STAC Adventure Decrypter

[Mug UK]

All work by Zippy based on an original request by myself.

Use this tool to convert the .LNK files into .ADV files so that you can load any PD/Commercially released STAC adventure back into STAC and see how it works.

When you create a runnable version of your ADV source file, STAC basically encrypts it. There's no "compilation" involved at all. So to get the adventure back into the original file, you have to decrypt it.

Hence this tool by Zippy has been written.

stachack v1.02.zip

I've been testing it on a few STAC adventures that I could find (thanks to Marcer's USB stick of goodies) and it works to a point. There are certain things in an ADV file that seem to cause issues with STAC. Zippy has traced through the decryption code and what is generated is what the runnable .PRG file works with.

So there might be issues that you will find. Post them in this thread with a copy of the original LNK file.

Mega.NZ

I've set up a Mega.NZ bolthole where I will be posting my WIP decryption, but I'm also heading out on holiday in a few days, so it will lie dormant until I get back. Damn holidays getting in the way of ST shenanigans!

https://mega.nz/folder/G88k1KTA#GWl1ABbgqd-SIpkKlxhx2A - it only contains the various hacks of STAC that I could find by Was (Not Was), Bladerunners and Rebellion.

Tomorrow I will upload all the ADV files that I've created from LNK files so far.

STAC Manual

In case you need it, here's a link to the scan of my original STAC manual as purchased way back in the late 80s!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/a02inkj3 ... 79vgj&dl=0

[Zippy]

If you convert the decrypted ADV file back into a LNK file to make the full stand alone game again I've found it's best to use the original PRG file to run it rather than creating a new PRG file from within STAC.

If they use a different font sometimes it's only included within the original PRG file rather than as a separate FNT file so a newly created PRG file will be missing the font and the game text won't display properly, but if you use the original PRG file it works fine. The original PRG file may only look for the LNK file on Drive A: so you may need to create a disk image with the original PRG and LNK file for Drive A: , or at least have a blank disk in Drive A: to avoid the error when it tries to access the drive.

Obviously it was never intended that the LNK files would be loaded back into STAC like this, so there may be a few strange things like the missing font issue. This is really intended just to allow a look at the source code to help with making a "walk through" solution or to help with a problem you're stuck with in a STAC adventure.

[Mug UK]

I've updated the Mega.NZ with a few adventures (both in original MSA format and split into files).

[Greenious]

So this is how the great adventurer wins...

Jokes aside, a list of games created with STAC would be interesting. Is there one somewhere?

Edit: Duh, your Mega site has them individually sorted! There's quite a few!

[Mug UK]

Loads more to upload from Marcer's USB but on my hols tomorrow, so not much more will be uploaded until end of October.

[Zippy]

So this is how the great adventurer wins...

Of course! Haven't you seen the first series of "Halt and catch fire" where the best programmers are selected because they hacked the adventure game they were all playing to find the solution?

[Mug UK]

So this is how the great adventurer wins...

Yep. Press P to Print Pity STAC doesn't generate a pictorial map of the rooms.

All the STAC adventures I've uploaded are based on the full list from Atari Legend's database. E.g. find Shymer then click on STAC link on left-hand side to get the full lot.

But there's a few issues with some of the text but they can easily be fixed by hand.

[cb]

Nice utility!
Here is a modified version in order to use it more convenientely under FreeMint and TOSWin2 as a TOS executable with only 2 changes:

-the mouse pointer is now active when the program runs,
-the input cursor is better aligned (it was displayed 2 lines too high on screen).