That is the game executable, yes. But it is normally ran through a launcher, since you can't launch executables directly unless their extension is .exe; renaming them to .dat is a classic way games use to force users to use the launcher instead, which often gives extra configuration or options to the game. (It's not new. The original 1995 DOS C&C1 has "game.dat" as executable, ran by a tiny "C&C.exe" launcher program)
For example, in C&C3's case, the game's launcher can select a version from the different cnc3game.dat files in the version folders.
But yeah, it's very possible that feature was broken by Origin, then :-\
I'll look further into this, and see if maybe it can be repaired by adding the older version folders manually or something. But if these .dat files themselves were adapted to Origin, that chance is rather low.
I appreciate the help, also is there a way to add patches such as the 1.07 and such?
or would the 1.09 + origin, likely stand in the way like a big brainless bouncer?
I honestly have no idea. I'll see if I can find a moment to install the original DVD game and patch it the normal way, and see if I it works to run one of the earlier versions on Origin after copying over the folders. If so, I might be able to cook up a pack that can help you.
[edit]
Oh, it's still on my old hard disk from before I got my new PC. Ideal. I'll get to experimenting.
do note the problem is not specifically Origin's own copy protection, but the original game's own protection that makes it check for the DVD. Though since the original game's DVD check was rather redundant since the whole game ran from hard disk anyway, it's possible all of those exes have been replaced by no-DVD versions anyway... which would also solve the Origin problem 😕mileytongue:
(the no-dvd versions were in fact several megabytes smaller than the originals, because of all the extra junk in there to encrypt them without the valid DVD)
Since I'll just be distributing the exes without any other game data, to fix a legitimate problem in the Origin version, I don't think the 'distributing cracked versions' thing is much of a problem here, by the way.
