- PCs suck shit we all know. PC freaks are totally idiot stupid nerd people. They are our enemies. Intel outside. They just pump up the hardware to get a better speed. 2- How do you know that? Why do you think so?1 - Erm.. Hmm.. I know. It is just the way it is. This one could be an everyday conversation. We curse PCs, consoles, Ataris, but we know su little about them. Well, let's just sort things out, see if we were right. Here comes an interview with one of the top 3 coders on the PC scene, known for his excellent demos: 4Maxwood of 4Majic 12 3 Interviewed by Fester1 -------------------------------------- 2SH:1 First of all, introduce yourself and the position of 2M121 in the PC scene! 3SH:1 Well... I'm Maxwood and I'm a coder of Majic 12 on the PC side. Age: 18. What is the position of M12 in the PC scene? Hard question. I don't really know it yet because here on PC aren't any 2diskmags & charts 1released except some, but they only come out once or twice a year. But anyway, all the reactions show that M12 prods are considered as 3one of the best.1 By the way all of my friends just congratulate us for our newest stuffs. They say there are a plenty of 3design.1 I don't know if you have heard about it, but except some demos, there weren't any design in the PC demos before. 2SH:1 How many groups are on the PC scene, and how often are the releases? 3SH:1 There are a lot of groups but only 24-51 releases quality productions. (as I know) New releases are very seldom, the situation is worse after parties. I don't want to curse the 3Gathering '941 PC stuffs, but frankly, they are shit. And afterall, on such a big event there should be more demos than 4... Overall, life's no too exciting with a PC. Luckily I can still check the newest non-aga intros and demos, and I tell you, I rather watch 91-92 Amiga stuffs than new Pc stuffs. 2If we had no Amiga, I'd sell my PC and buy one.1 Without an Amiga even a PC freak can't live. If someone disagrees, he should go and play with his 14 Meg+ games... 2SH:1 Is the PC scene an only Europe one? 3SH:1 Some people say that the PC scene is divided into two parts, the 2Northern1 (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland) and the 3Southern1 (eg. Hungary). Ofcourse there are some well-known groups in other countries (Germany, France, etc.). I know there are a 2lot of BBSs in America,1 but as one of my Australian friends said down there no one gives a shit about computing. 2SH:1 Everyone says that PC demos are only that good because they are run on the 2best hardwares1 like 486, superfast clockspeed , SVGA, soundcards, etc. Is that true in your opinion? 3SH:1 In some better demos the PC coders can overtake the Amiga 500's speed on their DX2 with 66 Mhz. So it's really true. On the parties the demos are showed on the 2far best configuration.1 It isn't good for the PC coders, because they 3don't optimize their product because they don't need it.1 Their effects will run smoothly on the compo machines, so they never optimize the routines. It is the first wrong way. The second is that if somebody has 4-5 old non-optimized routines ready, he put them together with a music and some shit, scanned or raytraced pictures, and their demo is ready. But you know it is far not ready. If the coder can't make very good, optimized effects then he could have to try to make good design, music, gfx. But they don't do that. They release their non- finished work, and they think it's cool. I think they didn't see Amiga demos before. They don't know what is 3QUALITY.1 2SH:1 In your two famous demos, you have used 2Amiga1 graphics and music? Does it mean there are no good artists on PC, or there are no good softwares or why? 3SH:1 Yes, you're right. 3Rack1 made some AGA logos, pictures for 2SHOW 1besides he worked hard for the Absolute! 2CREAM1 demo. I think I don't need to tell you how Rack can draw. On the other side I used 3Chorus & Sid's1 tune, called Cross-roads. Chorus gave me 3 tune for choice and this tune had the best rythm for timings. I don't really know why there aren't any good graphicians and musicians in the PC scene. I think they just saw their previous works and if they could make a little better they say it's better, it is enough. I have to tell you I know about only 22 good PC graphicians,1 but I think those gfxmans know the Amigascene, the 3Amiga-quality,1 so they work until they reach that quality. 2SH:1 In what language do you code your demos? is it harder than Amiga assemblers (if you know them)? 3SH:1 Ofcourse I code in assembly, not in 2C or Pascal1 as some other coders. I don't think that someone could made better demo on higher languages than asm. It could be better for really complex routines, maybe it will be the future for PC coding, but I think they could make better complex routines in assembly. You know, 3there are much more registers on Amiga,1 and better addressing ways, and there aren't shit 64k limits. Most of the PC coders doesn't mind that they work with registers or slow memory datas. They can't try to put the most used things into the registers, because there aren't enough. 2SH:1 What is the public view about the Amiga and the Amiga scene in the circles of PC users? 3SH:1 There are a lot of PC freak types, each with a different view on the Amigas. But whoever takes computers seriously must know that 3Amigas still far rule.1 An who says that the Amiga is slow, zero, knows nothing is either conceited or is his friends' big DX/2 god... You can't help these fellas, they will stay the way they are, believing in false ideas. 2SH:1 Do you think that PC demos generally are just copying the ideas from the Amiga scene, or on PC you have your own famous effects? 3SH:1 I think it will be better if they'll try to copy the Amiga things, because they still have to learn from them. Ofcourse there are 3some only-PC effects,1 but those aren't as 2monumental1 as the actual new effects on Amiga. 2SH:1 What do you think about the Amiga demos? Are we on a higher level of knowledge than PC coders? 3SH:1 The Amiga demos are just fucking nice. I really like the Amiga-coders' fast, optimized jobs. I don't really know coding on Amiga, but I know what it means to put 4*3700 morphed-rotated dots on every frame. 2 I think the Amiga coders have much more knowledge in coding demos than the PC's.1 So the Amiga demos are still far much better than the PC's. I don't know when it will be changed (if it will be changed at all) but I think it won't be in the near future. 2SH:1 Generally are PC demos closer to a video, or have they kept that 'demo style'? 3SH:1 In most of the PC demos there is 3no design,1 so the PC demo style is the array of some routines wich runs smoothly on a fast 486 without any design. I think it isn't so close to the2 'demo style'.1 2SH:1 Do you have diskmags, musicdisks and slideshows in the PC scene? 3SH:1 To tell you the truth we haven't got any popular diskmags here on PC. Ofcourse here are some tryings but those aren't enough. They could be good, but they are dead before they born... A lot of people would need good mags, but still, a good mag hasn't arrived yet. I mean a good mag should be out 2every 1-4 months,1 but there is nothing like this. For the musicdisks we have some 3executable mods1 packed together with 2ARJ1 and spread with a note that this is the newest musicdisk. 2SH:1 Any last words you want to tell the Amiga freaks? 3SH:1 For the Amiga owners: Don't sell your machines! Big hellos to all of my friends! @IPtechC