Happy Commodore Day!!

Wait, come back...

Did you not expect to see that logo here? lol. Well, I have decided to create a light-hearted Amiga presentation to celebrate a great 16-bit computer. No, I'm not trying to be sarcastic! So, why the sudden burst of Amiga appreciation? Well, ever since I posted about STDOOM and DOOM8088ST, I have received a flood of childish and downright nasty comments on both this site and my YouTube channel. Rather than rise to their bait and retaliate, I figured I would record a silly yet respectful video to say thanks for the fantastic banter over the years, not to mention the zillions of Tracker tunes (as a chiptune guy, I hated typing that).

I've hunted down some cool Amiga-themed demos, images, and music. Nothing bitter, just a playful tribute with a few cheeky extras thrown in for a laugh. Surprisingly, there’s actually a fair bit of Amiga-themed content for the ST/STe, which is kinda cool. So I picked out a few that I liked, but Demozoo has loads more.

The productions I’ve picked are shown briefly in my video, so I’ve included all the links below to enjoy each one properly. I loved the AN Cool demo - just wish it was longer, especially as a ZZ Top fan! Commando is actually a VT-52 text file, and I recorded it in full, as it scrolls a bit too fast, so it’s probably easier to watch on YouTube. If, like me, an animated text file fascinates you, check out Josh Renaud's excellent website.

Okay, as for the minority of keyboard warriors, leaving nasty comments - seriously, why are you here? I mean, we don’t spend our time lurking on Amiga websites just to troll. We're too busy enjoying our ST to be looking over our shoulders. To the rest, the normies, let the banter continue for many more decades!!

Regardless of your allegiance, I hope that you enjoy watching my video recording. STay Atari :x

• All credit to these cool dudes for the productions used in my recording...
• The Amiga Demo by The Exceptions https://demozoo.org/productions/76582/
• Amiga Joke Demo by AN Cool https://www.atarimania.com/amiga-joke-demo.html
• The Amiga Sound Demo by The Slayer https://demozoo.org/productions/94010/
• Amiga Music Disk 3 by The Disaster Crew https://demozoo.org/productions/76279/
• Amiga 1200 Demo by Tranceaction https://www.atarimania.com/amiga-1200-demo.html
• Amiga Modules #5 by Mug U.K https://demozoo.org/productions/134809/
• Amiga Demo 2 by Oxygene https://www.atarimania.com/amiga-demo-ii.html
• Golden Dawn's Mod Disk #14 https://demozoo.org/productions/120194/
• Commando Raid by Tim https://www.atarimania.com/commando-raid.html
• Say Amiga One More Time Bitch by Samurai https://demozoo.org/graphics/180900/

Everyone's gone out!

Me Time

It’s been a wild couple of weeks playtesting two incredible versions of DOOM - STDOOM and DOOM8088. Honestly, I never thought I would see the day when I could even think about booting up id Software’s classic shooter on my Atari ST. Sure, it’s early days, and there’s plenty of optimisation ahead (and hopeful expectation), but I’m absolutely buzzing with excitement and wish Jonas/Frenkel all my beST.

That said, I figured it was time to get back to something a bit more “normal”. So today, the family are out, so I decided to re/re/re/relive the glory days, 1990s style. As the familiar thrilling effects swirled and scrolled across my screen, a few others caught my eye, and I couldn’t resist sharing them with you...

• StarPlayer is a MOD player that I've never booted up in my entire life! I thought I knew every type of tracker player for the ST/e, but alas, no. So this was a super-nice shock. It's actually a good program, with a nice design, and the mod's name is used as an adjustable sine wave. We can even alter the volume, balance, bass, and so on. I really like this player and should add it to this list I made a few years ago!! https://demozoo.org/productions/96029/
• PlaySID is something I've used loads over the years, yet sadly, not so much lately. And I've no idea why. The good'ol Commodore 64 has some crappy tunes, but tons of fantastic ones also. Somehow, I actually forgot it has stereo playback, which is excellent. Cream nailed it once again for this brilliant chiptune player. https://demozoo.org/productions/65441/
• DBA #06. A legendary release. Not only was DBA a fantastic diskmag, but this particular one marked a change in how the ST sounded. At least for me. The disk's intro features music by Scavenger, one of my favourite musicians. It's mind-blowing, not only the music, but the visual effects help to produce something that is nothing less than iconic. https://demozoo.org/groups/13045/
• We Were @ is a favourite demo of mine, and arguably one of the best demos ever made. So stylish with many full-screen effects to blow you away. If you are one of the few 4MB STe owners who have never watched this, then rectify that right away. https://demozoo.org/productions/151600/
• Next up is Out A Time, which was released at Silly Venture by Baky, Jade, MiKRO, Sedma, Vasyl, and X-Ceed. The storage demands are huge, but everything worked fine for me. Thankfully so, because this is a stonking production! https://demozoo.org/productions/362494/
• It's about now you're probably wondering why only music and demos? How strange of you! Well, I ended with a game, and it's a belting platformer too. But I boot it up now and then for another reason. I'll leave you to fathom what that is, but I have a bigger grin than the Cheshire Cat's whenever I watch this awesome intro by the mighty Replicants!! https://www.atarilegend.com

So yeah, what started as a peaceful moment in the house turned into a full-blown blast through some of the best sights and sounds the Atari ST/e has to offer. Productions like these aren’t just eye/ear candy – they’re living proof of how much talent the ST scene has. Oh, and if you're wondering about the title image, it's from Yrasters by Extream. A wonderful screen that I've never seen before, and thoroughly enjoyed!

So that concludes my silliness for today. It's been fun reliving my youth, watching demos and listening to great chip music. Hang on, what am I saying - I do that most days with my Mega STe <gloating emoji>. I hope you have enjoyed this pointless posting of demoscene wonders. Have you got any favourites of your own - demos, music, intros, diskmags, etc/etc. Drop a comment below. I would love to check 'em out...

StarPlayer is superb, I loved the visual effects and superb 25 KHz playback.

Oh yeah, good old Commodore 64 tunes on the ST/e. Fantastic!!

One image does the DBA #06 intro no justice. Download it.

Leonard blows me away time and time again. An outstanding production.

This one was totally new to me and is an incredible showcase.

What a platformer, and now fully playable for the first time in decades!

Demoscene poster

Your mancave needs this!

The most amazing demoscene poster has been updated again. If you have never seen this before, you should take a look and download it! Clickety click to view this jaw-dropper by Gregory le Roux (HMD!!)

For those who may not know who this chap is (where have you been?), visit Demozoo...

The History of ULM

U..L..M..!!

The other day, I saw a tweet about the Atari ST demoscene from an idiot who is clearly an Amoeba fanboy. Rather than getting drawn in, it inspired me to write this quick piece, as we know the ST has a belting scene that is alive & kicking! (see recent masterpieces like We Were @ + Strange roboTS). Powerful STuff!!

Additionally, there is a web page by Georges Kesseler of ULM. It details his ST history, which I thought was pure gold. I wonder if it was originally part of an older website? An intriguing read of great ST devs.

http://www.ulm.lu/ulm_web.html