GameJackal: A First Look

Thank you for your time guys. Be sure in knowing this great feedback is going into improveing the program in future releases.

Hmmn, hey everybody. I've been playing PC games for a long while up until recently when the quality of PC games became so poor. But what is the point of this app, if u just download a fixed exe u can usually play games without the CD also in this age with the price of CDs and HD space does it matter. Also with the pirce hard drives cost does 700mb make a difference, plus discs being so cheap nowadays it's it easier to just copy and replace the exe? Hey only my opinons i hope it all goes well though if it could just stop CP protecton that would be good but having the original in this age is something of a rarety.

pervo, a fixed exe is a no-cd crack which should not be talked about on this forum. plese go read the rules

Valid point, but unfortunately an illegal one. No-cd cracks are reverse engineered .exe's that can be damaging to the game itself. Depends on the quality of the coder, but i have seen major problems with them. Also some can take time to appear, so while you are waiting, your original may already be damaged. Also what happens if you are on your laptop and you have no access to the internet? As mentioned earlier the target audience is not necessarily the hardcore gamer, as they will always find free ways around a situation.

The old saying "each to their own" seems very fitting here. If Game Jackal isn't for you, then there is always somebody else.

Agree. I know of cracks that even interfere with the registry. Game Jackal is the legal way of playing games on your hard drive without making backups or massive images.

To put Game Jackal in some sort of perspective:


Version 1 includes:

Safedisc up to v3.2 (this needs to be tested more conclusively, but should work)
Securom < v5 (ie 4.8+, including DVDs)


Version 2 will be in beta soon and will address the following:

Securom 5 (we know why it doesn't work and have found a solution)
Starforce 3 (again we know why this doesn't work)


One of the design parameters of Game Jackal was to not target any specific copy protection. This allowed the development team to focus on functionality rather than being distracted with the details of individual games. The first release of Game Jackal (1st of June 2004) employed technology that utilized this generic approach and gave Game Jackal support for approximately 85% of games tested. The development team is now directing their efforts on v2.0 of this technology. This will enable Game Jackal to support an even higher percentage of games and will ensure that Game Jackal is compatible with future game releases.

Having said that you can now see why it is difficult to define which protections work, so on the Game Jackal forum we have a list of real users and their experiences.

I must say that my system is also in the minority of people who can't get any games to run. Ock and I have gone back and forth on the GJ forum about this, but we were not able to figure out the problem. I still think this is a fantastic program with TONS of potential. Once finals are over tonight, I plan on taking some time out to really get down to the bottom of this, even if it means a full re-install.

For those protections, is that cd only or Cd and DVD?

Both CD and DVD

A couple more questions on the new version if I may.
Do you have any more information on the version 2 release dates at all? Or is it a case of when it's ready.
Also do you have all of the Beta Testers you need. I am sure there are a few on this forum that wouldn't mind a chance to help out and givethe new version a spin.

I asked that very same question to the development team this morning and am waiting for their reply. Will let you know the outcome

Funnily enough there are quite a few beta testers who visit this forum regularly, some even gold memebers. One springs to mind is Cyberwiz. If you would like to join the Beta team, please let me know by PM and i will see what i can do.

Yes, being a Gold beta test member is a good thing, I love it. It was a joy to work with the other beta testers and the dev team in helping to make this product awesome.

I post as Animosis on the GJ forum's, so look for me.

-S-

Being a gold beta tester was more of a chance of luck, who signed the application first.

But being one is really cool as you get your own license for GJ, not getting it out of luck but being highest priority.

never triad gamejakel, triad gamejack, not jackeL, mite giv it a spin

Any info on when the version 2 beta will be out??? Want to test all the great new features that (i hope) will be available!

Thank you for your interest in Game Jackal. At present i have emailed the Development team and await their response. I am as keen as you guys are to see what Game Jackal can really do.

Be assured when i know, you all will know!

Great thanks Ockingshay!

It's strange to think that this one program could render all backup software irrelavent if it fulfills its potential....it's a great program

Yes, our aim is to make it as easy as possible for users to protect their investment, and with the v2 with take another step closer to that goal.

As promised here is an update on the current Game Jackal situation.

Version 2 is very close to being tested internally, which includes Securom 5 support. In terms of time-scale we are looking at 4-6 weeks before it is released to beta testers. I know this may seem like a long time, but the entire application has been revamped to give us a much better base to tackle future protections with.

I hope everyone who enjoys our Appllication will bare with us on this matter, and i look forward to updating you soon.

I go on holiday tomorrow for two weeks, so i won't have much time to spend on this board, but if you have any concerns please feel free to pm/email me and i will reply as soon as i can.

Kind Regards

Great stuff, havent tried it yet, will do.
Question: does it do tages yet? because i'm getting sick of swapping discs with XIII

No tages support as yet, but that might change in version 2. It's a superb program though!

great stuff, i'll wait till it has tages, then i'll try it out

Thanks for the speedy response Ock. (in other thread ) Will be good to see what improvements have been made in version 2...i await its release with anticipation, and patience!

I think an update is in order, so here goes:

The implementation and redesigning of V2 to make it more robust and futureproof is taking a little longer than we expected. There have been some serious overhauls going on and this all adds to the timescale. The good news is that the front-end is finished, whilst the back-end is moving along nicely. 3 weeks ago we said it would take 4-6 weeks before a beta test was sent out and this is looking true (more 6 than 4 however)

When more information and features are available i will continue to post and would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience on this matter.

So far all versions of safedisc and securom are supported on cd/dvd.

Thanks for the update Ockingshay.

Ah I see you have been customised in the title department.