- - ------------------------------------------------------ - - Want to make a demo in 16-bit screen mode without sacrificing the speed? .:##:. .+ ############## +### ######:. .+####. #####'###. '~' #### ### ##########. .######### #### #### #### +#########. #### ### #### .#### .##### :###' '+#####. .##+ ### #### :####+ ######: #### :####: ##' #### :### ######. +## :### .###: #### ##' .###' +### ###+###,###' ###: +### '### +## #### ###: ### +####' ### ###+ ### ##' ### ### :### ~~ :##: ###' :## .## ~ ### :##: ### ### +## ### ##: +##' ##: .##' ### '##. :## ### :## :## ### ###. ## ##: ### ##' #####: '#### .# ## ## # +. .######' '##########' '#####' '#####' [Sol] Text Mode Demo Competition - Deadline 11.11.96 - TMDC Infofile version 1.2 (c) 1996 Sol/DEE and the The Joker/Crusaders The invitation demo is out! Download TMDCINVI.ZIP! Everything changed (important stuff at least) is marked with '::' _____What? The demos today seem to move in the same direction as the PC market; more processor power, more resolution, more memory, more colors, more sound.. At the same time new demo competitions are introduced. Hornet introduced 8086 demo competition (with three or four contributions!), Assembly.org introduced 4k intro competitions, Imphobia has its coding competition, etc. All these have rules that limit the task somehow. Code size, speed, processor type. So we introduce new competition with a new limit: the video mode. We have seen some demos in text mode (and some demos with few parts in text mode), and we like them. Why? They are sort of C64ish: they push the limits of a resource you didn't think as possible. On the other hand, textmode gives you very low resolution and very many colors. Do you think textmode is childish? Do you realize that everything done in higher resolutions can be also done in textmode? Simply by using IBM-charset characters 176,177,178 and 219 plus fore and background colors, you can easily get more than 500 colors on-screen at the same time (and you are NOT limited to those characters)! Converting any routine to textmode could be simple filler recode or a generic framebuffer copy function. On the long run, we're trying to get the wasted talent of numerous brilliant ansi artists into proper use. :) _____When? Due to numerous requests, we have moved the deadline to 11.11.96 (Feel free to figure which is day and which is month). This doesn't mean that you must hold on to your products until the last day; please send them AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to make sure we get them. (Delays due to transfer problems etc may be tolerated). Results should be out before the end of November. _____Where? The competition is held in the Internet, but you don't have to have internet access to contribute a demo. You may send your contributions to: email: MIMEd to joker@crusaders.no UUEncoded to jari.komppa@pcb.compart.fi IRC: _TJ_ (#CODERS) BBS: TRK +358-0-874-2789 28.8k (Dubius HQ/DEE HQ/Hysteria HQ) +358-0-857-4506 14.4k (node 2) :: (Anon uploads are now possible; log on to either :: node as TMDC, password TMDC, and you'll get prompt :: to upload). Snailmail: Sol/DEE The Joker Laurintie 116 Stationsveien 56 Vantaa 01400 2010 STROMMEN Finland,Europe Norway, Europe (Please include Self Addressed Envelope and International Reply Coupons if you want to have your disk(s) back). Especially if you use email: make sure we have received your demo! (Do NOT resend it before we ask!!) We will post a list of received demos every now and then after we start receiving them (just titles and groups; no scoring before final results). _____Rules? - The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any demo, and the right to change the rules at any time. - ONLY CONTRIBUTE FINAL VERSIONS! (You may give us 'more final' versions before the deadline though). - The organizers will release the demos when the judging is done. - The demos must be previosly unpublished. - The authors will retain copyright to their productions. - You must include .nfo and file_id.diz file in the package. In addition, you may add 'readthis.org' with info for the organizers only (we will delete this file before releasing the package). - Remember to include (snail)mail address info in either .nfo or the readthis.org file! - Maximum file size is 1447424 bytes in a ZIP file, and 10 megs uncompressed. (This limit is to make them easier to distribute on disks - the size is under one HD disk since we will add info file about the compo in every ZIP). If you use DOS4GW, you don't need to include it in the ZIP. (Everyone has it already). - Maximum demo length (in time) is not limited, but you should remember that too long demos are boring. - The complete demo must run in some textmode (including setup screen if applicable). Valid textmode screen modes are: 40x12, 40x14, 40x21, 40x25, 40x27, 40x43, 40x50, 80x12, 80x14, 80x21, 80x25, 80x27, 80x43, 80x50. You *MAY* support other modes, but we will judge the demos in one of those modes. (All of these modes can be set through use of interrupt calls, so no outs are required). - Font and palette changes are not allowed; neither are other hardware tricks like splitscreen or startaddress. (Changing font means you want higher resolution, and that's not the point of this competition. Changing the palette is also out of the question; you can change colors on screen in other ways). EXCEPTION: Light backgrounds may be enabled (ie. the blink attribute may be disabled). Other 'tweaks' (except refresh rate tweaks) are NOT allowed (partially since it would make the mode control impossible, and partially since it simply is not the point of this competition. Take it as a chiptune compo for coders). - User must be able to quit the demo at any moment by pressing ESC. - Sound support: At least 1024k GUS (either native, MEGAEM (midi) or (IW/MAX)SBOS (SB/adlib)). (We use GUS Classic, GUS MAX and GUS PNP cards). - The demo must run on Pentium 120 with 8 megs of RAM under either QEMM, EMM386, HIMEM or plain boot. (Judging will be done on P120 and P133 machines with 16 megs of RAM, tho). - The demo must not write anything on harddrive (neither in current dir nor on C root or anywhere else). - Complete animation demos are not denied, but remember the size limits.. Also suggested, but not madatory: - Autodetects and command-line options are a good idea. - Demos should run through once and quit - or loop if a certain command-line parameter is given. - Nosound and SB support would be nice. - If you use nonstandard text modes with the valid resolutions (for instace Liket's 60hz or 50hz modes) please make them optional. If you don't, you'll risk incompatibility with the compo machines. -- -- - 8< - -- -- cut here for fidonet posts -- -- - 8< - -- -- _____Prizes? 1st place - Full registered version of Remedy Entertainment's Death Rally. - 1st pick from CD pile. - 386dx25 w/4MB RAM, 40MB HDD, VGA card. (doesn't include keyboard or monitor, tho..) - Assembly T-shirt. 2nd place - 2nd pick from CD pile. - same kind of 386dx25 as above. - Assembly T-shirt. 3rd place - 3rd pick from CD pile (if any choise). - Assembly T-shirt. 4th place - 4th pick from CD pile (if any choise). - Assembly T-shirt. 5th place - Whatever CD is left in the pile. - Assembly T-shirt. 6-10th place - Assembly T-shirt. As for what CDs to pick from, you have two Imphobia 'Dreams' CDs, and three A.C.E Demos Collection CDs. A.C.E demos collection CDs were donated by A.C.E BBS: Imphobia Dreams CDs were donated by Imphobia: Assembly t-shirts were donated by Assembly Organizing: Death Rally was donated by Remedy Entertainment: Other donations welcome! _____Jury? The jury consists of DEE and Crusaders members who like good PC, c64 and textmode demos. Each member of the jury gives every demo 0-3 points; jury member cannot give points to a demo from his group (ie. if a DEE member makes a demo, 50% of the jury may not give him votes). There will be re-voting in case of a tie. _____Resources? Sol/DEE has released a textmode FLI/FLC player (will full Watcom C32 source). It can currently be found (at least) from: ftp:ftp.cdrom.com//pub/demos/incoming/code/txtfli.zip It should be enough to show that you can do anything in textmode. The Joker(TJ)/Crusaders has released full code to his textmode demo that won the Distortion'96, and the demo consist of 3d-vectors, texture-mapping, goraud shading, zoom/rotate, good music and plasma-routines. It's coded in pascal/asm. Get if from : ftp:ftp.cdrom.com//pub/demos/incoming/code/ringnes.arj _____Other? Please note that this is NOT a joke competition! You CAN do all plasmas, whirls, vectors, and stuffs in text mode. And due to the reduced resolution and virtually truecolor palette, you can do much more than what you could imagine doing in 320x200 or even higher graphics modes. If you have any questions, send them to either joker@crusaders.no or jari.komppa@pcb.compart.fi, or use the other contribution addresses mentioned above. Signed, Sol/DEE and The Joker/Crusaders 9th October 1996 - - ------------------------------------------------------ - -