Add "Base Game" Relationship Field for ROM Hacks

📋 Summary

Add a dedicated Base Game (or Hack Of) field to the LaunchBox Games Database that allows ROM hacks to be linked directly to the original game they are based on.

❗ Problem

The LaunchBox Games Database contains an increasing number of ROM hacks, fan modifications, translations, and enhancement projects.

However, there is currently no structured way to identify which original game a hack is based on.

As a result:

• Users may not know what game a hack requires

• It can be difficult to understand the context of a ROM hack

• ROM hacks cannot easily be grouped by their source game

• Database relationships between original games and their derivatives are lost

For example, a user browsing ROM hacks may not immediately know whether a particular hack is based on:

• Super Mario World

• Pokémon FireRed

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

without manually researching it.

💡 Proposal

Add a new database field:

• Base Game

• Or Hack Of

This field would:

• Link directly to another Games Database entry

• Identify the original game the hack is based on

• Be available through scraping and metadata downloads

• Support filtering, grouping, and playlist creation

Potential future enhancements could include:

• Viewing all hacks associated with a specific game

• Displaying related hacks on a game's database page

• Creating dynamic playlists such as:

  • "All Super Mario World Hacks"

  • "All Pokémon FireRed Hacks"

🧩 Use Cases

• A user wants to see all ROM hacks based on a particular game

• A user discovers a hack and wants to know the original title it requires

• Collections can be organized around popular hack communities

• Theme developers can surface related hacks alongside the original game

• Database contributors can establish clearer relationships between entries

📦 Benefits

• Improves ROM hack discoverability and organization

• Creates meaningful relationships between database entries

• Helps users understand hack dependencies and origins

• Enables smarter filtering, searching, and playlist generation

• Lays the foundation for richer metadata relationships in the future

⚠️ Considerations

• Should support linking to an existing Games Database entry rather than using free text

• Some hacks may be based on multiple source games or projects

• Similar relationship systems could potentially be expanded later for:

  • Fan translations

  • Remakes

  • Ports

  • Total conversions

  • Homebrew derivatives