The Dark Series by Microzeit 

CRACKERS I: The Gold Rush (available)
CRACKERS II: The Data Storm (campaign)

The Data Storm will look at the transformation of the illegal scene in the 90s. Between the U.S., Europe and Hong Kong, crackers strove for global deals through huge data lines. Bigger and better umbrella organizations emerged. From then on, cracking and hacking games developed into an international business – even with sophisticated hardware copying tools at hand. The narrative of CRACKERS II reveals the story of some outstanding crackers and hackers on C64, SNES, Megadrive (Genesis), Amiga and especially on the Atari ST.

Relive the best computer times and experience the exceptional methods of famous code breakers, disk dealers, software pirates and law makers in the 1990s.

 

All book shots taken from “The Gold Rush” (see examples under the video).

Book Quality

• English Hardback Edition

• ~336 colour pages 

• Offset printing, 120 raster 

• High pigment inks 

• 170 x 230 mm portrait format 

• 135 gr/m² silk-matt illustration paper 

• Surface sealing (varnished pages)

• Made in Germany

In the 90s, the data lines ran hot and cracked games became a global business. During this period, European groups began to intensify their relationship with the American boards...
 

Alongside Elitendo, the International Cracking Service (ICS) swings into action with a lucrative Atari ST and SNES offering. The BBS board gains astonishing popularity. Especially inside the US-Atari scene, a “modem war” breaks out. To everyone’s surprise, the mastermind is a woman. Dark City of Fear, Maximum Overdrive, Pipeline and Black SnowSTorm – as the boards are called here – try to fight back.

Meanwhile in France, in the midst of the French gaming boom, a group of teenagers find the door to a new world. They meet in the schoolyard to form a computer alliance. The story of Fuzion is the real-life tale of Atari freaks reaching out for “the stars”. Their role models are Replicants and Blade Runners and when they join forces via the French RTEL, the world of Orion, Ellfire and Cameo is turned upside down.... Between the stalls of the Barras, we also meet Zippy again, together with Birdy and the Scottish traders. We track down what would remain untold and continue to hang on to The Medway Boys, Automation, Pompey Pirates and the British way of cracking. We also tell of Italian opulence, of a swapper centre in a villa and of Mafiasoft, of Swiss affairs and fake AT&T calling cards, of the computer paradise Poland with its liberal laws, and of special Amiga copiers on black markets.

CRACKERS II makes the 90s computer world tangible and separates the wheat (elite) from the chaff (lamer). American distribution is redefined and cracking is questioned by the crackers themselves. The book wanders across continents and proves the global basis of the illegal umbrella organisations. From the disk market and BBS Boards to console trading, we move through space and time and report on perhaps the biggest piracy coup of all time. Dive back into the world of BBS headquarters and their persecution to experience how the notorious German software lawyer Günter von Gravenreuth infiltrates the Amiga scene with its strictly monitored boards – told through the eyes of an anonymous defector with extraordinary espionage qualities.

What remains at the end of software piracy? What is the conclusion of the crackers? What have they done with their lives? “The Data Storm” takes stock.

Interview partners

The following scene and IT experts contributed to both books, either as informants or interview partners:

• Actarus // STCS, The Bladerunners
• AN Cool // TCB
• Angel // HMD, Elite
• Angel Face // The Fallen Angels
• Arthur Dent // Copy Service Stuttgart
• Axe // Delight, Superior
• Bacchus // Fairlight (C64, Amiga)
• Bandit // Climatics
• Banzai // STCS, The Bladerunners
• Brume // Elite
• Cameo // Fuzion
• Daryl // TEX
• DOM // HOFA, The Replicants
• E.G.B. // Cynix, Automation
• Ellfire // The Replicants
• Excalibur // A-Team, The Replicants
• Floyd // 42-Crew
• Ford Perfect // BMT
• Fury // The Replicants
• Gaston // BMT
• Gleb J. Albert // University of Zürich
• HC-Crack // The Bladerunners
• Illegal // The Replicants
• Jabba // Delight, Superior
• Lethal // Hotline
• Lowlife // Hotline, Elite, Elitendo
• Martin Backschat // FastCopy Pro
• Maxi // The Replicants
• Metallinos // Tristar and Red Sector Inc.
• Mr. Fly // Italian Cracking Service
• Orion // The Replicants
• Pet // B.O.S.S.
• Pitcher // Fairlight (C64, Amiga)
• R.AL // Hackers Of The Arena
• Radwar (C64) // inquired
• Rank Xerox // A-Team, The Replicants
• Ratboy // STCS, The Bladerunners
• Rob Northern (Copylock)
• Robocamp // VMAX
• Skinhead // Vex, International Cracking Service
• Sledge // Hotline, Elite, Elitendo
• SLiPPY // Vectronix 
• Snake // HOFA, The Replicants
• Spy // Quartex (Amiga)
• Stranger // HMD, Rebels (Amiga, ST)  
• The Alien // Pompey Pirates
• The Law // Automation, D-Bug
• The Lord aka. Tsunoo Rhilty // Troll & Co., 42-Crew, STCS, The Bladerunners 
• The Threat // International Cracking Service
• Troed // SCSI, International Cracking Service
• Was (Not Was) // LSD, Automation, D-Bug
• Yoda // The Marvelleous V8
• Zippy // The Medway Boys

Please understand that we need to protect the identities of most participants and therefore do not publish their real names here. It is only their permission that some of them are published in the book.

If we have missed you somehow, but you would like to see your opinion in the book, pls. get in touch with the author. E-mail: mbreddin[at]gmail.com 
 

Press & Companies

Backgrounds and anecdotes on producers, press & media, companies, pursuers and publishers are included in the two books.

• 68000er ST-Magazin
• Accolade
• Acornsoft
• Activision
• Aktueller Software Markt (ASM)
• Alpha Logic Bus
• AmiEXPO
• Amiga Format
• Amstrad
• APP
• Apple
• Argonaut
• Ariolasoft
• Ascon/Ascaron
• AT&T
• Atari Corp.
• BBC
• Bitmap Brothers
• Bobmark International
• Broderbund
• Bullfrog
• Bundesprüfstelle (BPS)
• Cachet
• Coktel Vision
• Commodore Inc.
• Copylock (Rob Northen)
• c’t Magazin
• Delphine Software
• Digital Research
• DMA Concept
• DMA Design
• Eclipse Software
• Electronic Arts
• ELSPA
• Epyx
• Erbe Software
• Ere Informatique
• Expose Software
• Factor 5
• FAST
• Faster Than Light (FTL)
• Firebird
• France 2+3 (FR2+3)
• Graftgold
• Gremlin Software
• Happy Computer
• Hebdogiciel
• Hewson
• IAAD
• Infocom
• Infogrames
• Kingsoft
• Lankhor
• Loriciel SA
• Lucasfilm Games
• Magic Bytes
• Magnetic Scrolls
• Mastertronic
• MCI Communications
• Microids
• Microprose
• Microsoft
• NEC
• New York Times
• Nintendo
• Ocean Software
• Ocean France
• Power Play
• Psygnosis
• Rainbird
• Rainbow Arts
• Sega
• Sierra Games
• Silmarils
• Sinclair
• Software 2000
• Sony
• ST Action
• ST Format
• ST User
• Stac Electronics
• Starbyte
• System 3
• Thalion Software GmbH
• Tilt
• Titus
• Triton
• USA Today
• U.S. Gold
• Ubi Soft

... and many more
 

Overview

In the following section we introduce the main topics of “The Data Storm”. They will accompany the narrative which is driven by the many interviews with protagonists of the cracking scene.

When Cracking became popular ... 

A blazing C64 nostalgia tour written by David Almer.

The passionate editor of the Swedish magazines Axess and Aorta has published numerous articles in Datormagazin Retro. He also knows everything about Genesis Project: The largest cross-platform collaboration among the most productive C64 cracking groups was founded in the late 80s and is still active. As a true insider, Almer tells you the story that made cracking so popular.

The colourful flashback to formative groups and cracktros of Fairlight, Eagle Soft Incorp., Radwar, Dynamic Duo, Hotline, Mr. Z, Strike Force, Triad, Yeti, 1001, ABC, Ikari and others ...

The Dark Net of the 90s

They break out of their teenage rooms.

In the 90s, many cracker groups and organisations merge into larger umbrella organisations: MCA, Hotline, Blade Runners and The Empire for instance become Elite and not only crack computer software and games, but also deal with the growing console market.

The trend towards internationalisation can be seen everywhere and a hot race for the fastest availability in the growing modem networks is about to begin....

Copy Markets

The mysterious traders from The Barras.

You could get anything here. A cheap disk copy for a few pounds? Cracked behind the counter with hardware copier? No problem. The journey through perhaps Europe’s most famous floppy disk market of the last century also takes up a considerable part of Episode Two. We not only learn more about the adventures of Zippy and the Medway Boys, but also follow the Amiga scene through the dodgy corridors of Glasgow.

CRACKERS II jumps into contemporary events and lets the reader experience what it was like at such markets.

Menu Machines

The Kings of Menu Disks.

The British were the masters of the Compact Menu. Groups and organisations like Medway Boys, Cynix, Pompey Pirates and Automation competed for the fastest release and invented highly optimised compression algorithms that far surpassed those of the games industry. Especially on the Atari ST, this menu scene flourished and spawned numerous imitators (beginnings in Episode One).

Those who could automate everything to the greatest possible extent were ahead of the game.

Spirit of Swapping

A notorious underground report by Stranger of Hemoroids/Rebels. 

The former French swapper and pack disk editor stood with both feet firmly planted in the ST and Amiga scene for many years. He took a key position. It was then that an individual called Stranger popped up everywhere and became a central figure of the early European file-sharing scene.

As part of numerous trading groups Stranger gives a deep insight into the business and communication of the 90s diskette dealers.

Rise of the computer class

The story of hacking and cracking is full of little side stories.

We’ve been talking to the insiders. Fuzion were one of them. We tell the incredible story of a group of teenage Frenchmen who met in the school playground to realise their dream of a small Atari ST cracker group, getting deeper and deeper into a black market business of international scale. Read how a couple of schoolboys became the best-connected cracker group of their time, surpassing even their role models: The Replicants. 

Come along for another journey down to the cracker’s ground.

US Modem Wars

The illegal race for intelligence, speed and distribution went on.

In the U.S. Little Lulu’s was the transshipment point for European cracks. But how were the boards operated and who were the SysOps behind such strange aliases? ​ST Amigos, ST Bandits, The Revolution, T.O.I, Nokturnal, The Big Four, ICS – to name but a few. With the help of Europe’s cracker elite, the rapid transatlantic availability of cracks became a global business model.

The US Modem Wars was led by a woman. Read the whole story in The Data Storm.

BBS World

Written by Troed, a former SysOp of the International Cracking Service. 

When night fell, Bulletin Boards became a mysterious meeting point for hackers. They developed into the first interactive network of the computer scene. But with modem speeds of less than 10,000 baud, downloading the latest software was a test of patience.

FidoNet, Blue Boxing, Calling Cards – high phone bills had to be avoided and the darkest hours used to minimize costs.

The Italian affair

The Italian conspiration went a step further.

The Italian Cracking Service evolved from the C64 and Amiga scene, expanded its influence and became the International Cracking Service with a princely offer to all supporters. Mr Fly has a name. Even the best French crackers paid their respects and visit the Italian master. The Italian  conspiration reached far into the retail sector and allowed the cracker groups a special way of marketing.

CRACKERS II takes a trip to Southern Europe to show how the local scene operated through the loopholes of the Italian laws.

Protections on Amiga and Atari ST

An exclusive dossier by Denis Lechevallier, today’s cybersecurity expert and former Atari ST/Amiga owner.

In an extensive special section, Denis Lechevallier deciphers the common copy protection techniques of its time. Using well-known computer games and exemplary copying methods (see X-Copy), he shows how the mechanisms worked and what was possible at the time to protect a diskette against piracy.

Gravenreuth & Partner

The software law in Germany.

Günter Freiherr von Gravenreuth and his law firm rigorously prosecuted juvenile delinquents. CRACKERS II now goes deeper into the mind of Mr Gravenreuth as a person and reveals how the master drove his persecution game through the cracker scene. It is the true and captivating story of an Amiga veteran who perfidiously took down his ancestral scene. What kind of person was behind the Gravenreuth partner?

Based on “Hackerland” and “Hackertales” by Denis Moschitto and Evrim Sen.   

ASCII Art

A cross scene feature by Senser (SNS), French ASCII artist. 

Developed mainly through restrictions on low data transmission in the bulletin boards more and more Ascii images evolved. Logos and graphics made with the character set only. Senser talks about the difference of the Atari and Amiga character sets, the restrictions and the signature character of the hardly considered graphic art. His works have been published widely and on numerous systems since 1994: ST, Amiga, Falcon, Windows and MS-DOS.

The book shows the most outstanding ASCII works with explanations in a special section.

Console Copiers

Good diskware and games worth cracking became increasingly rare in the 90s. 

Many groups decided to set up their own video console departments. The 16-bit console market exploded and showed the savvy Atari and Amiga coders what was possible with the right bit power and special chips. Elitendo, for example, specialised in Sega Megadrive copies while others jumped on the Super Nintendo wagon.

We reveal the copy road that took in the entire Eurasian region and required a sophisticated import business.

International Raids

Mountains of 3.5 inch floppy disks were hidden deep in cellars.

Copy stations, copy parties and copy sessions spread “warez” first all over Europe, and then across the world. As these copies were spreading like a virus, the law struck. Wherever you turned, you could be betrayed. Paranoia took hold. The hunt for “software pirates” had begun and The Criminal Police Organisation searched for the private homes of well-known dealers in international operational raids.

Read about the consequences of illegal diskette trading in the age of home computers and video consoles.

Amiga World

Black market deal: Amiga games.

We have dug up the best Barras anecdotes of the 90s. Especially on the Amiga, the cracker scene was organised in huge groups that were internationally intertwined operating with staff positions in large US companies. Calling cards flourished and were thrown into the scene en masse at knock-down prices.

CRACKERS II unravels the background of what is probably the biggest calling card scam in history, involving, among others, the prominent hacker Kim Dotcom.

When Demo infected Cracktro ...

Art gallery of formative cracktros and menus.

We look at the iconic side of cracktros and search for decisive works with formative aesthetics and technology and present the changes over time. The demo scene was known for extremely efficient machine code, which also challenged the cracktro scene and vis-à-vis. Intros became demos and demos became full-blown menus with joystick control.

CRACKERS II features a gallery of classic Atari ST screens.

Interview section

Why did I crack?

We checked and analysed the hot answers of the former crackers for the story. In a large interview section, CRACKERS II also introduces the people behind the stories. We show the faces of today’s IT and security experts who struggled in their youth to undermine protective mechanisms. What was the motivation to crack and distribute all these games? What did these guys take away for their lives? How do they look back on their computer times? 

Read more in the 50-page interview section for both books.

Has Piracy killed 16-bit Games?

ST/Amiga Format, ST Action, ACE, ST Magazine, Génération 4, Happy Computer, Power Play, ASM – above all, the game-concentrated magazines sought ways to address the scene and encouraged young buyers to maintain the games market and their jobs. 

What impact has piracy had on the programming market and computer sales? Undertake a press analysis with us – we ask the industry experts for facts and figures.

CRACKERS Goodies

Now let us have a look at the goodies which you are going to get with the different backing options. The following pictures are made for illustration purposes and show the different packages which are tied to the perks. Let’s get into it.
 

CRACKERS II Power Pack

With Power Pack II you get a complete new set of postcards (6-pack), two coasters, two bookmarks, an aluminium key ring and 1–2 winter-proofed cookies. Attention! Picture for illustration purposes.

Open up every fluid treasure with this great mobile cracker!

This mobile bottle opener can cope with any thirst. The aluminium cap lifter with metal key ring is made in sturdy quality and comes in a practical aluminium foil.

Hot tea or coffee right next to your computer?

These transparent and waterproof coasters (Ø 9.5 mm) are of lasting durability and will serve you for a long time. Two coasters are supplied with the set.

Power Pack I postcard motifs of iconic cracktros (6 motifs).

For the collector and the writer or just for a cracking thought: these cards are simply something special. The series is available and was created for Episode One.

Power Pack II postcard motifs of iconic cracktros (6 new motifs).

For the collector and the writer or just for a cracking thought: these cards are simply something special. Attention! Image for illustration purposes. Motifs not yet selected.

The new and glossy chrome bookmark (21 cm × 5,2 cm).

The large bookmark for the CRACKERS book series marks the last reading spot with shining confidence. It is made of 250 g/m² Magic Chrome paper.

CRACKERS Delight: a delicious home-backed bisquit.

Exclusively from “Mum’s Biscuit Kitchen” with non-industrial taste. We supply 1–2 crackers and/or chocolate biscuits with the new goodie pack. Packed in a heat-resistant aluminium foil.

Browse the borders on your tablet.

First time, we present the Border Trilogy (vol. 1–3) in full digital glory! All layout pages of the Atari books for your PC or Tablet in half the printing resolution (Adobe PDF, 150 dpi). For more insights, visit www.microzeit.com. 

Go physical! With the Dark Return Bundle.

The Dark Return Bundle adds three additional physical books to CRACKERS II. It contains Beyond The Borders (vol.2), Return of The Borders (vol.3) and CRACKERS I. Also included: digital versions of all Atari books. For more insights, visit www.microzeit.com. 

Add-ons

Upgrade your pledges with the Power Pack and/or Digital Books.

The following perks are upgradeable: Power Pack, Single Book, Signed Book, Book Duet, Book Trio, Twin Bundle, Dark Return Bundle. Simply use the “Add-on function” in the check out with no additional shipping costs!

Worldwide Shipment

You find the costs and estimated shipping times here. To reduce the shipping times and to offer a safer way of transportation, European countries will preferably be shipped by UPS with tracking. All prices include taxes. 

Single Books

Europe >>> UPS parcel
13 Euros   (4–8 days)

Germany >>> UPS/DPD parcel 
6 Euros   (2–4 days)

World >>> Book shipment 
12 Euros   (10–30 days)

Two Books / Bundles

Europe >>> UPS parcel 
14 Euros   (4–8 days) 

Germany >>> UPS/DPD parcel 
7 Euros   (2–4 days) 

World >>> Book shipment 
22 Euros   (10–30 days)

Twin Bundle

Europe >>> UPS parcel 
24 Euros   (4–8 days) 

Germany >>> UPS/DPD parcel 
12 Euros   (2–4 days) 

World >>> Book shipment 
22 Euros   (10–30 days)

Three Books / Bundles

Europe >>> UPS parcel 
16 Euros   (4–8 days) 

Germany >>> UPS/DPD parcel 
7 Euros   (2–4 days) 

World >>> Book shipment
34 Euros   (10–30 days)
 

Dark Return Bundle (two shipments)

Europe >>> UPS parcel 
13+16 Euros   (4–8 days) 

Germany >>> UPS/DPD parcel 
6+7 Euros   (2–4 days) 

World >>> Book shipment
12+34 Euros   (10–30 days)
 

About Me

I am a passionate book producer and live in the city of Hannover in Germany. Born in the mid-70s, I grew up with vinyl and cassettes as well as consoles and home computers, including Atari VCS, Magnavox Odyssey II, Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST. I was active in the ST demo scene as a pixel artist for about five years. After the home computer crash, I studied communication design and worked as web designer and video editor. I have been writing since 2008, first as a freelance online editor, then as a full-time magazine editor for audio, music, computer networks and digital topics. In 2016 I founded Microzeit to work on high quality books with a professional design. Proofreading is done by a native speaker and the text is re-edited by a another journalist with US experience.

Thanks to the support of a strong community, I was able to realise some amazing retrospectives of our computer youth.

Great graphic icons used on this page: 

• Bookbinding by Iris Vidal from the Noun Project
• Leather binding by Olena Panasovska from the Noun Project
• Mug by Iulia Ardeleanu from the Noun Project
• Cookie by Yeong Rong Kim from the Noun Project
• Plus by scott desmond from the Noun Project
• Shipment by Eucalyp from the Noun Project

Book design

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