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2020-12-10 22:15

Didi

Registered: Nov 2011
Posts: 488

Event id #3008 : Intro Creation Competition 2020

Preface: Please use this thread for questions, discussion and everything else concerning this competition.

Again several people were asking about the competition being held this year. Especially during Corona restrictions people need something to spend their time. ;-)

As the 4k category was very successful last year for the cost of 16k entries, I had a little discussion thread here about using that category again.
ICC 2020 with 16k & 4k or 16k only again?
The majority there wanted to have 4k category again, so it's in.

I delayed the start of the compo a bit because some other compos were running I did not want to disturb.
But finally here here you go...

Competition runs from December 10th, 2020, until February 14th, 2021. So you have a good 2 months to deliver your creations. This should be enough for an intro.

RULES for both categories:

Your intro entry...
- has to work on a plain stock C64 (PAL standard) without any extensions.
- has to be a one-part intro. Short fade-ins and fade-outs are OK.
- has to contain at least one Logo at whatever size you like.
- has to contain a changing or moving text message (e.g. scrolling text, different lines fading in & out, etc.)
- has to be interruptable any time by pressing SPACE-key (exception are the short fade-in and fade-out).
- does not need to have exclusive graphics, charsets or music. But the code should be exclusive, so reuse of existing code with just exchanged graphics and music is not allowed.
- has not been publicly used before entering the competition.
- has to be handed in as executable format startable with RUN (.prg or embedded in .t64 or .d64).

Your 16kB intro...
- has a maximum RAM footprint of $4000 bytes at one block, at whatever location you like. Screen RAM counts as used memory. Exclusions are system addresses like VIC (inkl. Color RAM), SID, CIA, Stack, Zero-page, IRQ vectors. This means RAM besides chosen $4000 bytes area and exceptions has to be the same before and after running the intro. What happens during runtime is up to you.
- has to contain music (not just a humming sound, please).
- is linked to this competition as "C64 Demo" entry (sorry, no other fitting entry exists).

Your 4kB intro...
- has a maximum RAM footprint of $1000 bytes at one block, at whatever location you like. Screen RAM counts as used memory. Exclusions are system addresses like VIC (inkl. Color RAM), SID, CIA, Stack, Zero-page, IRQ vectors. This means RAM besides chosen $1000 bytes area and exceptions has to be the same before and after running the intro. What happens during runtime is up to you.
- does not have to contain any sound, but feel free to add some.
- is linked to this competition as "C64 4k Intro" entry.

You are allowed to enter maximum 3 entries per participant and category, so you can enter 6 entries at best. Entries might be taken back from the compo until deadline. That means if you want to remove one of your works from the compo to make space for another entry from you, this can be done until deadline.
Deadline for entry submission is Sunday February 14th, 2021 at 23:59:59 (11:59:59 pm) CET.
Voting closes at Sunday Febuary 21th, 2020 at 23:59:59 (11:59:59 pm) CET.
Voting platform is CSDb (with all disadvantages it may have), therefore entries have to be posted here.
Entries will be ranked by weighted average of CSDb votes. Entries with the same weighted average are ranked by their percentages of 10s, 9s, etc.

No prices to win, just the fame. May the best creation win!

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2020-12-13 10:35

Monte Carlos

Registered: Jun 2004
Posts: 364

?csdb drama alert error

2020-12-15 11:25

Didi

Registered: Nov 2011
Posts: 488

Quote: Quoting Didi
Your 4kB intro...
- has a maximum RAM footprint of $1000 bytes at one block, at whatever location you like. Screen RAM counts as used memory. Exclusions are system addresses like VIC (inkl. Color RAM), SID, CIA, Stack, Zero-page, IRQ vectors. This means RAM besides chosen $1000 bytes area and exceptions has to be the same before and after running the intro. What happens during runtime is up to you.
So, if i get this right, $0000..$01ff does not count, neither does anything $dxxx in IO space.

The "IRQ vectors" bit is referring to $fffa/b and $fffe/f, i guess, but does it also include $0314..$0319? Do all the other system vectors or anything else in lowmem ($0200..$03ff) count?
(Note that the system vectors can be reset to default by calling INITV = $e453 and RESTOR = $ff8a, which is what the link glue code running the payload would probably do anyways.)

In other words, would an intro sitting at $0801..$13ff (with the payload at $1400..$fff9) having its screen at $0400 (thus 4K at $0400..$13ff) and leaving $0000..$03ff in an undefined state after pressing space be okay according to the rules?

$0200-$02ff and $0334-$0400 will be counted as used memory if not restored.

2020-12-15 12:59

Krill

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2982

Quoting Didi

$0200-$02ff and $0334-$0400 will be counted as used memory if not restored.

So all system vectors at $0300..$0333 count as exceptions?

2020-12-15 13:13

Didi

Registered: Nov 2011
Posts: 488

You seem to be in desperate search for a few bytes of RAM, aren't you?

2020-12-15 14:00

Krill

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2982

Quoting Didi

You seem to be in desperate search for a few bytes of RAM, aren't you?

Seem, possibly, but i'm not.

So far, i have always found the bytes i needed. But for that, i'd like to know the exact size of my playground, in order to make more of it.

Since my idea requires me to use lowmem ($0000 and up), i need to clobber stuff below $0801 left and right. Thus i'd like to know exactly what to preserve and what can just be counted to the 4K block.

My questions were insubstantial if i could just use $0801-$1801 and be done with it. Alas, no can do.

So, can i go with "$0200..$11ff is my 4K playground and can be left undefined after space"? =) (Some bytes could possibly be saved depending on the $0300..$0333 exception.)

2020-12-15 15:25

ChristopherJam

Registered: Aug 2004
Posts: 1409

Quoting Didi

$0200-$02ff and $0334-$0400 will be counted as used memory if not restored.

Oh neat, so if we designate $0334 to $1333 as our 4k, we can use $0002-$01ff and $0300-$1333, as well as $fffc-$ffff and all of IO (I'm including $00-$01 in the latter).

That's a luxurious 4658 bytes of RAM, before you even think about sticking temporaries in sprite colour registers or whatever :D

2020-12-15 16:14

Krill

Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 2982

Quoting ChristopherJam

if we designate $0334 to $1333 as our 4k, we can use $0002-$01ff and $0300-$1333, as well as $fffc-$ffff and all of IO (I'm including $00-$01 in the latter).

That's a luxurious 4658 bytes of RAM

Hmm, but the only difference to the conventional $0801-$1801 setup is that the $34 bytes block at $0300 merges with the 4K block at $0334, no? :)

2020-12-15 16:29

Didi

Registered: Nov 2011
Posts: 488

I feel like I've opened Pandora's box. ;-)

2020-12-15 16:35

chatGPZ

Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11391

As said already last year, you could shut up the whole discussion trivially using one simple rule:

"Here is a binary that must be linked to the intro. To prevent smartass trickery the binary can (and will) be changed to a different one of the exact same size after the compo."

But its too easy, i guess :)

2020-12-15 16:42

ChristopherJam

Registered: Aug 2004
Posts: 1409

Quoting Krill

Hmm, but the only difference to the conventional $0801-$1801 setup is that the $34 bytes block at $0300 merges with the 4K block at $0334, no? :)

Exactly.

Though, you know, you could always just load to 0801-1800,
exchange 1200-1800 with 0200-0800 on launch and swap them back when you're done. Then you can do whatever you like with 0000-11ff while it's running. You even get some scratch space at 1300-1333…

Quoting Didi