Any idea on how to crack a password?

There's this really old shareware game from 1997~ that I have a trial version of that I want to crack. You're only allowed up to a few levels before it quits playing, and need a password to unlock the full game. The people behind the game have long since shut down, and I'm at a loss on what to do to get this fully working.

Dunno if this considered inappropriate discussion in any case. If anyone can help though, let me know through here or PM. Thanks!

 

Get a hex editor of your choice (e.g. hex workshop) and open the exe file with it. Search for a STRING like "thank you" or "congratulations" or something like that, something that will show up after you entered the right password. Then have a look what jump caused it. Change that address so it jumps every time. Now it should work with every password.

If the game uses a check sum though, you can try with a real time debugger like soft ice.

 

Ah, forgot to mention that the game is Japanese, so any congrats message isn't going to be displaying in a hex editor. Any ideas there? :x

 

Hmm...

Maybe you can search with a resource hacker for said message. Then have a look in the hex editor again as to when said message is used.

 

Have you tried maybe seeing if the email still works and maybe paying for the game? I registered a 9 year old Palm application and got the unlock code for it...

 

Hmm..I got a resource program and found the area for where you put a password. The error for when you get the password wrong doesn't appear anywhere though. Not sure what else I can do. If I link the file to you think you could possibly figure something out? heh

 

I already have tried emailing them, I'm just trying this in the meantime, Call me impatient if you wish

If it's of any concern, this game has long since been remade by the same people under a different company name, and was also released as freeware. Don't think an earlier version of the game that they no longer support or even offer for download will matter to them if its password gets cracked

 

What is the said game then?

 

Well, the one I'm trying to crack is called Silk Road 2. At the moment it's released as freeware as a remake named まこまこぱにっく. People might be familiar with the creators, they're the same people who made Vampire, a Castlevania clone that's been around for quite awhile.

I can tell you might think I'm hiding something, but it's not a recent game I'm trying to crack or something here =p I actually spent several hours writing an article on the game today, and its various versions. It'd be neat to get to play this version through so I can note other differences.

 

A 2 minute search of google.jp would show that you can still register it for 1050 yen...

 

I think that is fair, considering the time and effort it would cost to crack it anyway...

 

Bramsworth, register it as Jamtex points out, Cause it is no good cracking that game. If you can register it that cheap. Cause if you could not register, I would probably know two Ducth guys who could take a look into it. But That was only, if it was freeware, and you could not could get it registered.

 

Link - http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/game/se077656.html

Creators link - http://chinchilla.xsrv.jp/game/silk2_win/index.htm

Quite a few games that can be downloaded for free from there, although there are a number that can't...

Cool you can download a Gameboy version of Silk Road.

http://chinchilla.xsrv.jp/game/gbsilk/gbsilk.htm

Here is the said remake if people want to download it for free

http://chinchilla.xsrv.jp/game/mako/index.html

And here is a remake of the original silk road (a nice puzzle game which I do own the original of (you can buy it for Y1000 too...)).

http://chinchilla.xsrv.jp/cgi-bin/diarypro/diary.cgi?date=20100503

 

That vector page is where I downloaded it actually. When it said shareware and showed the price though, I wasn't even aware that it meant it's still for sale. Thought it was just a record of what the game cost when it was still available. Especially since it's not for sale on Chinchilla's own webpage, I just didn't think they were selling it anymore.

Well, I've already got their mail and even had spoken to them before I posted this thread. I'll just wait for them to respond again and see what they tell me. I honestly didn't know that vector site is really selling anything.

And yeah, everyone should check out all the stuff on their site. They make a lot of great looking games. I'd like to track down a copy of シルクロード　星の島の物語, the sequel to Silk Road that eventually became Mako Mako Panic. Know of it Jamtex? Surprised there actually is anyone with a real copy of the first Silk Road too, that's pretty neat.

Also, no I'm not going to crack this anymore if anyone's wondering. I do support them and their games and will try to pay for it now that I know they apparently still get paid for it. Just gotta figure out how I'm gonna do payment now.

Edit: Whoa, dunno if they're talking about me or not but on that blog it looks like they're selling Silk Road again. http://chinchilla.xsrv.jp/cgi-bin/diarypro/diary.cgi?no=584

Only 300 yen, neat

 

I've read this a few times and every time I come to the same conclusion....WHAT?!?

Ascii text (RODATA) is normally stored in an entire different area in an exe/elf then the code (TEXT). You'd need to disassemble the game to bypass a check.

Your example would work if say maybe the game runs on an interp script that's not precompiled.

:shrug:

 

I was also puzzled. You'd need to step into the code to look for the JMP, not just search for the text strings.

In addition, you could try to alter the memory to bypass the check using something like cheat engine, but like it's already been said, everything is more trouble than just being honest. (^_^);

 

Yeah, I forgot that Windasm step, sorry.

 

I recently got a response from Chinchilla and sure enough, they told me that they don't officially support these games anymore(in Silk Roads case, the version on that Vector site), including any form of selling. So that vector site as I suspected isn't selling anything for the original creators benefit.

Still looking for someone to try to buy Silk Road for me from them since they've recently officially rereleased it for download. I messaged Jamtex but got no response, I guess because this thread gave off the wrong impression or something?

 

Password is always "Joshua".

 

Disregard what I said. I just got another email, apparently the guy I've been talking with hasn't been with them long enough and he says he wasn't aware that the guy who started Chinchilla/Sprite actually IS in collaboration with that vector site. Simple mistake.

Your humor is a mixed bag GP. I'm not sure I get what the reference is =p