[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Cracking HomeWord
On Wed, 12 Aug 2009, N.N. Thayer wrote:
I'm no expert on cracking, or the Apple II disk subsystem, which can
be something of a barrier in my perpetual mission to rip and archive
images of every single piece of Apple II software that I come across
(since 500 years from now, the images are all that will exist). :)
My latest obstacle: Sierra On-Line's HomeWord!
I'm not an expert either, but I've started to pick up the tools of the
trade. I'm not all that great but I can give it a whack.
What I was still *not* able to do, however, was rip it to a DSK image
over ADT; the images produced were unusuable. In a last-ditch effort,
I used the Saltine's Super Transcopy method to create a NIB image...
with interesting results. When loading it in the AppleWin emulator,
the image will boot and function perfectly if I'm set to //e
emulation, but in ][+ emulation it simply halts claiming that
"HomeWord will not run with a joystick plugged into the game port."
This is an odd claim for it to be making, since (1) I have the
joystick disabled in the emulator and (2) I have a real joystick
connected to my real Apple ][+, with no ill effects (although it is
through a 9-pin adapter).
Try holding down both Alts as it boots? (I know, odd)
I can also try it using old ApplePC (still the emu I use most because of
its fast ui and cpu core).
So, that's my status at the moment - a NIB image of HomeWord 1.1 that
functions in one specific emulation mode. Better than nothing, I
suppose, but I'd like to get it into the more desirable DSK (for what
I do, that's far and away the best image format), and I'd also like to
get HomeWord 2.4 ripped as well, especially since the physical disk
for that one is on its last legs. If anyone would like to assist, or
is just curious, I can post the NIB or even send out disks.
Yeah, that's why I work in the way I do with the MECC stuff.
(man, I wish I still had my stash of eduwares from 15 years ago!)
-uso.