Blink 7

What is a Demo?

A “demo” (short for demonstration) is a multimedia presentation designed to show off both the graphical capabilities of the computer and prowess of the programmer. The Commodore Amiga was a popular platform for demo creators due to its advanced (for the time) and standardized hardware (as opposed to a PC, which comes shipped with many possible hardware configurations).

Most demos consist of various 3D (vector) graphics, 2D “blitter” displays and still art. The 3D graphics were typically rendered in the Amiga’s low-resolution mode (320×256 for European PAL; 320×200 for NTSC machines) while stills could be in high resolution mode or even high resolution interlaced (640×512 PAL; 640×400 NTSC).

There are several varieties of demos, not limited to the following –

Intros – A looping demonstration that typically shows one effect and/or a scrolling message on a single screen. Intros are typically used as opening screens for pirated games, though there are “intro” contests where the demo-writers compete to see who can create the greatest effects for a certain file size (e.g. 128 kilobytes). Amiga intros were designed to fit within the boot-block of a double density floppy disk, so good programming was essential.

• Megademos – demonstrations that span one or more floppies, typically lasting between 5 and 30 minutes. The effects and pictures were accompanied by one or more songs programmed in the Amiga .MOD format (4 channels of 8-bit samples) or some variant. Megademos concentrated primarily on pushing the hardware to its maximum capabilities.
• Trackmos – typically 1 disk demos (occasionally 2-disks) that are built around the soundtracks. Early 90’s techno and acid was the genre of choice (and well suited to the Amiga’s limited sample memory) and the graphics were assembled like a music video. Unlike megademos, trackmos focused on presentation rather than
• Music demos – collections of tracks accompanied by a WinAmp-style interface. These demos were used to showcase the talents of one or more musicians. Many musicians also distributed the original .MOD files via BBS systems or on public domain [no copyright] software collections.
• Slideshows – As the name implies, usually accompanied by atmospheric music.

Demo: State of the Art

Name: State of the Art
Demogroup: Spaceballs
Demo Party: The Party (1st Place)
Release Date: 1992
Hardware: 1MB, ECS Chipset, OS 1.3
Genre: Trackmo
Notes: This demo was tremendously popular due to its used of vectorized dancing silhouettes (trivia: the dancing was provided by the programmer’s girlfriend) synchronized to a dance music soundtrack and psychedelic backgrounds.