From: lishka@dxcern.cern.ch (Christopher Lishka)
Subject: Re: Pinball Dreams
Organization: CERN European Lab for Particle Physics
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 09:22:43 GMT

Preliminary note: I have an Amiga 600HD running version 2.05 of the
Workbench.  I can get the exact numbers for the Kickstart ROMs and
Workbench if anyone wants them.

In <6715@stan.xx.swin.oz.au> h8eg083@stan.xx.swin.oz.au (Darren Gower) writes:

	>I have come across a severe problem with two separate sets of
	>Pinball Dreams disks I have received from my retailer.

	>Both randomly fail the protection check as they load the
	>'Nightmare' table.  When this occours, I get a multi color
	>screen (similar to what one sees when a cruncher is
	>decrunching) and the loading ceases, and I have to reboot.

Consider yourself lucky!  My game fails on the multi-color screen
*RIGHT* after the second disk is inserted.  I never even get to choose
a game.  I have original disks that I bought at the store when I
purchased my Amiga 600HD.


	>I have been told (after a call to 21st Century Entertainmant,
	>the distributors) that this is what happens when the
	>protection scheme discovers a copy, rather than the
	>originals.

Well, I *have* originals, not copies, and this is what seems to happen
with my originals.  I have heard a rumor that the copy-protection
scheme has problems with different floppy drives.  My originals will
not load with (a) the built-in floppy on my Amiga 600HD and (b) an old
original peripheral floppy (made by Commodore) from an A1000.  I can
read all other disks fine (and most of the disks came from my old
A2000 in the U.S.), so it is not an alignment problem.


	>I would like feedback from anyone with ORIGINAL disks as to
	>whether you have experienced any similar problems. It has
	>occoured for me with 2 disk sets, on 2 Amigas, so I find it
	>difficult to believe 'dodgy disks'. The game uses long track
	>protection schemes, and I remember similar problems with
	>Dragons Lair (same protection scheme). I want to keep this
	>great game, but if this is a common problem, maybe I should
	><sigh> return them.

I would love to simply be able to play this great game *at*all*.
Right now the only version that will run is the demo, which I love to
play.  When I have some time I will return the game and see if the
replacement works.

A plea to game manufacturers: *PLEASE* don't rely on super-tricky
copy-protection schemes.  Many seem to break based on different drive
types.  Given the fair amount of third-party floppy disk suppliers, it
is likely that the copy-porotection won't handle them all.
Copy-protection also hinders hard-disk installation.  I feel that
look-the-word-up copy-protection is much more preferable.  Other types
such as color-wheel or special table lookup is fine with me as well.

Copy-protection which doesn't allow owners of original versions of the
product to use what they bought is completely outrageous, and robs the
people who *DID* legitimately buy the software.  If people who buy the
original product can't run the programs, then the producers of the
game aren't going to make much money off it....

							.oO Chris Oo.
-- 
                                                           Christopher Lishka
 Never drive a car when you're dead...			   PPE Division, CERN
				-- Tom Waits		  lishka@dxcern.cern.ch
							     vxaluw::lishka