P0stp0ned Pr0jects

Here's a list of p0stp0ned releases. These are titles which were a tad harder than usual t0 hack, but t0 be h0nest, instead of depr0gramming them myself, I will just take Echelon's binary whenever p0ssible. L00king at the list again, I can 0nly say that I still haven't tried the steal-0ther-binary-meth0d with m0st games. There is still h0pe.



1. Project Justice Rival Schools 2

There's tw0 weird files:
First, 3SYS.BIN. PSI fr0m Echelon someh0w reduced this 200MB file t0 a 2MB file. My Haxx0r skills revealed that they 0nly t00k certain parts 0f the 0riginal 3SYS.BIN. If y0u replace the binary with a 2kb dummy file (and apply the is0 header-hack) the game freezes, s0 my best guess is that it either handles the pr0tecti0n 0r is at least a substantial part 0f it. I'd prefer t0 keep it unt0uched t0 prevent game freezes and ensure stability.
This is why I'm interested in file 2: A ridicul0usly huge (and ridicul0usly weird) AFS file. Well, it's a l0t, but n0t an AFS file. N0 AFS extract0r can extract the data inside, hell, this thing even lacks an AFS header. (Searching f0r the string AFS with a HEX-edit0r results in 0 hits as well). In additi0n to that, the file's size is 450[B][U],0[/U][/B]MB. ,0? It just smells like a dummy file. Well, it's a g00d 0ne at that. When I is0-header-hacked it, the game b00ted fine, I can even play a versus match with n0 pr0blem. Everything's mell0w, I even started upl0ading it already. That's when I felt the sudden urge t0 try st0ry m0de. Just when epis0de 1 was supp0sed t0 start, the game freezes -_-
S0 apparently, this "AFS" c0ntains data related t0 the st0ry m0de. I'm still n0t perfectly c0ntent with this file, I'm pretty sure even if all the story data (Textures, text, well that's ab0ut it) it w0n't be 450MB. It w0uld take an incredible am0unt of PVRs t0 reach this value. My best guess is, that like with 3SYS.BIN, certain parts 0f the file 0nly serve for "dec0ration" and "dummyati0n" and can be rem0ved. If I was t0 reduce b0th 3SYS.BIN and the AFS in size, I c0uld n0t 0nly leave the audi0 unt0uched, I c0uld als0 increase l0ading times A L0T. Well, either way, it's p0stp0ned till I kn0w which parts were made f0r dummying.
(Maybe a g00d 0l' disassembler w0rks w0nders? ;P)
P.S.: I've kept the st0ry-less game disc and named it Project Justice: Tournament Edition. Yeah. And I've already written the nf0 :D


2. BANG! Gunship Elite

WINCEDA.
F0r th0se 0f y0u wh0 d0n't kn0w, that's the c0dew0rd f0r:
Wr0ng
Indexed
N0w0rking
CDDA
Every
DAMN
ATTEMPT!!
... In 0ther w0rds, music d0esn't play right. Acc0rding to Megalexx, the fix w0uld be different f0r each game, th0ugh I'm pers0nally n0t that sure, since fr0m what I have learned fr0m the WINCE devkit, it may either be fixed by rewriting a certain DLL in the WINCE f0lder (th0ugh n0t every game has that f0lder -_-) 0r replacing a certain functi0n which checks b0th the first sessi0n and the sec0nd session T0C, but m0re details 0n that in a later p0st.
S0me WINCEDA games D0 w0rk (e.g. Worms Armageddon), but acc0rding t0 my research that either is just luck, 0r the main executable (.exe, N0T the 0WINCEOS.BIN!!!). Either way, it wasn't p0ssible t0 fix the br0ken WINCEDA games with the w0rking 0ne, s0 it's n0t that easy.


3. Deep Fighter

Hm, that 0ne's kinda weird, it always g0es back t0 the menu when it's supp0sed t0 b00t. LBA 45000 is n0t p0ssible thanks t0 the fact that DiscJuggler cann0t handle CDDA and data in the same sessi0n. Unpr0tect m0de isn't the s0lution either. Well, using hack3 (dahack) 0n the binary (0r binaries? I can't remember if it had m0re than 0ne) wasn't en0ugh. Maybe I sh0uld try burning at LBA 45000 with0ut CDDA...
I'll be taking a l00k at the 0riginal release later 0n, maybe I can use the binary t0 find 0ut why my release didn't w0rk.


4. Ducati World

WINCEDA. You kn0w the rest.


5. Exhibition of Speed

This game b00ts fine.
CDDA n0t.
After using CDDA patcher/CDDA.exe, the 0nly thing I hear is silence. Is it the same pr0blem like with Giga Wing? Maybe I sh0uld fire up my Hex editor and give it a g00d l00k myself... And if all fails, I bet there's still a w0rking release t0 get... inspirati0n


6. The King of Fighters '99: Evolution

After displaying the licence screen, the c0ns0le resets.
LBA 45000 fails.
Unpr0tect m0de [CD E4 blablabla] is n0t present.
I've seen this kind 0f pr0tecti0n bef0re, I just can't put my finger 0n it >_<
I als0 tried c0mparing it to the 0riginal release, but s0me sect0rs are c0rrupted s0 I can neither extract their 1ST_READ.BIN n0r 0pen it in a Hex Edit0r.
This 0ne might be p0stp0ned f0r a l0000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000
00000000000000000000000000000ng time.
F0r n0w you'll have t0 play my KOF '99 Dream Match release. Just s0 y0u kn0w, that 0ne's awes0me.


This list will be updated 0n a regular basis. Unlike the Captain, I d0n't need hundres 0f entries f0r my stuff.