Where can I find WHDLoad installed games ?

[arkpandora]

Hello everyone,

Can someone tell me where I could find WHDLoad-installed games ?

I would like to test (on a real Amiga) some games of which I don't have any working original, which may have not been released by the SPS yet (for example "Elvira - The Arcade Game"), and without having to make use of floppy disks.

Thank you for any link !

[Homer]

Surely the whole point of WHDLoad is that you can only put uncracked games on to your hard drive, which kind of means you need to own the original game ?
What are the specs of your Amiga ? How do you propose to get the games to the Amiga without floppy disks ?

[motorollin]

Requesting links to copyrighted software is against a.org site policy.

--
moto

[TjLaZer]

Go visit English Amiga Board and read their FAQ.

http://eab.abime.net/

[arkpandora]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies !

Actually I have already installed - and I am using - my originals with WHDLoad.  But some of my original disks don't work anymore.  Whenever IPF files are available, the WHDLoad installer can (sometimes) use them instead of the original disks, but in some cases no IPF files have been released yet.  In that case, the only way to play an original version is to download pre-installed games.  That's why I wanted to know if it is possible to find pre-installed games for download.  I have found a few websites until now, but the main one is not available anymore, and the others don't offer many games.

When using IPF files or a pre-installed game, a floppy drive is not needed to run the game.

Against Amiga.org policy ?  Well, I'm sorry, thank you for the link.  I didn't realize that since I'm not against policy copyright, but trying to find replacements for my originals which are not working anymore.  As for the games I mentioned, I don't have the originals, since I want to "test" them.  But since numerous originals have now become unusable, I won't try to find one only to find out that it does not work, since I only want to test them, in other - copyright - words, determinate if the original is worth buying.  If those Amiga games were on CD, all I would have to do is buy them.  But copyright is overcome by physics, so overcoming physics is the first way to protect copyright, and that's what I am doing.

[sdyates]

I believe there are many sites that offer amiga games and software that have been freed from their licenses. There are many out there, but the one below, from what I read, only offers software where the licenses have been released.

Questionable Link Removed by Admin

I often prefer the cracked version over the original purchased ones -- less hassels.

F-18 is a perfect example. I love that game and hgave three original copies, but I always use the hacked version so I don't have to look up the code everytime.

Have fun and continue to support our few remaining vendors.

S

[arkpandora]

Thanks !  I didn't know this site.

But it seems to offer ADF files only, which are disk images of non-original (basically cracked) disks, not installed originals.

WHDLoad installers usually offer the same convenience as cracked copies, that is no more software protection and sometimes trainers, with more accuracy (since the original disks are used) and more comfort (quit key, built-in degrader, etc.)  Actually F/a-18 Interceptor's codewheel protection is removed by the installer, so since you have a 68020+, KS 2.0+ and a hard drive, just see http://www.whdload.de/games/F.html ...

Since my initial question seemed to be somewhat taboo, I will reword it (just replace the games list by "Rody & Mastico", English version) : is there a legal solution for someone who wants to go on using an original game which has become unusable, if no original disk image of this game exists yet, or if the latter can't be used on a real Amiga ?

[orange]

Have you checked EBAY? Its full of used, boxed, cheap Amiga games.. and its legal
When your game arrives, just use WHDload to install it, its easy.
BTW, dont forget to register WHDLoad, it removes nag screen.

[arkpandora]

Hi,

Thanks for your advices, but yes most of my originals come from eBay or online shops.  Buying another copy doesn't solve the problem, since any other original is on floppy disk too, hence perishable.  If my original copy does not work anymore, so may do another one.  If you find another copy for an affordable price, you can take the risk, but some games can't even be found anymore, or for a price that doesn't justify that risk.  Anyway, almost every game on floppy has now gone past its life expectancy, so even games which are still in working order won't soon work anymore.  So buying another copy of a game is not a solution.

Yes, I do use WHDLoad : that's why I am looking for WHDLoad-installed games.  And I have registered it, of course.  But WHDLoad alone doesn't solve the problem either, since it needs working original disks, or the SPS' IPF disk images of them (which too have to be downloaded somewhere if they aren't provided by the SPS themselves).

That's why my initial question is relevant, and not infringing any copyright.

[nasty]

MOTO - Requesting links to copyrighted software is against a.org site policy.

@arkpandora

and not infringing any copyright.

Whether or not you own the game is'nt the case. The Rules at A.org state as Moto said no links to copyrighted material, just because you own certin games does'nt mean everyone else does. And these sites also WILL contain games you dont own! So if you wanting to find these sites then I guess you better start asking Google!

You have also been giving a link to certin ADF's! I dont really see what your problem is in downloading these files and transfering them back to floppy disk and then using the WHD installiers for the game.

[Piru]

@sdyates

Disclaimer: All the software on this web site is no longer marketed or distributed by the companies that created it. In fact most of them no longer exist (sadly).
The games are all at least ten years old and not sold by companies anymore. Also remind that the copyrights of them has expired.

That is nonsense. Copyright does not expire in 10 years (it's closer to 130-150 years, assuming the author lives normal lifespan). Those downloads are illegal. If some website has such "Disclaimer", you can be pretty sure it IS warez and illegal downloads.

Please edit out the link.

I believe there are many sites that offer amiga games and software that have been freed from their licenses.

www.back2roots.org was the only one I knew of, but it had special license for distrubution of each file. Those files were NOT freed from their license, however, and redistribution was not allowed.

Example of another legal site: http://www.dream17.co.uk/softography.php

Dream17 has been given permission from Team17 to host ADF and IPF (SPS) Disk images of their Team17 titles. Under no circumstances is anyone to re-distribute or leech these titles without the prior consent of Team17 Software Ltd. Dream17 would like to thank the Software Preservation Society for giving us access to the IPF disk images.

Note how they do not claim any license or copyright "expiration" or such nonsense.

There are many out there, but the one below, from what I read, only offers software where the licenses have been released.

Seriously now, you believe such nonsense?

[leirbag28]

@arkpandora

Quote:

"Where can I find WHDLoad installed games ?"


On My Harddrive :-P

[arkpandora]

Hi,

if you wanting to find these sites then I guess you better start asking Google!

Ah! the kind friendship of Amiga.org members... ;-)  I did ask Google, but the latter wasn't more helpful.

OK, to Nasty :

I would agree with you if we were talking about comercially available games, and if we were I wouldn't have started this thread, since I would have bought the games I was asking for.  However, not only are numerous (if not most) Amiga games not available anymore, but even available games are perishable, hence unusable, soon if not already.

So let's consider three kinds of players.  To date, downloading an original's replacement copy may be the only available solution to the problem of game owners, which nowadays is the problem of every honest person who plays floppy disks games.  A person who does not own a game but wants to buy it, is or will soon be in one of the two following situations : he is unable to find the game he wants to buy, or there is no point in him purchasing the game since he knows it is or will soon be unusable.  Those remaining people who wouldn't buy the games they play won't be able to make the situation worse since no Amiga game is still on the market, so today no Amiga game can suffer from their behaviour.

So what must we do ?  In this situation, we have to choose between relying on people's honesty and preventing them to use what they own ; the first option is the most natural one.  Since the third kind of person does not change anything to this situation, the second option isn't even justified.  Anyway, honesty is not the result of adult prohibition but of child education.

In order to protect artists's interests and copyrights (which is a daily struggle as far as I'm concerned), to my knowledge only two solutions exist : to authorize a game's owner to download a replacement copy of his perishable game if one is available, or to re-release the game.  Since no re-release is scheduled, I am entitled to download a replacement copy if one is available.  And whenever I don't already own a game, I have to test it before trying to buy it, in case it would not be worth the hassle of years of eBay research (when it would be normal to order it from a computer shop), and deception of finally getting something unusable (but sometimes pleasant on a bookshelf).

By the way, the reason why I don't want ADF files is that they are not copies of the original game, but hacked-cracked ones, which mostly have altered the originals and are not compatible with WHDLoad installers.  And since my floppy drives are getting old and shaking, I prefer not to use floppies at all whenever possible.  Amiga floppy drives aren't manufactured anymore either.

Well, do you still believe I am wrong ?

[coldfish]

@arkpandora:

I can sympathise, I had an A1200 with loads of WHD installs and loads of originals on floppy, then my HD died.  No problem, reinstall a fresh Workbench, or so I thought....  When 10-20% of your original floppies are corrupted, and your backups randomly show read errors, what can you do?  

Most people here, fail to accept that Amiga floppies (and floppy drives) are looong past their shelf lifes and are virtually irreplacable.  And people are still hypersensitive to piracy, 10 years after its a moot point with the Amiga.  In many countries, if the host hardware is no longer in production/marketed then the software falls into a grey area in terms of the legality of duplication for private use.

Personally, I found life a lot simpler with WinUAE, and soon made that my primary Amiga source.  I havent touched a floppydisk since.

Screw WHDload!

[orange]

IIRC, the SPS/CAPS team that makes .ipf said that you may send them your broken original floppies and get .ipf, that could solve your problem. Also, have you tried using some copy program to read several times bad tracks and make working backups?
Maybe someone could just send you track that is unreadable, dunno if that would violate the copyright..