PC Demos

[carls]

I've probably said this before, but I feel it's time for another rant. I just downloaded "Protozoa" by "Koolers" and "Relais" by "Kolor" for my PC.

Relais wouldn't even run on my computer because I have a GF 4 MX 440 (so much for hardware abstraction, eh?). This is a card that without problems can run UT2003 in 640x480 and Quake 3 in 1024x768.

Protozoa started but I couldn't stand watching it because it was too slow, it felt like maybe 5 fps or something - and this was with an effect that runs smoothly in many Amiga AGA demos.

Are there any PC demo coders around here? Is it HARD to make demos flow on a PC or does the demo code just plain suck? I found both of them on scene.org's viewing tips page.

Let's just hope the A1 and Pegasos scene does not succumb to the path of code optimization lazyness.

[B00tDisk]

carls wrote:
I've probably said this before, but I feel it's time for another rant. I just downloaded "Protozoa" by "Koolers" and "Relais" by "Kolor" for my PC.

Relais wouldn't even run on my computer because I have a GF 4 MX 440 (so much for hardware abstraction, eh?). This is a card that without problems can run UT2003 in 640x480 and Quake 3 in 1024x768.

Protozoa started but I couldn't stand watching it because it was too slow, it felt like maybe 5 fps or something - and this was with an effect that runs smoothly in many Amiga AGA demos.

Are there any PC demo coders around here? Is it HARD to make demos flow on a PC or does the demo code just plain suck? I found both of them on scene.org's viewing tips page.

Let's just hope the A1 and Pegasos scene does not succumb to the path of code optimization lazyness.

The incomparable Black Lotus has released some PC demos that'll make you weep with joy.  They're truly works of art.

Frankly I've never had a problem running any PC demos, and my system is rather creaky.  I'll have to check out those you mention.

BTW, a GF4 -anything - MX is really only as powerful as a GF2.

[carls]

BTW, a GF4 -anything - MX is really only as powerful as a GF2.

I know it's a pretty "slow" card but like I said, if it can run Quake 3 and UT2003 in high resolutions I think it would be capable of reproducing what AGA can do with C2P 320x256 in 640x480...

Edit:
By the way, I've watched a few TBL PC demos such as Jizz, Astral Blur and Stash but they're several years old and IMHO pretty poorly designed. I'm currently downloading "contour".

I mostly watch 64k wintel intros from the big groups since they are most impressive nowadays, especially when most people are used to 120GB hard drives.

[zolo]

Try this one!
http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=1221
http://www.pouet.net/prodlist.php

And yes! It seems that only a few(prop. ex amigans) master the art of making demos on the PEECEE!
 :-)

[mikeymike]

@ carls

Quick question - assuming you're running Windows on the machine with your GeForce 4 MX, what is DVD playback like on it, how high is the CPU usage on it?

I got a GF2 MX for my parents' machine, and the MX model doesn't appear to have the MPEG-2 decoding stuff on it, whereas the GF2 GTS I used to have did.  CPU usage was very high (95 ~ 100%) on the machine using the MX card, and about 25% on a P3-866 machine with the GTS.

[AdMartin]

zolo wrote:
Try this one!
http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=1221
http://www.pouet.net/prodlist.php

And yes! It seems that only a few(prop. ex amigans) master the art of making demos on the PEECEE!
 :-)

Ahhh, The Product... an incredible piece of art!  :-o

/Martin

[Damion]

I feel your pain, carls. Recently I downloaded
quite a few mac demos, preparing to be blown
away...and considering the hardware difference
between my old '060/AGA, I was not very
impressed. Ear - bleeding 1980's sounding glam
rock music, choppy animations, crap effects...?







 

[kd7ota]

@zolo

Impressive demo. Cant believe they crammed that whole demo into that small of a file.  Hope to see some more like that.

[Merc]

Anyone who wants to see some decent PC demos should check out Farb-Rausch IMHO..  They have some amazing 64k demos, along with really nice "fullsize" demos too..  They have an Amiga feel to them if you ask me

[Olle]

True..  probably the reason for being amigaish is that most (if not all)  members are from the classic Haujobb demogroup who also is an outgrowth from the real classic group Sanity (who remembers interference?)

So i would say they are pretty much amigaish.  :-D

[Merc]

Ok, well Farb-Rausch are good, but check this out, fresh from ASM'03!

url=http://www.scene.org/file.php?file=%2Fparties%2F2003%2Fassembly03%2Fdemo%2Flegomania_by_doomsday.zip&fileinfo]Legomania by Doomsday from Scene.org[/url]

[carls]

Quick question - assuming you're running Windows on the machine with your GeForce 4 MX, what is DVD playback like on it, how high is the CPU usage on it?

DVD playback is very smooth. I don't have a real DVD player so I use my PC for it. The TV-out quality is excellent and the CPU usage while playing DVDs isn't noticable - but I've got an Athlon XP 2200+ so I don't think it should be :-) Don't know about any HW MPEG decoding on the GF4 MX440 though.

[AdMartin]

For an incredible 4k intro, check this out.

/Martin

[carls]

@zolo
I like farbrausch a lot. I loved the poem to a horse intro and I'm downloading the product as we speak!

[carls]

@AdMartin
That was a nice 4k indeed. About 15 years ago, people needed Real 3D and a few hours to render images not even half as nice :-)