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Eyeth
Account closed
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 98 |
Demo Effects
Hello.
I'm planning on writing an article that gives a general look on C64 demo effects. Obviously, I'd have to do some research, but hopefully the CSDb community will pitch in and help. :)
This article is intended for the North American NTSC audience and I hope to increase such awareness of the C64 demo scene and its releases for this audience. This way, if there is some degree of familarity with the demo effects used, the audience will appreciate the C64 demos all that much more and hopefully become active participants in the C64 demo scene.
Here's what I remember and will include in my article:
DYCP
DYSP
Sprite Multiplexer Effects
Scrolling Texts
Rasterbars
Fractals
Dot Plotters (i.e., a bunch of dots moving/rotating onscreen)
Plasmas (I understand there are some varieties? Any differences I should be aware of?)
Bump-Mappers
FLD
VSP
Linecrunching
Fire/Flame
I'm sure there's a lot more out there. Should make for an interesting article and reading.
Many thanks in advance for any contributions!
Enjoy.
-Todd Elliott |
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Eyeth
Account closed
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 98 |
Hello.
I did some more research lately on this subject. Here's some more demo effects I've found in addition to the ones I've already listed in this thread.
Upscroller (What is this?)
Raster Splits (What is this? I have my thoughts, but wanted to see what more knowledgeable people say.)
Hidden parts/Easter Eggs
Crude 3-D parts (MOOD, etc.)
ESCOS (What is this?)
Tunnels
FPP (Flexible Pixel Position)
Opening of borders
Snow
FPD (Flexible Pixel Distance)
Idle $3fff Effect (What is this?)
Rotzoomers
3D Vectors
Tech-Tech
Any more demo effects out there? I'd appreciate some short, plain English explanations for the effects I'm not readily familar with.
Thanks,
-Todd Elliott |
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T.M.R
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 749 |
> Upscroller (What is this?)
Erm, it's a scroller that goes up...? Normally text-based for doing credits but some shift graphics too.
> Raster Splits (What is this? I have my thoughts, but wanted to see what more knowledgeable people say.)
Usually it refers to the process of splitting the colours and/or VIC-II registers on every rasterline but generally can just mean raster interrupts.
> ESCOS (What is this?)
56 horizontally and vertically expanded sprites in all four borders. i normally get the name wrong, but it's something like Expanded Screen COnstruction System and was invented by the 1001 Crew.
> Idle $3fff Effect (What is this?)
Whenever the VIC-II isn't actually displaying screen data (either in the upper/lower borders, because FLD is running or there are a few other ways to get that to happen) it reads the last byte of the current video bank and repeats it through that area. By splitting that value, it's possible to draw repeated patterns into the "idle" spaces.
As for other effects, there are hundreds and one article'll never do them justice... |
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TDJ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1879 |
I remember there was a magazine a few years ago (multi-scene) which had a lot of c64 effects named & the then-current records attached to it. I think the main guy responsible for it was Addict, from Finland. Maybe he can help you? |
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QuasaR
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 145 |
btw, it would be nice to have something like a glossary which explains all of these nice&tiny shortings like FLI, FPP, AGSP, DYSP, DYCP, AFLI, EAFLI, SHIFLI, XFLI, and so on... |
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jailbird
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1578 |
Some (or just one? i believe it was the 2nd, don't take my word on it though) issue(s) of Fairlight's Reformation also has such an article TDJ mentioned (effects-and-records).
But I'm not the one doing the research here, about 10 issues are not hard to run trough. Good luck Eyeth. :) |
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Graham
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990 |
>> ESCOS (What is this?)
>
>56 horizontally and vertically expanded sprites in all four
>borders. i normally get the name wrong, but it's something
>like Expanded Screen COnstruction System and was invented
>by the 1001 Crew.
or 112 sprites if not y-expanded. anyway the effect was called "no border sprites", and ESCOS (expanded screen construction set) was the editor used to create those pictures. however "ESCOS" was soon used the same as "FLD" even though it didnt describe the effect itself.
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CreaMD
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 3051 |
I think this would be great feature in C64.sk .. , something called vocabulary... (open so anyone can add new words or descriptions)
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Steppe
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 1510 |
Eyeth, I suggest you give Puterman's website a read: http://user.tninet.se/~uxm165t/demo_programming/demo_prog/demo_.. |
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T.M.R
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 749 |
> ...and ESCOS (expanded screen construction set)...
See, said i always get the name wrong! =-) |
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TDJ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1879 |
Quote: > ...and ESCOS (expanded screen construction set)...
See, said i always get the name wrong! =-)
I expected nothing else from somebody who constantly calls himself 'The Magic Roundabout' while it is in fact 'the Mighty Goony'. |
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TDJ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1879 |
Which in fact means that your name is TMG, not TMR .. hmm .. seems I ruined an already very bad joke .. must be friday the 13th .. |
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T.M.R
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 749 |
Well, i've given that a lot of serious thought and, after all the mental activity, my response is this: [pokes thumbs in ears and wiggles fingers] PPPPHHHHPPPPTTTT!!!! =-) |
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Nightlord
Account closed
Registered: Jan 2003
Posts: 131 |
i know not everyone likes vector effects but nevertheless i would definitely enjoy some more detail on vector effects on such an article. especially there are many variations of vector effects. such as:
- line vectors (or wireframe vectors)
- hidden line (those objects with their edges at the backside is not seen)
- filled vectors (solid colors without any shading)
- glenz vectors (objects with semi transparent faces)
- rubber vectors (objects that bend and deform)
- goraud shaded (objects that are lit with a certain lighting algoritm depending on z-depth. ps: i might be spelling the name wrong)
- phong shading (lighting algorithm depending on face normals and distance)
- ray tracing (calculating shadows and reflections with sort of tracing lines from light sources to object edges and to their intersections with other faces.
- texture mapping (mapping bitmap images onto the faces of objects)
these are all i can recall right now. also emphasis can be given to the "real-time"ness of all these effects.
i think apart from all vic wizardry effects (which i admire a lot and do not know how to do most of them), the mathematical effects form a different discipline and a challenge. and vectors are i think a historical family of effects which has marked important points in the course of CGI movement. |
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jailbird
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1578 |
Anyone here mentioned 'burning vectors', that leave some kind of a trace and look like they're burning or smokin' ? |
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Eyeth
Account closed
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 98 |
Hello.
I've found the article that was mentioned in Fairlight's Reformation #2, and got some more ideas. Thanks for the tips.
Here's a couple more effects I've come up with recently:
Raytracing
Shade bobs (What is this?)
Shade plotter (What is this?)
Plots in a scroll (What is this?)
Graphics/text that is spilt into their individual lines, like the effect used in Oedipus Complex by Payday. Is there a name for this effect? It looks like stretching, but the graphics/text actually seperate into their lines.
Fading graphics/text in and out.
Enjoy.
-Todd Elliott |
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Steppe
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 1510 |
Has anyone already mentioned unlimited bobs? |
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T.M.R
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 749 |
Hmm... take two, 'cos the first answer disappeared! =-(
> Shade bobs (What is this?)
Plotting one colour objects into the screen, but instead of just writing a colour they change the pixels they overlap, normally making the brighter. There are variants with sprite overlays or FLI to get better colour depth.
> Shade plotter (What is this?)
Same deal as shade bobs, but with plots. There are shade vectors too.
> Plots in a scroll (What is this?)
A scroll where the characters are displayed as points that can follow all sorts of interesting curves.
> Graphics/text that is spilt into their individual lines, like the effect used in Oedipus Complex by Payday.
i think that's FPD - Flexible Pixel Displacement...? |
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Testicle
Account closed
Registered: Sep 2002
Posts: 131 |
well, i actually don't know each exact name for the effects, but as far as i know the scroll-effect is calles "fpp" (flexible pixel position).
well, who cares? it's enough for me if i can code it, i don't need to name it. ;-)
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Puterman
Account closed
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 188 |
TMR: I think it's Flexible Pixel Distance.
And how come no one's mentioned my favorite effect, the flickering multiplexer? :-)
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Eyeth
Account closed
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 98 |
Hello.
Thank you people, for your input and feedback! I appreciate it very much. I have plenty of material now to write up an article.
I know this article will never be comphrensive concerning the subject of demo effects, but I hope to cover at least the majority of them and give the North American audience at least some exposure so that they can explore more about C64 demos.
Enjoy.
-Todd Elliott |
