Command & Conquer: The First Decade

[kosmiq]

Hmmm ok here's the latest info on this one:
the games are in their original state gfx wise and gameplay wise. NO changes at all there. No newer bugfixes than the latest patches for the games (guess they are automatically installed though).

This means:
C&C1 still looks the same, requires IPX and so on
Tiberian Sun and Generals still have crappy network code
Tiberian Sun Expansion might still be totally unplayable MP for some people due to a bug in the network code.

I am going to pick up this package tomorrow and will make a scan of the .exe files for each game to see if the protections have been updated to the latest safedisc (entire DVD is protected by safedisc 4.6, thats the info I have gotten atleast).

IF the .exe's still have the same protection perhaps the old cracks will work otherwise Safedisc Cleaner 1.2.0 will take good care of it.
I will look into that myself and if it can make working cracks of the safedisc protected exe's I will upload them to GCW.

I might also try original cracks for the game too see if they work as intended or if the games has been changed so that they don't function properly.

Update:
Here are the protections used on the games:

Red Alert: Cd-checks

C&C: cd-checks

Red Alert 2: cd-checks detected on .exe files but installed dir contains Safedisc files (00000000.256, 00000409.016, 00000409.256) and if I am not mistaken those are Safedisc 2 files(?)

Renegade: CD-check detected on .exe files. Dir also contains Safedisc files (same as RA2)

Generals & Zero Hour: Safedisc 4.60 detected and dir contains Safedisc files (safedisc 4.60 detected on generals.exe and CD-checks detected in game.dat)

Tiberian Sun: Safedisc 4.60 detected on game.exe, when scanning GAME.ICD the following result is displayed:
-> File has 272 (0110h) bytes of appended data starting at offset 0314000h
[!] Safedisc 1.11.000 detected but verification not successfull
assuming exe includes a faked Safedisc version or it has been cracked !
- Scan Took : 0.812 Seconds
no game has any crack applied. so I think the original .exe launched from the GAME.ICD file is still old safedisc and most likely will be easily extracted from the packaging and might be used.

The following games will launch when an image is created (used Alcohol 120% and cloned the DVD with Safedisc profile):
C&C
Red Alert
Red Alert 2
Renegade

no emulation turned on in Daemon-Tools 4.00.

Next update:
Games that launches with no DVD in drive and no image mounted.
Old cracks still working?
Safedisc Cleaner 1.2.0 testing on protected games.

Update2:

Dekstop Icon to start C&C The First Decade menu. launches fine with no DVD in drive/no image mounted.

C&C: Launches just fine. NOD and GDI campaigns startable, intro videos for both campaigns plays.
First mission workin 100% for both campaigns. No further testing needed.

Red Alert: Launches fine. Allied and Soviet campaigns startable. Correct intro video for both. First mission for both campaigns
startable and playable. No further testing needed.

Tiberian Sun: asking for correct disc.

Renegade: game starts just fine. first mission tested and verified playable.

Red Alert 2: game starts fine. Allied & Soviet campaign startable and first mission is fine. A lot of in game pauses when loading new
sounds/videos though. no idea why, most likely NOT due to image/dvd not mounted/in drive.

Yuri's Revenge: asks for correct cd-rom to be inserted.

Generals & Zero Hour: asks for correct cd-rom to be inserted.


Game versions according to in-game menu:
C&C: 1.04a
Red Alert: v2.00ECSAM
Tiberian Sun: 2.03 MMX ST-10
Renegade: 1.037 BH-838-01/23/2003-11:46:16
Red Alert 2: 1.006
Yuri's Revenge: 1.001
Generals: 1.8
Zero Hour: 1.04

Expansions that are separetely launched, thus not just adding to the game.
RA2:Yuri's Revenge
Generals:Zero Hour

Expansions that "follows" with original game (adding more campaigns mission, extra campaigns, whatever):
C&C:Covert Operations
RA:Aftermath, Counter-Strike
TS:Firestorm


Image Mounted and ALL emu options in Daemon-Tools enabled:
Because some games worked without image mounted, and no emu on, those games has not been tested here.

Tiberian Sun: still asking for disc
Red Alert 2 Yuri's Revenge: still asking for disc
Generals&Zero Hour: still asking for disc


Testing with avaible mini-images:
Generals: C&C: TFD launcher launched, Generals mini-image from GCW mounted in DT4.00 NO emulation enabled: Not working, still asks for disc. All emu enabled: not working
Zero Hour: Not working, tested the same way as Generals.
None of the above worked if launched from generals.exe file. Still asking for disc.


Using my own created image and Safedisc4 Hider 1.1:
Tiberian Sun: Starts fine. Exp. selectable and working. Have not tried anything else then starting the game.
Yuris Revenge: takes a while to start. stops at loading screen (before menu). intro's play fine. Might need to wait more before game actually starts.
Generals: Take VERY long time to get past splashscreen at launch. launches after a while though. seem to be heavy disc checking as music stops (winamp playback) and mousepointer not movable from time to time during launch.
Zero Hour: same behaviour as Generals on launch. Also starts after a while.


previously released cracks testing:
C&C Generals Zero Hour v1.04-Eng NoCD by IguanaMGT: Works fine. Noticed though that game.dat is NOT included in this version of Zero Hour.
That makes me think that perhaps the expansion is somehow linked to generals game.dat file? If the cracked game.dat is added into the Zero Hour
dir game will launch. If the game.dat that is cracked is renamed or removed game will not launch anymore. Unfort. I added the game.dat on the
first try. So I can ATM not verify my suspicions. Anyone else with the pack might try it out though.
Game starts blasing fast after cracking and seem to be working fine.

CommandAndConquerRedAlert2v1.006NoCDPatchEng: even if RA2 runs without this crack it is applied to see if it helps with the in-game pausing
issue or not. Crack did not solve pausing issue. Unknown to me if this is a known issue or not.
Notes about Red Alert 2: the .mix files containing video and so on will be installed along with the game to the HD so they are not needed to be
copied from CD to installed folder. When uncracked and no image mounted/no dvd in drive the 30sec explosion will NOT occur anyway so crack is not
needed here in any way.

CommandAndConquerTiberianSunv2.03NoCD: generic patcher not working here. already cracked .exe/dll is needed. ICD file not extractable with
generic tools due to game.exe has updated protection. unSafeDisc says "loader dodgy, aborting".

Further testing on hold until I feel the urge again.
If anyone has already cracked .exe's/dll's/other files that needs cracking I would appreciate if you could drop me a PM so we can work something
out so I can get them and keep testing. Gamefix is NOT working to download from.