Zoom NTSC 1988 Discovery Software

[john1979]

I am looking for an ADF of Zoom US Version. There are some versions in TOSEC but they all appear to be the PAL release.

There was some discussion about it on this thread, but all leads I followed from there came to a dead end:

http://www.lemonamiga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5434

Anyone know where I can find this disk image?

[john1979]

Originally Posted by DrBong

Luckily, I had an original copy of the U.S. version of Zoom handy here and was able to get my A500 to fire up (the loader didn't want know about the A1200/4000). I'll see what I can do tomorrow about making a disk image tomorrow when I make another of SWOD 96/97 for one of the EAB peeps in another thread.

Anyway, the NTSC and PAL versions may differ in the colour of the background on the in-game screen (as mentioned in that Lemon thread). The NTSC version of Zoom has a blue background as seen in the DBS of the HOL entry (http://hol.abime.net/1639):

http://hol.abime.net/1639

Can anyone with an IPF of the PAL version (http://www.softpres.org/?id=:games&gameid=1910) confirm that it has a *black* background in-game rather than a blue one?

Not sure why your post disappeared? Any luck with this? .

[dlfrsilver]

Zoom use a protection that can't be imaged in an extended ADF.

[john1979]

So the US version of this game has never been cracked by anyone?

It seems the US version is the 'complete' version according to comments on Lemonamiga.

[kipper2k]

i am not sure if i have US version of zoom buried somewhere, i'll see if i can find it

[kipper2k]

i found this...

levels load fine it looks like. game shows full screen on this Amiga and game speed looks normal so i assume it is NTSC ?

[dlfrsilver]

that's the NTSC version indeed

Can you dump it for us (do you have a kryoflux board ?).

[john1979]

I also would agree. You should also see a dark blue background instead of the black one in the PAL version.

[kipper2k]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

that's the NTSC version indeed

Can you dump it for us (do you have a kryoflux board ?).

disk is write protected, and i do have kryoflux, all i need is a little help in dumping it, havent used kryoflux in a while so i need talking through

[kipper2k]

Originally Posted by john1979

I also would agree. You should also see a dark blue background instead of the black one in the PAL version.

do you mean dark blue on main game screen ?

[DrBong]

Originally Posted by DrBong

Luckily, I had an original copy of the U.S. version of Zoom handy here and was able to get my A500 to fire up (the loader didn't want know about the A1200/4000). I'll see what I can do tomorrow about making a disk image when I make another of SWOS 96/97 for one of the EAB peeps in another thread.

Anyway, the NTSC and PAL versions may differ in the colour of the background on the in-game screen (as mentioned in that Lemon thread). The NTSC version of Zoom has a blue background as seen in the DBS of the HOL entry:

http://hol.abime.net/1639

Can anyone with an IPF of the PAL version (http://www.softpres.org/?id=:games&gameid=1910) confirm that it has a *black* background in-game rather than a blue one?

Originally Posted by john1979

Not sure why your post disappeared? Any luck with this? .

I had to do more research to work out whether my original copy is the U.S. release. I came to the conclusion that mine is, but there were two distinct U.S. releases - one that comes in a regular game box and the other in folder-style packaging.

My original copy is the latter and has a totally different disk label to kipper2k's (see HERE). Would be interesting to know if they contain different version releases of the game or not.

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Zoom use a protection that can't be imaged in an extended ADF.

I suspect that this might be the case as the loader croaked almost instantaneously after booting on A1200/4000, even with degrading. I haven't had time to have a go at imaging the disk yet, but I should get to it over the weekend.

Originally Posted by john1979

I also would agree. You should also see a dark blue background instead of the black one in the PAL version.

I'm starting to think that both the PAL and NTSC versions have a blue background on the in-game screen. The versions on the net with black background are probably **pre-release** cracked copies.

Originally Posted by kipper2k

do you mean dark blue on main game screen ?

Nope, there should be a blue background on the in-game screen when you start playing (see HERE). Probably doesn't matter as I'm beginning to think that all original PAL/NTSC copies of Zoom released have the blue background in-game.

Anyway, let us know how you go with imaging your original. Might still be worthwhile having a go to see if it will image to ADF or extended ADF first before resorting to the Kryoflux. Hope both our copies of the game do as I don't own a Kryoflux!

[kipper2k]

The game has a blue background when playing.

[DrBong]

@kipper2k
Yep, guessed as much!

[kipper2k]

i remember quite a few years ago i tried to copy it and it would always fail once the level 1 map loaded up and it refused to actually put in the sprites

[dlfrsilver]

This game use a nasty copy protection.

[DrBong]

@dlfrsilver
Well, the main coder Frank Neuhaus might've known a little bit about copy protection back in 1988 if he was responsible for White Lightning!

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by kipper2k

i remember quite a few years ago i tried to copy it and it would always fail once the level 1 map loaded up and it refused to actually put in the sprites

Some years ago I managed to successfully copy it with PowerCopy Pro.
The destination (physical) floppy disk works, but I couldn't be able - as Denis says - to obtain a working extended adf file.

[Abaddon]

I have a kryoflux dump of the ntsc version. I started working on adding it to disk-analyse, but still have to do the protection track.

[Mark Wright]

Forgive me if I'm wrong on both counts here, but I've always identified the US/NTSC version of Zoom! to be the one that has:

* Animated intro featuring looped Rick James "Super Freak" sample
* Topaz font used for credits, rather than the classic Unit A font ;-)
* Alternative Thomas Lopatic title screen theme without the burbling arpeggio
* Blue background

If the above is correct, I can offer you the SPS IPF version exhibiting all of those, which I've already uploaded to my webspace. I'll edit this post to include a link to it (or put it in the Zone) if someone can verify that SURELY AFTER A DECADE OR MORE we're now allowed to do such a thing? I'll err on the side of caution in the meantime.

I realise you requested an ADF and hence a cracked version. Well, I can state for a fact that there certainly was a cracked version in circulation around the time of its release, because I had it. Listening to the radio about a year later, I can remember hearing MC Hammer's hit record, "U Can't Touch This" and feeling baffled that it seemed to sample Zoom! Of course, I'd never heard the original Rick James track that was sampled by both. Good choice from Mr Lopatic. Who knows, perhaps it inspired MC Hammer?!

Many years later, when running the Lazarus Amiga emulation website, we searched high and low for the cracked/ADF US version of Zoom!, out of nostalgia, but only ever turned up PAL releases that omitted the intro and had different title music. I began to think I'd dreamed the MC Hammer/Rick James connection. It wasn't until the (aforementioned) CAPS/SPS release turned up that my memories were confirmed. I never owned the original, so I must be remembering a deprotected version - possibly on two disks...

Perhaps it was Unit A crack #51? ;-)

[john1979]

Originally Posted by Mark Wright

If the above is correct, I can offer you the SPS IPF version exhibiting all of those, which I've already uploaded to my webspace. I'll edit this post to include a link to it (or put it in the Zone) if someone can verify that SURELY AFTER A DECADE OR MORE we're now allowed to do such a thing? I'll err on the side of caution in the meantime.

AFAIK the only forbidden items are Kickstart ROMs and Workbench disks.

Games get posted regularly on EAB.

edit:
I have found through more Internet mining an IPF of Zoom which is as you describe Mark. It's in the Zone.

Not sure if it's the PAL or NTSC release.

Now the only problem is getting it back to a real disk. I don't think Powercopy Pro can do it.

edit2: Meh, so the FAQ mentions I can't upload IPFs to the zone, so I have deleted it. Yet it's okay to upload uncracked games in ADF format. Bizarre, bizarre policy.

The IPF is easily obtainable by grabbing the torrent on capsdi's frontpage anyway. Hope that helps someone. The protection in this game looks frankly insane though so I can't see anyone getting around to cracking it.