Rectangle_v1.0.lha

README
Short : HD Installer for Rectangle
Author: DJ Mike (djmike@crystalmike.com)
Version: 1.0
Type: game/patch
Requires: WHDLoad 18, 512k chip mem

This patch applies to "Rectangle" © 1991 Turtle Byte.

Two versions are supported:
- Original disk release
- 2-disk Fairlight cracked version (due to the rarity of the original!)

Thanks to Martin Schaf for supplying an original of this very rare game!

REQUIREMENTS

- Original disk or compatible disk image
- Slave requires WHDLoad 18+
- Game requires 512k chip memory
  (+ approx 911k other memory for preload option)

FEATURES

- Game loads fully from HD
- Uses real files, which can be compressed with Propack, CrunchMania or FImp
- Quit game at any time (default key F10), including on 68000 machines
- Highscores loaded and saved to disk (delete Rectangle.highs to reset)
- RawDIC imager verifies all tracks with checksums when installing
  (as original had no checksums whatsoever!)
- Missing color bits fixed x5
- Blitter waits added x2
- Invalid writes to bltddat/$dff000 removed x2
- Out of range memory access fault in graphics routine fixed
- Game decruncher + stack pointer moved to fast memory if available
- Keyboard handler replaced as game's own did not handshake correctly
- Press Spacebar on title screen to immediately view highscores
- Press Q in game to quit to title screen / highscore entry
  (as pressing Escape only goes back to password screen)
- Trainer options added - set CUSTOM1 with any of the following:
  + 1 for infinite lives
  + 2 to freeze the level (press Down to move blocks manually)
  + 4 for in-game cheat keys (screen flashes blue for on, red for off):
    * L - toggle infinite lives
    * T - toggle freezing level
    * F1 - extra life
    * F2 - destroy all blocks on screen (only blocks fully on screen)
    * F3 - breakout paddle mode
    * F4 - thrown rocks instantly destroy blocks
    * F5 - extra points
    * F6 - player moves twice as fast
    * F7 - reset speed that blocks descend
- Color/New/Rom Icons included
- Source code included

HISTORY

Version 1.0 (2024-08-23)
- Initial release

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

This must be one of the most elaborate falling piece games I've ever seen!
More like a graphics slideshow that just happens to have a minigame you can
play at the same time.

It was an interesting game to patch nonetheless. The original disk format
unfortunately doesn't have checksums besides a track ID check, so I have
calculated CRC16 data for every track (using the TOSEC crack as a secondary
source) so that the original disk can be validated when installing.

The game also saved highscores to disk, but it in a track that contained
game data - risky! I've added a checksum for the rest of the track so
the important data should still be confirmed.

There was also an out of range write to memory in the highscore screen when
animating the character that climbs the screen. That was quite frustrating
to test so I also made it so Spacebar goes from the title screen to the
highscore screen, otherwise you have to wait forever for the title animation
to finish!

Other than that it was the usual fixes and trainers. The most time consuming
part of this patch was validating that the original I'd been sent was intact
because there was absolutely nothing in the game to prove it!

                  The codes for each level are as follows:

                 - Level 1.1      728636 - Level 6.1
                898071 - Level 1.2      126108 - Level 6.2
                912789 - Level 1.3      775057 - Level 6.3
                534662 - Level 2.1      690809 - Level 7.1
                350807 - Level 2.2      270848 - Level 7.2
                497786 - Level 2.3      769547 - Level 7.3
                478656 - Level 3.1      161118 - Level 8.1
                717464 - Level 3.2      286341 - Level 8.2
                450208 - Level 3.3      746061 - Level 8.3
                817674 - Level 4.1      118675 - Level 9.1
                738646 - Level 4.2      627935 - Level 9.2
                395054 - Level 4.3      599396 - Level 9.3
                790657 - Level 5.1      577554 - Level 10.1
                232620 - Level 5.2      815362 - Level 10.2
                430397 - Level 5.3      271963 - Level 10.3

Enjoy! :-)

Greetings and thanks to Pascal for testing, and the WHDLoad team.

--- DJ Mike (23rd August 2024)

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