cart) | Cartridge format |
(Adam) | ADAM version (GoodCol only) |
(Compilation) | The ROM is a dump of a compilation |
(Ch-Trad) | Pirate traditional Chinese game |
(Ch-Simple) | Pirate simple Chinese game |
[f#C] | Hack, only cart name is changed |
[f#+#C] | Hack, only cart name is changed; #th variant |
(PAL) | European TV Display Standard |
(NTSC) | American or Japan TV Display Standard |
Translation codes:
Code | Country |
---|---|
Alb | Albanian |
Ara | Arabic |
Bra | Brazilian Portuguese |
Chi | Chinese |
ChS / SChi | Simplified Chinese |
ChT / TChi | Traditional Chinese |
Cro | Croatia |
Dan | Danish |
Dut | Dutch |
Eng | English |
Fin | Finnish |
Fre | French |
Ger | German |
Gre | Greek |
Heb | Hebrew |
Ita | Italian |
Jap | Japanese |
Kor | Korean |
Lat | Latvian |
Lit | Lithuanian |
Nor | Norwegian |
Pol | Polish |
Por | Portuguese |
Rom / Rum | Romanian / Rumanian |
Rus | Russian |
Ser | Serbian |
Spa | Spanish |
Swe | Swedish |
Tai | Thai |
Tur | Turkish |
Uru | Uruguay Spanish |
System specific codes
GoodGBA codes:
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
[hIR00] | Intro removed; replaced with 00 values |
[hIRff] | Intro removed; replaced with ff values |
[f_?] | Removed EEPROM_V124 patched |
[v] | Game Boy Advance video |
[eb] | E-book ROM |
[eba] | E-Book Advance ROM |
[ebb] | Book Reader Advance ROM |
[f125] | Removed EEPROM_V125 |
[f126] | Removed EEPROM_V126 |
(IQue) | Chinese Game Boy Advance ROM for IQue console |
Coleco on GBA | Emulated ColecoVision ROM via Coleco on GBA emulator |
Cologne | Emulated ColecoVision ROM via Cologne emulator |
DrSMS | Emulated Master System ROM via DrSMS emulator |
FooN | Emulated ZX Spectrum ROM via FooN emulator |
PocketNES | Emulated NES ROM via PocketNES emulator |
FC2GBA | Emulated NES ROM via FC2GBA emulator |
Goomba | Emulated Game Boy ROM via Goomba emulator |
GBAGI | Emulated Adventure Game Interpreter ROM via GBAGI emulator |
Swanadvance | Emulated WonderSwan ROM via Swanadvance emulator |
PCEAdvance | Emulated TurboGrafx-16 ROM via PCEAdvance emulator |
PocketSMS | Emulated Master System ROM via PocketSMS emulator |
PocketSNES | Emulated SNES ROM via PocketSNES emulator |
SNESAdvance | Emulated SNES ROM via SNESAdvance emulator |
Snezzyboy | Emulated SNES ROM via Snezzyboy emulator |
VGB | Emulated Game Boy ROM via VGB emulator |
Pogoshell | Program for Pogoshell tool |
s##e## | Series number and episode number for videos |
(MB) | Multiboot ROM |
(MB2GBA) | Multiboot game converted to GBA format |
-e | E-Reader ROM |
+ ## NES | Unlicensed multicart with ## NES games |
NDS | Nintendo DS slot-2 cartridge dump |
GoodBook | E-Book using GoodBook converter |
TextReader | E-Book using TextReader converter |
PictureBoy | E-Book using PictureBoy converter |
ReadBoy | E-Book using ReadBoy converter |
GoodGBx codes:
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
[C] | Game Boy Color version |
[S] | Super Game Boy version |
[BF] | Bung fix (ROM fixed to work on a Bung cartridge) |
(Bung) | ROM from a Bung cartridge |
NES Conversion | NES ROM converted to Game Boy Color ROM |
GBS Player | Game Boy music ROM |
GoodGen codes:
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
(1) | Japan & Korea (GoodGen v0.999.7 only) |
(4) | USA & Brazil (GoodGen v0.999.7 only) |
(5) | NTSC (GoodGen 0.999.7 only) |
(8) | PAL (GoodGen 0.999.7 only) |
(F) | World (GoodGen v0.999.7 only) |
(B) | Non-USA (GoodGen v0.999.7 only) |
[c] | Known bad checksum but good dump |
[x] | Thought to have bad checksum |
(J-Cart) | The original cartridge has two controller ports on it |
(SN) | Sega-Net game |
(REVXB) | Sonic the Hedgehog Japanese version 2 |
(REVSC02) | Sonic Compilation version of Sonic 2 |
(MP) | MegaPlay version |
(MD Bundle) | The ROM comes from Sega Mega Drive/Genesis pack-in game |
(Alt Music) | Alternative music version of Sonic Spinball |
GoodNES codes:
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
(PC10) | PlayChoice-10 version |
(VS) | Versus version |
[hFFE] | Copied from Far East Copiers |
[hMxx] | Hacked to run on mapper xx |
SMB# | Unspecified Super Mario Bros. hack |
(Aladdin) | Runs with an Aladdin cartridge that locks out 10NES lockout chip |
(Sachen) | Unlicensed game by Sachen |
(KC) | Konami classic |
(PRG0) | Program revision 0 |
(PRG1) | Program revision 1 |
[U] | Universal NES image file format |
(Mapper ##) | Mapper number |
(FDS Hack) | Hacked from the Family Computer Disk System to NES |
(GBA E-reader) | Hacked from the e-Reader card |
(E-GC) | NES ROM ripped from European GameCube |
(J-GC) | NES ROM ripped from Japanese GameCube |
GoodSNES codes:
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
(BS) | Broadcast Satellite (Satellaview) ROM |
(ST) | Sufami Turbo ROM |
(NP) | Nintendo Power ROM |
(NSS) | Arcade SNES ROM |
GoodN64 codes:
Code | Meaning of code |
---|---|
(Beta-WIP) | |
(Debug Version) | |
(GC) | Nintendo GameCube rip |
(Save) | Changes the save routine. Instead of EEPROM16 the patched save is SRAM.[10] |
(Save-PAL) | |
(Z64-Save) | |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 GoodTools Suite page
- ↑ GoodCoCo page
- ↑ GoodGen page
- ↑ Cowering (20 September 2012). "New GoodGG (really!)". AllGoodThings. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ↑ GoodN64 page
- ↑ GoodPSID page
- ↑ Cowering (20 September 2012). "New GoodSMS". AllGoodThings. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ↑ GoodSPC page
- ↑ GoodSV page
- ↑ ASSEMblergames