Copy Protection in 'Jet Set Willy': developing methodology for retrogame archaeology

[jetsetdanny]

I have come across a very interesting article, which discusses copy protection in Jet Set Willy in a truly academic manner. It is called 

Copy Protection in Jet Set Willy: developing methodology for retrogame archaeology

and it was written by John Aycock from the Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Canada, and by Andrew Reinhard from Archaeogaming.

 

You can read it here. It's amazing  :).

Edited March 10, 2018 by jetsetdanny

[Spider]

Looks like an excellent read. :) Thank you! I've bookmarked it for reading later today.

 

It is interesting to note, well as a 'sidenote' really as its copy protection: Most (non Spectrum) variants of Manic Miner actually *had* the padlock copy protection too. Certainly the MSX , Dragon and BBC Micro versions did as I have them to hand.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Spider

[jetsetdanny]

Andy, how would you define "padlock protection" in case of Spectrum games?

 

"Colour code protection" makes sense to me (because it kind of describes the way the protection works, or rather what it requires), but why "padlock"?

 

There's a whole list of games featuring padlock protection on WoS, but certainly they didn't all have colour code sheets. So what do they have in common as far as copy protection goes?

[Spider]

Andy, how would you define "padlock protection" in case of Spectrum games?

 

I do agree with you in that it may make more sense to call it 'Colour Code' as that is what it is, I think the term springs to mind as the original card does say "Padlock Protection" on it. :)

 

Regarding commonality, I think its a case of "a piece of something" as well as the game data if that makes sense ? As in 'back then' if you copied the tape it would be no help without the code chart / lenslock / manual** / other item.

 

** I recall something possibly not Spectrum based that would sometimes nag for a word or such from a certain page / paragraph / sentence from the original manual. Possibly a PC adventure game or such, but the principle I guess is the same, to make sure that the "extra item needed" would not be as easily copied as the original data tape/disk. :)

[jetsetdanny]

Thanks, Andy.

 

I don't know if colour photocopiers were readily available on your side of the Iron Curtain back in the 80s (they weren't here, I think), but if they were, it would have solved the 'problem' of the 'extra thing' easily enough... for those who copied games illegally, of course.

Edited March 12, 2018 by jetsetdanny

[Spider]

Thanks, Andy.

 

I don't know if colour photocopiers were readily available on your side of the Iron Curtain back in the 80s (they weren't here, I think), but if they were, it would have solved the 'problem' of the 'extra thing' easily enough... for those who copied games illegally, of course.

 

They were but they were (afaik) rare and expensive to use if you could find one. They were also not brilliant either. Most would use marker/coloured pencils to write out the 'codesheet' no doubt, possibly why the JSW2 one (and JSW1 for some variants) was several pages long. :D

 

As a sidenote I purchased Laser Basic in about 1986/87 and that had a green manual, green 'paper' and blank ink. As well as not being easy to read (my more expensive GAC manual was black/white but tiny text) it also I suppose was designed to prevent it being photocopied in either mono or colour. I still have them both. :)

[Metalmickey]

ok confession time (hands outstretched awaiting the handcuffs...) i actually copied out the entire codesheet using numbers for the colours and my mother's typewriter to re-create the colour chart, it took, to the best of my recollection, about 24 attempts to complete and an awful lot of tolerance from my mother putting up with the continuous 'clacking' of keys as i punched away at the keys, needless to say she did not thank me for wearing out her ribbon...

on the plus side i did manage to make a photocopy - friendly version which i managed to sell for 50p a sheet ... i think i made about

[jetsetdanny]

I hope you invested that 

[IRF]

You could buy your own mansion, with a stern housekeeper and a crazy chef...

[Metalmickey]

alas no Danny, but had the lottery been around at the time and if was old enough to play it i would perhaps have considered it ... and maybe even attempt to recreate a life-size version of Willy's Mansion and surrounding grounds ... probably wouldn't go as far as building a boobytrapped attic though....

Edited March 24, 2018 by Metalmickey