Interesting cracks, picky finds
 

Browsing and testing some cracks never tried before can lead to some interesting finds
I want share here some particular cracks behaviour, that lead to a bit better working, compared to the original
I mean using disks on real hardware

ie, this Xenon 2 version :
Xenon 2 - Megablast (1989)(Image Works)(Disk 1 of 2)[cr Black Monks]
Xenon 2 - Megablast (1989)(Image Works)(Disk 2 of 2)

different from all the other cracks, seems to better use the RAM,
keeping in memory the loaded level and the main menu;
also, the game itself seems has been slightly modified too, because the first level is not cutted in two half, so the shop it's just at the end of the first level (imo better, because the half level interruption was imo useless on first stage), and it seems to have a bit easier gameplay (some less enemies)

i don't know if it's an hack or it was based on some different release, but i can say that it works very good, even better than the original

I don't know if you can complete the game though, some deeper test is required

more finds to come :)
discuss or freely add your finds please

EDIT added just the second disk required to the working set, common also to other two disk cracks; it should be an hack then

A Z-out crack (the one with the big trainer menu) has 2-player bugfix

thank you, seems this one :
Z-Out (1991)(Rainbow Arts)[cr SR][t +7 Angels - Defjam]

the note about the fix scrolls into the cracktro
seems that in the original the second player couldn't have the triple shot
picky fix, nice

and another one
this Shadow of the Beast set :
Shadow of the Beast (1989)(Psygnosis)(Disk 1 of 2)[cr Band][t +3 Band]
Shadow of the Beast (1989)(Psygnosis)(Disk 2 of 2)[cr Band][t +2 Band]

has few loadings compared to all the other cracks (and the original too) and less diskswaps too;
the intersting thing is the third added option in the trainer, that cuts out the game over picture loading and display (+ diskswap), playing just the deathtune;
imo helps the game to have a better flow, maybe the better choice if you want try to complete it without cheat lol
again, i mean playing with disks on real hardware

entirely played, it's ok here

Project X, the first release
if you play with more than 1MB RAM, the main menu is stored in memory, playing via original disks;
now, the only crack that replicate this is the Skidrow one :

Project-X (1992)(Team 17)(Disk 1 of 4)[cr SR] ,etc.

all the other cracks keep loading between main menu and game

picky difference between Mortal Kombat II original and cracked version

ok, the Prestige crack has 4 disks instead of 3, but :
- the original can use up to two floppy drives (df0 and df1), when instead there is no limit in the cracked one (well, yes not very common to have 4 drives btw, expecially back in the day)

-the cracked one does not boot with an A500+ kickstart (2.04)

The 2017 Flashtro crack + trainer of R-Type has some interesting things that let it runs little better than the original

seems a little fix has been made memory talking, so if you play with more than 512K, the loaded levels are stored in RAM, nice (CORRECTION EDIT this has been extended also to the chip RAM, when the original worked in this way with the slow one instead)

the three separate collision trainer level could be helpful too, expecially in later levels, you can turn off individually enemies, bullets or walls collisions

From where to get that version of Xenon 2 ..? (disk 2)

the second disk?
it's the same of all the other 2 disk cracks, FTP or Tosec :

http://grandis.nu/eabsearch/search.p...=&httplinks=on

Ok grazie !

The disk one ( Black Monks cr) appears to be available for download
on Planetemu.net .. (!?)

yes, or also FTP /Tosec again ;)

http://grandis.nu/eabsearch/search.p...=&httplinks=on

^ the first of this short list ^

the list on planetemu seems a bit outdated, strange there is no disk2 on that set

Arabian Nights
there are a lot of adf's cracks that use the 1.00 version of the game
and just one that use the latest 1.01 :

Arabian Nights v1.01 (1993-05-12)(Krisalis)(M4)(Disk 1 of 2)[cr]

now that's the only release that use all the extra memory you have, storing the loaded levels in RAM

all the 1.00 versions keep loading main menu and levels instead, everytime

another interesting hack discovered into the Tosec

this IK+ disk :

IK+ (1988-12-20)(System 3)(de-en)[cr][h Sign]

does contain an interesting trainer
you can remove the 'deflect the balls' or the 'kick the bombs' sequences (also both of them)

and youll have a 100% fighting game
it works very good

nice variant

Interesting find :) I wonder why there isn't any remark about it in the TOSEC naming.