Re: Hardcore COMPUTIST info request / Robot Odyssey I

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

plutonium239@ameritech.net  (Tony) asked:

>If anyone has the Hardcore COMPUTIST softkeys for Robot Odyssey I for *ANY*
>version (1.0, 1.1, or 2.0) please post them, e-mail them, send smoke
>signals, or whatever it takes for me to complete the removal of the copy
>protection routines!  I have already converted the modified address/data
>epilog scheme back to standard DOS 3.3 format using SuperIOB which allowed
>me to transfer it to my PC via ADT, however without the sector edit
>information the crack cannot be completed and the darn soldering iron won't
>heat up in the game.  I suppose I could sit down and bust my stones trying
>to figure it out on my own, but it is a time consuming chore and besides -
>why reinvent the wheel?  ;)
>
>From the databases, I have the following to help:
>
>-->    Robot Odyssey I v1.0 softkey is in:    Vol. #28,  p. 12
>-->    Robot Odyssey I v2.0 softkey is in:    Vol. #50,  p. 22
>
>Both of these keys are essentially the same (i.e. the same code is
>modified - they never changed their protection scheme from version to
>version) the only difference is that the data locations are on different
>sectors, and all I would have to do is perform a Hex search for bytes in
>Copy II+ to patch the correct location(s).  If I am not mistaken, there are
>only a few bytes which need to be changed to EA (NOP) to circumvent the copy
>protection routine - oh, and I remember something about having to change a
>SEC to CLC (or vice versa) in another routine, but since that was such a
>common protection code scheme, I could be confusing it with a different
>softkey.
>
>Thanks in advance to everyone who is able to help!  Once the .DSK images are
>patched I intend to distribute them to the four winds so that everyone can
>enjoy a copy - version 2.0 has a few bug fixes and cosmetic changes which
>make it much more enjoyable than 1.1 and 1.0. - it is also a 3-disk set on
>the Apple II, and includes a cool Robotropolis Preview demo which, according
>to the manual, is only available on the Apple II version :)

Since you've already normalized the headers, the sector edit you want is:

Trk $07, Sect $05, Byte $99:  change $18 to $38.

This applies identically to sides A, B, and C.  The demo side is not
protected.

(If byte $99 is not $18, search for 18 BD 88 and change the 18 to 38.)


-michael

 Email:  mjmahon@aol.com
 Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/