9 replies to this topic

[cimmerian]

2018 Atari Awards

Celebrating the best in Atari 2600 Homebrew

 

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

 

Technical Achievement Award:

 

Selection should be based on innovations that push the boundaries of Atari VCS compatible hardware or software that debuted during the year. The technical achievement must have been demonstrated in a public available video, released hardware or in a completed game, WIP game, demo or hack. Technical achievements debuted in a previous year are not eligible.

 

Voting:

 

Please select one of the choices for this category. The winner and runners up will be revealed LIVE during the 2018 Atari Awards Presentation Ceremony on ZeroPage Homebrew's Twitch channel on February 23rd, 2019 at 12PM PT | 3PM ET | 8PM GMT!

 

Nominees:

 

Aardvark by Thomas Jentzsch: Alternating playfield priority to create transparency effect (sun/moon shining through the clouds)

Aardvark by Thomas Jentzsch: 32 pixel sprite that smoothly enters, traverses and exits the length of the color changing playfield (both single line) without using HMOVE blanks, WSYNCs or using extra sprite data

Grey Screen with No Music by Tjoppen for 16 Byte "Maximum Minimal" Demo

Hard 2632 by Imp & SvOlli: 32 byte hardware dip switch demo implementation

Mappy by Thomas Jentzsch (code) & Nathan Strum (graphics): 85 pixel multicolor title screen

Mappy by John Champeau: Player and Enemy anti-flicker code

Studio 2600 by Norbert Landsteiner aka NoLand: 2600 Audio Demo Software

 

Download (Binaries/Instructions/Packaging): https://onedrive.liv...BF48A1964E7EEB5

 

Edited by cimmerian, Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:45 PM.

[splendidnut]

I was going to make some long rant about how the burgers in ChaoticGrill should be included... but then I saw the previous year disqualification and realized that I did the burgers way back end of 2015/ beginning of 2016.

[cimmerian]

You're nominated for WIP Homebrew Award for ChaoticGrill! :-) Congrats!

 

I was going to make some long rant about how the burgers in ChaoticGrill should be included... but then I saw the previous year disqualification and realized that I did the burgers way back end of 2015/ beginning of 2016.

[thetick1]

I always hate the flickering on 2600 games.  I know it's lots of work to resolve and I'm very glad to see it done right with such a complex game for 2600.

 

Mappy by John Champeau: Player and Enemy anti-flicker code  !

Edited by thetick1, Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:33 PM.

[CPUWIZ]

I always hate the flickering on 2600 games.  I know it's lots of work to resolve and I'm very glad to see it done right with such a complex game for 2600.

 

Mappy by John Champeau: Player and Enemy anti-flicker code  !

 

Ditto.

[mutterminder]

Mappy is definitely an amazing technical achievement.

 

Mappy by John Champeau: Player and Enemy anti-flicker code

[buddpaul]

'Hard 2632'.....for us regular-type Joe's.............  how do I form an opinion about this?? I pull it up in Stella......cool colors.....OK, fine - - it's a demo.

 

But how can I learn more about the thing that was 'achieved' here??

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Google is your friend.

 

https://xayax.net/hard2632/

[scrummy]

Thomas,

 

Holy cow. I had no idea.  That is wild stuff.  Previously I took a look at Hard32 and thought, yes, that is pretty, but now I am amazed. 

[Mr SQL]

All great entries! I voted for the 16 byte demo by Tjoppen - that's got to be the smallest demo ever

 

Here's something interesting to share for this topic - modern technical achievements using Atari technology are still possible because of Cyan engineering's racing the beam flexible TIA architecture:

 

A peer review paper on a new technology for motion blur reduction was released in 2018, discovered in parallel going back to 2012 with an Assembly example on the Atari side, but it wasn't until 2016 with BASIC Programming that the effects were observed and understood (amidst controversy that usually accompanies new science discoveries) .    

 

There's a fun discussion thread here with full details, games to play and examples you can try on your monitor or CRT, and that you can use to make your modern monitor work better with Stella, modern consoles and movies:

 

https://forums.blurb....php?f=7&t=4135

 

Note: If you apply the MBR patch to your modern monitor it reduces the exaggerated pulse width to more resemble CRT thus trading a reduction in motion blur for an increase in traditional flicker; more applicable for some folks and genres.