Commodore 64 (C64) Preservation Project
Disk Database Statistics
Titles archived: 2347
Titles verified: 368
Titles added or verified in last year: 748

View/Query Database
Vorpal - Later
Epyx Vorpal (later versions with sync-less tracks)
Last Updated: 10/12/05

This protection is used to protect later Epyx games such as California Games, Legend of Blacksilver, Championshiop Wrestling, "The Games" Summer and Winter Editions, LA Crackdown, and Street Sports Basketball.

These disks contain several tracks (every other one for at least tracks < 18) that have no sync signal. I have partially disassembled the Maverick copier and it is trying to detect sectors on these syncless tracks by searching for the pattern $55 or $AA. We cannot detect a normal track cycle in these tracks by normal means due to unknown reasons. My educated guess is that either the tracks contain data written at different densities (doubtful, since there isn't any bad GCR) or it has several sectors that are "sliding" (bitshifted from one another) due to lack of framing.

Please contact me if you have any information about this disk format or protection! We have been able to archive them using the Maverick copier, since it reframes the sectors on these mystery tracks into something we can image. Also, Jim Drew's "Super Card 6.0" hardware/software is able to make exact working copies of these disks without a parameter, so it must be possible to find the track cycle somehow.

Donations Welcome
This project is all done in my spare time, if you like it, please consider donating any small amount you see fit using the link below.
User Account
Greetings, Guest.

Login
Reset Password
Create New Account

Browser cookies are required for these functions.
Help Support the Site
Recent Forum Posts
General Project News
Posted By Pete Rittwage (on 05/05/2008 @ 11:17)
Subject: More Donations
Thanks to Matt Larsen for sending in a box of disks, some of which aren't even in Gamebase yet! :) Also, Thanks Christian Lott and Tom Bies for sending in y...
Discuss this entry
Posted By Pete Rittwage (on 04/15/2008 @ 22:10)
Subject: Donations
Thanks very much to Gabriel Borchsenius and Joe Ricci, who recently sent in their disk collections for archiving. Thanks guys! Also thanks to Kenneth Kill J...
Discuss this entry
Posted By Pete Rittwage (on 03/16/2008 @ 15:17)
Subject: test
This is a test message....
Discuss this entry
Posted By Pete Rittwage (on 02/10/2008 @ 21:11)
Subject: Thanks!
Just sending out thanks to Dave M. who loaned me his disk collection for imaging. Dave had a couple hundred disks at least, which took me a couple months to ge...
Discuss this entry
Posted By Pete Rittwage (on 01/02/2008 @ 23:32)
Subject: Site updates
I did some big site updates that include a rolling up of many changes from Chris to the CMS and BBS. Also, I created a new DB stat panel and a new database q...
Discuss this entry
All content copyright (c) 1971-2061 by Peter Rittwage. All programs mentioned are copyrighted by their respective owners.