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General discussionRelease: Defender of the Crown(363 posts)(363 posts)
(363 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted September 09, 2014
To arms, my noble Saxon knights!

Defender of the Crown, a 1986 turn-based strategy classic, originally launched on the Commodore Amiga, is available in all it's pixelated glory on GOG.com, for $5.99!

We are happy to announce a new partnership with Cinemaware that will bring plenty of mouth-watering classics in their best available incarnations. Starting with Defender of the Crown, more classic titles from Cinemaware will release on GOG.com with both PC and emulated Commodore Amiga versions. Yes, the graphically superior, awesome, beautiful and shiny Amiga versions!

Today's release is a wonderful gem straight from the 80s. Back in the day, Defender of the Crown set a new standard for graphical presentation and innovative, fresh gameplay. As the leader of an initially sparse pack of Saxon knights, building up your army and influence as you proceed, you'll have to stick it to the Normans in an effort to gain control of the war-torn medieval England. Your strategic prowess as well as your sword fighting skills will be severely tested. This turn-based strategy classic will have you saving damsels in distress with your blade, jousting with fearsome knights, and besieging Norman castles - all the while reveling in the Amiga quality sound and beautiful graphics.

Defeat those pesky Normans and unite England in Defender of the Crown, for $5.99 on GOG.com.
Post edited September 09, 2014 by JudasIscariot
Posted September 11, 2014
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mangamuscle: Whether it is inside an executable or as an stand alone file, gog would need to include the kickstart rom in every digital copy of DotC, so either way hyperion would get whatever percentage of the sale they agreed with cinemaware, you would not get a discount if plead "I already have my own copy of 1.3". That is the reason I say that there must be another reason to hide the kickstart inside the executable.
You said yourself, that there are free and open ROMs being worked on, so making it separate also makes it easy for GOG or anyone else to drop Hyperion ROM later. That can be the reason why Hyperion try to lock Cinemaware and anyone who uses their games into shipping Hyperion's ROMs by requiring to make them inseparable from those games.That's what I meant that it's DRM-like.

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amok: In many ways, it makes sense to embed the kickstart file within the exe to get around the licensing with Hyperion, as making the 'stand-alone' means that every person buying the game also get a rom file. Sad, though, I would have nice to have one of the established (and working...) emulators so there would not be a need to start from scratch. Even just having the disk image would have helped...
I don't think it's reasonable. It smells very much like DRM approach. In this case it's forcing users to use proprietary ROMs even if there are free alternatives coming. All that is just because Hyperion want to be part of the deal even if there won't be a need for them.

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amok: see here for an overview: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstart_(Amiga)#Version_summary]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstart_(Amiga)#Version_summary[/url]
Thanks for the link.
Post edited September 11, 2014 by shmerl
Posted September 11, 2014
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Cinemaware: YES!
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tburger: ...and Wings (this classic one) ?
Yes, classic 1990 Wings is coming soon! :)
Posted September 11, 2014
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serpantino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5-m5BbXVbo
Enough said. (Ok so 1987 but close enough and arcade came out 1986)
:D
Bubble Bobble needs more votes
Posted September 11, 2014
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Cinemaware: Yes, classic 1990 Wings is coming soon! :)
This Cinemaware & GOG deal is going to cost me ...much..

Thank you for making that possible :-D
Posted September 11, 2014
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mangamuscle: Whether it is inside an executable or as an stand alone file, gog would need to include the kickstart rom in every digital copy of DotC, so either way hyperion would get whatever percentage of the sale they agreed with cinemaware, you would not get a discount if plead "I already have my own copy of 1.3". That is the reason I say that there must be another reason to hide the kickstart inside the executable.
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shmerl: You said yourself, that there are free and open ROMs being worked on, so making it separate also makes it easy for GOG or anyone else to drop Hyperion ROM later. That can be the reason why Hyperion try to lock Cinemaware and anyone who uses their games into shipping Hyperion's ROMs by requiring to make them inseparable from those games.That's what I meant that it's DRM-like.

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amok: In many ways, it makes sense to embed the kickstart file within the exe to get around the licensing with Hyperion, as making the 'stand-alone' means that every person buying the game also get a rom file. Sad, though, I would have nice to have one of the established (and working...) emulators so there would not be a need to start from scratch. Even just having the disk image would have helped...
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shmerl: I don't think it's reasonable. It smells very much like DRM approach. In this case it's forcing users to use proprietary ROMs even if there are free alternatives coming. All that is just because Hyperion want to be part of the deal even if there won't be a need for them.

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amok: see here for an overview: http://www.amigaforever.com/ (Plus Edition) and learn how to use WinUAE and Amiga Forever?

It's a matter of taste of course, not gonna argue what's the best approach & don't think there is.
Just that for me it's quite a lot simpler to launch AF and double click a game and grab a joystick :p
Stuff like Team 17 game catalogue is offered free from their site, all kinds of versions of their classic games.

But of course it's great to support this stuff that's going on here...
Post edited September 11, 2014 by superstande
Posted September 11, 2014
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superstande: maybe I'm simplifying too much, but why not just buy the whole catalogue of amiga kickstarts from http://www.amigaforever.com/ (Plus Edition) and learn how to use WinUAE and Amiga Forever?
Can you buy Defender of the Crown in original Amiga form, without it being bundled into a Windows executable? If yes, then your proposal is fine, that way you can play it on any OS, including Linux. But we are talking about the fact that GOG sells it as a version embedded into an executable. So unless you know how to extract it from there, your approach wouldn't work with this release.
Post edited September 11, 2014 by shmerl
Posted September 11, 2014
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shmerl: [...]
They made some deal with Hyperion who allowed them to use Amiga ROMs (I'm not familiar with them, so not sure what version).
[...]
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amok: DoftC came out on A500, so it is most likely 1.3 (the most common kickstart version for A500). In many ways, it makes sense to embed the kickstart file within the exe to get around the licensing with Hyperion, as making the 'stand-alone' means that every person buying the game also get a rom file. Sad, though, I would have nice to have one of the established (and working...) emulators so there would not be a need to start from scratch. Even just having the disk image would have helped...

Point of interest, though, if they do add the CDTV version, it is fine as it also use 1.3, but if they are adding CD32 they need to embed 3.1 also (used by A1200 and CD32)

see here for an overview: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstart_(Amiga)#Version_summary]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstart_(Amiga)#Version_summary[/url]
Being as I had 1 at launch, I am pretty sure this was an A1000 release. The A1000 being release Late 1985. DOC release 1986 Mid to early and A500 being released in some countries Late 1986 but mostly 1987.

I got my A1000 at launch based on the commodore trade show in London. Magic days. DOTC was a magic game to me back then as was Fairy Take Adventure and Star Glider.
Posted September 11, 2014
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superstande: maybe I'm simplifying too much, but why not just buy the whole catalogue of amiga kickstarts from http://www.amigaforever.com/ (Plus Edition) and learn how to use WinUAE and Amiga Forever?
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shmerl: Can you buy Defender of the Crown in original Amiga form, without it being bundled into a Windows executable? If yes, then your proposal is fine, that way you can play it on any OS, including Linux. But we are talking about the fact that GOG sells it as a version embedded into an executable. So unless you know how to extract it from there, your approach wouldn't work with this release.
hm yeah that's the point... I don't know anymore, man :)

Who knows who is the owner of that file these days, maybe the people who made the game back in the day...
All I know lots of old amiga games are legally free to download from internet, as they are offered by the companies who made the games. But with Defender of the Crown things might be different, it being sold again...

edit: Amiga Forever site is still pointing to Cinemaware as a "Download site"
http://www.amigaforever.com/games/
Post edited September 11, 2014 by superstande
Posted September 11, 2014
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superstande: edit: Amiga Forever site is still pointing to Cinemaware as a "Download site"
http://www.amigaforever.com/games/
Cinemaware are the owners of the game I think. We are talking about the problem of them not selling the game in the original form without that bundling. Unless I'm missing something and such version is also available.

UPDATE: Did anyone who bought this Windows bundle try to extract the original from there? Any success? If it's extractable, that's not so bad.
Post edited September 11, 2014 by shmerl
Posted September 11, 2014
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shmerl: UPDATE: Did anyone who bought this Windows bundle try to extract the original from there? Any success? If it's extractable, that's not so bad.
I've extracted the .adf files. Haven't tried to run 'em in an emulator, though.
Posted September 11, 2014
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shmerl: UPDATE: Did anyone who bought this Windows bundle try to extract the original from there? Any success? If it's extractable, that's not so bad.
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SCPM: I've extracted the .adf files. Haven't tried to run 'em in an emulator, though.
Sounds interesting. How exactly, were they just Windows executable resources extractable with resource manager? Or you used some other method?
Post edited September 11, 2014 by shmerl
Posted September 11, 2014
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SCPM: I've extracted the .adf files. Haven't tried to run 'em in an emulator, though.
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shmerl: Sounds interesting. How exactly, were they just Windows executable resources extractable with resource manager? Or you used some other method?
No other method, just extracted with 7zip from the exe.
Edit: Just tested the adf files in another emulator and they work.
Post edited September 11, 2014 by SCPM
Posted September 11, 2014
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shmerl: Sounds interesting. How exactly, were they just Windows executable resources extractable with resource manager? Or you used some other method?
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SCPM: No other method, just extracted with 7zip from the exe.
Perfect :) If anyone can confirm that it works with fs-uae on Linux (or winuae at least), I'd probably buy it.

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SCPM: Edit: Just tested the adf files in another emulator and they work.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Post edited September 11, 2014 by shmerl
Posted September 11, 2014
Somewhere i may still have a 5 1/4 floppy of this. Unlikely to read but could be framed for posterity or something.
Just cannot do it again but thank you for the laughs and memories. The Jousting ... just so, very ... , bad.
Posted September 11, 2014
any plans on offering the ADFs only, so people can choose for themselves in which environment they want to play the game (more accurate amiga emulator or even the real machine with an USB floppy emulator)?
Post edited September 11, 2014 by Pat123
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionRelease: Defender of the Crown(363 posts)(363 posts)
(363 posts)