Zoom NTSC 1988 Discovery Software

[Supamax]

@ TjLaZer and dlfrsilver

See posts #21 and 23.

This game CAN be copied with PowerCopy Pro:
a) from real floppy to real floppy
b) from real floppy to HDD directory (PowerCopy track saves)
c) from HDD directory to real floppy
d) from .ipf file to HDD directory (and then c) if you want)
etc.

What you cannot do is create a working extended adf, because that format doesn't support Zoom's protection.

[DrBong]

@Supamax
I think they're talking about making a deprotected ADF (or extended ADF) using copiers with a game-specific parameter for Zoom (e.g. PowerCopy, Lockpick, Maverick etc.). As Denis said, none of the Amiga copiers have a special parameter to copy Zoom to floppy without copy-protection that can then be imaged to ADF or extADF for use under emulation.

[Arnie]

If it's for emulation, why can't they just use the IPF?
Is Zoom_1910 not NTSC?

Or is it something I've missed (most likely)?

[john1979]

Originally Posted by Arnie

If it's for emulation, why can't they just use the IPF?

The IPF is not useful for real Amiga users unless you have special hardware to write the disks. Extended ADF can be written without special hardware.

I vote we ditch ADF altogether and use Powercopy's format. It's obviously more versatile.

[Arnie]

Originally Posted by Supamax

@ TjLaZer and dlfrsilver

See posts #21 and 23.

This game CAN be copied with PowerCopy Pro:
d) from .ipf file to HDD directory (and then c) if you want)
etc.

What you cannot do is create a working extended adf, because that format doesn't support Zoom's protection.

Originally Posted by john1979

The IPF is not useful for real Amiga users unless you have special hardware to write the disks. Extended ADF can be written without special hardware.

I vote we ditch ADF altogether and use Powercopy's format. It's obviously more versatile.

A bit of a contradiction going on here??

[john1979]

Originally Posted by Arnie

A bit of a contradiction going on here??

What I meant was you can't write the IPF directly to disk without special hardware. It must be converted in WinUAE to Powercopy format first, and then you must use Powercopy on a real Amiga to write it out. An extended ADF would bypass all that messing about but sadly the games protection makes it impossible.

[Arnie]

Ah O.K.

This PowerCopy Pro, does that need hardware? Or could I just use Stingrays cracked version?

[Supamax]

Perhaps I don't understand...

If the aim is playing Zoom from a real floppy on a real Amiga, this can be obtained with PowerCopy Pro:
WinUAE: .ipf --> hdd
Amiga: hdd --> real floppy

If the aim is playing Zoom in WinUAE, this can be done straight from the .ipf file...

I didn't understand if both NTSC and PAL versions are .ipf preserved... perhaps NTSC is not preserved.
If so, it can be imaged with PowerCopy Pro and stored/copied on another real floppy but, yes, it cannot be copied on extended adf unless the protection is removed .

[john1979]

You can use Stingray's cracked version. That's the one I used both in WinUAE and on my A1200.

edit: BTW, as previously said, you can't run the written disk on anything but standard A500/600. The protection it uses is not compatible with A1200.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by john1979

What I meant was you can't write the IPF directly to disk without special hardware. It must be converted in WinUAE to Powercopy format first, and then you must use Powercopy on a real Amiga to write it out. An extended ADF would bypass all that messing about but sadly the games protection makes it impossible.

Exactly .

[john1979]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Exactly .

This game is in need of a proper crack to ADF. Preferably with a nice cracktro and trainer menu too.

[Arnie]

I'm only asking because I tried to use PowerCopy on Swos-update disk 1 and DrBong posted.

Originally Posted by DrBong

The software alone would be useless for imaging this game without the PowerCopy hardware due to the copy-protection. Even with the hardware success might not be possible, but still well worth trying......which is why I floated the idea of sending my original disk 1 to Denis in France to let him play mad scientist.

So I assumed there was some hardware involved at some stage.

[john1979]

My guess is that there is additional hardware that can be used with Powercopy to replicate even harder copy protection. In the powercopy thread I noticed this post from Mr. Vince:

Coming back to PowerCopy I think it does the same Synchro Express, Cyclone and others do. It shifts the data from the internal drive to the external one. I am further assuming that it has some kind of circuitry to correct bitcell timings to allow for precompensation of the data written. At least to some extent. But there is no way PowerCopy can adjust drive speed. Except for pulsing (pulse width modulation of the motor on line), but this works rather ok than excellent and will add jitter to the data written.

So the extra bit of hardware (I think it is some kind of dongle) is useful when powercopy can not make a copy with software only.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by john1979

My guess is that there is additional hardware that can be used with Powercopy to replicate even harder copy protection. In the powercopy thread I noticed this post from Mr. Vince:

Coming back to PowerCopy I think it does the same Synchro Express, Cyclone and others do. It shifts the data from the internal drive to the external one. I am further assuming that it has some kind of circuitry to correct bitcell timings to allow for precompensation of the data written. At least to some extent. But there is no way PowerCopy can adjust drive speed. Except for pulsing (pulse width modulation of the motor on line), but this works rather ok than excellent and will add jitter to the data written.

So the extra bit of hardware (I think it is some kind of dongle) is useful when powercopy can not make a copy with software only.

Yes, PowerCopy Pro package included a physical dongle. This dongle was more complex than Cyclone etc, though.
It was, as you wrote, used to copy the harder copy protections.

For any technical question/doubt your man is Denis/dlfrsilver, who owns it in original .

[dlfrsilver]

Powercopy can copy RNC, but only from disk to disk, not disk to HDD nor HDD to disk.

I have tried to copy Ruff'n'Tumble, which is copylocked, with powercopy with DF0 as source, and DF1 as target.

The copy is perfectly working.

But yes, the dongle in powercopy was indeed more complex than what was inside the cyclone dongle.

Powercopy is unable to adjust drive speed (motor control), but if you own a drive with motor control, Powercopy support that

Powercopy is undoubtely the best copy tool ever designed for the amiga. With a special drive to write, you can transform an amiga in a mastering or copy station.

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

So am I to assume there is no working NTSC version crack of this game?

Lots of encryption at the start of the game, but nothing exciting beyond that.

I don't know Galahad, I think they've convinced themselves Powercopy is the way to go, even though it was established quite early in the thread that the game was unlikely to work on A1200 because of the copy protection.

Its like there isn't anyone that can make it as an unprotected ADF file instead which can be used on EVERYTHING.

We'll let them carry on until the penny drops

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Powercopy is undoubtely the best copy tool ever designed for the amiga.

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

I don't know Galahad, I think they've convinced themselves Powercopy is the way to go, even though it was established quite early in the thread that the game was unlikely to work on A1200 because of the copy protection.

Its like there isn't anyone that can make it as an unprotected ADF file instead which can be used on EVERYTHING.

NO Galahad!!
We're just discussing, but we're eager to put our hands on an unprotected adf made by a true artist, a pure genius, a... you, in a few words!

[john1979]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

We'll let them carry on until the penny drops

The penny dropped a while ago, of course most of us are not able to crack the game and make an ADF....

Pssst. Enter Galahad, who probably can do this. Although the protection on this one seems good, so do you fancy a challenge?

[Arnie]

Nah Galahad, you keep it. I don't think you can do it anyway.

(a bit of reverse psychology there, I think he'll do it now)

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by john1979

The penny dropped a while ago, of course most of us are not able to crack the game and make an ADF....

Pssst. Enter Galahad, who probably can do this. Although the protection on this one seems good, so do you fancy a challenge?

I could be persuaded

I just didn't want to waste my time on it if it wasn't actually needed.