Discussions

New platforms

menace - 07:44 9 January 2014 #

We've had more than a few requests to add additional platforms to the site since launching, and I thought it best to move that particular discussion out of the Frequently Asked Questions and Fix Me Beautiful threads.

Now, bear in mind that the current system is not set in stone, there has been talk previously about doing something with the structure - so that a prod clearly released for an Amiga system, but we do not explicitly know if it's OCS/ECS or AGA could be platfrom-categorized as just "Amiga" as an umbrella platform, and then we can specify down the line. The same might be said for, say, the myriad of phone-specific demos released in the early 2000's (most can be found under the platform 'Mobile' for now) or the same thing with Calculator-demos, which were a fad for a while.

But we work with what we've got for now, and this thread will serve as a place to nominate new platforms for inclusion. We do try to not go overboard with the amount of platforms, so we do impose a hard line that a platform needs at least 5 uniqiue productions to be eligible, or it gets moved under an umbrella platform for the time being.

You increase the chances of having your platform included manyfold if you are also willing to write a short text about the platform, and how it relates to the scene - and if you can also provide a picture of said platform that you have not stolen off the web and we can use freely, then hey - come up to me at the next demoparty and ask for a beer. Or a hug. Whatever floats your boat.

Go!

pulkomandy - 09:25 9 January 2014 #

Ok, so let's try this again. Please add a Thomson platform :)

* 3 prods by PULS http://demozoo.org/groups/34258/
* 2 prods by Shinra http://demozoo.org/groups/20546/
* 1 prod from Exocet http://demozoo.org/graphics/58722/

There are a few more on Pouët, I can spend some time to upload them here as well, but I'd rather assign the platform at the same time, so I'll wait until it is created.

Here's an attempt at a description and scene-history for these machines:

The Thomson TO and MO lines of computers were designed and manufactured in France by Thomson, between 1982 and 1986. They were mainly sold to French schools bundled with a set of not-so-great edutainment games, leading to a poor reputation for the machines. Meanwhile, the Amstrad CPC, which was cheaper, took over the home computer market. Thomson attempted to export their computers to Italia (under the Olivetti brand), Germany, and North Africa, with limited success.

The demoscene will stay away from this computer until 1988, when the Craca Cracking Company released the first prod for the Thomson TO8. There was a very small number of productions released during the 1990s, until the PULS group formed and finally managed to raise some interest on the machine.

Specs:
1MHz 6809
Between 8 and 512K of RAM, depending on models
8 (TO7), 16 (1st gen) or 4096 (2nd gen) colors
320x200, 16 colors with block constraints (8x1 blocks) on all models
Extra modes on the second generation machines:
160x200, 16 colors
320x200, 4 colors
640x200, 2 colors

I'll try to take some nice pictures from my hardware. Here's a bad one in the meantime:
http://pulkomandy.tk/drop/MO6.jpg

Relevant link: http://exo.chez.com/indexe.html

menace - 10:09 9 January 2014 #

What an EXCELLENT submission!

Approved with flying colors - http://demozoo.org/platforms/53/

I took the liberty to crop and resize your image to a slightly more web-compatible format, and I added the three Thomson prods I found to already be in our database.

I know the design of the platform page looks a bit "meh", but at least now we have some content there so that's a lot easier to poke around with.

menace - 10:13 9 January 2014 #

I submitted an issue ticket for the formatting of the platform pages - https://github.com/demozoo/demozoo/issues/14

ltk_tscc - 12:03 9 January 2014 #

Like already agreed before we still need that Atari VCS platform added :)

menace - 12:17 9 January 2014 #

ltk_tscc: Here you are - http://demozoo.org/platforms/54/ - but I did think you had the ability to fix that yourself by now? :)

menace - 12:17 9 January 2014 #

ltk_tscc: Also, Atari model descriptions for the platform pages - Go go go! :)

SunSpire - 07:37 10 January 2014 #

What about the Gamepark Holdings GP2X? :) Or would that go under mobile / linux?

menace - 10:11 10 January 2014 #

SunSpire: Same thing applies to that as everything else - if it has at least 5 exclusive productions, then it is eligible for nomination. Chances increase if you can do a writeup of it and/or supply a royalty-free image. :)

tomaes - 11:19 10 January 2014 #

Please add Commodore 128. Not very many demos for it specifically (it can run most demos in its C64 mode), but one awesome one, that deserves to be tagged properly:

http://demozoo.org/productions/25328/

(some other minor productions, listed on pouet: http://www.pouet.net/prodlist.php?platform[]=Commodore+128&page=1)

T-101 - 12:49 10 January 2014 #

I saw 5 dedicated prods, hense C128 added

menace - 13:00 10 January 2014 #

I see 6 dedicated prods, a port and a bunch of "C128 compatible" ones, but OK :)

Risen From Oblivion tagged with the right platform.

Sephiroth - 21:24 13 January 2014 #

menace...who used to draw ansee?

menace - 08:00 14 January 2014 #

SunSpire: Following some research, GP2X added - http://demozoo.org/platforms/56/

Sepiroth: Nope, never was much of an artist. I'm this guy: http://demozoo.org/sceners/93/

tomaes - 21:45 26 March 2014 #

It seems Raspberry Pi is missing? There's a good new one for the platform from Tokyo Demo Fest and that's why I noticed. :)

menace - 11:17 27 March 2014 #

Technically the pi runs Linux, but I guess you could say that about Android too, so fair enough - I'm making a platform for it. :) Give me three minutes.

menace - 11:20 27 March 2014 #

http://demozoo.org/platforms/59/

tomaes - 12:28 27 March 2014 #

Thanks. Added some stuff to the platform.

SunSpire - 00:23 4 April 2014 #

menace: Awesome! I meant to get back to you about this but you beat me to it :)

Thanks!

menace - 06:54 4 April 2014 #

SunSpire: No worries, mate - now go fill it up with all the GP2X releases we may not have in here yet ;)

pulkomandy - 17:20 18 September 2014 #

Hi,

Please add Amstrad Plus platform.

Sample prods (there are more, not yet in the database, will add when the platform is available):
http://demozoo.org/productions/10287/
http://demozoo.org/productions/8597/
http://demozoo.org/productions/8598/
http://demozoo.org/productions/8601/

Platform description:
Released in late 1990, the Amstrad Plus range is an update to the earlier Amstrad CPC. In order to preserve compatibilty, it uses the same CPU (4MHz z80) and RAM size (64 and 128K models). The Plus boots in CPC-compatible mode, and the new features are not available until a secret unlock sequence has been sent to the ASIC chip. The idea was to sell this unlock sequence only to game manufacturer who would distribute games on cartridges - targetting both the Plus computers and the GX4000 console. However the unlock sequence was leaked from Amstrad, allowing demomakers to use the new features.

Those features include a 4096 color palette, 16 hardware sprites with a separate color palette and 3 zoom levels, hardware scrolling and automated screen splitting, a rasterline interrupt and 3 DMA channels feeding the AY3 sound generator. These features makes the hardware rather complex and the ASIC chip is known to have several rather annoying bugs which adds to the challenge of writing a demo for the platform.

menace - 19:31 18 September 2014 #

pulkomandy: Can't resist a user wanting to add more entries - your platform is ready :)

pulkomandy - 08:55 20 September 2014 #

Great!
I forgot to mention there was a platform picture waiting too (once again in unreasonable resolution): http://pulkomandy.tk/drop/PLATFORMS/Amstrad%20Plus.JPG

ltk_tscc - 10:09 22 February 2015 #

I want to remind you that we have an agreement with old-computers.com... we are allowed to use their descriptions for the platforms... just did that with

http://demozoo.org/platforms/36/

Shouldn't we resize the picture here?

pulkomandy - 14:30 2 March 2015 #

There's a ticket on github about improving the look of the platform info page.

menace - 14:45 2 March 2015 #

There are, infact, many tickets about a great number of things, if any developers/designers want to help out :)

menace - 05:35 12 October 2015 #

BBC Micro was added yesterday, and I see the boys have already been at it :)

http://demozoo.org/platforms/66/

ltk_tscc - 16:20 12 October 2015 #

Apple II as well... it finally had to be done:

http://demozoo.org/platforms/67/

cxw - 13:22 24 February 2017 #

Shader - here are 10 prods just to start with - https://demozoo.org/parties/3092/#competition_13036

I request the generic "shader" because ShaderToy and glsl sandbox are fairly similar for non-interactive prods. However, if someone thinks the extra features in ShaderToy make it a dedicated sub-platform of Shaders, that's fine with me.

Description: prods rendered entirely by fragment shaders executed by a framework that is not supplied with the prod. Framework+shader prods are, e.g., 1k or 4k intros.

korshun - 08:27 2 March 2017 #

What about adding pico 8 as own platform?

some prods:
https://demozoo.org/productions/161843/
http://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=2883
http://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=1982

fenarinarsa - 14:32 17 October 2019 #

Could you add Sharp X68000 please?

I found out there was at least two demos released on this 100% Japanese platform.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EH1wmHsBY8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvpwvPrLXtU

I'm currently trying to get the executable files.

One of the strangest thing about the X68000 is that it uses a square CRT screen. :)
Other than that, it's a very powerful machine, fitted with a 10Mhz 68000 CPU, hardware sprites, YM2151 "OPM" + PCM sound, MIDI support, a multisync monitor and resolutions up to 1024x1024 (or 512x512 16bits). It was more like a workstation than a home computer.

menace - 14:50 18 October 2019 #

Two demos is not really enough for a dedicated platform.

tomaes - 19:40 24 February 2020 #

There's more Commodore PET stuff than I thought. I tagged some hidden ones. Might be enough for its own platform:

https://demozoo.org/productions/tagged/commodore-pet/

menace - 13:13 27 February 2020 #

tomaes: Six out of the nine are by the same author though :D

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