Re: Ultima V Cracked Copy

[nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates)]

In article <CtBoq7.MKL@seagoon.newcastle.edu.au>,
Timothy O'Brien <c9322636@alinga.newcastle.edu.au> wrote:
>	I am looking for a copy of the cracked boot disk for Ultima V. I 
>am trying to install it on my hard disk, and all the other disks appear 
>to be ProDOS. Could someone please email me a copy of this disk?

   Don't bother. See below.

>	Also, has anyone else tried to install this game? I have noticed 
>that even the ProDOS disks have been fiddled with - they show up as full 
>although the filesizes are not large enough to fill the space.

   There are anumber of files on the disk, yes. Those are readable,
and contain the program code, some tables, etc. But, roughly half
of each disk isn't in a file; it's just there. This stuff contains
maps, conversation information, tiles, monsters, etc. I think it
is a big shame that after taking the step to include some of the
things as files, the programmers wimped out and left the rest just
to be accessible only to the program.

>	BTW - I would also be interested in hearing opinions from people
>on the issue of piracy in this regard, seeing as how I _own_ Ultima V - a
>real, original, in-the-box, with-the-manual, cloth map, silver 
>medallion, genuine article version - although I can't think of an easy 
>way to prove this to anyone (maybe I could post photocopies to everyone 
>via snailmail).

   This is the same situation as Computist Magazine a few years
back. Computist was a magazine dedicated to telling people how to
deprotect and backup their personal copies of things. More than one
person used this info, I bet, to pirate. But, according to U.S. law,
you are allowed in most cases to make an archival backup. In your
case, you could rationalize this turning your 5.25" disks into the
archive, and the HD version as the main copy.


Nathan Mates

- Who personally thinks the 6502 asm for Ultima V is some of the
sweetest, most readable code in a game that he's disassembled, and
hacked up the code to be invincible, walk anywhere, and all.
-- 
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