| |
Raffox|HF
Registered: Jul 2006
Posts: 15 |
Hidden msg by RADWAR in System 3's Vendetta
Hi all,
can anybody tell me how to display the hidden RADWAR msg and the scrolling rasterbar effects contained on track 1, sector 0 of System 3's Vendetta?
Thanks! =)) |
|
| |
Raffox|HF
Registered: Jul 2006
Posts: 15 |
Here is a very rough mockup of what I can remember of it:
http://i50.tinypic.com/zk0cv8.png
Anybody can spot it somewhere? I know the txt lays in track 1 , sector 0... but I have no idea where the main routine hides. Also, the raster lines scroll up on one half of the screen, and down on the other half. |
| |
Mason
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 461 |
Hmm I wonder if MWS can remember it |
| |
MaD ][
Registered: Sep 2004
Posts: 23 |
AFAIK the hidden part shows a RADWAR logo in with some raster effects and a big scroller with some nasty ;-) text!... maybe I'm wrong (20+ years ago memories got a little corrupted by time...)
I have some troubles with Vice trying to load the original floppy disk dump done with Nibtools 0.78.1 and converted as G64 (is someone aware of a Vice limitation? or a G64 limitation? Could it be my Vendetta original became corrupted? any ideas?), when the protection check routine tries to test the weak sector everything freezes...
Protection scheme tries to access trk18 sec18 (which holds, if I'm right, an error 23)... maybe it is possible to make the hidden part to show up by simply making a backup floppy with a standard tool (not nibble-copy or similar)... |
| |
chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11386 |
vice has several limitations when it comes to the floppy emulation, indeed :) weak bits beeing one of them :) |
| |
j0x
Registered: Mar 2004
Posts: 215 |
In Vice, the weak-bit protection can be circumvented by doing the following in ViceMon:
dev 8:
break 041f
x
Load the game. When ViceMon breaks, do:
g 042a
IIRC, Pete Rittwage did a weak-bit patch for Vice, but it may not yet have been integrated into the main stream.
|
| |
chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11386 |
it has been improved recently, you could try the .exe from the x64sc testing thread... |
| |
r.cade
Account closed
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 4 |
I took a look at this original disk image briefly. It's obviously doing something on track 18 that emulation doesn't yet handle, such as using the VIA timers to measure the exact track length or something equally nasty. :)
It doesn't appear to check for extra '0' bits causing "random data" or frame loss like the other Radwar protections, but it could be that the drive didn't return this properly when read and so I can't see it in the image (blinded by the hardware limitations).
What kind of drive read this image? It says "JiffyDOS 5.0 1541" but almost always that means Excellerator+ or Oceanic drives.
|
| |
r.cade
Account closed
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 4 |
That is what the problem was- the drive this was read from doesn't send back bad GCR runs like most 1541/1571 drives do, so I had to make the GCR "bad" again by zeroing out the section it checks on Track 18, Sector 18.
This title, like other Radwar protections, does check for bad GCR. I have sent the "processed" image back to the contributor. The converted G64 will load in an emulator that supports weak/bad GCR such as HOXS or CCS. It will not work in VICE without the bad GCR handling patch un-commented out. |
| |
MaD ][
Registered: Sep 2004
Posts: 23 |
I can confirm that actual Vice (trunk 2.2.5) runs the G64 image... I've given the fresh G64 converted image coming from the patched NIB a brief load&run on the brand new 1541U-II also, but I've had the same behaviour when trying to remaster the NIB back to the real thing (hangs when checking weak bits).
Anyway, 1541U-II firmware is still on beta... I'm expecting it to run fine on the final release (maybe it would be a wonderful thing to have it reading .NIB files natively!). |
| |
MaD ][
Registered: Sep 2004
Posts: 23 |
since it seems we are running OT... is there anyone who can try to solve our mistery?
We need someone who can look at the code and show us the hidden part in Vendetta!!!
;) |
| |
r.cade
Account closed
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 4 |
No reason for emulators to support "NIB". NIB is just an intermediary file format. Think of it as just a "dirty" G64 that doesn't have the track cycle detected properly yet.
|
| |
j0x
Registered: Mar 2004
Posts: 215 |
I've checked Vendetta and have been unable to find anything resembling the mockup. The message mentioned by Mad ][ can be viewed by doing the following:
Ensure a (virtual) freezer cartridge is inserted
Load Vendetta
During the intro, freeze and continue
On the next load, the message/demo from MWS is loaded.
I can send the message to anyone interested. I'm not sure it would count as a release to be uploaded here, though. OTOH, crack intros are apparently seen as separate releases...
|
| |
Mason
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 461 |
The protection is probably triggered by entering the cartridge to prevent people to reset crack the game |
| |
j0x
Registered: Mar 2004
Posts: 215 |
Exactly. Freezing disrupts the sync between the drive and the c64. The drive code detects this and self-modifies to always load the message regardless of what file was requested. |
| |
Jazzcat
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 1044 |
Holding down FLAPS in the Vendetta game intro is nice too. :P
|
| |
j0x
Registered: Mar 2004
Posts: 215 |
Quote: Holding down FLAPS in the Vendetta game intro is nice too. :P
Yup. Although not as nice, you can also press run/stop, cursor up/down, CTRL or space. |
| |
Mason
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 461 |
Quote: Exactly. Freezing disrupts the sync between the drive and the c64. The drive code detects this and self-modifies to always load the message regardless of what file was requested.
Heh Im not surprised that happend when MWS was involved :) |
