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Burglar
Registered: Dec 2004
Posts: 1090 |
Event id #2314 : C64 Cracking Competition 2015
Howdy Crackers!
These days the cracking scene is pretty active, but it seems most effort is spent on rushing out a version first with non-protected games.
Now that we found this nice original that hasn't been cracked, we thought, let's turn it around. Have a cracking competition with all of you with a full price EA game, including a nice protection. So here we go with the first C64 Cracking Competition 2015!
You are invited to crack "Return of Heracles" (C) 1983-1986 Electronic Arts.
Download the original here: http://sh.scs-trc.net/return_of_heracles.d64
Please read the rules carefully, and take all the time you need, quality over speed please :)
Rules:
- Submit your entry before or at 23:59 saturdayevening the 28th of March 2015 by email to c64crackingcompetition@hushmail.com
- Your release must fully run on a stock c64 + 1541.
- Your release must be filecopieable and packed.
- Your release must contain a crack intro, but you also must provide an introless version. This will be used to accurately measure size.
- Recracking is strictly forbidden, you must crack the original we provide. When in doubt, we will dig through your release and ask a few questions to confirm you really cracked it yourself.
- Individuals may only be part of a single release, so a group may enter multiple cracks, provided they are done by other members.
- You are allowed to use whatever tools you want.
Calculating Results:
50% of the result will be determined by public voting, either using or own voting system or on csdb. Stay tuned for additional info.
The other 50% of the result is calculated by the compo organizers using the following criteria:
- The shorter the better *)
- The faster it loads the better
- Proper saving capabilities
- Full PAL/NTSC compatibility
- Amount of bugfixes (if any bugs present in game)
- Amount of trainers (no double trainers)
- Minus points if you introduce bugs and need multiple versions
- The more devices besides 1541 (or compatible) you support, the better
- Optional REU support is also nice
*) We explicitly do not want to discourage the use of large intros, hence
the introless version requirement.
Most of all, have fun cracking this full price game!
The Organizers,
Peacemaker/Hitmen
Burglar/SCS*TRC |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 156 |
Amazing quality.
Triads had the save games in the iffl (ugly) but seriously kewl ingame trainer.
Breeze had multifiles but also seriously kewl ingame trainer.
Scs+trc+hitmen had the least kewl trainer but nice filestructure.
FairLight had nice file, kewl trainer but was only 0.9 as it didn't feature any working game load/save. |
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Tao
Registered: Aug 2002
Posts: 115 |
Quote: Amazing quality.
Triads had the save games in the iffl (ugly) but seriously kewl ingame trainer.
Breeze had multifiles but also seriously kewl ingame trainer.
Scs+trc+hitmen had the least kewl trainer but nice filestructure.
FairLight had nice file, kewl trainer but was only 0.9 as it didn't feature any working game load/save.
@Bacchus: why do you consider having the savegames included in the IFFL "ugly"? Especially for this contest where one part of the challenge is to compare the sizes of the cracks you get a more relevant size from Sailor's version, since it's the upper bound of the disk consumption with maximum amount of save slots used; in all other versions the disk space used will grow as the user makes new saves.
(Plus if I remember correctly -- not sure -- Sailor has provided some bonuses included in those save games, for those who want to "fast forward" through the game without making the effort of playing it all the way through :P). |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 156 |
Tao,
Yes I do think this is a flawed implementation decision. I prefer to have the savegames there as plain vanilla files. You can then copy them as you wish.
In the Triad version
a) the save games takes up blocks even if you don't save any games.
b) you can only have a fixed set of save games. In the other versions you can have as many save games as you want. Just insert a blank disk and save.
If you want to make sure there is room to save and allocate the space, Breeze did as I prefer to see it. Bigfoot provided a set of saves. |
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sailor
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 90 |
N0SD0S has native IFFL(+REU) support for 1541/71(2MHz)/81 etc drives, meaning there is specific drivecode for each of these drive families.
Saving the savegames separately with kernal would add some hassle to it all.. and keeping track of free sectors with native code would prolly grow the drivecode too much. Having static saveslots is actually a pretty nifty solution to it all.
...Then if the 9*37 blocks should reside in the iffl or outside the iffl. well.. *shrug*.. there is however a possibility you gain a few blocks with IFFL since it will not waste free space in the last sector(s) ;)
The Kernal-version is for sd2iec/ide64 and other mass-storage devices that rely on plain kernal. SD2IEC will utilize jiffydos to speed up loading.
Triad also has a savegame import from the original, complete docs, walkthrough and a map :) |
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sailor
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 90 |
I am not sure exactly where you'd want to copy a savegame, except to keep it on the same disk as the game. But maybe i am wrong.
The triad version keeps blocks occupied, true, but those blocks are not free if you start utilizing the game and start saving.. you "can't" put anything on that disk to fill up the blocks.. besides we got "unlimited" disks with our .d64:s today. You could dedicate a disk for savegames, but actually you don't need to do that with our iffl :).
As for limited slots, well.. after saving 9 slots, you can copy the disk and continue on the copy gaining 8 new slots for each new disk (and continue play from the 9th).
Generally spoken, i think 9 slots is prolly pretty much enough for any game.
If you copy the iffl-file, you will also get a copy of all the saves. You can also copy the IFFL-file to your 1571 or 1581 and keep playing. Now, HOW cool is that ;)
I think its more interesting to look on the non-savegame portions since there is where one could save blocks, by optimizing or other tricks. |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 156 |
Sailor;
Don't get me wrong. You did a magnificent version - the docs and the map are great. The in-game trainer is REALLY good. Now it's only a question of weather in-iffl-file storage of the save games is a good thing. I say it isn't. Let's not talk about what's easier to implement and that but look at it from the user perspective.
# If I only use one save slot, I only need to use 37 blocks. You statically allocate 9*37. Always.
# If you want to send somebody YOUR savefile, you can do it if it's separate. This is not possible in your version. You need to send the entire game, including the executable.
# You can have many savedisks. You can save ten positions on one disk, and then feed it with a new blank disk to save ten new ones (forever). All in the same game session. In your version you need to make a copy of the game on a new disk - all of it, including all of the game.
# Savefiles in our version will be interchangeable with the Breeze and TRC/SCS/Hitmen version. You will need to rename them, but that's all.
In addition;
# Also there is a general issue file copying files that are that big.
So again, your version is truly great. And you perfectly implemented the implementation decisions you took, but I am debating the decision. |
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taper
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 119 |
I find it a more elegant solution to have the saves inside the IFFL, but that might be a matter of taste. However, filecopying such a large file is not a problem (and if it is - you are using an outdated copy program so try another).
It's interesting to see the different approaches between the versions and in one way all the versions that made the deadline are winners in my eyes. Obviously not many could or had the strength to do it at all.
And oh Bacchus, loved your and Rowdy's scroller. Pure poetry. |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 156 |
@taper - I *SO* wanted to write the scroller. I wrote that one months ago. Just after I was through the actual protection but well before I realised how messy the rest of the shit would be ;-) |
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Shine
Registered: Jul 2012
Posts: 354 |
Only 4 real cracks??? Where are the others "real" crackers? ;) |
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Burglar
Registered: Dec 2004
Posts: 1090 |
Quoting ShineOnly 4 real cracks??? Where are the others "real" crackers? ;)
And who would that be ;) |
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