Lenslok

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Steverd

Lenslok (lenslock)

Lenslok is a copy protection mechanism found in some computer games and other software on the 8-bit Atari computers, Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Sinclair QL, MSX and Amstrad CPC. The most famous game to use it was Elite for the ZX Spectrum.

The Lenslok device was essentially a row of prisms arranged vertically in a plastic holder. Before the game started, a two-letter code was displayed on the screen, but it was corrupted by being split into vertical bands which were then rearranged on screen. By viewing these bands through the Lenslok they were restored to their correct order and the code could be read and entered allowing access to the game. The device was small enough when folded flat to fit next to an audio cassette in a standard case. – Wikipedia

Lenslok was used on Elite and OCP Art Studio for the Commodore 64
There is a Lenslok emulator online here:
http://simonowen.com/spectrum/lenskey/

This is what the device looked like and how it’s used

Bard’s Tale III Codewheel

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Steverd

The game Bard’s Tale III:Thief of Fate also used a code wheel form of copy protection. This game was released in 1988 Electronic Arts.

The first two Bard’s Tale games used copy protection on the disk called: Pirateslayer.

There is a chart you can use here:Bards Tale 3b

OR you can download and print out the code wheel here: Bards Tale 3

Super Snapshot V4

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Steverd

I still own my original Super Snapshot V4, I probably bought in in 1988 or 89. But besides being an awesome snapshot cartridge it came with a few disk.

1. The Snapshot V4 disk
2. Snapshot Parameters disk
3. Snapshot Slide show disk

Lets look at them one at a time.

First disk below is the v4.0 disk it contains a list of games and tells you how to copy them. If a ‘Custom Copier’ is needed then you need Disk #2 the parameter disk. Both disk #1 & #2 also contain programs called Turbo 25 converter and Turbo 25 Utilities.

Continue reading →

Rocket Ranger Codewheel

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Steverd

I couldn’t find a scan of the actual USA release of the Rocket Ranger Codewheel or as Cinemaware called it the Secret Decoder Wheel. SO I sacrificed my personal one to make one to share. There is a UK version, BUT the numbers are much different than the USA release.

There are also a print out that is a couple of pages long from Project 64: Rocket Ranger

Then there is also this Commodore 64 program that had the codes, BUT wouldn’t you need TWO commodore 64s running to us this one? One for the codes & one for the game:

BUT how about the original USA codewheel?

It was actually pretty hard to copy back in the day, here look at the codes/numbers is this scan. You do NOT want the red numbers you needed the Cyan numbers UNDER the red number. The red film on the top part of the code wheel would make the red numbers vanish, which is easier to do in Photoshop. Below are my scan you can print out and use for the US release. The codes wheels, top and bottom both measure 6-1/2 inches in diameter.

Here are my scan in a ZIP file: RocketRanger-USA

Clone Newsletter #6

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Steverd

Here is the SIXTH issue of the Clone Newsletter. These have never been archived online before, so I am happy to be able to share them with you.
This issue was on RED paper and very hard to read, so I adjusted it so hopefully people can read it now. There is 12 pages in this issue.

Page One: Music from Micro-W, Mister Lister and the Font Factory
Page Two: Bugs/Fixes – Problems with Error #21
Page Three to Six: How to design an auto-start program boot
Page Seven to Nine: The Disk Examiner (program code)
Page Ten: Solutions: Trivia Fever, Beach-Head, Ghostbusters, Neutral Zone, Night Mission Pinball
Page Eleven: Letters to the Editor, Dongles, Musicalc
Page Twelve: Micro-W ads

PDF of Issue #6: Clone Newsletter-06b

Clone Newsletter #5

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Steverd

Here is the Fifth issue of the Clone Newsletter. These have never been archived online before, so I am happy to be able to share them with you. This is not much of an issue, but was still labelled as #5. It’s seven pages with two of them blank.

The first few pages talk about the new TOUGH NUTS Utility program.
Used to copy those programs that used track 36, or had extra sectors on a track.
This program can only work on one track at a time.
Option #1 Non-Standard Sectors – you can squeeze in extra sectors in a track and change the density.
Option #2 Singular Sync – Finds the sync mark and then copies the next 256 bytes, also used to create error #29 anywhere on the disk. Plus can create Off-Bytes.

ALSO in this issue is how to Backup Raid Over Moscow, Dallas and Zaxxon
Finally how to copy Slamball, Sentinel and Wizard.

PDF of Issue #5: Clone Newsletter-05b

Tough Nuts Screen shot

C64 Copy Protection

Documenting the History of the Commodore 64 protection scene