Does Exile AGA retain the code protection from the original?

[MethodGit]

I thought about it lately after being reminded of the code protection in Amiga Power's review of the game, but when I was playing it in WinUAE last night to try and find it - using the [ Show youtube player ] as a guide as I had forgotten what to do during the first quarter again =P - the first transporter known to take you to the code room in the original does nothing in the AGA equivalent (I mean the one you come across after you defeat the first key-locked door, or 0:13:10 in the linked video). Can anyone confirm that the programmers simply "switched the goal posts round", so to speak, and placed the code room triggers at different parts of the game this time round? I don't exactly have an awful lot of time ATM to do a more extensive playthrough of the game.

On a cracking note, I did compare the Hoodlum release to the original IPFs and the only files modified were "disk1boot" and "exile" - both on disk 1, and both cracks involved patching out the copylocks. There's nothing else changed to suggest any such code protection has been eliminated, and it's left me concerned as to whether this isn't a 100% cracked version after all.

Clarification, as always, is much appreciated.

[MethodGit]

Really? Not a smidgen of useful info to hand out after four or five days?

Checked all other accessible reviews of Exile AGA on AMR but none of them make a mention of the copy protection like AP do. I'm just wondering where they managed to get their grab from...

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Really? Not a smidgen of useful info to hand out after four or five days?

The useful info was there all the time, you just had to look for it... Took me about 20 seconds to find the following post by DJ Mike:

http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=233220&postcount=9

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by StingRay

The useful info was there all the time, you just had to look for it... Took me about 20 seconds to find the following post by DJ Mike:

http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=233220&postcount=9

But if the code protection doesn't exist at all in the AGA version, just what flippin' copy was Mr Winstanley playing when he reviewed it???

[MethodGit]

Well I did e-mail Mr Irvin quite recently but haven't heard a smidgen back - not quite sure if he even maintains the Inventivity site anymore.

I'm willing to bet though that code protection was originally on the cards and setup as such for release but then they balked at the last moment - I reckon someone with map-ripping skills could uncover the original room in the game.

[clenched]

I played a little of both games.

OCS - The transporter at 13:10 (near jet pack booster). Instead of turning right there, drop down a ledge to the left. That transporter also beams you to the protection room so it would seem the one used isn't important. No key needed to get to it either.

AGA - I played this one much longer and went through a bunch of transporters and never was beamed to the protection room. Nevertheless such a room exists. By studying the giant map on HOL and artificially loading the transporter co-ordinates, it is possible to beam into this room. Load Exile using plain 2MB A1200 config.

EDIT:
Turns out this program can relocate such that the previous instructions didn't always work. This is more reliable. Search for the top string. You're only concerned with the fifth occurrence. Edit to read like the bottom line.

009C A000 003B 9800
003E A000 0063 9800

END OF EDIT

Now press T to transport.

My tests are suspended for a while. Within two hours I wrung off a cam that operates the centering mechanism on the joystick. This was from fighting wind and trying to escape clams. It's not like this was an old stick on the brink. It had only been out of the box a month or so.