INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF COMPUTER ART - "FUNTOP'98"
Better late than never...
On August 22, 1998, an international festival of computer art - "FUNTOP'98" took place in Moscow. History remembers three similar events, two of which were directly related to the "Spectrum" computer - these are "ENLIGHT". However, the "FUNTOP" festival marked a qualitatively new stage in the development of the Spectrum scene. I was a participant and a direct witness to this event. I apologize in advance to all interested parties for any inaccuracies and omissions, as these notes were written in the carriage of the fast train "Moscow-Gomel" amidst the clatter of wheels and under the influence of the impressions experienced. An official report "from the scene" has surely already been published in the newspaper "Nicron" or other electronic publications. Also, the LOGROS studio and the Moscow group ANTARES are preparing to release wonderful videos about "FUNTOP'98".
On my behalf, I would like to express my immense gratitude to: the ANTARES group (Konex, EA) for their warm welcome and hospitality, all members of the organizing committee, particularly - Vladimir Bulchukey, Alexey Ivanov, Sergey Novikov, and others, and of course to everyone who came or sent their works, for giving us an unforgettable celebration, aptly named "FUNTOP".
PROLOGUE...
I traveled to the "FUNTOP" festival a day before its official opening, as I was carrying a mass of works that were not declared in the official application. Among other things, I hoped to visit the Mitino radio market, hoping to acquire some junk, such as voice boards for "Caller IDs" and other nonsense. Furthermore, I held onto the hope that my friend VIATOR from Chernihiv was also heading to Moscow. The AVALON group was supposed to write a demo for the competition, but apparently did not manage to, and VIATOR promised to bring quality graphics. The train was scheduled to arrive at 9:42 at the Kievsky railway station. After standing on the platform for about 10 minutes, I saw KONEX/ATS, who was happily walking in a white branded T-shirt with the FUNTOP emblem. Upon seeing a familiar face, I was also delighted and headed towards him. A couple of minutes later, we were both heading towards the metro station "Kievskaya" to his home. As it turned out, the ANTARES group was not able to finish the demo for the competition, although KONEX still hoped to write at least 5 parts, releasing a pre-release of the demo. Earlier, two representatives from the Vitebsk group POWER GROUP (SAVAGE and BASARA) had arrived in Moscow, who were fine-tuning the demo at EA/ANTARES's apartment, using two glitchy computers that were gradually falling apart. :-). All evening, KONEX and I sat behind his demo "DEVOTION". Unfortunately, I don't particularly understand code, so my role was limited to beta-testing and moral support for Andrey while hunting down numerous bugs. Around 8 PM, EA called and reported that two computers had gone down simultaneously. About an hour later, EA arrived, followed shortly by SAVAGE and BASARA. They decided not to include the part with GREETZ to manage to finish at least the rest. The entire night passed in front of the monitor screen. Bugs and glitches fell upon us like snow from the sky. Moreover, we still needed to synchronize everything with the music. In the end, the freshly written loader refused to work. By morning, we were hardly coherent, and time was almost up. Eventually, KONEX, hastily assembling 4 parts into something resembling disk files, made a desperate decision: to load everything for the compo from ALASM (!). The final check: the demo seemed to work... The clock read 9:40 AM, and the festival opening was scheduled for 10:00. After a quick bite, the four of us headed to Povarskaya, the event venue. People in the metro and on the streets glanced at our white T-shirts as if they were some kind of sports paraphernalia, probably wondering which football team they belonged to...
FESTIVAL
The 91st school, where "FUNTOP" actually took place, was a massive five-story building surrounded by a low fence. We arrived at the school around 10:30, encountering a few individuals clearly oriented towards computers at the entrance. After exchanging a couple of vague phrases with them, we could only understand that everyone was already gathered and we needed to head upstairs urgently. In the dark hallway, I nearly knocked my forehead against a massive wooden door in the pitch blackness. After proceeding to the fifth floor, we found ourselves in the foyer in front of the assembly hall, where a large crowd was already present, and the painfully familiar sounds of AY were heard. Registration for participants and spectators was taking place in the foyer, and donations were being collected for the prize fund (20 rubles for pre-registered and 30 rubles for newcomers). Simultaneously, there was brisk trading of branded T-shirts with the festival emblem, disks, literature, video cassettes with recordings of the previous ENLIGHT, and other permanent paraphernalia of this kind. After filling out the registration form and handing over the required twenty rubles, I received a voting sheet in return. Presenting it at the entrance, I entered the assembly hall, which turned out to be surprisingly spacious and bright, with a stage and two dozen rows of chairs that were already occupied by a diverse audience. All the organizers' equipment was set up near the stage: several Pentagons, two monitors: monochrome and color. Five more large color monitors were placed throughout the hall, along with speakers of quite bizarre shapes. Above the stage, a banner proudly waved: "Welcome to FUNTOP!". A total of four different competitions were planned: graphics, music, intro, and of course, demo, the latter being what most attendees were eagerly waiting for. Meanwhile, KONEX and EA stepped away, and I headed to the organizers' table to register the works I had brought, while looking for familiar faces among the audience. Not finding anyone, I did spot Vladimir Bulchukey (WLODEK BLACK) - the chairman of the organizing committee, who was standing with a microphone in hand, talking to the audience. A few people were busy with the final checks of the equipment: connectors, cables, etc. WLODEK, in his brief speech on behalf of the organizing committee, thanked us for coming to the festival, reminded us of the main schedule for all the compos, and at the end added that since the electricity in the school had been turned off, it had to be borrowed from the neighboring building, with a cable stretched from there to the school building. Subsequently, after the festival ended, this played a nasty trick on all of us... But more about that later.
In the hall, next to the organizers' table, representatives from the "Peters" company were situated with their famous "Sprinter". Some individuals with video cameras were wandering around the room, looking for candidates for possible interviews and not missing the chance to trip over some cables, of which there were plenty on the floor. A registration queue for works was moving quickly off to the side. Here, behind the main machine, sat GPV - a scandalously famous figure in Moscow, who was in charge of registration. Apparently, it was tough for him. Half of the disks turned out to be faulty, and GPV kept swearing and rummaging through the box for new ones. Having positioned myself at the end of the queue, I was already writing the names of the competition works and information about the authors on the questionnaire within a couple of minutes.
Meanwhile, WLODEK BLACK announced the start of GFX-COMPO. Immediately, I saw how one by one the graphics from ELSSLAND began to be shown. As I recall, I was surprised: there was a rule: one author - one work. And here... I approached GPV with a question, and he replied: "As we registered, so we show." Apparently, there was no time for preliminary selection. What a number...
All works, of which there were over 70, were shown in two passes. The first time - quickly, one after another, and the second - significantly longer, allowing the audience to appreciate the skill of the (still) unknown artists. In the main, the works were quite good, and applause erupted frequently in the hall. Among all the pictures were some that deserved the highest praise, and the works I brought looked rather modest. In other words, there was plenty to choose from. After showing about half of the works, a break was announced, and I finally managed to look around for familiar faces. Almost immediately, I saw the Minsk residents - WOLF and MYTHOS from RAGE. WOLF was animatedly talking about his game "MONSTRLAND", simultaneously looking for potential buyers. After a while, I noticed the smiling face of SIR from the Kishinev group BYTEX. Zhenya brought a demo version of a new graphics editor ARTWORKS to the festival, which surpasses ARTSTUDIO and ARTIST-2 by a significant margin. SIR told me that BYTEX did not manage to write a demo, but he whipped up an intro called "TUNNEL", which I later found to be quite cool. According to him, their editor was practically ready, needing only a few more procedures and overlays, as well as fixing some bugs. Then Sergey Novikov approached us - a former correspondent of the well-known group STEP, and now a member of DIGITAL REALITY. Answering my question about why the REVIVAL project collapsed, Sergey complained about a lack of materials and time constraints. We exchanged email addresses, and Sergey headed towards another group of Sinclair enthusiasts. During the break, WLODEK BLACK gave the floor to hardware manufacturers. Vyacheslav Skutin (Captain NEMO) - a well-known St. Petersburg computer manufacturer of "KAY" - took to the stage. Sava spoke about his latest development "KAY-1024", while touching upon the issues of production and implementation of new modifications of Spectrum-compatible machines. In conclusion of his speech, NEMO uttered one truly significant phrase, claiming the motto: "No emulator will replace your live Speccy!". After which he went out to the foyer, where he was hastily intercepted by ZX-SHADOW, and Sava was forced to give a rather boring interview for another forty minutes. Representatives from Peters showcased their miracle of technology - the "Sprinter" computer, and in addition, showed the audience a real video from the "Combat Robots" series. The graphics of the "Sprinter" caused a storm of applause, and the sound was also top-notch. The Peters team eagerly answered numerous questions from the audience. Overall, externally, the machine hardly differed from a PC - the same "Tower" case, CD. A somewhat peculiar semblance of a WINDOWS'95 shell was demonstrated, but it was easily recognizable by appearance, along with Norton Commander and some graphic editor like "PaintBrush". In the settings menu, one could select various Spectrum options: "Scorpion-256", "Pentagon-128", "512", "Profi", and similar ones. The only thing that raised concerns was - how much would such a machine cost? However, WOLF, without any hesitation, immediately declared that he would negotiate with the Peters about supplying such a computer to Minsk to write software for it. After the break, the graphics display resumed. The most interesting thing was that works continued to be registered even during the compo. Since GPV could not simultaneously show graphics and accept new works, I offered to help with registration. The queue quickly dispersed, and everyone was satisfied, except for some guy who could not find his work in the "4K-INTRO" list. After another brief pause, when the majority of people were culturally relaxing outside, the demonstration of works in the "4K-INTRO" category began. It was amusing to watch how for ten minutes no one could decide from which commander to load the code files. Unable to think of anything better, they decided to launch them directly from TR-DOS. :-] A total of about a dozen works were submitted. The very first intro made the organizers doubt the functionality of their equipment. On the screen, a three-dimensional textured tetrahedron rotated smoothly, and all this was in complete silence (!). For some time, the audience waited for the music to start, but the figure on the screen continued to rotate silently and leisurely. It turned out that some authors took the instruction to mute the AY at the intro's output literally. And the intro was indeed without music. The following several works in this category fully confirmed this guess. Indeed, as it later turned out, almost half of the intros were without sound accompaniment, but this did not diminish their beauty in the slightest. I particularly liked the intro number 13 - "GOA", created by VAV, and even despite the terrible sound accompaniment, it looked very cool. Overall, the level of the overwhelming majority of works was quite high. The familiar message that appeared during the demonstration of the next intro: "Disk Error, Track 0, Sector 9", caused an explosion of laughter and prolonged applause. GPV - blushing and puffing, tried to convince everyone present that the disks were to blame, however, such a message appeared to the general delight more than once... :-) A break was announced, and I stepped into the foyer to stretch my legs and socialize with the people. Prices for disks, T-shirts, and literature had noticeably decreased compared to the morning. After stocking up on a branded T-shirt and a video cassette with a recording of the previous ENLIGHT, I saw a stout elderly gentleman with a briefcase, who was busily discussing something with a disk seller. As it turned out later, he was a representative of the St. Petersburg company WELCOME - Evgeny Buder, or as the viewers nicknamed him - "Grandpa" - the main sponsor of the entire event. Offering me to buy a GENERAL SOUND board "for only $30" and hearing my polite refusal, he unabashedly opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of disks with the magazine "ZXFORMAT-8", suggesting I become his regional distributor in Gomel. Considering my modest finances, I had to decline the magazines as well. "Grandpa" quickly found a new victim and this time, it seemed, the deal was made. In the foyer, a large sheet of white paper hung on the wall where anyone who wished could leave their autographs. I immediately left my business card with a thick red marker. Nearby, ZX-SHADOW and SISTER were taking interviews from anyone interested. Suddenly, the attention of those present was attracted by a group of Amiga enthusiasts led by KANO and LOOKER (ex-MAGIC SOFT). KANO (in his unchanged blue (!) jacket) initiated a lively debate about Amiga and Speccy. A small incident at the entrance to the assembly hall ended with ALEX (R) having to make a rather harsh remark to this company. Finally, in the crowd, I managed to find the ETERNITY INDUSTRY group. They brought works in three categories. PARACELS talked about the situation with Spectrum in Kovrov, and I shared my plans for creating a Gomel modem network. After taking a photo with them for memory and promising to send the new "ZX-ELEMENT", I noticed DEN/DR in the crowd. I still hoped to buy at least one more version of "DOOM" from them, but a more advanced one... As a result of a brief conversation with ARTY and DEN, it turned out that from DIGITAL REALITY we should first expect a full version of the game "MEGABALL", and only then, if possible, they would work on completing the other projects - "DOOM" and "PARADISE LOST". Regarding the anticipated release of the game "GOBLINS", neither ARTY nor DEN could say anything definite, but they clearly indicated that we should not expect its quick release. The microphone announced the start of the presentation of authors' works. People lined up in front of the organizers' table, where the demonstration was taking place. WOLF presented his "MonsterLand", M.M.A. from Samara - a demo version of an Amiga-like shooter "Walker". I decided to show the world the game "TW" - an educational game on the basics of English vocabulary, written by ZNAHAR from the AVALON group. The audience generally approved the idea, suggesting at the same time to come up with a cooler game. Special interest was aroused by SIR's demonstration of the new graphics editor "ARTWORKS". Although it was just a demo version, it looked quite impressive. After a while, EA/ANTARES took GPV's place, and the MUSIC-compo began. About 40 music tracks were submitted, although during the listening it became clear that the authors of the overwhelming majority of musical compositions chose a style that could be characterized as: TECHNO-RAVE-HOUSE. It goes without saying that evaluating such music was incredibly difficult, especially since there was a clear excess of low frequencies in the room. People sitting near the speakers probably experienced sharp discomfort from the frantic bass pressure. By the middle of the compo, the audience was already quite tired. Less than half of the viewers remained in the hall. The others moved outside in anticipation of the demo display.
IMP's music played, which was received very positively by the audience, then everyone heard a remix of the famous composition performed by Nataly "It Seems Not to Be Destiny", written by the Vitebsk composer from POWER GROUP - ISHMA. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed it. Finally, it was PAND's turn. And right in the assembly hall, a real disco began. People, exhausted by the heavy rhythms, transformed upon hearing a lively melodic pop tune. A few jumped from their seats and started dancing in the aisle. You had to see it! Satisfied exclamations like: "It should have been like this long ago, not like at a funeral!" rang out from the hall. Overall, by the end of the compo, the music was much more varied than at the beginning.
The day was approaching evening. The windows of the school were cast with slanting shadows from the setting sun, and the images on the monitors became more contrasting. And then, that long-awaited moment arrived. The announcement was made for the start of DEMO-compo. Everyone who was outside or idly strolling through the school corridors rushed into the assembly hall. Within a couple of minutes, there was not a single free seat left. People crowded around the monitors, intently peering at the screens. And the demos began to be shown... Yes... it was something unprecedented. Demos changed one after another, and the hall repeatedly erupted in applause. The level of coding had risen extraordinarily high. Of course, there were also quite mediocre works, but they were few. The very first demo shown was "BOOM" by the group ETC/RUSH. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it left a pleasant impression. "TV-X" and "5TH-ELEMENT" looked quite good. However, the most impressive in terms of coding was "REFRASH!" by the same VAV and again under number 13. The demo "EMERGENCE" amazed me with its unusually beautiful pixel plasma and musical accompaniment. The ending of the seemingly unremarkable demo "BLAME" from the Samara group Stars of Keladan was quite unexpected for everyone. At the very end of the demo, having had their fun with Bill Gates's face, to the roar of the delighted audience, they smashed a cake into his face, again and again. Undoubtedly, such a trick added quite a few points to the demonstration. Unfortunately, plagiarism was also present here. Some demos literally copied "S4B", right down to using ripped samples and identical effects. Some works were clearly unsuccessful, partly due to the fact that many demos were finalized literally hours before the showing. This, in my opinion, was the case with the demo "FOREVER" from DIGITAL REALITY, which was being finished at MIC's apartment. Despite its traditionally occupied second place, this work did not leave the proper impression on me: it was all video, constantly loaded from disk, and pure animation with some coding effects. Undoubtedly, the narrative part was expressed very strongly - the apocalypse of human civilization, a global catastrophe, and then rebirth. TERROR's graphics looked cool, but still, the second place of this demo, in my personal opinion, is somewhat inflated. ;-) At the very end of DEMO-COMPO, it was time for the demo "DEVOTION" from ANTARES. KONEX addressed the audience with the message that due to a lack of time and the failure of two computers, the demo was unfinished and therefore we would only see its first four parts. The entire hall held its breath in tense anticipation. ALASM (!) appeared on the monitors, and in a few minutes, the demo itself began. A magnificent intro with fullscreen video was met with thunderous applause. The following two parts went "with a bang". And then, when nothing seemed to foreshadow trouble, the screen went striped, attributes crawled in, and... it ended with a trivial reset. After all, we had tested the demo on an ATM-TURBO-512K, while the showing was on a Pentagon. It goes without saying how such a situation was perceived by those present... WLODEK asks the hall to support the ANTARES group. KONEX makes a desperate second attempt: he reloads ALASM, assembles the code blocks, and launches the demo. And everything repeats, with the same unfortunate effect. A sad picture. Exhausted Andrey leaves the hall. Who could have guessed it would end this way? WLODEK BLACK announces "DEVOTION" as an out-of-competition work... :-(
DEMO-COMPO has concluded. All present were collected for voting sheets, and the organizers retreated to a room adjacent to the assembly hall to count the votes. The main machine was literally surrounded by those wishing to copy the competition works. But then the electricity went out, and most of the hunters for fresh software were left empty-handed. The vote counting took about an hour and a half, during which time interviews continued in the hall, disks with authors' software were sold, and opinions were exchanged. Finally, the organizers appeared, and the most interesting part began - the announcement of results and the awarding of winners. In the DEMO-COMPO category, the places were distributed as follows:
1. REFRASH! by EXTREME & VAV
2. FOREVER by DIGITAL REALITY
3. BLAME by STARS OF KELADAN & SPEED CO.
In the "4K-INTRO" competition, VAV again took first place with his intro "GOA". In the music compo, the absolute winner was EA/ANTARES with an original and masterfully executed composition "MUST WIN". IMP's music took a respectable third place.
But the most interesting moment came when the results of the graphics competition were announced. When the microphone announced that first place in graphics went to ART/ELSSLAND, whose picture - "Polesie" I presented at GFX-COMPO, I nearly fell off my chair. I remember my first thought was - the organizers must have made a mistake again. However, I had to go on stage and receive the first place in graphics. But that was just the beginning. Second place again went to the Gomel artist - TSA. And I again, like a complete idiot, knowing that TSA's picture could only take second place from the end, compared to the real masterpieces presented at the competition, trudged for another diploma. My mood was completely spoiled - it was clear that these places were absolutely undeserved. The strangest thing was that the names and competition numbers of the prize-winning works were not announced. After the festival ended, I approached WLODEK with this question, but he assured me that there could be no mistake, the votes were counted several times. I had no choice but to come to terms with the results and inform the "winners" about such an unexpected finale upon returning home. After the award ceremony, the festival was ceremoniously closed, and Alex invited everyone interested to a sysop meeting in Izmailovsky Park tomorrow (on Sunday)...
What conclusion can be drawn? Undoubtedly, the festival was a success, despite numerous flaws and small (?!) blunders. People had the opportunity to showcase themselves and their skills and receive a tangible, not some conditional, reward for their creativity. The event went quite civilly: there were practically no drunkards, and the majority of the people behaved quite culturally - in general, it was a true Spectrum gathering worthy of being called international. Of course, there were also regrettable omissions, but for the first time, we can forgive the organizers these little mistakes, especially since they practically gained nothing from this event and did everything possible to ensure its success. The worst part was at the end with the vote counting. But thank God, justice prevailed, and now the real, rightful winners of the graphics competition received their prizes. As soon as I learned about the actual distribution of places, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my soul. Why did it turn out this way with determining the winners, our readers will be able to find out from the section "FUNTOP98: results". Many are now asking the question: "What next? Will there be FUNTOP'99?". Unfortunately, only the organizers can answer this question. We hope that this is not the last event of its kind and that next autumn the new FUNTOP will gather us all under one roof, regardless of any borders, political views, and national affiliations.
See you soon!
Contents of the publication: Rush #01
- AMIGA NEWS
Amiga Inc works on Amiga OS 3.5 with enhancements like CD drive and PowerPC support. Split development for M68K and PPC processors. Delayed release to late 1999 or early 2000.
- AMIGA NEWS
Description of the 'Fast JPEG 1.10' viewer for Amiga, focusing on its features, installation, and usage. It highlights advantages like fast processing without quality loss and provides user tips. Readers are encouraged to share their software experiences.
- AMIGA NEWS
Basic programming for classic Amiga, discussing challenges and sharing knowledge in Amiga coding. Overview of Amiga graphics capabilities and processor features. Introduction to Amiga assembly language specifics.
- AMIGA NEWS
Overview of events related to the Amiga platform from early to mid-1998. Highlights include new hardware, software releases, and notable company collaborations. Future updates and developments are scheduled for the next issue.
- AMIGA NEWS
Collection of cheats and secrets for classic Amiga games compiled by Postcard Man. Readers encouraged to share their findings on complex games. Selection of tips and level codes provided for various games.
- AMIGA NEWS
Discussion of Phase-5's graphics cards and Permedia 2 processor capabilities. Details on Permedia 2's 2D/3D acceleration and compatibility. Mention of GLINT Delta processors and comparison of prices and availability.
- AMIGA NEWS
Analysis of Amiga's survival in the 90s, highlighting community efforts and technological advancements. Discussion on hardware improvements and software development. Encouragement for further exploration and learning about the Amiga platform.
- Spectrum Programming
Explanation of a fast method for real-time 3D graphics on the ZX Spectrum. Introduces efficient rotation and deformation techniques for 3D objects. Emphasizes improvements over traditional methods with practical examples.
- Spectrum Programming - Ticklish Jim
Discussion of combining sound effects with music for Spectrum's AY chip. Examples from development of 'CSC: Deja Vu' and technical challenges faced. Contains practical guide and code examples.
- Spectrum Programming
Discussion on byte mirroring and background restoration in ZX Spectrum programming, with examples.
- Spectrum Programming
Comprehensive guide for system programmers with practical tips for creating efficient and user-friendly software, including coding techniques, device compatibility, and program testing strategies.
- Spectrum Programming
Advanced coding techniques and modern graphics methods for ZX Spectrum. Tips for optimizing graphical procedures and coding on assembly. Useful advice for programmers to improve performance and efficiency.
- The End
Reflections on the creation of the first issue of the magazine 'Rush', its goals, audience, and future development.
- ZX-SOFT - Вячеслав Медноногов
Development updates on Vyacheslav Mednoy's new game 'Black Raven II', including gameplay changes, new spell introductions, and performance improvements.
- ZX-SOFT
Overview of new features in the updated commander from REAL software for ZX Spectrum, including file management, autodetection, and media viewing. Improvements in text, font, and music handling. Questions addressed regarding future updates.
- ZX-SOFT
Debate on which demo deserved the top spot at Funtop'98: Forever by DR or Refresh by XTM. Discussions in the demoscene community highlight the clash between technical prowess and conceptual depth. Different opinions reflect on the evolution of demoscene preferences.
- Authors
Acknowledgment of contributors and partners in creating Rush magazine. Detailed roles of each author and collaboration insights. Recognition of technical support and media partnerships.
- Virtual Specky
Discussion on converting graphics from PC to Spectrum, featuring insights from various experts. Techniques for improving conversion quality and tools like Photoshop are detailed. Emphasis on post-conversion refinement in Spectrum graphics editors.
- Virtual Speccy
Discussion on the CBSpeccy emulator for ZX-Spectrum on Amiga, highlighting its features, community opinions, and technical performance. Criticisms and praises for its emulation capabilities, particularly compared to PC emulators. Examination of potential improvements and community debates around version updates.
- Virtual Speccy
FAQ on ZX-Spectrum emulation on PC, covering popular emulators and file formats. Instructions for using different emulators and managing file types like Hobeta and TR-DOS. Discussion on Russian ZX-oriented servers and resources for enthusiasts.
- Introduction
Introduction to the Rush magazine, emphasizing creativity, progressive scene, and the goal to create a superior information source. The magazine seeks to gather promising groups and offer a unique perspective. Focuses on content and atmosphere, welcoming creators to contribute.
- Introduction - Grunge
Introduction to Rush, a new scenemag for Speccy/Amiga enthusiasts, aims to provide quality content and news while encouraging reader feedback.
- Interview - Konex
Interview with ANTARES group after FUNTOP-98. Discussion on their demos, challenges, and future plans. Insight into the group's formation and dynamics.
- Interview - Kvazar, DUX
Interview with Alexander Seleznev (KVAZAR), discussing his history with computers, the state of the ZX Spectrum scene, and future plans.
- Interview - Kvazar
Interview with Vitebsk group POWER on demo 'Crazy Love', development experiences, and future projects.
- Informatorium
Exploration of a CD with emulators for various platforms, highlighting Spectrum. Details the content organization and diversity. Concludes with insights from the CD-ROM Project's Spectrum software collection.
- Informacrium
Compilation of interesting and useful Internet addresses related to Amiga resources, including magazines, hardware manufacturers, and software companies.
- Informacrium - Viator
Overview of existing and upcoming publications on the Amiga platform. Discussion of the availability and distribution challenges for Amiga literature. Appeal for collaboration with new publications.
- About the Magazine
Discussion on creating a multi-platform magazine focusing on Spectrum, Amiga, and PC. Emphasis on broader understanding of computer scene. Encourage professionalism and adaptation to changing technology.
- Parallel Worlds
Overview of the evolution of Windows OS and PC processors from 1981 to 2000. Development milestones of MS-DOS, Windows, Intel processors, and competition with AMD and Cyrix. Challenges in maintaining compatibility with new processor technologies.
- Parallel Worlds
Overview of Macintosh models and their relevance in design and graphics fields, covering prices and specifications from 1997-1998. Discussion includes the evolution of Apple's hardware, notably the PowerMac series, and compares new G3 processors with PC counterparts. It highlights the resurgence of Macintosh post-crisis and its ongoing influence in the market.
- Development of the Spectrum - Slider
The article discusses a new graphical extension for the ZX Spectrum that enhances color palettes without increasing resource demands. By using a modified flash signal, new colors are created without interfering with existing software compatibility. The article provides implementation details and addresses practical usage concerns.
- Development of Spectrum
Connecting a CDOS modem to the 'Compact-128' computer by addressing keyboard port conflicts. Description of hardware modifications to solve the issue. Solution includes automatic blocking using a transistor inverter.
- Development of Spectrum - Ars
Discussion on AZX-Monstrum 512K development, its hardware compatibility, processor options, and potential enhancements in graphics and OS.
- Development of SPECTRUM
Discussion of Clive Sinclair's new computer platform, the ZX2000, designed to outperform PCs with enhanced speed, affordability, and battery efficiency.
- Development of Spectrum - Андрей Савичев
Examination of the evolution and ongoing relevance of the Z80 processor, and its role in embedded systems. Comparison of Z80 with its successors, highlighting advantages like energy efficiency and command enhancements. Overview of integrated Z80-based CPUs and their peripherals.
- Advertisement
This article is an advertisement for Scorpion products including hardware for ZX Spectrum and Amiga software, along with pricing and ordering details.
- Advertising
Collection of advertisements for Amiga and ZX Spectrum hardware and software, with contact information for sellers and details about the new Amiga magazine subscription.
- Advertisement
Advertisement for X-TRADE's General Sound music board. Includes pricing, technical details, and purchase instructions. Features a FAQ section and compatibility info.
- Meaning Without Meaning - Viator
Philosophical reflections on existentialism, immortality, and human destiny. The narrative weaves through stories of ambition, the quest for eternal life, and a utopian downfall. A blend of introspection and speculative fiction.
- Scene vs Professionals
Exploration of the demoscene's creativity versus commercial game development. Discussion of potential for professional-quality programs by scene members. Call for collaboration with leading scene groups.
- Scene Chronicle - Андрей Савичев
Reflections on ZX Spectrum's enduring appeal, its community's resilience, and its potential resurgence in Russia.
- Scene Chronology
Overview of the Rush group's activities, including past projects, current endeavors, and future plans, with emphasis on software development and gaming.
- Scene Chronicles
The article discusses various ZX Spectrum scene news, including game releases, demoparties, and updates from developers and teams.
- Chronicles of the Scene
The article discusses the FUNTOP'98 international computer art festival held in Moscow, highlighting key events, notable attendees, and the various competitions held during the event.
- Scene Chronia
Discussion on Amiga scene development through collaboration, addressing user isolation and promoting network expansion.
- Shell Management
Статья описывает управление оболочкой для ZX Spectrum и Amiga, включая клавиши и функции для навигации. Упоминаются особенности работы на Amiga с PAL монитором и предоставляется контакт для поддержки. Также отмечено, что текстовые файлы имеют стандартную MS-DOS кодировку.
