Zoom Platform (DRM-free alternative to GOG)

[Blutwurstritter]

Did they have Aliens vs Predator 2 (2001) + Primal Fear at some point? I've been looking for a digital version of the game but it seems that it isn't sold anywhere.

 

[Narushima]

Did they have Aliens vs Predator 2 (2001) + Primal Fear at some point? I've been looking for a digital version of the game but it seems that it isn't sold anywhere.

You don't have to pay for everything:
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/aliens-versus-predator-2-bga
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/aliens-versus-predator-2-primal-hunt-bgb

 

[Blutwurstritter]

Did they have Aliens vs Predator 2 (2001) + Primal Fear at some point? I've been looking for a digital version of the game but it seems that it isn't sold anywhere.

You don't have to pay for everything:
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/aliens-versus-predator-2-bga
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/aliens-versus-predator-2-primal-hunt-bgb

I have a copy, but I was surprised to see that there is no "official" option despite the not so weak trademark. And I'm a bit worried about long term support for this gem.

 

[†††]

As you are likely already aware, Bernie Stolar, our former Chairman, passed away on June 22nd

This Jew killed SEGA with his nonsense policy during the 5th gen, dooming the Saturn before it was even released and later spearheading a bonehead pricing policy for the Dreamcast so SEGA would be hit with massive loses per console sold.

 

[Baron Dupek]

what does it mean?

 

[Bad Sector]

what does it mean?

ZP's brand of humor, i guess. Basically an announcement for releasing some obscure FPS from 1994.

 

[Baron Dupek]

 

[Bad Sector]

I just noticed it but it looks like Zoom Platform has Elminage Original:

https://www.zoom-platform.com/produ...riestess-of-darkness-and-the-ring-of-the-gods

AFAIK this is the only DRM-free place to buy it (GOG has Elminage Gothic but not Elminage Original)

 

[Azdul]

Electronic Arts being as classy as ever.
It's also funny to see how they laying into GOG, when you're literally not even allowed to talk about Zoom Platform on GOG's forums.

As you are likely already aware, Bernie Stolar, our former Chairman, passed away on June 22nd, it became public knowledge on June 25th. EA management sent me a condolences message at Midnight on July 6th...followed 9 hours later by a contract termination notice. The only possible reason being Bernie's death was a material change in the Company and, therefore, acceptable cause. This was not one of our typical ZOOM Platform contracts, but a slightly customized Codemasters agreement.

I immediately went on a mission and spoke with founding members of Electronic Arts as well as former Codemasters executives. All of us jointly reached out to EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, who promised he "would look into this". Silence followed until the afternoon of July 25th when I received an email re-affirming their intent to terminate our contract, emphasizing this is strictly a "business decision”…

The termination has been delayed. However, we’ll need all the help we can get to reverse it. While EA seems to believe that their partnership with GOG makes us redundant, we beg to differ. Several Codemasters titles launched here first. For example, the Overlord series.

Further, GOG deemed the game, Mega-Lo-Mania, released today…impossible. Despite that, the veteran Codemasters management had enough faith in ZOOM Platform to contractually license it. We have now proven them correct.

No matter how many times we prove GOG wrong though…certain publishers just don’t seem to get it.

It's also worth noting that we had prepared a Codemasters Cartoon Collection with all sorts of great titles that was similarly terminated. The launcher and manual were custom made and everything was finished. Please see the attached sample artwork.

Here is a list of the games that would have been included:

Captain Dynamo (1992)

CJ In The USA (1991)

CJ’s Elephant Antics (1992)

Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure (1987)

Fast Food Dizzy (1989)

Dizzy’s Kwik Snax (1989)

Fantasy World Dizzy (1989)

Magicland Dizzy (1990)

Bubble Dizzy (1990)

Dizzy: The Prince of the Yolkfolk (1991)

Fantastic Dizzy (1991)

Seymour Goes To Hollywood (1991)

Steg The Slug (1992)

We are going to hold out as long as we can and do our best to convince them otherwise. However, getting the story out there is paramount. So, please share far and wide.

We sincerely hope Electronic Arts re-evaluates our partnership. Thank you for your time and assistance.

https://www.zoom-platform.com/news (Sep 1, 2022)

While EA seems to believe that their partnership with GOG makes us redundant.

Could someone explain to me what the hell it means ? And why EA would not want to sell its niche, digital products through every 3rd party distribution channel ?

Once the digital installation package and necessary legal paperwork had been prepared for one DRM-free platform - they could have additional revenue stream without additional costs.

 

[Glop_dweller]

I found this funny as hell.

https://www.zoom-platform.com/product/sea-dogs-caribbean-tales

Watch (or skip) to the end.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

I don't understand how it works when they release games like Postal 3 on Zoom, a game that isn't sold anywhere else and they have also managed to patch it.

Do they hire someone to do these unofficial updates for Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project and Postal 3 and do they have the developers consent? Who even receives the money when you purchase a game there?



The developer Running with Scissors have trashed Postal 3 so many times and removed it from all stores but is it they who are selling it at Zoom Platform?

Spoiler

And there's a thousand more tweets like that from their official account...

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Some more...

Spoiler

 

[Bad Sector]

Do they hire someone to do these unofficial updates for Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project and Postal 3 and do they have the developers consent? Who even receives the money when you purchase a game there?

They do their own patches and/or use community patches after asking the original makers. I was contacted by them for a patch i made for Alien Trilogy (it wasn't included because i said that the patch doesn't always work and can slow down other aspects of the game, but if they really wanted to add it they should add it as a separate download), so at least i know they don't randomly grab patches and throw them in without the authors' permission.

For Postal 3, AFAICT the game has a lot of scripts and other data files you can modify to fix issues with it so i guess this is how they do it. Also from a quick search a bunch of people showed up suggesting fixes after they mentioned they wanted to patch it.

As for the money, they have contracts with the publishers and the developers, often giving them a lot of freedom with what to do with the games (i.e. they try to get permission to sell the games indefinitely - which is how they can still sell the Duke Nukem games, they have an old contract which allows them that), so it goes to those. At the end of the day some publisher owns the right to the game.

And finally, about Running with scissors bashing Postal 3, well, that is what gives them meme funny status with modern gamers, they have nothing to lose, they have kudos to gain, so why wouldn't they do it?

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Sorry for talking more Postal 3 but...

Postal 3 is now back on Steam and Running With Scissors is crediting ZOOM Platform for this:



The interesting thing about this is that ZOOM Platform patches up Postal 3 and makes it available again in order to sell it and make money. However this in turn leads to the game being available on Steam again and probably diverting potential customers from ZOOM Platform to Steam, which is a bigger market.

Another interesting thing is that Postal 3 is seemingly getting more love from ZOOM Platform:

Spoiler

Massive thanks to ZOOM Platform for assisting in this re-release.

Make it louder

You thought WE were done fixing #Postal3 ?...More details soon.

 

[Bad Sector]

However this in turn leads to the game being available on Steam again and probably diverting potential customers from ZOOM Platform to Steam, which is a bigger market.

Not just for Postal 3, they act as publishers for some of the games in their site and they have them on Steam too. AFAIK these games are DRM-free on Steam too (though i haven't tested it as if i want to buy any of their games i'd rather do it from their site). I guess it helps keep the lights on since their own site is kinda obscure.

I do find it amusing that in their own page on Steam they have their own store as their homepage :-P

 

[Feyd Rautha]

It's either

Sorry we made bringing Postal 3 back to Steam possible

Or

Thank you for thanking us for making it possible to bring back Postal 3 to Steam

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Hahaha!

Recently Zoom-Platform had to make layoffs

We didn't have to, but we're just being trendy with the video game industry

We couldn't afford the HR process to fire them, so we literally just fired them

Press F to pay your respects to the Intern

 

[SilentMRG]

Hello everybody!

I am new here.

It's a shame that the Alien Trilogy is no longer for sale on the ZOOM Platform. I went to buy it and I was disappointed... Unfortunately, there is nowhere on through the internet that has of the ZOOM version.. =/

Anyone has the game? I have some ZOOM games and can exchange for the Alien Trilogy. No, this is not piracy, the game is no longer for sale and all games are DRM free, so it is for the sake of general preservation.

Cheers!

 

[Baron Dupek]

Hello everybody!

I am new here.

It's a shame that the Alien Trilogy is no longer for sale on the ZOOM Platform. I went to buy it and I was disappointed... Unfortunately, there is nowhere on through the internet that has of the ZOOM version.. =/

Anyone has the game? I have some ZOOM games and can exchange for the Alien Trilogy. No, this is not piracy, the game is no longer for sale and all games are DRM free, so it is for the sake of general preservation.

Cheers!

Just get them from certain Kollection Khamber on Blogspot
it's still there even though the owner usually deletes his uploads when the games shows up on Steam/GOG

 

[SilentMRG]

Hello everybody!

I am new here.

It's a shame that the Alien Trilogy is no longer for sale on the ZOOM Platform. I went to buy it and I was disappointed... Unfortunately, there is nowhere on through the internet that has of the ZOOM version.. =/

Anyone has the game? I have some ZOOM games and can exchange for the Alien Trilogy. No, this is not piracy, the game is no longer for sale and all games are DRM free, so it is for the sake of general preservation.

Cheers!

Just get them from certain Kollection Khamber on Blogspot
it's still there even though the owner usually deletes his uploads when the games shows up on Steam/GOG

Thanks for the tip my man! Although it is a pre-configured version in DOSBox, unfortunately, this is not the ZOOM version I am looking for. The ZOOM version has some interesting extras and uses a enhanced version of DOSBox, basically being the definitive version.

Cheers!

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Darkstone!

• Replay as much as you like thanks to the four difficulty levels and the randomly generated dungeons, quests and items.
• Play in cooperative mode with up to three of your friends for highly intense fights.
• Choose from eight characters from four different classes (Warrior, Wizard, Thief and Monk) with their own unique features, combat styles and defeat your fire breathing nemesis.
• Upgrade your skills, choose among more than thirty sorts of weapons, thirty-two magic spells and progress through an epic adventure in thirty-two different environments.

 

[SilentMRG]

I have the GOG version and it doesn't give me the option to change the resolution, which means the game opens in full screen at 640x480. This is rubbish! Does this version of ZOOM suffer from the same problem? Yes, I know, there are some alternative solutions for resolution, but they cause slowness. The game is very good, but playing at this resolution is impossible for me.

 

[SilentMRG]

Nevermind... I found a way to fix the resolution problem, and you can check it out here: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/help-wanted-darkstone-evil-reigns-master-thread-help-patching-and-modding.133402/page-5

 

[SilentMRG]

Hello everybody!

"New" release:



As your power grows, and you rule the seas, you call the shots!

- Corsairs Gold includes both Corsairs: Conquest at Sea, and the Corsairs: The New Conquerors Expansion, which adds 2 new campaigns, and 21 new missions!
- Raise the flags of 4 different nations, choose which empire you represent: France, England, Spain, or Holland. Each nation features unique story modes, objectives, and capabilities.
- Experience historical recreations of locations, vessels, and renditions of historical figures.
- Try the open-ended "Adventure" mode for a quick skirmish against enemy factions.
- Manage large trade networks, engage in ship-to-ship combat, and coordinate raiding and looting missions.

I'm wondering if the GOG version has these things and if the guys at ZOOM have fixed the performance issues this game has on Windows 10.

Well, anyway, maybe this will fix the performance issues in the GOG version.

I want to spread the word about this wrapper because it is so good! It solves practically 99% of the performance problems that games use the DirectDraw renderer tend to present on modern systems.

Cheers!

 

[Baron Dupek]

One of those "recognize the cover, but not the game"
same with Forsaken