Oldskool competitions

General

  • Limitations:
    • Allowed platforms are Home Computers, Home Consoles and Handhelds up to and including the time period of the 4th generation of Video Game Consoles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(fourth_generation) ) and Handheld Systems up to and including period of the 5th generation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(fifth_generation) ) or any device with a CPU that has a 16 bit or smaller data bus. These are for instance C64, VIC20, Atari XL, Atari ST, NES, SNES, Master System, Mega Drive, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy Color, …)
    • Entries which require an FPGA solution to run the production such as an Ultimate64 are accepted for the Wild Compo. Note that FPGA solutions for peripherals are OK (such as the Ultimate1541 cartridge) - we’re talking full computers here, not multicart or storage add-ons.

Oldskool Demo

  • Limitations:
    • Maximum running time: 8 minutes including loading/precalc, which won’t be shown.
    • The program must be launchable using the standard command / procedure for that platform. For C64 this means no autostart or SYS commands; for ZX Spectrum this means LOAD “”, and so on.
  • Before You Submit Your Entry:
    • Entries in this compo will be video recorded. For the following platforms: C64, Amiga, VIC-20, Plus/4, Atari 8-bit, Atari VCS, Atari ST(E), ZX Spectrum, Mega Drive - we will handle recordings in-house. Recordings will be made on the real machines where possible, but depending on hardware / personnel availability it may be necessary to use emulators instead. If you’re not OK with this, you are welcome to provide your own video capture.
    • For all other platforms, we ask that you submit a video capture (preferably from the real hardware, or otherwise an emulator) along with your entry. If you need help with this, please contact us as early as possible before the party.
    • Please state if your entry requires any user interaction (pressing space at the end of parts, etc).
    • The entry has to be submitted to the party intranet as a standard media image file (disk, cartridge, tape etc) for your platform.
  • And finally:
    • For C64 : Please state which SID chip to use (6581/8580). This information will be displayed on the info slides for your production.

Oldskool 4K Intro

  • Limitations:
    • Maximum size is 4096 bytes (16 blocks and 32 bytes on C64). The production must be a single file. If the minimum cartridge image for your platform is larger than 4096 bytes, only the first 4096 bytes of the cart may be used.
    • Maximum running time: 8 minutes including loading/precalc, which won’t be shown.
  • Technical Requirements:
    • The program must be launchable using the standard command / procedure for that platform. For C64 this means no autostart or SYS commands; for ZX Spectrum this means LOAD “”, and so on. All bootstrap code required to launch the intro in this way is counted towards the 4096 byte limit - ZX Spectrum people in particular should note that this means you must include a BASIC launcher within the 4K.
  • Before You Submit Your Entry:
    • Entries in this compo will be video recorded. For the following platforms: C64, Amiga, VIC-20, Plus/4, Atari 8-bit, Atari VCS, Atari ST(E), ZX Spectrum, Mega Drive - we will handle recordings in-house. Recordings will be made on the real machines where possible, but depending on hardware / personnel availability it may be necessary to use emulators instead. If you’re not OK with this, you are welcome to provide your own video capture.
    • For all other platforms, we ask that you submit a video capture (preferably from the real hardware, or otherwise an emulator) along with your entry. If you need help with this, please contact us as early as possible before the party.
    • Please state if your entry requires any user interaction (pressing space at the end of parts, etc).
    • The entry has to be submitted to the party intranet as a standard media image file (disk, cartridge, tape etc) for your platform.
  • And finally:
    • For C64 : Please state which SID chip to use (6581/8580). This information will be displayed on the info slides for your production.

Oldskool Graphics

  • Limitations:
    • This is a cross-platform competition. Submit entries for any oldskool platform (C64, OCS Amiga, VIC20, Atari XL, Atari ST, NES, SNES, Master System, Mega Drive, …) that is able to display pixels!
    • All formats/modes are allowed. Please specify which mode you use - this will be displayed on the beam slide before the entry.
  • Before You Submit Your Entry:
    • Include exactly 4 (four) working stages of your entry. All entries without plausible working stages will be disqualified. Working stages may be delivered as plain image files or executable files - please ensure these are clearly distinguished from the final image in your submission (e.g. placed in a subfolder or separate disk image).
    • On platforms that have no ‘standardized’ image format or use code tricks to display the image (such as C64, Atari XL, …), the entry has to be delivered as both an executable program and a PNG image. Otherwise a standard image format for that platform such as IFF on Amiga is fine.
  • And finally:
    • Only the picture will be shown, no sound, no decrunch sequence, no credits screen.
    • Pictures will be shown full screen (resized via box sampling, to minimise blurring and pixel distortion).
    • Scrolling pictures are not allowed.

Oldskool Music

  • Limitations:
    • This is a cross-platform competition. Any platform that is able to generate sound can compete !
    • Supported platforms are Oldskool platforms as defined above, as well as oldskool PC soundcards such as AdLib and SB16. (This includes C64, Amiga without FPU, VIC20, Atari XL, Atari ST, NES, SNES, Master System, Mega Drive, ZX Spectrum, …).
    • Maximum size of the executable: 32768 bytes (129 blocks and 2 bytes on C64). Noters, info files, and readmes don’t count into this limit.
  • Before You Submit Your Entry:
    • The entry has to be delivered as executable program, in a format suitable for the target platform.
    • Always include an MP3/OGG encoded version of your tune with your submission. No post-processing, panning, etc allowed, except maximizing volume to peak level.
  • And finally:
    • Screen contents will not be displayed so don’t waste your time creating fancy effects.
    • The maximum allowed pre-calculation time (in case your player needs it) is 30 seconds.
    • Entries may not loop and have to end with silence.
    • For C64 entries, please specify clearly if you require a specific SID chip version on the submission form!