Gp2x Demo Competition: 750$ prize money

[Optimus]

I am also curious about the smallest filesize possible on GP2X? (On GP32 I also don't know how much it is). And the techniques in a C compiler to make it as small as possible? I even don't know how to do this on PC (according compiler settings and stuff), haven't tried to code a very tiny thing too. In terms of gfx, I am aware of how to generate some nice textures, 3d objects or just put there some 2d effects. Though I know nothing about sound generation ;P

The other option is writting the entire intro in pure assembly, but I wouldn't recomend it to myself

p.s. And is there a header in the GP2X executable that takes a lot?

 

[Dzz]

I am also curious about the smallest filesize possible on GP2X? (On GP32 I also don't know how much it is). And the techniques in a C compiler to make it as small as possible? I even don't know how to do this on PC (according compiler settings and stuff), haven't tried to code a very tiny thing too. In terms of gfx, I am aware of how to generate some nice textures, 3d objects or just put there some 2d effects. Though I know nothing about sound generation ;P

The other option is writting the entire intro in pure assembly, but I wouldn't recomend it to myself

p.s. And is there a header in the GP2X executable that takes a lot?

The header overhead is not a huge consideration for anybody who isn't trying a 4k demo. It's a couple hundred bytes. With various clever tricks it is apparently possible to make it even smaller. For a somewhat crazy perspective on this question (not for the gp2x specifically but for linux elf executables in general), see:

http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/software/tiny/

 

[Heko]

those 64kb demo's aren't as small as they look:

1. they use external libraries, they don't have any of their own code. with the libraries included, the size would grow to hundreds of meters.

2. they generate content real time (not possible the same way on gp2x) some demo's reach hundreds of meters of RAM usage.

 

[Orion_]

the lib is only to access 3D hardware, like you would use the blitter or system call on gp2x. the lib are also here to provide compatibility between different graphic card.
the content is not generated real time, but before the demo, it use lot's of ram yes, but using same technique on gp2x would not take that much of ram since the screen is smaller, your 3D engine would handle lesser number of polygons and a lot smaller texture size (for cache optimisation).

 

[Tobriand]

Incidentally, another of those demos everyone should see (inredibly good quality) is Spot by Exceed. It's a few years old but, from what I can gather, is entirely based on software rendering. And looks just short in quality of Toy Story 1 - without needing ridiculous hardware.

Admittedly, it looks a lot worse in higher res with scanlines turned off, but with scanlines on, the impression is actually almost unbelievable. At least, for me...

 

[Sdw]

Damn, if I had owned a GP2X I would have tried to do an entry!

I've done some small demoscene things for the GP32 (Minimalistic Crap + the port of the iPod demo). I also had a larger production planned but I never got around to finishing it.

Speaking about Kalms - he's probably one of the most talented coders in the scene, but coding stuff at age 15 was not all that uncommon back then. I released my first demo for the C64 at age 14 (granted, it wasn't all that good, but I wrote it in pure machine code, I didn't even have a assembler!). So start coding kids!

 

[aapje89]

Damn, if I had owned a GP2X I would have tried to do an entry!

I've done some small demoscene things for the GP32 (Minimalistic Crap + the port of the iPod demo). I also had a larger production planned but I never got around to finishing it.

Speaking about Kalms - he's probably one of the most talented coders in the scene, but coding stuff at age 15 was not all that uncommon back then. I released my first demo for the C64 at age 14 (granted, it wasn't all that good, but I wrote it in pure machine code, I didn't even have a assembler!). So start coding kids!

respect +

 

[Dzz]

Damn, if I had owned a GP2X I would have tried to do an entry!

Note that the contest is not even close to being over -- still well over three months to the deadline.

 

[Orion_]

I don't have a gp2x ... yet, but I think I will start coding something on my GP32, and if it's going well, I'll buy a gp2x and continue coding on it, since it's the same main processor

 

[deadlychicken22]

I plan on entering, I've already begun to think of ideas for my demo. I've never coded a tech demo before, but it sounds like fun and I love a good competition.

Do I even have a chance of winning if I opt for SDL? I don't know how to code graphics/audio/input without SDL as that is all I've used . . .

 

[Dzz]

Do I even have a chance of winning if I opt for SDL? I don't know how to code graphics/audio/input without SDL as that is all I've used . . .

Definitely. If we put the 64k category aside, I'm assuming that many (perhaps most) entries will use SDL or allegro or some sort of library. There's really no reason not to. For one thing, most entrants will not have large optimized codebases to start with, so the "barrier to entry" is not very high (yet!) on the gp2x. Also, depending on how you use it, SDL does not need to have a negative impact on performance.

If you promise not to be discouraged, check out the "sparks" demo on http://www.mandrixx.net/pr.html to see a demo that uses SDL.

 

[deadlychicken22]

Do I even have a chance of winning if I opt for SDL? I don't know how to code graphics/audio/input without SDL as that is all I've used . . .

Definitely. If we put the 64k category aside, I'm assuming that many (perhaps most) entries will use SDL or allegro or some sort of library. There's really no reason not to. For one thing, most entrants will not have large optimized codebases to start with, so the "barrier to entry" is not very high (yet!) on the gp2x. Also, depending on how you use it, SDL does not need to have a negative impact on performance.

If you promise not to be discouraged, check out the "sparks" demo on http://www.mandrixx.net/pr.html to see a demo that uses SDL.

Ok, good!

Now I need to go do some research on newton's method and fractals . . .

EDIT: god this stuff is complicated . . . if only I were one year older (when I will be taking calculus)

 

[synkro]

Do I even have a chance of winning if I opt for SDL? I don't know how to code graphics/audio/input without SDL as that is all I've used . . .

Definitely. If we put the 64k category aside, I'm assuming that many (perhaps most) entries will use SDL or allegro or some sort of library. There's really no reason not to. For one thing, most entrants will not have large optimized codebases to start with, so the "barrier to entry" is not very high (yet!) on the gp2x. Also, depending on how you use it, SDL does not need to have a negative impact on performance.

If you promise not to be discouraged, check out the "sparks" demo on http://www.mandrixx.net/pr.html to see a demo that uses SDL.

I absolutely agree! While the demo scene is filled with technology whores the barrier on the gp2x schould be damn low. In the end it's about the content, the art and the feel what makes a good demo. If you want to use SDL then go ahead and don't be ashamed of...

 

[K-teto]

I absolutely agree! While the demo scene is filled with technology whores the barrier on the gp2x schould be damn low. In the end it's about the content, the art and the feel what makes a good demo. If you want to use SDL then go ahead and don't be ashamed of...

That's the spirit, i agree with you at 100%
We don't need more polygons, more and bigger textures or the latest technique to make a good demo.
Good concepts done well beats all of these things, and SDL is more than enough for that.
So, go ahead and use SDL, and surprise everyone here with something that makes you feel proud to have been able to do.

Sorry for my bad english, but i'm in bed with a laptop and i can't even see the screen well XD

 

[deadlychicken22]

Sorry for my bad english, but i'm in bed with a laptop and i can't even see the screen well XD

Your english is fine! It is better then some native english speakers online (some people just refuse to spell things correctly or use correct sentence structure :angry: ). I am in spanish level 3 and I could never actually have a real conversation with someone in spanish (which is why i'm a little worried about my spanish interview monday . . . :unsure: )

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Dzz]

Hello everybody!

Three months to go to the deadline for the Demo Competition. That's a lot of time, but I just thought I'd remind everybody about it.

Besides the prizes and fame, participating helps you build up knowledge and a code base. Why is that useful?

1) The knowledge and code can be used for games or other purposes. We have not yet really begun to push the gp2x toward its potential.

2) There WILL be a second demo competition, with similar or maybe even larger prizes. Having experience and a base of code to work from will be a huge head start.

Thanks for your attention!

 

[synkro]

 

[aapje89]

omg LOL, how old are you synkro ^^

 

[Dzz]

Ummm,

ok.

Speaking of which, if somebody wants to make a banner and/or a web page for this competition I would be quite grateful. As you can tell from my site http://www.gp2xgamer.com I kind of stink at making web pages.

I have the space and bandwidth to host it (and the eventual downloads for the competition), I just need the files for a web presence.

Thanks in advance!

Oh, probably keep the bodily fluid references to a minimum.

 

[synkro]

omg LOL at how old are you synkro ^^

too old to find that strip funny at all.

Ummm,

ok.

Speaking of which, if somebody wants to make a banner and/or a web page for this competition I would be quite grateful. As you can tell from my site http://www.gp2xgamer.com I kind of stink at making web pages.

I have the space and bandwidth to host it (and the eventual downloads for the competition), I just need the files for a web presence.

Thanks in advance!

Oh, probably keep the bodily fluid references to a minimum.

This was just an attempt to push the things in the right direction. I just think the compo deservs a site and some banners for publicity but ofcourse w/o profanity.