What to crack next after Battle Chess?

[Sektor 83]

I quite fancy getting my teeth stuck into attempting to crack some more stuff, but I don't really want to go for things that are going to be too ludicrously difficult for me just yet. I'll be the first to admit I know absolutely very little to nothing at all about TVD's and Copylocks and all that kind of stuff, I'd rather work my way up gradually to that kind of stuff, if you know what I mean?

I'm just wondering what those knowledgeable in cracking would recommend as a game to crack with roughly the same difficulty as this game or thereabouts? Should I just stick to earlier games for now, and then gradually move onto the newer games?

It's just for my own personal fun and practice, really!

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Sektor 83

I quite fancy getting my teeth stuck into attempting to crack some more stuff, but I don't really want to go for things that are going to be too ludicrously difficult for me just yet. I'll be the first to admit I know absolutely very little to nothing at all about TVD's and Copylocks and all that kind of stuff, I'd rather work my way up gradually to that kind of stuff, if you know what I mean?

I'm just wondering what those knowledgeable in cracking would recommend as a game to crack with roughly the same difficulty as this game or thereabouts? Should I just stick to earlier games for now, and then gradually move onto the newer games?

It's just for my own personal fun and practice, really!

F15 Strike Eagle II

[Sektor 83]

Ah, thanks Galahad! I'll try and have a go at that one

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Sektor 83

Ah, thanks Galahad! I'll try and have a go at that one

most of the Microprose AmigaDOS file format games are a doddle.

[Sektor 83]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

most of the Microprose AmigaDOS file format games are a doddle.

Just had a look at this game. Searched for a string entered in manual protection, found the address the string was at. Disassembled from the address of the string in memory, scrolled upwards and the address to skip the protection was right there... BOOM!

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Sektor 83

Just had a look at this game. Searched for a string entered in manual protection, found the address the string was at. Disassembled from the address of the string in memory, scrolled upwards and the address to skip the protection was right there... BOOM!

See what I mean? Easy street.

Ok, so lets give you a similarly themed protection, but a little harder.

Powermonger.

And if you manage to get through that one, try cracking Powermonger wwII add-on data disk, which if you're clever enough, can actually be turned into a standalone version of Powermonger.

You load up the data disk, it brings up a requester asking you to insert the original Powermonger, it checks it, and then requests the data disk again, and carries on loading.

So there would be a manual protection to remove and a disk check to remove.

Not as difficult as it sounds

[Sektor 83]

Yeah, I'll definitely give that one a go!

[Big-Byte]

+1 for F15 Strike Eagle 2 - I managed to crack it in about 20 minutes back in the day.

Nowadays though I would have to learn assembler again from scratch.

Also try Battlehawks 1942 (I think that is correct title)


on a personal level i really like mg's threads as they always seem to end up being the more interesting ones. once ive moved house and finally get my a1200 and a500+ with ar mkiii set up i think i will start trawling through all the old threads again and re learn assembler

[prowler]

This thread has been created by moving the above posts from the Battle Chess - obscure on-disk protection? thread.

[mai]

Can someone check, if zoned "Space 1889" and "Hillsfar", both german, are correctly cracked, i have modifications not claimed for myself.

[musashi5150]

Alien Storm & Zombi are both a piece of cake too

[Codetapper]

If you want to attempt a really easy Rob Northen copylock, I recommend Phobia. It's one of the first versions of the protection before it increased in difficulty!

[dlfrsilver]

Zombi a piece of cake isnt it a C coded game ?

[musashi5150]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Zombi a piece of cake isnt it a C coded game ?

It's still easy enough to skip the disk protection check.

[zipper]

Wasn't there an unprotected version on some mag coverdisk?

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

If you want to attempt a really easy Rob Northen copylock, I recommend Phobia. It's one of the first versions of the protection before it increased in difficulty!

Batman the Movie and Chase HQ are easy Copylocks as well, i.e. Copylocks are easy, but these are stupifyingly easy!

[Sektor 83]

Having a look at Chase HQ now, I started with the boot and I've found myself somewhere in the region of $11a0/$11ac (before that it just looks like garbage). It seems to be littered with PEA's and Illegal opcodes (which I understand are two traits of a Copylock from what I've read on these boards over time). I'm kinda assuming I'm in the right place and it's just a case of stepping through these instructions and finding out what is passed to the registers, when and why?

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Sektor 83

Having a look at Chase HQ now, I started with the boot and I've found myself somewhere in the region of $11a0/$11ac (before that it just looks like garbage). It seems to be littered with PEA's and Illegal opcodes (which I understand are two traits of a Copylock from what I've read on these boards over time). I'm kinda assuming I'm in the right place and it's just a case of stepping through these instructions and finding out what is passed to the registers, when and why?

I'll give you a small clue, which only works on the easier type Copylocks.

You've found the Copylock header, why not just keep scrolling through it and see if you find anything interesting.

I mean, if a Copylock has a header, it must surely have an end?

[Sektor 83]

Ah, of course!! I honestly didn't think of doing it like that! Cheers, Galahad, I'll keep on having a look at it

[stevsurv]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

I'll give you a small clue, which only works on the easier type Copylocks.

You've found the Copylock header, why not just keep scrolling through it and see if you find anything interesting.

I mean, if a Copylock has a header, it must surely have an end?

Originally Posted by Sektor 83

Ah, of course!! I honestly didn't think of doing it like that! Cheers, Galahad, I'll keep on having a look at it

Ah yes... The MASTER has now an Apprentice!