Shadow of the Beast CPC parallax scrolling by Overflow

[bazfanv2]

With more than one sprite moving around it would probably destroy a real Amstrad cpc.

[PhoenixRisen7]

this looks great but can you put anything else on the screen apart from the main character? otherwise it woulnd't be much use in games. Looks very cool though - psychedelic even :)

[CoolDudeClem]

If only this kind of coding had gone into making games back in the day, the CPC would have stood a much better chance at competing with the other computers such as C64.

[inphanta]

Since when was the CPC capable of stereo sound? :S

[Optimus6128]

@inphanta : Since the beginning I think?

In wikipedia about the CPC models: Output is provided in mono by a small (4 cm) built-in loudspeaker with volume control, driven by an internal amplifier. Stereo output is provided through a 3.5 mm headphones jack.

My 6128 had stereo sound through the headphones jack. I search on the interent and even the 464 seems to had one. They also have the same yamaha soundchip.

[trocoloco]

@inphanta since the 464, so basically since always

[rogerush]

Ahhh! I love the tune! Is it possible to share the whole thing? Awesome stuff!

[norecess464]

Still one of the best screen ever done on the CPC. Impressive yesterday, still impressive today.

[cmpcpc]

if you want to stay in contact with OVERFLOW :)

goes on impact cpc forum

impact.cpcscene.com

music by duffy :)

[cmpcpc]

if you want to stay in contact with OVERFLOW :)

goes on impact cpc forum

impact.cpcscene.com

[Teraforce88]

I love the drumbeat during the first 16 seconds of the video!

I'm not too familiar with the Amstrad CPC hardware (it was never sold here in the US), but this video doesn't look too shabby!

[wandererlain]

Not bad for a CPC but oddly coloured.

[Realmasterorder]

Cool But cant match the Amiga Version

[MrAntagonism75]

Amazin demo. I didn't release you could get scrolling that fast and smooth on CPC. If only the actual conversion had looked like this - full colour mode 0 gfx.

[Stopmotionist]

This is on the CPC? How did they do it? I haven't seen scrolling this smooth WITHOUT parallax!

[deadstoned]

Wonderful demo!

Maravilloso aprovechamiento del hardware del CPC.

[yerzmyey]

Impressive.

[macdeath69]

C'est superbe mais hélas pas vraiment exploitable pour en faire un véritable jeux.

Il est par exemple impossible de placer de gros arbres qui rompraient les split/parallax...

[francoisdamville]

C'est dingue ! ("amazing work" in french)

[jetsetbob]

This demo was really terrific, one of the best use of the CRTC on CPC. What a pity that no one has time and courage to make a game with these technics.

[Optimus6128]

It would be nice to see demotechniques in games or if games were as impressive as demos. But usually things are different in programming a demo than a game where you have to take more things in account. For example, overflow told me that the code that renders the single sprite is split in parts parallel with the raster timing needed for the hardware scrolling. This means that additional and unpredictable sprite appearences would fuck up the effect. However he claims it's possible on the CPC+

[jetsetbob]

Hum you are right, demos use more precalculated graphics, to gain speed but not memory. Perhaps with less effects we could find a good compromise though. It's sure that CPC+ manages the sprites better, but i prefer the old good classic CPC :). When i saw the creations at the last cpc meeting last year in France, i thought that we could do so much more for arcade games.

[rutherfordinbelfast]

@jetsetbob prehistorik I and II used demo techniques including parallax

[shinobiung]

are you studying programming?

[Optimus6128]

Me, who posted a capture of this demo, no. I learned programming alone. I have finished studying mathematics though and working as a programmer in a software company.

About the guy who programmed the demo in this video I really don't know. I know he is married with kids now and sometimes he thinks of coding new ideas on the CPC.

[tosgem]

Wow, i never owned an 8 bitter, but I had some friends who did.... this is amazing!

[uggla03]

considering the cpc limitations that was mighty impressive

[Ephidrena]

awesome scrolling.

[BurtWilson1]

Not joking. This is amazing.

[thebunnyshed]

I remember getting a copy of this demo on a PD tape back in the day, and being absolutely floored!

The real conversion didn't quite live up to this. :-/

[vagosgta3]

very good!!

[Optimus6128]

They say this screen is the only one on the CPC demoscene that utilizes the whole 64kbs of videoram and it is truly a state of the art.

[yaKC]

amazing for an 8 bit. Nice tune too, did the CPC have hardware scrolling? I've heard differing statements regarding it`s hardware.

[Optimus6128]

Well,. it does have some kind of hardware scrolling but with limitations (It's only 4 pixels in a 160*200 screen, so if you want to do pixel perfect scrolling it's not easy. Also, in this demo, the screen is split in several paralax scrolls. This is not a normal function of the CPC hardware scrolling capabilities. You need to trick and cheat a lot and have great timing in your code with the screen retrace.

[xeirwn]

Thanks for posting, Optimus!! I heard that this is the only CPC demo that uses 64Kb Video ram(!!). It runs only on 6128 CPCs with crtc types 0 and 2 (not type 1)?? Overflow rulez once more (-8

[Optimus6128]

Actually, it does work with CRTC 1 (that's the one all my 3 CPCs have unfortunatelly) but with some mistakes in the gfx.