Bootlegs...

[JHendrix]

Ok, here's a question. If you do a ROM dump of a game, you have an EXACT copy of the ROM's contents. If you print up a new Neo Geo cart PCB and then place burned eeproms in them, how the hell do you have errors in the game? If everything is an exact copy, how do you have a MOTW w/ no endings or a messed up title screen? Just wondering as I'm doing a lab where we burn EEPROM's with some code we're writing, and I've been reading posts about messed up bootlegs, and I just wonder what's the reason they get screwed up.

Peace

JHendrix

 

[Arakon]

MOTW is encrypted, a rom dump is totally useless.
they use a beta version, which was not encrypted, but DOES have bugs and no endings.

as for bugs in others, sometimes the dump is bad, and sometimes the solder job is bad, so it fucks up.

 

[Blaine]

Yeah, the big reason it doesn't have endings is it's a beta copy, pre-encryption, that didn't have endings.

 

[doughboy]

Where do these beta copies come from??

I mean are there some floating around in arcades etc.

You'd be pretty pissed if you tried playing it at your arcade and you ended up with no ending or whatever...

 

[RevQuixo]

beta faeries.

 

[Joe McCabe]

Okay, I now have a question. Is the encryption chip for each game different, or could you dump a encrypted game and put it on a encrypted pcb, like KOF99. I was just wondering <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

 

[JHendrix]

yeah, I mean if it's a standard chip, can't you just replicate the logic? Even if it's a lot of pins (lot of bits in the ROM) it could be replicated. I guess no one really wants to take the time to crack it.

Peace

JHendrix

 

[RabbitTroop]

So JHendrix... can you do something for me. Ask your lab instructor/prof what the life expectancy of the code on EPROM chips is. Why is it they seem to degrade.. and can this be stoped. I normaly cover all EPROM chips with black electrical tape to keep out UV light, but will this protect the chip, or will it eventually die anyway? Just something I always wanted to know as we have had conflicting stories here.

-Nick

 

[Arakon]

any chip will die after a while, no matter if it's eprom or not.
covering the window can help a bit, but only if you use it in the sun often.

as for the replicating of the security chip.. no chance. they certainly don't allow dumping of the code, and are possibly even custom chips of which the pinout isn't known.

 

[JMKurtz]

The custom chip's usage is only known to SNK (and maybe even !Arcade!). This chip(s) seems to be generic enough which is why you can use a Kof99 home cart as a sac to convert other games, like PI2, Ganryu, Strikers, etc.

Rom dumps are not useless -- just not usefull for emulation people since they haven't figured out the encryption (yet). If you needed to repair a board, you could use a rom dump -- they are still standard ROM chips.

Just because these boards use encryption, doesn't mean there isn't bootleg games out there -- there is. Bootleggers can buy a cheap game that use these boards, replace the chips with a run of the latest game that fetches good money, and a bootleg is born.

SNK didn't accomplish anything by designing these new boards. Well, they did slow down emulation of their system, but recent actions have proven that it's not that great of an encryption method.

Jeff

 

[RabbitTroop]

Originally posted by Arakon:
<STRONG>any chip will die after a while, no matter if it's eprom or not.
covering the window can help a bit, but only if you use it in the sun often.</STRONG>

OK, fair enough... but do the EPROMs have the same life expectancy of a normal ROM, or are they prone to die before a normal ROM?

-Nick

 

[RabbitTroop]

anyone else with input on this...

-Nick

 

[BIG BEAR]

Originally posted by nruva:
<STRONG>anyone else with input on this...

-Nick</STRONG>

I've owned some MVS carts that appeared to have OTPROMS(One Time programmable ROMS) on the boards. These chips have no window and are cheaper than EPROMS. The chips I viewed had no identification on them and the boards were not identified as being SNK...
-BB