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Burglar
Registered: Dec 2004
Posts: 1047 |
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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Count Zero
Registered: Jan 2003
Posts: 1825 |
Since it appears that all of you excessively use VICE monitor currently:
Please note reproducable bugs and report them! :) Preferably with an IO dump, behaviour you expect, etc.
While toying around I figured that e.g. crashes on drive mem followed by a reset don't seem to switch memspaces properly.. |
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Fix
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 54 |
Even if the "copy protection" wasn't there it's just "copyable" and not real cracked. Depending on how many files you extract etc, you can make maybe a onefiler, need to add a fastloader, rewrite gameloader etc to make it a real quality crack = lots of work.
Perfect there there is a .G64 with working protection now.
Looking forward to see who makes quality crack of this one, cool idea to give every group/user the chance to get a first release.
Thumbs up! |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 154 |
Fungus? Graphics then I guess... Spill beans - I might not find it unless I look for it.
Still a quite interesting competition with an object that is really challenging.
I just hate the actual game 😉 |
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Angel of Death
Registered: Apr 2008
Posts: 210 |
Let me just take what happened in these last few posts back in time to 1987.
"Hey guys. I have an original here that hasn't been released yet!" Everybody jumps up and cheers for me, eager to get there hands on it.
"And eh... I had it patched so that it was copyable and working fine but I patched it back because where's the fun in that, eh?" They would have kicked.my.butt...
However, nice to see the crackers compete in such a sportive and honourable way! :) |
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Fungus
Registered: Sep 2002
Posts: 628 |
Skiddoo: Yes I am sure, it may not use the whole key, but that is what is written on the disk. I used my drive ram expansion and wrote a track interrogation routine that could read the whole track in one go.
:)
Baccy: Yeps gfx. |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 154 |
AoD: So it's technically not a cracking compo but one where we should make a file version of a disk based game. That's for sure still a valid quest as all the code of the protection is still there - it's just the disk error and the check of it that has been disabled. 99% of the cracking effort is still needed. |
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Angel of Death
Registered: Apr 2008
Posts: 210 |
hahaha. Thanks for the explanation, Bacchus. And, believe me when I say I was not judging. :)
But you must also know that back then a copyable version (100% working, or not) was, sometimes, considered a crack...
So, with this competition element, I look forward to see what 'added value' we're getting! |
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Burglar
Registered: Dec 2004
Posts: 1047 |
aod, this compo is not for people playing games, it's about crackers figuring out a complex protection scheme, and of course to see who's the best ;) |
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Bacchus
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 154 |
AoD - just removing the copy protection to make it copyable was never considered being done in the European part of the scene. The EA games launch by american had this, and I know I have done it once, but then The Alchemist did a file version the day after. (The Michael Jackson game - Moonwalk or whatever it was called). Making it file copyable is for sure added value.
On the note of target, what is today's opinion on loaders? Using the stock Kernal loader will mean that added speedloaders and the fast mode loading in emulators can kick in. In most of the current cases this should be faster. But a real life C64 with no cartridge, it would naturally be a pain. What is the current preference? |
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