pouët.net

Here's a fun survey that should enlighten us all I expect. I'm wondering what are the most technically impressive scene releases from the perspective of someone who specialises in that area.

You can choose any computer or console format for your answers, but please answer with the most technically impressive to you.


Coders.....What is the most technically impressive demo or intro you have seen?

2d Graphicians.....What is the most technically impressive scene picture or logo you have seen?

3d Graphicians.....What is the most technically impressive use of 3d you have seen in the scene?

Musicians.....What is the most technically impressive musical score you have heard from the scene?


Please only answer if you are a specialist in the area or you will end up sounding clueless like me in the C64 thread. :)

My PhD in 2d graphics is in the mail and the technical aspect could be beaten to death and beyond but for hand pixeled 2d I'd like to nominate this:
http://eltopo.untergrund.net/grfxvault/gal/1994/The_Party_1994/latete.png

Also the latest c64 hires stuff by Mermaid qualifies for impressive in my book.

el-topo: That's weird. I'm no graphics expert but when I wrote that question that's the exact picture I thought of!! :)

i don't think there is a common understanding of what's "technically" impressive in music. some might consider "well mastered, well produced" the technical part of it, while many might much rather refer to the composition itself as something technical, and just others consider the arrangement and structure to be the more technical part. it really depends just who you ask, and on the genre as well. in non-electronic music technically impressive often means "well played".

it might not be up to todays standards quality-wise, but i think skaven's catch that goblin is quite an amazing score.

I find it quite hard to name the most technically impressive score for me, but I think Leave me Alone by Wotw was one that blew me away at the time. Most Jester/Sanity tracks were very technical too in terms of how efficiently he used the 4 channels.

I remember being very impressed by the effects in this demo. But then again, I don't care much for effects, only for expression.

Music: Bliss - In front of a daydreamer I'm in love with that track.
Code: ASD prods, expecially the recent ones (i.e. Iconoclast).

A few of my favourites:

Stoerfal Ost - Still impressive now 7 years on, and even Buttler will be able to appreciate the technical awesomeness of this if he looks at other Windows 4Ks in 2000.

fr08 and Impossible for 64k 0wnage and pioneering.

The Faktory demo that Preacher mentioned along with Feed Your Machine both feature some 'how the hell??' effects.

There're a bunch of mind-blowing ST demos codewise but I can't be bothered to explain why they're impressive because you'll dismiss them as 'just some sprites' or 'just scrolling the whole screen'.

As for soundtracks, I think Shanetro deserves a mention.

Oh and Hotstyle Takeover. Battle Droid, this is one of your favourites too isn't it? ;)

I've been (quite recently) amazed by this:

Graph: Climax-G by Les Sucres en Morceaux (insane scans)

Music: maxYMise - the directors cut by gwEm

Coders.....What is the most technically impressive demo or intro you have seen?
I think Gamma by Outracks...It's like they merged a demotool with hardcoded effects and I think that fricken rules.

Musicians.....What is the most technically impressive musical score you have heard from the scene?
Lifeforce BY FAR. So much is happening at once; it's so busy, full and complete and I can't help but be mesmerized.

Code: Kiss my Assembler (nobody writes in 2006 such a good 100% software rendered 100% assembly demo)
CPC code: the hardware screens of Overflow (S&KOH, Shadow of the Beast parallax, Backtro) especially after he explained to me the technical details.

ahyes, music can also be technically impressive that way. well ALICE COPPER for sure then. most mindblowing 4k tune i've ever heard. i'm starting to wish for a 0-day limp ninja release.

From a musician perspective, the most influential musician for me was the fast tracker 2 mod file genius Elwood, the track Deadlock was just insane.

skrebbel: I think "technically impressive" when it comes to music features a blend of composition skills and mixing/mastering skills. I find that most scene musicians who don't know how to mix their songs make crap in the first place, and the other way around.

Dude, I am a chiptune musician.... I've never made a technically impressive musical score.

I agree with gloom, "technically impressive" doesn't mean having patterns playing backwards, but achieving pro-level composition and production.
Talking about the "tracker" times, I would point at everything Audiomonster did (on 4ch mods) and at the soundtrack of Robotnik by Rage.
In the streamed music era, I am still amazed by the soundtrack in Deities.

musically speaking virt is technically impressive :)
as for 3d derpiipo, frank and destop are amazing

Actually, there was a time when that was the case. :)

I also remember a mod with just one (compiled) sample where the all the notes were played with sample offset -- can't remember the name of it though.. Whatever; I used to think that was rather nifty. :)

http://eltopo.untergrund.net/grfxvault/gal/1994/The_Party_1994/latete.png is indeed beautiful. Check Di Maccio's works, he's the painter that created the original:
http://rcoisne.free.fr/Images_html/Image119.html

gloom: i once did that :D

The best demo soundtrack is, and will always be the soundtrack to Hyperventilation by Byterapers.

Soundy: Ah, I had no idea, thanks. Copying other artists was popular in those days I guess, but the background is different...