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Released At :
Mekka & Symposium 2000
Achievements :
C64 Demo Competition at Mekka & Symposium 2000 : #1
Credits :
| Code | .... | Crossbow of Crest |
| | | Graham of Oxyron |
| Music | .... | Drax of Bonzai, Crest, Maniacs of Noise, Vibrants |
| | | Jeff of Bonzai, Camelot, Crest, Cyberzound Productions |
| | | MSK of Crest, Vibrants |
| Graphics | .... | Crossbow of Crest |
| | | Cyclone of Crest, Haujobb |
| | | DeeKay of Crest, Onslaught |
| | | Mermaid of Creators, Crest, Electric Sheep |
| Design | .... | DeeKay of Crest, Onslaught |
| Idea | .... | Crossbow of Crest |
| | | DeeKay of Crest, Onslaught |
| | | Graham of Oxyron |
| | | Mitch of Crest, Cyberzound Productions |
| Disk Cover | .... | Junkie of Doom Patrol, Extend |
| Charset | .... | DeeKay of Crest, Onslaught |
| Loader | .... | Graham of Oxyron |
SIDs used in this release :
Download :
Look for downloads on external sites:
Pokefinder.org
User Comment
Submitted by Frostbyte on 11 November 2020
Happy 20th birthday, Deus Ex Machina! Half a year late, but better late than never. :)
Still one of the best demos, and one of the best demo soundtracks ever, if not THE best. Especially the intro with the gorgeous picture and Jeff's Euro-Dance is divine and eargasm inducing. |
User Comment
Submitted by DubDee on 6 November 2020
| This is my holy grail of C64 demos! The best Demo ever for me. The graphic and music combo is mindblowing! |
User Comment
Submitted by chatGPZ on 12 January 2015
| what about clicking on "hidden parts" on the right? =D |
User Comment
Submitted by Almighty God on 12 January 2015
| This is of course an amaizing demo... anyone please can tell how to access to th three hidden parts? |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 19 February 2014
| I think Tower Power has its own place in the hearts of the sceners just like DEM or DB :) |
User Comment
Submitted by jailbird on 19 February 2014
Sure, that's why I said that DEM isn't perfect :) But, considering the emotional journey from it's start to the end, it's much more constant and satisfying than DB, at least for me.
And then, there's Tower Power 92%, which was heaps better than DB in this aspect, and released only two years later. Unfortunately, Camelot always lacked outstanding designers, so it didn't had the impact it deserved, which is a shame considering that the demo has a very well thought-out flow and would stand out even today if the visuals were better. |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 19 February 2014
I more understand you now. However still disagree ;) DEM continously breaks the flow with changing music and with loader parts / turn disk. The intro builds up anticipation, and then instead of a nextgen cool effect you get a loading screen.. bam :( The demo could have just started with the first plasma effect imho. Same thing happens when the nuifli screen is shown - flow killed, then the turn disk part breaks it up, then the coke can is shown for way too long, and when it finally takes off with the x rotator, its also the end :P :)
and its not like DEM has any story to tell whatsoever, or order of parts matter at all, right ? how come ? DB has much more in this regard with its dragonfly intro! great buildup and climax with the fullscreen logo! What has DEM to offer here? "here watch this small bad-joke-big-bro-logo, and listen to this half assed music while we load, after we've shown the credits in much similar vein as DB did 10 years earlier"
:P :) |
User Comment
Submitted by jailbird on 19 February 2014
Oswald, I'm explicitly talking about the visual style of a demo and the actual graphical design in it. The placement of observable elements on the screen, their connection one to another, their dynamism and their conscious directorial supervision. In DB, the visual storytelling is general, scattered, sporadic and disorderly. It doesn't makes a conclusive whole at all, there's no transmission. Consider this: if you'd go back to 1991, see the demo for the first time, and someone would shuffle the parts in random order before start, would it have a different effect on you? Probably not, as the order of appearance, their connection and their consistency (i.e. the editing) doesn't matter at all. Consequently, a permanent style, a strong visual guidance is simply nonexistent.
DEM isn't perfect in this field either, but it brought a lot of innovations which weren't really utilized on C64 before. It's dynamic, it flows, it progresses gracefully and intimately. For the first time, I've actually felt that I was a part of a journey with a climax at the end of it, similarly to watching movie, or listening to a good song... Interacting with the spectator, building up tension, and a conclusion is important in demos too.
That's why I respect DEM much more than DB, as it was really influential in strengthening a trend which lead us directly where we stand at the moment: the strive of communication with the viewer. It shaped the approach to the emotional aspect of building up, directing and editing demos. Just look at the Top demo list, those are all products which followed a road which DEM helped to carve. Whilst, Dutch Breeze was simply a technical milestone.
Then again, it's a matter of taste I guess. And we never really agreed on that matter ;) |
User Comment
Submitted by algorithm on 19 February 2014
The design element in Dutch breeze was a huge 'breeze' of fresh air (pun intended). However, codewise there was actually more going on internally than it seemed as well as cleverly thought out design (eg the ode to artists part, the joyport rubbing etc)
I personally prefer tech demo's more (new innovations, inventions, gfx modes vic tricks etc) but combining these two aspects would be even better |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 19 February 2014
"Refining or simply improving on something isn't revolutionary"
Thats what demos did, until Dutch Breeze came. It didnt even occur to me until DB that demos could be actually polished, and that good looking. Music could fade out, or the basic screen. Why do that? just watch the glitch screens between parts, as usual!
DB changed all that single handedly, almost leaped right into the trackmo era in one step.
While DEM did only add a bit more thought into fades / movements. Refer to Sander's unreleased demo design if you ask me what would be a revolution. |
User Comment
Submitted by jailbird on 19 February 2014
Quoting OswaldSeriously? part selectors, decrunch & glitch screens between parts, no fade in/out, border flashing loaders, boring logo+scroller screens, no music between parts, no loading screens,no extensive intro synched to the music, childishly oldschool gfx & screen designs. these demos cant even kiss DB's shiny ass.
The demo is smoothed to the bones, no doubt about that, but focusing on, and considering particularly its visual design, it wasn't radical or reforming. It followed an old and obvious formula. Refining or simply improving on something isn't revolutionary, all that you brought up already existed in other productions, albeit separately, one at a time. What DB managed to prove (and why it was compelling and refreshing to many) that the extra time spent polishing and a lot of care adds greatly to a product, but that's about all. It had it's novelty mainly in its shininess and aspiration to completeness. |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 19 February 2014
| Seriously? part selectors, decrunch & glitch screens between parts, no fade in/out, border flashing loaders, boring logo+scroller screens, no music between parts, no loading screens,no extensive intro synched to the music, childishly oldschool gfx & screen designs. these demos cant even kiss DB's shiny ass. |
User Comment
Submitted by jailbird on 19 February 2014
Quoting Oswaldyou should check Dutch Breeze's competition before judging on that. DEM took a big leap, but DB actually stepped to the moon. compared to their era. IMHO :)
DB doesn't seem to me as such a big leap considering its visuals whilst demos such as Digital Delight, Lethal Display 3, Graphixmania III, Ice Cream Castle, Legoland, Eldorado, Living Chips or Wonderland VIII existed already. All those releases more or less matched the style of Dutch Breeze, except design-wise Blackmail stood out a bit as they had the most talented graphicians of the time. I'll maintain my opinion that DB wasn't innovative or uncommonly unusual in any way, it just happened to have absolutely the best ingredients for a demo at the moment so it hit really hard. |
User Comment
Submitted by Zirias on 19 February 2014
| Whoever took the greater leap, it was DEM convincing me to have a look at this old breadbin again :) Great stuff! |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 19 February 2014
"The dynamic visual design itself was weak, "
you should check Dutch Breeze's competition before judging on that. DEM took a big leap, but DB actually stepped to the moon. compared to their era. IMHO :) |
User Comment
Submitted by jailbird on 19 February 2014
Quoting Oswaldstrongly disagree on the 2nd part, you forgot dutch breeze ?
Dutch Breeze, while was graphically really extraordinary for it's time, but IMO, design-wise didn't bring anything exceptional. It followed the usual "fit all the nice stuff on a black background in a very predictable order and call it a day" approach. The dynamic visual design itself was weak, the graphical concept (if there was any, at all) wasn't original at all. But DEM brought something new and fresh to the C64 on that field. |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 19 February 2014
| nice find :) strongly disagree on the 2nd part, you forgot dutch breeze ? |
User Comment
Submitted by jailbird on 19 February 2014
"We're so close to the limits, that there's no way to make any more breakthroughs." - Oswald, 2007
This quote has to be framed :D
Anyhow, just mentioned to DeeKay that DEM was probably the first C64 demo which clearly had extraordinary amount of work put in into it's visual direction. It was polished and smart and inspired me a lot and had a huge part in my development as a designer. |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 28 September 2013
| never thought I'd have a 1 yr old daughter dacing to this music ;) |
User Comment
Submitted by Flimsoft on 18 June 2013
| Just incredible of how much quality a C64 can produce. |
User Comment
Submitted by Joe on 5 September 2012
...Deus ex Machina: Leaving intricate plays to resolve with the help of a device of God(s) (from/) in the machine in the earliest plays of Greece. We witness German technical splendor resolving things from letting the machine act controlled (Note the difference in language around the world on whether god or the devil lives in the detail)...
If the Dutch showed the poetics from using the machine of almost religious desire in 1991 with all it's elaborate design, the Germans showed the machine (being gods) as is in it's full efficiency in the 00:s and so forth, in dialogue with the past ofcourse, not forgetting the collective poetry. |
User Comment
Submitted by The Phantom on 5 September 2012
I have to ask about the demo name itself. Any relation to Stargate SG-1?
I ask because Season 9, episode 7 is called: Ex Deus Machina.
Simply curious, and yes. I like all the stargate series :D |
User Comment
Submitted by Magic on 5 September 2012
| the insane amount of graphics did it for me.. all time classic! |
User Comment
Submitted by Conrad on 1 September 2012
| @Flex: I felt the exact same way. This was one of the first demos I watched when I got access to the internet properly (in 2003/4) This demo opened a brand new world of the C64 scene to me, compared to all the pre-1990 demos I saw in the past. It also brought me great joy that Crossbow was (and still is) coding on the C64!... also, the introduction to Graham code, Mermaid graphics, and Jeff tunes! :) It scarred me for life! |
User Comment
Submitted by Wile Coyote on 25 September 2011
Not my favorite Crest demo, but:
The interlaced intro picture is excellent.
The Turn Disk part is well designed.
The star of the demo as to be the excellent Audio. It really makes the demo! |
User Comment
Submitted by Flex on 7 July 2011
Nothing better than this has never been seen/heard.. In 2000 this must have been something like "Dutch Breeze" was in 1991 and above.. Don't know, I wasn't there in 2000... Crossbow & Graham, they must be some kind of a coder-gods. I always like to play with that idea if this demo was released in 1990 or something.. :-) We all know now that it was possible, or was it back then?? If this made us crazy in 2000, how would it have been in 1990.. :-D
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User Comment
Submitted by ferris on 5 July 2011
| First massive C64 demo I ever saw, and I'm still able to watch it over and over and over... fantastic stuff :) |
User Comment
Submitted by PAL on 12 March 2011
| What a demo... whooo.... the only thing that really do puzzle my brain here is after the heavy music with so much attitude hits in there is a cola can.... it should have been a carlsberg or heiniken beer in my mind... love the whole lot in this! |
User Comment
Submitted by Wile Coyote on 10 March 2011
@Motion thanks. Got to see hidden Plasma part in the disc note.
The tune reminds me of something. It's either a cover. Or a slower remix of some C64 tune. |
User Comment
Submitted by Joe on 6 December 2010
| There is some really heavy loads of sounds in this one. |
User Comment
Submitted by Rough on 24 January 2010
| I guess you can decipher what 'ten years' means when it was released in 2000, Stupid. |
User Comment
Submitted by Rough on 22 January 2010
| I watched this the very first time ten years after its release. An outstanding ultra master piece. Big thanks to all the producers! |
User Comment
Submitted by PAL on 2 August 2009
| Ohhh... very cool demo and graphics and all... |
User Comment
Submitted by TomoAlien on 14 March 2009
| This demo was groundbreaking when it was released. It's awesome! |
User Comment
Submitted by mikme on 18 December 2008
the best c64 demo ever!
"Edge of Disgrace" is just a second star :) |
User Comment
Submitted by G-Fellow on 6 December 2008
| One of the best demos ever made for the C64! But now is a new star on the sky, it´s called "Edge of Disgrace" from Booze Design. |
User Comment
Submitted by Testa on 8 August 2008
| this demo simply rocks!!! |
User Comment
Submitted by Hermit on 30 June 2008
What a beautiful picture!!!!!!!
Yeaaaahhhh! C64 16col Rulez!!
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User Comment
Submitted by Total Chaos on 21 May 2008
slow day at work so I thought... why not check the best c64demo ever out again....
still an amazing piece of art...
(and yes, the tune Crossbow is still among the best ever made on this lovely machine) |
User Comment
Submitted by Motion on 23 January 2008
@Bordeaux: You're *SO* GHEY, m8! ;D
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User Comment
Submitted by Tim on 23 January 2008
| just boring, never liked this demo |
User Comment
Submitted by chatGPZ on 18 December 2007
User Comment
Submitted by Sander on 18 December 2007
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 18 December 2007
| any hollowman demo? Basic-Demo you mean this one I guess. |
User Comment
Submitted by Radiant on 18 December 2007
| Sander: I was of course talking about geeks. :-) |
User Comment
Submitted by Mace on 18 December 2007
| Groepaz, you dumped her after she said that, right? |
User Comment
Submitted by Sander on 18 December 2007
| @Radiantx: for code ppl, yes.. still, any hollowman demo would be more appealing to most, since the language is human and makes it universal. |
User Comment
Submitted by chatGPZ on 18 December 2007
| my gf said the gfx is ugly and the "beep beep" music is just annoying. then again she thinks slayer is just noise, so who cares =) |
User Comment
Submitted by Radiant on 18 December 2007
| No theme, no killer effects... But it's such an excellent presentation that it's impossible to ignore. This is still THE crowdpleasing C64 demo, more than seven years since its release. If you wanna get someone interested in C64 demos you show them this one, simple as that. |
User Comment
Submitted by null on 24 November 2007
okay, my comment sucks :_D
but what I meant is this:
as far as *I* know, the same effects have been done better before, by the same coders. this is not the point why I think this demo should not be first place though.
it's pretty hard to explain really, but there are so many better works out there, imho.
ah, tastes differ ^_^ |
User Comment
Submitted by Steppe on 13 November 2007
| To me the effects/graphics/music thingy as a parameter itself aren't important in this demo. The whole design quirks with all borders active, screen buildups, music synching etc are what this demo is about. It creates a perfect mixture of the single components, that's why many (including me) regard this as the best demo ever made. No weak spots at all. |
User Comment
Submitted by Mace on 13 November 2007
If you could only put new and/or improved fx in demos, hardly anybody would be able to release anything, except for the very best.
Demos can also show how a certain person got better and improved on his/her own skills.
On top, it's also important HOW an effect is used, no matter how old... |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 13 November 2007
| I kinda agree with knoeki, however improving old routines is the way the demoscene works since it was born. you can not show all completely new fx in each demo. |
User Comment
Submitted by SIDWAVE on 13 November 2007
| Knoeki: improvements are worth gold, no matter how far ago they were made etc. code is old or not, who cares ? what matters is the end result, and nothing else. |
User Comment
Submitted by null on 14 October 2007
I have some mixed feelings about this demo...
the music is awesome, the graphics rule ( especially the pics by vanja in the endpart, together with the music they bring shivers all over every time I see it ), it still feels like it lacks something... .. .
some effects ( especially the weird horizontal vector ) stays on screen too long, while others ( the scrolling plasma after the intro ) are way too short.
the first diskside is top notch, but the second side just... I dunno, boring, I guess.
Also, it just feels strange, knowing that most ( if not all ) effects have already been improved ~7 years before release. It's not bad that it has old effects, it's just that... why use effects that have been improved? ...nah, that doesn't sound right, don't really have the words for it.
the coke can, even though awesome, looks weird, unless it was intended to look like the 'print' rotates, and not the can itself.
I don't mean this badly, it's just, I had to write it down :/ |
User Comment
Submitted by mathman on 2 August 2007
| It's essential, a classic, a monolith, but honestly I also think it's a little boring compared to some other stuff. It's like a greatest hits collection :) |
User Comment
Submitted by Total Chaos on 13 May 2007
love this demo... and the tune "Crossbow" by Jeff is wonderfull...
an absolute 10 |
User Comment
Submitted by Cruzer on 29 April 2007
Quoting OswaldWe're so close to the limits, that there's no way to make any more breakthroughs.
So untrue. More like we have become so old and contend with what we have, that no one bothers to try making any more breakthroughs. Actually I think that's not even true. There has been several breakthroughs since DEM. |
User Comment
Submitted by Motion on 26 April 2007
@wile coyote: Read the hidden part info again, and you'll see that a lightpen isn't necessary, you can access via the monitor in WinVICE (Press 'Alt' and 'M' then type 'g 1D00'). This is to access the hidden Plasma part in the disc note.
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User Comment
Submitted by HCL on 26 April 2007
Oh, plz Oswald <:). I know Royal Arte is crap because it's not a trackmo. What i mean with "not much new" is that Graham himself already made most of those routines before. In R.A. at least the 26x40-FLI, AB-stretcher, 15xDYCP, SB-bitmap-scroll, SlimePic etc was new stuff at least for me as teh coder.
Now maybe this sounds like i think i made huge steps with R.A. and Graham made just the same bunch of effects once again with DEM, but i really don't. It takes alot more effort than *some* people think to work with demo design, but let's keep that discussion out of here.. :). |
User Comment
Submitted by Mermaid on 26 April 2007
Quoting wile coyoteI had mixed feelings towards the use of 'certain' images that appeared during the end part. Some of the graphics such as the image that reads Oxyron and Crest looked excellent, although I felt the use of the Stars Wars image and the Shout! image looked out of place.
Quite... Some of those images were 5-6 years old when the demo was released. I was asked to send Deekay all the koala images I had lying around, so I did, and they used everything except this piece of crap vallejo copy The Dragon and the George (drawn in 1994) because it uses background colour #$0f rather than #$00. The design credit for this demo goes to Deekay, so he gets to take the blame for including all those images you didn't like as well, I guess, I do wonder though, why you found the Star Wars image out of place but a coke can was ok, heh.
I wasn't too keen on using the Star Wars pic and some of the others myself but I had already given up trying to influence the design of the demo in any way at that point. <bitterness> We are Crest, we don't do coherent demos with stories or anything and god forbid we try anything new and different. </bitterness> People still seem to love the demo though, so I guess Deekay was right, and I still love him even though we disagree on lots of stuff and he NEVER reads his PMs on IRC. Or maybe it's just the ones I send him. Hrm. Anyway, hugs to everyone and lots of <3 and stuff. |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 26 April 2007
| hcl, well the same could be said to royal arte :) slightly updated parts, and not even in trackmo style. We're so close to the limits, that there's no way to make any more breakthroughs. |
User Comment
Submitted by HCL on 26 April 2007
It was a long time since i watched this one, but it sure is one of the best. Still i have sort of mixed feeling for this demo.
Effect-wise it's really not much new in here, not even in y2k when it was released. Most effects had already been seen in Graham's smaller demos, just not exactly in this way. So that can not be what impress people (?!). The way it really differs from other Oxyron and Crest demos is the way the screens are designed. That really stands out. Also the music made this demo feel like it was a few years into the future.
And now 7 years after, noone has been able to do something that appeals more to the gathered cluelessness of the generic CSDB users. That's kinda depressing actually :(. However, deep respect to the people behind this. You know what it takes. |
User Comment
Submitted by Sander on 25 April 2007
| I've always considered this the sequal to Dutch Breeze, although it never hit me as hard as the original. As I prefer to keep my jewerly well sorted, this does not go in the 'genuine' box. ;) Edit: i forgot to express my respect. It _is_ a jewel nonetheless :) |
User Comment
Submitted by Motion on 25 April 2007
A wonderful experiece from start to finish. I must say that the ending is quite special for me. Vanja's gfx are just so awe inspiring - so much love in those pixels. The design of the demo is fantastic and so polished. The music is perfect for this release, so wonderfully mastered. The only criticism I have is the change disk part - I think the Art Deco font looks so out of place, otherwise it's is a nice part.
As for Oswald's comment - 7 years? I must have been in a mental coma! My, time sure does fly by at an insane rate. Capture it and savour the moment... |
User Comment
Submitted by Oswald on 24 April 2007
| SEVEN? feels like it was 2 :) |
User Comment
Submitted by Alchemist on 24 April 2007
| Seven years from release and it still looks sweet. Good work! Love it :) |
User Comment
Submitted by Richard on 19 September 2006
| That is a high quality demo production. I'd love to see a Deus Ex Machina 2 in the near future. What do you guys at Crest think? :D |
User Comment
Submitted by Optimus on 22 January 2006
| Thumbs up for gfx, sound and some of the effects. I was normally having expectations for more coderpr0n normally (cause I used to be a Graham-fx sucker :) but still it left me with preety positive feelings. |
User Comment
Submitted by ouspensky on 27 October 2005
User Comment
Submitted by Krill on 27 July 2005
| Graham: better pray he hasn't got the patent on it and goes sueing us all for infringing patent laws. :D |
User Comment
Submitted by TDJ on 25 July 2005
| I once stretched my sprite, and wound up in hospital :( |
User Comment
Submitted by Krill on 25 July 2005
| Graham: I think we all re-invented certain effects by accident one or the other time :D |
User Comment
Submitted by Graham on 25 July 2005
| @Ronski: But you do notice that there is a bit more than stretching to it? Also, how could you invent sprite stretching when people like Horizon etc have done it before, hehe. |
User Comment
Submitted by Ronski on 28 March 2005
| The coke can routine looks like the sprite strech routine I invented and allowed Wanderer to use in his demo back in 1989. |
User Comment
Submitted by Tch on 6 December 2004
Simply amazing.
I wish i was still a magazine editor! |
User Comment
Submitted by -nd-! on 29 September 2004
This shit id no f*kin oldschool shit!
So shut the fuck up! |
User Comment
Submitted by Clarence on 21 June 2004
Don't get me wrong I like this demo, but I have to add a fact about the interference part. The scrolltext claims it's a never seen non-cheaty routine to display interference circles the way it originally should look like. Actually Grabowsky of Graffity already made the same routine in the demo JustinTime (1992)! The only little difference compared to Deus Ex Machina is Graffity's version wasn't X expanded.
Check:
Justintime |
User Comment
Submitted by Steppe on 31 May 2004
| My alltime favourite demo. Jeff's soundtrack is surely one of the best and coherent singlespeed works he ever did. |
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