Community - Forever 2015: report from the demo party for all 8-bit computers.

Forever 2015 report
PulkoMandy 

   Hello everyone! This is an amazing report
Forever party, which took place as usual─
but, inAgro Suca, in the city of Horna Suca, Slo─
wakiya, in the 3rd week of March.
   In case you didn't follow the previous one─
future years, Forever - demo-party for all 8-
bit computers. In addition, this is one
venous democracy in Slovakia. It has a proven─
there is a significant local influence, there are many─
th visitors from Slovakia and the Czech Republic─
public. But you can also meet there
people from Austria, Germany, Poland, Russia,
France, Hungary and Great Britain.

          My trip to Forever

   This is not the first time I attend a party
Forever. The first time I came there I carried─ 
by many French stagers in 2009─
du. For the first few years I took the bus─
That's it, but it's quite long. This year I
arrived by plane. I flew to Vienna
where I met MaV and LCD, and we took advantage of─
drove the car to the party place.
   Patiplace is called Agro Suca.  This
building for various events includes
into a large room on the ground floor, where
there is a party, as well as several rooms
to sleep on the second floor, in case you
don’t want to sleep on the floor during the party (or
don't sleep at all). The building is not too new─
fashionable and shiny, but with its own functionscompleted─
works great. Enough room for a party
big, so as not to create a crowd in those─
reading party.
   We landed atHorna Suca in the afternoon at five─
tnitsu, some people were already there (basically─
especially the organizers, but not only). We chose─
is there a place where there would be a good view of the pain─
shoy screen and onto the stage, and turned there on─
shi computers.
   People came throughout the day and evening.
According to official statistics, the total number of
this year there were78 netters, which is not the same─
this is bad, but barely enough to compensate
expenses of the organizers. In previous years
there were more visitors, but this time there would be─
It was perhaps too quiet.

            Opening ceremony

   Feature of Forever - use of ka─
every year different themes that are reflected in
organizing a party. Decorate the entire room
the organizers have no funds, but they carry on
opening ceremonies corresponding to the costume─
we. Watch the opening ceremony always in─
interesting, it sets a certain mood
for the party.
   This year the theme was"back to cyber─
space" with a sophisticated cross between steampunk
with cyberpunk.  The opening ceremony was conducted
Wotnau (cyberpunk) and JTR (scanning) 
drone). They told the story of 8-bitcomputers performing tedious calculations
for the needs of the Matrix, but then creating vi─
Rus, captivating the world and collecting prog─
rammists to make different interesting
things.
   The ceremony took place on Friday evening.
At the same time, the theme for
realtime compo: "The Matrix vs. Tron." B
realtime compo we need to create a job, corresponding─
relevant topic in less than 18 hours
(from Friday evening to Saturday morning). This
very tight deadline, but some manage
code impressive things for such a reason─
low time. Of course, more often these are jokes than
something serious.

             Actually the party

   What's interesting about Forever is that it's open.
for all 8-bit machines. Of course you see─
use a lot of regular C64, ZX Spectrum and
Atari XE/XL, which make up the largest 
part of the 8-bit demoscene. But you also see─
Amstrad CPC and even more obscure ones
Timpa Ondra pieces, PMD-85 (these are Slovak
computers), Thomson (French), Sam
Coupe', MSX, Sharp MZ-800 and MZ-600, 
Commodore 16, 116 or Plus/4, Vbz80p. All─ 
where it's interesting to discover all these
various machines.
   There are not too many people visiting the party.
But the party is big enough to practically─
Something was literally happening all the time (except
maybe the deepest night, around 3-4 o'clock
mornings, when few people are awake). At first
it seems that thissmall party, what
are usually too boring to
them to go, but this is not so. The sound is not very good
loud, so you can have a quiet conversation
with people about their plans (and theirs too) and
share ideas. You can meet someone─
people developing anything, for example,
MIDI interface for ZX Spectrum, controller
SD cards for Ondra, adapter for 8 joysticks─
kov for C64. Of course, there are many more─
number of people involved in graphics, music
or coding.
   3D-prin was also shown this year─
ter manufacturing housings for the controller
divIDE for ZX Spectrum. 
   The atmosphere of the party was quite relaxed─
Lennoy The organizers used sound and
video projector only during the ceremony
opening, during the show of works in the evening at
Saturday and during the awards ceremony in the morning at
Sunday. The rest of the time, people usually
but connected some 8-bit machine
to the video projector and played different demos.
   As for me, most of the time I
it took me to finish the picture on
competition, and then write several utilities
to simplify its copying to a real one
car. This year my car was
Thomson MOB, it has built-in storage─ 
tel on magnetic tape. I should have before─
make a utility for creatingWAV files from
binary files to load thisWAV
from tape. It took most of my
time, and I didn’t pay much attention to what I was doing─
descends around me. I guess I'll have to
Next year, prepare more early─
her.
   I should mention that this time on pa─
Tipplace was the official access system
on the Internet. In previous years it was possible
find a way to get online when
someone shared their connection. I don't know, ho─
whether it’s good or bad: on the one hand it’s good,
that I had access to online resources from
documentation, but it turned out that I
(and other visitors, probably) spent
too much time on modern com─
computers, checking email or walking around the site─
there. And the lack of Internet stimulates
communicate or devote more time 8-
bit computers, something on them─
die.

                 Competitions

   The competitions started late in the evening. By─
their row is always the same. First
goesWild Compo. Until 2010 it included
releases for "unusual" machines (not those
like ZX, C64, CPC or XE/XL). But after that
How many years of releases for exotic 8-bi─
they decided to make separate cars for them─
new component"other 8-bit" (for all categories─
ry: demo, intro, music, graphics). So
now Wild Compo - just for the fact that
more or less than 8 bits, or maybe
for something not related to a computer.
   This yearWild Compo was only
one work - video showing the ensemble
of the eight ZX Spectrums that play
Mahler's symphony. It was an exercise (and in─
maybe a joke) suggested in the manual
to the ZX Spectrum - program all this
symphony using only the commandBEEP in
BASIC. 
   Then there was a music competition. Previously
others, because at this time it’s not yet ─
but other competitions need darkness to
the picture from the projector was clearly visible.
   There was work for all three main planes─
tform, this year without any special masterpieces. Mo─
maybe the theme of the party wasn’t too inspiring─
flowing.
   Next is a graphics competition. Usually the work is
it's mixed with beautiful pictures, together with─
which a lot of work has been put into, and pictures in
mostly intended for "gags". In this
it was especially interesting to see
works in the category "other 8-bit" - on
PMD85, Thomson and Amstrad CPC. It was nice 
see people learning new graphics
modes and color palettes.
   Then there was a competition1K intro. This is a visit─
Forever's card. In the first years about─
was foundstandard competition4K, but the work
there they became more and more similar
on the demo. And the format1K is quite interesting for
8-bit machines - just enough space for
a small piece of music and one or two effects─
ta. Most interested in "50 shapes"
of grey" on Atari and "Ivy" on Amstrad CPC - 
quite interesting things for1K.
 Finally, the last competition - demo. This is
of course, the main category. The problem was
from compo on Atari - not a single job in this
year. C64 components were not pleased, mostly
there were jokes and unfinished works.
   Continues on the ZX Spectrum platform
fight between two groups with very different times─
new styles. On the one hand we have
Gemba Boys - Czechoslovakian sceners, unite─ 
taking every effort to create a demo. They
as a rule, they do entertainment very well─
body items in the theme of the party. On the other hand,
there is an Alone Coder who is extremely smart─
lo makes incredible effects on the ZX (with─
what they do in realtime). Usually demos
Alone Coder doesn't win in compo,
because, while technically impressive, they are not
always matches the mood of the party, and
it is difficult for non-spectrumists to assess how
it was an impressive job, especially with th─
Losing after a single viewing on
bigscreen. This year, however, there was
two surprises.  Alone Coder has teamed up with
several other people, and it turned out
something much more improved─
no. It wasn't just an avalanche of effects,
there was a certain direction and good
"flow" in the sequence of effects. C
on the other hand, the Gemba team fell short
to last year's level. Maybe the theme
the party didn't really inspire them, or maybe
maybe they didn't have enough time or motive─
tions for working on the demo. Unfortunately,
that wasn't enough to Alone Coder
finally reached first place, but he was
behind by only 44 points. I hope we
see more dem like "New View 48K" in
future.
   There were also some pleasant surprises
on other platforms. In category"other
8-bit" people carefully monitored the register─
tion list for Forever and noticed
what Overflow from the Logon System group said
work on this component. Everyone was expecting a new CPC
demo, but it turned out to be a demo for MSX,
and quite impressive.  Overflow
was able to use techniques on MSX, worked out─
data on CPC, with hard synchronization
between the processor and video chip. It's not like that
easy as it seems because there are different
implementations of the MSX standard, and not all of them
made on the same hardware. Demo is watchingmachine configuration and automatically sub─
rips your code. There's no one on the MSX stage─
I never dared to do such madness.
   Another demo in the category"other 8-bit"
was "Slow Motion 2" by DTA on Sam Coupe'.
The demo is not bad, but it was developed on
emulator, so there are synchronization problems─
tions on a real car, and the music floats
depending on the effect. This is very bad─
was impressed by the demo and perhaps a hundred─
or she got a lot of points.

           Crazy Contests

   Another sign of Forever - crazy─
our competitions - took place late in the evening in
Saturday. This year they started with"Fort
ICE" - participants had to guess the game
a person or something else, according to the pictures on
big screen. This game could be up to─
quite boring, but it was saved by the sophisticated in─
the image of the participants, which made the village laugh─
Toyanno.
   It was planned to continue the game
"show-it", where teams must guess the name─
playing a video game, looking at one of the members
team acting as if he were
one of her heroes. It's easy in case
if you need to guess the game IK+, but have problems─
sure, if we're talking about the game Tetris or something
like that. Unfortunately, this year the
I was just cryingone team, interested─
naya in the game, so it didn’t take place.

               Awards

   On Sunday there was a naked ceremony
birth. In addition to competitive awards, there are two
special. First -Raster Award, for─
the presented work (or performance) with the most
"intelligent humor". This award was
awarded to the "End of Gemba" demo, where
really funny running text
line. Dissolution was announced there
group Gemba Boys with a list of unbelievable things─
many types of activities engaged in
former members (for example... coding on pro─
Processor 6502!)
   Second special award -"Eternity"
(Eternity). This is somewhat more subjective─
an award, it is given to the person who
most consistent with the spirit of the party. Sometimes
this relates to the theme of the current year, but otherwise─
where to "general achievements" or long-term
efforts.  This year the award went to
Xi-/Satantronic for the picture "cybergirl - 
broken" which suited very well 
theme for this year's party.
   During the award ceremony there was
The theme for next year has been announced (it
was taken from sentences that were written
on the voting sheets). This topic is
"defender of the 8-bits"bit"). The topic was announced as early as possible─
so that people have enough time to prepare─
create material for next year. So we
we'll see more dems relevant to the topic.
Usually such demos are rare because
it is problematic to make a full demo for
several months.
   After Sunday's awards ceremony
everyone left the party place pretty quickly and
went home. I did the same
again without any prizes, with 4th place in
graphic competition (this is the fifth time I have taken
4th place). I’m not enough to reach third place─
only five points, so perhaps
I'll do better next year. In any
case, I will definitely come to the party again,
because I like this relaxed
atmosphere, fun and competitive spirit.
Besides, it's always interesting to meet.
   So see you there in 2016!