Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!beta!hc!ames!ucbcad!zen!bryce From: bryce@hoser.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Badge Killer Demo Contest Message-ID: <4466@zen.berkeley.edu> Date: Mon, 19-Oct-87 22:05:40 EDT Article-I.D.: zen.4466 Posted: Mon Oct 19 22:05:40 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 21-Oct-87 00:58:43 EDT References: <245@dana.UUCP> <1970@gryphon.CTS.COM> Sender: news@zen.berkeley.edu Distribution: na Organization: Center Tapped Solids, Inc. Lines: 78 >In article <245@dana.UUCP> rap@dana.UUCP (Rob Peck) writes: >> >>...Yes, the entries were interesting and entertaining, but it >>would have been even better had it been obvious somehow that the entries >>(with appropriate software/hacking) could not have been done on any >>other computer.... I had real troubles with that category... what other computer? With how much work??? Some used Amiga specifics where they might not be needed on another computer. Some things were clean and elegant on the Amiga, but could be done with a "hack and slash" attitude on the others. For the next contest I hope the "Amiga specifics" category is either pre-judged or judged by group consensus (after a discussion of just what makes this demo special). >>There were three of the 30 that did address Amiga-only >>capabilities, one called Halfbrite-Hill that showed the ghost of >>Fred Astaire dancing as a 32-color (half-brite) ghost against >>a 32-color background (by Kevin Sullivan); Even that is not Amiga specifc. You take any machine with 64 color registers and set the top 32 to half the intensity of the bottom 32 and you have it. Only the Mac II's lame animation capabilities would prevent a superior effort (that and you would need to buy a color card). The HAM animations used a very Amiga specific feature, HAM mode. But even that is just an extension to get more colors out of a limited depth display. (These were awsome, by the way) The "wiredemo" certainly benifited from the fact that the graphics library can use the blitter to do line draws. The ea game "interceptor?" was probably stuffing the blitter full of area fills, that's rather Amiga specific. Any of the demos that used interlaced NTSC video could not be done with the ST or Mac. Even if you could get a NTSC card for the Mac II, none of the animations would work out very well. (Such a card may be available, I know not for sure) "Markeroids" used Amiga specific humor, but we can assume that there are counterparts for the other machines. "Wavebench" uses the beam-synced graphics co-processor (copper) to do work it's magic. This is one of two of the demos that really could not be ported at all to the other computers. The rest would just loose color, speed and grace. The other no-port was the "demo shower" (I forget the name, and forgot to snag a blank judging form after the contest.) This one fired up a bunch of demos and moved the screens in a waterfall pattern. The demos were all written to run stand alone, until this sadist by the name of "Mike Myer" decided to run them all at the same time. Worked, too. "workbench lander" runs on the workbench screen, and integrates smoothly. Try doing that with a Mac or ST desk accessory and you will get a few real quick lessons on the benifits of multitasking. It might just be possible, but it *will* be ugly. Some of the others draw fine lines. The ANIM "with the cat" (forgot name) had sonix fired up in the background. While you could not arbitrarily do this on another machine, you could write a sound player inside of your animator. So where does one draw the line? ANIMs like "the dream goes berserk" and "the one with the cat" have been ported to the Atari ST. True, they look bland and grainy and take over the machine, but what do you expect? |\ /| . Ack! (NAK, ENQ, DC1) {o O} . bryce@hoser.berkeley.EDU -or- ucbvax!hoser!bryce (") U "...up to 50 overlapping windows simultaneously..." -Amiga Advertising, Spring 1987 [Dale, have you been slipping limitations in while our backs were turned? :-) ]