I wonder if anybody remembers this, since it was posted several years ago on the old Omnimaga board. For some reasons, this old topic seems missing from Omnimaga database, probably because the downloads section replaced individual program topics, but with the discussions about people not reading Ndless/downgrade instructions and tutorials from new users missing important safety steps, I thought I should necrocross-post this thread from http://z9.invisionfree.com/omnimaga/index.php?showtopic=1804

Original 2007 post (with fixed link) quoted below:

Tired of getting questions about your games that are alerady awnsered in the readme? Tired of getting asked why the game doesn't work fine because the person didn't read the readme to know how to install the game properly? This program is for you. Altough it is pretty simple and can be hacked quite easily, it should force most people to read the readme to be even able to start the game at all by asking him for a password (which you will write in your readme too). Just insert the code of this program at the beginning of your launching program for your BASIC game. When a person run your game on his calculator for the first time after installing it it will prompt him for a password (of your choice), which you will write in your installation instruction of the game readme. Thus, if the person didn't read the readme he'll not even be able to run the game at all. Spread this program among all BASIC programmers to annoy those who don't read instructions when installing a game enough so next time they'll follow instructions before installing the files anywhere. DON'T WORRY! THIS PROGRAM ONLY ASK THE PASSWORD ONCE! It is made so once the game user typed the password it will never ask for it again unless he delete the game or the list variable called N00B.

Feel free to edit the text inside the program as well as the password.

Download here

I made this program way back in 2007 because I kept getting e-mails asking help on how to install my games, yet often the problems people had were because they didn't read the readme properly, if at all. Both the TI-Connect version of Zelda: Dark Link Quest and Metroid II: Expansion Set uses this utility. Despite being so easy to circumvent, it proved effective, as I stopped getting e-mails asking for support about installing those two games entirely afterward, plus people who don't follow instructions generally don't know how to turn a calculator ON, let alone edit a program.

Why am I bringing this up? Well, I think something similar should be implemented in TI-Nspire downgrade and Ndlessing utilities and perhaps ASM ones should be done for other calcs. If, for example, there is an important step to follow in the readme to avoid bricking your calc, then that step would conclude by asking you to enter a specific password once the calc prompts for it, to confirm that you have read it.


SOmething similar was done on United-TI, as discussed in the original thread, but I don't think it's available anywhere anymore.

EDIT: Another version by Nitacku that used hacked vars (XtraVar) http://z9.invisionfree.com/omnimaga/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=13462018

This is not unlike what games used back in the 80's and 90's to prevent piracy before Internet, you had to read the manual and type in a specific word written in it in order to play. This was actually more to make sure the player had a legit copy with the manual (and not a floppy disk copied from your friend's copy) than anything, but it still works to make sure you read the manual. I also saw some forum software doing the same thing, they buried a code in the FAQ and rules you have to type when registering to make sure you read the rules. (But of course there's a possibility of the user tl;dring the text in question and ask you what's the password buried in the text they didn't bothered to read, I saw that a few times.)

TL;DR but i read the illusat readme of some part for fun and it mentioned that

Erm, do you remember which Illusiat readme mentionned this program? IIRC, none of the Illusiat games implemented that.

eeeh, actually this was your zelda basic game *facehoof*