Bitmap Bros games without loaders/intro

ripley · 02 November 2015, 21:32

Hi,

Can anyone give me advice on getting my Amiga disk versions of these games, as they appeared originally, onto my PC for use with an emulator?

I want to use them for presentation purposes and the intros ruin the illusion (it's not as good as using the original hardware, but this is more for reliability). On top of that, I'd also like to play them on my phone and it makes it difficult when just have the joystick mapped to inputs.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

s2325 · 02 November 2015, 21:50

Some versions without (crack)intros may not be playable because of copy protection.

jotd · 02 November 2015, 21:56

Getting the .IPF images of the games and Amiga emulator solve the protection problem.
On PC, most cracked versions (on abandonware sites) don't have any cracktros.

Playing on a phone? You need some external controller or it will be unplayable!
either a bluetooth keyboard or a wiimote, although wiimote fail to connect on latest android OSes.

apart from that, excellent choice: Bitmap Brothers games rule

ripley · 03 November 2015, 00:24

Thanks for the responses. I've tried IPF files but my emulator only seems to want to run ADF files - I'm not sure if I need an extra plug-in to get these working but information on this is hard to find.

Fortunately my phone has buttons to play these games so it's not an issue. I'm able to play them fine once get past the crack intros, however it means I have to map and change certain ones for whatever keys I need to pass the intros.

I have the original floppys and a PC with a disk drive if there's a way for me to rip them without the copy protection. I'm guessing there must be a way for me to do it these days with all my modern day tech (unless it requires extensive coding knowledge then that's out of the question). I guess finding out how to run IPF files will be my best bet.

BarryB · 03 November 2015, 13:00

If you're using WinUAE, you need to download the 5.1 IPF Support Library from HERE and extract the CAPSImg.dll into your WinUAE directory. There are two downloads for Windows but they are both the same archive, just open the capsimg_binary folder and copy CAPSImg.dll to your WinUAE folder, that should then recognise IPF files!

ripley · 03 November 2015, 23:16

Looks like I still might need to look for ADF files for these as doesn't look like IPFs are compatible with Android version of WinUAE.

jotd · 04 November 2015, 07:51

Gods crystal crack has no intro. It just says "crystal cracked" instead of "renegade presents".
Cadaver classic crack or xenon 2 are other examples

ripley · 04 November 2015, 09:37

Thanks I'll take a look at those.

Think I'm just going to have to look around for crack intro free versions of ADfs for phone play but at least can use IPFs on the PC for the time being.

It might be good if someone puts together a crack intro/trainer free ADF collection at some point. I have backed up most of my collection this way with a bit of digging, but obviously not the Bitmap Bros titles. For the record I really love some crack intros, but be nice if we had a choice - especially these days when we emulate on devices with fewer inputs than the Amiga.

s2325 · 04 November 2015, 10:21

Maybe you can use save states if your Amiga emulator have that feature.

Galahad/FLT · 04 November 2015, 18:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by ripley

Thanks I'll take a look at those.

Think I'm just going to have to look around for crack intro free versions of ADfs for phone play but at least can use IPFs on the PC for the time being.

It might be good if someone puts together a crack intro/trainer free ADF collection at some point. I have backed up most of my collection this way with a bit of digging, but obviously not the Bitmap Bros titles. For the record I really love some crack intros, but be nice if we had a choice - especially these days when we emulate on devices with fewer inputs than the Amiga.

Sorry, but that idea gets virtually zero support.

The reason you can play them as ADF's is because of the work of others, legalities aside.

Cracktros are as much a part of history as the games they are attached to.

Its a non starter.

rsn8887 · 04 November 2015, 19:42

I would also be careful with some of the cracked versions. I remember, at least in Gods, the monsters are more difficult to kill if the version is not perfectly cracked. I am not sure if this applies to any of the other Bitmap Bros. games.

ripley · 04 November 2015, 21:23

Yeah I wouldn't suggest crack intros be eliminated from Amiga disk files, but it all depends on what you remember or if you're a new player of these games.

I have some fond memories of some crack intros and have certain games with those intact for exactly that reason. I wouldn't consider playing them any other way (especially considering cheat menus are the only way to make it through some Amiga games). However I remember some games as they were originally and that's how intend to play them (amongst other reasons).

Whether there is demand for this or not, it's something I'm interested in doing for my own collection at least. Some with intros, the majority without. Therefore I'll ask around on occasion when there's a title I'm having trouble finding. For now I'm after these ones, so if anyone comes across them at some point in the future and you remember this thread then let me know :-)

jotd · 04 November 2015, 21:56

copy Bitmap Bros games without the RN protection track see what happens:

Xenon 2: lockup before intro (not subtle)
Speedball 2: lockup after intro
Gods: game is hard/locks up after a while
Cadaver: game crashes when entering a given room on level 1
Chaos Engine: lockup after intro
Magic Pockets: corrupt level 1.2 or 2 depending on levelskip

Note: if you can get hold of Lockpick/Maverick, they are able to copy/patch original copies into cracked ones without adding any intro. That's a good lead too. They tend to patch real DOS disks, but they also handle a few NDOS/MFM.

ripley · 02 December 2015, 20:33

Thanks. I tried Maverick and got Speedball 2 copied as an ADF which works perfectly. Just a couple of games I need now including Chaos Engine, but that doesn't seem to work as it's not on the list. Any idea how to do this with games not on the list?

jotd · 02 December 2015, 22:51

For chaos engine you could use the orig. Iso from cd32 version! What other one do you need?

ripley · 03 December 2015, 00:45

Just Chaos and Pockets now really. I'm also looking at titles from other developers for myself but Maverick seems to cover a few of those I want. Bitmap's games do seem to be the hardest to find despite how popular they were.

BippyM · 03 December 2015, 10:43

There's a greater chance of patching the cracktro to support another input form than there is of removing an intro. It's also possible to launch a cracktro and then skip it.

Do some research, it's probably not that difficult. Just ensure that if the cracktro patches the game then that still happens (This might not be too common however)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ripley

Thanks I'll take a look at those.

Think I'm just going to have to look around for crack intro free versions of ADfs for phone play but at least can use IPFs on the PC for the time being.

It might be good if someone puts together a crack intro/trainer free ADF collection at some point. I have backed up most of my collection this way with a bit of digging, but obviously not the Bitmap Bros titles. For the record I really love some crack intros, but be nice if we had a choice - especially these days when we emulate on devices with fewer inputs than the Amiga.

ripley · 04 December 2015, 10:09

I wouldn't know where to begin with removing or modifying a crack intro, unless it can be done with a disk copy program? Assuming I'd have to learn a bit of Amiga coding and it's probably simpler to go through the ADF files to find ones compatible with my button setup.

With regards to Bitmap Bros games I'm just using IPFs for the PC and just need a couple for the phone so nothing urgent now. Just finding other titles with the simplest crack intros for the time being - discovered [t] in the file naming means trainer, which has made it a lot easier trying to find ones without required key/mouse input.

BippyM · 04 December 2015, 10:31

Usually each cracktro will be waiting for a button press (say mouse).. It will then branch. This branch on condition can be replaced with a standard branch always, or removed completely depending on what it is doing.

It's worth having a play with action replay running. You'll be amazed how quickly you can pick these things up

For example the Magic Pockets Crystal crack has the following code:

Code:

$044116               BTST #6,$BFE001         ; Check left mouse
$04411E               BNE $044116               ; LOOP if not pressed
$044120               BRA $044120               ; Jump to game

Replacing the BNE at $4411E with a NOP will mean the Crystal crack screen will show for mere milliseconds, and the game will boot. This is easier than removing the cracktro completely

*Note: I have not tested this, but should work in theory

BippyM · 04 December 2015, 11:02

Ignore the above. After a little more looking this was much easier to disable the cracktro completely.

In the zone in a few mins will be magic pockets with cracktro disabled..

I have not tested or played this. Looking at the cracktro it doesn't do anything special so the game should work fine.

02 November 2015, 21:32	#1
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Bitmap Bros games without loaders/intro Hi, Can anyone give me advice on getting my Amiga disk versions of these games, as they appeared originally, onto my PC for use with an emulator? I want to use them for presentation purposes and the intros ruin the illusion (it's not as good as using the original hardware, but this is more for reliability). On top of that, I'd also like to play them on my phone and it makes it difficult when just have the joystick mapped to inputs. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

04 December 2015, 10:31	#19
BippyM Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Derby, UK Age: 48 Posts: 9,355	Usually each cracktro will be waiting for a button press (say mouse).. It will then branch. This branch on condition can be replaced with a standard branch always, or removed completely depending on what it is doing. It's worth having a play with action replay running. You'll be amazed how quickly you can pick these things up For example the Magic Pockets Crystal crack has the following code: Code: $044116 BTST #6,$BFE001 ; Check left mouse $04411E BNE $044116 ; LOOP if not pressed $044120 BRA $044120 ; Jump to game Replacing the BNE at $4411E with a NOP will mean the Crystal crack screen will show for mere milliseconds, and the game will boot. This is easier than removing the cracktro completely Note: I have not tested this, but should work in theory Last edited by BippyM; 04 December 2015 at 10:38.*

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02 November 2015, 21:50	#2
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 43 Posts: 17,789	Some versions without (crack)intros may not be playable because of copy protection.

02 November 2015, 21:56	#3
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,162	Getting the .IPF images of the games and Amiga emulator solve the protection problem. On PC, most cracked versions (on abandonware sites) don't have any cracktros. Playing on a phone? You need some external controller or it will be unplayable! either a bluetooth keyboard or a wiimote, although wiimote fail to connect on latest android OSes. apart from that, excellent choice: Bitmap Brothers games rule

03 November 2015, 00:24	#4
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Thanks for the responses. I've tried IPF files but my emulator only seems to want to run ADF files - I'm not sure if I need an extra plug-in to get these working but information on this is hard to find. Fortunately my phone has buttons to play these games so it's not an issue. I'm able to play them fine once get past the crack intros, however it means I have to map and change certain ones for whatever keys I need to pass the intros. I have the original floppys and a PC with a disk drive if there's a way for me to rip them without the copy protection. I'm guessing there must be a way for me to do it these days with all my modern day tech (unless it requires extensive coding knowledge then that's out of the question). I guess finding out how to run IPF files will be my best bet.

03 November 2015, 13:00	#5
BarryB Amigaholic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: UK Posts: 4,676	If you're using WinUAE, you need to download the 5.1 IPF Support Library from HERE and extract the CAPSImg.dll into your WinUAE directory. There are two downloads for Windows but they are both the same archive, just open the capsimg_binary folder and copy CAPSImg.dll to your WinUAE folder, that should then recognise IPF files!

03 November 2015, 23:16	#6
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Looks like I still might need to look for ADF files for these as doesn't look like IPFs are compatible with Android version of WinUAE.

04 November 2015, 07:51	#7
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,162	Gods crystal crack has no intro. It just says "crystal cracked" instead of "renegade presents". Cadaver classic crack or xenon 2 are other examples

04 November 2015, 09:37	#8
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Thanks I'll take a look at those. Think I'm just going to have to look around for crack intro free versions of ADfs for phone play but at least can use IPFs on the PC for the time being. It might be good if someone puts together a crack intro/trainer free ADF collection at some point. I have backed up most of my collection this way with a bit of digging, but obviously not the Bitmap Bros titles. For the record I really love some crack intros, but be nice if we had a choice - especially these days when we emulate on devices with fewer inputs than the Amiga.

04 November 2015, 10:21	#9
s2325 Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gargore Age: 43 Posts: 17,789	Maybe you can use save states if your Amiga emulator have that feature.

04 November 2015, 19:42	#11
rsn8887 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,058	I would also be careful with some of the cracked versions. I remember, at least in Gods, the monsters are more difficult to kill if the version is not perfectly cracked. I am not sure if this applies to any of the other Bitmap Bros. games.

04 November 2015, 21:23	#12
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Yeah I wouldn't suggest crack intros be eliminated from Amiga disk files, but it all depends on what you remember or if you're a new player of these games. I have some fond memories of some crack intros and have certain games with those intact for exactly that reason. I wouldn't consider playing them any other way (especially considering cheat menus are the only way to make it through some Amiga games). However I remember some games as they were originally and that's how intend to play them (amongst other reasons). Whether there is demand for this or not, it's something I'm interested in doing for my own collection at least. Some with intros, the majority without. Therefore I'll ask around on occasion when there's a title I'm having trouble finding. For now I'm after these ones, so if anyone comes across them at some point in the future and you remember this thread then let me know :-)

04 November 2015, 21:56	#13
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,162	copy Bitmap Bros games without the RN protection track see what happens: Xenon 2: lockup before intro (not subtle) Speedball 2: lockup after intro Gods: game is hard/locks up after a while Cadaver: game crashes when entering a given room on level 1 Chaos Engine: lockup after intro Magic Pockets: corrupt level 1.2 or 2 depending on levelskip Note: if you can get hold of Lockpick/Maverick, they are able to copy/patch original copies into cracked ones without adding any intro. That's a good lead too. They tend to patch real DOS disks, but they also handle a few NDOS/MFM.

02 December 2015, 20:33	#14
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Thanks. I tried Maverick and got Speedball 2 copied as an ADF which works perfectly. Just a couple of games I need now including Chaos Engine, but that doesn't seem to work as it's not on the list. Any idea how to do this with games not on the list?

02 December 2015, 22:51	#15
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,162	For chaos engine you could use the orig. Iso from cd32 version! What other one do you need?

03 December 2015, 00:45	#16
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	Just Chaos and Pockets now really. I'm also looking at titles from other developers for myself but Maverick seems to cover a few of those I want. Bitmap's games do seem to be the hardest to find despite how popular they were.

04 December 2015, 10:09	#18
ripley Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: England Posts: 10	I wouldn't know where to begin with removing or modifying a crack intro, unless it can be done with a disk copy program? Assuming I'd have to learn a bit of Amiga coding and it's probably simpler to go through the ADF files to find ones compatible with my button setup. With regards to Bitmap Bros games I'm just using IPFs for the PC and just need a couple for the phone so nothing urgent now. Just finding other titles with the simplest crack intros for the time being - discovered [t] in the file naming means trainer, which has made it a lot easier trying to find ones without required key/mouse input.

04 December 2015, 11:02	#20
BippyM Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Derby, UK Age: 48 Posts: 9,355	Ignore the above. After a little more looking this was much easier to disable the cracktro completely. In the zone in a few mins will be magic pockets with cracktro disabled.. I have not tested or played this. Looking at the cracktro it doesn't do anything special so the game should work fine.

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