Future Wars screenshots (why nobody submitted)

saulob · Post by **saulob** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:40 pm

On the main page:

"Screenshots are required as well. Besides, we are still waiting for Future Wars screenshots as nobody submitted any yet."

So, what I think why nobody submitted, it's because nobody can pass the protection... that's why..

I don't have the manual anymore.. I can't enter in my OWN game.. I'm lost.. L O S T !

Post by **sev** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 12:46 am

We can do nothing with it. First, it will be not legal. Second, there is a tech reason involved: in original cinE project there was a way to skip the protection by compiling a special version of it. But it appeared that the protection was rooted deeper than that. If it was skipped, it showed graphics layers in wrong order, and even worse, later in the game you were killed near the copier machine.

Well, we could spend some time to analyze scripts carefully and skip the protection in a correct way, but then we come to our first reason, legality. We skip protection only when there were originally patched game executables when this protection was disabled. Or, when we get a permission from the rights holders to skip it. This was done for floppy version of Inherit the Earth game.

And I know. The protection in DOS version of Future Wars is NASTY. REALLY NASTY. I can't stand it. I so often fail to pass it, but I have to. Amiga/Atari versions have much, much easier for the user protection which is significantly more error-prone.

Eugene

tutnix · Post by **tutnix** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:50 pm

hint: search for a boxscan, thats the protection.

Dwyloc · Post by **Dwyloc** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:02 pm

So I am not the only one having problems with the protection with the DOS version then?

I have the KIXX budget dos release and so far I have not got past the protection with SCUMMVM.

The colours on the back of my manual just don't seem to match the protection test this may just be because the aspect ratio of the manual and the copy protection screen are different, what ever the reason I now play the game with WHDLOAD (http://www.whdload.de/games/FutureWars.html) and winUAE as it removes the protection and allows me to play the game without problems.

I would love to play with scummvm so I can take advantage of the graphics scalers but after trying for 30 minutes I did not get past the protection check onces so I gave up in discussed.

Post by **sev** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:10 pm

I usually count number of spots of same color and locate them on some particular jeans wrinkle. Still it often takes 3+ times to pass through it.

Eugene

bramvandijk · Post by **bramvandijk** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:16 pm

ahem, I'm not sure whether I should mention this, and I seriously hope that this will not get disabled once it is known, but here goes:

if you have a savegame already, you can use the commandline option to go directly to that savegame (will not work from the GUI)
Thus scummvm practically disables the copy protection if you can get through once (to create a savegame).
The best thing is that you also don't have to go through the whole intro anymore, which gets pretty annoying since it is not skippable (as far as I know, anyway)

Dwyloc · Post by **Dwyloc** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:43 am

sev wrote:I usually count number of spots of same color and locate them on some particular jeans wrinkle. Still it often takes 3+ times to pass through it.
Eugene

I don't know if it is a bug in scummvm or just luck but I have just tried my version of Future wars under DOSBOX and got the code right 1st attempt 3 times in a row verses spending 15 minutes trying to get in to the game once under scummvm.

But on the positive side it was thre first time I have managed to get in under scummvm and the graphics filters do help allot.

Some one suggested using the box screen shot as a guide instead of the manual as the colours are different on the box from my manual maybe I should try useing the box to find out if scummvm dose not support my version of future wars or if the problem is just my bad luck.

it would be just my luck if you can get past the copy protection with a screen shot of the box but not the copy protection sheet in the manual.

gtust · Post by **gtust** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 4:58 am

Come on! It took about 10 minutes to find a copy of the manual online. moderatorial

This game is considered abandonware by most, and since even the big server moderatorial, it seems there is no owner who cares either.

Anyway, I would very much like the SAVE-function to work. Now it just crashes the program.

Oh, and great work ScummVM team!

Forum Rule #0

fingolfin · Post by **fingolfin** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:32 am

There is no such thing as abandonware. See http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Copyright_FAQ

gtust · Post by **gtust** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 11:43 am

Yes, okay, but that is a bit beside the point here, since I'm refering to people not being able to test this game due to copyright restrictions. I do understand that the ScummVM team need to take the long road, but as far as I can see, this shortcut is even on the official city-map! (Not the best metaphor, no...

)

For Chri'sake, it's even linked from Moby Games:
http://www.mobygames.com

saulob · Post by **saulob** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 6:28 am

hmmm mobygames...

thank you gtust.

found it. can't even believe it

thank you sev, scummvm, thank you devs