neoconv
-------
MAME Neo Geo romset (.zip) to TerraOnion (.neo) converter, in ISO C99.
Static decryption only: CMC42/CMC50 C/S/M1, SMA 68K, NEO-PCM2 (both variants),
PVC, KOF98, the KOF2002 family, and bootleg decryption are applied at
conversion time, mirroring the "decrypt_all()" sequence of the matching
matching MAME cart device. Runtime protection (SMA banking/PRNG, PVC
registers, game-specific protection/anti-piracy) is the .neo consumer's
responsibility. In other words, this decrypts encrypted data but does not
patch out any game code.
Build
-----
 autoreconf -fi
 ./configure
 make
 make install
Embedding (frontends)
---------------------
The library API (include/neoconv.h) is frontend-agnostic ISO C99: no POSIX, no
output to stdio when a log callback is installed, and static string lifetimes
for all database queries. The intended pattern for a GUI is: enumerate sets
with neoconv_game_desc_get() to build the library view, validate zips with the
dry_run option, and convert on a worker thread with warnings routed through the
log callback. Conversions must be serialized (the MAME-derived decryption code
keeps translation-unit state); a single worker thread is the supported model.
Initialize options with neoconv_options_init() - the struct records its size so
it can grow compatibly.
Usage
-----
 neoconv mslug.zip # -> mslug.neo
 neoconv -o out/ /path/to/romdir # whole directory
 neoconv -o out/ '/path/to/romdir/*.zip' # same, via (quoted) glob
 neoconv -o out/ *.zip # shell-expanded batch
 neoconv kof99h.zip # split clone: kof99.zip is
 # found automatically beside it
 neoconv --strict --set kof2002 a.zip -o kof2002.neo
 neoconv --list
Inputs may be zip files, directories (every contained *.zip), or glob
patterns (quoted, so the shell passes them through). In directory or glob
mode, zips that are not known romsets - neogeo.zip, stray archives - are
skipped without failing the run; the -o directory is created if missing. Set
identification is by zip file name (or --set). For split-set clones,
<parent>.zip next to the input is searched automatically for ROMs the clone zip
does not carry (--no-auto-parent disables this, -p <zip> adds further archives
for unusual layouts). ROMs are matched by file name, falling back to CRC32. CRC
mismatches warn by default. NGH is read from the decrypted P ROM at 0x108
(override with --ngh).
Header metadata
---------------
Genre, screenshot, and the short game titles/manufacturers are TerraOnion
assigned and cannot be derived from MAME. They ship in src/meta_db.c, generated
from data/known_good.tsv (a dump of a known-good .neo set). Header Name and
Manufacturer come from this table when available, falling back to the MAME
fullname otherwise. To refresh from another set:
 tools/dump_neo.py /path/to/known-good-neo-dir > data/known_good.tsv
 tools/gen_meta.py data/known_good.tsv -o src/meta_db.c
 make
"dump_neo.py" prints filename, year, genre, screenshot, NGH, name,
manufacturer, and the six region sizes for every .neo in a directory
(tab-separated). The known-good sizes drive one transformation: early dual-bus
carts have a physically separate ADPCM-B ROM that MAME merges into the adpcma
region; when the known-good set records a V1/V2 pair summing to our merged
chain, the converter splits at that boundary. The known-good sizes also decide
per-set V handling that MAME cannot express (whole-image V2 for shared-bus
delta-T carts, whether prototype tail-copies split or stay merged) and the P
window kept for BrezzaSoft-style RAM boards. Other size disagreements are
warned, never silently adopted. Runtime-overlay patches that MAME bakes into P
at init (kof10th's Altera CPLD overlays, sbp's word patch) are NOT applied; the
consumer's board emulation performs them, and reference sets ship the unpatched
programs. pbobblenb's C is 0x100000 per current MAME's compacted bootleg
layout, where the reference set reflects the older 0x500000 parent-shaped
layout; the data is equivalent under tile-index masking. The table also
cross-checks the NGH extracted from the P ROM and prefers the known-good value
on disagreement. --genre / --screenshot / --ngh always override the table.
Regenerating from MAME
----------------------
The game database (src/games_db.c) and the crypto ports (src/crypt/) are
generated from a MAME checkout:
 make regen MAMEDIR=path/to/mame
tools/gendb.py parses src/mame/snk/neogeo.cpp (ROM_START blocks, GAME()
metadata, machine-config -> cart-slot bindings); tools/port_crypto.py
mechanically translates src/devices/bus/neogeo/prot_*.cpp to C99.
License
-------
BSD-3-Clause. Algorithms, tables, and layout data derived from MAME
(BSD-3-Clause). miniz is MIT.