Log inRegister an accountBrowse CSDbHelp & documentationFacts & StatisticsThe forumsAvailable RSS-feeds on CSDbSupport CSDb Commodore 64 Scene Database
You are not logged in - nap
CSDb User Forums


Forums > Requests > DTL Jetpack BASIC
2015-09-28 14:26
Six

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 287
DTL Jetpack BASIC

This was never properly cracked. There's a copy @ http://www.haddewig.de/nogames64/tools.html but it still has dongle protection and won't run. There's a non-protected program on the disk ("ERROR LOCATE"), but the main compiler still needs the dongle to run. There are also no docs.

Why is this one so important to preserve? Because literally LEGIONS of c64 games were written with it.

I had a go at trying to break the protection, and I'm sure I eventually could - but it's a bear.

At the end of each file (and the compiler is compiled with itself, btw) there is a byte sequence. TWO of those bytes indicate whether or not the program is dongle-protected. BUT, fixing a protected DTL-BASIC program is not as simple as changing those bytes. It uses them to calculate a bunch of other values, in multiple places in the runtime library.

The (tape-port) dongle check is also obfuscated, but easy enough to find.

So, this is going to take some serious skill to bust - but once its busted, it opens the door for reversal tools that can be used to resource games like Roadwar 2000.

Any takers? Can I persuade anyone to at least have a look at it?
 
... 17 posts hidden. Click here to view all posts....
 
2015-09-28 20:56
Six

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 287
TNT, is the decompiler available, or private?

If I had a good description of the file format, I could add it as an output target on my txt2prg tokenizer.

BTW, found the dongle at my warehouse today, but not the docs. The dongle goes in the tape port and has the serial # 355-012-500-201. It'd be interesting to see how specific the dongle is - if any copy of the software will run with any dongle.
2015-09-28 20:58
TNT
Account closed

Registered: Oct 2004
Posts: 189
http://sid.fi/~tnt/dtl/

Contains C64 version manual + disks which I believe are my original dumps and their cracked counterparts.

PET manual scans are probably in some directory named "old computer" inside another directory with similar name :)
2015-09-29 10:04
Six

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 287
Awesome! Thanks for posting this, I'd been looking for it for a while. That decomp of part of Roadwar 2000 gives me enough to work from for figuring out the tokenization.

You mentioned there was a decompiler. Did you write it?
2015-09-29 10:07
TNT
Account closed

Registered: Oct 2004
Posts: 189
PET manual added.

Decompiler is for internal use only for a moment. I have fixed a bunch of bugs since July when the above source was generated, but there are still couple of things which need fixing. BASIC extensions and overlays are the latest thing corrected, but there's still work to be done I'm sure.
2015-09-29 10:10
TNT
Account closed

Registered: Oct 2004
Posts: 189
Yes, I wrote the decompiler after I did complete disassembly of the runtime library. I get the raw P-code and decompiled basic. Basic code is then fed through another program to do some post-processing like changing "line numbers" to decimal.
2015-09-29 10:24
Moloch

Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 2884
Thanks for posting all of this! Like Six, I've been searching for this manual for a long time. My bad luck, I routinely missed DTL packages on eBay in the last few years.
2015-09-29 13:32
Zer0-X

Registered: Aug 2008
Posts: 78
I guess no one has a spare dongle to sell?

Could reverse what's it made of, but as it's likely potted in epoxy it would be somewhat "destructive" process.
2015-09-29 18:22
Six

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 287
I have a dongle. I guess I could sacrifice it for deconstruction if someone was going to document how it worked in such a way that I'd be able to build a new one.
2015-09-29 18:45
TNT
Account closed

Registered: Oct 2004
Posts: 189
It would be interesting to see if you get the same key from dongle as I did - 24 02. Just run dongle2.prg with the dongle connected and check the first two hex numbers. My dongle reported 00 after first 16 bits.

I would just use two 74165 chained together for the dongle, Zer0-X wants to know what exactly was used :)
2015-10-02 01:37
Six

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 287
I should be able to test this this weekend. The printed numbers on all of them are the same, at least. I'm assuming the side that says "DTL BASIC" is up?
Previous - 1 | 2 | 3 - Next
RefreshSubscribe to this thread:

You need to be logged in to post in the forum.

Search the forum:
Search   for   in  
All times are CET.
Search CSDb
Advanced
Users Online
McMeatLoaf
psych
marty/RADWAR
Mibri/ATL^MSL^PRX
Guests online: 286
Top Demos
1 Next Level  (9.8)
2 Mojo  (9.7)
3 Coma Light 13  (9.7)
4 Edge of Disgrace  (9.6)
5 No Bounds  (9.6)
6 Comaland 100%  (9.6)
7 Uncensored  (9.6)
8 The Ghost  (9.6)
9 Wonderland XIV  (9.6)
10 Bromance  (9.6)
Top onefile Demos
1 Party Elk 2  (9.7)
2 Cubic Dream  (9.6)
3 Copper Booze  (9.5)
4 Rainbow Connection  (9.5)
5 TRSAC, Gabber & Pebe..  (9.5)
6 Onscreen 5k  (9.5)
7 Dawnfall V1.1  (9.5)
8 Quadrants  (9.5)
9 Daah, Those Acid Pil..  (9.5)
10 Birth of a Flower  (9.5)
Top Groups
1 Booze Design  (9.3)
2 Nostalgia  (9.3)
3 Oxyron  (9.3)
4 Censor Design  (9.3)
5 Crest  (9.3)
Top Fullscreen Graphicians
1 Carrion  (9.8)
2 Joe  (9.8)
3 Duce  (9.8)
4 Mirage  (9.7)
5 Facet  (9.7)

Home - Disclaimer
Copyright © No Name 2001-2024
Page generated in: 0.041 sec.