Chaos Strikes Back unsupported version - Page 2

gothmog · 19 March 2018, 01:41

I am the webmaster of the Dungeon Master Encyclopaedia.
I didn't know there was a multilanguage version of CSB 3.5.
I am very interested by a kryoflux image of this floppy disk, along with the associated utility disk.
Would you be kind enough to upload it somewhere?

You may know about my ReDMCSB project: http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/...p?f=25&t=29805
I have not yet published my latest work, but now I do have the complete source code for all the Amiga versions I know about.
I checked my source code to build the following list of changes between CSB 3.3 French/English/German and CSB 3.5 English (apart from the obvious differences regarding localization and version number displayed in dialog boxes). Nothing major:
- In 3.5, the main program displays the game title screen. In 3.3 this is accomplished with a separate animation file TITL.DAT.
- Very minor differences regarding obfuscation of copy protection code, with no change of behavior
- Memory management is updated in 3.5 (no visible change for the player). Most notably: In 3.3, the amount of required memory is hard coded. In 3.5 the engine dynamically computes the exact amount of memory required based on actual graphics/sounds to load (several profiles are present to load less and less sounds if memory is not large enough for all of them). Also, in 3.5, typing 'mem' while in the game will display some memory flags and values.
- Bug fix: in 3.3, you may knock on a wall while in the Prison (with no champion in the party yet). In 3.5 this is not possible anymore.
- 3.5 reads larger chunks of graphic data from the floppy at a time (4520 bytes instead of 1024 in 3.3)

Phantomz · 29 April 2018, 19:42

I've just had a request for " multilanguage version of Chaos Strikes Back 3.5 " by gothmog, so I've uploaded it to the zone.

I've also uploaded a raw version of " Chaos Strikes Back 3.5 - English " ( No Map Screen ).

Both versions made using the free version of Kryoflux for the Amiga.

gothmog · 01 May 2018, 15:09

Thanks a lot Phantomz for uploading the images.

I have compared them with the other versions I have.
The game disk of "CSB 3.5 English version" is identical to the version I already have.
Both utility disks you uploaded are identical to the one I call "English Release 3" on my web site.
The game disk of "CSB 3.5 multilanguage" is indeed a new one for me.
Thanks again!!

Phantomz · 01 May 2018, 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by gothmog

Thanks a lot Phantomz for uploading the images.

I have compared them with the other versions I have.
The game disk of "CSB 3.5 English version" is identical to the version I already have.
Both utility disks you uploaded are identical to the one I call "English Release 3" on my web site.
The game disk of "CSB 3.5 multilanguage" is indeed a new one for me.
Thanks again!!

@ gothmog you're welcome.

Do they work ok?

I remember testing them in winuae after I made them and they loaded ok, pretty sure the save and load worked if I remember.

I uploaded "CSB 3.5 English version" as well as "CSB 3.5 multilanguage" because I thought you might like that too, as I noticed on your site...

Chaos Strikes Back for Amiga Game Disk version 3.5 (English) Original, not working because of the copy protection [Supplied by Johnny Grasset]

gothmog · 03 May 2018, 02:30

In my test, both games do work. However after saving, the program prompts you to insert the game disk back again in the drive and it fails to recognize it as an original and prompts you indefinitely. If you insert the other game disk then it works (it allows the copy protection to read the fuzzy bits sector with different results). I suspect there is only one revolution dumped in the raw file or the SPS library always uses data from the same revolution so that the fuzzy bits are not reproduced properly.

Splatman · 11 May 2018, 18:09

Love your site gothmog any idea of when the next update may be?

gothmog · 12 May 2018, 01:23

The website has been on the back burner for quite some time now. I do have some ideas and some content to add but I lack the required time... so do not hold your breath!

Splatman · 12 May 2018, 20:42

Good to hear it's not dead mate, you were doing a great job with it...
As far as holding my breath if you tell me you've got a working CSB 3.5 in .adf to add to it I will have a go for a world record!

gothmog · 13 May 2018, 10:05

No working adf of 3.5 because of the copy protection. I don't think this version was ever cracked.

However you can download the Kryoflux CT Raw disk images that Phatomz uploaded here in "The Zone!" and you can use them with WinUAE (as long as you also have the SPS plugin in WinUAE folder).

Splatman · 13 May 2018, 23:56

You have made an old man very happy...
I though it was just .ifp not .raw as well YES!
Cheers gothmog (still looking forward to the next update however!!)

Overdoc · 20 August 2018, 16:12

I have a problem with importing a Dungeon Master 3.6 party (German savegame) into CSB.

So far I tried CSB utility disks 3.1 German and 3.3 English.
However, none of both recognizes my Dungeon Master 3.6 German savegame disk.

I hoped there would exist a CSB 3.5 German utility disk, but it seems it doesn't?
There exists a CSB 3.5 English only version, as well as a CSB 3.5 mulitlanguage one, but both include an English only utility disk 3.3?

Does anyone know a solution to this ?
It seems the utility disk is not even trying to read/find the savegame file? Maybe the diskname is different on DM 3.6 savegames, or something, so the disk is not even recognized?

I also wonder if this is only a version difference issue, or a German/English issue?
Is there a difference in English and German utility disks other than the different language text?
Is it possible for instance to use a German utility disk to import an English DM savegame, or vice versa to use an English utility disk to import a German DM savegame?

I would really like to play CSB with the DM characters, which me together with a friend of mine used to finish the game.

Thanks for your help!

meynaf · 20 August 2018, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Overdoc

It seems the utility disk is not even trying to read/find the savegame file? Maybe the diskname is different on DM 3.6 savegames, or something, so the disk is not even recognized?

Not the disk name, but the file names maybe.
Have a look at the disk with some file manager (even wb) and check the file names. Try renaming dmgame.dat to dmgameg.dat, or vice versa.

Overdoc · 21 August 2018, 14:40

Ok, thanks, I will have a look and play around with filenames, versions, languages etc.
If I find a solution, I will post back here.

gothmog · 21 August 2018, 19:46

I just tested and DM 3.6 will save the game in a file named DMSAVEG.DAT (if you selected German language).
However, the utility disk will look for DMSAVE.DAT, not DMSAVEG.DAT.

So you have to rename the file before you can read it with the utility disk.
It will work with both English or German utility disks.

Harry · 14 September 2019, 22:33

Please find Chaos Strikes Back version 3.5 (WHDLoad) in the Zone. It is not fully tested, however a few hours - and the guru 60 and frozen spells didnt appear so far. Dont know if the Fulya pit works.

29 April 2018, 19:42	#22
Phantomz Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Age: 51 Posts: 214	I've just had a request for " multilanguage version of Chaos Strikes Back 3.5 " by gothmog, so I've uploaded it to the zone. I've also uploaded a raw version of " Chaos Strikes Back 3.5 - English " ( No Map Screen ). Both versions made using the free version of Kryoflux for the Amiga. Last edited by Phantomz; 29 April 2018 at 20:24. Reason: Added Information

14 September 2019, 22:33	#35
Harry HD Installer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hamburg/Germany Posts: 1,068	Please find Chaos Strikes Back version 3.5 (WHDLoad) in the Zone. It is not fully tested, however a few hours - and the guru 60 and frozen spells didnt appear so far. Dont know if the Fulya pit works. Last edited by Harry; 14 September 2019 at 22:40.

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19 March 2018, 01:41	#21
gothmog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: France Posts: 27	I am the webmaster of the Dungeon Master Encyclopaedia. I didn't know there was a multilanguage version of CSB 3.5. I am very interested by a kryoflux image of this floppy disk, along with the associated utility disk. Would you be kind enough to upload it somewhere? You may know about my ReDMCSB project: http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/...p?f=25&t=29805 I have not yet published my latest work, but now I do have the complete source code for all the Amiga versions I know about. I checked my source code to build the following list of changes between CSB 3.3 French/English/German and CSB 3.5 English (apart from the obvious differences regarding localization and version number displayed in dialog boxes). Nothing major: - In 3.5, the main program displays the game title screen. In 3.3 this is accomplished with a separate animation file TITL.DAT. - Very minor differences regarding obfuscation of copy protection code, with no change of behavior - Memory management is updated in 3.5 (no visible change for the player). Most notably: In 3.3, the amount of required memory is hard coded. In 3.5 the engine dynamically computes the exact amount of memory required based on actual graphics/sounds to load (several profiles are present to load less and less sounds if memory is not large enough for all of them). Also, in 3.5, typing 'mem' while in the game will display some memory flags and values. - Bug fix: in 3.3, you may knock on a wall while in the Prison (with no champion in the party yet). In 3.5 this is not possible anymore. - 3.5 reads larger chunks of graphic data from the floppy at a time (4520 bytes instead of 1024 in 3.3)

01 May 2018, 15:09	#23
gothmog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: France Posts: 27	Thanks a lot Phantomz for uploading the images. I have compared them with the other versions I have. The game disk of "CSB 3.5 English version" is identical to the version I already have. Both utility disks you uploaded are identical to the one I call "English Release 3" on my web site. The game disk of "CSB 3.5 multilanguage" is indeed a new one for me. Thanks again!!

03 May 2018, 02:30	#25
gothmog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: France Posts: 27	In my test, both games do work. However after saving, the program prompts you to insert the game disk back again in the drive and it fails to recognize it as an original and prompts you indefinitely. If you insert the other game disk then it works (it allows the copy protection to read the fuzzy bits sector with different results). I suspect there is only one revolution dumped in the raw file or the SPS library always uses data from the same revolution so that the fuzzy bits are not reproduced properly.

11 May 2018, 18:09	#26
Splatman Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Back of Beyond Age: 57 Posts: 60	Love your site gothmog any idea of when the next update may be?

12 May 2018, 01:23	#27
gothmog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: France Posts: 27	The website has been on the back burner for quite some time now. I do have some ideas and some content to add but I lack the required time... so do not hold your breath!

12 May 2018, 20:42	#28
Splatman Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Back of Beyond Age: 57 Posts: 60	Good to hear it's not dead mate, you were doing a great job with it... As far as holding my breath if you tell me you've got a working CSB 3.5 in .adf to add to it I will have a go for a world record!

13 May 2018, 10:05	#29
gothmog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: France Posts: 27	No working adf of 3.5 because of the copy protection. I don't think this version was ever cracked. However you can download the Kryoflux CT Raw disk images that Phatomz uploaded here in "The Zone!" and you can use them with WinUAE (as long as you also have the SPS plugin in WinUAE folder).

13 May 2018, 23:56	#30
Splatman Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Back of Beyond Age: 57 Posts: 60	You have made an old man very happy... I though it was just .ifp not .raw as well YES! Cheers gothmog (still looking forward to the next update however!!)

20 August 2018, 16:12	#31
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	I have a problem with importing a Dungeon Master 3.6 party (German savegame) into CSB. So far I tried CSB utility disks 3.1 German and 3.3 English. However, none of both recognizes my Dungeon Master 3.6 German savegame disk. I hoped there would exist a CSB 3.5 German utility disk, but it seems it doesn't? There exists a CSB 3.5 English only version, as well as a CSB 3.5 mulitlanguage one, but both include an English only utility disk 3.3? Does anyone know a solution to this ? It seems the utility disk is not even trying to read/find the savegame file? Maybe the diskname is different on DM 3.6 savegames, or something, so the disk is not even recognized? I also wonder if this is only a version difference issue, or a German/English issue? Is there a difference in English and German utility disks other than the different language text? Is it possible for instance to use a German utility disk to import an English DM savegame, or vice versa to use an English utility disk to import a German DM savegame? I would really like to play CSB with the DM characters, which me together with a friend of mine used to finish the game. Thanks for your help!

21 August 2018, 14:40	#33
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	Ok, thanks, I will have a look and play around with filenames, versions, languages etc. If I find a solution, I will post back here.

21 August 2018, 19:46	#34
gothmog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: France Posts: 27	I just tested and DM 3.6 will save the game in a file named DMSAVEG.DAT (if you selected German language). However, the utility disk will look for DMSAVE.DAT, not DMSAVEG.DAT. So you have to rename the file before you can read it with the utility disk. It will work with both English or German utility disks.

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