Options

Options change Retool's behavior either at the title level, or the broader DAT file level.

To set options, in the Global settings or System settings tab, click the Options tab.

Title options

These options change how Retool handles certain titles.

• Disable 1G1R filtering
  Ignore clone lists, and treat each title as unique. Useful if you want to keep everything from a specific set of regions and/or languages. You can use this in combination with Split output into multiple DAT files based on region to treat Retool as a region splitter and nothing more.
  
  If this option is disabled, it's because you've enabled Output DAT files in legacy parent/clone format, which isn't compatible with this feature.

• Include titles without hashes or sizes specified in input DAT files
  Some DAT files don't list any hashes or sizes for some files, and Retool filters these out by default. This option makes sure those files are kept.

• Prefer regions over languages
  By default, if a title from a higher priority region doesn't support your preferred languages but a lower priority region does, Retool selects the latter. This option disables this behavior, forcing strict adherence to region priority regardless of language support
  
  This option also overrides similar behavior in superset selection, which means you might get a title that was released in your preferred region that has less content, instead of one that was released in another region that contains more content and supports your preferred languages.

• Prefer titles ripped from modern rereleases over original system releases
  For the sake of emulator compatibility, Retool prefers versions of games released on the original system instead of those ripped from rereleases on platforms like Virtual Console and Steam. This option reverses that behavior.

• Prefer oldest production versions instead of newest
  Useful for speedrunners and those concerned about censorship, who often want unpatched versions of games.

• Prefer licensed versions over unlicensed titles
  Sometimes games are rereleased long after the lifespan of a console, in regions they weren't originally available in. By default Retool selects these titles if they match your preferred region/language priorities.
  
  Enable this option to choose a production version of a title over the unlicensed or aftermarket title if possible. This might select titles from a lower priority region, or with lower priority languages, or with less features.

• Disable global and system overrides
  Ignore both global and system overrides.

Compilations handling

This option changes how compilations are managed by Retool.

• Default
  Chooses individual titles most of the time. Only chooses compilations when they have a higher region, language, or clone list priority, or contain unique titles. When choosing a compilation for unique titles, if other titles in the compilation have individual equivalents, the individual titles are also included, leading to some title duplication.

• Prefer individual titles
  Chooses individual titles regardless of region, language, and clone list priorities, and discards compilations unless they contain unique games. You\'re likely to prefer this mode if you use ROM hacks or Retro Achievements. When choosing a compilation for unique titles, if other titles in the compilation have individual equivalents, the individual titles are also included, leading to some title duplication.

• Keep individual titles and compilations
  Ignores the relationship between individual titles and compilations, meaning individual titles are only compared against other individual titles, and compilations against other compilations. This option has the most title duplication.

• Optimize for least possible title duplication
  Beta. Not recommended. Prefers compilations to minimize file count. While this mode can save disk space, it can be hard to tell what compilations contain based on their filename. This mode might not choose the most optimal solution when supersets or clone list priorities are involved.

Output options

These options change the files that Retool outputs as part of its process.

• Allow processing of already processed files
  Let DAT files be processed even if Retool has already processed them.

• Don't modify input DAT file's existing header fields
  By default Retool changes header fields so you can tell in ROM managers if DAT files have been modified. Enable this if you want to load Retool DAT files as updates to original Redump and No-Intro DAT files already loaded in your ROM manager.

• Don't use clone lists to mark titles as MIA
  MIA titles are scraped from Redump's wiki, however DatVault users should enable this for more up-to-date information.

• Use <machine> instead of <game> in output DAT files
  Exports each title node using the MAME standard of <machine> instead of <game>.

• Split the output into multiple DAT files based on region
  Instead of one output DAT file containing all the filtered results, split the output into multiple DAT files based on the regions you've selected. If this is disabled, it's because you've enabled Output DAT files in legacy parent/clone format, which isn't compatible with this option.

• Also output DAT files of all the removed titles
  In addition to output DAT files, create DAT files containing the titles Retool removed.

• Also output lists of what titles have been kept and removed
  In addition to output DAT files, produce TXT files that list what titles have been kept, and what titles have been removed.

• Also output lists of title names from output DAT files
  In addition to output DAT files, produce TXT files that list only the name of each title in the output DAT files, and optionally add a prefix and suffix to each name. If you add a prefix that starts with http://, https:// or ftp://, each line in the file is URL encoded.

Debug options

These options are useful for developing and testing Retool.

• Report clone list warnings during processing
  Turn on warnings when there are mismatches between the clone list and the DAT file.

• Pause on clone list warnings
  Pause Retool each time a clone list warning is issued.

• Output DAT files in legacy parent/clone format
  Not recommended unless you're debugging or comparing outputs between DAT file versions. If this is disabled, it's because you've disabled 1G1R filtering or chosen to split by region, which isn't compatible with this option.

• Bypass DTD validation
  Skips DTD validation of DAT files, useful if validation is causing issues.

• Disable multiprocessor usage
  Forces Retool to use only a single CPU core, at the cost of performance. This can be useful when debugging Retool, as multiprocessor doesn't cope well with input statements.

• Trace a title through Retool's process
  Follows a title through Retool's selection process for debugging. Accepts a regular expression. To function properly, this disables using multiple processors during parent selection.

Tip

If you don't know regular expressions, also known as "regexes", you can learn the basics at regexlearn.com. You want to be well practiced before using them, as without proper care they can lead to unintended consequences.