How Infinity games recognize its CDs, My research in this matter Options

[drake127]

First I have to say what games we are talking about: Baldur's Gate series, Icewind Dale series and Planescape Torment.

These games contain no CD protection within the meaning of reducing possibility of illegal copying of CDs. CDs can (in technical meaning) be copied without problem.

But when game starts it requires inserted CD. I am not sure if it should be protection or game only tries to check if there is CD in drive because possible loading files from this CD.

Game checks presence of CD in moment so it cannot check all CD content but only its part - only concrete files. And I found them. Game does not check content of these files but only their presence at least in case of BG series and PST. In Icewind Dale series content of these files is ASCII number of that CD and size of this file is 1 byte so I did not concern about it).

• Baldur's Gate: /CD1/MOVIES/MOVIES.BIF
• Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast: /CD6/MOVIES/MOVIECD6.BIF
• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn: /CD2/DATA/MOVHD0.BIF
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal: /CD5/DATA/AREA000B.BIF
• Icewind Dale: /CD2/DATA/IWDCD.2
• Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter: /CD3/DATA/IWDCD.3
• Icewind Dale II: /CD2/DATA/IWD2CD.2
• Planescape Torment (4 CD): /CD2/GENMOVA.BIF
• Planescape Torment (2 CD): /CD2/TORMENT.CD

If you decide to use this research, you will have to have full install of the game.

Legal note:
Creating CD with these files (better: with these filenames) is very easy and CD can be very small (no larger than 3.5" floppy) but in some countries it may be illegal because it bypasses CD protection (but as I said above, I am not sure if it is CD protection). So be aware of this - it can be illegal!

This post has been edited by drake127: Nov 20 2005, 11:58 AM

[Vlad]

Do you know which bytes on which offset to replace?

No, I don't know and I don't want to argue or even try to persuade someone to use this patch. From my experience and from the experience of many other gamers who have used this patch for years with different mods combinations and at different PCs with different OSs and configurations, it works like it should, no glithches, no problems. I cannot imagine now how whould I do without this patch. But you may always find better solution if you find.