Short : HD Installer for Oilmania
Author: DJ Mike (djmike@crystalmike.com)
Version: 1.0
Type: game/patch
Requires: WHDLoad 19, RawDIC 5, 512k chip mem

This patch applies to "Oilmania" © 1990 Soft Company X.

The patch will work with the Tarkus Team crack.
If you have an original of the Amigo magazine release, please get in touch!

REQUIREMENTS

- Original disk or compatible disk image
- Slave requires WHDLoad 19+
- RawDIC 5 for the imager
- Game requires 512k chip memory
  (+ approx 930k other memory for preload option)

FEATURES

- Game loads fully from HD using real files
- Quit game at any time (default key F10), including on 68000 machines
- Highscores loaded and saved to disk
- Stack and decompression moved to fast memory if available
- Keyboard handling rewritten
- Raster line waits rewritten so timing works on fast machines
- CPU-dependent (empty DBF) loops fixed
- Missing blitter waits fixed
- Memory persistence removed (won't reload on reset)
- Bad access to CIAA register fixed
- Sound glitches on starting game fixed (music wasn't silenced)
- Fixed byte write to audXvol registers (missing notes in music)
- "Press Fire" screens actually wait for fire button
- Intro screen can now be skipped with fire on both controllers
- Trainer/other options added - set CUSTOM1 with any of the following:
  + 1 for infinite lives
  + 2 to enable HELP to skip main levels (not bonus)
- Color/New/Rom Icons included
- Source code included

HISTORY

Version 1.0 (2025-07-04)
- Initial release

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

This has been on my to-do list for some time. It's a fun clone of Oil's Well
on the C64 and although it can be a tad frustrating it's fun for a bit.

There were quite a few annoying problems in the code, particularly a lot of
random blits that didn't wait (and others that did!) that were cumbersome to
individually patch, as there were a lot of permutations. There were also
unreliable raster line waits which meant the timing code was shonky and
failed altogether on fast machines/emulators (very similar to Magic Serpent
that I patched in the past).

Also, I have no idea how the keyboard manages to work in this game because
the attempt at handshaking was really quite ropey, but there you go. I have
replaced that altogether so it should be fine on all machines.

I had to smile at the number of compression routines used - Double Action,
StoneCracker and PowerPacker all make an appearance!

Enjoy! :-)

--- DJ Mike (4th July 2025)

         Bug report form, full WHDLoad package and other installs:
                          http://www.whdload.de

THIS PACKAGE COMES WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO USE, RESULTS AND
PERFORMANCE OF THE PACKAGE IS ASSUMED BY YOU AND IF THE PACKAGE SHOULD PROVE
TO BE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
REPAIR OR OTHER REMEDIATION.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, CAN THE AUTHOR BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE
CAUSED IN ANY USUAL, SPECIAL, OR ACCIDENTAL WAY, ALSO IF THE OWNER OR A
THIRD PARTY HAS BEEN POINTED AT SUCH POSSIBILITIES OF DAMAGE.