Mysterious supported versions - need clarification

[MethodGit]

So I've noticed that some installs support alternate versions of the game, usually those with a different disk format.

I know of the following installs so far which do this (along with information on said versions):

James Pond: Underwater Agent by JOTD (supports Budget release, supposedly plain NDOS format)
Switchblade by Codetapper (supports Kixx Budget release, apparently uses files)
WWF Wrestlemania by Codetapper (supports Hit Squad Budget release, supposedly plain NDOS format)

HOWEVER, I went around collecting budget versions of some titles in recent times and can tell you for a fact that their disk data does NOT match what these installs claim!

I have actual disks of the GBH reissue of James Pond and the Kixx reissue of Switchblade, and grabbed the IPFs for the Hit Squad reissue of WWF. In the case of the first two games, my Kryoflux reported non-AmigaDOS data throughout the majority of each disk, which can only mean one thing.......... MFM. And a quick conversion of the WWF IPFs through WWarp revealed "twilight3" and "slackskin" data and not "dosf".

All of this puzzles me. Do some copies of the same release differ from one another? Are we talking a specific region only? What's the chance I won't get another MFM copy of, say, Switchblade if I try to grab another one off eBay?

I could do with a reason not to keep pulling my hair out over this, so feel free to fire off your useful information!

[Codetapper]

All this means is you have a different version again. Remember the majority of WHDLoad installs were created 10+ years ago before CAPS/SPS existed. We used to get sent (unverified) MFMWarp dumps of games and told "this is the Kixx release" and that's what we put in the readmes.

If you send unsupported versions of the above I can add them, but I know for a fact the versions I was sent match whatever is in the readmes. I have a version of Street Fighter 2 for example using "Twilight" format for example, yet at the time Galahad was sure this didn't exist! It's funny what comes around on budget release!

[MethodGit]

Yes, I've been keen on collecting budget reissues of games in case they differ greatly from the retail equivalent. Such is the case with Toki - changed from a custom MFM format to a protection-free plain format. I've even been collecting a few of Kixx's dual-format releases as they're bound to use different data that way!

I'd love to find more "de-MFMed" versions of titles if they're easy to come by, and they don't use the same box/disk artwork as existing releases. Just an indicator of sorts would do, such as the "Version 2" tag for Treasure Island Dizzy.

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Yes, I've been keen on collecting budget reissues of games in case they differ greatly from the retail equivalent. Such is the case with Toki - changed from a custom MFM format to a protection-free plain format. I've even been collecting a few of Kixx's dual-format releases as they're bound to use different data that way!

I'd love to find more "de-MFMed" versions of titles if they're easy to come by, and they don't use the same box/disk artwork as existing releases. Just an indicator of sorts would do, such as the "Version 2" tag for Treasure Island Dizzy.

Toki Hit Squad release is in fact the Quartex cracked version, but with the Quartex cracktro removed and the original Ocean/credits title screen put back in.

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

All this means is you have a different version again. Remember the majority of WHDLoad installs were created 10+ years ago before CAPS/SPS existed. We used to get sent (unverified) MFMWarp dumps of games and told "this is the Kixx release" and that's what we put in the readmes.

If you send unsupported versions of the above I can add them, but I know for a fact the versions I was sent match whatever is in the readmes. I have a version of Street Fighter 2 for example using "Twilight" format for example, yet at the time Galahad was sure this didn't exist! It's funny what comes around on budget release!

Best I take a look at that, any idea what the SPS ID for it is?

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

Best I take a look at that, any idea what the SPS ID for it is?

#1371. Glad to be of help.

[Galahad/FLT]

Odd, it is indeed MFM, single side loader, characters are all on the same disks as the original release.

I don't understand the point of this MFM release though. I thought that they did it because they didn't want to pay Rob Northen another licensing fee to use his sector loader and Copylock. True they've dropped his sector loader, but retained Copylock which was more expensive to use than the sector loader was?!?!

If this was their attempt to stop it being cracked, well, that was a redundant failure as it was already cracked successfully first time on its initial release, I have no clue as to the point of using this MFM system in conjunction with Copylock, just makes zero sense.

Its not like this is Street Fighter 2 v 1.1, its the same game, nothings been changed.

What a waste of time, though i'll probably have to support it, and then rip to files, and then rename the files so that the install notes for the original release make sense.

Stupid, silly, bastards!

[Codetapper]

From memory the trackformat is supported internally in WWarp so the source code is there for it, it's Twilight 10 sector ($1400 bytes) format.

Like you, I find it strange they'd change from a stable $1600 bytes/track format to something smaller for a 4 disk game! You'd think they'd try and pack it onto 3 disks, not make it bigger/slower to load!

[MethodGit]

Sorry to break the SF2 flow for a moment, but..... CT, you wouldn't still happen to have those MFMWarp dumps of "file-based" Switchblade and "non-MFM" WWF would you? Might be a safer/quicker bet for me than constantly buying multiple copies of those games off eBay till I come across a version of those two budget releases that's compatible with your install...