ModdingWiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Mega Man

2019-08-14T04:38:50Z

Rainwarrior: /* External Links */ sfprod has a page about this with info

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = No
| Tiles = No
| Sprites = No
| Fullscreen = No
| Sound = No
| Music = No
| Text = No
| Story = No
| Interface = No
}}

[[Mega Man]] and '''Mega Man 3''' are DOS platform games created by Stephen Rozner (Rozner Labs) published in 1990 and 1992 by Hi-Tech Expressions. They were officially licensed by Capcom, but are not directly based on the NES games of the same name.

== External Links ==
* [https://tcrf.net/Notes:Mega_Man_(DOS) TCRF: Notes] - Mega Man reverse-engineering notes.
* [http://sfprod.shikadi.net/games/megaman3.htm S&F Prod. - Mega Man 3] - Mega Man 3 utilities and file information.

[[Category:Sidescroller]]

Mega Man

2019-08-14T01:47:40Z

Rainwarrior: found a TCRF page with useful RE notes

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = No
| Tiles = No
| Sprites = No
| Fullscreen = No
| Sound = No
| Music = No
| Text = No
| Story = No
| Interface = No
}}

[[Mega Man]] and '''Mega Man 3''' are DOS platform games created by Stephen Rozner (Rozner Labs) published in 1990 and 1992 by Hi-Tech Expressions. They were officially licensed by Capcom, but are not directly based on the NES games of the same name.

== External Links ==
* [https://tcrf.net/Notes:Mega_Man_(DOS) TCRF: Notes] - reverse-engineering notes.

[[Category:Sidescroller]]

Aspetra

2019-08-11T07:37:27Z

Rainwarrior: /* External Links */ TCRF

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = Edit
| Tiles = Edit
| Sprites = Edit
| Fullscreen = Edit
| Sound = None
| Music = Edit
| Text = Edit
| Story = Edit
| Interface = No
}}

[[Aspetra]] is a DOS RPG created by Andy Wood, released in 1996 under the company name Zonarware.

== Tools ==
* [https://gist.github.com/bbbradsmith/864232d2bcbda59ce7c9625747448218#file-aspetra_dump-py GIST] - Python script for dumping game files

== File Formats ==
* [https://gist.github.com/bbbradsmith/864232d2bcbda59ce7c9625747448218#file-aspetra_notes-txt GIST] - File format notes

== External Links ==
* [https://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Aspetra.html RGB Classic Games: Aspetra] - game description and shareware version download.
* [https://tcrf.net/Aspetra The Cutting Room Floor: Aspetra] - unused content from the game files.

[[Category:RPG]]

File:Aspetra.png

2019-08-11T07:35:30Z

Rainwarrior: Aspetra title screen Category:Game Title Screens

[[Aspetra]] title screen

[[Category:Game Title Screens]]

Aspetra

2019-08-11T07:34:00Z

Rainwarrior: Aspetra

Mega Man/Mods

2019-08-07T00:54:01Z

Rainwarrior: speed fix mod

This pages lists mods for [[Mega Man]] and [[Mega Man 3]].

== Speed fix ==
These games run too quickly on most PCs (fast 286 or later). This mod adds an option to choose a framerate, synchronized with the video refresh, and fixes other minor issues due to CPU speed.
* [https://github.com/bbbradsmith/mmpatch mmpatch] - patch utility and source code

[[Category:Mega Man]]
[[Category:Mods by game]]

Category:Mega Man

2019-08-07T00:49:15Z

Rainwarrior: game category

Mega Man/Cheats

2019-08-07T00:47:29Z

Rainwarrior: cheats

This pages lists cheats for [[Mega Man]] and [[Mega Man 3]].

== Invincibility ==

On the setup screen, type the letters '''N''' and '''D''' before beginning the game. In Mega Man 3 the letter ''n'' will appear next to "Start Game" to indicate this, but in Mega Man there will be no indicator.

Mega Man will no longer take damage. Mega Man may fall into an inescapable pit, but you can press '''Esc''' to pause, then '''F10''' to restart a level.

[[Category:Cheat Codes]]
[[Category:Mega Man]]

File:Mega Man.png

2019-08-07T00:38:48Z

Rainwarrior: Mega Man title screen Category:Game Title Screens

[[Mega Man]] title screen

[[Category:Game Title Screens]]

Mega Man

2019-08-07T00:36:56Z

Rainwarrior: avoid redirect

Mega Man 3

2019-08-07T00:36:24Z

Rainwarrior: redirect to Mega Man

#REDIRECT [[Mega Man]]

Mega Man

2019-08-07T00:36:03Z

Rainwarrior: creating stub

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = No
| Tiles = No
| Sprites = No
| Fullscreen = No
| Sound = No
| Music = No
| Text = No
| Story = No
| Interface = No
}}

[[Mega Man]] and [[Mega Man 3]] are DOS platform games created by Stephen Rozner (Rozner Labs) published in 1990 and 1992 by Hi-Tech Expressions. They were officially licensed by Capcom, but are not directly based on the NES games of the same name.

[[Category:Sidescroller]]

Microsoft EXEPACK

2019-08-07T00:28:55Z

Rainwarrior: /* Games packed with EXEPACK */ Aspetra, Mega Man, Mega Man 3

{{Compression Infobox
| Type = Stream
| UnitSize = 1-bit
| Games =
{{Game|Captain Comic II}}
{{Game|King's Bounty}}
}}

[[Microsoft EXEPACK]] is a an executable file compressor used by several classic games.

EXEPACK compression could be added to a program by <tt>LINK.EXE /EXEPACK</tt>
switch or by invoking <tt>EXEPACK.EXE</tt> utility, that was distributed with MASM.

==Games using EXEPACK==
Some games utilize EXEPACK as an inner layer of their compression:

* [[Ultima 4]]
* [[King's Bounty]]

==Games packed with EXEPACK==

* [[1869]] (1992) by Max Design
* [[A10 Tank Killer]] (1989) by Dynamix
* [[Ace Of Aces]] (1987) by Accolade
* [[Alien Attack]] (1997) by Eldon Martin
* [[Alien Syndrome]] (1987) by Sega Entertainment Inc
* [[Aspetra]] (1996) by Zonarware
* [[Ballrace]] (1988) by Carl Mclawhorn
* [[Barbarian II Dungeons Of Drax]] (1988) by Epyx
* [[Bards Tale Construction Set the]] (1991) by Interplay
* [[Battle Of Austerlitz]] (1989) by Cornerstone Software Inc
* [[Beetlejuice In Skeletons In The Closet]] (1990) by Hi Tech Expressions Inc
* [[Beyond Columns]] (1990) by Sega Entertainment Inc
* [[Bible Builder]] (1992) by Everbright

* [[Big Sea]] (1994) by Starbyte
* [[Bravo Romeo Delta]] (1993) by Frankennstein
* [[Bugs Bunny Hare Brained The]] (1990) by Hi Tech Expressions Inc
* [[California Games]] (1987) by Epyx
* [[California Games II]] (1990) by Epyx
* [[Captain Comic II]] (1990) by Michael Denio
* [[Chessmaster 2100]] (1988) by Software Toolworks
* [[Das Boot]] (1990) by Three Sixty Pacific
* [[Don't Go Alone]] (1989) by Accolade
* [[Ega Roids]] (1986) by Designer Software
* [[Elite]] (1985) by Firebird Software Ltd
* [[Fantasy Pinball]] (1994) by 21st Century Entertainment
* [[Fantasy World Dizzy]] (1990) by Codemasters
* [[Fort Apache]] (1992)
* [[Greens 1.01]] (1992) by Microprose Software Inc
* [[Gunship 2000]] (1990,1991) by Microprose Software Inc
* [[Highway Patrol II]] (1989) by Titus Interactive
* [[Humans 3]] (1996) by Imagitec Design
* [[License To Kill]] (1989) by Domark
* [[Mario Teaches Typing]] (1992) by Interplay
* [[Mean Mini Golf]] (1992) by Johnathon Lexa
* [[Mega Man]] (1990) by Hi Tech Expressions Inc
* [[Mega Man 3]] (1992) by Hi Tech Expressions Inc
* [[Pc Bowl]] (1983) by Bareware Systems
* [[Pc Starglider 2]] (1988) by Argonaut Software
* [[Pinball Dreams]] (1992) by 21st Century Entertainment
* [[Pinball Fantasies]] (1992) by 21st Century Entertainment
* [[Pyramid Of Egypt]] (1989) by Softdisk Publishing

* [[Rocket Ranger]] (1988) by Cinemaware Corporation
* [[Romance Of The Three Kingdoms II]] (1990) by Koei Co Ltd
* [[Star Fleet II Krellan Commander]] (1989) by Interstel
* [[Star Trek 5 The Final Frontier]] (1989) by Mindscape Inc
* [[Street Rod 2 The Next Generation]] (1991) by California Dreams
* [[Tower Toppler]] (1987) by Us Gold
* [[Trek Trivia]] (1988) by Apogee Software Ltd
* [[Ultimate Gin]] (1993) by Accidential Software

* [[World Trophy Soccer]] (1989) by Novotrade

==File Format==
<pre>
offset length purpose
0 0x1C DOS exe header
??? ??? packed exe
0x12 unpacker vars (EXEPACK variables, see below)
0x105 unpacker code
0x16 string "Packed file is corrupt"
??? packed reloc table (see below for more information)

offset to packed exe = header * 16 (from exe header)
length of packed exe = CS:IP (from exe header)
length of packed reloc table = exepack_size - dest_len (from exepack variables)
</pre>
===EXEPACK variables===
Variables used by the exepack unpacker (all except <tt>mem_start</tt> are pre-initialized):

{|class="wikitable"
!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||real_IP||real start address (offset)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||real_CS||real start address (offset)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||mem_start||start of the exe in memory (segment)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||exepack_size||size of <tt>unpacker vars + unpacker code + error string + packed reloc table</tt> in bytes
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||real_SP||real stack (offset)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||real_SS||real stack (segment)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||dest_len||destination of the unpacker code (in paragraphs, relative to start of exe in memory)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||skip_len||<i>number of paragraphs between packed exe and unpacker variables</i> + 1
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||signature||"RB" (magic number of exepacked files)
|}

=== Relocation Table ===

<pre>
packed relocation table = section_0, section_1, ..., section_0xf
section = number_of_entries [can be zero], set of entry [can be empty]
number_of_entries = unsigned word (16 bits)
entry = unsigned word (16 bits)

An entry in section n patches the segment value at:
0x1000*n + entry (relative to the start of the exe in memory)
</pre>

== Decompression algorithm ==

The exepack unpacker first copies itself to the location stored in <tt>dest_len</tt>.
(the value in <tt>dest_len</tt> also equals the unpacked exe's size in paragraphs).
It then executes a retf to the new location and starts unpacking.
The unpacking algorithm works like this:

<source lang="c">
int srcPos; /* start at the end of the packed exe, because the unpacker works downwards */
int dstPos;
int commandByte, lengthWord, fillByte;

/* skip all 0xff bytes (they're just padding to make the packed exe's size a multiple of 16 */
while (*srcPos == 0xff) {
srcPos--;
}

/* unpack */
do {
commandByte = *(srcPos--);

switch (commandByte & 0xFE) {
/* (byte)value (word)length (byte)0xb0 */
/* writes a run of <length> bytes with a value of <value> */
case 0xb0:
lengthWord = (*(srcPos--))*0x100;
lengthWord += *(srcPos--);
fillByte = *(srcPos--);
for (i = 0; i < lengthWord; i++) {
*(dstPos--) = fillByte;
}
break;
/* (word)length (byte)0xb2 */
/* copies the next <length> bytes */
case 0xb2:
lengthWord = (*(srcPos--))*0x100;
lengthWord += *(srcPos--);
for (i = 0; i < lengthWord; i++) {
*(dstPos--) = *(srcPos--);
}
break;
/* unknown command */
default:
printf("Unknown command %x at position %x\n", commandByte, srcPos);
exit(1);
break;
}
} while ((commandByte & 1) != 1); /* lowest bit set => last block */
</source>

Notes:
* The sizes of both the packed exe and the unpacked exe are multiples of 16
* The unpacker code unpacks the exe onto itself, i.e. the unpacked exe has the same starting address (in memory) as the packed exe (in memory).

== Credits ==

This information was adopted from http://cvs.z88dk.org/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/xu4/doc/avatarExepacked.txt?revision=1.1&root=zxu4&view=markup
by aowen. The source page said:
<blockquote>
Please send additions, corrections and feedback to this e-mail address:
Remove space + vowels from "marc winterrowd" and append "at yahoo dot com"
</blockquote>

== Tools ==

http://www.tbcnet.com/~clive/unpack.zip
http://www.tbcnet.com/~clive/vcomwinp.html
UNPACK, a DOS program written by Clive Turvey, that decompresses files packed with Microsoft EXEPACK.

https://sourceforge.net/p/openkb/code/ci/master/tree/src/tools/unexepack.c
unexepack, open-source / public domain exepack decompressor

[[Category:EXE Compression]]
[[Category:Code examples]]

User:Rainwarrior

2019-08-07T00:13:10Z

Rainwarrior: disambiguate some terms with links

Video game developer and musician from Ontario, Canada.

Interested in older game platforms, including but not limited to: DOS, NES, Atari ST. Occasionally enjoys patching or reverse engineering games.

Learned game programming mostly on DOS in the 1990s. Spent a lot of time with QBasic and [http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/ DJGPP]. Hung around the [https://verge-rpg.com/ VERGE RPG engine] community and dreamed about making DOS games. Eventually released a game called [http://lizardnes.com Lizard] for DOS in 2018.

Website: [http://rainwarrior.ca http://rainwarrior.ca]