Hi all! First, I must mention that this is *NOT* a plug to convince someone to sell off their highly esteemed issues of Hardcore COMPUTIST. This is simply a request for information to a kind soul who is lucky enough to have the issue(s) I am looking for - not only for my own benefit, but ... well - read on :) 14 years ago I obtained a copy of Robot Odyssey I version *2.0* by The Learning Company, which was (is) their latest version of this cool digital sim game on the Apple II. Apparently (and understandably) there seems to be a large cross section of old Apple II users (and other users from Tandy and IBM platforms) who have a near cult-like zen for the game, even going so far as to invent their own clone of the game in Java (!) While sifting around through Asimov the other day, I came across a large ShrinkIt archive, which I hoped was a database that listed the softkeys for various games published over the years. Lacking a IIGS, I was forced to toil for the entire weekend building up a usable GS/OS 6.0.1 hard disk image, from which to use GS-ShrinkIt and Exchange to extract the contents of the mystery archive for inspection using XGS-DOS. After performing operations on four different computers (2 PC's, my LCII, and a platinum IIe), the end result was a decent .2mg hard disk image with a standard staple of programs and utilities, as well as the Hardcore COMPUTIST files. Alas, the gargantuan (relatively speaking) files were merely AppleWorks cross-reference database listings detailing everything from softkeys to ads to articles, but no actual information from the magazines was present. :( The humble request I ask is this: 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 :) Regards, Tony P.S. I certainly do NOT envy the task of building up a usable XGS volume from scratch. It can be a royal pain. If anyone is interested in a walkthrough on how to do it (which will save a HEAP of time) let me know and I'll try to get something together. The existing FAQ's are fine for those who just want the basics, but they don't tell you everything (anyone care to start a discussion on why some of the best engineers are the worst technical writers? hehe). Also, I might be willing to .zip the 32Mb .2mg hard disk image and post it on KaZaA (or similar service) if anyone cares enough to want it - be aware that my upload traffic is 128kbps maximum. P.P.S. Many moons ago I nagged the heck out of the good people over at The Learning Company so much that they finally caved in and mailed me a huge brick of photocopies from their own personal archives detailing the levels themselves and their solutions, along with a copy of the Robotravelog (which I kept in acid-free plastic and is still in mint condition). If any Robot Odyssey I junkies out there want digitized versions of any of this let me know, since I intend to scan it all for my own backup purposes anyways. To the people who worked at The Learning Company at the time who sent me all this stuff (you know who you are): Thank You! 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/