Add Translation Patch Discovery and Management

📋 Summary

Help users discover compatible fan translation patches and associate them with games in their LaunchBox libraries.

❗ Problem

Fan translations are often distributed across project websites, forums, and repositories. Users must find the correct patch, determine which ROM revision it supports, and configure it manually.

Using the wrong ROM version can cause a patch to fail or produce a corrupted game.

💡 Proposal

Allow translation patch information to be associated with games in the LaunchBox Games Database.

Patch records could include:

• Translation language

• Translator or project name

• Official source page

• Patch format and version

• Required original ROM hashes

• Resulting patched-game hash

• Installation or emulator requirements

When LaunchBox detects a matching ROM, it could show compatible translations in the game details.

Users could download the patch from its official source and associate the local patch file with the game as an additional version, such as English Fan Translation.

Where the selected emulator supports non-destructive soft-patching, LaunchBox could help configure the patch without modifying the original ROM.

🧩 Use Cases

• Discover that a Japanese game has an English translation

• Confirm that a patch supports the user’s exact ROM revision

• Keep the translated and original versions under one game

• Launch a translation without permanently modifying the original ROM

• Credit and link users to the original translation project

📦 Benefits

• Makes fan translations easier to discover

• Reduces incorrect patch and ROM combinations

• Keeps original ROM files unchanged

• Improves organization of translated versions

• Directs users to the translators’ official pages

⚠️ Considerations

• The Games Database should initially store patch metadata and official links rather than hosting patch files

• Exact ROM compatibility should be verified using hashes

• Soft-patching should only be offered for supported emulators and cores

• Patch redistribution should require explicit permission from its creator

• Support for automatic downloads could be considered later for approved sources