Paper letters from mid-1990s members of the ZX Spectrum scene
This section is about the culture of swapping and snailmail — exchanging floppy disks and cassettes by ordinary (snail) mail. Without that network of exchange, the demoscene of the USSR and Eastern Europe in the 1980s–1990s might not have developed into the form we know today.
Before the Internet became widespread, paper letters were what linked active users across cities and countries. Exchange was usually handled by a dedicated person — a swapper. They kept in touch with dozens, sometimes hundreds of people. How quickly new releases (software, games and demos) spread across the scene depended on them. Swappers often also sold software at local markets and by mail.
This section collects scans of paper letters from members of the post-Soviet ZX Spectrum scene of the 1990s. In them you will find news, plans, and discussions of programs, games, demos and the demoscene of that time.
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Lots of groups are writing great software, everyone’s getting to grips with the Amiga, and they’re getting ready for the new FUNTOP’98 competition!
Viator from the AVALON/RUSH/ASM group writes to his colleague VBI in December 1997. The long silence was due to work on the ‘Hallucinations in Opera’ demo for the ZX Spectrum, which is finally ready. Things are buzzing on the scene: groups are writing software, FUNTOP'98 is coming up, and there are fresh demos and discs to swap. He’s getting to grips with the Amiga alongside the Spectrum, and VBI invites him to join the group. On the envelope is an explanation of why the parcel was returned: an error in the postal address.
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I've drawn a picture of the “Romeo & Juliet” screen here
Paracels from Eternity Industry writes to Max, saying he hasn’t had a reason to write for a long time and is eagerly awaiting OBERON #5. He talks about his work *Romeo & Juliet*, with which he is generally satisfied, despite its flaws and the criticism it has received. He also shares his plans to create a new, more powerful piece of artwork following feedback from his critic friend Sgryz, and mentions a possible drawing on the theme of Titanic. The letter is devoted to creative exploration and work on artwork.
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Crap – ANAMNESIS, devoid of design and special effects, won over audiences with its ugly animation
Paracels sharply criticises the results of CC'999, believing that Digital Reality’s demo JAM was more deserving of victory than ANAMNESIS by Fake Masters. He condemns the overemphasis on animation at the expense of design, graphics and effects, disputes the views of the scene reviewers, and warns Max against adopting a similar approach in his new demo with ALK. He also asks for his work FIGHT THE FUTURE to be published on PARADOX'99, as it did not make it onto DOXYCON'99.
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We recently went to Vladimir to visit REMEDY
Paracels writes to Max about the graphic design commission he has accepted and asks for further details regarding the artwork. He mentions that he has prepared the covers for *Fatality*, talks about his work on the magazine *Trud i Chest* and points out editorial errors in the article about Spectrum. He shares scene news: BORN DEAD #7, a trip to Vladimir, meetings with Remedy, SAT, Snake2 and others, stories about X-Files posters, Ash’s affairs, and music and newspaper projects. He sends regards to familiar bands
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Advertisement for the first issue of ‘AMIGA Rules’ magazine
Editor-in-Chief Andrey Gennadievich Andreev announces the release of the first issue of *AMIGA Rules* — the first Russian-language magazine entirely dedicated to the Amiga computer.
The reasons for creating the magazine were: the lack of high-quality Russian Amiga publications, the fragmentation of clubs, the absence of uniform software standards, and the neglect of the Amiga by other magazines.
The magazine was planned to feature sections for beginners and programmers, software reviews, a games section, news, competitions and interviews.
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Paracels / Eternity Industry congratulates Max and ALK on 3rd place at FT'98.
Paracels / Eternity Industry congratulates Max and ALK on 3rd place at FT'98, but notes they could have done better with more focus on design over code. He asks for the OBERON #5 release date, promising to contribute graphics despite being busy writing for newspaper "Trud i Zhizn" and making graphics for Buzz #16 and demo LIFEFORMS. He also asks Max to run an ad for the game "12 Secret Books" in OBERON, and to send over 4k intros, music from FT'98, Refresh & Forever.
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DIVER isn't an artist, but a converter, and submitting converted works to a GFX compo is just plain wrong
Paracels describes in detail how he exposed the artist DIVER/4D—the creator of the sensational work LOVEKIND, which took 2nd place at CC'999. Paracels, step by step: found DIVER’s weak early works in a newspaper, discovered together with his team that “PRIDE” was a direct rip-off, and found the original “LOVEKIND” by KIDLOVE/HAUJOBB in a Finnish demo from 1995–1996. Conclusion: DIVER is not an artist, but a converter, and submitting covers to a GFX compo is simply underhanded.
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DOGMA is widely recognized by the entire EI community as our best work on the ZX
Paracels regrets missing the train with Max and the crew, but his mood is great: their demo DOGMA by Eternity Industry has overshadowed everything else. The whole group agrees it's their best work yet. He urges readers to check out the promo post and get ready for something unprecedented at Russia's biggest demoparty — Chaos Constructions 2000. The P.S. is upbeat: the more competitors, the better.
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Confessions of a Talentless Artist
PARACELS drew an illustration for the New Year's issue of the floppy disk magazine Born Dead, promised to create a full-screen logo for the paper, and shared two absurdly dark holiday image ideas (a Christmas tree with a hanged man, and Death wielding a scythe in Santa's hat). The author raves about the Oberon magazine and Max's articles, invites him to visit Vladimir, talks about working on the LIFEFORMS demo, and dreams of making his own slideshow.
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Kemerovo Calling: PLAYGEAR COMPANY is Looking for Partners
Alexander, organizer and editor-in-chief of PLAYGEAR COMPANY from Kemerovo, is writing his first letter to SAGE GROUP after spotting their ad in Spectrofon issue #21. The company, just over a year old, grew out of his ZX Spectrum enthusiasm that began in 1995 when his articles on Elite were published in ZX REVIEW. The connections he made through subsequent correspondence led him to co-found PLAYGEAR COMPANY together with local hackers Daniil, Denis, and artist Artyom. The group owns several Spectrum-compatible machines (PROFI 512kb, Scorpion 256 turbo+, Pentagon 128kb) and has produced a number of programs. Alexander proposes a mutual exchange of disks and software catalogues, and invites SAGE GROUP to get in touch.