Found -> working version of S.D.I./Activision (c) 1988ish

[Codetapper]

Hi guys

I am looking for somebody who has S.D.I./Activision, a game released around Xmas 1988/January 1989 (when heaps of big names came out like Op Wolf, Afterburner, Robocop etc).

This game is not the piece of garbage Cinemaware game, but a simultaneous mouse/joystick affair set in space (basically a side on shoot-em-up). It was pretty cool on the c64 from memory (2 joysticks required - one to move the gun sight and one to move the shooting thingy)

There is a version cracked by Paranoimia going around which is 240k or so (compressed) and seems to be corrupt. After the title picture appears it just crashes. I've looked at the code and it looks really messy, it jumps into the middle of some data which is definitely not code hence hangs...

Also at $10a00ish on the disk it says "Please insert disc two and press space" which either means it's either a 2 disk game or the programmers used some standard code from a previous game to make it look like a 2 disk game.

I am after the original *or* a working crack - either will do at this stage. You can test your version using the attached WHDLoad slave - if it gets past the title picture without crashing, please get in touch with me! If it doesn't load at all, it means Paranoimia hacked the version I worked off to pieces hence you have another version - so please send!

The attached slave is just that - a slave only, no icon. To run it, just change to the directory with the game and type WHDLoad SDI.slave PRELOAD (or steal an icon from another game and change the slave name).

Also please note that I am away in Australia from Wednesday August 29 until September 9 so you will get no reply from me during that time! If somebody does upload a working version to the ADF zone, can somebody please download it for me for when I return? Cheers...

PS: Phobia WHDLoad was just released on the Action site (see I don't just leech!)


Ian: Removed attachment

Hi there
I uploaded the 2 versions I found on my harddisk.
One of them is cracked by Aha while the other one in fact seems to be the Original (I knew one can thrust TOSEC :haha )
They both worked fine on my A1200 with Turboboard and Fastram and I didn't even have to mess with the CPU caches or display mode settings.
Nice game, but on the Aha version I got out of fuel real quick when shooting alienships I guess this is too tough for me.
The Original also worked fine, but it crashed on me while I was shooting alienships, but I think this to be a problem of my computer, as it has been crashing quite frequently lately and I'm not sure if it's due to my Blizzard IV 68030/50/50 or my shitty A1200 base system.

CU

P.S.: I didn't bother to try the whdload-slave, as you're the man for that kind of stuff

I just noticed you saying, that this game is not a piece of garbage, but the one I uploaded sure wasn't that great :eek
Sorry for bothering you with uploading the Cinnemaware-stuff which you propably have yourself.
Next time I'll read more carefully
..but the chance of making codetapper happy seemed so close...

[Twistin'Ghost]

I hope somebody gets this in time and that it's the right version.

Here
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1265979805

is an ebay sale that ends in about 9 hours from my posting this message. It's a lot of 10 Amiga games and includes S.D.I., which may or may not be the Sega version. It's merely described as another shoot-em-up sci-fi. There is one small pic that shows the lot of games on the floor...not much help. I zoomed in enough on it to see that the S.D.I. in this batch is the Action 16 budget reissue of the game, which I cann attach a copy of this box that I already have. I just don't know which version Action 16 reissued. Somebody should buy this lot maybe? I would but I just ain't got the dosh at this time...

Originally posted by freedom4u
Hi there
I uploaded the 2 versions I found on my harddisk.
One of them is cracked by Aha while the other one in fact seems to be the Original

*Ahem* Actually, after examining the 'Original' with a hex editor, I found traces of a Readme in which a guy called "The Cure" - he also mentions his BBS, "Amiga Central" - explains how the game works. I.e., "SDI (1987)(Cinemaware)" should really be "SDI (1987)(Cinemaware)[cr The Cure]" or so. What do we learn from this? Don't trust TOSEC!

[Codetapper]

Damn, I saw 12 replies and thought some kind soul had uploaded the game for me and then others were congratulating the person! Everyone is getting way off topic...

Anyway, I reckon that box on EBay is the WRONG version, there is a box scan in the Exotica icons collection which looks completely different to that one, and the Exotica one looks a lot closer to the ad Twistin' attached and the title screen from the game I attached earlier.

I wonder how the original box was scanned by the Exotica team, somebody must have the game!

Please, no more off topic stuff in this thread anyway! I *need* to find this game and release a working WHDLoad version!

[Twistin'Ghost]

Anyway, I reckon that box on EBay is the WRONG version, there is a box scan in the Exotica icons collection which looks completely different to that one, and the Exotica one looks a lot closer to the ad Twistin' attached and the title screen from the game I attached earlier.

Well, I have a tiny little picture of the box to the Sega/Activision version and it does look very different. But whichever version this is is gonna be different since it's a budget reissue and looks like neither version's original box. I just thought the artwork seemed more similar to the Sega version with the topdown view of Earth in the background as blasting from a satellite ensued. Either way, it's too late now.

I wonder how the original box was scanned by the Exotica team, somebody must have the game!

I know the Exotica site has some fanatical contributors with a lot of nice obscurities. It might be worth dropping an email.

[Codetapper]

[cy[ool - thanks heaps dude! I will see if I can HD install this game before I leave for Australia tonight!