[SWCollect] Interplay (was: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?)
Last time I read about it, Interplay has been going down since Titus and Herve Caen took control of it. Their shares are worth almost 0 now. Employees are already being told to pack their stuff and leave. All the important people at Interplay have already left. Brian Fargo, Feargus Urquhart, J.D.Sawyer ... IIRC, this all started when they decided to increase console game production and reduce PC game production. Infogrames (now Atari) have announced they'll do the same, so I do not foresee a big future for them either. Unfortunately I am imagining a future in which the only games publishers will be Sierra, Microsoft and Electronic Arts. :/ -- Pedro R. Quaresma Salvador Caetano IMVT Div. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information Division Administração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development [EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492) Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza" 'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO) Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? Edward Franks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 14-06-2004 21:31 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect On Jun 14, 2004, at 2:57 PM, Jim Leonard wrote: > Pedro Quaresma wrote: > >> Shadow of the Comet by Infogrames (back from the days when Infogrames >> was likeable -- ah that would start a whole new discussion! Anyone >> else following the end of Interplay?). > > I heard Interplay's offices were shut down for a few days because they > couldn't come up with worker's comp insurance. :-( I sincerely hope > Brian Fargo will be able to create a new startup... He was already gone: http://www.inxile-entertainment.com/ -- Edward Franks -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Online http://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
I remember someone _handwriting_ the whole list of symbols from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade copy protection! -- Pedro R. Quaresma Salvador Caetano IMVT Div. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information Division Administração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development [EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492) Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza" 'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO) Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? Marco Thorek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 15-06-2004 03:33 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect Jim Leonard schrieb: > > I was lucky enough to have a B&W hand scanner (remember those?) that used a red > scanning beam. A bit of adjustment to the contrast, and voila -- I could > reproduce those like they were black on white sheets of paper. :-) At that time I had only heard of scanners :-) BTW, another drive-the-legitimate-buyer-out-of-his-mind copy protection: "Type the seventh word in the third paragraph on page 22." You never knew if they counted chapter titles, quotations, or whatever else was there along regular text, or not. Marco -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Online http://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Time to blend topics
Haha, portuguese people don't earn enough money to be able to buy soccer game tickets at leisure :) :( -- Pedro R. Quaresma Salvador Caetano IMVT Div. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information Division Administração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development [EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492) Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza" 'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO) Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Time to blend topics Marco Thorek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 15-06-2004 03:40 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect Pedro Quaresma schrieb: > > I still do that now and then to be honest. In Portugal many times we > have to wait months or even years to get a game on the shelves. Most > recent example is Prince of Qin, one of the best RPGs of 2002, started > being sold in Portugal last month, and at full retail price no less! > > So I honestly don't think it's a crime to get a game from the net, > test it, and if it's bad, bin it. If it's good, buy it. Shouldn't you be at the Euro 2004 anyway? ;-) Marco -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Online http://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
>I remember someone _handwriting_ the whole list of symbols from Indiana Jones and the Last >Crusade copy protection! I haven't done this myself but I too have a photo copy of a handwritten copy protection for Indy 3 :) Though this is more of an age protection, one of the most classic and more fun way to do it is the Larry 1 quiz (which Larry 3 has too). Larry 2 has those phone numbers as copy protection; Al Lowe's birthday works as a pass in later release versions: http://www.allowe.com/Larry/cluescheats.htm - Jukka -- http://koti.mbnet.fi/psychic/eng_index.html - Synchronic Web: Sierra/Lucas/Tolkien/Ultima/AD&D/SSI collecting and beyond! -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Well I didn't say that I remembered watching someone actually doing the handwriting of those codes :) I had possibly the same photocopies you had, so someone must've handwritten them, and they've gone all around Europe at least! :D Ultima 7 Serpent Isle had an interesting copy protection. The questions themselves were "normal" (values you had to check on manual) but the interesting part was that if you missed one, all items or characters in the game went "Oink!" when you clicked on them! :D -- Pedro R. Quaresma Salvador Caetano IMVT Div. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information Division Administração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development [EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492) Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza" 'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO) Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? "Jukka Eronen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 15-06-2004 10:17 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect >I remember someone _handwriting_ the whole list of symbols from Indiana Jones and the Last >Crusade copy protection! I haven't done this myself but I too have a photo copy of a handwritten copy protection for Indy 3 :) Though this is more of an age protection, one of the most classic and more fun way to do it is the Larry 1 quiz (which Larry 3 has too). Larry 2 has those phone numbers as copy protection; Al Lowe's birthday works as a pass in later release versions: http://www.allowe.com/Larry/cluescheats.htm - Jukka -- http://koti.mbnet.fi/psychic/eng_index.html - Synchronic Web: Sierra/Lucas/Tolkien/Ultima/AD&D/SSI collecting and beyond! -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Online http://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
At 10:45 15/06/2004 +0100, you wrote: Well I didn't say that I remembered watching someone actually doing the handwriting of those codes :) I have myself handcopied the codes for friends from some games, probably Cocktel Vision games (with the colors, I used a letter for each color). I have done this at school, during class! ;-) Vincent Joguin.
RE: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
That reminds me, in the beginning of Rex Nebular you're flying in your spaceship and get the copy protection question. If you mess it up, a hairline crack appears in your viewport, all the air rushes out, and your head explodes! Stuart -Original Message-From: MASTER [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Pedro QuaresmaSent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 5:46 AMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?Well I didn't say that I remembered watching someone actually doing the handwriting of those codes :) I had possibly the same photocopies you had, so someone must've handwritten them, and they've gone all around Europe at least! :D Ultima 7 Serpent Isle had an interesting copy protection. The questions themselves were "normal" (values you had to check on manual) but the interesting part was that if you missed one, all items or characters in the game went "Oink!" when you clicked on them! :D --Pedro R. QuaresmaSalvador Caetano IMVTDiv. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information DivisionAdministração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development[EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492)Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza"'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO) Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? "Jukka Eronen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 15-06-2004 10:17 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect >I remember someone _handwriting_ the whole list of symbols from IndianaJones and the Last >Crusade copy protection!I haven't done this myself but I too have a photo copy ofa handwritten copy protection for Indy 3 :)Though this is more of an age protection, one of the most classicand more fun way to do it is the Larry 1 quiz (which Larry 3 has too).Larry 2 has those phone numbers as copy protection;Al Lowe's birthday works as a pass in later release versions:http://www.allowe.com/Larry/cluescheats.htm- Jukka--http://koti.mbnet.fi/psychic/eng_index.html - Synchronic Web:Sierra/Lucas/Tolkien/Ultima/AD&D/SSI collecting and beyond!--This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed tothe swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect'Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Onlinehttp://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Marco Thorek stated: > >BTW, another drive-the-legitimate-buyer-out-of-his-mind copy protection: >"Type the seventh word in the third paragraph on page 22." > >You never knew if they counted chapter titles, quotations, or whatever >else was there along regular text, or not. Yeah, and I remember some friends who had a cracked copy (or cracked it using instructions on the 'net) of Bard's Tale so that it didn't matter what you entered at that prompt, it would always act as if it was correct. I thought the Empire Deluxe solution was good. You only had to answer this type of question when you ran the setup program, which set the resolution, sound options, etc. So, in general, you only had to do it once or twice. (You were required to run it once before playing.) Of course, if you'd been playing for months and decided to change a setting, then you had to go find the manual, which was frustrating. -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Stuart Feldhamer stated: > >That reminds me, in the beginning of Rex Nebular you're flying in your >spaceship and get the copy protection question. If you mess it up, a >hairline crack appears in your viewport, all the air rushes out, and your >head explodes! At least that's a resolution. 8) In Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, the copy protection was that the galaxy map used for long range navigation was in the manual. You'd be told to go to a certain system, but none of the systems were labeled in the map in the game, you had to look in the manual. If you got it wrong, you went to the system you picked and were attacked by Orion pirates, Klingons, or Romulans. If you survived the encounter, you could try again. 8) -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Pedro Quaresma stated: > >I remember someone =5Fhandwriting=5F the whole list of symbols from Indiana >Jones and the Last Crusade copy protection! I hand copied the cheeses for Monty Python's Flying Circus on to my playing copy's disk sleeve. There were only 12-20 of them. What made me mad was how they tried to pass the Cheese Shop copy protection off as a "game" in the manual. -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
[SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book
I'm currently reading _The Home Computer Wars_ by Michael S. Tomczyk. It's an inside account of Commodore computers (with emphasis on Jack Tramiel) from the planning for the VIC-20 until Tramiel's departure (post-C-64). It's pretty good so far. One thing I've noticed is that since it was written in 1984, there are references that today you'll only get if you lived through and were somewhat involved with the personal computer revolution. For example, referring to the Apple II as simply "the Apple." I noticed the book doesn't have an index, so I'm trying to compile a basic one as I go for later reference. I'll publish it on the web when I'm finished. Does this seem like a useful project? I understand it's a fairly hard book to find, so it may not be overly useful. Are there any sites on the web that provide indices for books without them? BTW, I just finished _Hard Drive_, about Microsoft and Bill Gates up through c. 1993. Next will probably either be _Hackers_, which I started once but didn't finish, or John Sculley's _Odyssey_. -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
RE: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book
Just look it up on Amazon - $115, no thanks! Lucasarts Museum - http://lucasarts.vintagegaming.org > -Original Message- > From: Lee K. Seitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 9:20 AM > To: Software Collecting > Subject: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book > > I'm currently reading _The Home Computer Wars_ by Michael S. Tomczyk. > It's an inside account of Commodore computers (with emphasis on Jack > Tramiel) from the planning for the VIC-20 until Tramiel's > departure (post-C-64). > > It's pretty good so far. One thing I've noticed is that > since it was written in 1984, there are references that today > you'll only get if you lived through and were somewhat > involved with the personal computer revolution. For example, > referring to the Apple II as simply "the Apple." > > I noticed the book doesn't have an index, so I'm trying to > compile a basic one as I go for later reference. I'll > publish it on the web when I'm finished. Does this seem like > a useful project? I understand it's a fairly hard book to > find, so it may not be overly useful. Are there any sites on > the web that provide indices for books without them? > > BTW, I just finished _Hard Drive_, about Microsoft and Bill > Gates up through c. 1993. Next will probably either be > _Hackers_, which I started once but didn't finish, or John > Sculley's _Odyssey_. > > -- > Lee K. Seitz > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -- > This message was sent to you because you are currently > subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, > send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of > 'unsubscribe swcollect' > Archives are available at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ > > > -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Huge Japanese console auction
Feldhamer, Stuart wrote: A friend sent me this link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8111352149 Same thing happened to me (and the friend wasn't into collecting at all). I think this auction is getting publicity because of the unrealistically high price tag. I can see $10K-$20K for this stuff, but not $100K. -- Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) World's largest electronic gaming project:http://www.MobyGames.com/ A delicious slice of the demoscene:http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/ Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Marco Thorek wrote: That reminds me of the original Pirates! copy protection: You had to look up at what port the "gold fleet" was in a certain month. It was more than that -- the disk was protected as well. And it was protected VERY well: Multiple checks throughout the game, and if it recognized a bad copy it would continue to let you play *but* the sea battles would get progressivly harder and harder until it was impossible to win. Sneaky! -- Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) World's largest electronic gaming project:http://www.MobyGames.com/ A delicious slice of the demoscene:http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/ Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Lee K. Seitz wrote: I thought the Empire Deluxe solution was good. You only had to answer this type of question when you ran the setup program, which set the resolution, sound options, etc. So, in general, you only had to do it once or twice. (You were required to run it once before playing.) Of course, if you'd been playing for months and decided to change a setting, then you had to go find the manual, which was frustrating. This is similar to Software Toolwork's stuff from the late 80's to early 90's: The diskette protection was checked only when you installed the game. They were also smart enough to take an "inventory" of the computer -- hardware, OS version, etc. -- so that if you tried to copy the installed game over to another machine, it would not work and ask to be reinstalled. I'm seeing some parallels in copy-protection here: - King's Quest II (encryption of executable and data files), 1985 -- Starforce 3 (same thing), 2004 - Pirates! (run progressively worse), 1987 -- Macrovision (same thing), 2003 - Software Toolworks games (check during install, can't be moved) 1988-ish -- Windows XP activation (same thing), 2001. Scary to see we're entering a "new era" of copy protection all over again... makes me long for the innovative days of lenslok, colored pictures on manuals, etc. If things get really bad we're going to see the resurgence of copy-protection methods that *really sucked*, because they were unreliable. One method was "weak bits" that read differently every time you read the disk -- only problem is, the original disk itself would fail the check half the time! -- Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) World's largest electronic gaming project:http://www.MobyGames.com/ A delicious slice of the demoscene:http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/ Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Interplay (was: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?)
Pedro Quaresma wrote: IIRC, this all started when they decided to increase console game production and reduce PC game production. Infogrames (now Atari) have announced they'll do the same, so I do not foresee a big future for them either. As much as I don't like this, the numbers support it: In 2003 there were about 5 million PC games sold -- and 50 million console games sold. Console games fuel the overwhelming majority of the 11 billion (!!) electronic entertainment industry. Unfortunately I am imagining a future in which the only games publishers will be Sierra, Microsoft and Electronic Arts. :/ Take Sierra out of the picture and you'd be right :-( -- Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) World's largest electronic gaming project:http://www.MobyGames.com/ A delicious slice of the demoscene:http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/ Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book
Lee K. Seitz wrote: I noticed the book doesn't have an index, so I'm trying to compile a basic one as I go for later reference. I'll publish it on the web when I'm finished. Does this seem like a useful project? Not unless you plan to publish the book itself -- it's hard to find. BTW, I just finished _Hard Drive_, about Microsoft and Bill Gates up through c. 1993. Next will probably either be _Hackers_, which I started once but didn't finish, or John Sculley's _Odyssey_. I'd like to recommend Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely. -- Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) World's largest electronic gaming project:http://www.MobyGames.com/ A delicious slice of the demoscene:http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/ Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Huge Japanese console auction
Jim Leonard stated: > >Feldhamer, Stuart wrote: > >> A friend sent me this link: >> >> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8111352149 > >Same thing happened to me (and the friend wasn't into collecting at all). I >think this auction is getting publicity because of the unrealistically high >price tag. I can see $10K-$20K for this stuff, but not $100K. It was also listed on the Slashdot main page yesterday. I've been getting "invalid item" on it since Stuart posted it here, but viewed it fine the first time. [Looks at Slashdot.] Looks like eBay pulled it around 10:00 p.m. EDT on Monday. -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book
Here's a 'cheap' copy if someone cares: http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BookDetails?bi=262883290 and if thats gone and you want to pay $100: http://www.alibris.com/search/detail.cfm?BID=8223523025&pwork=2973045&siteID=5Nv03vHgBCI-IKaHSR7l2ycgkVcaMgbY1w http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BookDetails?bi=293650530 > Jim Leonard wrote: > > > > Lee K. Seitz wrote: > > > > > I noticed the book doesn't have an index, so I'm trying to compile a > > > basic one as I go for later reference. I'll publish it on the web > > > when I'm finished. Does this seem like a useful project? > > > > Not unless you plan to publish the book itself -- it's hard to find. > > > > > BTW, I just finished _Hard Drive_, about Microsoft and Bill Gates up > > > through c. 1993. Next will probably either be _Hackers_, which I > > > started once but didn't finish, or John Sculley's _Odyssey_. > > > > I'd like to recommend Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely. > > -- > > Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > World's largest electronic gaming project:http://www.MobyGames.com/ > > A delicious slice of the demoscene:http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/ > > Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/ > > > > -- > > This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to > > the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' > > Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ -- --- Howard Feldman, Ph.D. Manager, Structural Bioinformatics The Blueprint Initiative 522 University Avenue, 9th Floor Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1W7 www.bind.ca -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book
Jim Leonard stated: > >Lee K. Seitz wrote: > >> I noticed the book doesn't have an index, so I'm trying to compile a >> basic one as I go for later reference. I'll publish it on the web >> when I'm finished. Does this seem like a useful project? > >Not unless you plan to publish the book itself -- it's hard to find. Well, it will be useful for personal reference, if nothing else. >> BTW, I just finished _Hard Drive_, about Microsoft and Bill Gates up >> through c. 1993. Next will probably either be _Hackers_, which I >> started once but didn't finish, or John Sculley's _Odyssey_. > >I'd like to recommend Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely. Thanks, but I'm starting with the books I actually have sitting on the shelf. _Hackers_ was a requested Christmas present. The other three I found at thrift stores. I found _Odyssey_ mentioned in the text of _Hard Drive_ (I'd already bought it). _The Home Computer Wars_ has been sitting on my shelf, unread, for five years now. I was made (and turned down) an offer for it some months ago by someone who found my old Usenet post about finding it for $0.50. I pointed him to one on Amazon.com, which he happily bought for $47.50. (He said he missed out on one on eBay that went for $115.) I then decided it was a crime against my fellow collectors not to at least read it. Did I really turn down 10,000-20,000% profit for this? -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Interplay (was: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?)
Actually, you can take Sierra out of the picture right now. It's no longer a publisher--just a brand name under the umbrella of VU Games. Peter Jim Leonard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Pedro Quaresma wrote:> Unfortunately I am imagining a future in which the only games publishers > will be Sierra, Microsoft and Electronic Arts. :/Take Sierra out of the picture and you'd be right :-(
Re: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book
I found Odyssey to be somewhat self-serving and a definite spinned POV on Sculley's influence on Apple's golden days. I'd suggest you bookmark it with a large grain of salt. Hackers, on the other hand, was great fun, and written more objectively. That book covered a much greater period in computing (1960-circa 1983) and included both the influence of the first generation of computing from MIT as well as the heady startup atmosphere of west coast commerical efforts. - Original Message - From: Lee K. Seitz To: Software Collecting Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 12:20 PM Subject: [SWCollect] Home Computer Wars book I'm currently reading _The Home Computer Wars_ by Michael S. Tomczyk.It's an inside account of Commodore computers (with emphasis on JackTramiel) from the planning for the VIC-20 until Tramiel's departure(post-C-64).It's pretty good so far. One thing I've noticed is that since it waswritten in 1984, there are references that today you'll only get ifyou lived through and were somewhat involved with the personalcomputer revolution. For example, referring to the Apple II as simply"the Apple."I noticed the book doesn't have an index, so I'm trying to compile abasic one as I go for later reference. I'll publish it on the webwhen I'm finished. Does this seem like a useful project? Iunderstand it's a fairly hard book to find, so it may not be overlyuseful. Are there any sites on the web that provide indices for bookswithout them?BTW, I just finished _Hard Drive_, about Microsoft and Bill Gates upthrough c. 1993. Next will probably either be _Hackers_, which Istarted once but didn't finish, or John Sculley's _Odyssey_.-- Lee K. Seitz[EMAIL PROTECTED]--This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed tothe swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect'Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
RE: [SWCollect] Huge Japanese console auction
Any idea why they took it down? Stuart -Original Message- From: Lee K. Seitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 1:04 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Huge Japanese console auction Jim Leonard stated: > >Feldhamer, Stuart wrote: > >> A friend sent me this link: >> >> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8111352149 > >Same thing happened to me (and the friend wasn't into collecting at all). I >think this auction is getting publicity because of the unrealistically high >price tag. I can see $10K-$20K for this stuff, but not $100K. It was also listed on the Slashdot main page yesterday. I've been getting "invalid item" on it since Stuart posted it here, but viewed it fine the first time. [Looks at Slashdot.] Looks like eBay pulled it around 10:00 p.m. EDT on Monday. -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
RE: [SWCollect] Huge Japanese console auction
Just a guess, but I would expect that resale of development systems is prohibited. Weren't there a bunch of those included? Peter"Feldhamer, Stuart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Any idea why they took it down?Stuart-Original Message-From: Lee K. Seitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 1:04 PMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Huge Japanese console auctionJim Leonard stated:>>Feldhamer, Stuart wrote:>>> A friend sent me this link:>> >> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8111352149>>Same thing happened to me (and the friend wasn't into collecting at all). I >think this auction is getting publicity because of the unrealistically high >price tag. I can see $10K-$20K for this stuff, but not $100K.It was also listed on the Slashdot main page yesterday. I've beengetting "invalid item" on it since Stuart posted it here, but viewedit f! ine the first time. [Looks at Slashdot.] Looks like eBay pulledit around 10:00 p.m. EDT on Monday.-- Lee K. Seitz[EMAIL PROTECTED]--This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed tothe swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect'Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/--This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed tothe swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect'Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Time to blend topics
Pedro Quaresma schrieb: > > Haha, portuguese people don't earn enough money to be able to buy > soccer game tickets at leisure :) :( Totally OT, but out of interest: How much are the tickets anyway? Let's say I'd want a medium priced seat close to the middle of the field. Which also reminds me of Germany 2006: One of the stadiums is twenty minutes from me, but prices will probably be astronomic as well. Marco -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Along similar lines, "Final Assault" (Epyx) for the IIgs (and probably others), if you failed the copy protection, you'd continue normally, then suddenly your climber's face would turn red and he'd die, as if suffocating I think. Kinda slick. On Jun 15, 2004, at 9:00 AM, Stuart Feldhamer wrote: That reminds me, in the beginning of Rex Nebular you're flying in your spaceship and get the copy protection question. If you mess it up, a hairline crack appears in your viewport, all the air rushes out, and your head explodes! Stuart -Original Message- From: MASTER [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Pedro Quaresma Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 5:46 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? Well I didn't say that I remembered watching someone actually doing the handwriting of those codes :) I had possibly the same photocopies you had, so someone must've handwritten them, and they've gone all around Europe at least! :D Ultima 7 Serpent Isle had an interesting copy protection. The questions themselves were "normal" (values you had to check on manual) but the interesting part was that if you missed one, all items or characters in the game went "Oink!" when you clicked on them! :D -- Pedro R. Quaresma Salvador Caetano IMVT Div. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information Division Administração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development [EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492) Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza" 'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO)Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?"Jukka Eronen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>15-06-2004 10:17Solicita-se resposta a swcollect>I remember someone _handwriting_ the whole list of symbols from Indiana Jones and the Last >Crusade copy protection! I haven't done this myself but I too have a photo copy of a handwritten copy protection for Indy 3 :) Though this is more of an age protection, one of the most classic and more fun way to do it is the Larry 1 quiz (which Larry 3 has too). Larry 2 has those phone numbers as copy protection; Al Lowe's birthday works as a pass in later release versions: http://www.allowe.com/Larry/cluescheats.htm - Jukka -- http://koti.mbnet.fi/psychic/eng_index.html - Synchronic Web: Sierra/Lucas/Tolkien/Ultima/AD&D/SSI collecting and beyond! -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Online http://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
LucasArts (DOS-based) adventure games drove me crazy because the protection was written in the same interpreted code as the rest of the game (makes sense, some commercial protection schemes are based on their own VM, speaking of protection schemes repeating themselves). Anyway, I found one generic solution for all of them. I wrote something that took a snapshot of the data segment (only 64K) and wrote it to disk (using either Soft-Ice or "Undocumented DOS"). Do that twice in a row with a short pause in between before the protection screen, then do it again after the protection, using the manual, wheel or whatever to get past it. Take the three 64k snapshots, and search for a byte that was unchanged between the first two but changed from like a 0 -> 1 or 0 -> 255 between the second and third snapshot. There'd only be 5-10 such locations. One of them is a boolean flag letting the game know the protection passed and it doesn't have to display it again. Write a loader that pops the 1 or 255 in that location on load but right before startup and it'd think it already ran the protection successfully. Poof. Worked for 4-5 games I think. My parents thought I was insane for that week (80 hours in 5 days, I'll never forget that). I'm fuzzy on this but I think D-Generation also had protection only on install. It would only install the specific drivers (EGA/VGA, Adlib, SoundBlaster, etc.) for your setup, to prevent post-install piracy. Very reasonable. Nice compromise. On Jun 15, 2004, at 10:28 AM, Lee K. Seitz wrote: Marco Thorek stated: BTW, another drive-the-legitimate-buyer-out-of-his-mind copy protection: "Type the seventh word in the third paragraph on page 22." You never knew if they counted chapter titles, quotations, or whatever else was there along regular text, or not. Yeah, and I remember some friends who had a cracked copy (or cracked it using instructions on the 'net) of Bard's Tale so that it didn't matter what you entered at that prompt, it would always act as if it was correct. I thought the Empire Deluxe solution was good. You only had to answer this type of question when you ran the setup program, which set the resolution, sound options, etc. So, in general, you only had to do it once or twice. (You were required to run it once before playing.) Of course, if you'd been playing for months and decided to change a setting, then you had to go find the manual, which was frustrating. -- Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
RE: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
One more example: Rogue by Epyx It would let you play for a while (like 3 or 4 levels), then it would throw an indestructible monster at you and you’d die. Then it would show a tombstone that said “Here Lies: Pirate, scum of the Earth”. I have several versions of the original, but I normally play the Atari ST version. I’d love to get a copy of a ROM (for any emulator) so I can play on my PC. However, the only versions of Rogue I’ve ever gotten are simple copies…meaning they’ll let you play and then give you the message above. Anybody seen a working version? Ideally for an ST or Amiga emulator? Hugh -Original Message- From: Dan Chisarick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 7:25 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? Along similar lines, "Final Assault" (Epyx) for the IIgs (and probably others), if you failed the copy protection, you'd continue normally, then suddenly your climber's face would turn red and he'd die, as if suffocating I think. Kinda slick. On Jun 15, 2004, at 9:00 AM, Stuart Feldhamer wrote: That reminds me, in the beginning of Rex Nebular you're flying in your spaceship and get the copy protection question. If you mess it up, a hairline crack appears in your viewport, all the air rushes out, and your head explodes! Stuart -Original Message- From: MASTER [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Pedro Quaresma Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 5:46 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? Well I didn't say that I remembered watching someone actually doing the handwriting of those codes :) I had possibly the same photocopies you had, so someone must've handwritten them, and they've gone all around Europe at least! :D Ultima 7 Serpent Isle had an interesting copy protection. The questions themselves were "normal" (values you had to check on manual) but the interesting part was that if you missed one, all items or characters in the game went "Oink!" when you clicked on them! :D -- Pedro R. Quaresma Salvador Caetano IMVT Div. Sistemas de Informação / Systems and Information Division Administração e Desenvolvimento Lotus Notes / Lotus Notes Administration and Development [EMAIL PROTECTED] // +351 22 7867000 (ext. 3492) Toyota Prius '01, Aqua Ice Opalescent, 40K km., "Esperanza" 'People don't quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.' - Oliver Wendell Holmes Para: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A/C: Ref: cc: (bcc: Pedro Quaresma/SCAETANO) Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection? "Jukka Eronen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 15-06-2004 10:17 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect >I remember someone _handwriting_ the whole list of symbols from Indiana Jones and the Last >Crusade copy protection! I haven't done this myself but I too have a photo copy of a handwritten copy protection for Indy 3 :) Though this is more of an age protection, one of the most classic and more fun way to do it is the Larry 1 quiz (which Larry 3 has too). Larry 2 has those phone numbers as copy protection; Al Lowe's birthday works as a pass in later release versions: http://www.allowe.com/Larry/cluescheats.htm - Jukka -- http://koti.mbnet.fi/psychic/eng_index.html - Synchronic Web: Sierra/Lucas/Tolkien/Ultima/AD&D/SSI collecting and beyond! -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ToyotaShopping - A sua Loja Toyota Online http://www.toyota.pt
Re: [SWCollect] Best copy protection?
Dan Chisarick wrote: LucasArts (DOS-based) adventure games drove me crazy because the protection was written in the same interpreted code as the rest of the game (makes sense, some commercial protection schemes are based on their own VM, speaking of protection schemes repeating themselves). Anyway, I found one generic solution for all of them. I wrote something that took a snapshot of the data segment (only 64K) and wrote it to disk (using either Soft-Ice or "Undocumented DOS"). Do that twice in a row with a short pause in between before the protection screen, then do it again after the protection, using the manual, wheel or whatever to get past it. Take the three 64k snapshots, and search for a byte that was unchanged between the first two but changed from like a 0 -> 1 or 0 -> 255 between the second and third snapshot. There'd only be 5-10 such locations. One of them is a boolean flag letting the game know the protection passed and it doesn't have to display it again. Write a loader that pops the 1 or 255 in that location on load but right before startup and it'd think it already ran the protection successfully. Poof. Worked for 4-5 games I think. My parents thought I was insane for that week (80 hours in 5 days, I'll never forget that). You and everyone else who copied Sierra games (also interpreted). Impressive -- I used a specific program for this kind of thing (ran the game in a V8086 so you could stop execution and do memory compares). I guess that's cheating ;-) -- Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED])http://www.oldskool.org/ Want to help an ambitious games project? http://www.mobygames.com/ Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/