100% cracked Globdule released.

[MethodGit]

Hello, this is just a small reminder to those who frequent this section of the forum more than the support.Games one...

Hot on the heels of a recent major celebration, let me bring out another gog-eyed mouthless blob to the fore for you!

I just brought out my fixed, completable crack of Globdule finally (after much procrastination and testing). No doubt sales of this game were improved back in the day by the existence of such a hopeless scene crack as Crystal's and nobody else bothering to fix their mistakes for the past 20 years! Well now you won't need to search for that manual or worry about where to find the IPFs as I've annihilated all possible protection checks and ensured all level data is infact present and ready for use.

Just drag that mouse cursor/index finger over to The Zone. Hope you likey!

[Codetapper]

Is there any reason you didn't just add a cracktro and trainer option onto the game? (Even a left mouse for normal, right mouse for trainer). That way people would know it's your version, and you could simply have a switch to enable the trainer rather than a complete duplicate disk.

[MethodGit]

Like I mentioned in the readme I made and included, I don't possess the skill or expertise to code a new program such as an intro or a trainer out of thin air. All my hacking/cracking experience to date has involved using what already exists. To make up for the lack of an intro I left a tag inside the bootblock (and changed the checksum accordingly of course).

[StingRay]

Slagging off Crystal because their crack patch(?) resides on both disks and then releasing 3+3 disks because you couldn't properly implement a small trainer menu sure makes sense to me. Not! Other than that good that you managed to do this without opening countless threads here, continue like that!

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by StingRay

Slagging off Crystal because their crack patch(?) resides on both disks and then releasing 3+3 disks because you couldn't properly implement a small trainer menu sure makes sense to me. Not! Other than that good that you managed to do this without opening countless threads here, continue like that!

If you actually read my readme I explain why spreading their check-n-crack routine across both disks and not closing it off when it's served its purpose was such a bad decision.

Also, having looked at Disk 1, a miniscule cracktro/trainer could perhaps fit in the largest space I could find at just after the $10000 mark (no, I can't easily determine sector/side for an ADF), but at the same time I'm suspicious as to why there would be such a space there, at such a random location on the disk - especially as the disk is tightly packed everywhere else - and wonder if it's used by the game for anything in particular. I really don't want to risk repeating the same mistake Crystal did and overwrite any particular area the game needs. Apart from that, though, to learn how to code a new program from scratch would likely take me many more weeks - if not months - and I just wanted to get a working crack of this game out there, as well as make a more cheat-friendly version for portables.

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

If you actually read my readme I explain why spreading their check-n-crack routine across both disks and not closing it off when it's served its purpose was such a bad decision.

I did check your readme of course hence my post here! I don't think you should slag someone off until you can do a proper release yourself and I don't consider yours to be a proper one. Back in the day (TM) you would have received quite a few "nice" remarks for it! The Crystal version might be bad (didn't check it yet) but yours isn't really good either.

The "lack of space" excuse is rather bad as well since a simple text screen with right/left mouse button check can easily be done in the bootblock.

Still a long way to go until you can slag someone off for a bad release!

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by StingRay

I did check your readme of course hence my post here! I don't think you should slag someone off until you can do a proper release yourself and I don't consider yours to be a proper one. Back in the day (TM) you would have received quite a few "nice" remarks for it! The Crystal version might be bad (didn't check it yet) but yours isn't really good either.

All I will say is at least my crack is completable to the average player, without the need to hack memory on the go.

The "lack of space" excuse is rather bad as well since a simple text screen with right/left mouse button check can easily be done in the bootblock.

Point me to an easy-to-follow tutorial (and I mean easy-to-follow as in Flashtro-style) on how to code a new cracktro and/or trainer from scratch and I may well consider doing an update. It's always great to improve one's knowledge. (Though part of me reckons the official cheat mode in the game *should* be good enough...)

Still a long way to go until you can slag someone off for a bad release!

I'll admit I may have been harsh here and there, but considering this decent game was left without a completable, glitch-free crack for the good part of 2 decades and people apparently saw the Crystal crack as 'good enough' to not warrant a new scene fix years ago, I feel such criticism can be justifiable. It isn't really any different from, say, Galahad chewing out Trilogy over their hackjob of Dragon's Breath.

I'm sure also that Crystal were otherwise very good at cracking certain other games (haven't really dissected them and don't exactly have the drive or interest to atm) and hence my venting at them is limited to just this game.

[Predseda]

Ha ha ha, the bad crack from Crystal was the reason why I bought that game original boxed in a shop, as I really liked it and wanted to play it. It was my very first original game

And I was SO DISSAPOINTED then, after I finally left crystal caverns and got into a garden and far to the toy shop - the graphics there was terrible and the level design even worse. Oh my god, why I just didn't stay with that crack, that collapsed after the first world, but it would keep my good feeling of the game

[emufan]

first time I played it and it's not my kind of game.
thanks for the release - otherwise I would never gave it a chance

[john1979]

Crystals was a bad release since it was broken by writing over data the game later needed.

Well done to MethodGit! Who has cracked the game properly.

As for cracktro screens? Who cares! I'm quite glad this crack doesn't have one to be honest.

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by john1979

As for cracktro screens? Who cares! I'm quite glad this crack doesn't have one to be honest.

Yes, using 1 extra disk for a version with "easy cheat mode" is of course much better than having a small intro/menu in front of the game. YOU might not care but I'm sure there are people who do.

[copse]

Yes, well done MethodGit.

But please make your posts on these kinds of subjects less judgemental. As they are they create drama, and it also makes them less credible. After all, I am sure Crystal were just as happy with their work initially, as you are with yours - it may turn out that yours is flawed too. Perhaps not, but it never hurts to be humble, and no-one is perfect.

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by StingRay

Yes, using 1 extra disk for a version with "easy cheat mode" is of course much better than having a small intro/menu in front of the game. YOU might not care but I'm sure there are people who do.

Speaking of intros, why didn't you add one to your PM3 Deluxe crack?

Originally Posted by copse

Yes, well done MethodGit.

But please make your posts on these kinds of subjects less judgemental. As they are they create drama, and it also makes them less credible. After all, I am sure Crystal were just as happy with their work initially, as you are with yours - it may turn out that yours is flawed too. Perhaps not, but it never hurts to be humble, and no-one is perfect.

Part of me does wonder if I took my venting a bit too far. If there's enough demand I could edit some of my previous posts to make them seem less hostile?

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Speaking of intros, why didn't you add one to
your PM3 Deluxe crack?

And there it is, the standard MethodGit post. If and how I add an intro is my decision but just for you, dear MethodGit, there was no need for an intro as it a) was a quickly made release and b) no trainers were required either so it worked quite well without an intro. Contrary to your countless crappy versions of that game. You will never change, as said before, before slagging off someone else you should be able to make it better.

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by StingRay

And there it is, the standard MethodGit post. If and how I add an intro is my decision but just for you, dear MethodGit, there was no need for an intro as it a) was a quickly made release and b) no trainers were required either so it worked quite well without an intro. Contrary to your countless crappy versions of that game. You will never change, as said before, before slagging off someone else you should be able to make it better.

Jumping to conclusions much? It was an honest question! I was being questioned over my not adding an intro when I was pointing out in a way that not every cracker on here bothers with one either. You made the concept of an intro sound important when I recalled that game and felt the need to ask. And (back to Globdule) I felt the official cheat mode would be good enough for the time being before I worried about trying to make any sort of extensive trainer. I too thought my release "worked quite well without one". Furthermore, there was obviously a gap for me to fill in in regards to "working crack of Globdule please", in the same way you wanted to fill in the "working PM3 Deluxe" hole, or Galahad filling in the "working Hook/D's B" hole.

BTW, I'm still hoping you'll point me to an ideal tutorial to follow on making a new intro/cracktro that I can follow easily. I mentioned this in a previous post above but you probably didn't notice.

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Jumping to conclusions much? It was an honest question! I was being questioned over my not adding an intro when I was pointing out in a way that not every cracker on here bothers with one either. And I felt the official cheat mode would be good enough for the time being before I worried about trying to make any sort of extensive trainer. I too thought my release "worked quite well without one". Furthermore, there was obviously a gap for me to fill in in regards to "working crack of Globdule please", in the same way you wanted to fill in the "working PM3 Deluxe" hole, or Galahad filling in the "working Hook/D's B" hole.

BTW, I'm still hoping you'll point me to an ideal tutorial to follow on making a new intro/cracktro that I can follow easily. I mentioned this in a previous post above but you probably didn't notice.

Why would Stingray need to do an intro for PM3 Deluxe, you were first weren't you?

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

It was an honest question!

Yeah, and I believe in Santa Claus.

[TCD]

Well, I guess for those who can't use WHDLoad this is worth it, but it really seems like the additional disk isn't that much of a perfect way to do it. I think the fact that you aren't up to coding a simple left/right mouse button requester makes it quite clear why the two other coders (oh wait, with Codetapper it is three...) pick on you. A tad more modesty about your achievement might indeed suit you well MethodGit.

[Galahad/FLT]

I will say this Method, i've given a quick look at your crack, and on the surface it appears to be good, I especially like that you've learned about offsets to address registers, and you've learned to patch around packed files, not relied on depacking them, patching and then repacking again.

No idea if it works 100%, personally unless I know 10000%, I avoid removing protection entry document checks for the simple reason there might be an additional protection check to see if its run before, but it appears that you might have gotten away with it on this game.

Its good that you're learning, but its a bit early to be calling the cracker from Crystal lame for doing a patch for both disks, when you've opted to do a double release of the game for your trainer routine!

And it appears that you understand what it is you've done, and applied it with some logic, but really, a left mouse button press or a right mouse button press isn't a difficult thing to comprehend, neither is hacking Guru Meditations for a basic bootblock message like I did for Hook, you certainly had enough room to do the same, but opted to 'rush' release what you've done.

Personally, If I were you, i'd remove your crack from the zone, and go find out how to do a left mouse button press, and a right mouse button press, go look at other peoples code to see how they did a basic scroller or message in the bootblock and learn.

And if you can't figure it out..... ASK.

Progress Methodgit, but probably you've bigged yourself up a little too much, and the end result is if someone wants to use your trainer, they need an extra disk, and be aware theres a message to tell them how to do it.

4/10..... its not just about the crack, its how well the whole package is implemented

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by TCD

Well, I guess for those who can't use WHDLoad this is worth it, but it really seems like the additional disk isn't that much of a perfect way to do it. I think the fact that you aren't up to coding a simple left/right mouse button requester makes it quite clear why the two other coders (oh wait, with Codetapper it is three...) pick on you. A tad more modesty about your achievement might indeed suit you well MethodGit.

With all this talk of intro this and trainer that, I wish people would take into consideration two things:

1) I wanted to keep things simple, and bring out a working version of the game that people could enjoy straight away and, hey, not worry about having to remember to click a mouse button (which isn't as quick as you'd think on some portable emulators) before they can enjoy it. As john1979 was making clear, intros/trainers aren't important to everyone. Had I delayed/cancelled the release for the sake of working out how to code something that doesn't already exist (and yes, playing about with code which exists is as far as my knowledge currently goes), it could've been another half a year or two, and I just wanted this out already. Playtesting it enough to confirm that the ending is achievable was good enough for me.

2) As I already pointed out in my readme and a couple of other posts, Crystal's attempt to mark their release with a cracktro ended up breaking the game to the point of being unwinnable as they didn't think to watch what their new code was overwriting on the disk. The last thing I wanted to do was risk repeating that same error, even if I'm smart enough to look at the contents of a disk before deciding on a location. The bulk of my criticism of Crystal (or at least the unnamed bod put in charge of this game) was related to this, because I'm pretty sure nobody wants to waste hours away on a game only to turn out it was a broken crack that gave them no chance.

But hey, I'm more than happy to be taught by a website or two how to program a new cracktro/trainer if leaving my mark in the bootblock (like many crackers do anyway) still isn't enough.