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User:ScotttheAnimator1979/PGA European Tour Golf

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Title Screen

PGA European Tour Golf

Developer: Infogrames
Publisher: Infogrames
Platform: PlayStation
Released in EU: November 18, 1999


PiracyIcon.png This game has anti-piracy features.


Anti-Piracy

Some PlayStation games released after 1998 (especially in PAL regions, like Europe, Oceania and South Africa) contain the LibCrypt protection system developed by Sony, in order to curb modchips and illegal copies on the system.

LibCrypt functions on the software level in two ways: by detecting a modchip upon bootup of the game, and by detecting an illegal copy through a 16-bit key located in the subchannel data of the disc. The first check is to see whether or not a modchip is installed on the system. As earlier modchips are active by default, all that is necessary to detect one is for the program to return data from a modchip. If it detects it, the game crashes immediately. This was mitigated by pirates with so-called "stealth" modchips, which turn off immediately when loading disc region data during boot-up. However, the second check now comes into play. The second part functions as a part of the game. It decrypts the 16-bit LibCrypt data key stored in the subchannel of the disc and stores it in the coprocessor of the system. If the data is incorrect, the game implements its anti-piracy measures. As most CD burners cannot properly replicate subchannel data on the disc, a pirated copy, whether burned directly to another disc or as a disc image, trips the anti-piracy measure by default.

A modded system allows for a backup, a pirated copy, or a legitimate copy of the game from a region different than the console, to start normally. However, with LibCrypt, the game can crash, freeze or perform tricks to prevent pirates, depending on the title.

In PGA European Tour Golf's case, In the third hole of the first tournament or by selecting some holes, the game will get stuck in demo mode (and will not let you play anything).

(Source: Kippykip, Copy Protected PlayStation games list, MVG's video about copy protection schemes on PS, Original TCRF Research)