Event planning for Demosplash 2020 is ongoing, and this page will be updated as featured events are scheduled.
Come to hear engaging discussions on topics across the demoscene.
Presenter: Vince Weaver
The Apple II Myst demake faced various challenges while attempting to have minimum latency and maximum file sizes on 5 1/4" floppy disks. The demake involved reducing a 500MB CD-ROM game to fit on three 140kB disks, which meant every disk sector counted and space couldn't be wasted. Response time was also key. An Apple II+ system only has 48k of RAM so relatively large disk loads are needed when moving between regions of the game. These loads need to be fast to avoid pulling the player out of the immersive gameplay due to long waits for disk I/O to finish. The standard Apple DOS3.3 disk routines were tried but found wanting; in the end custom disk code designed by Qkumba was used instead.
Presenter: Damian Rogers - NPO Game Preservation Society
Fans have been creating "hacks" to modify their favorite games for as long as hex editors and disassemblers have been around. But aside from editing levels or graphics, digging deep into the raw data can help us understand more about the game's development history and staff. Join us as we discuss digital archaeology, the analysis of software code and data to better understand the stories hidden in the mass of ones and zeroes, and have a look at some of our favorite discoveries over the years.
Presenter: Ashlae Blūm(e)
There's really too much to say this year, so I've decided to present a smorgasboard of ideas that represent my 2020: networked collaboration through livecoding, anarchist jam sessions, and Modular Geometricity as way of analyzing music (here, livecoding). Mainly, this talk will be about the idea of Modular Geometricity, which is a term I coined to describe a way of discussing temporality in algorithmic composition. I'll also talk a bit about networked livecoding envirnoments, and what it's been like to be part of an anarchist media collective that meets sporadically to jam. A brief collection of related thoughts can be found here and some livecoded music can be found here.
While we aren't able to set up retro gaming platforms for people to interact with over the Internet, we'll be featuring some of our personal favorite retro games at various points during the stream.
Come celebrate the spirit of the Demoscene with live screenings and competitions.
Throughout the weekend, we'll be offering live showings of demos running on real machines, old and new, from the CMU Computer Club's large collection -- Amiga, Atari, Commodore, PC, you name it! We'll be showing both eternal classics and recent releases. Check the schedule for more details and times!
No demo party is complete without the chance to write your own demos and submit them to be screened and voted on by the audience! We have several categories - check the compos page for more info.