Interview with NJ Zapp / D-Bug 1999.

Apparently there's a bit of confusion over how my name is spelt, and after being asked, I couldn't even remember myself! After stealing my PC power cable I plugged it into my dust-covered ST, put in D-Bug disk 101a and switched on the power. My ST still works!!  And the disk booted!!  I read the credits, and apparently I'm called NJ Zapp!

How old are you?

28

When did you join D-Bug?

1990 something(?).

When (and why) did you leave D-Bug?

I didn't.

Did you crack anything for D-Bug, or was it just intro code?

No cracking, just some intro code.

What computers/consoles have/do you own?

Just my trusty PC.

Do you still own your ST, and if so what do you use it for?

Yep, it's still here. It's just part of the decor now.

Where do you think Atari went wrong, and would you buy a disk-drive from them?

Atari went wrong every time they did something. There's no way I'd buy an Atari drive.

What do you think of the various Atari ST emulators?

PaCifiST: This is all I've seen, and it looks very cool.
STonX:
TOSbox:
GEMulator:
WinSTon:

What feature(s) would you like to see implemented in future versions of these emulators?

Overscan!

Did you ever get a scroller to yourself?

Those tight buggers at D-Bug didn't let me at a scroller at all!

Did you ever slag anyone off you wish you hadn't?

I didn't get a chance unfortunately.

Did you ever not slag anyone off you wish you had?

The graphist who worked on 'Top Banana'.

             

 

What was the most innovative thing (at the time) you saw on the ST?

I think at the time it must have been that wibbly wobbly fullscreen scroller By ULM on the Dark Side of the Spoon Demo.

What's your fave ST game?

Enchanted Lands.

What do you think is the best (technically speaking) ST game?

Enchanted Lands.

What's the worst ST game you have seen? Top Banana

What's the best job of a game crack (ST) you have ever seen?

They were all good if they worked.

What's the worst job of a game crack (ST) you have ever seen?

I can't remember who did it, but it was a crack of Rick Dangerous 2 that had the entire last level missing.

What's the best protection system you have ever seen?

I haven't seen any!

What's your fave demo?

ULM - Dark Side of the Spoon.

What's your fave group?

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What's your fave TV show?

What's your fave movie?

Young Guns.

What's your fave cheese?

Mozarella.

What's your fave food?

It's a close call between Pizza's and Greasy McDonalds  Quarter Pounders with Cheese.

Can you name 10 ST Hackers?

No.

Can you also name 10 PC Hackers?

No.

What does that tell you?

I need more friends.

If you could travel back to 1988, would you do anything differently?

Yes, I'd try not to get thrown out of College.

Who did you most admire?

Well, it's got to be Cyrano Jones; he taught me everything. Wonder why my code is shit  and I don't know how to crack...

What music do you like?

Heavy Rock.

What tools did you use to crack most games?

I didn't crack I tell yoo!

What Pseudonym's did you have?

Just NJ Zapp.

What's your fave software house?

Why was D-Bug formed?

To supply the demand of law-breakers who copied games.

Do you think your activities helped to kill off the ST?

Nah, definitely not.  The ST had a damn good run of things for a good few years, and in the end it was just out of date.