A Series Of Raster Effects by smfx

Lovely Rasters

You may remember that I posted a rather cool racer called Rally II back in December? This was unique because it contained no actual bitmap graphics, as it was done using palette swapping. That sounds weird, right? And it is! But it's quite remarkable, fast, and in overscan too. I really enjoyed playing it.

This demo uses the same idea to produce quite possibly one of the best presentations I've ever seen. Yep, I said that. For me, it's up there with classics like We Were @, Virtual Escape, Sea of Colour, Midnight Sun, and many others. However, please use real hardware and make sure you read the documentation in the download. Don't worry, it's not that long, but a great read, especially for non-techies like me.

What's been achieved here is astounding. I can't begin to explain just how mind-boggling this production is, and much of what you witness is in maximum overscan, too. Throughout, the aesthetics are stunning with lovely colours and music. I'm no programmer, but the calculation that must have gone into the coding to bring everything together blows me away. For me, this is one of the best demos ever.

Screenshots do it no justice, but here are a few anyhow. Again, make sure you use a real ST...

Credits and download

• 505 - Music
• Exocet - Graphics
• mOdmate - Graphics, Music
• spkr - Code
• Tat - Code (Minimyser music playback code and tooling)
• Tom - Code
• Evil - Video Recording
• Grab the download from Demozoo, and check out smfx's page. 
• Don't miss out on playing PHF Rally 2 <<- read more!
• The other mentioned demos can be found using the search at the top ↗️

Cool logo, guys!

Yeah!!

Wow, I loved this "simple" effect of a city skyline.

Screenshots aren't great, as demonstrated here... sorry!

Ahh, I bet that will make a great wallpaper!!!

I think this was my favourite effect. I loved the speed, too!

Indeed.

Things That Made Us Go Hmmm....

Almost a Megademo

Every so often, I come across a demo I have not seen before, and today, I’ve got a rather good one - Things That Made Us Go Hmmm by The Watchmen. It starts with the above screen, cycling through a range of psychedelic colours that look absolutely stunning!! The main menu plays an original (ahem) tune and also reminds me of Life’s a Bitch by The Lost Boys. From here, you can access a selection of five demos…

> Now There's A Frood. This one features multiple background layers scrolling in different directions, along with a scroller that you’d struggle to read unless you’re an owl! It’s packed with proper old-school effects, executed brilliantly, and paired with some super-duper music.

> A Toaster Called Zippy. I first came across this a while back and absolutely loved it. I even recorded it because I was so taken with its simple yet stylish 3D presentation and that (Mmmm) compelling chip music. Thanks to a couple of cool chaps, I later found out the music is from the movie Fletch - how did I not spot that straight away?

> There's A Flower Dying In The Vase On My Shoulder. Quite possibly one of the strangest title ever! It starts with a simple screen featuring a massive logo and a sweet chiptune. Then, the full-screen scroller kicks in! It’s been done a million times before, but this is still a fantastic screen.

> The Joy Of Sex. No, not what you’re thinking! But if you’re expecting swirling, sexy 3D visuals, you’re in for a treat. This was easily my favourite demo of the lot - not because of full-screen effects or flashy extras (because there aren’t any), but because the 3D itself is superb. The thick, vibrant lines give it a laser-like effect, making it look absolutely stunning.

> The Fifth Screen. This one is a greetings demo packed with... well, greetings and lots of stars!

Another thing I must mention is the incredible artwork on each demo’s loading screen. Overall, this is a superb demo, and I tip my hat to The Watchmen for making me enjoy it as if it were 1992 (how I wish it were).

Demozoo has the download and a dedicated group page for The Watchmen.

Credits

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Chris(tophe) - Code

Ian - Graphics

Mad Max - Music

Zogg - Graphics (additional graphics in 'A Toaster Called Zippy')

Go Ahead Make My Bed

Happy Halloween!

I made a compilation video for Halloween and wondered what it might contain. Well, what's better than Chainsaw Massacre by The Lost Boys? It's an entertaining demo and a great example of the banter between ST groups. I ended my video recording with a scary image taken from Halloween, by The Black Twins.

If you’re too squeamish to watch a Swedish Carebear being mutilated, perhaps you’d prefer to play a game or two instead? But seriously, what's wrong with you? Anyhow, the Atari ST has many scary games in its library, and many I have yet to feature here on AtariCrypt. Yikes, I need to work a lot harder!

Here are some nerve-racking ideas which are highly recommended by yours truly...

• Horror Zombies From The Crypt is the obvious choice - because it's fiendishly superb.
• Ooze is quirky, but there are lots of things going bump in the night to entertain.
• The Curse of Rabenstein, a brand new slice of horror that is jaw-droppingly awesome.
• Frankenstein takes us all on a humorous B-Movie adventure.
• What about gore? Nothing beats Death Chase for immense lust for blood!
• Finally, there is Nightbreed if you dare to try your luck within the disturbed mind of Clive Barker.

Now I'm in the mood for more horror: Brides of Dracula, Munsters, or Night Hunter. Has anyone played 'em?? Let me know what you think in the comments. Oh, and don't forget about ZombieCrypt, which is spine-chillingly cool. By that, I mean it's that lame slideshow I made. Watch it and let me know what you think!

Happy Halloween, folks. And remember, it'll be Christmas soon!! ;^)

Evil Ash, from Evil Dead II, and then featured in ZombieCrypt on the Atari ST.

How cool is that!

Grusel

Comedy Horror

This was one of the first demos I ever bought from a PD library when I became an ST user. The scene was fresh and bewildering for me back then. Plus, I had little money and took the plunge, blindly spending my pennies on something called "Grusel". I miss those days of ordering disks from PD libraries!

Thanks to the insanity of Eckhard Kruse, I've been hooked on graveyards, weird skeletons, and ghosts for over 30 years. Yes, it's silly, but this is an ST classic, and I just had to share it. Grusel can be downloaded from Eckhard's own website (don't forget Ballerburg, an outstanding turn-based strategic shooter you need to play!). This little demo is nothing less than a timeless classic. A childish demo. A masterpiece!

• Grusel can be downloaded from Eckhard's website.
• Please don't forget about Ballerburg, an utter ST classic this one!

ElefantaSTic

Loooooove this!

This demo was released at Silly Venture 2013 by Genesis Project and is outstanding. I love ElefantaSTic because it breaks from the norm with unique and stunning styles. Plus, the artwork is superb with beautiful effects and a perfectly apt chiptune. This is one of my personal favourites! Downloadable from Demozoo.

Credits

MCH - Music

Mermaid - Graphics, Music

Shadow - Code

Things Not To Do

Good advice

Electronic Images released the most hilarious Atari ST demo I've seen. I tried to record a video, but my emulator messed up the graphics, and the sine scroller (which is beautiful) was jerking like it had a nervous twitch. So I gave up and burned the image to a floppy disk. Nothing beats the real hardware.

Download this utterly stupid demo from AtariMania, then turn up the volume and enjoy the show.

Credits

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4mat - Music
Count Zero - Music
Griff - Code, Text
J.C.B - Graphics (Animation)

Master - Graphics

lotsa stars!

You won't believe this!

It’s been ages since I uploaded a video, so I thought it was high time. I’ve had it for a long time, but I should have shared it sooner, because it’s so impressive and deserves to be seen by the demoscene fanbase. Come on, just look at the specs: 1265 zillion+ stars, calculated in real-time and at 50fps. Mind-boggling!!

I would like to see another 16-bit computer try this! So sit back and enjoy the show... 

Credit

No More - Music

Phenomenon - Code, Graphics (Logo)

TiNKer - Graphics (Font)

Download from Demozoo.