Hacking PS1/2 Homebrew app APrip - Patch Out Additional Anti-Piracy Copy Protection Found In Some Later PSX Games

[ZartudatuGaming]

I did a patch for Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories and it hangs on the Konami intro screen both on real hardware and psx 1.13. I was able to get it to work with a ppf patch but just wanted to let you know this game doesn't run correctly post patch.

 

[alexfree]

I did a patch for Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories and it hangs on the Konami intro screen both on real hardware and psx 1.13. I was able to get it to work with a ppf patch but just wanted to let you know this game doesn't run correctly post patch.

Interesting. It seems the aprip part of the patch that fixes non-stealth mod-chip detection doesn't work for some APv1 games and all APv2 games on real hardware (that I finally have a non-stealth mod-chip console now, I realize testing in just emulation wasn't enough). The aprip part of the patch that fixes stock consoles works fine (and Tonyhax International does work for this game without patching thanks to the anti-piracy bypass system on a non-chipped stock console). Thanks for the report.

 

[alexfree]

APrip v1.0.5 update
Changes:

• Removed broken non-stealth mod-chip APv1/APv2 patching.
• Improved and cleaned up code, enabling build on Pop!OS.
• Added info on EDC Protected games.

 

[SylverReZ]

APrip v1.0.5 update
Changes:

• Removed broken non-stealth mod-chip APv1/APv2 patching.
• Improved and cleaned up code, enabling build on Pop!OS.
• Added info on EDC Protected games.

Congrats on the work!

 

[ZartudatuGaming]

Thanks for all the great work on this! Was there a fix to get games like Yu-Gi-Oh to work now? I did a test with psx 1.13 and it still hangs on the Konami screen and times just the Playstation screen. I haven't done a burn yet to check on actual hardware.

 

[alexfree]

Thanks for all the great work on this! Was there a fix to get games like Yu-Gi-Oh to work now? I did a test with psx 1.13 and it still hangs on the Konami screen and times just the Playstation screen. I haven't done a burn yet to check on actual hardware.

I removed the non-stealth modchip patch ability since it was broken. APrip can still patch that game and it will work on a console without a non-stealth modchip installed via a softmod like Unirom. It just wont work on a console with a non-stealth modchip or via psx 1.1.3.

If you use Tonyhax International you don't need to patch anything though because a bypass generated by aprip is supported fand automatically applied for unmodified consoles without a mod-chip.

APrip could be used to get that game working on an unmodified console using UNIROM though.

Alternatively you can use DuckStation to play the game without modifications.

 

[ZartudatuGaming]

I removed the non-stealth modchip patch ability since it was broken. APrip can still patch that game and it will work on a console without a non-stealth modchip installed via a softmod like Unirom. It just wont work on a console with a non-stealth modchip or via psx 1.1.3.

If you use Tonyhax International you don't need to patch anything though because a bypass generated by aprip is supported fand automatically applied for unmodified consoles without a mod-chip.

APrip could be used to get that game working on an unmodified console using UNIROM though.

Alternatively you can use DuckStation to play the game without modifications.

Thank you. I did test it on system (scph-101) which only uses FreePSXBoot, and it will not go further than that screen either. I haven't tried TonyHax Int. (never used it before, just FreePSXBoot via Unirom).

 

[alexfree]

Thank you. I did test it on system (scph-101) which only uses FreePSXBoot, and it will not go further than that screen either. I haven't tried TonyHax Int. (never used it before, just FreePSXBoot via Unirom).

If you use the most recent aprip update to patch the CD image and use the scph-101 with Unirom it will work as long as the scph-101 doesn't have a non-stealth mod-chip.

You can also just skip the patching and burn it unmodified, then load with Tonyhax International: https://alex-free.github.io/tonyhax-international/ as long as there is no non-stealth mod-chip in the console .

There is a freepsxboot version of Tonyhax International as well: https://alex-free.github.io/tonyhax-international/freepsxboot-exploit.html .

 

[ZartudatuGaming]

Thanks. What I currently use on the SCPH-101 is just FreePSXBoot which is applied to the memory card via https://unirom.github.io/ I have Unirom on a burnt disc and just pop in a memory card to slot 2 and install it, then use that. I'm guessing this is the same as https://alex-free.github.io/tonyhax-international/freepsxboot-exploit.html ??

 

[SylverReZ]

Thanks. What I currently use on the SCPH-101 is just FreePSXBoot which is applied to the memory card via https://unirom.github.io/ I have Unirom on a burnt disc and just pop in a memory card to slot 2 and install it, then use that. I'm guessing this is the same as https://alex-free.github.io/tonyhax-international/freepsxboot-exploit.html ??

FreePSXBoot can be compiled to bundle the Tonyhax loader, not just Unirom.

 

[ZartudatuGaming]

Since I didn't have a PS2 or any other way to get FreePSXBoot for a PS One as there is no Parallel I/O port, the only option I found was to use a Unirom boot disc to install FreePSXBoot to a memory card so I can boot into Unirom. Is what you're describing different? I thought FreePSXBoot and Tonyhax are two different things in terms of soft mods?

Sorry if I'm confused on this. Thanks!

 

[SylverReZ]

Since I didn't have a PS2 or any other way to get FreePSXBoot for a PS One as there is no Parallel I/O port, the only option I found was to use a Unirom boot disc to install FreePSXBoot to a memory card so I can boot into Unirom. Is what you're describing different? I thought FreePSXBoot and Tonyhax are two different things in terms of soft mods?

Sorry if I'm confused on this. Thanks!

Its okay. Tonyhax International and FreePSXBoot are two entirely different things altogether. FreePSXBoot is a memory card exploit whereas Tonyhax is a backup loader that can be compiled as either a boot disc, GameShark ROM or a FreePSXBoot image, is all I'm saying.

 

[ZartudatuGaming]

I see, thank you for explaining.

 

[SylverReZ]

I see, thank you for explaining.

No problem.

 

[khoanb1]

When I tried APrip patch for Yu-gi-oh Forbidden Memories (USA) with APv2 method, I got Konami logo stuck at the welcome screen.
If I use the patch from consolecopyworld, I don't have this problem

 

[alexfree]

When I tried APrip patch for Yu-gi-oh Forbidden Memories (USA) with APv2 method, I got Konami logo stuck at the welcome screen.
If I use the patch from consolecopyworld, I don't have this problem

Please make sure you are using the latest v1.0.5.

I have tested aprip disc image patching Yu-gi-oh Forbidden Memories USA again just now and it works correctly on my stock SCPH-7500 when booted via UniROM or Tonyhax International.

If you use Tonyhax International you don't need to patch the disc image though, that is redundant since Tonyhax International effectively does automatic patching on the fly for this game already.

If you have a non-stealth mod-chip APrip patching is not enough. APrip can only make the game work on a stock console without a non-stealth modchip installed. It only patches out the check that fails on stock consoles. It enables you to play the game on Unirom or Tonyhax International (but for International many games already have on the fly patching built-in to International and don't need to be patched).

Version 1.0.5 (7/28/2023)​

• aprip-1.0.5-windows_x86 For Windows 95 OSR 2.5 Or Newer (32-bit Windows)
• aprip-1.0.5-windows_x86_64 For 64-bit Windows
• aprip-1.0.5-linux_x86 For x86 Linux Distros
• aprip-1.0.5-linux_x86_64 For x86_64 Linux Distros
• aprip-1.0.5-source

Changes:

• Removed broken non-stealth mod-chip APv1/APv2 patching.
• Improved and cleaned up code, enabling build on Pop!OS.
• Added info on EDC Protected games.

 

[alexfree]

@SylverReZ I can't believe what we just discovered using your original test results on a PAL BIOS: https://www.psxdev.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=4080&p=22647#p22647 . Without someone overseas testing aprip we would have never figured this out!

 

[SylverReZ]

@SylverReZ I can't believe what we just discovered using your original test results on a PAL BIOS: https://www.psxdev.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=4080&p=22647#p22647 . Without someone overseas testing aprip we would have never figured this out!

Oh wow, that's incredible news.

 

[alexfree]

Oh wow, that's incredible news.

I can now have every single USA protected game work on a non-stealth mod-chip console (which I have, a SCPH-5501) using International! I need to update all of the codes though.

 

[SylverReZ]

I can now have every single USA protected game work on a non-stealth mod-chip console (which I have, a SCPH-5501) using International! I need to update all of the codes though.

Glad I managed to figure out what's up. Thanks for the amazing help.